New development regarding Subaru axles (group buy maybe?), I need opinions Options

[IM101]

For those who don’t know I’m starting to produce the items necessary for a Subaru conversion. I just got some prototype axles in from Sway-A-Way(SAW) and test fit them last night. While they fit both the older and newer style Subaru transmissions (different axle output style, male or female CV’s) as well as both the 914 and 944 CV’s I have stumbled onto a bit of a problem. The way Subaru designed the later/stronger 2005+ transmissions (with the male DOJ) the hub assembly must be removed to get the axles off. Translated to the 914, it makes installation/removal much more of a hassle than the earlier weaker transmissions.

What I need your opinion on is the viability of the SAW axles, originally at 375$ a set they were meant to be the most inexpensive/universal solution for the axle portion of the Subaru swap. Providing a cheaper alternative to the 600$+ the annoyance of needing to open the 2005+ box up and install the older style male stubs, that Subaru Gears offers. However now with the necessity of the male stubs for the Subaru transmission in the 914 it one of the advantages of the SAW system has been eliminated. It is still less expensive 375 (2004- trans) or 475 (w/stub for 2005+ trans) vs 500$ or 600$.

So anyone considering a “suborsche,” let me know what you think, is this something you would be interested in? I am ready to order 10 sets and they would be ready in 2 weeks, just pending your opinions on the matter.
Thanks
Ian M.

[strawman]

I truly appreciate your willingness to take on this project. However, I believe the biggest challenge you're up against is using the term "universal" when talking about the Subaru transaxle conversion. There are many variations (i.e., male vs. female output shafts, push vs. pull clutch, etc.) of the Suby trans, and I am in the camp that you should develop a solution based on the transaxle/outputs with which you're working. In my case, I'm using a 1998 Forester tansaxle, I put an OBX limited-slip in it, I used 108mm 911 CV joints on the outers and the Suby inners that came with it, and had Dutchman cut/respline a set of 911 axle shafts to make it work.

Your other challenge is trying to find an "inexpensive" solution. To do anything correctly that will make your customers happy, I believe you need to find customers that are ready to spend the time and money necessary to do it right. To truly make a universal kit, I believe you'd need to supply everything from transaxle (with and without LSD), to axle shafts for various setups (914 for narrowbody or for widebody including 911 hubs and bearing spacers?), new hub bearings, CVs, shifting mechanism (shifter, in-car shifter mount, cables, grommets), transaxle-to-body mounts, engine mounting bar and new Suby engine mounts, hydraulic clutch setup (modified pedals, hydro lines, master cylinder mounts), speedo conversion (I strongly recommend the Suby electric setup & modified VDO speedometer), wiring harness, cooling setup (radiator and mounting system, fan setup, hoses, templates for cutting holes, grommets, etc.), weld-in trunk box for starter/turbo/clutch actuation ... OMG, did I really do all that and my car is still not running after three years of weekends and late evenings? And I've already spent a boatload of money for which my wife would divorce me if she only knew!

YMMV... and sorry to hijack your thread (back to another glass of delicious Central Coast wine). It takes a lot of planning, trials/tribulations, and patience to do a conversion correctly -- and a strong desire to "do something different." My Suby-powered Vanagon Syncro took a year to get everything right, and I sold it because I needed a new challenge.