Subaru driveshaft length and wheelbase

[mbtoloczko]

It was originally thought that the '95-'99 Legacy OB 5MT driveshaft would be a direct fit into an SVX with a 5MT. I found out it was a bit too long (about 0.75"). However, this got me to thinking that maybe a driveshaft from another Subie might fit better. Not having access to all the driveshafts ever made by Subaru, I got to thinking that maybe wheelbase would correlate with driveshaft length. Here's what I found for the *wheelbase* of some Subarus:

102.8" -- SVX
103.5" (+0.7") -- '95-'99 Legacy
104.3" (+1.5") -- '00-'04 Legacy
105.1" (+2.4") -- '05 Legacy
103.5" (+0.7") -- '95-'99 Legacy OB
104.3" (+1.5") -- '00-'04 Legacy OB
99.4" (-3.4") -- '98-'05 Forester
99.2" (-3.6") -- '93-'01 Impreza
99.4" (-3.4") -- '02-'05 WRX
100.0" (-2.8") -- '04-'05 WRX STi
97.0" (-5.8") -- '91 XT

The correlation between the difference wheelbase of the SVX and '95-'99 Legacy and the difference in driveshaft length needed for an SVX 5MT and '95-'99 Legacy 5MT is very good. So, it may be that the difference in wheelbase between the SVX and the other cars is representative of the difference in driveshaft length. The 5MT driveshaft for the '95-'99 Legacy appears to be the closest fit among the 5MT driveshafts. However for the AT driveshafts, if the new 5EAT tranny for the '05 Legacy is about 2" longer than the 5MT (just like the 4EAT), then the driveshaft for the '05 Legacy AT may just 0.3 longer than the ideal length for an SVX 5MT. Anyone know someone with an '05 Legacy AT?? It would be great to get under the car with a tape measurer. :-)