RWD conversion?

[Famouspork]

How hard would it be to convert my svx to RWD, and would the drivetrain be strong enough to withstand it?

[huck369]

Depends on how you'd be driving it....
I'm running a 5-Speed converted to RWD in my SVX, and have had it in there about 3 years now....and it's doing fine, though I don't flog it (often)
And the tranny I'm using came out of a 1.8 Impreza.

I can say the handling really went downhill with the RWD, as the car is just not set up for it....and it is basically useless in the rain/snow....but it is fun to be able to hang out the back end once in a while

[Mephis]

Originally Posted by huck369

but it is fun to be able to hang out the back end once in a while

The AWD does it just fine.

It just takes a little time for it to start stepping out.


I had fun in a parking lot the other night.

[Alex-svx]

That sound fun to have RWD on the svx.
But can you really use tranny from a 1,8L impreza?

[huck369]

Originally Posted by Alex-svx

That sound fun to have RWD on the svx.
But can you really use tranny from a 1,8L impreza?

I am....Every 5-Speed swap I've done has used one out of a 1.8 Impreza....but Subaru used the same transmission for all the Legacy/Forester/Imprezas except the turbo models, so it doesn't really matter which one you use if you don't plan to race it.

[Famouspork]

do you know what was done to your car in order to make it RWD?
My front diff is broken, Ive purchased a couple of parts I need to make it 5sp and 4.44, but I dont have much money for now to have someone do the swap. I thought maybe it would have been one way of driving the car until later this year..then make it AWD 5sp for winter...

[huck369]

Originally Posted by Famouspork

do you know what was done to your car in order to make it RWD?
My front diff is broken, Ive purchased a couple of parts I need to make it 5sp and 4.44, but I dont have much money for now to have someone do the swap. I thought maybe it would have been one way of driving the car until later this year..then make it AWD 5sp for winter...

you can weld up the transfer clutch pack in an Auto and run it as a RWD....but it won't hold up long if you flog it...but might get you by for a while...Ben and Dave ran the racer that way for a short while.

[Famouspork]

I see...
my problem is the front diff is noisy since a gear tooth broke inside.
There must be more to do than just weld the clutch pack, in my case anyway.I'm just tired of driving the windstar

[NiftySVX]

It is pretty simple, grind off the teeth on the pinion gear for the front drive and fuse the transfer clutch together. The rear drive section of the car is dramatically undersized for a 3500 lb 230 hp vehicle and I doubt that it would hold up to 100% of the power for long, especially if you were hard on it. The rear diff isn't even mounted all that securely to the subframe. And of course the suspension is not set up for it which is why the car is tail happy when RWD.

I would suggest repair of the front diff instead of a m/t swap unless you just really want a manual. Subaru's manuals are slush boxes and the ones that will fit, with the exception of the turbo legacy, are not strong enough to hold up to the engine long term

[Famouspork]

I got a legacy GT transmission, and I'm not too hard on the car, I rarely floor it.I want the AWD 5SP driving pleasure.For now I got the broken svx rage.Which is getting worse with time.