1985 DR 5spd Weberized GL Wagon

[Nickoli]

Western slope of Colorado, EA82 lover. I purchased this wagon about a month ago. 230k. Got it delivered to me for $900. The previous owner bought it at a dealership for use in high school, and was going to scrap it when he got a new car. His friend took it from him and did a pretty horrendous and lazy rattle can paint job over the original tan, which is super sad. He thought it would sell better....there were lime green accents until I sloppily painted over them within minutes of owning the car. He did no rust cleanup. Didn't even remove the trim, sprayed right over it. Sprayed over the exposed chain rusting through the rear storage compartment, lol. Good stuff.

 

 

The interior is practically flawless. Four original floor mats. It was missing the boot under the shifter and spewing tons of hot air in, so I swapped one over from a parts car. It’s missing one piece of trim covering the seatbelt on the passenger side, and the PO had an aftermarket headunit in it.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like an owner at some point—whoever put the EMPI on—was active, or at least lurking on the forums. The original car had a hole cut in the hood for the weber, and the tall air filter. I replaced it with my old red hood. I’d love to find a build thread or find the old owner if possible. The teenager I bought it from didn’t know what he had.

 

Immediately replaced the EMPI with a genuine Weber I had from my previous GL. The EMPI is super dirty, bogged down at mid throttle, but really let loose when you floored it. I may see about grabbing those jets for my Weber, but I honestly have no idea what jets are in either of them. Made Fel-Pro gaskets and coated them with shellac, used the thermal spacer thing. PO hadn’t sealed the water passage because he used the double plate adapter so I JB Welded it with window screen down in there. Also put a stud in the middle of the coolant line and hose clamped it on both sides.

 

 

 

Noticed the two electric fans that the PO had hooked up weren’t working at any comfortable temperature for me. It got up past 1/2 gauge pretty good while idling, I got anxious and shut it down. Could be the thermo switch. Also noticed the clamp connectors on the aftermarket fan wiring were loose, one totally disconnected. So, in the meantime I put a mechanical fan from my old GL on. Replaced the thermostat with a Stant Xact, made a gasket with the fel-pro paper and shellac’ed it. The temps have been staying below 1/2, usually around 1/3 of the gauge. On one long downhill in the mountains last week it actually dropped down to almost 1/4. Gonna get the hyundai thermo switch soon, and re-wire the electric fans properly. For now the mechanical one works.

 

New NGK plugs and “old” wires from my other GL. New purolater fuel filter. Oil change. Swapped the tires and rims also. I had 5 General Altimax’s with ~5k miles on them, rotated them also. If that even matters because I swapped cars. I guess if nothing else it got the brand new spare on the road.

 

Driving yielded all sorts of clunks and vibrations from the front end, as well as the steering sticking in the direction of a hard turn. Particularly ones going into the last steering rotation—turns from stop mostly. If you turn it hard back the other way, it centers perfectly, and is fine until you turn sharp again.

 

Jacked the front up and got underneath, played with the steering wheel and the tires a bit. Found the control arm pivot bolt was ridiculously loose, as well as the four bolts mounting the hub to the knuckle. Also a front axle nut was loose, so I examined the cone washer to find that it had a huge burr in it. Replaced that with a decent looking one from my old GL because I somehow ordered the wrong center piece from the dealership. That all eliminated quite a few clunks, and a few vibrations.

 

Tie rods were tight, ball joints had no play. Steering rack bushings seemed tight. When the wheels moved, the tires moved. I localized the last real clunk to the passenger strut. The strut mount had lost it’s little cap thing, and the bearings were totally seized. Hopefully this will solve the steering issues. Don’t really feel like doing struts and mounts just yet, so I used some penetrating oil and some white lithium spray grease and lots of steering wheel movement. They started moving freely again, but I haven’t got them totally moving yet.

 

Oil leaks as to be expected. Got the mickey mouse seal, oil pump shaft seal and o-ring, two cam seals and o-rings, and a front main seal from the dealership. Also noticed an old timing belt box labeled 2009, and tons of oil on the currently installed belts. Got a continental/goodyear kit with tensioners and an idler for 60 dollars, but it only came with the 118 tooth belt. Waiting on the 98 tooth one I had to order separately. Still super cheap. Might as well do it all while I’m in there. Doesn’t look like the valve covers are leaking, so I’ll save those for another time.

 

Rust on the rear fender where the PO stored tire chains, definitely need to stop that really soon.

 

For now the to-do for this week is: Reseal the front, fix the thermo switch/electric fans, un-sieze the strut mount bearings or get new mounts—and probably struts at the same time.

 

Other than those "few" things, It was quite the steal for $900! It really looked like the owner who had it before the dealership really took good care of it, and knew what they were doing.

 

Thanks to this site and all of it's contributors for being a ridiculous wealth of free information. I love driving these old Soobies, and it would be damn near impossible without USMB and everyone here.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Nickoli

[Nickoli]

231,xxx

 

Fresh 10w-30 and filter. Resealed the front main, the oil pump Mickey Mouse, shaft seal, and oring, and both cam seals and orings with dealership seals. Had to get a gear puller for the rusted crank. Also installed new timing belts, tensioners, and idler--a continental/Goodyear kit. Anti-seized all bolts. Removed timing covers. Still getting a small oil leak from either the rear main or the oil pan gasket by the crossmember, but the front looks good.

 

Also noticed high idle today after the test drive when warm. ~1100 instead of my usual ~750. Could the new timing belts increase idle rpms?

 

Used aerosol white lithium on the strut mount and got it spinning again. Still sticks sometimes with weight on the car, but not nearly as bad. Gonna give it another hundred miles or so to let the grease settle in before I decide it's time for new struts and mounts.

 

Waiting on my thermo switch in the mail, using the mechanical fan for the time being.

 

Still to-do:

 

fix strut mount sticking issue

steering rack boots

electric fan/thermo switch - done 11/3/16

flush radiator and refill coolant mix before winter

degrease under the hood/suspension parts from previous long term oil leaks

replace oil pan gasket

change transmission and rear dif fluid - done 11/3/16

adjust headlight beams - done 11/3

fog lights

roof rack

tint

detail and protect interior done 10/28/16

Edited November 3, 2016 by Nickoli

[Nickoli]

Steering problem seems to be lessening with the grease in there. Giving it some more miles.

 

Put ATF in the tranny for 100 miles and switched it out to Motul 300. Also drained and filled the rear diff with Motul. Got 4 liters for 70 bucks delivered.

 

Flushing the coolant system today. Winter is coming.

 

New thermo switch arrived. Getting some shrink butt end connectors and wiring it when I flush the coolant. No more mech fan.

 

If you haven't used coconut oil to detail your car I highly recommend it. Incredible lasting shine and original color restoration on some terribly faded parts. Plus I don't have to be concerned with it being all over my hands. I'm not very fond of chemicals on the skin.

 

Colorado to Florida and back planned in about two weeks. Harvesting spare parts from the old GL

[Nickoli]

Flushed coolant and refilled. Setup with just the electric fan and the Hyundai thermo switch, no clutch fan. I'm pretty sure that's what was stock on a car with No AC? Works perfectly for now, we'll see how it goes in the summer. Will probably carry the clutch fan just in case. Comes on right around halfway on the temp gauge and runs until it drops a few MM.

 

Built a twin sized sleeping platform in the back that is tall enough to fit most of my tools, jack, water jug, and a few containers of misc stuff under. It is short enough that my girlfriend and I can lay comfortably and our dog can sleep at our feet. Still have access to all of the stock storage areas in the back, and removed the seat so we can put a lot of stuff on the rear floorboards as well. Cost zero dollars. Used wood from around the farm.

 

Set tires PSI to 40 today. Somehow id been running them all at ~32. Probably lost some gas mileage there.

 

Ordered OEM PCV valve but am gonna soak clean mine today. I have a feeling it's very very dirty. Also baking soda cleaning the battery and its terminals and battery tray. Getting some corrosion on the + side. Also need to rig a battery mount.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... the Hyundai thermo switch ...

 

I see you read my Writeup on the electric fan conversion.   

 

 

... Built a twin sized sleeping platform in the back that is tall enough to fit most of my tools ...

 

Would you mind to share a couple of Photos here?

 

Kind Regards.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... Set tires PSI to 40 today. Somehow id been running them all at ~32. Probably lost some gas mileage there ...

 

Certain radial tires are rated @ 36 PSi maximum pressure; while other radial tires are rated @ 44 PSi, so, if you're running Radial tires, I kindly suggest you to verify that they're rated up to 44 PSi, otherwise, overinflation and running in Hot paved roads, could be Dangerous, as one or more tires may explode... especially if there are any potholes around.

 

Kind Regards.

[Nickoli]

I see you read my Writeup on the electric fan conversion.

 

Sure did! It was incredibly helpful, just like the weber writeup. I didn't add a second fan, but the info on the lower temp thermo switch was very useful. It took about 10 mins of idling after a long drive for the fan to kick on. Ran for like 5 mins and shut off again. Couldn't be happier.

 

 

Would you mind to share a couple of Photos here?

 

Kind Regards.

Of course! I'm no carpenter, and we just reused some old stuff around the farm. Serves its purpose though! Need to either decide if/how I'd like to secure it to the floor a little bit, or just hope it sort of stays put in the case of an accident. I have 8" of storage space under it, which is enough to store quite a bit. Plus a roof rack and all of the floor boards. It came out pretty light too. Hoping I won't notice it on the MPG.

 

 

The fold down extension adds 16 inches when the seats are folded forwards. Makes it so I can lie down straight and I'm 6' 2".

 

 

 

 

Removed the bench of the rear seat but kept the brackets for the backs to fold down onto. Seemed easier than fabricating something. Lots of space without the back bench folded behind the front two seats.

 

 

A couple camping trips before the platform installation.

 

 

Love this wagon! I'll get some interior pictures tomorrow or the next day. The coconut oil really restored the dark brown on the window cranks, door handles, wheel covers, and defrost vent strip on the dash.

[Nickoli]

Certain radial tires are rated @ 36 PSi maximum pressure; while other radial tires are rated @ 44 PSi, so, if you're running Radial tires, I kindly suggest you to verify that they're rated up to 44 PSi, otherwise, overinflation and running in Hot paved roads, could be Dangerous, as one or more tires may explode... especially if there are any potholes around.

 

Kind Regards.

Thank you for the kind heads up. I'm using a set of General Altimax RT-43 with less than 6k miles on them. They are rated with a max inflation of 44. I always run it a few below just in case.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Sure did! It was incredibly helpful, just like the weber writeup. I didn't add a second fan, but the info on the lower temp thermo switch was very useful. It took about 10 mins of idling after a long drive for the fan to kick on. Ran for like 5 mins and shut off again. Couldn't be happier.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience! ...  ...

 

I'm really Glad to know that you found my writeups, Helpful. 

 

---

 

Thank you for the kind heads up. I'm using a set of General Altimax RT-43 with less than 6k miles on them. They are rated with a max inflation of 44. I always run it a few below just in case.

 

Also I run the tires on our cars, near to the Maximum PSi.

 

Thank you for sharing these nice Photos, I like your idea for the extra cargo. 

 

Kind Regards.

[Nickoli]

4,000+ mile road trip starts tomorrow.

 

My last GL made it to Florida and back twice with zero issues and zero extra parts on standby. Much more prepared this time around.

 

I have plugs,wires, a disty, rotor, cap, rad hoses, coolant/fuel lines, throttle and choke cables, a front axle, and a new water pump on standby. Should probably pick up a fuel pump too. Gas can, water jug, normal tools. Ready to go!

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Don't forget the timin' belts and spare fluids.

 

Kind Regards.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Have a nice trip and don't forget to share Photos with us.   

 

Kind Regards.

[Nickoli]

Timing belts, of course. Forgot I had two spares back there, and oil, coolant, and gear oil.

 

Made it to Florida! Blew an axle boot 1,000 miles in, so we're replacing it before the return trip. Also noticed what seemed like a sticky thermostat--only happened once though. Replacing it just in case, and probably going with a new radiator too.

 

The Black Dragon runs really really well down at sea level, maybe I should check the jets for Colorado.

 

I'll post pictures soon! Family time.

[Nickoli]

So, replaced the axle and everything was going well...until. Hit the interstate on the way back to Colorado and she decided to get hot. A few pieces of info that can hopefully help me diagnose things:

 

On the way down from Colorado on the interstate the coolant overflow filled to the top and started actually overflowing. For ~1,000 miles after that it stayed regular. For the last two hours of the trip the temp gauge crept up just barely past half for a few minutes but came right back down, but never ran hot. I've driven 200 miles in town since I've been here, and the temp gauge has stayed below half always.

 

For the 40 miles on the way to the interstate today, it ran at normal temps. Within 5 miles on the interstate it crept up past halfway so we pulled over at a rest stop and it immediately came back down to normal operating temps. Decided to postpone the return trip until I figure this out.

 

I thought that maybe the headgaskets are bad? There are zero bubbles in the radiator when its cold and running, and there is no froth or milkshake in the oil. Good signs?

 

I replaced the thermostat with a stant xact, and am replacing the radiator and radiator cap tomorrow, and will make sure to fill the coolant with no air bubbles then give it another test drive on the interstate. I have no AC and no PS, and was running both the clutch fan and the electric fan today when it got hot. I will also test my thermostat again in a pot of water tomorrow.

 

Is it logical to think this could be a radiator/cap issue, or should I start looking at headgaskets? I didn't have any mystery coolant disappearing on the way down. Is there a for sure way to tell if it's the headgaskets or intake gaskets? It definitely cools down at slower speeds/town driving, and gets too hot going 70 on the interstate...pretty backwards of how it's supposed to be. My radiator is definitely the original, and definitely beat up. Is it worth replacing the overflow cap if it doesn't seem to seal well?

 

Fingers crossed for either the thermostat, radiator, or rad cap being the issue.

[Nickoli]

New radiator went in flawlessly. New cap seemed much better than what I was using, the spring seemed in better shape.

 

She made it to our next stop in North Carolina with zero problems. Temperature gauge was pegged at 1/3 the entire way. Perfect. Hoping that when we head back to Colorado I can remove the clutch fan and everything will still stay cool. Currently still running both fans even though it has no AC.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Nickoli

[coylethebarbarian]

Nice write up and seems you got a sube that isn't too bad (except for the crazy rattle can paint job!) Great you can knock out most repairs on it yourself, like many of us do on here! Keep the write ups coming....I'm on and off over the years here...had to get rid of my subes with moving (sadness) and am looking at an tan wagon that's like yours and locally owned-if I can talk the guy down from his $2000 asking price! Keep the posts coming, eager to see what else you do to the Sube and for inspiration.

[Nickoli]

Whew. Long time since an update. This will be text only with pictures to follow.

Made it back to Colorado with no issues other than cold air blowing in the front passenger speaker location. Probably no speaker there anymore, and it was hard for the heat to keep up at 70 mph. I'll fix that before next winter.

 

Electric choke treated me good this winter...surprisingly. Started up in -28 F for three days in a row. Thought I was gonna break a clutch/throttle cable but she ran! The heater blades were frozen stuck though, lol....cold cold drive to work.

 

Fresh 5w-30 and filter (had to use carquest brand unfortunately) about a month ago at 237,XXX and one cold morning when I started her up it was puking out of the filter. I was able to tighten it almost a full turn past where it was when I installed it and the leak went away. Lesson learned. Extreme cold affects seals lol.

 

Had idle issues that I posted a thread about, ended up being crud getting to the carb. Blew out the main idle jet with compressed air today because the idle problem showed it's ugly head again and there was visible crud in the main idle jet. Replaced both fuel filters, and added an in-line clear one right before the weber. Also got a new distributor cap, rotor, plugs, and wires for sh**s and giggles--I hate to admit that I didn't bother changing the rotor and cap when I got the car, or for the entire Florida trip. The old distributor was corroded in one of the cylinders, and the rotor looked worn. The plug from cylinder one had a little carbon deposit and was black, slightly wet. Cylinders 1-3 were gray and clean--lean condition?. Started up perfectly, and idled rock solid. I was able to lean it out and set the idle screw both pretty close to the tuning specs. Idle screw is just over one full turn past contact, and the mixture screw is at 1.5 turns out. Slightly lean, but I don't know if I'm ready to tackle re-jetting just yet.

 

Added a bottle of seafoam to a fresh gas tank, and am hopefully going to see an improvement in mileage after the tuneup. Winter means a lot of idle time in the morning, so I expected to see my mileage drop, but I was getting 21-25 fully loaded on the trip to Florida, and have been averaging only 17 around town this winter. Granted that's with some 4wd action, and lots of short trips with the engine not quite at operating temp--I only live 6 minutes from work this winter.

 

Also replaced the PCV valve with OEM and cleaned out the oil blow-by in the hoses...could be from the previous owner honestly, haven't checked them since I've owned it. Found that the previous owner had the vacuum to the EGR hooked up all wrong, but followed Kanurys's old build thread and got them all hooked up how they're supposed to. T'd into the thermoswitch along with the distributor advance and the PCV valve.

 

The new radiator and/or the fact that I used a stant xact thermostat is causing it to overcool out here. I have an OEM thermostat and new radiator hoses that are set to go in any day now so hopefully it will get to full operating temp and stay there. I was just waiting on the warm weather to hit. Also rotating the tires at the same time.

 

Whew. Love this car!

[Nickoli]

What a difference a tuneup makes. Also, no 4wd on this tank, but I got 26.02 mpg on the last fill up. Not using an measurement really, but it's nice to know a ballpark. Using the tach for mileage, and I fill up at the same pump of the same station so it hopefully clicks off at the same time. Used 7.1 gallons to go 184.8 miles. I'll take it!

 

Noticing some gas on the backside of the carb. Can't tell if it's coming from one of the carb mounting studs or the gasket between the adapter and the weber. Probably time to replace it anyhow. Maybe I'll break 30mpg again!