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Legit Once More!


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Hello All,

 

After about a year's hiatus from Subarus, I'll soon be in possession of a 1983 GL wagon. Many of you will recognize this car, last owned by NVZeno

 

It was involved in a car vs. deer awhile back and Rick (GD) did an incredible job putting it back together. I gather he painstakingly removed all the damaged body parts and straitened them out again over several sessions with an iron and steam press...:eek:

 

...Or maybe he got lucky and scored replacement parts from a same color wagon at the JY.

 

Either way, it looks fantastic and I can't wait to drive it home! I'll be coordinating picking it up with going to WCSS which I understand this wagon has been to every single one.

 

No plans to do anything to it except drive it and try and hit the half million mark on the odo (currently at 330xxx) without any major issues.

 

Without further adieu....

 

Before,

 

NVZ4.jpg

 

and after,

 

deer_wagon1.jpg

deer_wagon2.jpg

 

Thanks again Rick, fantastic job and see you all in a few weeks!

 

Will-

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great news will, glad to see you back with a reason to hang out with us some more! :banana: great to have you back!

 

nice save rick, that's definitely way too easy of a fix to let drift away. i wouldn't even think about radiator or core support replacement in that, just bolt on stuff.

 

rick just wanted it for the push bar and ski racks!

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Heh - well actually Dave kept the ski racks and the brush gaurd will be a project for another time. I have a plan for it - don't have the time to fix it right now though.

 

And I *did* replace the core support - drilled out all the spot welds on both frame rails, and removed the crumpled section of the fender-wall on the passenger side as well as the rotten battery tray and welded in a whole new core support so the car is 100% straight - no bondo or filler used - matched up the cut sections, bolted the fenders and skid plate on, and welded it solid.

 

It got a new radiator and a minor tune up as well.

 

Looking under the hood - the only thing you can see is the areas where I welded are a different shade of blue - hell it's an '83 subaru and it doesn't show under the hood so why bother with matching paint? :rolleyes:. But yeah - it's as if it were never wrecked at all because all the parts affected by the deer hit have been replaced rather than repaired.

 

It wouldn't have been worth the repair if Dave hadn't donated it to me - he bought a '96 Outback from me to replace it and since he lives 550 miles from me - we met halfway and I got the keys to the '83 for my ride back home. So I am passing it on to Will for the cost of the parts and some labor. Everyone wins! :)

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
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^This.

 

This is why I recommend GD for everything. Fair and gets stuff done without cutting corners. Except for this case I guess he did "cut a corner" :lol:

 

Done with my puns.

 

I had seen this at GDs place and asked about it and saw the damage, I didnt think it would get repaired quite so nicely. Doesnt even look like it was damaged, great job Rick!

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Yep, I've got to say Rick (GD) does great work. That '96 he sold me has been wonderful, he documented everything he did to that car before passing it on to me. Can't say enough good things about his work.

 

As for the '83, GD actually restored it to better than "before the deer" condition, as there was some prior minor damage and hood discoloration. Good job, Rick!

 

Will, I look forward to meeting you and reuiniting with my old wagon at WCSS.

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  • 2 months later...

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