How much to do a conversion?

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:05 am

Hey guys
I was just wondering around how much would it cost to do an EJ conversion. I already have the brumby but how much for the motor and parts I would need if I did it all my self, also how much would it cost for someone else to do the conversion? I'm not to sure about EJ22 or EJ20T as I am thinking of doing it as a project car but I'm on my P's.
thanks

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:36 am

I only can tell you based on Victoria's prices if you collect parts yourself & its bellmark figure...

EJ22 engine $180-$230 complete.
EJ20T is more expensive your looking $1000+
EJ Gearbox $80
Wiring & ECU $60-$90

If your gonna use your original box - you will need adapter plate or convert the gearbox from EA into EJ casing by removing EJ internals or use EJ box instead.

If your gonna get someone to do the job for you, your looking at $75-$85 a hour for mechanic to do it for you. Plus auto electrican to do the wiring up.
Cheers
AP

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:48 am

Ok thanks for the help.

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:06 am

We just did a conversion on my brothers brumby and till now it has cost us $2500 in new and used parts. This is without the labour cost as we done it ourself:)

My L series with all the mods i've done, including all the cost of parts, the car itself, tyres etc, i mean everything except rejo and fuel cost me about $5000

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:09 pm

$80 for an EJ gearbox ?? a FWD one?

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:57 pm

I paid $100 for a AWD dual range gearbox, with about 250,000kms on it

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 3:06 pm

steptoe wrote:$80 for an EJ gearbox ?? a FWD one?

Nah..

The cheapest EJ D/R box I've ever gotten was $67!!! only once (my secret revealed but don't ask me how! as that part is keeping to myself)
Thats from pick-a-part style wrecker.
Cheers
AP

SUBIIE · Post by **SUBIIE** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:16 pm

well realistically for an EJ20T,

half cut cost $2000

full service $2000 (new clutch, timing belt, water pumps, etc)

custom radiator + twin thermos $500

custom tail shaft $400

additional stuff that I cant think of now!!!!

splice wiring harnesses $1000

rego $1000 +

that is without including labour for someone to do all the other stuff like cutting chassis rails, making custom crossmembers gearbox and engine, interior changes etc.

I would think the conversion for a wrx in a brumby to cost $10k

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:46 pm

SUBIIE wrote:well realistically for an EJ20T,

half cut cost $2000

full service $2000 (new clutch, timing belt, water pumps, etc)

custom radiator + twin thermos $500

custom tail shaft $400

additional stuff that I cant think of now!!!!

splice wiring harnesses $1000

rego $1000 +

that is without including labour for someone to do all the other stuff like cutting chassis rails, making custom crossmembers gearbox and engine, interior changes etc.

I would think the conversion for a wrx in a brumby to cost $10k

*whistles..*
Cheers
AP

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 9:33 am

Also add EFI fuel line, decent fuel pump + surge tank.

2.5" exhaust.

I would look at the reciept for my L series conversion but my GF might spot it and knife me. My conclusion was that while the result is good, for the money you pay you are better off with a newer Subaru. It will cost less, be cheaper to run (think of servicing and repairs to a modified car), and ultimately be more comfortable (CC, A/C, better suspension, nice seats, etc).

If i did it again i would do it myself because in my opinion it is very hard to justify the labour costs involved in getting a complete conversion done to a quality worth the financial outlay.

Cheers,
Rhys

Post by **Alex** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:14 am

Complete EJ22 conversion will be about $2-3k

Complete EJ20G conversion will be $5-6k

If an ej conversion cost a couple of hundred bucks everyone would have doen it by now.

If youre not very mechanically minded it may cost you even more for a mechanic to do it. Otherwise it may be less if you do all the labour yourself.

Alex

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:33 am

Don't know why servicing and repairs would cost any extra at all to an L series or Brumby with an EJ engine in it? The car should be more reliable afterwards as far as breakages go (unless the conversion has been done dodgily) and you don't need to use liquidized gold for oil changes or anything. Should have the same servicing charges as any other standard car.

But the answer to the question, "how much for a conversion" can be pretty much another question - "how long is a piece of string?". There can be absolutely huge differences in conversion costs, here are the main variables.

First you need to decide exactly what conversion you are doing. "EJ20 turbo into Brumby" is not a conversion plan.
What gearbox are you using? Are you upgrading brakes at the same time? Are you servicing the engine properly first? (new timing belts, new oil seals etc), are you doing a full dashboard conversion?

Second you need to work out how much the parts are going to cost. Make a list of all parts you'll need and start shopping around. This will vary alot - people on here can give you a good idea of what they've paid for things in the past, but be aware, this price is extremely variable. Alot of the time snagging a bargain for an engine or gearbox can change your final cost by hundreds of dollars and can often change your plans entirely if it's that much of a bargain. Ie - I originally planned to do an EJ25n/a conversion to my L series, but then a bargain priced EJ20turbo came up forsale and I grabbed that instead.
You can save money by picking up an entire donor vehicle from a damaged-vehicle auction place. This is good as all the parts are matched, but can sometimes be a gamble - I know people who've done this and ended up getting a buggered motor out of it.
Local trading newspapers are good.
Wreckers can be good, but can be a rip-off, just depends.

Third you need to work out how much of the work you are going to do yourself, and how much you are going to get mates or board members to help out with, and how much you are going to pay a mechanic to do. This will make a massive difference.
You absolutely need to do as much of it yourself as possible, and draw on mates and board members knowledge and skills to help you through. This way you know the car back-to-front as it will invariably end up being unique.
If you are planning to pay a mechanic to do a drive-in / drive-out job then you really should re-consider doing a conversion at all. If you aren't mechanically minded then owning a conversion isn't for you. Even if the conversion is done very well and is very reliable, in the event of some kind of wiring problem occurring further down the track (which can happen even with stock cars), or even a simple change of clutch, a mechanic is no doubt going to charge you quite alot to sit down and figure out which part has been used. Most mechanics will just work on the basis that "it's a brumby" and just order Brumby parts without realizing maybe he needs a WRX or Liberty part instead.
At least if you have followed the conversion through from the beginning and been heavily involved you will be able to provide guidance on all the specifics.

longy99gt · Post by **longy99gt** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:28 pm

interesting thread, as i just got a brumby for my sister, and was wondering about a conversion too....i think time and money means its a certain no for a while,

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:36 pm

Ok now i'm thinking maybe a EJ22 with 5 speed manual. Is it ok to do this conversion without upgrading brakes etc.? also what else would need to be changed? (drive shaft etc.) Is it a fairly easy conversion? and finally would it need to be engineered? (I'm in qld). While I don't know too much, my dad has been an aircraft engineer for about 30 years and has worked on his own cars when he was younger. We have plenty of shed space and even a hoist aswell as most tools I would need. It's just a shame he hates working on cars these days

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:01 pm

Also If I used a gen 1 liberty as the donor car, could I use the dual range full time 4wd gearbox, and would I need to use the liberty diff aswell?

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:22 pm

EJ22 from a Liberty with a part time 4x4 5spd from an L series is a tried and tested combination. It's the most capable gearbox offroad and will work extremely well. This conversion has been done many times and works awesomely.

Do a few searches, the details have been covered in great detail on here many many times over.

But here are some key points;

- The EJ22 will fit in your engine bay no worries
- The EJ22 stock engine mounts will sit in your stock crossmember however it's highly advisable to replace the round fluid-filled mounts with the later model square rubber ones - they are way stronger. Also it's advisable to make some wedges to make the angle they sit at more flat.
- You need to make / buy an adaptor plate to allow the EJ engine to bolt to the EA gearbox.
- You need to modify the bolt holes on the EA flywheel (elongate them) to bolt to the EJ engine
- You need to use a standard L series clutch disc and pressure plate but get the pressure plate re-sprung to about 1700pounds pressure so it can take the extra power of the new engine
- You need to make sure your rear diff ratio matches the ratio of the 5speed L series gearbox (it will be either 3.7 or 3.9). if it doesn't match just swap your rear diff for the correct one.
- EJ wiring harness - you will need to get this customised to deleted all the unnecessary parts and label the few wires that need to be connected to your car - I recommend the board member Subarino for this. It's worth the few hundred bucks he charges for the professional job - many people have attempted modding a loom themselves and failed. Once a loom has been butchered it's impossible to recover it.

The sticky thread started by Tim81coupe is one of the best for all the details, have a good read.
I detailed a pretty good writeup (from memory I think) from when I made my own adaptor plate a while back.

If you want to use the EJ dual range gearbox here are a few points;
- Need to make custom gearbox crossmember
- Need to custom shorten shifter linkages
- Need to custom shorten tailshaft
- Loose the locked centre diff which is a disadvantage for offroading
- Gain constant AWD for driving on-road

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:30 pm

thanks mate that really helps

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 6:08 pm

AndyT's said just about everything I wanted to on this subject. If you're after more power and are mechanically illiterate I'd suggest upgrading to something newer is the go for your situation.

Or stick with what you've got and be happy with it... Sorry for the negative news, but that would save you a pot load of money, time and frustration. Venom knows what he's talking about with the paying of someone else to do the conversion, talk to him about that. I disagree about the service costs with a modified vehicle. It could be said that those who modify their vehicles keep them in better condition than those who have a stock vehicle. I know I do just to keep eyes off my subi for the wrong reasons!

Cheers

Bennie

kona480 · Post by **kona480** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:58 am

Yeah I always change my mind from wanting to do a conversion to getting a new car. I think I will end up getting a gen3 liberty rx and sell the brumby. Then I will have a more modern car with all the luxuries.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:44 pm

retro-fit the luxuries to your brumby then you can still chuck stuff in the tray and go offroading

Easy to stick Gen3 seats in, u can get MY power windows, u can fit a late model dashboard....