two85s

Okay, yes I appreciate the warning for sure!!

Thanks Mr. Mark. JesZek, thanks for all your great help!! That plate for the differential: =2" thick with holes correctly drilled to act as a spacer? I can cut my own from aluinum stock from my local metal supply shop, correct yes? Or you bought that particular piece plus the 2" front pieces from SJR? I'll update as I get it done. All the best to you!! Aaron

Hi everyone. My wagon still sits unrepaired since the last trip for different reasons which I won't go into except that I am not an experienced mechanic so I make the job, in my mind, a lot harder than it maybe is and then I procrastinate even more. So, here is what I found on the rear passenger side: 1) The large rubber "bumper-stop" part is missing and the sides of the shock absorber is bent and broken where the coil rests. 2) Also I think the shock ruptured becase of the fluid that I noticed dripping out of that area right after I hit the pot hole and that hole area is saturated pretty much. I want to do the swap that JesZek has detailed in his great write up and do the Toyota rear shocks with Honda coils and this will improve and replace the tired original Subaru rear suspension. Questions: A) Can I take the shocks and coils off the car without removing the rear exhaust and the differential? Can I assemble the Toyota Shocks and Honda coils while off the car and then install them directly where the originals were? C) Do I need new mounting hardware/fasteners or will I be using the originals over or does that stuff come with the new parts? D) Do I need a special tool to put the coil on the shock or would you recommend I took them up to a local mechanic to do that part of this job and then I will install them? JesZek you wrote: " If you use the Honda coil springs, the rear suspension will be lifted two inches (2"), stressing the angle of the rear axles in 4WD (AWD) models only. (You might drop the rear differential a little to compensate the lift) " E) How do I "drop" the rear deifferential? Is it hard to do? Can I do the job without doing this? F) Can I do this part of the car (the rear) and leave the front end 2" lift aspect for a later time when I do the front suspension replacing? I am also going to be taking the rear axles off and at least rebooting them both. But I think the passenger side may need rebuilding or replacing. I already have Subaru boots and clamps to do the rebooting. So, advice on this if needed would help to. I was thinking of asking a mechanic on the USMB if they have two Genuine Subaru rear axles (that are the same as mine) that they could rebuild or reboot (whatever is needed to have a solid pair) and then send them to me for their price plus shipping. I thought I could send this person my Subaru boot kits first and they could use them for the rebooting. Any thoughts? Thanks for any help or feedback. Cheers All!! Aaron

You may decide to have them rebuilt or replaced (mine is still original/ OEM so I can't offer advice on this) but if the parts car driveshaft is not failing my guess is is just may go another 200K. I base this suggestion not on my own experience (my 85 wagon has 220K also) but on the high milage I have heard about on other old Subarus. I think the driveshafts may be one of the most bulletproof parts. Cheers!

I have (2) extra stock EA82 radiators that came off parts cars. I stuffed rags in the openings and have had them for years now. I don't know how to tell the difference between 1-2 row, but these are factory stock from 1985's wagons. 1) was a MPFI FWD I am pretty sure, and 2) GL10 FWD. Also have a bunch of other parts too....and I need to get the stuff cleaned out and gone. I will clean up and organize it somewhat and put a post in the parts for sale/ trade section soon. But if I can help you with a radiator....let me know. Cheers!

Interesting info about the hotter climate ratios and distilled water. The USMB search feature just went into a deep, dark, and stinky, black hole of no responsiveness.....what up with that ......I don't know. But I found a great Miles Fox video on the subject which is excellent: Cheers All

Aside from what has been offered: I have a stock radiator with stock electric fan (unmolested) and I added one of the mechanical (always on) fans from the GL10 parts car I had. Very nice addition and sounds similar to what you have on your wagon. I flush my system every couple years with one of the (Prestone I think) kits which you cut the heater hose and add the "T" fitting. Then you run hose water through it with the heater and fan on high until the water is clear and then even longer ......just for kicks. 1) Don't mean to offend you, but are you mixing %50/50 coolant and h20? Because you can buy %100 coolant which must be diluted in order to function as designed. 2) There have been some lengthy and stellar threads on USMB regarding keeping EA82 running cooler and I would highly recommend doing some searching of the archives too for the great info in them. Best of luck to you with the issue! Aaron

Awesome idea Brett! I hope someone takes you up it. Cheers

Great thread and feedback!! Awesome wagon photos there TheLoyale! Very cool, Cheers

.....Subscribed.

Sounds radical....totally. Throw up some photos so we can get that Subaru love thing goin on! Cheers

Seriously you should read through this great post from JesZek when considering suspension updating: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/106807-improved-shock-absorbers-and-spring-coils-on-loyales/

I think that was part of the clutch kit....it's been along time. I would suggest you start a simple new thread asking your questions and seeking advice from these USMB wizards... I was, and continue to be, impressed with the Subaru engineering in that many of the parts would only go on one way and are not that hard to get to. Cheers, Aaron

I did that job on my wagon, by myself with just regular jackstands and a floorjack in my driveway. That was 1996 approxiamately..lol. Logical job and NOT super difficult. Getting the tranny off and back on was the trickiest. Two important and critical parts I recall were 1) a "clutch guide" tool (some people used cut off stub from a spare tranny) and 2) PROPERLY replacing the rear main seal with a new one. This must be done carefully. Both 1) and 2) a local (Denver, Colorado at the time) Subaru wizard helped me with. He let me borrow his "clutch guide" tool and a very large socket for CAREFULLY tapping in the NEW rear main seal. Since then I have learned that there is another seal (or two?) in the rear of the engine that could/ should be replaced while doing this job, but another member will be able to chime in about this and or add to or correct what I said hopefully. Good luck though. I haven't had any issues with mine since....All the best, Aaron

Yes and even the "other" shops charge a lot. In the past I paid the top dollar to a shop owner/ mechanic who has worked on Subarus since the late 70's. Nowadays his shop has sports cars, modified track cars, regular maintence jobs, and the odd Subaru or two in the parking area waiting for something. As my 85 wagon was put on a lift nest to highly modified track car, I would shiver and cringe thinking of what it was going to cost for my sun-weathered Subaru's work but I went ahead because the wagon needed it and I wanted it done right. Problem was ..........it wasn't him, the expert, (anymore) doing the work but one of his "guys". So, I'm paying this Pro to have his guy learn about how to get the job done on my Subaru. I had a handful of things done including water pump and oil and filter change and spent over $1K. Right after I went out to the desert on a prospecting trip. On the way out at a gas station, I checked my oil and water and both were only 3/4 full IIRC and some bolt(s) were loose, I forget exactly what, but it was dissapointing to say the least. Upon my return I told him about it, he apologized, and I asked him what might have happened if I hadn't checked?......On my last visit (about 5 years ago) to that shop we had no luck finding a needed friggin smog part and his shop manager told me it was time to "put a bullet in the car" and move on. Any shop around here charges $90 per hour (and above) for labor and it seems a crap shoot whether 1) they know anything about old Subarus and, at least, will admit it if they don't or 2) are conscientious about using anti-sieze, not stripping bolts, flat out breaking things, and tightening and replacing what they work on, etc..... I try to do good quality maintenance work, keep things properly cleaned and lubricated, and I can replace parts but machining, tuning, fabricating, or jobs that require special tools are our of my comfort zone, yet when I do the work I'm much more comfortable.

And since it is holding air it would be fine to pound it out with a piece of wood and a large hammer or more carefully with just a hammer. Good luck and glad it wasn't worse for you! All the best, Aaron

Very interesting thread/ project/ plan/ ideas! I've subsribed and thank you for posting from the beginning. Your plan seems to be awesome and economical which is what most people strive for. I look forward to seeing how this develops. Cheers

Hey my parts book is for 1985 and the non-turbo intake manifold has more than one size of bolt. Mainly it looks like two sizes. 8X56X20 and 8X81X20. But again not for your year.....sorry. You should ask how many bolts are there and what sizes are they for an 87 GL non-turbo. Carburator? These details will be critical. Good luck on your repairs and hope this helps. Cheers

Did you want the part numbers for all years and models produced in the 1980's or for a certain vehicle?

Your wagon turned out great!! Like you said a dent wizard ......can pop that out easy I would guess.

I always like to have a functional spare tire. I also carry fix a flat, a tire repair kit, and a small harbor freight 12 volt compressor (all this, and more, fits in the handy storage area in the very back of the wagon). When I go off-road in the deserts sometimes I'm 30 miles from the pavement and one spare is a minimum requirement, although on most trips I've never had a flat. Now and when I get larger tires on my wagon I'll need to carry two spares also depending on the destination. If I owned a Brat for desert traveling I would be planning on bringing two spares one way or another also. Would it be possible to fit two spares (side by side or pancaked on top of each other) on a custom, welded-tube, swing out type rear tailgate on a Brat? Good luck on your project!

Looking great!! I like the wheels. I'd like to hear your conclusions/ opinions about the 2 inch lift. I've been thinking about it for too long. Were there any problems or difficult aspects? Thanks for posting. Cheers

That is amazing!! Excellent and beautiful work. Thanks for posting your work and results. Very nicely done. All the best to you, Aaron

I'm following your post becuse I am trying to decide for my stock wagon (85 GL dual range 5 speed) also. I need suspension redone as well. What about coils too? Thanks

I like them! It's a good idea to protect the glass. Do you have a part number or a link and do they come in a clear also or only "smoked"? Thanks for posting! Cheers.