sjschlag

Exactly! Finding GOOD tires in this size is hard!

From what I understand, most 4 x 140 wheels will fit. Just check the tires for clearance to make sure they aren't rubbing on anything. Good luck finding anything other than the subaru 13" wheels in this bolt pattern! The only other manufacturer who used this bolt pattern was Peugeot, and you can find those wheels sometimes but they are scarce. The tires for these cars a kinda hard to find as well, but probably easier than the wheels as the same tires are used on the Toyota Tercel. Some people on here have re-drilled their hubs with additinal studs to accept more common wheel sizes (like 6 x 140) There's some older posts with basic how-to instructions, if you are up to it!

Well, I replaced the PCV valve. I'm hoping it helps clear out some of that condensate. I've noticed that the oil light comes on as the car warms up. When the car is cold, the light is off, or as it warms up the light gets brighter at lower RPMs. When you rev the engine, the light seems to get dimmer. My guess is that as the engine warms up and the oil gets thinner, the pump has trouble picking it up and maintaining pressure. Think it's time for a new oil pump? My boss recommended changing the oil to a 40 or 50 weight... Something a little heavier. Thanks!

I'll change out my PCV valve tomorrow. It looks relatively easy. If that doesn't help then it looks like the oil pump has to come out. Probably should check the pickup in the crankcase too. Anyone rebuilt one of these oil pumps before? Looks like a piece of cake to take out, but is it as simple to fix?

Went to top off my '79 wagon with a bit of oil. It burns oil periodically, even though it only has 43k on the clock. I noticed a bit of white junk on the oil filler tube. It looked to be about the consistency of grease. Should I be panicking? The oil that was in the crank case looked very clean. The oil light on the dash is on as well, but I figured that was because of a bad sending unit. Car runs fine! Am I going to have to pull the motor and rebuild it? The top end on the right side was rebuilt before I got the car. Should I just go ahead and rebuild the left when it warns up? Thanks!

Looking good!

I'm going to try running a vacuum cleaner through some of the air vents this weekend to see if anything comes out. I might pull the dash later if that doesn't help. It seems like some hot air is coming through the defroster vents, which seems like a good sign! I bet there's a mouse nest or just 30 years of dirt up in there.

I got a new muffler and new rear gas line on my '79 GL I picked up last weekend. Been driving her around. I still can't believe how solid this car feels. Rides really well, aside from the 13" wheels and tiny tires.... Anyways, it's been pretty damned cold here in KCMO. We got about 2" of snow today. It's March 21st. I've been trying to wrap my brain around this heater in the car. It seems to warm up my legs just fine, but when I turn on the fan only cold air blows out of the vents. I'm guessing there could be 34 years worth of dust, dirt and debris clogging the air passages from the blower to the vents or from the blower to the heater core to the vents. There seems to be plenty of heat coming from the middle of the dash right next to my legs, so I think the heater core is probably still good. Anyone have a similar experience? How hard is it to start pulling hoses and vacuum all the s*** out of the HVAC system? Thanks!

I think a set of front bearings may be in my future...I need to listen to my car a little more. Could just be the old heat shielding from the old exhaust I hear rattling around in the back. Do they still make the press in tool, or is there a generic style one that is still available? Thanks!

It's getting a new muffler today. Hopefully they get it done before Thursday! We are expecting 2-3" of snow here in Kansas City. I'm a bit nervous about getting road salt all over it when I drive it to work. Any tips for minimizing exposure post road salt? The car is pretty solid, and I'd like for it to stay that way but I also need to get to work...

There's two knobs to control the A/C beside the shifter. The compressor runs on this car, but needs to be charged with new freon. It's not really high on my list of stuff to do, because I'm usually riding motorcycles by the time it gets that hot... I'm currently thinking about getting an a small amp and stuffing it under one of the seats, then driving it with my iPhone. Still need to find a home for the speakers...

I think in the stock radio spot there MIGHT be just enough room for a single DIN kit. It would be an incredibly tight fit though...

here's a pic of the dash. The radio is right above the 4wd shifter. I think that vintage car audio thing is definitely out of my price range. I was looking to spend under $200 for the whole setup. Where has everyone mounted their speakers? I don't really want to do much modifications to the interior (it's in pretty incredible shape!) I've also read up a bit about running the stereo without a head unit. Maybe I could wire up the existing volume control to a small amp or something?

So my recently acquired 1979 subaru gl wagon has an inoperable am radio. I'd like to put an aftermarket setup for iPod and 2 6x9 speakers in there (nothing fancy). Has anyone set a system like this up in their ea71? How difficult is it? Thanks!

I went and bought the car today! It runs and drives great! I was expecting it to be swiss cheese, but underneath it looked very solid! Floor boards are great, with some surface rust underneath and occasional really tiny rust spots inside. The only serious rot appeared to be in the passenger side rocker, which will need to be replaced before next winter. The spare tire shelf was in great shape, with only a few very small specks of rust. Wheel wells were solid, with only surface rust (no holes!) This really is a 43k car, and the interior shows it! Paint appears faded, but the previous owner buffed out a spot on the hood. Looked pretty good. I'd be interested to see what happens when the whole car is buffed out! I ended up stopping at NAPA driving the car home, as the fuel pump was going out, and the car wasn't running all that great. A new off the shelf 1-4psi pump made a world of difference! The car cruised at 70 the rest of the way home without much issue! It appears that the exhaust was removed AFTER the catalytic converter! That makes things much easier! The tires are in pretty good shape for 20 years old. No cracks and no rot. Plenty of tread left on them! The only really big issues with the car is that the gas tank has a small leak around where the fuel line goes in. Only leaks when gas tank is filled beyond 7-8 gallons. I know a shop that will re-braze the fuel lines into the tank. Could use a tune up as well. Is there a drop-in electronic ignition module for these cars? I've also heard the Weber carb upgrade is a good route to go. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!

Greetings Ultimate Subaru Board! I recently sold my 2003 Impreza. It was a good car, but I was bored with it (it worked too well) I've been bitten by the old car bug and put an ad on craigslist looking for a gen 1 or gen 2 subaru wagon or BRAT. I got a response from a guy with a '79 DL wagon over in Kansas. Seller claims the vehicle has only 43,000 miles! The interior is immaculate, so it leads me to believe that it really does have that much mileage on it. Seller claims car was parked under a lean to or car port for 20 years or so, and didn't run when he bought it. He ended up rebuilding the top end of the engine, and putting in new fuel lines and a fuel pump. Body looks faded, with some rust holes around the passenger rockers, and the seller says there is some rust in the wheel wells from mud sitting in there for a while. Tires are around 20 years old (will need to be replaced) but hold air and car runs and drives! Exhaust system on this car rusted out, so the seller put a straight pipe on it after the y pipe. Wheels are kinda rusty, so I'm either going to have to sandblast/paint them or get an entire new set of wheels for this car. So, my question is, what am I in for? where I live they do safety inspections, so in order to get the thing road legal in my state I'm going to at least need to get some new wheels/tires and a new catalytic converter/muffler/entire exhaust system. I've read up a bit on these cars, and it seems like the wheels are pretty hard to find due to odd sizing. I'm not even sure about the exhaust! Seller still has the rusted out catalytic converter (the flanges rusted out on it). do they even sell these anywhere anymore? Would a muffler shop be able to fit some other catalytic converter on there to pass inspection? Seller wants $1700 for the car, which seems reasonable given the condition of the interior, the running engine and the fact that these cars are damn near impossible to find around here! Long term, I'd like to re-paint the car and try to fix the rust. I ride old honda motorcycles most of the year, so this car would only get driven once a week, maybe to shows, and when it gets snowy out. I plan on getting some rust proofing done over the summer before it snows next winter. So what are your thoughts? Should I pass on this one, or should I take the plunge? thanks, -Sam Here's a link to some pictures the seller sent me: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkubWNnNGR2NjV5R1k/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuVU12Rjg3NHZnbEk/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuRW4wWmNQMVhEdXM/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuU1ZQbUptdGZOSjA/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuVU15TnJxWWxwUDQ/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuM094dEhmc21Vck0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuSmFjRWdwTm1nY2M/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkudVBhaFpySEN3TzA/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzdyoqRLkTkuc21VTUE0X3pDVGs/edit?usp=sharing