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The welds ain't pretty, but I'm hoping some hardcore sanding will knock em' all down. Glad that this part of the project is done!

How many miles did the junkyard motor look like it had on it? How much do you trust your mechanic ? You're taking a gamble with the junkyard motor...it could run really well or...not. If you find some new heads for that other EA71 you have, you at least have the peace of mind knowing that it was rebuilt...depending on how much you trust the guy working on it!

http://billings.craigslist.org/cto/4321088305.html here's a '76 coupe which is kinda close.... http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/4326912864.html here's a '74 coupe, which has a different grill... the sedans and coupes are harder to find, but they're out there... Most of the cars that were sold here had the EA71 I believe. Not sure if they sold the 1400cc in Ecuador...

where are we looking at on the car? Depending on where it is, it will either be a weekend patch job or something that will take months. Don't be discouraged, as I never thought that I would be able to fix the rust on my car and didn't think my welding skills were up to the task, but I've made so much progress the last few months!

Drivers side metal work is FINISHED! Now on to some filler! Passenger Side has inside patch panel welded in, and is now painted up. Got a metal brake to make the passenger outer rocker panel and I was really impressed that the outer panel I bent up fit pretty well! There's a small chunk in the wheel arch that rusted out, that's on the menu this week to patch up. We're in store for some good weather here in KC this week so hopefully I can make some more progress!

How many miles on the clock?

I love all of these old Subaru photos. Whenever I need some motivation to work on my car I just go through this thread about 2 or 3 times and think about how my car will look like some of these pictures in a few months...

I think that's the third turd brown DL that someone has dug up in the last few months. Must have been a popular color! Great find! Looks like there isn't a whole lot of rust on it! It makes me so happy to see other folks getting into these cars!

I would second the hatchback...

Too bad they couldn't get Ronnie Reagan's brat..,

I cut up some scrap sheet metal, beat it with a hammer, welded it all in place then painted all of it with chassis paint. It's coming together! Hopefully tomorrow I can zap on the outer rocker panel and paint it up, then move on to the passenger side. It might be worse over there...

Wasn't sure if anyone had tried using a "universal" fuel level float or if sending units from other vehicles were similar enough to work.... I suppose if worst comes to worst I could try knocking some more rust off of the one I have to see if we can get a more consistent signal, but I'd rather just replace it with something newer or in better shape...

Yes this one fits through the side wall in the rear left corner. Not sure if they changed the design between 1st and 2nd gen...

My gas tank is at the shop being cleaned and lined, so I'm looking for a fuel float sensor to replace the rusty one I pulled out. It's not providing a consistent signal, so I'd like to replace it with something new. Anyone had any success with aftermarket float sensors? Any suggestions? I'd like to have something that at least kind of works.

Will these transmissions fit 79 wagons as well? Thanks!

I used to dig the quad headlights more, but I've really warmed up to the dual headlights on the DLs! Also, we require pictures.

Been doing some surgery the past few days... Next up: taking a wire wheel all over this thing until it's all gone! Then maybe I can get started on the passenger side...

Think I could splice these panels in? They're for gen 2's... http://www.rustrepair.com/PANELS/SUBARU-SEDAN-WAGON-80-BODY-PANELS.HTM

I want to see more!

Thanks for the advice guys! I guess the question I was really asking is if you all thought this rust was repairable or if it was more of the "terminal" variety. I would say that I'm a mere beginner at mig welding but I have a few friends who are more experienced. I'm a little worried about the surface rust coating the crossmember behind the rocker panel (the one the rear diff is attached to). I'm not sure if my skills are up to fabricating a chunk of that as a replacement. I guess I'll have to bust out the angle grinder and see what I can find...

I came home from the holidays and started working on my wagon. I started chipping away at the rust on the rear rocker panels in front of the rear wheels. With it being winter and all and my foot 90% healed I can start partying on the wagon. I took a hammer and tapped at this spot, then this hole appeared. The massive hole, from a different angle, showing the crossmember. Went over to the drivers side and lightly tapped at some rust bubbles in the same area And ta da! this hole appears! This chunk also fell on the floor. Looks like this car got cancer pretty early and then someone tried to bondo it up. The rotting is concentrated in these two specific areas, the rest of the underside seems to just have surface rust. Has anyone rebuilt these two areas before? I'm trying to stop the cancer from spreading anymore before I drive the car a bunch. Any tips or tricks to remedy the rest of the rust? I'm not sure if they still make these rocker panels, but if anyone knows where to look any advice is appreciated! My buddy has a MIG welder, and I can hammer some sheetmetal if needed, but I'd like to avoid as much hammering as possible! After it's been properly patched, does anyone have a recommended chassis coating or paint they use? here in Missouri/Kansas they salt the crap out of the roads... Thanks!

I currently have a '79 wagon which I'm in love with, but this popped up on a recent craigslist search... http://joplin.craigslist.org/cto/4257094871.html It's about 3 hours away from me, and a reasonable price for sure. Would be nice to have a hatchback to drive around while I work on the wagon.... It does have 139k on it. Not sure about rust issues, or other issues. I know that most ea71s are pretty tired by that point... Even if I don't end up with it, someone here should snap it up!

That's a pretty nice GL! Jealous of you west coast guys with no rust!

Anyone have a fuel tank float level sensor laying around? Mine is rusted to pieces and hardly carries any current.

Hi all! Been down for a few months. Got in a hit and run motorcycle accident back in October and broke my foot. Bike is trashed. Never caught the people who hit me. Not sure if I'll get back on one for a while. I'm hoping the doctors clear me to start walking on my bad foot soon, and that means I can get back to work on my '79 wagon which has been sitting in my heated garage for the last 2 months (can't drive stick with a broken foot!). Before I put it away, it was burning oil and whenever I shut the car off it would either violently backfire or run backwards or just have a little exhaust fart. Pulled the spark plugs and they were BLACK so I replaced them. I'd like to make it stop burning oil and maybe not leak as much. I'm hoping it's just that the 35 year old valve seals are bad (which would explain the blue tinged exhaust) which means the heads need to come off. Car sat for a number of years before I bought it from the previous owner. He replaced the pushrods on one side of the motor because they were broken and got it running. I'm doubting it's the rings because the car only has 44k miles on it, but who knows what happens when things sit for that long. Transmission seems a little rough...likes to make gear noise and you can feel the vibrations! Shifts okay for now, but who knows in the future. Think some fresh oil in there might help? So, with all of that in mind, would it be worth my time to rebuild the heads on this motor, or would it be better to just find an old EA81 and a DR 5 speed and try to shoehorn that in to the wagon? I've heard that the EA71 in my car is okay, but the single range 4 speed is a piece of junk, and my swap options are limited. I don't really thrash my car a ton, but I'd like to get it to the point where it's reasonably dependable. I'm also not really interested in altering the car too much (it has 44k miles on it). So yeah, any advice? I'm attached to the car, and I've missed driving it a ton, so I'd like to spend the least amount of time getting it running well. I'm working on sealing up the gas tank and getting a set of jackmans powdercoated this week, so it should look pretty snazzy with some new shoes! Thanks, -Sam