Ej25/Brumby conversion

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:48 pm

Hi, new to the whole conversion game and have read the post by Tim 81 in regards to sticking an ej into an my but still have some questions. I have an 85 Brumby (moon roof type) and have been given (yes given!) and ej25 SOHC out of a 2002 manual impreza with less than 60k on the clock. I have the full wiring harness but no ECU or gearbox and was wondering as to the best way to proceed, ie ej or l series box? stock or aftermarket ECU? Any tricks or traps I should be aware of?etc etc. All advice and info gratefully recieved!Cheers.

lovey80 · Post by **lovey80** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:59 pm

Hi Corax, i'm sorry I can be of no help as i'm in the same boat as you. Well minus the engine at this stage. But would like to add to the question list. What exactly is required to get a ej25 complianced into a Brumby.. I'm in QLD if that helps.

Cheers Chris

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:20 am

With the EJ25 my first guess would be that a mod to the chassis rails forward of the cross-member will need to be cut more than for an EJ20G (turbo) to get it to fit in there.

Once that's done its the usual stuff - wiring, fitting the engine into the engine bay. If the car is not to be lifted, the engine crossmember needs to be spaced down a little bit to allow clearance of the engine in relation to the bonnet, otherwise you won't beable to close your bonnet (if i've understood the thread I've read correctly)

The gearbox question: If its an on-road car a standard EJ gearbox with matching rear diff would be the best option for handling. For offroad an EJ dual range AWD with L series low range would be a good option as would an L series dual range part time 4wd gearbox. For the L series gearbox there will have to be an adaptor plate made up to fit the engine.

Both boxes will require shortening of the tail shaft and most likely the gear linkages too. A custom cross member will be required.

A new exhaust will have to be sorted too.

There will be more involved, but this is all I can think of from my reading.

Cheers

Bennie

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:57 am

EJ25 SOHC fits with no mods required to the chassis rail

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:50 am

Jeff wrote:EJ25 SOHC fits with no mods required to the chassis rail

I got the info from here in the first post:

tim_81coupe wrote: The Basics of fitting an SOHC EJ motor to an MY:

Any motor up to the EJ22 can be fitted without modification to the chassis rails, the only potentially structural modification to the body would be the slotting of the holes in the engine crossmember where the mounting studs slip through. I beleive to fit the EJ25 motor there would need to be major modification to the chassis rails, more so than the turbo motor (see below).
The engine crossmember needs to be spaced downwards about an inch and the steering linkage modified to suit for bonnet clearance. This is not necessary on a lifted vehicle. This will make your camber more negative and flatten your front CV angles.

The Basics of fitting a DOHC EJ motor to an MY:

The process is mainly the same as for the SOHC, but with attention to the following points:
The chassis rails will need to be cut & reshaped to clear the timing covers.
If fitting the turbo motor also, the crossmember must be modified to suit the up-pipe on the turbo. Alternatively a turbo crossmember can be used, provided it is from the same model as the project.
Realistically the only gearbox that should be used is the matching turbo gearbox. These use a much stronger pull-type clutch.

This would be due to the EJ25 being wider than any other EJ engine even if it is SOHC. If you have a different experience, I'd like to hear about it, if you have pics even better.

The rest I added as some reading that maybe of benefit, even if you've already read it once, its always good to read it again.

Cheers

Bennie

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:13 pm

Tim's excellent writeup is slightly dated now, i don't think he took the later model SOHC EJ25's into account.
The SOHC EJ25's are the same in physical dimensions as a SOHC EJ22. It gets the extra capacity from longer stroke and larger bore.

It's only the quad cam motors that need the chassis modified in an MY.

lovey80 · Post by **lovey80** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:53 am

Is the DOHC ej25 that much better engine than the single?
If the car was to get a 3in lift and was for offroading would offroad an EJ dual range AWD with L series low range be the best option or the part time 4wd? Im assuming that the AWD would be the best option???? Maybe I'll look for a newish car that has the lot that has been written off. What car would be the best model that would have all this?

Sorry for the hijack corax.

cheers Chris

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:01 am

Some people say the DOHC ones have more torque. Other people say they have head gasket issues and the SOHC ones are better. Probably not much difference at all overall, alot of it just comes down to how it's been treated in the past.

I would say probably better to go for the AWD option with L series low range. Much better on-road performance and only a slight drawback in not having a locked centre for offroading, this hardly makes any difference in the real world offroading from personal experience.

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 10:04 pm

Hey, thanks for all the info in regards to the conversion/gearbox questions. I have a bit of info on the ej25 (will it fit?) question. I managed to measure an older ej25 the other day and its about 2.5 inches or 8cm wider than the one I have, so hopefully the one I have will fit no worries.
Will definitly take on board the advice about the gearbox. Spend most of my time on the road but the offroad stuff does involve climbing a fair few sandunes.
Now of course more questions. Has anybody got any ideas about the ECU? ie should I try to find a standard one or are there some aftermarket options? Also thinking of chucking on some decent extractors, any ideas? Should I use the MY radiator or chuck in something from a later model? Thanks for all your help.

Cheers Dave.

Ps No dramas with the hijack Chris, interested in hearing the answer!

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:56 pm

Corax,

I don't see a problem with the MY radiator, so long as its in good condition. I've heard of people using these with the EJ20G - I would imagine these would produce a lot more heat in a shorter amount of time than an EJ25 ever could.

If the current MY radiator is giving you no trouble, I don't see why to swap it as you'll only be spending more money on it.

My 2c

Bennie

lovey80 · Post by **lovey80** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:11 am

Thanks a lot for the help lads. What car do you think would be ideal to snatch all the stuff i need for a ej25 conversion with most of the components i need for the AWD DR option?

Cheers Chris

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:59 pm

Thanks for all the advice Subi dudes, will try to supply info and photo's when I undertake the conversion. Still a while away yet though as I still have to get the brumby re-sprayed and find the rest of the parts that I need.

Cheers,
Corax.