stoner72

Is there anything you can do to update a drivetrain in a 79ish (guessing cause I don't know if I want to pursue) wagon? Was the 4WD in these pretty decent? I've found what appears to be an abandoned one, and don't know if I should bother the folks if it's a huge headache or dog... please advise. Thanks,

What is the vintage of VW van required for a Subaru swap? Does it have to be from 83 (or whenever the watercooled hit the road, can't recall...) on, or can the older aircooled vans be converted? Just curious thanks...

94-99 are super easy to lift (use outback/forester struts on the legacy or impreza models respectively) this is pretty much the range i was thinking about. i'm partial to the forester, but would consider all. as for state... not sure in AZ. is there any difference between car and truck lifts? there are some pretty insanely high trucks around here. where is the best place to determine height restrictions? this is my goal... i work in land development, and currently drive a yukon. want to be able to drive around on a site that is typically rough, and might occasionally need the AWD to get out of a muddy spot if it rains.

I've been noodling around in the older subarus section and found that folks are lifting the 80's GLs. I searched around on the web and found another site that had lifts for newer Subarus. Has anyone had any experience with these? How does the AWD perform with it, and can larger tires be added? I'm figuring not, since the D/R 4wd was needed to get the extra grunt. Thanks,

i've found an 89 loyale/gl wagon with appears to be a pretty decent if not great body. it has 141k, 5spd, DR 4WD, pw, pdl, ac, decent interior, new tires, and it seemes to drive OK.... any idea what a decent offer for this guy would be? anything i should look for specifically thanks, erik

What is the likelihood that you could add 4wd to a 2wd Loyale/GL wagon? I found a nice little wagon, but it has a couple problems 1; it's 2wd 2; it's auto. However, I know of another locally that is 4wd and manual. Can you swap that in without huge headaches?

OK, so I think I found another Loyale wagon, this time with Hi/Lo 4x4. But the guy says the coolant is "Milky." If memory serves correctly, that means mixing of oil and coolant... is that correct? If not what is that indicative of? The CV joints click. How far could one get on bad CV joints, as I'd have to drive this some distance to get it home. Besides, if there is a head gasket issue (above), then I'm probably stuck towing anyways.... Also rusted into the storage bins in the rear. Is this a quick bondo job, or leading to other issues down the road. I am in AZ, so I'm not so worried about the rust once it's in the desert.... Input... Thanks,

Thanks so much for all the info thus far. Is there a way to swap in a D/R into the 4WD push button? I checked it out today without the owner around, so I didn't have keys. But it needs cleaned bad, as well as identifying whether all of the general stuff works. As for the driveline, it's missing a radiator, the shifter seems sloppy and it has at least 213K so it might just be time for a new motor/tranny/transfer case anyway. Again, thanks for the info. This is truly a great little community.

Sorry, so are you saying a 91 Loyale (presumedly 4WD) can be lifted or cannot? The single range 4WD is where I think I am cornfused...

OK, so I work in land development, and folks generally have big ol' trucks with 4x4 (currently driving a Yukon), but was poking around and discovered that you could get a little lift out of a Subaru, so I thought I'd look into this avenue. Any thoughts on whether the AWD GLs of the late 80's are any better worse than 4x4s? I'm a little ignorant on the Subaru issues, but eager to learn. Pros and cons of both? I've found a 91 Loyale locally that the guy claims is an AWD, 5 spd. If 4x4 is better than AWD, can it be converted? What about head gaskets? The claims it needs a HG. Are they difficult to change out? Anything in particular to look for, or do in addition to just putting in a new gasket? ANy info is helpful, so feel free to take this where ever. Be gentle... newbie. Thanks