thealleyboy

Tom's advice is excellent. It sounds like you plan to keep this car for awhile, so let me also suggest you take a good look at the cooling system too. You don't want to lose that new motor because of a burst hose or a bad rad. You can do your flush (both directions) before removing the old motor. Also, in conjunction with the exhaust, I would dimantle everything up to the cat, inspect and re-assemble . You'll wont have access this good until you do your next engine swap. I would install new studs so that next time you have to drop the Y, it'll go fast and easy. good luck, John

Hope those guys consider some of the rare stuff like wagon RQ's, xt rockers, etc. Well worth the $$, IMO, if the fit is good... John

Cuda: Those mountings are different. The A/C and alts switch places on the cars with the square compressors. I'm certainly no expert, but it seems that the square A/C's show up more on the sportier models (turbos, gl10's, 4wd 5speeds). I'm also looking for one of those square a/c pully bracket mounting deals, and they are tuff to find around here, so if you see an extra one at the yard... good luck, John

You might want to check some vintage VW suppliers for an "add-on" type heater. JC Whitney may still carry something that'll work for you. Downside is that these will draw a lot of juice - not a good thing when you've got lights, wipers, defoggers, stereo all going at once on those cold winter nights You might also be able to rig a small heater core in your engine compartment (with a blower) that'll force heat thru your duct sytem. Might have to find somewhere else to stash your spare, though... Retrofitting something in your dash is something I would avoid at all costs. John

Used resisters are hit & miss. Definitely grab any goods ones you come accross in the yards. Another alternative is building one yourself with heavy duty parts. One of the posters on this board (Bill Putney I think) came up with a circuit that could be built cheaply and easily. I'll dig thru my notes and try to find it. Perhaps it's already been archived on this board somewhere. Maybe one of the moderators remembers what I'm talking about. John

Pep Boys carries the split boots. Personally, I wouldn't mess with trying to repair one that ripped unless you caught it as soon as it happened. Even then, you would want to clean out as much grease as possible, and repack with new grease. Any moisture trapped in there will cause your axle to wear out quickly. good luck, John

Ive never seen a stock CD player in an EA82 era Sube. I think the problem is lack of clearance because of the heating ductwork. Your engine is "non-interference", and will not junk out if you snap belt. You'll just be stranded, that's all. If you are close to 60K it's about time... John

Freaker, You said that something was unplugged, and that's what's preventing your lights from flashing. Maybe, but a burnt bulb would give you the exact same symptoms. I'd check those out first before assuming the flasher circuit. If your turn signal indicator comes on at all when you hit your turn signal, you can pretty much rule out a loose connector. One way to test the flasher unit module by turning on the hazard lights. This circuit is independent of the turn signals. good luck, John

SN: If you find a source for the emblems, please let us know. My 2wd Turbo model has some cool graphics I'd like to duplicate when I get around to restoring the body. You've definitely got something unique in a 4wd TW. Take good care of it, and you'll have a collectors item some day. John

SN: I own an 89 GL10 TW with turbo (a rare model I'm told). I don't know of any differnces except for the roof, and rear hatch. You should be able to find most parts you need from similar trim lines (ex. if yours is a GL, from other GL's). They may have used different colors on the TW's. I know mine has a shade of red I've never seen on any other Sube model from that era. The stereo has been done successfully by many Sube owners, including myself. You'll need the aftermarket adapter piece that brings your dash out far enough to fit a modern CD stereo. All the other issues you mention are pretty much standard. Follow the maintenance schedule in your owners manual, and attack any problem that comes up right away - especially anything having to do with the cooling system. good luck, John

Thanks for the pointers fellas... SubaFly, you just don't know how lucky you is!! Those 5sp D/Rs are pretty hard to come by in these parts. So is just about everything else for our beloved Subes... John

The car in question is my daily driver - a 93 Loyale, 5speed pushbutton 4wd. Raining hard in Central Ohio today, so I thought I would try running it in 4wd mode just for kix.... Only problem is the rear axle isn't kicking in like it's supposed to, and the dash indicator doesn't light up when I press the 4wd switch. Any ideas on what would prevent the 4wd from actuating when the button is pushed? thanks, John

Jim: It's probably easier to just fix the power window. The worst thing it could be is a bad motor, and replacing one isn't bad at all. You probably have some extras from the doors you've saved. The other possibilities are electrical, and fairly easy to track down. John

Tom: I've never had much luck reading model numbers off the Hitatchi's. They are stamped on with ink, and wipe off along with the dirt when you try to clean the area off. Since the engine (and intake) in your 82 is not the original, you are going to run into a lot of issues. I'm assuming that it must have ran well at some point, before your recent problems. If I were you, I would have your carb rebuilt professionally. Two reasons: #1 Hitatchis are not easy to rebuild #2 It will be difficult to identify the exact model of your carb, so you may end up with the wrong rebuild kit, and adjustment specs. The Webb would be a good alternative too, but doing a professional rebuild will be a little less expensive. good luck, John

Good stuff Miles... I could definitely see Jim roughing things up along the firewall!! Sounds like you guys got down to business the past two weekends. I know both of those rigs had issues, and I got to hand it to you for knowing your "Legos". John

Uni: Good news and bad news...mostly bad. A car like yours is an excellent backup. Everybody wants one, but it always seems like when you need one the most, you can never find one. As it sits now, your DL is not going to attract a lot of interest - except as a parts car. A lot will depend upon the rust, and being a Midwest car, its' structural integrity is likely to be fading fast. My advice to you: keep it as YOUR backup. Fix the brakes and run it into the ground. Then offer it up on the Market Board a few years down the road. It'll probably bring in as much $$ (if not more), and you'll have saved alot of wear and tear on your newer vehicle. good luck, John

Jim: If you saved the blower motors from the cars you junked, you can try those before buying a new one. They are located on the blower motor housing. good luck, John

David: The comments above are all good ones. I'm assuming that you have the same models and trim lines as the US market. If this is not the case, some of this information may not be accurate. My 2 cents: If you don't like to wrench, the 88-94's (fuel injected) are good choices, with the 88-89's being the best of the lot. GL's are much nicer cars than the Loyales, with a lot more standard equipment. Of course, your chances of finding a decent EA82 era Sube will probably be better with the Loys. I agree and disagree with what your mechanic says about the 85-87's. No doubt that they are "dogs" with the Hitatchi (especially A/T's). But I would say that they are potentially some of the best prospects if you are willing to do modifications. The fact that they are carbed, (less sophisticated than latter models) opens up all kinds of possibilities. In my mind, the Turbos are a whole different animal, and probably more suited to 2wd anyway. But if you can find a 4wd Turbo wagon with a D/R, forget all the rest of this advice - buy it on the spot!! good luck, John

Erv: Actually, both the 2wd and 4wd drums are splined, though the diameters are different. Some machine shops can't do them, but there's always someone around that professional mechanics send their work out to. I'll bet NAPA or Carquest has a central machine shop/warehouse in Milwaukee, that can take care of you. Some brake shops will do them too if they are not busy. good luck, John

Superoo makes some good points about using the puller. If you use a puller, you can count on buying a new hardware kit, shoes, and turning the drums, just to do a basic brake job. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some people think this is overkill. If the adjuster can be moved, it doesn't hurt to back off a bit to release the tension. But oftentimes the rear axle has been serviced once, maybe twice during the lifetime of the car, and the adjuster may no longer be functional. In that instance, pulling the drum, and doing a major overhaul is the fastest, most efficient way to get things done. All of the damage that's done won't matter because you'll want to replace those parts anyway. Myself, I do a major overhaul everytime I do shoes/pads. $$ well spent, for the extra safety IMO. good luck, John

BB: The 88 is a good year. Most of the plusses of theEA82 era vehicles, and fewest of negatives. Fuel injection and a D/R in a stock GL. Pefect for a project car. Just try to keep it out of the salt!! Good luck, John

Erv: A brake drum puller is what it'll probably take to get it loose. These can be expensive to but, but well worth it if you do a lot of serious wrenching. You might also check the drum for a pair of threaded holes on opposite sides. (I'm not sure if the OEM's had these, but some aftermarket drums do). With these, you can thread a metric bolt thru the hole and push the drum out by turning clockwise on the bolt. good luck, John

Adam: I pretty much bought this car on looks only. It was one of those "snooz ya lose" deals. The car was worth the $300 I paid for in parts alone. The owner had taken it to a reputable shop, and gave up on it after having it diagnosed. From what I gather from the owner, it was likely major internal problem, and he was not willing to pay for the teardown. The car will not crank ( batt is drained) and I have not yet tried to jump start it. I never did talk to the technician who looked at it. Maybe I should... John

Miles: That would be a fun roadie, especially if some of the other Sube brothers come down. Are you after the front or rear suspension (or both?). If rear is what your after, I'm thinking about letting my 4wd AT go to Jim, and that may free up some of his xt gear. He's also considering doing a fwd conversion, which makes sense for a car like that. John

Paul: That games Nov 15. I gotta behave myself because wifey and my father are going too. Jon: I like your idea!! Never even considered that. Wonder if the OEM ECU can be adapted to conrol the hardware??? John