3eyedwagon

Is that really how they lifted the rear??? Looks kinda spooky to me.

I figured that. Do you do anything to them to prepare them, maybe get a few more years out of 'em? Or do you generally just let them rot? I guess there's only so much you could do.... undercoat, paint all the edges, etc.

How do you guys even keep the Subarus alive back there? I have family in Tiffin, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City, and they can't even keep Zinc bodied American pickups from rotting away in no time. Mid 80's GM Pickups are all shot, kinda sad. I bet a second gen Sub is SUPER rare.

The only problem I see is the fact that mud usually takes some RPM's, and chains aren't good when combined with tire speed. Any time you are going to be spinning the tires alot, chains are a bad idea in general, even cable chains. If you read the warnings for most any chains, they advise not to exceed XX miles per hour, and for good reason. Have you ever seen the effects of a tire chain coming loose at speed? They will beat the @$&*# out of the wheel wells, and fenders if they come off wrong under any kind of tire speed. If the misses would be angry about you welding up the rear, I have a feeling she might be a little peeved if you brought the car home with hogged out wheel wells. This is especially true of real chains, cable chains are a little gentler. Just something to keep in mind.

One tooth makes a heck of alot of difference though. If I adjusted one tooth to get more ground clearance, I'd be gaining like 2-3 inches, or better. Also, that adjustment would bring the rear tires forward into the front of the rear wheel wells. No bueno. If it were a little finer adjustment, I would do this. But everyone around here that's done it just snaps axles on flat ground. On the PLUS side, when Woody had his like this; he had 14" of rear ground clearance!!!

They coulda started with a little worse off wagon. I mean, that one still looks pretty nice! Or at least used a 3rd gen!

Thanks for the help guys!

Did anyone try getting it hot? That's always worked for me, and my friends, and my friends friends, and their aunt's and uncles. OR, if that doesn't work; put an automatic behind it!!!!

hahaha..... entertainment....

I just picked up an 86 GL Hatch Hi/Lo, and I was looking for any and all tips on getting every single last mile per gallon out of it. The car is bone stock, with the Hitachi, and I intend to keep it that way. I'm not going to do a weber or anything (for awhile), as it has plenty of power to turn the stock size tires. I drive along ways nearly every day, and a little better gas mileage would be a big plus for me. I'm going to start with the obvious. A good quality part tune-up, check the timing. Some carb clean, etc. Tire PSI, and whatnot. I know all the obvious little stuff, but there has to be some good tricks for these to get a little boost. If anyone has any little tips on squeezing every last MPG out of one of the EA81s, give me a hand. I can get every last bit out of a small block Chevy, but don't know all the little tricks for the flat 4s. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Both Woody and I are at about +1" on the stubs. I'm going more this week, as I have to consider the weight of a non-gutted station wagon versus most other people in hatches or Brats. I'm also a little softer in the rear, due to my shock rate. I decided I'd rather go high with the rear end, and break the CV's on full extension. At least with that problem I'll have more ground clearance, and I can eliminate it more easily with simple limiting straps.

I think you have all overlooked THE ONLY logical choice here. Sawzall out the wheel wells, and slap on some 22"s. WITH "spinners"! The continual rotating mass of the "spinners" will improve both the gas mileage, and handling, with no ill effects!!! Also, the massive spinners will also create a gyro effect, allowing you to set the cruise, and climb in the back for a nap on those boring, long, straight stretches... I mean, my facts can't be disputed. Even the major auto manufacturers are offering these giant wheels as standard equipment in an effort to meet the stringent EPA fuel consumption guidelines. PLUS, the kids will think you are sooo cool, and isn't that really why we are all here? :cool:

And by prematurely, you mean after 150,000 or so miles. And all that while making an honest 250 hp. Bless the small block Chevrolet. Where would the world be without it?

I'm there. How did you and Woody fare tonight? I still haven't gotten the moustache bar on yet. I'm going out now to do it. The front wheel bearing took a little longer than expected.

Yeah, the way they told you to do it pretty much is the easy way to do it. The biggest thing about doing this job is taking your time. Don't get in a rush, because that's how pushrods get bent ! Also, you couldn't have a better, or more forgiving motor to learn how to do this kind of stuff on. The fact that there's a small block Chevy swap kit for pretty much every car that will hold one tells you that you are working from a very solid platform. Good luck man!

You can roll the motor over manually, one cycle at a time, and adjust each valve with a feeler gauge. But that takes more time. It is technically the "correct" way to do it, but I've always found the way your shop described to work much much better. It really isn't as big of a deal as it sounds. I've done it to alot of vehicles without even using the cut up valve cover trick. It really just depends on if your heads have much of a lip or not. If they have a 1/2 inch lip or better, i'd do it without a valve cover, just DO NOT REV THE MOTOR UP. That will make a little mess. It seems a little hectic the first time you do it, and honestly, you may bend a pushrod your first time, but it's so hard to hurt a healthy v8 that there really isn't much to worry about. Just go real slow, there's no rush. Take your time, and loosen the nut a little first to get a sound reference point, then work your way in slowly until it quiets out. Then it's anywhere from 1/8 to 3/4 of a turn further (depending on who you ask). I like to go from 1/4 to 1/2 a turn further, especially on an older v8 where the cam may be getting tired. Just whatever ammount you decide to go past the point of quiet, BE CONSISTENT. If you decide to go a 1/4 turn further, do the same exact ammount on all of the valves. Don't do 1/4 on this one, and 1/2 on the next. There's alot of literature on this all over the place. Or better yet, find and old guy at the parts house that like small blocks. That'd be the best source of info.

I'm not familiar with how many mounting points the new gens have on the bottom of the strut. If it is more than one, I think it could be done quite well. If it is similar to the older cars, like gen 2s, then I think you would have a problem keeping the whole deal from spinning. That's really the only reason I haven't done something like that for my gen 2. Just keep in mind how much stress is put on the strut, and how many adjustments it is critical for. The camber alone is a huge issue. If you have any pictures of the setup, it may be good to post some here too! I'd love to see something like this done.

Try to trade the wagon, and get your Firebird back......

Good chances that pickup was speed limited to 102 mph. Aside from that, my 82 wagon passed a 74 air cooled VW with a hefty tailwind, and I had premium in the tank, and it was a blue moon, on a Friday I do believe.

You guys went to Pull-A-Part without me? I feel so..... betrayed. I was gonna come down tomorrow for sure. I need to get in gear, and get that stuff from you so I'm ready to go for Saturday. I'd probably be up to a trip to B-Ham.

Woody, and I worked on the Brat quite a bit yesterday. It's getting real close to wrapped up. I think he was going to fire it up today. I was just joking about the eggnog Scott. Woody, and I were talking though, and we are bringing quite a bit of food, and other supplies. We both remember a few trips that ""went a little long"". That's the one advantage the wagons have over the Brats, if it turns into an all nighter; we brought our own beds!

[quote name=Scott in Be these are hankooks dont remember the model but I would get them in a 27" over the swampers, the swampers are the best for mud but most of your driving ends up on the road, swampers seen to be a bit soft and will wear on the road Those are the Hankook DynaPro MT RT03 I was talking about earlier. They are about $450 plus tax for a set of 215/75/15s. They are great tires.

I'm cool with that. You bringing the eggnog?

Those wouldn't look too bad as long as they had the right tires. Something aggressive and large to take away from all that alloy. I'm just wondering if the 4x140 are five spoke. The ones in the pic are 6 lug, and some models change spoke count for different numbers of lug. At least, American Racing does that alot anyways. As in, the same model wheel for a one ton has 8 spokes for 8 lugs, but only 6 for a half ton 6 lug truck. I'm just wondering out loud at this point. Being from Indonesia kinda makes me concerned honestly. Anyone find a price?

Check out the Hankook Dynapro MT RT03. They come in 215/75/15 which is just over 27.5". They're a rip off of the Toyo Open Country M/T. Not identical, but a good copy. They're like $113 a tire though.