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Junkyard rebuild, need a second opinion.


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im looking at building a subaru out of 2 parts cars i found at the junk yard a few days ago, they said theyd give them to me for about 250$. one is an 86 gl10 with no motor and any number of other missing pieces, the other i believe is an 87 justy? (not 100% sure of this, as i dont know older subarus that well) which appears to be missing only a radiator, battery, and a front right wheel and bearing assembly. this would be my first project car and im not certain if im getting in over my head, however i am very excited about this. i currently drive a 97 legacy outback 2.5, i love the car and ive been practicing alot of rally driving with it. however i am concerned im going to get the car into a wreck, and as its my only daily driver car, i need a more disposable vehicle to get sideways with in the dirt. anywho, heres some pics/links of the 2 cars, im curious what you guys think about how doable this is and what kind of compatability there is between the machines. keep in mind im not a master technition with all the tools in the world avalible, but i have turned a few wrenches in my time. the justy is the one i intend to finish off the parts of the gl10 if possible, and improvising elsewhere.

 

IMGA3331.jpg

IMGA3322.jpg

 

http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/Enderdragoon/Justy/

http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/Enderdragoon/GL10/

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Im not shure if that is an 87 but its definatly not Justy, Its a GL with an EA81 moter. I dont think for a cheap rally car thatd be the route to go, because well its extremly underpowered and most likely a 4 speed, but you could use the Gl-10 5 speed tranny. I personally would just look for a cheap 1.8 impreza alot faster and really not that expensive and if the moter blows in that, the EJ22 and EJ25 are almost a direct swap

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I would drop a battery in the 2dr hatch and see if it starts. If it runs and moves it would be a good project as it looks pretty much all there. Yes it would be a turd but that ea81 is almost unstoppable. You can always put a ej22 engine in it later for more power. The GL10 has been picked through and people are not usually gentle when removing parts at the salvage yards so you would have to fix and replace cut wires/hoses and possibly other headaches. I have saved two subarus from the crusher and it is a great way to learn about cars and rewarding when you get them drivable again. Whatever you choose to do I wish you luck.

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i know the hatch has been sitting for about a year, but only at the yard for about a month, so i imagine thats about how long it was without a radiator. how extensive would damage be from that? is it simply hook up a radiator and top it off again and it should be fine after flushing it out? also how damaged does a little rust make the stub off the axle for the front right, can i just brush it down to steel and put it back together?

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By Standard, I mean the actual model of the car. Subaru Standard, they're pretty rare. You want to keep that baby. Body looks good. Is it a single range 4wd or dual range? My buddy has a Standard, originally came with a single range til he swapped a dual range.

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That's a STD hatch. It's going to be a 4 speed, single range 4WD. EA71 (1.6 liter) with about 64 HP.

 

As stated by others none of the parts from the GL10 will really help you here. The front hub you need is different as is all the drivetrain parts. If the GL10 has a manual transmission it could be made to work but as it's probably push-button it wouldn't be worth it.

 

There's a good reason why there aren't many STD hatch's left. They stank - looked neat with the twin round headlights but no amenities, no dual-range, and small engines. The real killer is they have no tach and no oil pressure gauge - the latter causing the demise of many an older DL and STD model Subaru as push-rod engines like a new oil pump every 100k miles or so - but you wouldn't know that since you can't monitor the pressure without the gauge.

 

You'll spend far more than the hatch is worth getting it rolling again - probably to find that the engine is toast. You can't even get most of the engine parts for the EA71's anymore and even CCR (a leading Subaru engine rebuilder) has discontinued support for them. Subaru doesn't even carry the head gaskets anymore.

 

A much better bet would be to find a decent condition EA81 (GL) hatch here on the west coast and fly out + drive it home. They are plentiful and cheap and you'll spend far less time and energy getting your plan off the ground.

 

Then again - you might want to reconsider your choice of "old Subaru" for your "fun" car that you might wreck. Get something newer and more powerful. There's little fun to be had rallying with 75 HP and even less fun when you wreck or break something and can't find the replacement part you need to save your life. Compared to a more modern Subaru such as your's or my 91 Turbo Legacy driving my hatch is like driving a truck.

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
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thanks for all the constructive replies, youve helped a great deal, at first it looked like it would be a piece of cake but i came to you guys to make sure before i dropped a dollar on anything. as suggested i have concluded not to take to hatch and have already found several 91-95 imprezas for under 1500 in the area. down the road however if i run into 2 subarus that are compatible ill prolly jump on it cause it just sounds like fun reviving old cars. and for me subaru is just the only way to go.

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Then again - you might want to reconsider your choice of "old Subaru" for your "fun" car that you might wreck. Get something newer and more powerful. There's little fun to be had rallying with 75 HP and even less fun when you wreck or break something and can't find the replacement part you need to save your life. Compared to a more modern Subaru such as your's or my 91 Turbo Legacy driving my hatch is like driving a truck.

 

GD

 

It depends on what you want to do with it... if you want to rally it.. yeah, you want something with more pickup -- even a stock 1st gen legacy WITHOUT the turbo and with the 4EAT will feel pretty fast compared to the old EA series wagons.... However, if you mean driving on jeep trails where clearance, low gearing, and such is more important... then you'll want the dual range transmission, and the old EA engine will be fine (though, more fun with an EJ swap, true).

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its not so much rallying for winning anything, but more so i can learn to hone my rallying skills. and i know its better to start underpowered to build the necessary feel for the car. so long is its not turbo i should be able to achieve the same with an early impreza.

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Yes, you can probably learn alot more with an underpowered car... because then you have to learn everything about how the car responds and how to really drive it... instead of just giving it more gas in whatever gear you are in :rolleyes:

 

I was watching vids last night of off-roading, and someone came by in a 60's landrover (with the 4 cylinder) and showed up several big jeeps that were just spinning dirt out trying to do a bumpy hill climb -- he may not have had nearly the power in his vehicle (probably around a third or less horsepower), but he knew exactly how to use it.

 

Then... you can move on to the higher power one after learning to feel the car.

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Are you in So Cal or AZ?

 

Like people are saying, those two are gonna be money pits.

 

scour Craigslist for EA cars. There are still some that can be found. One observation is that parts are getting harder to find. I went junk yarding this weekend and saw two EA82s. I can't remember the last time I saw a decent EA81.

 

Restoring older cars is a blast, but make sure you have a good platform to start with and it will get easier.

 

BW

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scour Craigslist for EA cars.

 

Right now the local craigslist here has 12 EA82's (7 of them being dual range 4x4 wagons), one EA81 hatch, one EA81 wagon, and two EA81 brats, one dual range tranny and two EA82 motors listed. Most for under $1000.

 

Gotta love Boulder Colorado :grin:

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