EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

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El_Freddo
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EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

Post by El_Freddo » Sun Sep 03, 2023 10:47 pm

G’day all,

After realising that what I thought was common knowledge for this mod is not well known I thought I’d document a guide about how to go about it and what you’ll need. I’ll add a bit about the EA81 cable swap to make this work in a Brumby/MY model relatively easily when dropping in an AWD non-turbo gearbox like we did for the MCM Brumby build.

What you’ll need:
- EA82/Gen1/Gen2 EJ clutch cable mount bracket from the gearbox
- EJ cable operated clutch fork
- holder bracket halfway down the gearbox, not necessary but helps hold the cable

And that’s about all that’s needed other than the cable itself - EA82 4wd works and no cable change is needed. For EA81s you’ll need a LHD Legacy clutch cable part# 37214AA030 (or a superseding number AFAIK). Ignore the part number in the pic below:

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Here’s where to fit the cable support bracket on the hydraulic operated gearbox:

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The pivot ball needs to be moved. There’s a steel gasket that partially covers the lower hole for the cable operated clutch fork. Just gently fold it over. Do not attempt to pull the input shaft housing out unless you intend to split the gearbox!

Image

I found a generic washer under the pivot ball was beneficial in my application. At one stage I had two washers and I later worked out that this was due to the aftermarket throw out bearing being thinner than the factory unit which I’ve got fitted now with one washer.

EA81 clutch cable swap to facilitate fitting an EA82 5spd or EJ AWD gearbox

This is one way to do this swap that I think is easier and neater than going down the EA82 clutch cable route. The advantage to the EA82 route is cable availability atm.

There is no need to swap pedals or cut off the clutch cable mount with this swap unlike what I’ve seen of the EA82 clutch cable swap.

We used a LHD legacy cable clutch part number 37214AA030 for this. The RHD unit is the same length as the EA81 clutch cable!

Image

What needs to be done to fit the LHD Legacy cable:
- remove the pedal box and EA81 clutch cable from the vehicle
- remove clutch cable from pedal box, easiest to do it by removing the clutch pedal with the cable, remove cable from pedal and keep the pin etc as this will be re-used
- on the legacy clutch cable, drill/grind out the pin at the pedal end of the cable and drill out the hole to a 6mm hole (from memory). The hole needs to fit the EA81 clutch cable pin that was kept
- on the pedal box the clutch cable mount needs the second plate removed to allow the retainer clip to fit the legacy cable end, the two yellow marks show where this second plate used to live before it was removed. A dremel was used in our swap to grind out the two welds that held the plate
- fit the Legacy clutch cable to the EA81 pedal with the original pin and pin retainer clip; fit this assembly to the pedal box refitting with the same plastic bushes and retainer clip on the pedal pivot shaft
- refit pedal box to the vehicle
- connect the clutch cable to the gearbox

That’s it. This mod only applies to the EA81 and is reversible if ever needed. Just use a couple of washes to make up for that plate that was removed.

The EA82 setup is already good to go for a gearbox upgrade as its clutch cable is the correct length.

Cheers

Bennie
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
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Bumpty
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Re: EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

Post by Bumpty » Fri Sep 08, 2023 2:50 pm

Fantastic to see you expand on this from the MCM build!

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Suby Spanner
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Re: EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

Post by Suby Spanner » Fri Sep 15, 2023 11:10 pm

Yes, thanks for that.
I was watching some guys WRX/brumby build, and he'd used a hydraulic clutch etc... what a nightmare... I've got a gen1 liberty D/R box sitting in the garage, and I'm just thinking, why not keep it cable???
Turns out, that's good thinking :)

Quick question, I believe it's the 3.9 (I grabbed the rear diff also) are the 3.9's harder to find? I've also got a L series D/R box, but that's 3.7.

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El_Freddo
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Re: EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

Post by El_Freddo » Sat Sep 16, 2023 8:35 pm

Hey Suby Spanner! Long time mate!

Yes you are correct - the 3.9 ratio EJ Liberty gearboxes from the series 1s are hard to find. These have a three bolt input shaft housing the same as the L series. I’m 99% sure (going from memory) that from the Gen1 series 2 gearboxes they went to 3.7 ratio and a four bolt input shaft housing.

^ this is for the NA boxes as the turbo boxes use a “pull” clutch arrangement, which is quite the correct term for it but anyway. I haven’t seen a turbo box converted to the push clutch arrangement for cable use.

Cheers

Bennie
"The lounge room is not a workshop..."
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Suby Spanner
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Re: EJ hydraulic clutch to cable clutch for EA chassis conversions

Post by Suby Spanner » Sun Sep 17, 2023 12:16 am

Awesome, thank you. I better check, but I'm confident that Gen 1 box I got was a 3.9

I'm working on two brumby's slowly... My targa is the 'good one'... my other is gonna ge the beater/hopefully daily: I'm thinking I'll use the L series 5spd in that, and leave as 4 stud to wear out all the 13 inch tyres I have.
The targa can get the gen 1 driveline :) Ej22/5spd D/R, and full 5 stud conversion... I've even managed to get a STI A-line lsd I'll try to use, and the H6 rear brakes....

But all will be cable: This hydraulic conversion is just a nightmare, and to be honest: I have a Nissan and a VL commodore (nissan driveline) and I've had hydraulic clutch trouble in both. Unless your running a 500hp clutch, a cable setup is fine.

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