Sonicfrog

It's not a car review, but a comparative essay between the auto industry and the future of radio broadcasting. It was written in the mid ninties and includes Subaru' niche strategy of selling product. Enjoy. http://www.kassof.com/insights/ri-wi940.htm

...and they wonder why GM sold their stake in Subaru. Apparently the "Synergy" you so often hear about just wasn't there...

Tomorrow I will finally be finishing the Muphy ($500 T Wag) head gasket replacement. i have decided to leave the timing belt covers off. Just thought I'd let ytou know.

I have a three short torque bolts per head. Does anyone know which # bolt they are? And do you guys lightly oil the threads of the bolts before reinstalling them???

YEP! That is, in my experience, the tell-tale sign for a blown gasket. Might as well start gathrering parts, clan out the garage, and get ready for some wrenching.

All I can say is... AMAZING!!!

If you're losing water but can't see the leak, it could be the cooling hose underneath the turbo. That hose broke on my GL-10. As for the pinging,well, I'll leave that up to the more knowledgeable on this site.

Yeah I know. I was hanging with Dave Wakeling a few weeks ago when the English Beat came through town. My now former guitarist, Chris (CPG) has a second band that was going to open for them and Chris, who is playing bass in that band was borrowing my rig. While I was wheeling my stuff into the show hall, EB and Dave pulled up. We chatted for a bit. Nice fellow. His guitarist took a pic of us together, but I haven't gotten hold of the picture yet. PS. It would have been cool to have my bass rig open for EB, but the promoter and band member, idiot, who booked the show got into an argument over the opening slot, and said idiot refused to play the gig.

Chiltons is suspect, especially when it comes to accuracy in model detail.

PS. Wasn't "Mirror in the Glovebox" an English Beat Song???

I had one in my 1980 Cyclops Wagon. When I sent the car to Subaru Heaven (junk yard) I kept the mirror, as I keep some memeto from my cars when they are euthanized. The mirror has become a valuable tool when fixing spas. I use the mirror to read the specs on motor labels if they are not facing me or are hidden behind an equipment pack.

Love the 81 Cyclops Wagon. All rusty, the way God meant it to be!

Favorite I once owned = 1980 White, Rusting, Running on 3 cylinders Cyclops Wagon, but may be displaced with Murphy the $500 87 T-Wag, once I put the 5spd D/R tranny in. Favorite I want / will have by the end of this year, assuming I stick to my New Years Resolution to get one??? An SVX!!!!

Ooops. I should clarify. My engine is apart and the heads are being remilled. How can you tell they are bad when inspecting them while outside the engine?

How can you tell if they are bad??? What is the best way to clean deposits off the piston face???

UPDATE: Finally had time to pull the driver side head off. One hydraulic lifter (on #1 I think) is a bit squishy. Any way to rehab it? Also what is the recomended way to remove carbon deposites from the piston heads? Oh, and can a bad lifter cause a higher than normal CO2 reading on a smog test???

Got pics???

Welcome, in a semi-official sense! Australia and NZ have always been my dream vacation goal. I am a bit envious that you live there, but then again, there are things here in central Calif you have got to see. I always found it interesting that Subi Corp. chose the Aussie angle to promote their cars. It was a bold stroke, promoting a different kind of performance.

I tried to change the color by putting a tinted film over it, but it didn't change the color much and made the dash hard to read in daylight. Going to swap it with an analogue from an 85 - 86 (when I find one) as I like the orange backlight better than the 87 - 90 green. Here are some wiring diagrams I found, compliments of Subi81. If you decide to do the same type of dash swap, you must change a few sensors. PS. I used to be Froggymike, but I'm killing off the moniker. Froggymike is no more. Long live Sonicfrog!

The hole is normal. I just happen to have the Rt head sitting on my work bench and went to take a looksie.

When I do get around to swapping the sucky 3AT to a 5 spd, should I go with a D/R or a push button single speed? There was a PB 5 spd in a turbo coupe at the Pick-A-Part yesterday. Just wonder what you guys think.

Cheap. Easy to work on. Great for hauling band equipment around. People will continue to think I'm a bit "off", that is, until they drive my T-Wag. Kicks *ss in snow (not that there is much - er, any in Fresno). Turn radius is almost as good as a little Chevy Sprint / Geo Metro, at least on my 87 T-Wag (I don't remember how good the 80 Cyclops Wagon was). How did Subaru pull that off anyway??? Insurance is cheap. Best of all, NO CAR PAYMENT! (except for parts for repairs and mods)

Murphy, the $500 87 Turbo-Wag -- 10 months and still wrenching her, bless her sideways heart!!!

It's the next day. Went to the junk yard. I pulled a long intake manifold bolt and the hollowed out cooling bolt for the turbo. I also got the oil pressure sensor for the analogue dash. I did find an 87 analogue dash that was in a turbo hatch, but I'ld rather have the 85 - 86 dash with the orange backlights, so I didn't get it. Plus it started to rain so I called it a day. PS. I did get a replacement electric window switch for the mates' 99 Cougar. The original was shorting out. Fun car to drive, but man, when Ford designed this car, they really didn't make quality job one... or two, or three for that matter. And if you're going to make a car that breaks a lot, at least you could make it easy to fix. PPS. There was a 92 SVX at the yard. Pretty trashed. I was sad when I saw it.

Here are some of the details on the job so far. That post is two weeks old. I have been busy with school and stuff and the gasket job has been on the backburner. One thing I left out. The long intake manifold bolt broke off in the passenger side head, and one of the hollow bolts that provides coolant to the turbo also broke off in the same head. Any one questioning why I named the car "Murphy"??? PS. I am supposed to go to the "Yard" tomorrow with a friend. I am thinking about picking up an 86-ish old school dash and the apropriate sensors. Have the FSM diagrams that were posted by Subie81 ready for the job. Wish me luck. And then, some time down the line, I WILL put a 5 spd hi/lo tranny in the thing and ditch the A/T forever:headbang: PPS. Will have to fix the A/C though, before it starts getting warm here in CA.