wagonist

I kind of like the pinstripe around the edge. It just breaks up the colour a little bit so the black isn't so overpowering. As I've been planning to paint my car yellow also, I decided to keep the full rubbing strips around the car, including through the bumper sections, to break up the colour. And I was planning to leave the chrome highlights around the windows in place, despite the turbo models here being blacked out, including the door handles. I've also been planning some highlights on the rims. Is it just me, or are the trim lines on your bumpers filled in? I've been trying to figure how to do this with the rear bumper because that crease/trim line doesn't line up with the rest of the car. It does on sedans & coupes, and just looks wrong for the wagons. I've got an extra pair of door trims that I'm thinking about putting across the bottom of the tailgate (will require some trimming) to make the rubbing strip extend the full way around the car.

You can make a home made tool. get flat metal plate as thick as the grooves, make 2 of them to go across the slots (they line up), weld them to another plate, then either make a square hole in the centre to fit a breaker bar on, or weld an old socket to the plate. This method works best when you've already punched out the stub axle (which you've got to remove to replace the bearings anyway). I'd also suggest getting a spare "nut". Cut four neat grooves across the thread like a thread tap, and use it to clean up the threads prior to replacing the original nut.

What about black with yellow in the holes? Or at least try to polish the outer "ring" up to where the holes are with black. It's amazing how much a polished outer like that will break up the dark wheel/dark tyre combo. I had a JDM 93 Legacy GT wagon. These had the same dark charcoal wheels as the ADM version, but the outer lip was polished. Broke up the colour just nicely, especially as the car was black also.

The full throttle switch on the gas pedal is only for the kickdown and for the "4wd auto" function where the trans switches to 4wd when braking, kickdown acceleration, or wipers on. The manual doesn't need it, and it won't matter if the switch goes missing. Although, it's useful for disconnecting the A/C compressor on full throttle. These engines need all the help they can sometimes

schematics, in the terms of what? I'll take any help at the moment

We do bolt the clutch pedal directly onto the auto pedal box all the time, then just trim down the brake pedal to fit the manual's rubber cover over. It's a lot easier on the RHD models cos the clutch pedal is beside the heater box, not the side of the car. I still would like to see how the LHD clutch pedal works. For the life of me, I can't figure out how you get the cable out passed the strut tower

The vortex(XT) spider manifold engine is the turbo version already. It's a complete motor I want to swap in. I'm planning on using the water-air intercooler off a 1st Gen RS Turbo mounted where the spare tyre should be. I didn't want to say "turbo" too much in my post to save confusion about which turbo motor I was referring to.

The bolts that hold the tranny crossmember to the body are larger on the auto than the manual, so make sure you keep them. You'll need to sort out the wiring for the reverse lights (on tranny on manual, on gearstick on auto), plus bypassing the auto's neutral safety switch (the 2 largest wires on the gearstick, I think BW & BY) which need to be joined together. Not sure how your LHD clutch pedal assembly bolts up. It may be easier to swap completely. Tailshaft lengths (for the front half) are different auto & manual. You don't need to swap the clusters if you couldn't be bothered. It'll just stop lighting up. Otherwise you're going to need to repin the plugs for the centre display as the auto dash board loom has extra wires & therefore a larger plug.

The other thing that was done on a car I bought was having the drums machined down to form a hub that a Impreza style rotor then fits over. Be warned though that this had no locating ring for either the rotor (except via the inside) or the wheel. Although it wouldn't be hard to machine a groove which a ring is then pressed in and welded. On this car, the Impreza backing plates were redrilled to suit the 3 bolt style of the EA82 car, though it would be advisable to weld up the old holes first, they're too close to the re-drilled holes for my comfort. There were also some spacers behind the backing plate to align the caliper to the rotor. There are a few options with cables. Some choose to use a different lever that pulls forward instead of backwards, but I chose to get custom cables made up. The use the existing handbrake lever (keeping that factory look) & then loop around over the trans to go back down the transmission tunnel.

I'm considering buying a rundown 1990 JDM GTii Touring wagon. It has most of the "fruit" which Oz missed out on like Digi dash, 4 speed auto, cruise, headlamp washers, front fogs, ... The biggest problem is the blown (headgaskets) engine for the turbo engine (surprise, surprise). It still runs, but I've got a spider manifold engine from the Vortex/XT and would like to run it instead. It still works perfectly as it was pulled from a converted Vortex that was sideswiped by a truck I'm trying to figure out the wiring. The best option seems to be a patch loom to extend the existing engine loom (which comes out the rear) to join the side loom of the wagon as I have spare loom plugs with wire attached, but I'm having troubles finding either pinouts of the various plugs, or which sensors are in which position on the Spider manifold engine. Does anyone have any info, or can point me in the right direction?

You've moved the trans away from the body with the lift. Did you adjust the linkage to compensate?

These things pull out all the time, especially when you hit a sharp object at speed with the front wheel. They can be welded back in, just need to do it very well cos the suspension pushes on those bolts a lot.

Actually, I think it might be a philips screw, but it's been 15 years since I rolled my 85 that had the manual choke. Either way, there's a screw there Remove the crew, then the lever will simply pull out. When the lever is then pulled out, there's a plastic bevel on the outside of the choke cable. It unscrews, and the choke mechanism will push through behind the dash. BTW, EL Presidente, you forget to mention the 2 screws on the bottom of the surround. Underneath the mirror controls and rear wiper switch

That's the boxy shape, or the Brat shape? If its the later boxy shape, and it has the manual choke, there's a small allen key type screw in the bottom. Pull the lever out as far as you can, and then look up from underneath. Should see it from there.

I'd love to see pics of the RX clutch pedal. I had no idea they were different, and whilst I've got the full-time 4wd trans with my turbo motor, it'd be interesting to see if it's worthwhile chasing one up while the car is apart.

I dunno why you guys in the US can't just put a seat belt on (like the rest of the world where required to do so) I just married a Chinese woman, and she's only lived here 3 months now, and she's now reminding me to put mine on. And I always wondered about how the lap part of the belt got put on, now I know.

Later model ones have the low range switch on the trans. Is the trans in the car yet? Then my next suggestion is very easy, but still not hard as you can still get under the car. Do you own a multimeter? Then probe across each switch individually and move all the levers around until you get continuity across the switch until you find it's function. Then maybe you can enlighten us to the answer to your question

If it's a carby engine, only the 85's had a manual choke, all the rest are automatic

Any chance of hitting up Rockauto for the costs of the mechanic, seeing as they sent the wrong part?

As per 175eya's post, have you checked it's actually engaging? Ie, is the car difficult to turn on hard surfaces? The switch for the dash indicator is on the side of the trannie, and it simply earths out the globe. So if there could be a fault in the wire anywhere between the dash & the switch & the light will come on.

This isn't just a problem with the Brat, but also the next Gen cars (Loyale). I'll be checking to see if there's a version for single globe headlights.

I just reckon that would be another place for rust to come through. The bootom of the doors are bad enough already And as for the extra bolt down in the cargo area for spare wheel, I realised thats a "Loyale" only type feature.

I don't envy you guys who live with snow. Never see rust like that in our cars here. I didn't realise that's where your crossmember was rusted, but you should still be able to cut that off, insert a new sleeve on the inside and make up a new bracket for the arm to swing off. Apart from that, can't help you sorry. Better off getting advice from the US guys. They more have to deal with rust.

Rusted? you have metal clips holding your mouldings on? Ours are plastic (but brittle ) on post 88 models

agree with this. Get the control arm in a vice and very gentle cut the sleeveby hand with a handsaw. powertools are way to powerful for this kind of work. You may not need to cut all the way through, just enough to start with a metal chisel. A hammer and flat punch will then be able to push it out.