Subaru brumby conversion to ej22 HELP!

[Jason.Rheinberger]

Hi guys

I'm About to become the proud owner of a 92 brumby (again) but want to increase the torque and power a little bit more than the stock standard EA81 that is in it

I am a very basic back yard mechanic but would love to give a conversion ago my self

there is a few questions i would like to know
1 will an EJ22 fit straight in to a brumby engine bay with out modification

2. If i was to buy a subaru liberty to take the motor out of , what other things from this car can i use on th brumby

3. what is the best Gear box to use that will make things simple and reliable

4. if i am to buy a veichle to help with the converion what would be the best make/model to use

Sorry to ask so many questions i was just a little confussed with the whole thing

dalso does any one know if there has been a step by step guide written for this conversion



also is thre anything i have to do to enable it to be compliant to register
HELP!:)

[Jason.Rheinberger]

Hi guys

I'm About to become the proud owner of a 92 brumby (again) but want to increase the torque and power a little bit more than the stock standard EA81 that is in it

I am a very basic back yard mechanic but would love to give a conversion ago my self

there is a few questions i would like to know
1 will an EJ22 fit straight in to a brumby engine bay with out modification

2. If i was to buy a subaru liberty to take the motor out of , what other things from this car can i use on th brumby

3. what is the best Gear box to use that will make things simple and reliable

4. if i am to buy a veichle to help with the converion what would be the best make/model to use

Sorry to ask so many questions i was just a little confussed with the whole thing

also does any one know if there has been a step by step guide written for this conversion



also is thre anything i have to do to enable it to be compliant to register
HELP!

[rtcb65]

HEy Mate. To answer your questions, search the forum , there are plenty of threads on the subject. We are doing the exact conversion right now. There is a thread on it in our folder .

[justincase41]

I see your in NSW, you cannot register an EJ22 into a brumby. The RTA says the only engine changes you can do without consulting an engineer are those where “the capacity increase is less than 15 per cent above the maximum size engine available for the vehicle, providing no major structural modifications are necessary and, where noise and/or exhaust emission ADRs apply, all standard equipment… relating to noise and emission control are retained and operate correctly”.

YOu then have to consider the mass of the vehicle and all that crap.

Go EJ20, much easier cheaper and engineers certificate not required.

[Jason.Rheinberger]

Thanks for that

which veichle should i buy for the converion to get an ej 20

Also what sort of power out put and torque will i get out of the ej 20 compare to the ej 22

the reason i was thinkng the ej22 was that i was told it has alot of low end torque which is one of the reason for the converision (mainly to tow a boat)

Bloody RTA. can't seem to do any thing in this state

[Jason.Rheinberger]

thanks rick

Sorry to sound like a dumbass but i am new to this forum
how do i find the thread in your folder?

[phantomD]

This same thread has also been posted elsewhere.

[AndrewT]

I merged the threads to make it easier.

To answer your questions...

1 - yes an EJ22 will fit between the chassis rails without modification of the rails so long as it's the DOHC version of the motor (the most common). The quad cam version will need the rails widened. This rule applied for all EJ motors into a Brumby. Twincam fits, Quadcam does but needs mods.

2 - if you got a manual AWD liberty you could potentially use the gearbox but this is quite alot of work and not really required in most cases. You could use the radiator but this probably isn't required if you have a decent twincore one in there already it will be fine.

3 - In your case (just trying to get abit more power than standard etc, not making a racecar) you would want to set yourself up with an adaptor plate and use an EA gearbox. You can use the existing 4spd but it's highly recommended to upgrade to a 5spd from an L series.

4 - For a twincam EJ22 nice and cheap you would want to get a damaged Gen1 or Gen2 Series1 Liberty GX or LX. These days they are quite high kms tho so be careful you get one with good history etc.


Other than that if you are a basic home mechanic like most of us you will probably need help with the wiring loom. If you aren't sure then it's recommended to get someone else to do it from the beginning rather than attempt it then get someone to try to "fix" the loom - this is almost impossible.

Have a good read of some of the sticky threads on conversions, all the important info has been posted here many times.

Otherwise welcome to the forum and good luck with the conversion!

[Jason.Rheinberger]

Thanks guys this is really helpful

are all the ej motors fuel injected or carby

which would be recomended

[Jason.Rheinberger]

so basically if i have the Ea 5 speed, a EJ engin, wire loom,computer and gear box adaptor plate i should be right to begin

Correct me if i am wrong

[Checkers]

so basically if i have the Ea 5 speed, a EJ engin, wire loom,computer and gear box adaptor plate i should be right to begin

Correct me if i am wrong

Yes that is correct. Not sure why you can't use an EJ22 in NSW from what the DOTARS say you can and I know plenty of people who have put them in VW Beetles which came with 1600cc engines without issues from RTA.

The wiring of the EJ 22 is pretty simple and there is plenty of into on the net. If you goto Ultimate Subaru Message board there is a document which outlines the conversion, there are also heaps of threads on here.

[Gannon]

Im pretty sure EJ20 is the max you can put into a MY/ L series car in NSW and keep the RTA happy at the same time

Finding an EJ20 shouldnt be hard. Most Imprezas had em, 97-02 Foresters and LX & GX Gen2 Libertys had em too

A front cut or half cut is the best way to buy them as you get almost everything you need.

Just make sure you get a SOHC engine (i think AndrewT made a little mistake in his typing and suggested you get a DOHC)

[AndrewT]

heh no I didn't make a mistake, but could have made it clearer I guess. It's confusing with Subaru motors. DOHC means two cams, altho I suppose those motors can be called SOHC because there is a single cam in each head. It's ambiguous. An EA82 has two cams in it, but only 1 per head, is it a double over head cam or a single over head cam motor??

There are two types of EJ motors in this respect. Ones with 2 cams and ones with 4 cams. The ones with 4 cams (quad cam) motors are wider and don't fit in MY based cars unless you widen the chassis rails.

[Jason.Rheinberger]

where can i find the info on what type of modifications the RTA will allow

[justincase41]

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au

[steptoe]

1300 137 302 Tech enquiries NSW RTA - try not to talk to them too long - just ask them for some rule numbers Rule 302 think is all online though a small maze.

You found the number on a fridge magnet in a no name workshop OK??

NSW allow up to 15% increase and that is on the exact cc times 1.15. 16% is not allowed under owner certfied modifications and that is where you need help to define things

Recently had an HZ ute with a 3800 V6 Holden donk fitted by v6 conversions in 066, 067 std code area, thought it would require an engineers certificat as some rules state that if motor comes from same manufacturer but later model, the brakes off that later model and suspension must also be fitted. 3.8l is 3795cc and 3.3litre x 1.15 is about 3792cc. Owner brought it in for a change of engine number inspection, got that done and dusted , then week later came in for pink slip. Checked up with tech enquiries guy who said this conversion was acceptable and not to worry as it was only a pink slip. However if it ever needs a blue slip it may come to a grinding halt.....

[daza]

Having had a Brumby, and converted it to Ej20, i highly recommend it.
The Ej22 does have more torque, but the 2.0 is enough.
However, you say you want to tow with it, in that case I reckon the AWD box is more important than the engine upgrade.
FWD Subaru's don't tow well, No FWD tows well.
You don't mention your budget, fitting the 2.0 and AWD box from an early Impreza Sportswagon is really easy nowdays if you have the money to throw around, The custom gearbox crossmember is available off ebay, any CV/Driveshaft shop can sell you shafts the fit the conversion, there are people on here who will strip the wiring loom down and label it, then it's just Lego!
If you can afford to also do the Crossbred Brake upgrade, that may help getting an Ej22 certified, then the Liberty becomes the perfect donor.

Now, how shall i invoice you that $0.02?
Daza.

[maxxair]

go for it. ill give u all the info/instructions i trawled up (and some bycatch) when im next on. all the bet with it. the possibilitys ar ENDLESSSSS

[El_Freddo]

DOHC means two cams, altho I suppose those motors can be called SOHC because there is a single cam in each head. It's ambiguous.

Its not ambiguous. DOHC means Double OVER HEAD Cams. Subaru's are a flat four and as we all know have two heads: this means that the DOCH EJ motor is a quad cam.

The SOHC means Single OVER HEAD Cam. So the main EJ22 found around the traps is a Single Over Head Cam meaning it is a twin cam as such.

Clear as mud? I hope not.

As for the EJ brumby conversion - I think you'll find that the EJ conversion of any sort from the EJ20 is a good upgrade for towing. The standard trim brumby will tow fine, it just won't be a sports car doing it - which is not the aim of towing anyway, the aim is pulling up what you're towing on time when you need to. The EJ will only get you up to speed quicker and potentially put you in a sticky situation easier if you're not careful.

I'm not saying don't go for it, just be cautious if you're not looking at upgrading the brakes as well.

I cut my own loom down from some wiring diagrams that can be found on the forum, I also did a write up about dropping and EJ into an L series - there are a few differences in the mechanical side of things (engine mounts, radiator etc) but the wiring is all the same. Do a search for Ben's wiring - its in his photo folder on coppermine (the forum's image host).

All the best with it.

Cheers

Bennie

[henpecked]

Not wanting to hijack the thread here, but I am also going to get a EJ20 inserted into my '90 brumby, the question I have in common with the first post re the "best" gearbox to use - is there any difference in gearbox preference between using the final vehicle for mainly tarmac or Off-road use.

Specifically would the 2wd/4wd selectable 5 speed hi-low box from an L series be appreciably better than a constant AWD box for moderate off-road use?

I read that , if you use the ( standard ?) EJ gearbox you then have AWD with a viscus centre diff, which supposedly can allow you can get stuck with only 1 wheel off the ground out of traction ( is this true ?). Whereas with the L (EA) series selectable 4WD gearbox, it locks the rear and front diffs together so you always drive at least 2 wheels all the time. Is this only true with the legacy sedan type vehicles , what about with the forester "4WD" cars ?

( I suspect that as a newbie I don't quite understand the differences between some of the gearboxes that have been mated to an EJ engine by Subaru - any help in where I can go for that ?)

thanks