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Meet Margaret, the 1987 GL Sedan!


l75eya
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She is very low milage, she is a little bit rusty, and she needs some TLC, but she has a good bit of potential, I believe.

 

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Got her on Ebay from a dealership in Pennsylvania. I am technically the 4th owner of the car, but in actuality I am the 2nd owner (the other 2 owners only being the dealers the car went through before it got to me).

Car had 46,640 miles on it when I picked it up in April of 2011.

currently has 57,412

 

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Interior is in decent shape. There are a couple of cigarette burns in the seats, so that sucks, but for the most part the interior is nice.

 

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Just from the way the car rusted, you can tell it sat unused and exposed to the elemnts through the winters. It spent 9/10ths of it's life on Staten Island. Places where snow would sit longest are the spots where she is rusted most (next to the windshield wipers around the windshield, and above the trunk around the rear window).

 

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Most recent ODO shot.

 

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Wish I had a shot of the engine right when I got the car. It was very clean in here. This is what it looks like after driving across the country and in the desert. you can see the Rusty Jones coating around the firewall. Didn't work too well for the rest of the car haha.

 

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Here Margaret is rolling over 50,000 on the way to Nevada from NJ.

 

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This is how Margaret went across the country. Photo taken in Reno, NV now loaded with just a little bit more weight in supplies before heading out into the desert.

 

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Rears weighted down pretty bad...

 

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Fronts riding real high..

 

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And out in to the desert.

 

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What your vehicle looks like after being out in the desert for a week.

 

 

She's just sitting now. Had to replace the water-pump after getting back from NV, but the driver's side wheel bearing is going ( I think the whole knuckle has to be replaced) and, well all that weight carried across the country and back completely destroyed my rear suspension so the car is now very dangerous to drive. Will get her back on the road when money get together, but for now, Ben, our 93 Loyale is the DD and I'm on to make his thread next.

 

Thanks for checking out Maggie!

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Might be worth checking and getting a report from the PA guys. Parts at E-Z pull and Save in New Ringgold PA usually has a few old Subarus and they are super cheap as auto yards go. Bring your tools and a shopping list and get that beast back on the road.

 

Looks great! These cars are great road trip vehicles. I put so many miles on my subarus.

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You know even with the car PILED with stuff for the trip, and it being a trip literally across the country from NJ to NV, it was me, my father, my brother and his girlfriend in the car, and it really wasn't *that* uncomfortable. We were a bit cramped but that was mainly because we had sooooo much stuff with us. All the stuff you see ON the vehicle (Three garbage bags full of stuff tied to the luggage rack, two bicylces hanging on the bike rack, the weight of which over 4,000 miles bent my trunk hinges, then the trunk itself was completely packed with stuff, and we had a bunch of stuff IN the car as well).

 

This car went from sitting for years to driving across the country straight through, and when we got back it went right back to hibernation. Poor thing =\

 

When money allows, I'm definitely putting some love into the GL. It just wants to continue.

She sits for 7 days at a time, until the street sweeper comes and I have to start her up and move her out of the way. Always starts on the first turn. Always.:headbang:

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  • 1 month later...

Latest pictures after a bath

 

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Cleans up real well, she does. I *need* to get a grill. That missing piece is just way too distracting..

 

After the car wash I happened upon a bottle of Meguiars color restoration compound stuff, kinda similar to this type of stuff:

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The car is ..incredibly reflective. Will add pictures of that tomorrow.

 

Maintenance wise, Margaret has had her first oil change under my ownership.

It's 12,000 miles over-due and finally done.

Mobil 1 oil + filter

 

Also actively trying to resolve her front driver's bearing/hub issue..

 

New KYBs in the back too. Rides very nice now..

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It really creeps up on you, the attachment to these cars. Very unique kinda charm they have.

 

Is the grill silver? I'd be interested pending what it would cost to ship to 07087. Would it fit in a USPS flat rate box maybe?

 

Thanks for the offer.

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The Flying Magpie is back on the road! :) Going to have to replace the driver's side hub soon though, it appears.

 

Latest pictures after a bath

 

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Photo-0091-2.jpg

 

Cleans up real well, she does. I *need* to get a grill. That missing piece is just way too distracting..

 

After the car wash I happened upon a bottle of Meguiars color restoration compound stuff, kinda similar to this type of stuff:

G17216_UltimateCompound.jpg

 

The car is ..incredibly reflective. Will add pictures of that tomorrow.

 

Maintenance wise, Margaret has had her first oil change under my ownership.

It's 12,000 miles over-due and finally done.

Mobil 1 oil + filter

 

Also actively trying to resolve her front driver's bearing/hub issue..

 

New KYBs in the back too. Rides very nice now..

 

Edit* No idea how I managed to quote myself....meant to edit. Oh well...

Edited by l75eya
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've also unearthed some videos of some of the places Magpie was and some of the ************ that *she* has endured from the trip to nevada last year.

 

Some of these contain cusses too... Oh well.

Love how you can hear the boxer rumble in the background of these vids on the highway

http://s995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/perpetuallynumb/?action=view&current=Video-0011.mp4

 

In this one, at 0.28 and .32 seconds in, you can hear just how solid each bump in the road was hitting the car with it completely loaded beyond capacity.

When I replaced the shocks last month, they fell apart when I took them out of the strut.

 

http://s995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/perpetuallynumb/?action=view&current=Video-0014.mp4

Edited by l75eya
I got yelled at.
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  • 2 weeks later...

New wheel hub and bearings front driver's side.

Car seems to be trouble free! Knock on wood!

 

I was going to replace the exhaust manifold gaskets myself, but naturally the last stud I was trying to remove was stuck, and I was not going to chance it snapping so I brought it to meineke today and had them finish the job.

 

That left me with one day of having a car with basically no exhaust system hooked up to the manifold and of course I took videos of that because it was unGODly loud.

 

The first video I tried to take didn't work, and I wound up driving around for a minute or two thinking the camera was off.

 

The second one is my second attempt and you hear 2 or 3 full throttle pulls.

 

:popcorn:

 

http://s995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/perpetuallynumb/?action=view&current=VID_20120814_185837.mp4

 

http://s995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/perpetuallynumb/?action=view&current=VID_20120814_190504.mp4

 

Loud.

 

But now it's quiet! :headbang:

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So all new hub+bearings on the driver's front corner and new exhaust manifold gaskets...

 

The magpie is quiet and I no longer have to slow down quite a bit on the highway to take turns.

 

My car.....is now a normal car! :banana:

 

Can't believe how different the steering feels and what a gain in power with proper back-pressure.

 

Lookin forward to the trip to NV

 

_Edit_

 

Linked is a video to how the Magpie sounds now. No longer excruciatingly loud! Now just slightly loud!

http://s995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/perpetuallynumb/?action=view&current=VID_20120816_130406.mp4

Edited by l75eya
added video
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Update from the road:

 

The flying magpie and I and the gang are in Indiana, en route to Denver. She is running like a champ, 713 miles in to the trip only stopping for gas and the bathrooms. Gas mileage is increasing, was getting 26 mpg to start, up to 29.50 with quite a bit of weight and over the mountains. Trying to stick to 70 mph, but have hit 75-80 here and there.

 

Loving the drive.

:headbang:

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Update:

 

In Denver. Car ran great the whole 1900 miles so far. Do have a bit of a cooling system issue, now I see what you guys are always talking about with the cooling systems being a little bit inadequate, through Nebraska with 91 degree ambient temperatures she was running a bit hot doing 80 mph constantly.

 

Had to take it down to 65-70 till the sun went down, she's still running a little hot though, might have to get it flushed before I continue on the way to NV.

 

Clutch is hanging on. P.O really did a number on it, it's way more worn than it should be with only 60k on the clock. (Oh yeah! I hit 60k!)

 

She's averaging....27.0 mpg with a high of 29.50 and a low of 24.53

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Took a trip up in to the Colorado mountains. Damn, this place is beautiful. Loving Colorado.

 

Some pictures

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Great place to stop and investigate the cause of a bit of smoke.

Either something was leaking on to my catalytic converter (all fluids are full, can't see any leaks...) or something kicked up and got caught on it and was smoldering a bit. Smelled like a burning clutch, but clutch wasn't slipping at all, trans shifts smooth. Don't know what's up with that. It seems to have subsided but I haven't done any lengthy driving since yesterday, so I guess we'll see when I get back on the highway.

 

Aside from that, and only being able to do 30 - 40 mph up the mountains, all is well with the magpie!

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Nice sedan!

 

Thanks thanks!

 

 

The last photo made me laugh with the Facebook photo tacking place in the background

 

That's the g/f. Keepin it real, myspace style =P

 

 

The Flying Magpie has gotten myself, the g/f, and my comrade safely to Reno NV.

 

3,300 miles in 6 days.

 

Smoking issue I mentioned earlier must have just been something caught on the cat. That hasn't happened since that day.

 

Cooling issue is still...an issue. Has to be a clog in the radiator somewhere I think. Temp gauge creeps up to 3/4 when the engine is under a heavy (maximum) load. Naturally it's much more prominent when it's hot out, the ambient temperature has been around 95 degrees during the day and I can in no way drive faster than 70 without it being at 3/4. At night I can do steady 75 but if I hit hills etc it climbs right back up to 3/4.

 

That has got to be addressed before heading out after burning man.

 

Used a quart of oil across the country. Averaged 25mpg I think but being as I just got here, I'm going to sleep now and I'll figure all that out later. Pictures later as well.

 

OH! Got to drive on the salt flats and up into the mountains. Got stuck twice. I've got some awesome shots I can't wait to get up here.:headbang:

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  • 3 weeks later...
What happened to the Grille?

 

I really do wish I knew! It's such an odd way for a grill to be broken, it was like that when I got the car =\

 

You can't see it too well but the thin black horizontal bars; one of them has like a semi-circular chunk taken out of it as well. Can't even imagine how it occurred.

 

Thanks for taking a look at the pics though! I will have many, many more of them soon from the entire trip. I'm thinking I'll post my favorites and then just create a photobucket album and put a link to it on here.

 

The trip went from New Jersey to Colorado to Reno, Nevada to Las Vegas to Arizona (flagstaff, phoenix, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam) to New Mexico, back to Colorado and back east with a stop in Pennsylvania and finally back in New Jersey.

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Yup, like all of us "Coloradoans" we love it here!

 

My '87 GL Sedan was like yours but maroon and she could barely do 40 up these roads out here, lol.

 

Your car makes me miss mine more now. Thanks for sharing the pics and story with us.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, tomorrow turned in to 2 weeks later, but oh well. Life is busy!

Gotten myself nice and adjusted back in to the default world.

The GL is running great, however my throw-out bearing is making an AWFUL lot of noise when the clutch is engaged or even when in neutral with my foot off the clutch. That noise, paired with my rattling heat-shield, is making my car very...rattly.

 

Going to try a quick fix of some PB blaster on the bearing through the little access port on top of the trans tomorrow.

 

As far as the heat shield goes, that's getting ripped out along with my catalytic converter when I get a nice paycheck.

 

Going to throw a straight-pipe in it's place and put a WRX muffler on the back. (Brother put one on his 1.8 Impreza. I love how it sounds; not too loud, not too quiet.)

 

 

Aside from all that, my other purpose for updating this thread is to throw some more pictures from the trip up here, so, without further ado,

 

The Bonneville Salt Flats:

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The night-time view.

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Bottomed out much?

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Interior. (Anybody got a brown interior? Want to trade? :) )

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By the way, Colorado is a BEAUTIFUL state. Loved it out there.

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An *awesome* looking Riviera that was on the highway

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That's all for now. Will update with more once I get more pictures uploaded.

 

The good and bad thing about digital camera; I have a good 1,500 pictures to go through. :Flame:

Thanks for looking!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for the addition of a couple more pictures from the gigantic road trip this car accomplished for us pretty much trouble free.

 

This guy was outside in the parking lot at the hotel in Reno;

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So naturally I had to go fetch mine from the parking garage for an impromptu photo shoot;

 

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He looked to be a very basic run of the mill GL. Surprised he wasn't a DL to be honest.

 

Here is a look of what your vehicle will look like after being subjected to the dust-storms of the Nevada desert for a week;

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Not me. My good buddy Alex.

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And then a bath!

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That was important so as to wash off the alkali dust from the desert as well as all the salt from the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Edited by l75eya
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Next is a couple of pictures from the Grand Canyon. I was able to watch a thunder/lightning storm makes it's way across the canyon. It was incredible.

 

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My father;

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And randomly, this is what our little cars look like parked in an MTA Bus Depot's parking lot in the bronx, surrounded by Nova series and Orion series buses.

 

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Thank you for looking! :headbang:

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