thealleyboy

A word about non-spray paint jobs... The main problem with this is the paint itself. Most of the paints used anymore are enamels. Enamels cure slowly, and sanding kills the gloss. If you paint with a pad, roller, brush, etc the paint will not go on smooth enough for most people. Sanding or buffing will smooth it out, but the shine will be gone cause you really have to cut the paint to get the bumps out. If you do want to try to get a decent job without spraying, I would recommend a non-enamel paint. I dont know if laquer is available in an easy to use form, but it would the ideal product. It drys quickly, and can be sanded agressively. You can build up several coats - then wax over it. This is similar to the way they did things back in Henry Ford's day, and it might be worth a shot if you don't want to spray it on. good luck, John

I'm kinda an amature body man, and I've had MAACO (and Earl Scheib along time ago) shoot a few finish coats for me. All those places are pretty bad. But if you do the prep, and get a basic paint job, it's not too bad a deal. I'm taking 300--400 out of pocket, and some of your own labor to properly prepare the metal. Better yet, invest some $$ into some equipment, and di the job yourself. Think of it this way, the boys at MACCO have only a little more experience painting than you do. The most important thing bnesides the compressor and quality gun, is having a clean, well ventilated space to work in. You can do a very repectile job using Rustoleum, or Farm & Fleet type paint (my preference). This is a very easy and cost effective way to paint your car. Regular car paint can be used too, but it's a little more complicated, because it must be mixed. Email me for details on the Alleyboy "farmer" paint system, if anyone is interested John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

Yeah, it must have been on some other car I've owned. I'm surprised Subaru never had this feature, as it is quite useful for a wagon. I might take a stab at fabricating something that will push down the release lever from the traditional dash knockout location. I'm thinking electrical instead of mechanical. Maybe a second power lock actuator attached to the handle linkage. It shouldn't be too hard to bend a likage, and attach it to the release arm using oem retainer clips. hmmmm... John

I believe those carpets are made to order, from generic prototypes. Fabric and color choices are extensive, and applications for just about any vehicle ever made. JC Whitney used to be the source for hot-rod, restoration, and customizing, and they still have pretty good connections. They can also special-order items that are not listed in their big catalog. I think they've fallen way behind the times with their internet business though. good luck, John

I was referring to a release switch, which pops the tailgate open at the dash. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that is how my 86 was set up. The door lock system is tied into tailgate on the 89, but no way to release the tailgate from inside the car. Probably not worth the effort if it is a complete retrofit from dash to tailgate. I've got an 86 GL10 scoped out at the yard, and I'll check it out Sat to see if this feature was offered on that particular model. John

I went thru quite an ordeal on my set... First I had them beadblasted to bare aluminum, and then sevearl clearcoats of Eastwood Diamond Gloss. A total waste. They looked like sh*t. So I stripped them down to aluminum again with aircraft stripper. I prepped the aluminum with acetone, then painted the inner (non-machined) splines with Eastwood silver wheel paint. Finally, I polished the outer (machined) splines with Mother's Aluminum Polish. Now they looked sharp!! Only problem is that they require frequent cleaning and polishing. My advice: stip them down to bare aluminum with aircraft stripper. Paint the non-machined splines with the color of your choice. Powder coating would be a plus, but is certainly not necessary. Polish the machined splines with an aluminum cleaner until they look perfect. Then go with several clear coats of Diamond Gloss. If you are a perfectionist, glue on some Subaru wagon wheel centercaps to cover the big ugly Pug holes. That should do the trick... good luck, John

I'm fooling around with my 89 GL wagon, and am thinking about trying to install a dash-mounted rear tailgate release switch (like 85's & 86's). I could not find an OEM connector behind the usual knockout on the dash, so I'm assuming this option was designed out of the wiring harness by the 89 model year. Has anyone added this feature to a latter model EA82? Are there any shortcuts short of splicing in a section of the harness from an 85/86? thanks, John

Looks can be decieving, and if you really want to know the extent of rust damage, you'll need to strip out the interior. Assuming that you are willing to replace bolt-on panels as needed, you can focus on the condition of the unibody in making your decision. With the side panels and carpeting out you can easily inspect the seams between floor pan and outer body metal (where rust first forms on the EA82's). If there are soft spots in the floor, around the wheel wells or on the firewall, the car is probably hosed. Minor rust can be slowed down or repaired, but when it gets out of control, the returns diminish fast. A word about bolt-ons: These are the most visible, but least critical panels in terms of structural integrity. They must be dealt with if you want a nice looking Sube, but the unibody is the acid test in whether your car is worth saving. Fenders, doors and hoods can be had if you are dedicated and dilligent, but a solid uni is like gold - especially if you live in a rust belt area. Rear quarter and rocker panel rust is a serious problem, but treating or repairing the damage might still be feasibile if the rest of the uni is solid. If you really want a definitive answer to your dilema, tear out the interior, and you'll know everything you need to know. good luck, John

Hayne: Even though it goes against common wisdom, those head cracks are "normal" on the EA82T's. If you are anal (like I am) you may want to take them to the machine shop and make sure they are true and smooth. However, you can probably skip this if it was a simple head gasket failure, and you pulled over immediately. When you put it back together, you may consider running your belts naked. There are many good reasons for doing this. The shredding mishap you describe should convince you that access to those belts is going to be a fact of life, if you drive these cars regularly. good luck, John

JC Whitney has them in several materials and colors. Around $100 last time I checked. If you can find a used one that isn't worn or damaged, it can probably cleaned up enough (or dyed) to look decent in your car. Don't even bother with trying to cut out your own. Automotive carpets are molded to follow the contours of the floor pan, and standard carpeting just wont work - except in the cargo area. good luck, John

Turned out to be a combination of things... Bad master switch, bad door switch, weak motor. All the wiring had continuity, and the control unit & relay turned out to be good. The motor really threw me since it seemed to work ok off an independent power supply. However, when tied into the cars wiring, it became obvious that the motor was hosed. Substituting another one verified it immediately. Thanks for all the input guys John

Jay, I know Autozone sells a "universal" type rear disk pad kit at a ridiculously low price that work just fine on the EA82's. I'm running them on my 93 Loy, which has been converted to rear disks. No problems whatsoever. If interested, email me. I have the part # at home John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

I've come to the same conclusion, though I haven't tested the wires individually. The other side of the circuit runs thru the control unit, which I have all but ruled out. This would also support Fox's theory about the other windows being out of commission. Strange that they would design the circuit this way. Seems like it would be a safety hazard in an emergency situation if all the windows would be disabled if there was only a problem with one of them. Hopefully, I'll have this mystery solved later tonite. John

Good call. I have checked each motor with a power supply, and also swapped out switches, but haven't checked the wiring between components yet. John

The car is an 89 GL Tubo AWD A/T. Except for front driver side, power windows ain't happening at the drivers switch. All of the motors test good off an independent power source, and are known good. Parts that have been subsituted and believed to be good include fusible link, fuse, breaker unit, power relay unit, control unit, master switch and individual window switches. Power is present at the relay, so breaker and relay are assumed to be good. This would naturally point to the control unit, but I did swap it out with another unit , and 2 bad ones in a row seem kinda unlikely. Any ideas anyone? thanks, John

Cores usually hold up better than radiators over time, and at 137k, the flush may do the trick. One exception is when "Cooling Stop Leak" products are used. This can clog up the core beyond salvation. Hopefully, this is not the case. When you run water thru the core, you'll want increase water pressure gradually so you wont burst the core. You'll know pretty quickly during the backflush the condition of the core by the color of the fluid that comes out. Keep running water throughout the whole system till it runs clear. good luck, John

It sounds like you guys have had a lot better experience with Sube bearings than I have. I agree that it's better to do them yourself than paying some $10/hr hack do them. I've had good luck with the machine shops I deal with, and I believe that skilled techs and the right equipment do make a difference. It's not always obvious unless you hang onto your car for a long, long time. Getting 100k instead of 90k may not be as meaningful six years down the road. It's great to do things yourself whenever possible, and if you are happy with the results - more power to ya!! good luck, John

You shore can... I always install flush tee's on both the inlet and outlet hoses. Then you can clamp down the hoses to prevent water flow, and in doing so, can flush your cooling system out any combination of ways. I use Prestone Super Flush to break things up first. The heater control linkage is probably binding somewhere. You will have to remove some trim to have better access to the linkage system. good luck, John

My comments and opinions are from years of experience - not what some machine shop tries to sell me. Most of the machine shops around are pretty honest too, BTW. Time and many miles of driving will tell whether a bearing is seated properly or not. If it's even slightly off, or if its damaged during installation, you'll be replacing it again before you should have to. The bearings on these cars should last at least 100k. Anything less that that is a premature failure in my mind. No matter how much practice you've had with a race, it does not subsitute the strong even pressure that a press will give you. If the bearing goes in too easily, I would question the condition of the housing. Maybe it's worn out too. If you don't plan on keeping a car that long then maybe it's not worth the extra expense to have them pressed. I would definitely consider packing the bearings once a year if you do them yourself. good luck, John

With those excuses, uhhhhhh, I mean "reasons" in mind, I decided to have a shop on 128th do it. $170 seemed reasonable to me and this shop has worked on a few freinds of mine cars and were recomended as honest, fair, and relialble.... When I talk about having pressed professionally, I mean spending about $20 a side in labor plus the cost of the bearing. This means taking the control arm off the car, and taking it to the shop. If you are willing to remove the parts, it shouldn't cost you anything near $170. I agree that the front bearing can be done sucessfully without a press, but to me it's worth the extra $20 to guarentee the full life of the bearing. Now the rear bearings are a different story. These are much more difficult than the fronts. I can't imagine getting a new one in without causing some damage to the bearing, leading to premature failure. If someone knows a foolproof way to do the rears without a professional press, I'd like to hear it. good luck, John

I always have mine done at the machine shop. This is a critical component and you want it seated properly, without damaging the bearing or the housing. Don't forget all the labor it takes to get to the bearing. You don't want it wearing out prematurely. good luck, John

I think the proper term is "Wafer Board". It is used in construction as the base layer for flooring, siding and roofs. It's available in thicknesses around 3/4", and is very durable. John

Morgan: Here's where a good junkman can save the day. Most wont touch anything that doesn't roll on two wheels. You might get lucky cause scrap metal is pretty high right now. On my next scrapper, I'm going to try a new approach. I'm going to buy a thick 4x8 sheet of sheathing, and cutout holes at each corner for ropes. I'm thinking that the unibody can rest on the sheathing, and it could be secured by ropes in a crisscross pattern. The whole mess should slide accross the asphalt without causing any damage. The junkman should be able to pull it onto a flatbed no sweat. You'll be out the cost of the sheathing and rope, but you'll be able to pull everything from the undercarriage. And hopefully, not hear too many gripes from the junkman... good luck, John

I know what you're sayin'.... Some of the stupid sh*t you hear from JY owners is just ridiculous. I've been pretty lucky over the years in finding a junkman I can deal with. It seems like there's always at least one yard in town that would rather make a quick nickle than a slow dime. These guys understand that parts $$ is gravy, and those are the yards you want to do business with. P*ss on the rest of them!! Don't rule out towing and impound lots. Most of the vehicles there are in fairly good condition and end up in junkyards anyway. As a whole, towing guys are pretty easy to deal with. I've gotten some incredible deals at these places. good luck, John

Hey Noah: I was wondering what happened to you. I left a couple messages and never heard back. You, Jason and I should get together and talk about this thing. Sounds like there is a lot of interest, and it should be fun. Give me a call when you get a chance John 238-0220