EJ Conversion

Disclaimer

As with all vehicle modifications, you should check with your local transport authority within your local state or territory to confirm the legalities of any modifications before proceeding. We recommend any conversions and/or modifications be performed by someone qualified to do so and only for off-road use vehicles unless engineered or certified.

 

Although most of what we discuss here is based on a conversion to a Subaru Brumby/Brat it also closely covers what is required to EJ convert a Subaru L-series. (See supplement at the end of this document)

The Basics

What is an EJ?

EJ is a series of Subaru engines first coming on the scene in 1989. They are found in Libertys, Legacys, Imprezas, Outbacks and Foresters. They are available in single overhead cam (SOHC), Double overhead cam (DOHC) and in both Turbo charged or naturally aspirated (non-turbo). It has become somewhat common to use these engines in conversions to increase the drivability and performance of Subaru Brumbys, L-series, Volkswagens and off-road buggies. For the use of this document you will find them referred to as “EJ”. The 2 numbers following the letters “EJ” is commonly an indication of the size of the engine. Eg: EJ20 = 2.0L, EJ22 = 2.2L, EJ25 = 2.5L

 

What is an EA?

EA is the series of engine currently in your Subaru Brumby and L-series. EA81 being the common engine in a Brumby and most early Subarus. The EA82 is commonly found in a Subaru L-series. For the use of this document you will find them referred to as “EA”. Both EA81 and EA82 are commonly carby models however the EA82 also has EFI (Electronic Fuel Injected) and EFI turbo models within Australia. The fuel injected models you will find are easier to EJ convert.

Why EJ Convert? 

A more efficient, powerful, reliable and modern engine. Replacement parts are also much easier to get. What else could you want? Also if done correctly it is completely reversible.

The Pros, Cons, and Costs

Like everything there are many ways to do it depending on your end goal and your budget. For the purpose of this discussion I will be referring to the “adaptor plate method” which seems to be the most common among enthusiasts. Basically this method is using the factory EA transmission and, via an adaptor plate, mating the EJ engine to it.

The pros of an EJ conversion

• No additional engineering required other than the engine.
• Minimal custom parts (Fitting an EJ gearbox would require custom gearbox cross-member/mounts, gear linkages, CV joints, tail shafts and rear diff ratio to be swapped to suit the gear box at a minimum.
• Less down time and more cost effective. 
• Keep your factory 4wd system with the existing, very capable, low range (better off-road)
• Less modifications to a classic car
• Completely reversible if done correctly. (With the exception of turbo conversions)

 

The cons of an EJ conversion

• Effectively only 2wd on the road.
• Can be difficult to get, or make, an adaptor plate. (Subarino can supply these)
• Factory Brumby gearbox is only 4 speed (due to the gearing it can be annoying on highway driving) ** A Subaru L-series 5 speed can be used with additional modifications in a Brumby. See Supplement section.
• The EA gearboxes are understandably a somewhat weaker gearbox compared to the EJ counterparts. (although in our experience they have held up fine)
• Uses a weaker clutch plate compared to the EJ factory one. (Although by fitting a heavy duty EA clutch kit in our experience they have held up fine)

 

Cost

Expect to pay someone that knows what they are doing $2,500 – $3,000 in labour excluding parts. Parts can be upwards of $1,500 – $2,000 depending on options you choose and the condition of your donor car’s engine. (This does not include the price of the donor car). Adding optional extras may also add to this price. Generally speaking the more you spend on the donor car the less parts required to get your engine up to scratch. Every conversion is different so it is virtually impossible to give an exact cost.

Clearly if you are doing this conversion yourself you will be able to drastically cut costs.

 

Engineering & Legalities

Be aware that any shortcuts made during your conversion will come to light during the engineering process. Anything deemed unsafe will be spotted and a work order to correct the faults will be issued. In Western Australia the engineering process usually costs about $1,000 just for the engine conversion. Also it can take months to finalize. You should investigate all of this before starting your conversion. Some conversions simply are outside of legal guidelines and may not be engineer-able. Other conversions however may only need a modification certificate which can be less than $100.

What Do You Need?

 

Which Donor Car

Firstly, if you are not wanting to cut your Brumby up to make the engine fit, you MUST get a SOHC engine. *** However a DOHC engine will fit in an L-series just fine without body mods. *** Keep in mind all the EJ turbo engines are DOHC and will also require you to modify your engine cross-member to suit the turbo up pipe. See supplement section.

 

The most common and easiest donor vehicle to use is an early Liberty with an EJ22 (SOHC 2.2L). Between the years of 1989 – 1995 are the best as this is before built in security was added to the line. Also parts and wiring diagrams for this era are easily available. 

 

We highly recommend you buy a whole car and not just try and buy the parts separately. You should be able to pick up a drivable donor for $300 – $1,000 depending on the mileage and service history. It’s usually worth spending a bit more on something that has been well looked after. Buying the car complete gives you a chance to test the motor before the conversion.

 

You can do more research into which exact EJ engines were available in SOHC and DOHC but the 2.2L is the best bang for buck and is an extremely reliable engine. The ej25 is also a common choice however these have been renown for head gasket issues. These can be found in both DOHC (EJ25D) and SOHC (EJ251/EJ253) so choose your donor vehicle carefully.

What you need off the donor car

• Complete engine including all bolt on auxiliaries (eg: alternator, pulleys, brackets, wiring etc)
• Engine mounts (Square preferred but round will work on a Brumby) *** L-series must be square.***  If you need to change to a different style mount you also need to change the support plate where it mounts to the engine.
• Air intake piping, Mass Air Flow sensor (if applicable) and air filter box if going for a factory look. (A pod filter may be used instead of the air box).
• Exhaust headers and O2 sensor. (These can be customized but it is a big expense that can be avoided by utilizing the factory Y pipe)
• Throttle cable (remove carefully to avoid stretching)
• Complete wiring harness including Ignitor, ECU, relays etc  (front harness only)
• AC hoses coming from the compressor (if applicable)
• Power steering pump and hoses (if applicable)

 

New parts required

• Radiator hoses – size and shape depending on your radiator and if you have a lift kit.
• Universal external EFI fuel pump (or equivalent)
• Universal EFI fuel filter (metal casing)
• EFI high pressure fuel hose (mostly 8mm size)
• Hose clamps
• EJ adaptor plate kit (Available from Subarino AE)

 

 

Optional Parts

• Smaller drive belt (if not running Power Steering)
• Customized or modified power steering hoses (if running power steering) *** L-series power steering rack has the same rack fittings as the EJ so they are a direct fit.
• Seals and oil gaskets (recommended)
• Timing belt (recommended)
• Water pump (recommended)
• Thermostat (recommended)
• Oil, oil filter and coolant (recommended)
• Heavy Duty clutch kit to suit existing gear box (recommended). Technically, you could use your old clutch if keeping your existing gear box.
• Skimmed Flywheel (recommended)

What’s Involved?

 

Before You Start

Consider the condition of the EJ donor engine. While it’s out is a perfect time to renew the oil seals and give it a big service. We always recommend you do at least the timing belt and water pump before fitting. We also suggest fitting a new Heavy Duty clutch and getting your flywheel skimmed while it’s out.

 

 

Fitment

• Remove old EA engine, ignition coil and associated wiring
• Fit adaptor plate to the EJ engine (don’t forget the offset bolts) 
• Modify the EA flywheel bolt pattern to suit the EJ engine and fit. A machine shop can do this or you can do it yourself with a trusty die grinder/Rotary tool. Our adaptor plate kit comes with a handy cutting template to assist you. The location of the old timing marks on the flywheel is not important as these will no longer be used.
• Fit EA clutch (recommend new and the heavy duty option)
• Slot both engine mount holes in the engine cross-member for Brumbys. (approximately 5mm outwards). This is actually only to assist you when lowering the engine in. It will fit without doing this but you may struggle lining up the engine mount bolts. You will be using the EJ factory engine mounts. (Round or square type work for Brumbys. *** Refer to supplement for L-series mounting
• The engine stay rod (the rod between the engine and the firewall) mounting to the engine will need to be customized. We usually use the factory EA engine stay rod with a customized mounting bracket to the new engine.

 

 

Wiring

The whole front loom is required (internal and externally) you may need to remove the car’s dash board in order to remove it. Label as much of the harness as you can whilst doing this.

Preparing the removed harness is not an easy task and we recommend getting your harness cut down and labeled by a professional. We offer this service. CONTACT US. 

 

If you want to go at it alone, you will need a wiring diagram to suit your donor vehicle. It can be a long process and one incorrectly removed/cut wire can prevent the car from starting or lead to potential damage to the ECU. The idea is that the harness should be cut down to just have what is required to run the engine. A workshop manual to cover the donor car and the car it is going into is a necessity.

 

Lay the EJ harness out and remove all the tape and conduit. Do not take your labels off. Clearly label what went to the ECU, relays, fuses, engine, ignitor and MAF (Mass Air flow sensor). These are important. Using these as a reference point, you should be able to remove the non-associated wires one by one. Any wires you are not sure about should be cross referenced with your wiring diagram before removing. Power supplies and earthing points should also be double checked before terminating. All power supplies should be fused with the appropriate rated fuse. It may be beneficial to test your wiring before re-taping the loom. It is also important to keep the diagnostics ports and plugs for any fault finding.

 

Extra wiring and relays need to be installed to suit the cooling fans, EFI fuel pump and AC if required. It is not recommended that you attempt the wiring yourself without any previous experience.

 

All your Brumby wiring stays in the car to run all your accessories, lighting and starter wiring etc. The EJ wiring is responsible for only running the engine, fuel pump and possibly your thermo fans. The EJ engine/harness has the ability to run your factory gauges. Oil, temp, tachometer (if fitted). You will find the EJ engine temp sender is not a direct match for your Brumby or L series temp gauge, it will read lower than it does from factory. It’s also worth noting that some EJ engines share the same temp sensor for the gauge and the ECU engine temp sensor (recognized from a 2 wire sensor). These should not be modified and an additional temp sender should be added. This is covered more closely in the “Fidley bits” section of this document.

 

Fuel System

You need to mount the EFI pump somewhere under the car between the fuel tank and the engine. Any hosing between the EFI pump and EJ engine need to be high pressure EFI rated fuel (high pressure) hose along with an inline EFI fuel filter fitted. Before the fuel pump, a regular carby fuel filter can be used, however if you were fitting one after the high pressure pump a metal style fuel filter is required. Fuel filters can be mounted under the car, in the engine bay or both.

 

The fuel return line will also need some close attention. Some people run a new line or you can swap some of the hosing to allow you to use one of the larger fuel lines that exist. Studying the existing system and swapping the second largest copper fuel vapour line with the tiny copper return line at the engine end and the tank end can give you good results. We recommend renewing all the fuel return line rubber hosing and clamps at this time.

 

We usually mount the new pump near the old factory EA pump location under the car. Rubber mounting of these is important to help deaden the sound. You cannot use the Factory EJ pump from the donor vehicle. This is an in-tank pump which is not suitable to our application.

 

Update: In more recent times we have relocated the fuel pumps to the driver’s side. We have found some fuel pump noise was traveling up the short fuel hosing and into the cab. Mounting the pump on the driver’s side allows for more rubber hose between the pump and the cab’s solid fuel lines. This has proven to make the, often loud, external pump quieter.

 

 

Air Intake

It’s possible to get a near factory look by fitting the EJ air box where your battery is. There is enough space to turn a small battery 90 degrees and mount it between the headlight and the EJ air box. This is our preferred method. Alternatively you can relocate your battery to the other side of the car with some mounting and wiring modifications.

 

The air box will require some modifications to get it to fit and some creativity to mount it. There is no textbook way to do this so most people usually end up using an aftermarket pod filter.

 

If customizing the air intake, it is important that the location of the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor is before all the pipes that branch off to the engine. It needs to measure all incoming air to the engine. Some later model EJ engines may not use MAF sensor.

 

Cooling System

This can be done a few ways… we have seen the factory Brumby radiator used with adapters and spacers installed. The problem is the EJ engine has much larger inlets/outlets than the old EA radiators. As you can imagine, spacers and adapters are not the easiest or best method, they are more prone to leaking, failure and can cause a flow restriction. We recommend getting your radiator refurbished to make it more efficient and get the inlets and outlets customized to suit the EJ size hoses. It’s also a good time to get them angled to suit the direction required to make the hosing work easier. The angles change depending on if you have a lift kit or not. If you intend on having a lift kit in the future then carefully consider your angles before customizing. 

 

Fan installation is somewhat tight for space and will change depending on your options. Eg: you will have more space if not running Aircon or Power steering. You will need to use very slim cooling fans. We use Davies Craig fans and usually end up with one 12 inch between the engine and radiator. We commonly fit a second fan, but the location and size of this changes depending on Aircon fitment.

***An L-series commonly has plastic radiator tanks that can not be modified. See supplement at the end of this guide for more details.

 

Exhaust

Use the factory exhaust headers (often referred to as Y pipe) from the donor vehicle. These sometimes require minor mods if they hit the radius rod plate). The factory headers will include the mounting point for the O2 sensor. From there back you will need it adapted to your existing exhaust or get a larger customized exhaust made. It is recommended that you match the diameter of the exhaust on the donor car. If you have a completely stock system it will need to be upgraded.

 

Routing engine wiring harness

There are several different EJ harnesses with varying-length looms. We find if the main engine harness plugs are on the driver’s side (Right-Hand side in Australia), then we access the cab from that side. If they are on the passenger side the harness usually has plenty of length to go in on the passenger side and over to the ECU location under the driver’s dash. Additional wiring will need to be run for any ECU-controlled cooling fans and the EFI fuel pump. The relays for these we usually put under the dash. You need to basically aim all your wiring towards the driver’s side.

 

Wiring harness termination

Every wire you need can be found under the driver’s side dash. It’s good practice to fuse any live power wires when terminating. The gauge wiring (oil, temp) can be difficult to find but If you have issues then these can also be found on the old engine plug in the engine bay.

 

For the temp gauge, it will read much lower than before. This is due to a mix/match between the EJ sender on the engine and your factory gauge. You can simply adjust your mindset to how your gauge now reacts or use one of the following alternatives:

• Use the factory EA sensor drilled and tapped into the EJ engine coolant crossover pipe
• Use an inline attachment in one of the heater coolant hoses
• Use a complete aftermarket gauge system

 

ECU mounting

Usually, it just fits under the steering column and above the plastic kick panel. This can be tight depending on any additional wiring that was added to the car. Some large cable ties around the column and ECU is more than adequate to support it. The ECU should be completely covered when the kick panel is refitted. For anyone with a leaking windscreen or concerned about water, we recommend putting the ECU in a plastic bag before mounting.

 

Alternator wiring

This can be tricky. There are more than a few different EJ alternators with different wiring configurations. You need to familiarize yourself with your donor car’s alternator and wire it up accordingly with the aid of wiring diagrams. This part may be a job for an auto sparky. Upgrading the main power line from the alternator to the battery is usually a good idea as it’s not uncommon for people to burn out the factory fusible links and wiring once a larger amperage alternator is installed. Some EJ alternators can put out double the power of the standard EA one. 

 

Ignitor mounting

A perfect spot is the driver’s side firewall high up near the wiring grommet. There are some threaded holes there to assist in mounting. Keep in mind that these can get warm so leave space for ventilation around them.

 

Accelerator cable installation

You need to remove the old accelerator cable and install the EJ one in its place. The reason should be clear. The EJ throttle linkages pull forward where as the old system on the carby pulls backward. A longer cable is required to loop around the engine as it was in the donor car. Remove the old cable. Modify the hole in the firewall (or modify the donor accelerator cable) so that the cable can press into the firewall as it did originally in the donor vehicle.  To attach the cable to the accelerator pedal, bend the tab out, put the cable ball in, and bend the tab back. It’s very important this is done correctly, it should move freely and not stick or have resistance other than the throttle spring pressure. In some cases the cable is short and some minor mods to the bracket on the engine that holds the accelerator cable are required. 

The aim is to be sure the throttle butterfly is completely closed when the accelerator pedal is up (foot off). The throttle cable does not control the idle. It’s worth noting you should not adjust any of the throttle linkage stoppers on the throttle body in order to adjust the idle. The EJ engine will self-adjust the idle if everything is working correctly.

Optional Extras

 

Fuel surge tank/swirl pot

Some people use the factory Brumby fuel pump to feed a smaller pot (reservoir) of fuel mounted under the car. This is used to minimize the chance of air bubbles being sucked into the fuel system when your tank is low on fuel or when cornering at speed. The EFI fuel pump feeds off this smaller tank and your engine also returns fuel to it. This can result in quieting a noisy EFI fuel pump caused by restrictions or air in the system. Commonly only done with off-road vehicles as the possibility of getting air in the system is greatly increased as the angle of your vehicle changes. (eg: hill climbing)

 

Cruise control

We get asked all the time if it’s possible to use the donor car’s cruise control. Anything is possible, however, we do not recommend it. We do not endorse retrofitting a system designed to take over your throttle control. It would be extremely dangerous and negligent to do so (in our opinion). There are aftermarket cruise control kits available that can be used if cruise control is on your build list. 

 

Aircon

If your car had AC before, it can have it again! Some custom hoses need to be made and some additional wiring done, but it is completely possible.

What you need to have is… The EJ compressor, pulleys, belt, and hoses from the compressor are customized to join the Brumby factory hoses. The Brumby factory wiring is used to turn the system on and off. An auxiliary electric fan may be required and can be installed in front of the condenser. This also is controlled off the factory AC Brumby wiring.

If you have a Brumby that never had AC then it can be added if you can find all the parts from another Brumby/Leone/touring wagon of the same era that has it.

 

Power Steering

Albeit rare, if you have power steering in your Brumby the EJ power steering pump and lines can be modified to work with your existing steering rack. You need to modify the ends of the EJ power steering hoses to suit the Brumby steering rack by either re-flaring the ends or getting your local hose company to customize your hoses. It’s sometimes easier to take both ends to your local hose shop and tell them to join your EJ hoses to your EA hoses, just don’t get them mixed up (pressurised and return), it does matter!

 

Speed Sensor

The speed sensor does little more than supply a fuel-cut scenario when decelerating for emissions purposes. Most people do not wire this up at all. Your factory gearbox will not have an output for this. People have used several methods to try and sort this out but the best by far (in our opinion) is to install a GPS-programmable speed module. Commonly used for vehicles with electronic speedos and can be purchased via eBay. However, they do need to be programmed. A specific tool is required to read your ECU to get this programming correct. We can supply a pre-programmed module with fitting instructions. Without this sensor wired up people have experienced a variety of side effects. Some get an intermittent check engine fault light for the IAC (Idle air controller). Some people experience unusual idle speeds after deceleration. Others report no ill effects at all.

Fault Finding

 

Common faults

• Fuel lines on backwards at the engine; or fuel pump fitted backwards.
• Earths left off the wiring loom when installing 
• Air bubbles in the cooling system cause overheating – But the gauge reads and the radiator feels cold: Follow air bleeding guidelines as outlined in the workshop manual. A large funnel sealed onto the radiator filler can make this an easy fault to sort out. If you are still having issues then leaving the vehicle to sit overnight also generally works.
• Engine excessive tapping: Double-check your oil level. If the motor has been sitting for a long time it can take up to 30 minutes of the car idling for the oil to work its way through the entire engine. We do not recommend driving the car during this period. You should notice the noise getting quieter the more the engine runs.
• Misfire: it’s common for an engine that sat for a long time to have an injector or 2 be stuck in the closed position. Simply tapping the injectors while the car is running can free them up.

Outside of these common faults please refer to your workshop manual.

 

On board Electrical Diagnostics

All modern-day engines have a check engine light that, when the engine is running, will illuminate to tell you there is a fault with the system. Depending on the age of the car will influence how you go about checking what the problem is. Obviously, if you have not wired in the check engine light you cannot take advantage of this system.

 

The EJ computer has a flashing light code system to help you diagnose engine faults. It doesn’t have a code for everything but it can help point you in the right direction. An Early EJ does not need a computer to scan these codes and instead, a series of flashes on the engine light can tell you the fault. Later model EJ systems may not have this fault system and a specialty scan tool may be required. 

Follow the procedure to read fault codes found on www.troublecodes.net/subaru/

Supplements

 

L-series EJ conversion

• EJ Engine mounts need modifying to fit. A common internet myth is that you need wedges to make this work. We do not use wedges. Instead, the engine mount bottom plate is carefully trimmed so the mounts will clear the engine cross member. (you must be using the square engine mounts for this).
• Can fit a DOHC engine without chassis mods.
• EJ power steering hoses are a direct fit into the L-series steering rack. (No mods required)
• Battery relocation is not required.
• You can match a factory EFI L-series air box bottom half to an EJ air box top half with some modifications. 
• Radiator usually cannot be modified (unless it has copper/brass tanks) but with some minor mounting modifications, an N13 Nissan pulsar radiator can be made to fit instead.
• If your L-series was originally EFI or turbo your fuel system (fuel pump, hoses, filters, etc) is already suitable for your EJ conversion.

 

L-series (EA82) 5 speed gearbox conversion into Brumby

A common modification with a Brumby is to fit the L-series (ea82) 4wd 5 speed gear box. This can be done with the old engine or as you do an EJ conversion, either way it is worth thinking about before you start your conversion. 

 

You need the gearbox itself including the gear linkages, the ea82 clutch cable, the ea82 flywheel and the clutch to suit. Also you may use the ea82 2 piece tail shaft which will require you to mount the center bearing by either drilling and/or welding through your floor. A better option is usually to get a custom made (210mm – 220mm longer) single piece tail shaft. This should be measured and confirmed before proceeding.  

 

We find that there is a part of the gear box that does hit the transmission tunnel of the Brumby. It is an extrusion that can be easily removed before the box is installed. See photos.

 

The gearbox to cross-member mounting will need some modifications, this can be done several ways. Commonly done by fitting the Brumby gearbox mounts and supporting brackets to the ea82 box. After which you will notice the bolt holes on the gearbox cross-member needs modification (a simple hole modification to both holes approx 5mm outwards). We have heard of the L-series gear box cross-member being fitted to the Brumby however that is a fair bit of work. 

 

You do not need the L-series pedal box or pedal assembly. However the Brumby pedal box will need to be removed and modified to make the ea82 clutch cable. Basically the old clutch cable mounts need to be cut off and the new cable nut and bolted on with some suitable spacers. This takes careful thought and planning. See photos/

 

The standard L-series gear linkages will fit however you do need to add one bolt hole through the floor pan under the centre console for the gear linkage hanger mount. The 4wd leaver requires the L-series and the Brumby 4wd selector rod to be welded together at the correct length. This is generally done at the end of the conversion to get the correct length for this modification.

 

It is important to remember to use the same flywheel, clutch cable and clutch assembly to suit the gear box. ** Note that it can be necessary to need a 3mm spacer to space the starter motor out when using this gear box combination on the factory EA81 Brumby engine.

 

The wiring between the gear boxes are not plug and play. You should familiarize yourself with what each switch does on the box and what colour wires go to them. Comparing your removed box and the new box you will be able to suss out the wiring adaptation. This is a lot harder to do after the gear box is installed.

 

If the L-series box is from a carby model then you are in luck and your Brumby CV joints will match. If its from an EFI model then the gear box splines are the same as EJ, meaning your CV joints will need to be customized to suit.

It’s worth noting that L-series gearboxes are available in 3.7 and 3.9 ratio. All Brumbys are 3.7 diff ratio. If your L-series box you are fitting turns out to be 3.9 then you must change your rear diff to suit. L-series rear diffs are identical to Brumbys so swapping them is straight forward.

 

EJ Gearbox Conversion

As outlined in the pros and cons section… there is a lot more work involved when installing the EJ gearbox. Some have a cable clutch which is easy enough to get working and others have a hydraulic clutch which can turn into a logistical nightmare having to mount a clutch master cylinder to the firewall. We have heard the hydraulic clutch can be swapped to a clutch cable system with an EJ cable clutch fork and a change of position for the pivot ball. You will also need the cable mount from the top of the gearbox for this swap. (we have not tried this yet.

 

Your CV joints on your Brumby will not match the spline on an EJ gearbox so these will need to be customized using different inner CV cups or completely different CV joints. If you are doing the conversion to an L-series then you are in luck. The factory EFI model L-series has the same gear box spline as an EJ so you may have an “off the shelf” option or your axles may already fit if it was EFI previously (an exception to the rule is the EFI with auto transmission – these have the Brumby spline stub axles and will fit).

 

The gear linkages will need customizing as they won’t match up. This will have to be modified with the gearbox in place as you go. The cross-member mounting of the gearbox is also a problem, you will need a completely new one built. The tail shaft length will be wrong and once again will need to be custom-made.

Lastly the gearbox ratio. You need to know the gear ratio of the EJ box and you will need to change your rear diff to suit. Early EJ drive-trains have rear diffs with the same stub axles as the Brumby and L series. These are a direct swap once the two studs in the rear of the diff are swapped to EA units. Later models will require rear CV customization or a diff rebuild to swap ratio internals.

 

EJ Turbo Conversion

If you have a Brumby, as mentioned, officially an EJ turbo motor will not fit by just dropping the engine in place. However, people that are handy with a welder and a grinder in the past have modified the chassis rails to suit. We have never liked this idea and it’s irreversible. It can be done properly but it could also be done very poorly. The problem is the clearance at the timing covers on the EJ engine. This will need to be certified by an authorized engineer when the engine conversion is completed to be legal.

The rest of the conversion is effectively the same with additional work involved to the engine cross-member for the turbo up-pipe and some cutting usually required to the spare wheel cradle for an intercooler.

We recommend that the EJ AWD gearbox be used in conjunction with the EJ turbo engine. Traction is a real issue if driving in 2wd in the wet. Keeping all this in mind, the car will now be AWD (not 4wd) and you will have turbo lag before usable boost is created, it does not make for a great off-road vehicle setup.

The same recommendations apply for installing a turbo EJ to a Subaru L-series however no chassis modifications are required.

 

Handy Part Numbers

 

• EA82 Standard Duty Clutch kit Clutch industry’s R397N
• EA82 Heavy Duty Clutch kit Clutch industry’s R397NHD
• EA82 Clutch kit Exedy – FJK-6351
• EA81Gearbox mounts MT9478 Kelpro
• EA81Gearbox mounts A5652 Mackey
• EA81 230mm Heavy Duty clutch kit R1022NHD Clutch Industries 
• EA81 230mm clutch kit R1022N Clutch Industries
• EA81 230mm clutch kit FJK-6817 Exidy
• EA81 230mm clutch kit FJK-6817HD Exidy
• All Spigot Bearing 62012RS
• EJ22 Water pump Tru-flow TF3035
• EJ22 Timing belt kit Dayco KTBA075
• EJ Rear main seal permaseal NK139PS
• EJ ALT Belt without PS 5pk0690 
• EJ Standard ALT belt 5PK0875
• EJ AC belt 4pk0890
• EJ Lower water pump bypass hose EJ22 Ch3203 Mackay 
• EJ22 Ryco air filter A360
• EJ Ryco oil filter Z495
• EJ22 Spark plugs NGK BKR6E-11
• EJ22 thermostat Tridon TT294-170
• Universal Goss external fuel pump GE034
• Universal Bosch external fuel pump 0580464070
• Universal EFI fuel filter RYCO Z200
• Universal Fan mounting kit JAS A11-119 
• Rad hose Mackay CH3695 (Modify to use)
• Rad hose Mackay CH1945 (Modify to use)
• Radiator for L-Series conversion – (36mm outlets with plastic tank ally core) N13 Nissan Pulsar 1.8L 87-91 NIS966P/NIS40025 or RAD259

If you find any information in this document inaccurate or would like more added. Please don’t hesitate to email us at dave@subarino.com.au