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Of course there are other variables that are of considerable interest like: * Which side of the filter is this air introduced on? I believe the return for the PCV system is indeed on the venturi side, however the supply side of the PCV system is coming into the airbox on the outside of the filter which is fine. Of course if the rubber gaskets that the filter gets squished between are shot or missing it's all a moot point anyway. * Also even if PCV vapors were being introduced to the intake on the venturi side of the filter, we're talking about crankcase vapors, not sandy, dirty, air from the environment. Tracy

WOW! 47 MPG in an old Subaru. ...and to think I've been drooling over those high tech Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Diesel Injected cars that get 45-48 (but remember diesel is costing as much as $.70 a gallon more than 85 octane gasoline). I should save my money and just buy your Subaru! (obligatory <wink> for the sarcastically challenged). Tracy

The XT sounds sweeet! Tracy

The best case scenario of an intake system is to ensure the smallest particle allowed to enter the venturi is no larger than the filter medium. I'm sure there is a large spectrum of how well this is accomplished. In the real world. But... I'm not talking about minor leaks around the wing nuts and the gasket on top of the air cleaner. If blindsight has removed the original filter from the original filter housing and is using the housing as 'go-between' for his aftermarket filter, he'll be sucking a lot of unfiltered air through the air stove pipe hooked to his exhaust Y. On the other hand, if the stock filter is still 'in there' then what is the purpose of the aftermarket filter? Two filters would be unnecessarily restrictive. Tracy

One last thing... if the stock air cleaner has been removed and you are just using the housing as an easy connection to your aftermarket filter, you are running the risk of introducing unfiltered air in several places such as the air stove tube and lose connections where PCV tubing runs into the housing. Again, if you want to use that filter, my vote would be to eliminate the stock filter housing. On the other hand, if you just want to try and push more air down the throat, why not keep the stock filter in place and just relocate the intake to your hood scoop... no extra filter needed. Tracy

I'm sorry if my tone sounded harsh. This medium isn't always conducive to one's tone even with all the cool emoticons. I have real soft spot for Soobies of all generations. My first Soobie was a 2 stroke Subaru 350 that was given to my friend and I by an old miner from Stanley Idaho. It was really cool. I wish I still had it even though we never got it on the road. On the other end of the spectrum, a WRX would be a cool Subaru to own! I like the utilitarian aspect of the Brats and GL series Soobs. One thing for sure though, they are pretty gutless. Relatively speaking so is my '68 Landcruiser. If you did everything possible to trick out an EA engine it would still be amazing if you could get an EA series motor to push the HP that my '90, beat up, stock, Legacy will. An EA soob shines in completely different ways though. If a Weber were priced right and would help give my GL some oomph and additional low end torque, I'd be all over it. I've been drooling about getting a Weber carb for my Landcruiser for years. That said, I just wasn't personally keen on losing the functionality of the spare tire location in exchange for nothing more than a cool ricey looking air filter on some plumbing pipe connected to the stock air filter housing. So, I don't understand the point.... just being painfully honest. I'm completely open to the idea that things I'd like to do to my Subaru would strike some of you the same way. We are all different and that's okay. I'm not trying to be rude or harsh. If I were to post a pic of something I'm toying with, I'd want REAL feedback even if it meant some of you shaking your head and saying.... 'Mmmmm, I don't think so....' Tracy

What you've setup isn't really going to push any more air down the throat. Mostly it just displaces your spare tire. The Weber will help if you want to spend the money... but, (correct me if I'm wrong) you'll no longer use the stock air filter housing if you get a Weber so the setup will need to be reworked. No offense intended but it seems on par with coffee can muffler tips and rear spoiler wings on Ford Escorts. If you really want that filter because you like how it looks I'd at least want to modify the intake such that the stock air filter housing can be eliminated from the mix. Tracy

I'm not sure I understand the point. Tracy

I have some generic 185\80\R13 M+S tires on my GL wagon. These are the tallest tire I know of you can get for a 13" wheel. I've seen a similar no-name tire at Walmart for $29 per tire. They are a 50,000 mile tire. I quite like them for all around use. Tracy

For what purpose? Camping equipment? Work related supplies and materials? Tools? What did you have in mind? This guy who took a Landcruiser from Alaska to the southern tip of S. America built some some nice looking storage drawers and cubbys: http://www.parque4x4.com.ar/preparaciones/toyotapanamericana/ Tracy

It's right on the money. I had an '88 GL wagon with the 3 spd Auto. That car and I had a love-hate relationship. I bought it because it was mint. Owned by little old lady that mostly used it in the winter. It had only 68000 miles, zero rust and pristine interior. It had power windows/locks, A/C and fuel injection. Even with FI, it was so gutless I'd always turn of the A/C just to merge into traffic or cross a busy street. In an offroad situation, I'd always run out of torque before I lost traction. Since it didn't have an overdrive transmission, I never drove it faster than 65. I'd regularly take it on 4-5 hour trips taching at 4000 the whole way. My fuel economy range was 22-25. Usually closer to 23. The car was reliable and excellent in the winter. I'd never had a car hold to the road like that one did. Balanced very well. I felt just as comfortable cruising 65 on dry roads as I did on icy ones. And if I did happen to get into the deep snow, the little red button on the shifter ALWAYS worked. Very reliable 4WD system. I ended up selling the trusty Soob to my brother and getting a '90 Legacy wagon with a nice powerful 2.2 engine and an overdrive transmission. It was a nice car but it nickel and dimed me to death. I should have kept the gutless GL wagon. The Legacy ended up blowing the transmission at 115,000 miles, $1500... later the AWD got sloppy and eventually gave up the ghost and finally the car met its demise with a cracked head. I mostly do all my own mechanic work and I take good care of my cars... even so, the Legacy ate a total of $3500 over and above the purchase price. Now it's behind my garden shed with a new set of tires, relatively new alternator, waiting for the scrap heap. I've since acquired an '87 GL wagon 5 speed D-R that has zero ammenities but I actually like the simplicity of the car. I'd love to see it go half a million miles. Tracy

LOL... What cracks me up is the spectrum of how 'cool' and how 'bad' Subarus can look. My '81 looked so cool with the rear torsion bars adjusted up and the white spoked 'wagon' wheels as well as the overall look of the body, headlights, bumpers, roof rack, etc... My '88 Subaru looked like a grandma wagon with the horrible star shaped plastic hub caps, plastic bumpers and flat looking ride (an untrained eye might mistake it for a wimpy Ford Escort wagon or a Chevy Chevette). Also, I was bummed at the lack of suspension adjustment like my '81 had. The 3 spd automatic transmission was a poor performer too. Even so, I put a lot of miles on that trusty car. My '90 Legacy wagon was a great car but it too looked pretty 'grandma'. I'm determined to do something about the mild mannered appearance of my current Subaru ('87 GL wagon 5 speed D-R). So far, I've put alloy wheels off an '85. For some reason the suspension isn't as flat looking as my '88 was which is a bonus. I only paid $700 for the car and still need to do a clutch job. I don't want to dump a lot of $ into this daily driver so I'll have to keep myself in check. I'll post a pic or two when I get done. Tracy

Several years ago I had an '81 GL wagon. It was white. The paint above the rubber moldings on the body looked pretty good. The paint below was pock-marked with rock chips in the paint that had surface rusted. After sanding out the rust, I painted the entire bottom half of the car with charcoal Hammerite paint. I added wagon wheels from a junkyard that I freshly painted white. With my Thule rack, the car looked quite sharp. At present I have a fairly recently acquired '87 GL wagon. It looks pretty boring with the palid looking light tan paint. I'm considering painting the lower half with a darker colered Rhinoliner paint to give it that 'armored' look the new Outbacks have on the bottom half of the car. There's a little rust on this car but nothing overly cancerous. I'd like to keep future rust at bay so I'm considering undercoating the car and paying close attention to the wheel wells. I'd also like to build bumpers for this car and add a roof rack with a cargo basket. Any suggestions along these lines? Tracy

The "F" engine in my '68 Toyota Landcruiser has been pretty darned reliable. I believe it is Toyota's version of a Chevy 235 inline 6. No timing belts to break (it has solid timing gears)... and of course no computer and a very simple ignition system that can be made operable with nothing more than a matchbook to gauge the points in the distributor and a 12v test light to static time it. Also, it has a very reliable mechanical fuel pump and a heavy cast iron head that rarely cracks or warps. Tracy

Excellent. I appreciate the replies to this thread. Like I mentioned, I'd like to simplify my kit. I don't really need to be carrying around a 60 lb. toolbox all the time. My Dodge Intrepid is pretty squirrely in the winter. I'd like to take the Soob on some of our road trips this winter and I'm looking to find the right balance between a functional toolbox that will "git 'er done" without taking up a lot of unnecessary space. Tracy

This site had some good ideas: http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/Tech/Tools.html

Here's the question (you can skip the rest of the write-up if you want): What do you carry in your Subarus besides tow straps, jumper cables and a rag or two for road side breakdowns and mishaps? ----ramblings---- Background: I'm not a professional. I'm a bonafide, shade tree. I'll admit it... I'm a bit neurotic when it comes to tools. I have always been drawn to them. I love them. Sometimes it can be a hinderance too as you'll understand. In addition to all sorts of wood working tools I have a tall red rollaway toolbox full of various hand tools for auto repair in my garage. Not Snap-on or Mac quality... but mostly American made stuff none the less. I've collected most of them a little at a time over the past 15-20 years. I also have a large wall of peg-board in my garage with more tools... mostly low-end open ended combo wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, crescent wrenches and vise-grips of various sizes, etc... So I can grab something quick when I'm sharpening the lawm mower blade or something. I love to tinker in general. Recently, I've been working on upgrading and adding tools to the tool box I carry in my Subaru. Twice I've had to get a larger toolbox as it acquiesced to a more and more bloated kit. It is now to the point where there's 3/8 AND 1/2 inch socket sets, in metric AND SAE, same for wrenches... my justification is if I stop to help someone in an American made car. I also have metric and SAE allen keys and all sorts of pliers, drivers and so forth. lastly, a multi-tester, some heavy primary wire and a 12v test light. In the toolbox under the rear carpet I also have a small compressor and a tubless tire repair kit, an inverter, jumper cables, high quality LED flashlight and small 12 V. trouble light, Haynes manual, tow strap and clevis, jumper cables, etc... Finally... cutting to the chase. I realize I should simplify my tool kit to something easy to carry and useful for 90% of roadside problems. So here's the question: What is the consensus on the most useful tools to carry in an older generation Subaru (mine's an '87) to repair most roadside break downs, like broken belts, blown radiator hoses, electrical gremlins and even broken timing belts? What do you carry in your Subarus besides tow straps, jumper cables and a rag or two for road side breakdowns and mishaps? Sorry to be so verbose. Tracy

Not sure if Autozone has it but Checker does. I had loud persistent lifter noise right after changing the oil on my 'new' '87 Wagon so I too used the famed Seafoam oil additive (drove about 80 miles with a whole can of it added to the oil)... I also used some B-12 Chemtool motorflush and did a second oil change. There was quite a bit of sludgy stuff that came out. I suspect the car had gone awhile without an oil change and that first change I did upon purchasing it, moved some crud around and plugged up an HLA or two. Anyway, it took awhile but after about 200 miles or so the ticking went away and hasn't made a sound since... even on start up. Seafoam apparently, mildly dissolves the sludge. You can leave it in the oil and drive around however long you want. Marvel Mystery Oil is a similar product. Driving these cars with lifter tick won't hurt a thing. The valve train will be loose... it is noisy and probably doesn't run quite as well but it isn't hurting a thing. So, just drive it for 200 miles or so and see if it goes away. Tracy

Wow... that was quick. Thanks, I'll see if I can find it there. Tracy

Steveman, On an unrelated note... I checked out the link for your GL-10 sedan. Very nice! Question: Where did you get the dual A-pillar gauge pod? I'd like to get one but I'm not sure how good a generic one will fit. Your's appears to fit very nicely. I have a 1987 GL wagon. Thanks. Tracy

Go back and push the the button in and out to make sure of that... mine was doing the same thing and I just needed to adjust the U-shaped latch bracket so the door would close tighter. It made it rattle less too. I also did this on the driver's door. Tracy

That's what credit cards are for LOL! Just kidding... good for you on staying out of debt. Me on the other hand... I'm in debt up to my Ar$e. That's why I drive an '87 Subaru to work every day Tracy

If it is just a gummed up choke actuator or linkage, you need to spray carb cleaner around the choke linkage and the choke actuator. It is under the air cleaner box. A few tools are a good thing to have anyway... even if you just get yourself a cheap set to store in the way cool tool box under the carpet in the back where the spare tire for most cars sits. Tracy

Check again... if the car has an A/C compressor, the two belts route differently because the A/C compressor and the alternator will only have one pully and everything else will have two. If the car doesn't have A/C, the two belts are simply redundant. If one is slipping then one is slightly larger. They need to be a matched pair for them to both be tight. If it does have an A/C compressor. These belts are not a matched pair. They take different paths. One is tightened by swinging the alternator on its pivot point, the other has an idler pully for adjustment. you can eliminate the belt that goes around the A/C compressor if it is indeed non-functional. The remaining belt is catching the important stuff (water pump, PS pump, alternator). Tracy