4EAT inquery

[SubieAddict]

Ok so I have a non subaru rear wheel drive older chevy car, and a 97 outback parts car.

Short version, want to make a decent fuel mileage classic cruiser using my cost friendly resources. Just wanna take the 2.5 and 4eat with their respective harnesses/cu's and put in the new host chevy with 4.10 final drive gears in the rear end. Only problem is I need to make the awd trans a rwd trans. Can this be done with just pulling the front axles

 

[Meyagi]

if you weld the center diff it should work. someone on legacy central did this I think, search rwd 4eat on google.

 

[Chris]

You need to take the tail housing off and weld the transfer clutch plates together.

Chevy what? A lot of the time the problem with subaru motor swaps into other cars is that subaru engines are so wide compared to V and straight engines, they just don't fit.

But with custom fab for the engine and tranny mounts, that's very doable. Someone on USMB welded the center clutches on a 4eat and put a divorced transfer case on the back.

 

[SubieAddict]

The chevy is a 4 door 71 caprice that came stock with a 400ci small block abd a turbo 350 trans now only has the rear differential. I could possibly just put my whole parts car under the hood with a shoe horn. But worse case scenario Ill just cut/paste the subarus cross members into the Chevy's frame and I own a sledge failing that.

Basically gonna take two partials and attempt to make a classic car fuel injection reliable and hope for the ballpark of 20mpg

 

[Chris]

The only flaw I see with that.... That car weight something like 5500lbs... Now think about how slow a legacy is with a 4eat. Now imagine towing a 2500lbs trailer.

Not only would it be UNGODLY slow, I don't think the transmission would last long.

An SVX engine would pep it up though... that would be a cool swap.

 

[Nigel Prodrive]

All a youse guys are nuts, but hopefully you already knew that.

Hrmmmmm... Chevaru hybrid, there's a concept that bears investigation!

 

[SubieAddict]

I totally agree with you its a big b*ch, but from a little googling curb weight of that car is around 4300 (not to far from an svx) and curb for the year and model legacy outback I have is around 3300. Simple math says chevy>suby by 1000lbs.

Now some simple math half a** estimated and entirely inaccurate.

The diet

Removal of cast iron v8 engine with replacement of aluminum 4 banger -200lbs (happy thoughts)

Trans swap th350 for 4eat we'll say even +/- 0

Steel driveshaft for aluminum say -10

Steel wheels gone alloys replace -10x4=-40

Throw on slightly shorter and narrower rubber to keep all things equal in rpm ratio land. -5x4=-20

So just some decrease in the nature of the swap 4300-270= 4030>3300 by 730

Other measures can be taken to further decrease but all in all its just gonna drive like a outback stuffed with average 150+ lb adults with say some hiking gear. But its not meant to be fast by any means its not a muscle car its a family sedan hell it only had 170hp stock from a 400cu.in. just gonna be a cool old cruizer with a wallet friendly appetite.

Besides I know where theres a 3.3 already but no harness or ecu so that's a 500+ dollar venture even just running a mega squirt ecu....

but I'm kinda eyeballing that for my legacy to swap in > that'll be my fast one.

 

[Chris]

Hmm, that's lighter than I thought. This would be a good candidate for the 2.5 block with 2.2 heads for more power.

 

[SubieAddict]

Also another solution would be to alter final drive ratio,god knows theres atleast a few dozen for the 10bolt chevy rear end and then of course tire size manipulation.

 

[SubieAddict]

@Nigel

Oh for sure its crazy, but whats a guy to do with a big garage, half cars all around, fab tools, time, and not a lot of money?

Stare at your junk...think...get funny ideas...think about the technical and mechnical challenges to make funny idea...rule out as bad/stupid/way too expensive idea or see what kind of shinanigans I can get into with my already owned scrap metal and a few hundred $$.

To give you an idea I plotted out how to put a vw tdi in a suby, gave up for hood clearance reasons and cold weather pissyness...that started after my tdi passat got stuck in a parking lot last feb with studded snows (after owning a Subaru outback) needless to say I wanted 48mpg AND awd

 

[Mighty Subie]

oh I love stuff like this... keep us posted/updated/covered with pics and details! I'm willing to come weld anything (excluding the trans internals for obvious reasons) that needs fab work if you need a hand. I'd love to help out with this if possible.

 

[Smiththers]

ive often wondered what an EJ series motor would do in a 2nd gen RX7... probly too wide though as someone mentioned

 

[SubieAddict]

Ill get some pics up soon of the cars, just on hold at the moment cause my dad has the garage hostage. First chance I get I'll have the suby in to be stripped of the goods. So right now Im focusing on trying to figure out all the work involved and possible complications. So far this is my list, feel free to point out anything Ive missed or overlooked. Add in your solutions too if you want.

- engine and trans mounts and crossmember:modify existing

-driveshaft and rear axle ratio: custom made and 4.10 ring and pinion

-plugging front axle outputs: cut cap out of plate metal?

-ecu and tcu and harnesses: mount someplace under dash or make compartment in engine bay.

-gauge cluster and operation: use subaru harness and maybe make fit in chevy dash or make custom hot rod style dash dash

-airbag light: take led out haha