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Meet Margaret, the 1987 GL Sedan!


l75eya
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This is one of my favorite flavors of Subaru! It's down right righteous you're logging miles in one of these guys like this. I'm envious that the Desert Fox hasn't taken me on such a trip yet. Keep on racking up them miles!

 

Also, what brand and size tires are you doing all this driving on? Are you happy with their performance?

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This is one of my favorite flavors of Subaru! It's down right righteous you're logging miles in one of these guys like this. I'm envious that the Desert Fox hasn't taken me on such a trip yet. Keep on racking up them miles!

 

Also, what brand and size tires are you doing all this driving on? Are you happy with their performance?

 

Thanks! I've actually put an average 10,000 miles a year on the car the past two years, but each of those 10,000 miles were condensed into a tight period of time lol.

 

She had 42k when I got her and she's up to 68k now, so maybe a little more than average.

 

Last year was a 5,000 mile rountrip and this year was a 7,800 mile roundtrip because of more time to travel different places. It was a blast and the car just runs perfectly.

 

They're Bridgestone's all around and they're the stock size, plus a full size bridgestone spare.

 

They're alright so far, I haven't gone through a winter with them yet (last year there was NO! snow. I was pissed. Got a 4wd subaru and NO SNOW!)

 

I really don't push the car very often though, the axles need replaced so if I drop the clutch and floor it they click...so I don't do that (at least not until they're replaced ;) )

 

It's also nothing like our Loyale either in terms of handling, so I don't throw it around turns either.

 

They're lasting a long time though, so I have no complaints. Quiet too.

 

Thanks for looking!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

LOL looking for the mountain of snow to park on, I thought I was the only one that did that! I was food shopping and could not find a spot I parked right on one with funny looks.

 

Nice video never seen any older models in the snow here... matter of fact I've never seen one her period other then moosens.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Time for some more pictures from the trip! Pictures vary from Colorado or Wyoming or Utah, or Idaho or Indiana. Not quite so sure.
581882_10152613433770307_1023895299_n.jpj537711_10152613340355307_464941842_n.jpgjCharger highway patrol. Colorado.

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Beautiful rolling hills. Ever see the default desktop for windows XP?

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Ames monument.Pretty sure this was in Wyoming.

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Lincoln. Also Wyoming IIRC.


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Action shot.

More to come.

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Any of you guys recognize this?

Never forget seeing it the first time.
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After turning on to the salt flats and basically having no boundries...I decided to start driving towards that mountain.

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Adventure-roo!

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First time I'd ever had the car off-road. I needed to branch off of the trail at some point. ;)

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And it didn't take long for me to high-center it on a bush and get stuck :rolleyes:  haha (Very loose ground under the tires didn't help)

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After getting the car un-stuck. You can see the freshly exposed ground where the car was in the previous picture. =P

Funny enough, after getting stuck, and getting un-stuck, my group and I went for a little walk leaving the car where it was parked above. After about an hour we go back to the car, pile in, and I proceed to drive straight out of that spot to the trail, going to the right. What you can't tell in the picture is that there was a steep drop from where the car was parked and the actual trail, and I practically *immediately* high centered the car for a SECOND time lol. I know. I'm a putz. A bit of se-sawing the car and we were back on our way. =)

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/FIN.

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  • 1 month later...

The sedan really is great. I'd love to have a 3-door though. The wagon just seems to me to be a beast for anything. 3-door wins the looks category though.

Does your sedan handle very well? The Loyale on the left is a 2wd car, so it's lower, and I swear it handles great. I take turns in that car like you wouldn't believe, man, it drives like it's on rails. I love it. I've always though about how awesome it would be if it had some good tires on it.

The GL, however, is 4wd and sits up quite higher. It drives like a truck. It's crazy how different they are.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Time to further elongate this thread. I've since installed the Maxima alternator upgrade. No complaints there.

I've used maggie as a truck
IMG_20130907_181426_zpsf2e0871a.jpgThree pallets in the back, two on the trunk

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That luggage rack is awesome. I've used it so many times.

And
I recently (yesterday and today) gutted the interior, vacuumed,
shampooed, vacuumed some more the floors, floor-mats, and seats. Cleaned
all the plastic bits too.

IMG_20130907_193548_zps6675a1ed.jpgThe
seats cleaned up...a tiny bit. They just look like a little bit
cleaner, stained seats. The previous owner really did a number on them
with stains and cigarette burns (there are cigarette burns
like...everywhere.)

Threw a new driver's side caliper in a few
weeks ago, along with a new driver's side axle (which clicks already)
and a new balljoint.

Cruised about 40 miles on the turnpike at 100 - 105 mph yesterday.

This car kicks rump roast.

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  • 1 year later...

First order of business;
FINALLY GOT A GRILLE!!!
2mzl7k9.jpg
Thank you to USMB member mr_whirly for meeting up with me and hooking me up with this fantastic grille! Mentions to JesZek as well if it were not for extraordinary shipping rates, I'd have one he was going to give me. Thank you anyway JesZek!

Also today I made a 200 mile round trip to go pick up a 5 speed dual range to replace the failing unit that is in my car;

 

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The gentleman at the junkyard told me the computer shows that this transmission has been in stock since 1993 and it has been sitting untouched in a shipping container since it was pulled from a 1985 GL back then. That means it may well be a 29 year old transmission but it was only in use for 8 years. It was listed as having 89k miles.

I've never pulled or installed a trans before but I'm sure I'll be able to do it especially with the great resource that is the USMB.
So far I have ordered an Exedy clutch kit to install with it, and I'm going to have the flywheel resurfaced.

While I'm preparing for that I will also be pulling the rear driver's side axle as it is pretty much shot and I'm hoping that, after failing to remove the axle stub from the pass side axle when I replaced it, I'll be able to get the stub off this one so I can use it with a replacement axle I have laying around that does not have a stub.

Once that axle is replaced the car will have had all 4 axles replaced, though, due to my own neglectful driving (many one tire fire burnouts) my front pass axle needs replacing again.

I'm hoping to source an OEM Subaru clutch cable this week for when the trans goes in as well.

 

After the axles are done and the trans and clutch and clutch cable are done, all that's really left to do is take care of the front end. It could use new ball joints, tie rods/ends and shocks. The plan is to throw on new rotors and calipers some point soon as well.

Pending all of those developments I will on the lookout for some 14 or 15" 6x140 rims from early Nissans and Toyotas, and then there is a vendor selling 2" lift kits with a  1.5" crossmember drop I'm interested in. I need more info on the whole steering linkage extension though.

Then, eventually, and hopefully before my car folds in half, I have to find somebody that can repair the rotted frame rail up front.

Edited by l75eya
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