El Presidente

Can anybody recommend a brand and model for a 15" wheel? Some reviews would be helpful too, like terrain your wheeling on, tire wear, any problems/regrets...

wheel size doesn't matter, but tire size does. I don't think changing the gear is an option, but you learn to deal with it....with 30x9.5 MT's I'm going a little over 60 when my speedo says 50. I like this calculator better, it a little more organized and you can sample what your speedo will read a different speeds, at the bottom of the page, instead of giving you just a percentage http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos

Yes it would get enough air and my one 12" hayden would work fine. I'm planning on making and installing louvers for the hot air to pass through the hood. I know the concept would work, its just like any other remote radiator. I'm just looking to see whats been done else where.. I'm going to build a proper bumper too, but the whole purpose to mounting the winch where the radiator is, is to not have it stick out and hinder approach angles. I'm just thinking about doing this, its still in the "idea" stage

Thinking about doing this so I can mount a winch where the radiator is currently. I'm sure somebody has done it or attempted it, care to share some tips or pictures? I dropped my engine crossmember 5" and am running a DF weber with a 2 1/2" filter, which JUST fit at stock height...so I got 5" to work with and am not opposed to cowling the hood to get more room. I'm also running an electric fan as my primary fan, so the fan issue is resolved. Thanks

Those are badass tires! Those wheels look like 6 lug toyota, drilled to 4x140mm....are those 15" wheels? I've got an extra set of 15" 6 lugs wheels that would look great with some 27-29" ATV tires, if I can find them that size. Anybody running a 27-29" ATV tire on a 15" rim?

yes. I just realized your rig doesn't have a part-time 4wd like my 87..I believe your problem willn't be binding, but the viscous coupler in your tranny, which with prolong binding will fail. Also if the rear is pushing the front(big tires in rear), you'll lose traction for things like steering and braking in 4wd. With big tires in the front, the car is dragging the rear tires in 4wd, which is safer, but will feel like your dragging something...because you are..When I had mis-matched tires, I only used 4wd when I was stuck.

I use teflon of tapered pipe fittings(like sensors), it really helps with removal and sealing I think 180 degrees is stock, but I'm not %100

My GL had both those sizes on it when I got it, and it worked fine, I had the 175/80's up front and 175/70's in back. I think it looked better because it brought the back down and leveled it out. Putting smaller than stock tires on the front will change what your speedo says and putting it in 4wd isn't a good idea(especially when going fast), because the back and front will be constantly binding and if your moving fast, could get ugly. If your gonna keep it in 2wd, go for it.

They're no big deal if they aren't leaking.

Cracked head maybe? By pulling the plugs you can narrow it down, look for clean plugs because antifreeze cleans off carbon, also look inside at the top of the piston. If you don't find anything unusual, drop the y-pipe and check the inside for clean spots.

Intermittent symptoms are hard to diagnose, but I'd say your leaking coolant at you carb spacer or your intake gaskets, it could also be a headgasket getting ready to pop. I'd stop downshifting to slow down, your symptoms will likely go away and you'll stop making it worse if it is a gasket. Downshifting is hard on your powertrain and drivetrain and isn't necessary in most situations. Brakes are cheap and easy to replace or repair and do a much better job.

Check out the offroad forum, theres a sticky thread just for weber carbs and putting them on Subarus. You can make your own adapter, I used two peices of aluminum bar, or you can buy one from Redline Weber. The Redline adapters are prone to leaks and their customer service is horrible, so if you can, make your own.

Don't use a stick welder on sheet metal, they need too much heat to operate and will blow through thin metal. That small mig should work great..Keep in mined your only welding metal thats 14-20ga.. I'd use a .023 or .030 wire and run %75 AR/%25 CO2 shielding gas. Don't forget to clean what your welding too, the caulks and sealers they use on autobodys smell horrible when welded and make for weak joints. I weld for a living too:grin:

The unibodies aren't really a problem, you just have to aproach them differently. XJ's don't just bend and break and can take alot of abuse before an body distortion is noticed. The roofs don't just taco either. The one thing that consistantly bends XJ bodies is 4+ feet of air in a jump with no frame stiffeners. I drive mine regularly without doors in the summer months(including wheeling) and my body hasn't moved at all. They're unibody, but they're tough. subie94: I really don't see why tube rockers wouldn't work, just make sure your at least a little good at welding sheet metal and be sure to watch your heat. I say go for it!

XJ(cherokee's) don't have a frame and rock sliders can be bolted right on to the unibodies. XJ's have frame sections in the unibodies, just like subarus, that are fairly easy to work with, thats why I'm using an XJ approach to a Subaru. It works:grin:

I've thought about replacing my rockers with square tube, but I'm going the direction of sliders. I'm using 1 1/2" 3/16" wall square tube. Subarus are light and don't need the heavy stuff, like on my XJ, which I'm using 3x3 1/4" wall square tube. I'm making both sliders connect near the front and back with two pieces that then bolt onto my lift blocks and bolt to the bottom of the pan somewhere...haven't gotten that far yet.. Then it will bolt or get welded into the front skids for the motor and tranny, which will get tied to the front bumper it will also probably tie into the rear bumper and rear diff. Then the skids get tubes that follow the profile of the fender openings to both the front and rear bumpers, which will also act as fender flares. Basicly I'm making a unibody stiffiner similair to how you would on an XJ. I'll be able to take serious hits from any angle and all the force will be transmitted to the entire car evenly instead of one area. If you do decide to welding new rockers please post pics and progress!

FINALLY got my 87 GL off the ground:banana:. Turned out a little bigger than expected, but I love it! Its fun as hell to drive and did some light wheeling and it way better than expected! What all the noise in my garage has been about: 6 1/2" front @ struts 5 1/2" rear @ shocks radius arms extended 1 1/4" Removed swaybar Braided extended brakelines Weber DFAV with electric choke conversion Aftermarket Hayden electric fan w/hayden control unit 6 lug upgrade Sitting on 30x9.50x15 BFG mud terrains Stock: Twin stick setup should be done by the end of this week! Thanks goes out to the whole USMB board for inspiring me and helping me figure out the best way to do this!

OK, got it lifted! First...its F-ing huge...I had no it was going to end up this big, but I'm still %110 stoked. Something thats bothering me is the lower radiator hose. I cut the elbow out of a stock hose and it works so far, but where it connects tot he motor at the steel tube is feeling/looking sketchy. I haven't gotten it up and moving, so I don't know if it will hold under pressure. What have you 6" lift guys done for your lower radiator hose? I'll post some pics later, I've been working for 16 hrs. today

Putting a car on stands is a great way to see whats going on when things are turning. I've never needed to do any inspecting while things are really turning, so I just put it in first and let it idle. I guess if you need more speed, just put it right in 4th or 5th. Be safe though, securely chock the wheels, if the rear two are on the ground and have an idea what would happen if it did take off. A good practice is to have something solid in front of the car so if it took off, it would stop the car and the motor would stall or chain it to a post. The difference between a dangerous situation and a situation of elevated danger is paying attention. The JY are great places to get original subaru axles, they're the best quality and I've heard of guys rebuilding them at home with great success. Just look for green cups, those are OEM Subaru. Resealing the oil punp isn't hard, but getting the belt covers off can be interesting. After reading posts here, I yanked them off and threw them away...They don't really do much and with them off, inspections happen all the time and changing a belt in the future takes 5-10mins.. Once the fan adn covers are off its something like 4 or 5 bolts and the oil pump comes out of the front of the motor...replacing the seals is just swapping a couple o-rings, then put it back in and your done. Get any seal you can from the dealer(except the head gaskets), they're cheaper than napa/carquest and the best fit and quality. Go to the dealer for hoses too. My tire REALLY wanted to got into oncoming traffic. The only thing that kept it on was the brake rotor and the uneven force on the brake pad left a good gouge in it:eek:.

Was it a remaned axle? they're notorious for going bad quick or even right out of the box. It could be a bad bushing or ball joint too. Before pointing the dirty stick at the axles, I'd get it on stands and put it in gear, you'll know right away. Also try pulling the tire back and forth and in and out by hand to check everything else. You'll get through it! When I got my 87 GL, first thing I did was put a weber on it, and then a week later the driver side front wheel tried falling off(spindle nut flew off) while going 45...It spent a while on stands while I replaced an axle, front bearings, brake pads, a hub, steering rack and a ball joint. I resealed the oil pump and then I needed a new driveline 2 weeks after getting back on the road....Cluster F#cks tend to happen in clusters, but once your through it, its all good.

missed that:confused: axle wrap....axle ratio?

Nice, for the price of a u-joint you got the whole thing! Is the creaking noise coming from the front, back, under the car? Right after I replaced my front bearings, a new squeak developed. I put the front of the car on stands and put it in gear to watch and listen to the tires turning..no sqeak..Lifted the two rears and turned the driveshaft by hand and found my bad u-joint. The seal was compromised on one side and the other was too stiff and squeaky, so it could be your u-joints. I'd also check to make sure your hubs are tight One belt is normal, but I think you need two to effectively turn the A/C compressor Welcome to the USMB:grin:

Thats a really nice looking car, good find! Welcome to the USMB:grin:

Title of this thread: Does any one make a locker for a Suby? Subarus didn't come with R200's:grin: