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Oh.
Bolting the 2.2 into an L-body isn't exactly a walk in the park. It doesn't just bolt right up. At least with the 1.8 turbo, the crossmembers just swap straight across. Swapping an EJ22 engine and transmission would be easier, but I don't think it bolts right up either, and worse, the Legacies weren't available with 4WD, just AWD, and it's not the same, and it does matter... *gasp* [for air] ...but it has been done and performs well. (I think SubaFreak did this, but with an EJ22T. I'm not certain exactly what transmission he's using, but from what I gather, it's a piece of work from Frankenstein's laboratory.) The EJ22T would kick arse, but I think the N/A version is adequate. Those old cars don't weigh much.
I still think an auto-box is the way to go, even if you're not planning to play in the technical stuff. I love turbo slushboxes, but find manual turbos to be a pain unless you're racing them. I can't imagine a turbo 4x4 with a stick. At low RPM they have half the power of a naturally aspirated motor. ...until they get wound up and knock your socks off. I guess that'd be fun in a mud pit. :P
My advice is pretty much like you first suggested, but throw tires on it. Take a rubber mallet to the fender wells, throw big wheels and tires on it, convert it to GL struts front and rear if it has the GL-10 style pneumatics, and call it a day. A car like this performs amazingly well, and takes virtually no work to set up.
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