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My $3000 Subie - 1981 DL Wagon


stewartkb
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Now to the good stuff! The actual build!

 

Post was edited - Long story short, bought it for $1800 and ended up having to ship it for around $1200.

 

Story on my expensive experience can be found here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/149608-wanted-clean-wagon-hatch-or-brat/

Edited by stewartkb
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So to begin, I knew I had some wrenching ahead of me. I am already over $3000 into this Subaru before I could even drive it. I wasn't 100% sure on how extensive it would be to get her up and running properly. Luckily, after some VERY basic replacements and fixes, I have her running 65-70 mph on the highway with minor hiccups. If this would have been addressed before my adventurous road trip to Arizona, there would have been zero issues on anyone's integrity.

 

As of 11/08/2014

Main Issues that I wanted to address at first:

 

- Loud rattling squeal from an engine bay component.

- Low acceleration and top speed.

- No heat.

- Janky carburetor. 

- Basic tuneup.

 

Work done so far:

 

- Fresh engine oil change & filter.

- New belts.

- New radiator hoses.

- New thermostat & gaskets.

- New heater hoses.

- New spark plugs & wires.

- New distributor cap & rotor.

- New fuel filter.

- New water pump and gasket.

- Cooling system flush & fill.

- Heater core flush. (Unsuccessful, still low heat.)

 

Main issues that have been resolved:

 

- The loud rattling noise was the water pump. I have never seen one so shot before. Replacing it made a tremendous improvement.

- The low acceleration problem is now almost obsolete, but the carb is pretty nasty, so I bought a Weber to replace it.

 

Parts on order & not installed yet:

 

- Weber carburetor (Sitting in a box on my couch. May need some help with it. Get at me locals?)

- Heater core. (Somewhere lost in shipping.)

- Rear hatch supports (NAPA only ordered me one, and they now have zero access for a second, so I have to order elsewhere.)

- New A/C Compressor and a few other A/C Components. (Had a lockup going down the highway and almost killed some new belts.)

- Exhaust Grommets (Old ones are sagging terribly.)

- Differential & tranny fluid change. (Have the gear oil, just need to get at it.)

 

Extras that I splurged on:

 

- Yakima Roof Rack Mounts/Base.

- Kuat Vagabond Safari Rack.

- Shovel & Axe for Safari Rack.

- LED Domelight.

 

Things I still need to track down:

 

- Maxima Alternator Upgrade (If you can help me with this, PM me!)

 

How it looks now:

 

Subie1.jpg

 

Subie2.jpg

Edited by stewartkb
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On the bright side you got a good basis for a build. The no rust part is probably the best aspect. You will learn lots about repairing old Subies, make lots of new friends and learned some life lessons along the way.   Plus you got a great cautionary tale to tell your own kid when he gets wide eyed and wants to pounce on his own used car "deal". You probably got more useful life experience out of that $3000 than you'll get through book learning at any college for ten times that in tuition.

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First and foremost, congratulations on the diamond in the rough. I think it's important to focus on what you walked away with, a sweet a$& ride!

It's a terrible shame, and I among others here have had such an experience.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you are on top of things.. financially and mechanically :brow:

I LOVE your wagon brah!! Looks great, and yeah I'm jealous of the the add-ons you've got going.

 

I've dealt with selling and buying from a young age, so I know exactly what this feels like. The earlier the better if at all.

In similar situations, you will be on your sh*t more than most can even imagine, take some solace in that! It's what makes us stronger..

 

Funny thing is I wouldn't be here or know jack squat about Subarus if it weren't for taking a similar chance after falling in "love at first start".

In the last year I've learned more about working on cars than in my last 5.

 

 

 

I bought an 87' Hatchback, from the Southwest like yours, but it was rear-ended and starting to rust back there. I missed a number of things that could have cost me gravely had I held on to the car.

I rushed the actual final deal, I put a little more faith in the seller than I knew I should have, even all the while reading into the seller's tactics.

After the deal passed, I realized how much more the seller played their hand than I had thought.

 

My lessons learned:

-Inspect everything, regardless of what you are told.

-Do not be blinded by some positives to ignore some or many negatives, stay objective.

-Do as much research and preparation as possible. Ask around, you might pick up something that you would have missed in a crucial moment.

 

From my own experience, a seller is NOT your friend. Keep it professional and act as such, I don't care who you are dealing with.

Only in this manner can you play it safe.

Ever hear the saying, "Don't involve $ with your personal relationships?" So many things can go wrong, that is why all the responsibility is on you. After everything has been properly gone over, cash exchanged, then you can be at ease.

I've made some sweet deals and kept in touch with awesome people in this way!! :headbang:

 

 

 

 

 

Long post sorry,

One more thing, about running into any ne'er do wells from the forum, there are bound to be such individuals on the internet. This forum is somewhat a conglomerate of numerous forums. It's huge!

But, being on here for a year, the number of downright helpful people is staggering,

ehem but those guidelines I follow never fail me when it comes down to business  ;)

Edited by SnatchedHatch
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  • 2 weeks later...

Appreciate the insight all - I've been fairly busy and have done some tinkering here and there on it. Lots to do still.

 

As of 11/21/2014

 

 

Since last update ...

 

- New heater core installed. (See below for issues with this.)

- New rear hatch supports installed. Hatch stays up now like a champ!

- New LED light bar. Installed using a Painless Wiring Fuse Block that has additional accessory ports (Waiting on Maxima Alt swap to run it properly. Anyone have one laying around?)

 

20141120_140507.jpg
 

Stuff still sitting in the garage:

 

- Weber carburetor (Still looking for someone local to help me with the swap and emissions system cleanup.)

- A/C Compressor & other misc AC items with retrofit high/low kit. (Waiting until HVAC is fixed and dash reinstalled to tackle this.)

- Exhaust Grommets.

- Differential & tranny fluid change.

 

20141120_132837.jpg

 

Things I still need to track down:

 

- Maxima Alternator Upgrade 

 

New Issues that have come up:

 

- When swapping the heater core, noticed the HVAC box had broken rod connecting clips, which operate the doors. Also noticed that the blower motor resistor was corroded and needs replacing. Made a separate post to identify them, so it looks like I have to hunt down replacements in a junkyard.

 

Updated Pictures:

 

2014_11_21_16_47_11.jpg

Edited by stewartkb
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  • 5 weeks later...

As of 12/21/2014

 

Since last update...

 

- Weber installed. (Some local Subie guys really hooked me up on this one! Pulled her into their garage, and I didn't even touch a single tool while they tore into her. Runs TONS better. I had a plethora of vacuum leaks, and the old carb was definitely on it's last leg.)

- Replaced thermostat again with a FailSafe thermostat.

- Did another complete coolant flush.

- Replaced heater resistor and clips on HVAC.

 

Continued/New Issues:

 

- Accelerator cable is shot. (Have one on order!)

- Heater still will not blow warm air consistently and cold air blowing through front vents while fan is off.

- Blinkers stopped blinking, but stay on. (Flasher unit?)

- AC Compressor is still seized, new one still in garage.

 

Still looking for:

 

- Alternator upgrade

 

Dirty engine compartment with some shiny:

 

QWAEpYEl.jpg

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