thealleyboy

Yeah, this was by far, the worst disaster in all of my 25 odd years of wrenching. A complete loss. Worse than it looks in those pix even. It's all torn apart now, and I'm still not 100% certain of what happened. But judging by the looks of the wiring harness, especially under the dash, I have to suspect it began as an electrical fire. I also suspect that fuel was continuously being pumped to the turbo, because the turbo light would always be on. Probably the combination of electrical sparking and fuel vapor concentrated under the hood. The "Alleywagon" has been in the works for about 1 1/2 years, and it was all done (except paint and interior) before the fire. Mechanicals, body, everything was in as good shape as any Sube I have ever owned. Like Jason said, I was really looking forward to seeing what it was capable of on those trails. I wanted to get some fun out of the way before putting it back together to use as my daily driver. I'm over it now, but it sure was tuff sitting on the sidelines this past weekend. I didn't even make it out to the trail. Too depressing. Definitely next year... John

I feel bad for Jim, but I think I shoulda got that award... Did anyone (besides the fire dept) get any stills of the Alleywagon before I started tearing it down? If, so please post them too. thanks, John

It's Sat morning, and Jason, Fox and Danny are headed to Graceland. Jim Woods just stopped by the garage, and Jim from Lancaster is on the way. Ed with the RX is apparently going to make it too. I am Subeless due my "mishap" but will tag along anyway. See you all there. John

This car had bad karma from the start, and no amount of time, effort, or money was going to change that. Ok, next up.... 89 gl10 turbo touring wagon??? 86 GL wagon??? John

literally... Was getting ready to take it out for a final spin before the Columbus meet, and had a major engine fire . It was bad, but could have been much worse. It was contained to the engine compartment and fortunately, did not spread to the garage. I could have lost all my tools, parts, books if the garage had burned down, so I feel lucky in that respect. Not sure what happened, but I suspect a fuel vapor-spark combination. I do know the turbo light was on at all times, so it may have been pumping fuel as well. I had gone further with this car than any other Sube I've owned. The mechanical and body work was complete, and I was planning to paint it right after the meet. I'll be able to save some parts, but all the time and effort went up in smoke. Another lesson in life, and a reminder that cars are meant to driven - not to be obsessed over... John

I have dealt with CCR, and I have had absolutely no problem with them. My standards are kinda high, BTW. I would withhold judgement until you had a chance to discuss the situation with Emily. There are many things that could have gone wrong, including information from the car owner - or the mechanic doing the work. If the rebuilder screwed up, I would expect them to correct their mistake, based on their excellent reputation. good luck, John

The "pre-meet" meet at my garage yesterday, was a pretty good time - despite on & off rain, and my lousy grilling techniques... Jason, Fox & Danny made it, and we talked to several other people on the phone who will be attending. Tinkered around with Jason's 86 Turbo Wagon, and my 89 Turbo "Alleywagon". Both are running much better, and should be in good shape for some serious off-roading. Hope that everyone that wants to come can make it. Things are falling into place, and if anyone is still on the fence about coming out, the C-Bus meet has the makings of being a pretty good one!! John

AT covered the basics, but let me add another thought... If you want to run an amp either now, or in the future, you might consider a "modular" speaker wiring setup, all the way back to storage compartment in the cargo floor. This spot is perfect for terminating all your stereo wiring, big enough, for just about any amp, and also low profile - if fear of theft is an issue. To go fully "modular", you'll need to run dedicated grounds as described by AT. You'll also need to run sections of speaker wire from the area of each speak to the stash box. The idea is to have the option (at the wiring harness near each speaker) to either plug in the speaker, or extend the harness back to the cargo box. With this wiring set up, and the right OEM connectors, you could either feed the speaks fron the dash, or the stash box area. If you are interested in trying this, and need more info, email me. good luck, John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

If his D/R is the more common (non-RX-turbo) type, he will need to change the axles (23 spline) and diff (3.9). Otherwise, you'll need everything on Cab's list. good luck, John

D: You certainly can. As a rule of thumb, you should always keep the OEM intake setup original on the car that is receiving the motor. Retrofitting, or mix & matching the intake will get you in trouble quick. Other than that, the mechanicals are completely interchangeble. And most of the body, as well... good luck, John

Wash regularly as Heartless says - if you must drive it in salt. However, that will only slow down the deterioration. The salt will still corrode weld seams, paint chips etc. between washings, and once it starts, it's very difficult to control. The worse the corrosion gets - the worse it gets - if you know what I'm saying... If you want to keep yours nice, I would park it in winter, and find a similar beater Sube for the ruff duty stuff. If the beater dies on you, you'll have an instant stash of spare parts. An old Sube that's 99% rust free? And you want to drive it in the salt????? It's just not worth the risk, IMO. Not even once. good luck, John

Steam cleaning is ideal for cleaning the undercarriage. A lot of vintage car restorers like to do this first (before doing hoses and belts). Unless the frame/undercarriage requires sandblasting, this is the preferred method. Problem is there are not too many places that do this, and it can be expensive. To do it right, you need a lift, and the right kind of equipment. You can do almost as well with engine decreaser, jack stands and a power washer. I have installed an outdoor hot water supply near my driveway just for this purpose. good luck, John

I usually run the vehicle nice and hot, then spray on a couple cans of Engine Brite. The can says not to do this, but I have never had an explosion, or other mishap. I let it sit for awhile so that the chemical has time to dissolve the grease. Then I start up the car, and power wash the engine bay (while running). I have never had a "stall out" or "no start" as long as the car was running. The first cleaning may take a few cans, and some scrubbing, but the subsequent cleanings are quick and easy. I usually clean the bay once a year. good luck, John

how about your dist cap and rotor? have you checked for spark? John

Some shops will shoot your car if you prep and tape. They usually will not guarentee anything, however. BTW, for those of you who are interested in learning more about "Alley" paint method, a write-up, complete with pix, is in the works. I'm going to start painting my current project right after the Columbus meet at the end of the month. John

Hey guys: It looks like there might be the possibility of a "mini-meet" here at the garage next weekend. Sounds like Jason's in for sure. The new guy from Lancaster wants to stop in, and maybe Jim Woods. Fox will be in the area, so maybe he can make it too. It would be a good chance to get all our rigs ready for the meet, and firm up final plans. If anyone is into it, speak up - or email me. John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

I have never seen one, and have always wondered why it wasn't a standard equipment item. Cuda, I once posted about splicing into the existing system, but was told it cannot be done (don't remember the reason given). I do want to try this on my current project, using an independent circuit for the rear, and maybe use a rotary fan switch to select wiper speed. If anyone has run both front and rear wipers on the same circuit, please share. John

A good place to start is with your on-board computer. Is your "Check Engine" light coming on? If so, you can pull the codes yourself, or have it done it done by someone else very inexpensively. This might give you some clues as to what's going on. If there are no trouble codes, you can move on to a compression check, to assess the condition of your motor. Again, another inexpensive service procedure. good luck, John

I am not clear as to why you believe you need a new motor. If this mechanic has come to this conclusion, what is his rationalle? What kind of troubleshooting has he done? You don't just replace the motor without a good reason. I would get some more opinions. There are infinite reasons why your car is running like crap. A different motor won't necessarily make your car run better. Ask questions, and post what he tells you on this board. Unfortunately, some mechanics are lazy, and don't want to put any effort in understanding the problem - especially if they aren't familiar with Subes. The best mechanics will fully diagnose the problem before making a recommendation. If you don't fully understand the issue at hand, find a better mechanic. good luck, John

I would do a visual inspection of the lock mechanism/steering wheel before jumping to any conclusions. To do this, you will need to remove the plastic trim around the steering column. With everything in plain view, you should be able to quickly identify what is binding. It may be as simple as making some adjustments, to actually removing the lock cylinder. You'll have to peel the steering column anyway, so no extra work. In the meantime, don't let your imagination get carried away. You can safely rule out the "electrical system" as the cause. This is purely mechanical. good luck, John

The NAPA tool I mentioned is a combination plug tool, designed to fit many different sized "internal" plug configurations. The only thing that makes it useful, is that it is made of hardened steel, and you can beat on it with a hammer. One other tip... When you {finally} get the plug off, reinstall a new one with a more common "external" type head. For example, square or six-sided, so you can put a wrench or socket on it. good luck, John

If you have a tent, and gas $$, you can realistically pull this off. Jason has planned this out so that anyone low on funds can come to the meet, and still have a good time. Lining up the offroad site, and being able to camp there, makes it easy for everyone. Just get your car ready, and start saving up for gas. See you in C-Bus... John

Gary: Rust is what weakens the metal. Anything that will slow down (if not stop) the deterioration is good for the car. IMO, it's a matter of how far you want to go with rust control. It's easy to go overboard and attempt to eliminate rust once and for all. This might be feasible for a "classic" type vehicle - but probably not for the majority of cars we are talking about. An exception might be the xt6. I plan to do a fairly thorough restoration on my 91, and this will involve some metal replacement, as well as lots of treatment with POR. A more realistic approach is to control the deterioration so that the car will live out it's useful life. This means all the major systems of the car should wear out at roughly the same time. Any of the lower cost rust converters, along with some elbow grease, will put the brakes on unibody deterioration. There is no honor in hauling off a car to the junkyard that looks good on the outside - but is rotted out structurally. good luck, John

Whether you are into offroading or not, don't miss this meet!! Jason has done a lot of legwork to make this happen, and like he said, there will be something for everyone. The places he has lined up are easy to find, and the weather in C-Bus is perfect that time of year (unless it rains-of course) If nothing else it'll be a chance to meet up with some of the biggest Sube derelicts in the entire midwest, and tap into the knowledge, experience, and resources in this area. BTW, does anyone have a large kettle they would be willing to bring? I'm thinking about making up a batch of my infamous "Alley Chilli" for dinner on one of the nites, if anyone's interested. John

I have been buying stuff from HF for years - from back when they only did mail order. I have noticed a big improvement in quality in the past few years. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an "occasional use" item from them, and if this your intent, the winch should be fine. Watch for sales. Just about everything they carry comes up every few months, so there is no need to pay reg price (which is already pretty reasonable). If you use the winch alot, you want to consider an extended warranty if it is offered for that item. I have done this for some air tools I bough for peace of mind. good luck, John