3eyedwagon

$200 (very low guesstimate) worth of windows on a $300 car. Go for it....

I highly encourage you to take your other back, and tell them your story. The way you are treated will probably do ALOT to set this right in your mind. I know you would have been treated well at both the stores I worked at (same owner). That, too me anyways, is alot more important than having unlimited luck with parts. You are going to have problems with parts no matter where you get them, that is just the reality of auto parts. But, at least at a local store like your NAPA you can get some face time when something does go wrong.

As long as you are trying something, and not just blowing smoke up our skirts, you aren't wasting our time. This place is a wealth of information. Brave the search function if you are looking for things like wiring info, or TPS tuning tips, etc. Pics of the Trike would be cool too!!!

A lift, unless it is suspension, will give you NO ground clearance improvements. All you are doing when body lifting a Subaru is making room for larger tires. The lift itself will do nothing to improve ground clearance aside from getting your bumpers higher. All the important stuff like crossmembers, the motor, the driveline, and the diff will still be the same height from the ground as it was stock UNTIL you put some larger diameter tires on. It doesn't matter if you do a 2" block in between the body and crossmember, or a 20" block in between the body and crossmember; until you put on some big tires, you are still going to have stock ground clearance. The 2" suspension lifts (just blocks above the struts) are another story. They will improve your ground clearance by roughly, you guessed it, 2 inches!!! Then you will gain more with more tire. Roughly 1" ground clearance for every 2" diameter the tire is over stock

Once again, even the slightest ammount of research and knowledge would prevent alot of missinformation here. Napas are franchise stores, owned and operated by individual proprietores across the nation. Napa provides an extensive network of parts, cataloging, and infrastructure at an expense to the owner/operator. Having the NAPA name on the door costs a ****load of money each month. Delivery cost, and part prices all reflect this, both to the owner/operator, and the customer. As with all companies; people shopping at NAPA still need to be vigilant about what they buy and where it comes from. Does NAPA sell Chinese stuff? Unfortunately yes. But I am afraid that is innevitable due to the ammount of people in this world demanding cheap crap, and only looking at prices. However, if you speak to a knowledgeable counterman, which is about 500% more likely at a NAPA; he will quickly inform you that NAPA has MULTIPLE options for brands for almost any part they sell. The long and short of it is this, if you buy Chinese crap, it doesn't matter what the sign above the door says. It's still Chinese crap, and it will perform thusly. Just because someone decides to go to NAPA and be cheap, that doesn't mean the part will be any better. The NAPA sign holds no actual magic powers. To your problem with the struts. I am assuming that since you bought NAPA air struts that they came from a company called Balkamp, and that the part number is seven digits, and looks like a telephone number. IE: 000-0000. If this is the case, you need to go back to the NAPA you purchased them from, and ask for a replacement, or refund. It says nothing about you doing such thing anywhere in your original post. This probably all could have been avoided by doing so. If the struts aren't labeld NAPA or Balkamp; then there is a good chance that the individual store did not get your parts FROM NAPA but instead a different supplier. This happens quite often, and isn't NAPAs problem. If they are labeled NAPA or Balkamp; take them back. Waiting won't help, and complaining here won't put any money back in your pocket. One of the great things about NAPA is the return policy and system in place. Having worked at a NAPA before; I can tell you firsthand that the system is designed to take care of displeased customers. If there is any problem returning/replacing the broken part; it lies at the individual store, and not with the chain. I can tell you from ALOT of past experience. I have warrantied almost everything imagineable through the NAPA system, and NEVER had any problem doing so. Everything from cans of spraypaint that didn't spray right to brand new Edelbrock Carbs that IDIOTS had adjusted. My point is that the NAPA warranty/return system is great. Take advantage of it first before badmouthing a companies product. If you can't get it warrantied, or it keeps happening; then badmouth the product, or store causing the problem. Most importantly; it is up to each individual store as to what parts/brands you get. There are profit percentages that motivate these franchises to sell some brands over others. However, there are quality parts in the NAPA system. Many stores decide to sell lower line parts due to the pre-mentioned demand. It doesn't mean that NAPA has become Schucks. It means it up to the shopper to do some research on what they are buying. All you have to do is ask the guy at the counter. That's his job.

If you really want a two inch lift, I can fab up a couple for you. I've seen you mention it multiple times. I could do a couple of them for you after I get back from Vegas, and ship them out to you in a flat rate box. It'd probably be pretty dirt cheap. I think I even already have a few parts of the lift made sitting out in my shop.

^ I have no doubt that Block enjoyed his time in his Subaru, and respected the car greatly. I don't know the guy from Adam, but, it isn't hard to tell he liked the cars. Like I said earlier, the earliest cars were bought and paid for on his own dime. That makes it pretty obvious that he would have picked something he liked. I think he's going with Ford because he wants to go to the big show, and that just isn't going to happen with Subaru. As unfortunate as it is; that's the reality of auto racing. It's a crappy world where manufacturers sometimes make decisions that passionate followers will never understand. Subaru, for whatever reason, decided to remove themselves from the mix. That makes it really hard to drive a Subaru in WRC. I was bummed when my favorite driver landed in a Toyota. It was a completely political situation influenced by money, and teams jockying for position. That unfortunately is a BIG part of major race teams. Fortunately my favorite driver had the money, drive, and reputation to make his own team, and get back in a GM where he belonged. The reality is that just isn't at all realistic for most drivers trying to make a name for themselves. Sometimes you just have to drive what's available, and try to make your way back to your preferred brand name when you make yourself valuable enough...

^I think you get and understand my point. You actually continued to explain it. The people that think he hopped in bed with Ford, and bailed out on all the sweetness Subaru alegedly "gave" him are greatly mistaken. Block is a self made star, and as you said about his drive to become better; that is his motivation. It's not like he's making millions on the transfer from Subaru to Ford. Those that think this is a money thing are greatly mistaken. The guy wants to race, and the fact that he started off by putting himself in a car he bought, and training so hard show that that's all he really cares about. Not so much the money. If he were after money; he'd probably just join Nascar....

I can't believe how many people are so vastly misinformed about Ken Block. Especially considering how so many have such drastic opinions about his coming or going. Ken Block doesn't "advertise" for DC shoes. He is not a paid promotore endorsing their product. He owns the damn company. He put his own butt in a Subaru he bought with his own money that he earned himself. It's not like Subaru got ahold of him one day, and started backing him; THEN he became a great driver. The earliest cars were bought and paid for with money he made by OWNING DC shoes. Subaru was not Ken Blocks magic ingredient to success. He started with a WRX probably because he liked it, but at either rate, he forked over the cash, and spent the time to MAKE HIMSELF an accomplished driver. He doesn't need any more money, he's quite obviously doing this because it's something he's passionate about.

They work very well. It is actually a pretty cool little piece of technology to adjust to any random welders style. Not rocket science, but still, pretty neat. You just dial the settings to match the material being used, and the material being welded on, and away you go. In that sense; it works. It will get you welding. That being said, I would never reccomend it OVER actually learning a little bit about the welding process, and being competent enough to pick your own settings. It is a good way to get a new person involved, but, once that person learns enough it is easily ignored in favor of adjusting the settings on his/her own. I think you may get my reccomendation here. It is a good thing for Noobs, but, you will never see real experienced welders falling in love with it. And the people that just use the auto-set forever, and never learn about the rest of the settings, and what they can do. Well, they will never use the machine to even half of its' capabilities.

If you actually got the same machine as available through dealers; you may have gotten lucky. However, there is no way to deny that Lincoln has been making (or having made) two classes of light duty 110 machines. I've tore more of these apart than I care to remember in college. The contact switches (which look identical) are definitely not of the same caliber. The two wire wiring harness going to the switch was the easiest way to spot what machine you're dealing with. The drive roll system on the grey line machines is of the same design however it is straight from Firepower, and doesn't belong in a gumball machine, let alone a welder. It may be something they've rectified in more recent months. I haven't worked on any of these little guys (except my own) since 2007. However, they gained a bad reputation on these 110 machines because of that grey line stuff. It hurt their name amongst knowledgeable welders. It's a shame, because their high end stuff is very good, and competitive. I enjoy some Lincoln stuff, but, it should be known that these crappy grey line machines are out there, and Miller, or Hobart sure as hell didn't sneak them on to the market.

I would rather own the cheapest Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart available than the most expensive Harbor Freight/Walmart POS. With welders you definitely get what you pay for. There's no way around it. That 220v Harbor Freight pile of crap still won't be able to perform the tasks that a 110v Miller Lincoln or Hobart will. I've used pretty much all of the 110v light duty welders from "the big 3", and they are all pretty equally matched. And just for the record; if you know how to run one, you can get ALOT more than 1/4" steel welded together. I have alot of bumpers around here that are 5/16" plate that were all welded single pass with .030 solid wire. No problems whatsoever. I also know of alot of 3/4" and 1" lifting/pulling eyelets that I have personally welded with my Hobart Handler 145. I haven't noticed any of them broken yet. With proper preparation you can weld pretty heavy stuff with one of these little machines. The problem is that most people just don't want to do the prep work. They want to take to rusty, painted chunks of crap, and stick them together as quickly as possible. If that's your mission; flux core wire will suit you well. If you want good looking welds, and like doing precision work; the bottles are worth dragging around. The point is that you can find one of the big 3 machines for around $600, and then purchase a bottle/regulator when you have more money. There is no tricky "adaptation" or upgrading. You will be far better off with one of these machines in the long run. If you have the money; my first recomendation would be to go for a Miller. They have won so many awards consecutively for so many years, it's really kinda sad. They make the best, especially in MIG machines (with maybe the one exception being suitcases). Next up I'd pick a Hobart. It is a Canadian brand name, built in America for some unknown reason. The internals are almost all interchangable with the Millers of the same era. Lastly; Lincoln. They have good stuff if you stay away from the big chain stores. Unfortunately they are known for using cheap drive rollers, and contact switches on the grey line machines, and that really hurts their reputation on these light duty 110 machines. PS: Just because it needs to be said. This is yet another situation where 10 seconds worth of searching would have netted all the answers you could have ever wanted. I guess you just like being reminded to pull your head out. http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=95992&highlight=welder&page=2 http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/search.php?searchid=941459

HAND/FACE on so many levels.

Buy it, or don't. Either way I'll make you one helluva deal on a backup/parts/restorer car! http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=108509 It's nicer than the pics make it look.

These 2nd gen Subarus are really quite simple to lift. If your cousin is a welder, and is any good; he should be able to figure it out quite easily. There are alot of threads on here about how to do it. You basically need about 5 feet of 2"x4" rectangular tubing, and then need to cut it up into a bunch of 2" wide blocks. Then drill holes in each end. These make up your lift blocks that seperate the front and rear suspension from the body. These then "should" all be linked together for strength. There is more to it, but, it really isn't all that difficult. There are a few people on here who make, and sell lifts. In all honesty, they can't compete with the price you could do it yourself for. Buying a kit will save you some time, and cost you some cash. It all depends on your confidence as a fabricator, but, one thing I like to point out is; it doesn't matter if you buy your kit or build your kit, you're going to have to take it all apart and install it either way. So you may as well build your own, and you'll learn that much more.

There are both hot dip, and cold dip Galvanized. Most conduit is going to be cold dip. That means the steel is actually cooled when they treat it with galvanization. Hot dip is still somewhat molten, thusly the galvanization is pretty much engrained in the steel. As you can imagine, cold dip is alot better to work with than hot dip. Just grind the outside layer off and you're set. Hot dip isn't as forgiving. It may be an old welders tale, but, I know from first hand experience that drinking milk after welding galvanized will definitely make your throat less irritated. It can't hurt.

Good job using stuff you had readily available to make something custom. Now go drink some milk before welding that Galvanized kills you. :-\

He should really take a look at the picture book and decide which wiring harness would best accomodate his needs. Especially since he'll most likely need to get the plug harness with the switch. Most of these are 3 wire, but, a few are 4 wire. They are a simple switch, but, a good understanding of what they do and how will benefit him greatly. He may be able to run things more beneficially with a little research. That's why I avoided stating "get one for this".

You'd already be here if you went wheeling with these guys. I could help you throw them on in the GI Joes parking lot right before you went. That was my idear. No prob though. Thanks for the prompt reply.

First of all; excellent work on making a vehicle accomodate you. I really enjoy seeing this kind of stuff. If you ever get a chance to look at some the Bonneville salt flats race cars you should definitely do so. There are countless example of injured racers designing their own control systems to accomodate paralysis of all sorts, both racing wreck related, and natural. Secondly; the dimmer switch that everyone is thinking of would be an excellent option for you. They are incredibly simple, and pretty reliable. They'll usually last for years before the water off your shoes ruins them. Either way it doesn't matter as they are cheap. They have a simple tab mounting system, so, you wouldn't need any special brackets or anything. Just a wiring harness extending down to the switch and back. The switch could easily be mounted with two large self tapping screws, and a hole cut in the carpet for the round button to stick through. I'd recomend going to a reputable parts house like a Napa or Carquest, and asking an experienced counterman to get you the Electronics picture book. An experienced counterman should know exactly what you are talking about when you ask for an older style floor mount dimmer switch. At Napa It would be the Echlin Picture book, and you would want to look under SW 001 -250 for these style switches. There are many of them, but, they are all virtually the same. They just use different wiring harnesses throughout different manufacturers.