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Typical areas for rust on an 84 wagon?


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What are the typical rust areas on an 84 wagon? Structural or nonstructural? Be descriptive, I am not yet familiar with this model yet. Should I be concerned with certain areas?

 

How about 80 - 83, pretty much the same. Thanks

 

Qman, thanks for being so helpful the other day. I am still considering the 86.

 

 

:drunk:

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You're welcome, any time.

 

Rust areas on an '84 and older wagon...

 

Rear wheel wells,

rocker panels,

floor boards,

front fenders,

body mounts under and behind the front tires,

front frame rails,

rear hatch area,

bottom corners of windshield.

 

These will work for any model from the same era. Let me know how it goes.

 

Ken

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LOL

 

Probably the most critical is the front frame/body mounts. They're uni's as we discussed the other day. If those get too bad nothing left to hold the car up but the cross member.

 

I had a Brat once that the drivers seat was actually falling through the floor. Basically, just crawl around under the thing and check it out. Also, look for paint that is bubbling. Always a sign of hidden rust growing unchecked.

 

Ken

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the running gear, is invensible. but the body can go to hell all over. my former brat rusted through the bed, at the strut towers, and the rear suspension mounts. it got so bad that i could only run in in 4x, because the binding lifted the body off the drive shaft enough, to not grind like crazy.

 

if you are only worried about reliability though, they will go down the road (and off road) till the floor boards are completely gone. i even put new ones in mine.

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Same issues apply to those as well. The '80 may have a 1600 and single range though.

 

Certain panels can be found. I know they have rockers for some of the Brat's. Used sheet metal is always floating around. I am not sure where to find floor boards.

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If the car your looking at is in this area of the country (OR, WA, CA), and has been for a while, then there isn't going to be much in the way of rust on the car. I hardly ever see a rusty one in the JY even. They are either hit, or they have little simple problems that cause them to end up at the JY. I've seen a couple that just had bad distributors. Someone who isn't knowledgable about Subaru's would take it to the shop, and the shop would quote them probably a couple hours of shop time at $70 an hour, and $300 for a rebuilt disty. The car isn't worth $440, so off to the JY it goes.....

 

If it was ever on the east coast, or in the midwest or something, then it might have a bunch of rust. I would stay away from ANY amount of rust out here in the west coast - there's too many around with no rust at all to even bother with a rusty wagon..... now a Brat with a little bit is a different story. Wagons are easy to come by, and dirt cheap. If you pay over $200, your really paying too much unless it's something very special.

 

GD

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Although Ken gave a very thorough list, you should also beware of rust underneath the roof rack, if equipped; on the front hood lip, both inside and outside the hood; around the side windows; under the windshield moulding; and inside the hatch and near the hatch release button (and under the license plate moulding). Living back East stinks.

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All over the place - you just have to look. They come up here on the board - craigslist - newspapers - just everywhere. These are just *some* of the ones I've found in the last couple weeks while looking for a parts car:

 

84 wagon 4WD - white - engine knock - $150

82 wagon 4WD - brown - blown head gasket - $200 (gone - got there 15 minutes too late)

83 Wagon 4WD - needs trans work - $125

 

All were nice looking, and you can get a running EA81 for $100 and slap in there - or in many cases there really isn't anything wrong with them except owner ignorance. Don't settle for something you have to pay a fortune for - wait for that deal to come along - wagons are all over the place, and not worth anything really.

 

Hatches and Brats you have to pay up for usually - they are getting harder to find.

 

GD

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WOW interesting. I will have to keep my eye open in the future. I am one of them people that is always a day late and a dollor short.

 

I am wanting to get a dependable turn key. I just don't have the time right now to be fixin stuff. The cheapest runner I have ran across now is $600. It was pretty ruff almost nasty.

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The last runner I got was my 84 parts wagon - $390 - had a bad axle (not that bad - drove it 100 miles home, and another 2,000 on it before replaceing), and the driveline from it has bad U-joints. Still rusn strong, and the car has no rust. Had 316k on it when I drove it home - few dents. I switched it over to 2WD after converting my wagon using it's 4WD parts, and it lives on as a daily driver with a friend of mine who I sold it to for $300. (Now has 320k on it).

 

My wagon - which was probably one of the MOST pristene examples of an 84 wagon I have ever seen (not anymore since the lift and some off-roading), was bought at a dealer auction for $405. Only had 144k on it, and runs like a top. Of course - it was a 2WD which I converted to 4WD.

 

Definately would be cheaper to get one with a blown engine, and have Qman give you some pointers on putting a used engine in.

 

finding anything from 83 or 84 that you could call "dependable" is not very reasonable. Likely it will need some attention - probably consistent attention thoughout it's lifetime now. Unless a complete restoration is performed. These cars are old - most have over 100k miles, and even if they don't, the parts start to break down from age. Expect to do quite a number of axles, and a lot of other little things. It's not that Subaru's are not dependable - they are VERY dependable if the little signs they give off are not ignored. But it's not reasonable to expect a 20+ year old car to be perfectly dependable as a "turn key" solution. Get a legacy wagon if you want that.

 

GD

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Yes, I know what you mean by maintaining and old vehicle. I own a 33 year old Ford pickup that I eventually want to do a frame up restoration. Every once and a while it becomes the truck of many names, but I won't give it up for anything. It is a very dependable rid if I can keep gas in it. I just don't want one that sits in my way broke ninety percent of the time.

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