cartwheels
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Posts posted by cartwheels
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27x8.5 R14 General Grabber ATX with a 2" ADF lift kit
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Here's the video from my drive up Jawbone Canyon. This is just after I installed my 2" ADF lift kit. Below is a photo from a recent snowstorm we got. It rarely snows out in the desert, but when it does the results are spectacular.
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Installed the 2” lift with subframe drop from ADF! Had a few hiccups during the install process but overall I was able to knock it out in one weekend working pretty much solo.
The next day I tested the car’s capabilities out in the desert and I am happy to report that this thing is SUPER capable, even on crap all season tires.
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Feast your eyes on my 1988 Subaru GL wagon, sporting a 1.8 liter horizontally opposed engine making a thundering 90hp which is mated to a 5 speed dual range part time 4WD gearbox. I bought it on Craigslist from some guy out by Joshua Tree National Park for $400 back in March of 2020. Here's the story on this car so far.
When I bought the car I made a pretty big assumption. The previous owner told me that it wasn’t running and explained that it might be better as a parts car. Having owned another Subaru with the EA82 engine, I knew they had a bit of a reputation for timing belt issues. I removed the timing covers as my first step in diagnosing the engine failure. Lo and behold, the timing belt had snapped.
With the timing belt trouble confirmed, I ordered a kit on RockAuto. The timing belt on the old EA82 engine is thankfully a very simple job (especially with this forum as a resource). Two evenings of leisurely after work wrenching and the fresh timing belt kit was installed. The battery was flat, but a jump was all she needed to crank over and fire up!
Any old Subie needs maintenance, but this car in particular was badly neglected. I started with an oil change, air filter, spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, and plug wires. I also had to replace the MAF sensor to fix a stalling issue.
Maintenance and mods go hand in hand: so far I've outfitted her with 14″ Peugeot alloys wrapped in 195/70/14 tires which give the car a more aggressive stance and additional ground clearance. Underneath, she now rides on new struts at all 4 corners and I have started replacing bushings and mounts to make the car feel more solid. The hot summers in the California desert provided quite a challenge to the car’s 32 year old cooling system, so the radiator, hoses, and thermostat were all replaced (the previous owner had removed the thermostat to prevent overheating rather than replacing the clogged radiator like he should have).
While the EA82 engine was underpowered from the factory, my butt-dyno said it was producing even less than its advertised 90 horsepower, so next I replaced the oxygen sensor and gutted the clogged rear catalytic converter that was plugging up the exhaust. The rear brakes were also rebuilt with new drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, and hardware after they fell apart on a trip to California City. A few junkyard scores such as an OEM skid plate, a replacement headlight, and replacement corner lights have helped get her back in shape.
Looking ahead, I have a two inch lift from Anderson Design & Fabrication that I will be installing soon, as well as a set of poly bushings for the front control arms from SuperPro. This car has been a lot of fun, and I look forward to sharing more of its progress with you all!
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Went out for some more desert adventures last weekend. This is a perfect car for the dirt roads in the Mojave. Most areas don’t require tons of ground clearance, and the independent suspension soaks up most of the smaller bumps with ease, especially with these larger tires.
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Thanks for the update and the additional info on the fuel pump. Looking forward to seeing more progress as you get this thing closer to completion!
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Any updates? And what’s the part number for that fuel pump you got?
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Ha! Just had this exact thing happen to me on my 88 GL. Fixed it up with new hardware, drums, and shoes. Stops a lot better now too!
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Good god that's a nice Brat!
Got new wheels and tires on my EA82 wagon and I promptly took it on some desert adventures.
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Glad to see both of my turbo Scoobs being called out in this thread. I have owned two Legacy Turbos and two EJ205 powered WRXs. Engine wise they have all been reliable save for my 04 WRX which spun a bearing during a very spirited canyon run. I currently have 165,xxx miles on my 02 WRX and it is still on the original engine, transmission, and turbocharger.
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Any updates on this? I have the same problem with my 1988 GL wagon.
As an aside, do you guys know if all Subaru 5MT dipsticks are the same length? I want to change the transmission oil but I don't have a good way of measuring it because of my broken dipstick situation. I was thinking maybe I could just find another 5 speed subie at Pick Your Part and steal the dipstick out of it... but I don't know if it's the same length as the one that came on my EA82 dual range 5MT
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Here's my 1988 GL. I just added some LED fog lights in the stock location (and proceeded to send it WAY too hard down a dirt road, so I had to fix the mounting the day after I put them on) and I also replaced the strut rod bushings and one of the lower ball joints. Hopefully there is more to come... I have engine and transmission mounts as well as new tie rod ends waiting to go on it. I need to work out the reason it feels down on power and there is probably more to do suspension-wise, as it seems to lean a bit toward the driver's side front wheel (perhaps a sagging spring?) and the shocks feel pretty tired. Definitely a fun little car, though!
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Any updates on this? Killer build as always Nico
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Hey man, hope things are going well for you! I'm the guy you helped pull an SVX motor out a loooong time ago haha. Everything get worked out after the BRAT accident?
1st Gen legacy wagon!
in Members Rides
Posted
Love the first-gen! I've got a 94 Touring Wagon and a 91 Sport Sedan. The first-gen Legacy is built so well and drives so nicely. Congrats on scoring this one and giving it a new lease on life!