Another subaru convert

[zyewdall]

and another subaru in the family. I just convinced another friend to buy a subaru (partly because that's the only type of car I'll help work on, and partly because I gave his roommate the free '82 2wd wagon I got this summer, that's one of the most reliable cars that household owns). An '87 GL wagon, for $350. Very little rust. 205k miles. New carbureator and windows. Needs either a new ignition switch or new wiring harness to it (start position doesn't work at all, and run position works most the time, but not all), an alignment, one new CV or axle, clutch is adjusted wayyy too tight so it engages at the very top of the pedal, and oil pressure gauage is dead (wire fell off), and automatic choke doesn't work. But he was able to drive it home under its own power, and actually seems a little peppier than my '89 GL with SPFI. Right now it's dark blue for the front and back, and silver for the middle, but he's going to krylon it to all be the same color.

 

Oddly, the guy we bought it from just bought an old Plymouth Volare because he said he liked working on them better than subarus... to each his own...

[zyewdall]

Got it running. It seems it had some crappy bosch antitheft system hacked into the ignition wiring that was keeping it from starting. I cut those wires and ran a new one from the battery to the positive of the ignition switch, and from the starter output directly to the starter relay terminal. Took about 45 minutes to diagnose and fix and it started right up. Runs great -- doesn't seem to be exhibiting the cold starting problem any more either. Loosened the clutch, and it's more driveable too.

 

We found out what's wrong with the alignment... passenger front wheel has been knocked about 2" back compared to the drivers side one . The big bar that goes from the back of the A arm to the frame on that side is bent, and you can see that the A arm is knocked back, and the tie rod angles back. We're going to take that bar off and straighten it out, and see if that helps. Someone must have run that front wheel into something pretty darn hard -- obviously it's got new hood and front fenders for a reason, and you can tell they pulled the radiator support back out, but the frame rails are not bent at all, so it must have been an odd shaped object they hit.

[wesley willis]

i hit a lamp post in my hatch going about 30 km/h and bent the same rod. just grabbed a junkyard one. the bolts were damn hard to get off though.

[baccaruda]

that sounds like the strut rod. I'd just replace the bent one with a straight one from a parts car. It will be hard to straighten and a never-bent rod will be safer in the long run. Mind that the crossmember is not bent where the control arm bushing bolts in.

Good luck!

[GeneralDisorder]

Yeah - those are pretty easy to bend. The passenger rod on my sedan was bent like a horshoe when I got it and it really knocked the alignment off - you should check the control arm as well - often they are bent too, but you have to look close to tell. It will be "twisted" like a peice of red vines because the radius rod pulls backwards on it.

 

GD

[WRX2FFU]

Good job on the convert.

 

My convert story.

 

I was at the drag strip with my WRX. I met this guy from my town with a built up pontiac gtp. It's pretty fast. I kept beating him though. He waas cool about it. He asked a lot of questions. Just seemed like a car guy.

 

Anyway weeks later i was hanging out at a local street racing spot. I know, I know. Well this guy pulls up. He wants to run me on the highway. I denied him as i rareley race. I don't want tickets and really don't have anything to prove. He bugged me, so i said i owuld take him for a ride. He agreed. So I scared the crap out of him on a couple of highway ramps and a couple of lone pulls on deserted highway.

 

2 weeks later he bought an impreza. He said he was so impressed with mine that he had to buy a subaru. It is just a base model awd impreza for his daily driver.

 

Kinda cool.

[zyewdall]

I think I just convinced him to buy a SECOND subaru.... Actually, he was even the one who suggested it. We own a small solar electric installation company together, and though we have a new 16 foot box truck for major work, we needed a more reliable small vehical to replace my ailing '84 mitsubishi pickup. I thought of a new pickup, but he wants to get 2000 subaru outback wagon instead. Which after thinking about it, sounds like a great idea. Cheaper, more reliable, and better gas mileage, and we can still use the big truck whenever we need more cargo space.