discopotato03 wrote:It's a 64 billion dollar question but I'm staying with the old school EA82T because it matches an L Series where an EJ does not IMO .
My thoughts only .
A L Series is fairly light though the weight is biased frontwards because the front diff has to be inline with the front hubs , the space required for optional DR gears (just above and ahead of the crownwheel) means the engine has to sit a long way forward biasing the weight distribution frontwards .
L's have diabolical front suspension geometry and having any extra weight up front just makes them worse .
L's also have slightly fragile transmissions which is why Subaru tried so hard to limit torque output on EA82T's , also front drive turbo L's that make real torque are wheelspin city and understeer on power something cronic .
So in light of this fitting a heavier engine , which is longer between the flywheel and crank pulley , sits even further forward excentuating the factory ills .
So for the basis of your aurgument here, exactly how much heavier is an EJ22 than an EA82turbo? I have never ever heard of anybody who's fitted an EJ to an L series complaining that the massive amount of extra engine weight has buggered up their handling.
The engine electrics (EFI) is far simpler on EA82's and the parts are cheap and available if you know where to look .
EJs being more complex are harder to fit because you are patching old into newer and there are no factory wiring solutions . Hate the ign sw crap .
Simpler....Inferior. Get somebody who knows how (lots of places do this) to cut the EJ harness down, hook up power to it and connect up to your dashboard guages, fuel pump, thermo fans etc - it isn't difficult at all. If you want something simple then stick with a carby. If you want something good, well get something more modern. Hey if EA82 EFI is so fantastic then they should still be using it on all Subarus, but then they tend to like developing things to be better...
IMO an L Series is about being lightweight and not needing 50 Hp to make it go .
Subaru helps you with EA82T's because they gagged them in std form so all you really have to do is remove them .
Have to agree here, best thing to do with EA82T's is to remove them!
To honestly have a "good" EA82T you need to properly rebuild it and thats where costs start to hurt , IMO the main advantage of an EJ is that it's generally younger and less used up .
I don't see the point in pushing an 18+ year old engine with worn rings and even lower than std compression pressure , turbo engines really have to have rings and valves that seal properly or the extra cylinder pressure they attemp to develop ends up in the crank case breather system .
A fresh EA82T engine can stand some enhancements and whilst inside it why not ? A bit of work with porting tools helps particularly in the exhaust ports , theres not a great deal you can do about the 4 inlet ports mainly because of the lifter bulges in 2 of them .
Like was done to mine , deck the cases enough to get the static CR up to something better than 1985 mouthwash grade ULP could stand .
If I had my time again I would have had the valve reliefs in the piston crowns cut deeper and the cased decked more to get 9.0 CR .
Later MPFI NA cams are just a smidge warmer than the best factory turbo cams and available at your nearest dead late 80's EA82 .
If you can track one down throw a Spider on it because every little factory enhancement helps .
Not surprisingly the hardest parts to get for an EA82T in Australia are the "other" spec (see factory WSM) turbo cams and the IHI VF6 turbo which is as per usual except for the larger ratio turbine housing (R15 instead of R12) .
The NA MPFI cams should be ok with the higher CR and the larger direct fit R15 VF6 turbo should move the boost range up a bit in the engines rev range . The higher boost threshold I doubt you'd feel because the high CR and slightly less restrictive cam timing should more than make up for it torque wise .
So to effectively use an EA82t you have to rebuild it (including customising) and track down hard to find parts, as opposed to plopping a low kms EJ in without rebuilding it. Which sounds easier?!
I believe you walk a fine line with the std EA82T EFI system before it runs out of air flow measuring and injector capacity .
Inferior EFI system again....good stuff 
I haven't reached it yet but I know its there and its why more efficient turbos etc without necessarily much higher boost pressure is at the heart of the whole package .
What I seek to do is raise my engines volumetric efficiency so that it makes better use of the air and fuel it gets before the fueling and computer/AFM go beyond their limitations .
Their are a few must do's like an adequate fresh fuel pump (VL-T) and possibly a adjustable fuel pressure regulator .
Obviously a low restriction (but not over the top) turbo back exhaust is on the cards to get anywhere near an EJ .
If you are using an early distributor type EA82T (86/86) the ignition system has to bve in good order ie no stuffed vac can diaphragms or dodgy pickups .
None of this crap in an EJ
Nice things like a WAIC are a help provided they work properly .
Strangely this fantastic piece of equipment was designed in the EJ era
If you are going to push the thing hard you need to find ways to reject more heat meaning newish water pump and I reckon the 170/77 deg thermostat is the go .
I don't see a problem with the std RX radiator as long as its a real Japanese one ie Koyo or Calsonic but you may need a booster elec fan which I'd mount on the front pass side . All the manufacturers tell you than these fans move more air in pusher than puller mode .
AWD is more than a luxury with such a car and unfortunately the short locking RX/XT4 version is the lightest - and rarest .
If you get it all right you can have a car that goes a lot better than people expect it to and thats how you catch them out .
You are never going have a world beater in an L Series no matter what you do to it , but as long as its good enough to impress yourself thats all that matters .
When the constabulary pulls you over and finds a std looking (and sounding) engine they've got little on you .
If you drive sensibly it may never happen .
An EJ in an L series can look absolutely 100% stock - no question at all. Just depends how you do it. I'm sure one of the WA boys will testify to how stock my sedan's engine bay looks these days.[/B[
