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Brat project


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Well its bin a long time since i've posted on the message board to any great extent since the older board .

 

But i thought that some of you would be intrested in my last project , and current one

 

first off can you spot the diffrent in the first pic

 

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=316

 

 

 

if you dont drive a new Subaru or XT6 then you know that the older 80's cars didnt have 5lug rims .

 

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=315

 

well i got a compleat XT6 drive trane to do the swap , the rear is easy just like a rear disc swap but not the front there are several complations , axel size , strut type , lower ball joint and tie rod ends ,

 

I built custom shorter CV shafts , built strut conversion clamps , reamed the lower control arm larger , shortened the inner tie rods.

 

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=319

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=322

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=323

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=325

 

all this gets me a much better rims and tires , and the brake size is larger, so it stops like its a STi since the brat is so light , also i had the rear sway bar shortened so it has the XT6 + the larger 84 turbo wagon front bar .

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yo, i had the idea of using 5 lugs on an ea81

 

buy mine had the ea82 front end, lower control arm conversion, so an xt swap would would go like that of an ea82

 

the rear already had ea82 trailing arms, so xt's would swap in, ea81 axles

 

so what doj did you use with your axles, ?

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thats the main problem you have to use the XT6 shafts and ends , the EA81 axels have too small splines for the CV outter ends also I'm using the 5speed AWD XT6 tranny so it has the larger splined doj .

 

this settup gives me a positive camber ajustment / \ and still have the stock widht .

 

same E-mail just some times it gets lost in my junk mail :mad:

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I couldn't tell from your response Fox if you knew this, but the axles of the XT6 are totally different at the wheel end then any other Subaru. For my conversion in my RX it was easy because I had a turbo tranny with the 25 splines, so the XT6 axles worked perfectly. But as you probably know, and EA81 series car is narrower that the EA82 series, so you would have make a shorter axle like rguyver did. I'm assuming that he cut two axles, a XT6 and an EA81 in half, took what he needed out of the center, then used thick walled tubing as a sleeve over the two axles and welded both ends.

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Corky, if we remember the TrashWagon5, we would have observed the ea82 lower control arm, axle, knuckle and strut on the 83 wagon's original crossmember

 

so then now the xt6 lower control arm would thus swap. and with the ea81 strut cap modifcation like it is on the ea82 strut, fit the cap to a 2wd legacy strut.

 

so now that the car already has an ea82 axle, the same length and suspension geometry ans an ea82, the xt6 axles will fit also,

 

when i got the xt6 parts i looked at them, compared them to a 2wd 90 legacy.

 

I notice that the legacy and xt6 have the same style knuckle and strut. but the brake caliper, rotors were different.

the legacy has a staked nut like the impreza, but the xt6 had a same sixe nut, but a castle cap and a cotter pin.

 

but the legacy axle and the xt axxle both slide thru the splined rotor, and not pressed in. like it was on the 93 impreza

 

the rear had ea82 style spindles, so they would fit on the ea82 rear trailing ars in the 83 wagon

 

right now the parts will be going on the 87 gl10 wagon, just need some struts

 

I have a 5spd full time from the xt6, as well as my existing 5spd s/r turbo

 

ok, the xt6 axle is way fatter than the legacy axle. so is there any legacy axles that have the same diameter of a 23 splined TURBO axle??(like ina 4wd xt turbo)

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this is my first plan on how i built the strut clamp , the final one i built is diffrent but you get the idea ,

http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/subarupartsandmods.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=265

yes i welded this one on but only on the bottem

 

I did use the inner ends from the XT6 shafts too http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=325

 

Im running a built up EA81T with intercooler and 2 1\2" stainless exhost with custom down pipe . http://groups.msn.com/RguyversSubarus/mesageboardpics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=318

 

I wish i had room for the ER27 but it is just sitting in my shop flor looking cool :D

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That is looking pretty good. I have a couple of suggestions, insights... Let me know if these are off base at all.

 

All pertains to the strut situation. Personally, I wouldn't be happy with the kind of bracket you made, mainly because I wouldn't trust my own fabrication skills. What you did does look really good though.

 

I would have made a frakensteined strut. By taking either a XT6 strut or Impreza strut. Putting whatever springs on it you see fit, and then putting the stock EA81 strut top on.

 

On my 5 lug conversion on my ea82 RX, I used Impreza struts with the stock RX strut tops and stock RX springs. A tiny bit of metal working was needed to get the strut top on (i had to open up a whole that had a flat side on it).

 

But, what you ended up with looks damn good. Good work!

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well, one of my xt6 axles has a torn boot on the DOJ, so i will see if an ea82 25 spline doj will fit. If so, then i believe a 23 spline TURBO doj will fit

 

i have put a 25 spline doj on a 2wd axle, the doj itself was slightly bigger than the bearings inside, but it still worked.

 

but the xt6 axle is rather fat, i wish i has a 2wd legacy axle to play with. that would be nice for all this to work, so i can use a 5spd dual range with the xt6 axle.

 

so rguyver, what do you have for a trans in the brat?

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actually, northguy, i got the mod idea from rguyver, after he had a diagram of the lower control mount relocation.

 

i had pondered the mod before then, was told it could not be done. so far i am the only one with this mod after rguyvers hatch. but i totally endorse the mod for anyone contemplating suspension mods

 

thanx rguyver!

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well i had a 87 RX D/R 5speed in it but its out for some 1st gear sincro work :(

 

Im a welder / fab. buy trade so stuff like this is what i do daily but just in larger production for G.M. military , 200 grand motor home stuff and lots of Freightliner Truck parts.

 

i had thought of building just the adapter for the strut if there was enuff intrest but i would have to test it on a EA82 conversion to the 5 hub settup , the adapter would alow you to use the stock ea82 strut so you wouldn't have to try to find the rare coil sprun XT6 strut .

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rguyver,

 

That is an excellent mod

 

Can anyone tell me ho wmuch of this would apply to a gen 1 brat with EA82 drivetrain?

 

I'd love to widen the stance, get some better handling, brakes, 5 lugs.

 

Has anyone out there do this type of thing to a gen1 car?

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the mod can be done for the front of a gen 1, but the rear, you will have to swap in an ea81 suspension, so that the ea82/xt6 rear trailing arms will work.

 

i dont know if the rear 5 lugs will bolyt on to an gen 1. but if someone has done a rear disc swap to a gen 1, then it will work

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