kdixey

Congrats! Its good to see that things work out. Too bad about the ipod, stereo and the other valuables taken (although that means its UPGRADE time) . Kevin

I just saw some daylighters today. They are as spendy as the Hellas. What do you like about them? Kevin

I was planning to redo the wiring...I changed the wiring when I put in the steroe as well. I don't think I would wire it to the high beams though, although if it could be wired to the high beams AND the switch allowing me to choose whether the high beam flicks on the driving lights...that would be pretty useful. Gotta think about that one. Kevin

If you have a diagram I would love to see it.

No doubt, the EJ22 swap + AWD makes it a REALLY fun ride. That's the beauty of these cars, their tinker toy quality makes them accessible and invites tinkering. I am planning to get a junkyard engine and do a complete rebuild+weber+whatever little improvements that I can work into it. I had an 02 WRX for 4 years and to be honest I find the wagon (pretty much stock) more fun to drive. Its not nearly as fast but it just has a certain something that really makes it a blast. Kevin

That's pretty much the setup I was looking at...the set on top of the bumper minus the cyclops eye. I am leaning toward a set of Hella 500's (I know they aren't $20 a pair, but I don't think $80 is too outrageous for a decent set of lights). Kevin

I'm not interested in spending big dollars (haven't got 'em) I just want to convert inky blackness to something a little less inky. I'll check out the Harbor Freight. Love to get home before it gets dark, but considering where I live that would mean operating between the hours of 9 and 3 only...hmmm...as attractive as that is, I am thinking that might be a problem. Just swapped the passenger seat for Impreza seats so I'm not ready to torch them yet, I'll get the foil lined bowl ready for emergencies though.. Well the only passenger would be my 3 year old so while I have considered giving him a pistol grip halogen I scrapped the idea when I realized that it would mean it was constantly pointed at the back of my head. Kevin I was thinking I would need to upgrade the electrical components. Thanks for the tip. Kevin

So...my in laws live in a place that is absolutely pitch black when the sun goes down (and in NW Washington State in winter that is about 3:30 pm). They are generously offering to pick my son up at daycare a few days a week since I am in class until after the daycare closes so I am trekking out to pick my boy up multiple times a week. Add this to the "coming over for dinners" and I make that trip a lot. In order to avoid colliding with 500lbs of deer meat the next time I go out there I am looking to put some driving lights/fog lights on my wagon. I can figure out the install, but I would like some advice on WHAT KIND of lights to put on. I am also going to upgrade the bulbs in the factory lights (they are pretty old and need to be changed anyway). How do some of you fend off the darkness? I was thinking a set of Hellas, but I am probably pretty un-hip as to what is latest and greatest in the illumination world. Kevin

I have my list of things that make my wagon a blast 1. Every time I come home to find street parking at my apt I realize just how crazy easy it is to park my wagon. Parking my 94 civic was like parking a semi truck by comparison. 2. I really also like the tinker toy quality that these cars have and the low cost of admission makes it easier to dive into "enhancements" without too much guilt or fear. 3. It is REALLY flingable. You can drive with abandon and still have a certain level of security that you won't kill yourself. 4. The lack of a huge aftemarket in 86 GL wagon performance parts means I have to get creative meaning that the car is more a reflection of me (I guess that means I'm old, crusty and smell like gas sometimes). Kevin

I was just thinking today how amazingly nimble these things are for 20 year old cars.

I agree completely. I spend less in a year on Brownie than most people do in a couple of payments for that shiny new Camry (and they don't have nearly as much fun driving it). Kevin

I have to agree, the Soob is a no bullsh*t car. It's not speedy (at least I don't have to worry about getting a ticket), not particularly flashy but it just its tough as all get out and will handle whatever you throw at it. MY son is fond of saying that my car is soooo fast because it can go the speed limit. I also love it because it has the proper amount of importance in my life (as in not too much). I am not pouring $$$ every month into it worth of car payment, insurance, gas etc. Sure it requires fixing every now and then bit it really a pretty low impact obsession. A trip to the pull apart here and a few weekend afternoons there and you're good. In a day when my friends are dropping 30K and 40K on their rides I look at my Sooby and smile. Oh yeah...the D/R tranny is awesome (especially in the snow). Kevin

I have to agree that the insanely tight turning radius is pretty cool. I can park in spots that I could NEVER get into with a Honda Civic (or the WRX for that matter). I think that the flingable nature of the Soob is part of what makes it so attractive. Another thing that I really enjoy is the way I can drive over just about anything! ...I HAVE been thinking about an EJ22 swap. I agree the extra oomph would be nice, but I think the EA82s are quite fun to drive despite being slow. Also, as one person said noted, they can surprise you sometimes. FWIW, I have been in an EA82 with a Weber and it had pretty decent power (and sounded pretty great). The Weber seemed to have improved the low end considerably which is where the EA82 seems to be most in need of a boost. ...but I digress. Kevin

Okay, I can't even count the number of times an EJ22 swap has come up on this board. I can't say that it doesn't appeal to me because it does, but to be honest I actually think my p**p brown 86 wagon is actually FUN to drive (and it is bone stock with nearly 200K on it). Now, I have spent the last 4 years with an 02 WRX as my daily driver, and it is definitely fun with a capital F. But, I think that my wagon is just as fun in a completely different way, and in some ways MORE fun than the WRX. Maybe its the fact that I'm half way through my 40's and have driven a bunch of different cars over the years, but there is something about that EA82 wagon that brings a smile to my face. It reminds me a lot of my very first car a '79 Fiat 128 that I got out of high school. It was bright yellow and looked a lot like a hat. It was slow, got mediocre mileage and started to fall apart after about a week, but man I loved that car. It was blessed with an excess of personality. Sure, my many Civics got better mileage and were faster, the black Trans Am made me feel all Burt Reynoldsy (yes it had the bird on the hood) :cool: ...the Volkswagens were nicely appointed and the WRX was just a friggin' rocketship, the closest thing I have found to the goofy happiness I felt in that Fiat (except for a brief ill fated fling with an X19) has been my dinged up, chugging brown wagon. I KNOW other people feel the same way. What is it exactly that makes these things so appealing? Is it that they are cheap? Is it the time we all invest in them? What is it? Kevin

I sense first hand experience talking... Kevin

Outstanding! I was looking at that and wondering if that would work. Thanks for the tip. Kevin

I'm posting mostly because when I was looking for an answer they were really hard to come by, so in case you were wondering...a Legacy steering wheel (and I would assume an Impreza wheel as well) will fit on a GL wagon without any modification. The only thing that does not work is the mechanism to auto shut off the turn signals (the switch works differently) so you have to manually disengage them. Hope this is useful to someone. Kevin

Sorry I can't remember if was 2WD or 4WD either. The body was in terrific shape, Kevin

Just wanted to let NW Washington board members that there is a white XT6 in the farthest southern edge of the Lynwood Pull Apart in pretty decent condition. The front seats are in great shape (although a little wet given the rain over the past few days). Kevin

Okay, so I yank off the access plate and what do I see but 20 years of caked on mud and dirt that I had to break out of there with a mallet. It turns out that the filler tube (the metal part) had rusted through at the point where in enters the rubber hose. The good part was the rubber hose is in fine shape. The bad part is the metal filler tube left 2 inches inside the rubber hose So I managed to get the rubber hose clamped around the remaining half inch of filler tube and the leak has been stopped...for now. Next I am off to the Pull Apart yard (they had about 10 EA82s there last week) to grab a less rusty filler tube. Ah, the joys of a 20 year old car. Kevin

Fabuloso...:cool:

I had a feeling you would know. Now where did I put that darned jack? Kevin

Can anyone point me to a decent resource? I am headed out tomorrow for a Chiltons or Haynes to see what I am in for. I have a gas leak while filling the tank that stops once the tank is filled. I am going under the assumption that it is probably the filler tube (many thanks to some welcome advice by fellow board members). If anyone has gone in, I would appreciate any tips you might have (other than don't fire up the arc welder). I didn't find too many references to it in past posts. I would think it should be located just behind the interior wall behind the back seat. I'm guessing that it shouldn't be too tricky to get that off (he says with fingers and toes crossed). I'll also have the JB weld or Propoxy on hand. Kevin

I am trying to sell an 02 WRX. It has 128K miles (90% highway) and a few cosmetic challenges (dinged front fender and a cracked windshield). Other than that it is clean and is mechanically sound. I had the timing belts done at 110K. The NADA value is around $14K and that looks really high to me for a WRX with that many miles. I'm more used to the older gen wagons so I am at a bit of a loss to figure out what to price this thing at. Any suggestions? Kevin

No torch? ...and that's a bad idea because...??? I was wondering about what non explosive options there were other than duct tape.