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Subaru Donor
Island - 1/2/12 at 06:32 PM

Hi everybody
I am wondering iff anybody has used the Subaru AWD as a donor , my thoughts are iff you remove the front drive part out of the gearbox and make it rear drive only ( drifters do it all the time ) and install in a + 4 frame . The main reson i am thinking about this, is that rear drive cars are getting hard to find ecept for BMW MERC Lexus (exspensive) and those old rear drive Toyota´s are long gone . But Subaru´s are all over the place and they seam to be pretty reliable. So has has anybody tried this already , tried search but nothing intresting came upp . If someone has tried this it would be intresting to hear about it.

PS. I am still in the planing stage


Mr C - 1/2/12 at 07:27 PM

I've not come across that conversion, though I understand that the Cusco race cars were converted to rwd to comply with regs. There are a few RWD V8 conversions as well, which would be interesting. There's always the mid engne conversion as in the Saker and my build the V-Storm.


PSpirine - 1/2/12 at 07:50 PM

Around here, I wouldn't do it as there are enough Sierra and MX-5's around which are easier and cheaper to use.

Looking at your location though, I would probably be tempted to use whatever is plentifully available in your own country. If Subaru's are the most readily available cars, then I'm sure you could make it work. The only thing you need to really think about are the uprights/hubs for front and rear.

Gearboxes and engines can be pretty much fitted into any chassis (you'll always have to make engine mounts)..

Get a rolling chassis together, the powertrain will be more straightforward to fit.


adithorp - 1/2/12 at 09:00 PM

I think the argument against using it as a donor has always been the width of the engine and getting it between the chassis rails.


klem - 10/4/12 at 08:42 PM

+1 to the above

The engines are mega wide which, I think would exclude them from a locaterfield type (unless you get imaginative)

The RWD conversion is meant to be quite easy though, you can even buy a kit to do it.

Klem