Ever Victorious

Ahh... that brings back memories. Beautiful wagon there, I remember the color very well.

Whore.

You're welcome, I'd really love to see it when you have it running and built.

Except it's the fronts that are the problem. The rears went in like butter.

OK, update as of this evening... I had a chance to work with my friend on the car... got the other rear shock on with the mount right-side up, and now it REALLY rides rump roast-up... (something about the rears being good but the fronts still being flat...) We then went to tackle a Legacy strut and found a few things. 1) the spring on the Legacy strut does NOT clear the wheel well near the top! the top of the wheel well, on the inside, bulges out a bit and we can't get the strut to clear. 2) the mounting on the strut for the knuckle may NOT actually be "too narrow"... since we could not get the Legacy spring to clear, we went back in to install the XT6 air strut so we could put the car back in the garage.. and then promptly spent the next 2 hours trying to widen the strut mount on the ORIGINAL strut so that it would fit over the knuckle!!! (However, it is undenaible that the Legacy strut mount DOES need to be widened, because the XT6 is a PITA). so... the next question is... Why did the Legacy strut/spring not work? It was from an AWD Legacy sedan...

and which extremely expensive tool do I need to buy to do this? Neither road worthy nor registered, but thanks anyway.

Well, my best bud has plans this Sunday, when we had originally planned to fix the remainder of the suspension on the 6. I was just wondering if a couple Seattle/Everett-ites versed in general suspension work might be interested in helping me finish off the suspension conversion. One rear shock is completely done, I have all the parts needed for the conversion. Left to be done: Flip the top mount of the remaining rear shock back to the ORIGINAL position, then remove old rear shock and mount new shock. Remove both front struts, take the strut tops off and install them on Legacy struts, widen the knuckle mounts on the struts, then reinstall. I have air tools, so this should hopefully be quick... I'd like it if one or two people showed up to help. If someone has widened the knuckle mounts before, I'm especially interested in hearing from you. I'll buy pizza and soda for your troubles... Anyone?

Speaking of... I stopped by Smart Service today and they have a Gen1 brat for sale for 2500. Didn't take a close look, but it appeared to be in sweet condition... and well, it's Smart Service. Any work that was done was done right.

So for those soob owners who go from an old soob to a new one, do they have to throw down oil where their new car sits just to feel right? Great looking site, Brian... and, as always, great looking rides too!

My seats are original. and in spifftastic condition. So :grin: on you.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49949 From the USRM, on that very subject...

Actually, what Todd said about fabbing is a good plan, to tell the truth. On my '76 DL, I installed a 4-speaker stereo system, and of course back then there were no speakers or holes in the package shelf. My father and I got a piece of plywood and cut it just a little smaller in all dimensions than the original package shelf, then carpeted it with that Kraco/Schucks generic carpeting (which was actually a pretty close match to the stock color!). Fit nice and snug and looked great. Make sure if you do this to test fit the piece before you glue the carpet to the wood.

Mostly interchangeable. Driver's seats on GL's had a lumbar adjustment, the passenger side doesn't. But agreed, go to your local junkyard or PaP and get some newer seats.

are your lugnuts flat or tapered on the side that contacts the wheel? It's extremely hard to tell from that pic, but if the holes on the pug are concave (bows in towards the brakes, not flat), then I suppose the lugnuts from an XT6 or other similar soob with recessed lugnuts (AKA hidden by a center cap) would work... again, I can't tell from that pic.

x 50!!!! again!!!

Well, the "GL" moniker was used before '75 on coupes ONLY... Starting in '75, "GF" was used for hardtops (no B pillar) and "DL" for coupes, as well as the "luxury" sedans and the wagons. Further confusing this, in '78 and '79 only, there was a special version of the DL coupe called the FE, which used a higher compression EA-71. Then there were the "standards", which were the super base models that didn't even come with trip odometers (or radios, I believe). the "GL" name came back in '79, becoming the "luxury" model of the 4WD wagon line. So except for '79, "DL" and "GL" didn't actually share any time in the lineup for the first gens. Of course, starting with the 2nd gen (also called by some the MY or Leone), they share the line all the time, with the DL being the base model and GL being the luxury package. Clear as mud?

OK, flipped the top mount of the EA82 rear shock like I was told... the rubber stops appear to be shaped to fit only one way in the top mount, so we flipped those as well, and now the shock doesn't fit because one of the rubber mounts is now wider than the mounting hole up top. Did I screw up? Put one non-flipped EA82 shock in the rear and it actually doesn't ride at a bad height, but because we spent so much time getting the damn shock, didn't have time to swap anything else out today. Guess it has to wait at least a week.

Seriously, you will. I'd easily give up $2,000 to have my DL sedan back... it was so pimp, and so unusual.

Want one that says "Females Wanted, Inquire Within?" cause I have one. (came on the t-coupe, wife doesn't like it)

I'll be making another trip down there sometime tomorrow, I gotta get the last shock for the rear of the wedge. was only able to get one out before the yard closed (the other 2 we tried, one had a bad bushing and the other one of the upper mounting bolts was just plain stuck, couldn't get it out.)

Oh sure, NOW someone tells me... Though with the selection available today, that wasn't a possibility... there were no 2WD Legs to grab parts from.

You mean EA81's? There were about 4 or 5 EA81's of various flavors, including a round-headlight Standard hatchback. I wasn't looking at those too much, since they don't have the parts I need.

Alrighty, it's finally sitting in my garage. It was nice having a car that moved under its own power, and being able to drive it home... even if I had to wear my helmet to protect my head from the roof. The car is leaking cybrid fluid at the reservoir, dropping it down onto the cat and burning it (so it smokes and stinks). Quick check indicates fluid level is below the bottom of the stick (can't see into the reservoir, neck does't turn that way). Other than that and the air suspension, there's just some miscellaneous knick-nacky things in the cabin that need to be replaced. I like ER27's already.

Just got back from a run there... If anyone's looking for original Subaru H-style alloys, you're in luck. I saw 2 wagons with most of their alloys still there WITH the center cap, too... at least 6 wheels that I counted that were complete. I saw 2 Leg AWD sedans there, pirated the front suspension of one (probable blown motor). That one looked like it might still have decent seats on it. I also counted at least 5 EA82 4WD wagons, mostly intact. One I happened to be looking at for struts has a complete 5spd d/r setup, no parts were missing that I could see. No XTs or Justies that I saw, no Imprezas either. (just in case anyone cared.)

Isn't that the info for doing a 5-lug conversion on an EA82? Sorry if it was confusing, I have an XT6 with a toasted air suspension that I need to find replacement strut/coil bits for. Just came back from PaP with AWD Legacy front struts. There were lots of EA82 rears there, but I couldn't figure out how to get the drums off to get at the lower mounting bolts... but that's OK, I have a backup plan.