SmashedGlass

Pretty much the only places they leak are everywhere. Sorry, couldn't help it.

I can't comment as to durability once it's all put back together, but preparation is key. I'll assume you know the information I'm about to post, but I'll put it in here for anyone else considering this. In researching this I came across quite a few disaster stories (mostly on ricer forums....), but also noticed a trend of people failing to use the products properly or sometimes to do any prep at all. The following is what I've been doing, and so far the pieces have survived the fingernail scratching test quite well. Will it stand up to throwing tools, dogs, and/or the occasional drunken midget hookers with multiple body piercings around inside? I don't think so. But, if you are constantly throwing tools, dogs, and/or the occasional drunken midget hookers with multiple body piercings around in your old Subaru, you shouldn't really be worried about what it looks like in there anyhow. 1. Clean each piece well with TSP and Scotchbrite pads. Rinse well with water, and allow to dry. 2. Clean each piece with wax remover/degreaser (I used DC's own) [use lint free rag, in case product mildly attacks material]. Then clean it again, just to be safe. -----2b. Wear gloves from here on to avoid getting skin grease on part! 3. Adhesion promoter, two light coats about 2-3 minutes apart. 4. Within 2-5 minutes after last coat of adhesion promoter, start laying down color. Light coats each time and again, 2-3 minutes between. 5. ALLOW PART TO CURE FOR AS MANY DAYS AS YOU CAN. I've been sticking with a general rule of three light coats for each piece, not including little spots or edges that I find later that could use an extra puff. By light coat, I'm saying that my first coat is very spotty and definitely doesn't cover completely. Do not be tempted to go heavier at any stage! The curing part, I did a hard fingernail scratch-test on a piece about 24-36 hours after the final coat and it did not lift the color, though you could faintly see where I scratched it - but take into consideration, if you scratch any OEM piece of plastic or vinyl, you are going to leave a mark too, so...... We'll see. So far I'm impressed with my results. I'll post pics when the weather gets better here.

While my entire interior is torn out, I've decided to get around to finally installing the Gentex-177 auto-dimming/compass/temperature rear view mirror I pulled from a pick'n'pull back in Colorado. What wires are my options to tap into as a source of ignition-on +12 volts power? The obvious one I can think of is tapping into the ignition-on in the stereo pigtail, but I'm trying to avoid hacking that up anymore than it already has been. Is there an ignition power source in the the wiring for the power window control relay, or maybe the digital clock (I know the clock has constant power to keep time, but it has to have power that tells it to illuminate)? Any sources, preferably on the passenger side of the car, will do. *1988 GL 4wd d/r wagon

LOL, seems to be a contagious situation! Are you using Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric Coating?

Murder it out with satin black

Mine rattles too. Replaced y-pipe/cat with a Magnaflow direct replacement after I bought the wagon (due to one of the legs of the Y cracking clean through), and about a month after it started tinging. All this time I've thought it was the cat heat shielding. Now, after reading this, I'm wondering if it's that stupid double wall crap in the pipes? Perhaps I should have the cat and flanges cut out and welded to some shop-made piping........

I, too, like the red, but then I'm a bit biased......my wagon is 726 Splendor Red, and though the paint is faded/scratched/dented, that single-stage stuff Subaru painted it with is some really really sturdy paint. Hitting it with a bit of compound and then wax brings it right back to looking new. Wish I could get the whole car repainted with the same s.s. paint.

That still works, if you know how to read the scales properly.

Because it is an abomination that should be crushed, burned, and sent back to the Hell from whence it came.

No idea, the dash is still hanging on a hook in my workshop Nowhere near to putting the interior back in yet. Switch should work perfectly, I tested it in all four positions with a DVOM before hacking into the harness.

Soldered in replacement harness and connector for the blower fan speed switch, then re-installed dash harness into the dash. Everything neatly tucked up and tight.

Or it is running so faintly that you don't notice it....Like I said, there are four speed positions on the knob and #1 is apparently not "off".

That's exactly what I thought, but I'm thinking now that unless you press in the 'off' on the mode panel, the switch is still powered and building up heat. All. Damn. Day.

When I bought my '88 GL wagon, it didn't take long for me to find out that there was an issue with my HVAC blower not operating on all of it's speeds. Replaced the resistor pack in the blower housing, but also discovered that my fan speed control switch had a partially melted connector to the main harness inside the dash. The culprit, in this first case, was the solid blue wire which I believe is the main power supply wire. Anyhow, I managed to "repair" the connector by cutting the melted in spades free of the plastic and then moving the spades on both sides of the connector to the one unused slot in it (5-wire switch, 6-wire connector...go figure?). Fast forward to the last month or so where I had to tear the entire car apart due to a rain water leak into the passenger compartment. That blue wire got a little hot again, not enough to melt and blob up the connector like it was but enough to shift the spades in the connector. And, I managed to pull the wire out of the female spade to add insult to injury. So, I contacted another board member about a car he was parting out and he sent me a complete speed switch with connector and plenty of main harness side wire still connected to it so that I could cut my old connector out and solder in a good one........Or so was the hope. The switch and connector sent to me, had suffered the same fate that mine originally had, the same (solid blue) wire melting the connector to the point that it had to be coerced with a knife and mini-saw to get it apart. And possibly this time the main ground wire (black) also had gotten heated up enough to melt a bit. I managed to effect the same style of repair as last time on the new connector by hacking out the melted spades and moving them to the empty slot, but...........HERE'S THE QUESTION...... Is this an inherent fault with the blower motor switch set up on the 3d gen GL and Loyale? Kind of odd that both switch connectors suffered the same damage. My wiring schematic (which is not from an FSM, but the Mitchell books are pretty close to an FSM) shows FIVE positions inside the switch, with one labeled "Off" but as anyone who owns one of these cars knows the switch knob has no "Off" on it's label, only 1-2-3-4, and the knob itself of course only sits in four different positions. Is the switch always receiving power then, and eventually overheating from always having power running through it? I am concerned about putting my dash back together and then later on down the road possibly having a fire under my dash. Seriously......

I'll get some shots of the plastic pieces later, Tom. As far as the upper B-pillar, I think the only difference is that there is a hole in it for where the upper belt anchor bolt passes through.

Gloyale, as I said it may very well be up above the column on the EA81's or possibly even the XT's, but that's where it is on my '88 wagon.

This is the relay bracket with the round relays for left and right headlights (I don't remember what the other two are for off the top of my head) and above it is mounted the rectangular, 3-prong relay for the turn signals/hazards

My description is for the EA82, it is not built into the column on the 3rd gens. If it's an EA81, I have no clue, but I seriously doubt the relay is in the column on those either; there isn't really any room inside the column for a relay.

It is attached to the same bracket to the left of the steering column that you see the four round relays mounted on, on top of it. You'll have to unbolt the relays bracket (and, AFAIK, a related bracket that retains the main dash harness) to more easily replace it. You need to be a contortionist, or employ a moderately smart, small child in order to remove it. I can post a picture of the assembly if you need me to, my dash is completely broken down to components ATM.

No, the belts being 'misaligned' won't cause this. What they would do is make a lot of noise. The fact that it charges fine after the first time you rev the piss out of it = a problem with excitation voltage, as I stated earlier.

Success!(?) We just had a massive downpour of rain lasting about 30 minutes, and I can report that there is zero water leaking onto my passenger floor. The pinhole clean up with the Dremel® and JB Weld did the trick. How long will it last? Who knows....without pulling out the windshield to properly clean up the glass channel (which the Safelite thugs should've done properly when THEY replaced it, let alone not leaving a frikking void in the adhesive.....) it may very well eventually rust more. I'll keep hope alive and my fingers crossed. Meanwhile, I guess it's on to reupholstering that headliner.

That console is salvageable, just use some Weld-On #3 plastic weld, or two-part epoxy glue.

Whatever color you pick, document the process with pictures! I'm interested to see how this rolling it on works out.

Well, Safelite wouldn't touch it, claimed "it's not a fault with our installation". I call bullshit. I took my Dremel to the rust pinhole from underneath through the fresh air intake, and in all of about .5 seconds had a nice hole clean through the metal about the size of this--> O. Could touch the glass with a pin through it, but there was no adhesive in that spot, just a nice void in it of unknown size. My theory is sloppy un-thorough application of the adhesive lead to moisture getting to that void and pinholing the metal. Currently have some 'quick setting' (ha! four hours ain't quick to me, with another storm on the way in....) JB Weld in the hole, finished grinding all the rust I could reach on the outside drip tray/windshield channel, and coated that with some epoxy paint. We'll see if it stops the leaking, and if so whether or not it lasts........ .....if not, I'll be selling off the otherwise good wagon

Haha Tsuru, funny thing is a leopard theme is a strong contender for the headliner as I was thinking of getting a high(er) quality seat cover set in leopard print. But I did find this "Calaveres Alegres" print fabric that I can't seem to get out of my head now: