3eyedwagon

I'm gonna get so wasted the strippers will have to help come-along me out of a ditch. I'm even planning on bringing some guns!

Love Me Tender baby, and oh yeah.... your turn signal is on.... I think we need a smiley with a pompadour.:cool: Oh yeah, I forgot. These make for a great practical joke. I put one in a co-workers pickup, and I think he may have thought Elvis was haunting him.

Cut well PAST the rust. Meaning, be sure to get it ALL out. I've seen countless cases where people have skirted by rust, wanting to cut out as little as possible, and ended up hosing themselves to save a little bit of time. There's no point in having to go back in, and do it again in a couple of years.

No idea on a newer Sub, but on most domestics there are TWO (2) flashers; one for the turn signals, and one for the emergency hazards. These little flashers only live so long. You may want to poke around to find the turn signal one. I would guess it to be in the fuse panel, or near. Maybe under the dash, near the pedals, the glove box, side of dash exposed when opening door, etc., etc. It may say where it is located in your owners manual. I would suspect that there is another flasher unit in the same area as the turn signal one. If they are the same; you can trade them back and forth as a test for the flasher unit. If this is the case, they are cheap at any auto parts store. If you hit up JC Whitney..... you can even get one that plays Elvis songs when it is on!!! OH SNAP!

The H6054 setup in my 82 wagon works really quite well. The only complaint I would have about it is its slight dimming at low idle. How much light do you really need at low idle? The dims are more than enough, and the brights are great. Even without the use of the passing light, these lights are plenty for this car. I would challenge anyone to overdrive these lights, especially considering the fact that they are strapped to the front of a vehicle powered by an EA81.

I'd imagine wheels, tires, and engine. All the important stuff.... Good luck with the new one Rob! Let me know if you need anything fabricated!

IF you are speaking of dropping the front cross members one inch; you may want to rethink your plan. That is a bit of work for what you are getting. Others here have had success in using 2 inch blocks above the front struts, with little or no axle problems. Putting 1 inch blocks in the entire front crossmember grouping would be far more work than it is worth. Not to mention, you may need to address issues such as steering, and shifter linkages. I'm not sure exactly what you can get away with on a 3rd gen, but I wouldn't be surprised if these issues come into play - even if it is only an inch. The standard setup for the lift you speak of is FRONT= 2 inch blocks between the struts, and the factory strut mounting points These blocks should be cut at an angle to correct geometry, and prevent camber issues REAR= 2 inch lowering of factory strut mounting points 1 inch lowering of rear differential This setup seems to have worked fine for those who have used it. If you wish to go through the trouble of removing the crossmembers; I would honestly go for more than 1 inch of blocks...

I'd highly reccomend doing the lift yourself. Even with simple hand tools, and by asking a few questions here, you should be able to knock out a 2" 3rd gen lift no problem. The 2 inchers are really, really simple. I think you should be able to do it in about half a day. Especially if you have access to any grinders, bandsaws, drillpress, etc. But even with a good old fashioned hacksaw, a vice, a cordless/corded drill, and the necessary metal, it wouldn't be very difficult at all. There's nothing better than not only knowing how to do something, but also knowing why you had to do it.... and there's no better way to know than to do it on your own! Plus, you'll be able to say you did it yourself. :cool: Let me know if I can be of any help.

#1: Alot. #2: Depends on how much money went into it. If it is full of top notch parts, that motor will last well. If it is just an attempt by an engine shop to put up some numbers, that probably won't last at all. If it was built by an idiot, that just boosted the HE*L out of stock parts; it's already gone. As far as ice bagging, and spraying; I have two vehicles with ice boxes, and I've used the upside down bottle trick on countless intercoolers. Both my ice box rigs are driven regularly, anybody with an icebox knows that is what is great about them. When you aren't using them, they don't do anything but add about 3 pounds to the vehicle. Ice bagging, and intercooler misting are real world tricks that are incredibly simple, and produce real HP numbers in every situation. It is not a case of being a dyno queen, it is an intelligent, cheap way to squeeze every last horse out of what you have. Ice boxes have been around before you, and I. Take a look at some old Wendover footage, and you will see refrigerated ice trucks in the background for filling the land speed cars before their runs. Does that mean that bottle heaters are for dyno queens too, or just for someone with an understanding of science, and a desire to go slightly faster?

When I bought my car, the rear CV was frozen on. The best remedy I've found is lightly tapping a golf tee into the downhill side of the roll pin hole, and then filling the uphill side with whatever your preferred penetrating oil is. PB, and AeroKroil are both pretty good. If you have just been soaking the roll pin hole, the oil hasn't really had a chance to creep back onto the splines. Plugging that hole with a golf tee gives it nowhere else to go. As far as removing an axle for street manners, I don't think any of us north enders do. At least nobody I know. I've driven as far as Reiter with a welded rear. That's two, and a half hours. Once I got my rear CV geometry correct, I've had no issues on the street. The only wear I feel is from super tight turns, as might be made in the grocery store parking lot, and you learn quickly how to sidestep those maneuvers. Just learn to swing her a little wider, and listen to when things are really binding. The simple fact is that you are going to put more stress on those axles in the first mile of tight twisty trails than you did on the fifty mile highway drive there.

Just noticed the birthday feature at the bottom of the page, and guess whos birthday it is... Happy Birthday Todd, From one Side Burn enthusiast to another!

At that kind of mileage, it could be a great car, but it will probably need things from time to time. Even if the car has been really well maintained, it will probably need parts. Nothing against the car, just trying to tell you reality. You WILL be looking at repairs over time. Maybe things like a radiator, steering components, etc.. Just trying to give you an idea what will wear out at that era, if it hasn't already been replaced. Luckily, parts are fairly easy to find, and reasonably priced. Especially for a 2wd commuter car. I do have to say... that is FAR too much for that car. Even if it is in prime condition, it is an 83 2wd DL wagon. For that money, you should be able to find an 83 4wd GL HATCHBACK. Or a GL wagon, if you are really looking for a wagon. If you hunt, you should even be able to find a GL wagon, with much nicer features (like power steering! ) for that kind of cash. Not to knock the guy. That price is just way up there for a car that isn't really that desirable in ANY way.

Here's to Lady Luck! :banana: :banana: :banana:

Amen. If I had given in all the times my wagon had given me problems, that thing would probably be a new Subaru by now. Even now, it sits with a blown transmission, and a bent tie rod. But it is all stuff that I am plenty confident in fixing. It even gives me a good chance to check things out while I've got it all apart. Could be worse, it could be wrapped around a phone pole, or rusting out.... Everyone here is right, you gotta keep your chin up, and in the end.... you, and your car will be better for it.

And you torqued the head bolts with a wobbly extension in place???:-\ I got a hunch that didn't work too well.

I bet that Coronet ate your lunch....

I'm not one to argue maintenance, especially the replacement of vital fluids. The change of rear diff fluid is OFTEN overlooked in favor of easier, and more commonly advertised forms of maintenance. I personally have never "flushed" a rear end though. I've had many apart, and have never really seen any evidence that a flushing may have prolonged their lives. I could see it making a difference in the case of a LSD, or some other form of clutch, or hydraulic actuated traction device, but not much in a standard diff. However, I'm not sure of what flushes could hurt, or help some kinds of clutch bands.... All you really did was lower the viscosity of the contents of the rear diff, making them drain quicker, and easier. You may have gotten a little grime off the inside of the rear casing, but that will be back in 10k miles. I don't doubt a bit that it is quieter, even though doing your own work on things such as this often makes one notice the results even more. I personally would attribute the noise reduction more to new fluid, and not so much the flush job.

I think reverse is over-rated... I mean, you only use it when you are backing up! :-p Just wanted to say THANKS JEFF for helping me get my wagon home. It took a little wrenching, and a few parts I stole from Jeff, but I got the Wagon home last night. It was a chilly ride by the way, but it is home safe, and sorta sound. And it's ready to be fully repaired, with a few upgrades/changes! Anyone got an extra EA81 power steering rack???

Jeff, We may have to look into a block splitting ceremony sometime soon. I'm thinking a more devoted wheeler is going to need a more devoted engine. McBrat, I was going to ask you about the Delta Cams setup. I figured they had a good torque grind available. I actually have a 6a on the shelf from my Nova, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking I will be building a motor from scratch for this. So are there any upgrades you would do to the internals, like improving the liners or rotating stock? I'm not really sure as to what all is available in this department, so if you have any suggestions, or if anyone else does; that would be great!

Thanks to Jeff, The Beast, and McBrat. That's exactly what I was wondering. McBrat, So would you suggest finding and/or building a Hydraulic liftered EA81 for this project over a Solid liftered version? I'm not very familiar (yet) with the internal workings of these flat engines, but Jeff is! I'm looking for the something with good low end torque, and solid power, but in the most reliable package available. As I stated, this will be used in a wheeler. I'm thinking I will probably end up with a Webered EA81, but am trying to gather as much information as possible. Thanks again for the help. AND ANYONE WITH MORE EA81 IN PLACE OF EA82 TESTIMONIALS; PLEASE POST THEM!

Yeah. It's stripped really thoroughly. This diff has been in too many cars during its lifetime. I'm thinking this will call for a stud extractor.

Just wanting some information from people with REAL WORLD experience. I have recently been planning a winter project in which I will be building a new wheeler. My plan is to put an EA81 in a 3rd gen wagon for wheeling. Nothing new, I know. Jeff has just inspired me to go for it. I'm wanting testimonials from people who have used EA81s in place of EA82s. So if you could give me some real world, honest opinions on the use of your EA81 in place of an EA82 which you had previously driven; I would be very much appreciative. In your testimony, please included which type of fuel delivery system your EA81 is using, and your comparison between it, and the EA82 it replaced. By this I mean, your impression of any power loss, in relation to low end torque, or high end, or any power gains of a similar type. Thanks!

I'm wondering if the two studs that mount the rear differential to the moustache bar are replaceable or not.... I haven't had the cover off to inspect thoroughly, just stared at it from the outside when one stripped last week. So, before removing the differential, I'm asking here first. Are these studs removable, or do I just need a new differential cover?

I'm not sure of the laws in your state, but I'd be willing to gamble that they are very similar to the ones here. Most vehicles are exempt from mileage checks at either the age of 10 years, or once they reach 100,000 miles. That is a pretty standard law, adopted by most states. A quick call to your local Department of Motor Vehicles (or Tennessee's equivilent) should confirm any of this.

A man HAS to have his PRIORITIES!