thealleyboy

i'd lock in on the fuel delivery system and get that out of the way for starters. You should change out that fuel filter, get a fresh tank of gas, and run some FI cleaner in idle for a good long time before taking it out again. You may even want to tackle any possible carbon deposits before addressing the ignition system. As mentioned above, you should avoid any possiblilty of an engine fire. This is always a realistic hazard if the car has sat any legnth of time. It's happened to me, and I lost one of my prized "projects" as a result, so don't blow this off. Make sure your tank and lines are solid. Take a fuel pressure gauge to your incoming fuel line to make sure your pump is spitting out enough fuel, if the filter doesn't solve your probs. Do all this, and you'll be well on your way... good luck, John

I'm glad this came up. I have been meaning to contact Allen myself. I had a discussion with him some time ago about fabbing up some XT patch panels. He may want to do some Brat stuff if there is any interest. I'll refer to this thread when I contact him. Mill Supply has a limited selection, but I remember they carried some Brat items at one time. Perhaps they can still get some of these discontinued panels. A couple of other ones to check are: Midwest Fender Warehouse http://www.midwestfender.com/ ABP http://www.abpanels.com/ Both have good connections for hard-to-find patch panels good luck, John

Yeah, the pushbutton 4wd electricals would be a little trickier (than a D/R, for example), especially installed in an 87 model vehicle. While the S/R is mechanically compatible in an 87, the OEM electricals do not make provisions for a direct swap. You'll probably have to disable/retrofit many of those systems to get rid of those bugs. You didn't mention if your 87 is carbed or SPFI. If it is carbed, I would consider converting to SPFI. Besides the better intake, your 94 parts car should have the correct ECU and harnesses for the pushbutton 4wd. This may be the best overall solution, since you are upgrading your car, and doing a bunch of disassembly work anyway. good luck, John

The 94's have the push-button S/R 4wd's. If your dash indicator doesn't come on with the button pushed, you may have a loose vaccuum line. Check the area near the passenger side firewall. As far as the "deal", sounds like a winner. The only thing that I would wonder about is all the spare parts. Why??? Has the guy messed with this car alot? Planning to fix it up? Just a typical Sube derelict that stockpiles spare parts? The reason I mention this is that an original car is the most desirable (IMO). One that has been all hacked up by someone who doesn't know Subes, and sat for a long time, might realistically be more of a "parts car". good luck, John

I don't know if you've done the pedal box and speedo yet (A/T conversion?), but I always treat those items as if they are part of the D/R "linkage" conversion. Namely, you'll want to look at the clutch cable, and replace if necessary, before bolting up the pedal box. The old cable is often frayed, and the end fastener assembly corroded. These cables can be difficult to replace by crawing under the dash. Also, I would make sure both ends of the correct speedo cable are intalled before buttening up your steering column, and bolting the tranny completely. Speedo cables are also difficult to replace after the fact, and screwing them into the tranny can be frustrating. good luck, John

Yeah, there is a contact switch that mounts up top. I don't think it is required, but you might want a second opinion... There may be a few misc. pieces you'll still need to finish the job. Depending on what came with your D/R, you may need a mounting bracket that hold the shifter rod in place. Also, there is a spring underneath that ties the shift rod to the housing. Don't forget all the bushings and stuff that always seems to get misplaced anytime you do a conversion. Good Luck, John

If done properly, the heliocoil will work for much more than "a while". The problem for the DIY'er is they can be difficult to install by crawling under the car. They have to be drilled precisely, and the angle and clearance is pretty bad without a lift. If you do a sloppy job, they'll fail pretty quickly. I usually have them done at a gas station I know of that charges a reasonable rate ($15-20 apiece) and most of that cost is for the part. Money well spent, IMO. I wouldn't reccommend re-tapping on the vehicle under any circumstances. Again, this is a precision task, and to do it right, the head should be removed and taken to a machine shop. Now, there are people on this Board that'll disagree with me. There are other fixes that work - sometimes for a good long while. But by forcing increasingly larger fasteners, and constantly stripping them out, you risk damaging the head beyond repair. good luck, John

My favorite "alley" method of locking flywheels, mating transmissions, etc is using large C-clamps. For flywheels, some of the other methods will also work, but there is a risk of damage to the car, or yourself (especially, if you are working alone). It is very difficult to spin the motor while wedging the flywheel, at that angle. By positioning C-clamp at the right places, the flywheel is a piece of cake, and there is less risk of damaging anything. You can focus on the ratchet and torque without worrying about the flywheel slipping. Same is true when it's time to mate up the tranny to the motor. C-clamps are very helpful in guiding/aligning the housings together, and keeping things straight. Less wasted time (and muscle power) trying to give it that final "nudge" good luck, John

In a situation like this, I have found leverage to be the safest method. I have several sections of pipe that I slip over the ratchet handle. The longer the handle = the more leverage. With the longer ones, you can increase torque more gradually, and lessen your chances of snappnig the bolt. I'll also reccommend replacing the old bolts when re-assembling the intake manifold. They will distort and weaken every time they are used. A good rule of thumb when bolting into aluminum: the thinner the bolt, the greater liklihood that it should be replaced. good luck, John

prepping is 90% of the work, stripping the car, sanding, ect.....painting is overrated!!! This comment he makes sums up the painting process - whatever type of paint you decide to use. He mentions using an acrylic enamel product, and I suspect this has better sanding characteristics than the oil-based enamels. More like the laquers, and other fast drying paints. "Sandability" is important when building up a base with multiple coats. I would be interested in hearing if others have been able to duplicate his results. I've tried most of the methods in this thread, (and some others not mentioned) and I still believe that spraying is the overall cheapest, fastest and best application method. Again, I'm documenting my latest "farmer" paint job, and will share the results soon.

2x: I'm assuming you are talking about 91's Rustoleum-applied-with-a-foam-brush method. Can't speak for him, but I would get fairly aggressive with the wet-sanding. Maybe something in the 400-600 grit range. I would roll a coat of primer, and several thin coats of enamel. Each coat must dry completely and sand between all of them (but not the finish coat). That's about the best you'll be able to do with an oil enamel applied manually. The problem with this method is that enamels are not intended to be sanded. You'll lose some of your base, and all of your gloss with each sanding. If you go too thick, the finish won't dry properly - and will smear when sanded. I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to spray, but this is the always the preferred method. For a manually-applied finish, you might do better with a laquer or acrylic paint (never tried it, but you might wanna give it a shot). good luck, John

Good stuff Doug!! I've always believed that some of the best-loved cars are the humble work horses like yours. As far as another 100K...well, the weak link is gonna be the unibody. All the better reason to start on another one. Recycle and renew, I say... John

Always a great feeling when you get to that point with a car...Only one thing to do...find yourself another Sube... Seriously, it's smooth sailing now. Hopefully you've taken notes along the way, and you can do your preventative maintenance at the right intervals. Good cheap reliable transportation - that's the epitome with these cars...And if they take it easy on the salt up there, 100K will be a piece of cake!! good luck,John

"Modine" branded radiators seem to be pretty good. The one brand I'd avoid is "Ready Rad". The problem with the radiator market is that the brand names mean very little anymore. The same imported rads can be had from a variety of sources. Sometimes the only difference is the warranty - which is usually worthless anyway. I've had decent luck with the ones they carry at collision parts suppliers. These are generally wholesalers, but will sell to you once you establish a relationship. They are usually cheaper too (right around $100). good luck, John

I dunno what your time frame is, but this is a good opportunity clean up your engine bay - especially if you decide to go "naked" with your timing belt covers (highly recommended) Why bother? Well, you'll be able to quickly identify leaks and other maintenance items with a clean bay. And since so many critcal components are located in the timing belt area, eliminating the covers, and frequent engine cleaning will enable you to better monitor these major systems. Another benefit as Fox mentioned, is that you won't be as pressed about replacing things like the water pump or belts pro-actively. You can wait until they completely wear out, and not tie up your $$ in newer parts. If you decide to do this, remove the skid plate and smaller underside pans. You may also want to remove the inner wheel well panels for even better access to the lower areas. Foamy engine degreaser works well. Just warm up the car, spray it on, let it sit, then wash it off. You can do a second go-round after removing the rad and fans and timing belt covers. After your initial cleaning, you do this occasionally to keep things clean and look for new problems. good luck with the belts, and with your new Sube... John

I've been upgrading to 2-rows in all my cars for the past couple years, and I would definitely start here with your turbo car. But I suspect something else may be going on too. The fans were mentioned a couple times, and I would take a good look at those. A small leak may also be a possible - and hard to detect in such a hot environment. If nothing else falls out after replacing the rad, and you are still running hot, I would have the coolant system pressure-checked professionally. That's really the only way to pinpoint the problem after ruling out these other items. Things go south pretty quickly after overheating, and it's possible that the heads have been damaged as a result of the radiator problem - and are now the primary source of your overheating. good luck, John

Back to your stereo question... Don't assume everything will "plug and play". Scrap any add-on stuff and utilize your OEM wiring whenever possible. It is more reliable than anything installed after the fact, and OEM is always fused correctly. If the connector (harness side) is still intact, you can rig an "adapter" using the mating OEM connector on one end, and the aftermarket radio connector on the other. Using this method, you'll be able to tap into all your OEM wiring except rear speaks. You'll have to run either a dedicated +/- pair, or a single ground from the new stereo to the rear speak connectors (located under the carpeting near the rear doors). If you want to run an amp, you can run your dedicated speaker wires to the amp, and simply use your OEM speaker wires in reverse. PM if you need more details, the OEM pin-out, etc... good luck, John

Good score, cause those are old stock. Cooper got out of the 13" snow market in 2005. I contacted them to try to track down some Dean Wintermasters (manufactured by Cooper). Too bad, because Cooper made some of the best traction tires around, at ridiculously low prices. The asian manufacturers will keep the supply of 13's going for awhile, but 13" snows are definitely a dying breed... John

I've ran that size, and they give some nice natural lift. My preference in the 80 series is 175/80/13. This is the best compromise overall IMO, if you want to go with a taller 13" tire. As far as availability, you are right - brand new 13's are getting kinda scarce. Many domestic manufactures like Cooper don't even make them any more. Asian makers now supply most of the markets that still use 13's. Sears had the 29.99 Guardians last time I checked, and I think Firestone still carries a basic 80/13 series. If you are looking for premiums or snows, there is still some old stock around, though snows {especially} are getting tough to come by. For example, the excellent (and bargain-priced) Dean Wintermaster is now practically extinct. good luck, John

Brings back memories...I had an 89 GL turbo (aka "Alleywagon '04") that looked just like that one. Wasn't a 10, but was identical mechanically. 1989 was the best year for the EA82 series IMO. Unfortuanately, you probably will need a backup Sube, cause those turbo's are so trouble-prone. {hint find an 88-94 with SPFI as your daily driver} But when you get that turbo right, you'll have something to be proud of. Great score, and good luck!! John

Nice job with the T-Wag, DJ. I like the custom touches with the scoop and wheels. If you are going to mod a T-Wag, that's the way to do it. Just out of curiosity, how was your T-wag originally equipped? {Mine is an 89 turbo GL10}. John

Good point, the 2-door models wouldn't be nearly as tight inside. You wouldn't necessarily have to remove the door to get good access. An extra hand always makes alignment of the internals easier. Bolt the components up loosely, and pay close attention to how the glass moves up and down the tracks, and where the fasteners are located in relation to the access holes in the door shells. By positioning the glass at the right spots, you can make your final adjustments. I've always liked this design. Some other models weld the door shell togetherafter installingthe power window assembly (which is often riveted together). This makes motor replacement a royal pain, and conversion nearly impossible. good luck, John

I normally wouldn't recommend going manual to power, but it's really not that bad on these cars. Unlike some of the domestic brands, Fugi's door shells are truly "universal" in design. I sucessfully converted a whole set doors on my 88 wagon without too much difficulty. If I recall, all the knockouts and stampings are 100% correct in the manual door shell, so it's just a straight bolt-up job, with no drilling whatsoever. I would do the conversion with the doors off the car because it is much easier to get inside the door cavity this way. I seem to remember the most difficult part is the power door lock actuator linkages (probably because I have big hands). Also, be careful not to damage the plastic linkage retainers in the various mechanisms when swapping inner parts between the two doors. good luck John

It's also getting difficult to find a paint dealer that fills cans. Environmental and liability issues, I'm told... Sometimes you can get lucky and blend in a touch up paint that's close, but you'll have to take compound and a buffer to the surface. Otherwise, the variations in color and texture will be still be visible. good luck, John

Looks like a pretty decent one to start off with too... Since you are new to this platform, you may as well go thru the systems, and get your maintenance caught up (and learn alittle about what Subes are all about). Plenty of information and suggestions on this Board. My recommendation is do everything on the "120K Service interval" which covers most of the big items. Once you got this thing solid again, you can think about upgrades including off-road options. I'm personally not a big fan of lifts and monster tires, but lots of people do that sort of thing with these cars. What I suggest is try some taller tires on the 13" rims. Like 185/75/13 for example. You might be surprised what a slight lift will do, especially with that D/R trannie. This should be enough to get a good feel for what these cars can do, and help you decide how far you want to go with it. good luck, John