thealleyboy

I don't know what your budget is like, but I'd invest in a good quality set, if at all possible. Good wires really do make a difference. Most of the cheapo sets don't fit well, and deteriorate quickly. Sure, some of them have long warranties, but don't let that fool you. You'll just be replacing one bad set with another. If you must buy a house brand from one of the discount stores, always buy the "premium" grade. A quality set should easily last 100K +. I personally like NGK's best, and would recommend them highly. good luck, John

The Autolites aren't the best choice, but they are adequete as far as plugs go. The cap is probably ok too. What about the wires? Have you done anything about those? If you want to troubleshoot by elimination you'll heve to eliminate that possibility. John

Rick: Not sure if those plugs have a specific purpose. It is certainly a good design feature to be able to drain water from inside the cabin (incase of flood) Unless those plugs are loose, I highly doubt that they are the source of your moisture. More likely weatherstripping or the window seal. There will probably some evidence of rust around the door or window if this is the case. These leaks can be difficult to pinpoint unless you lock yourself in the cargo area with a flashlight and have a friend with a water hose spray water from the outside. Lucky for you that you own a wagon, and not a sedan!! good luck, John

SD:

Unless you have good reson to suspect the bottom end, I would take a stab at building up what you got A set of heads should be an easy score, considering the parts availablity in your part of the country . You'll have to spend some $$ for machine shop work, but your chances for sucess are pretty high. Unless you cone into a better motor, I would do the HG job. good luck, John

There's an outside possibility that the A/C fuse is blown, or that the wiring to the compressor is bad. You can check for juice at the connector. good luck, John

I had considered this possibility when I made the following comment: You need to figure out if the compressor is cycling on when you press in the "max" switch. You should hear a metallic groan. My guess, based on your description, is that it is not coming on. I'm not convinced that the compressor is cycling on at all. The normal A/C setting can get a "cold blast" that is not air conditioned. The fact that the max setting is blowing warm, tells me that the compressor is not cycling on. My hunch is that the system is drained of refridgerent. First step, the owner has to establish whether the A/C system is functional - or not. The compressor is can be checked visually, and this will lead to the next step. John

Bus: You need to figure out if the compressor is cycling on when you press in the "max" switch. You should hear a metallic groan. My guess, based on your description, is that it is not coming on. The compressor needs a certain amount of pressure to switch on, and a system leak will prevent the compressor from working. This is a common (and likely) cause for non functioning A/C. No need to fret. It's probably just a matter of locating the leak, replacing some o-rings, and recharging the system. I would recommend evacuating the system if at all possible, as R-12 and R-132 are not fully compatible. good luck, John

Haven't had one clog on a Sube yet, but the symptoms described above are typical of what you'll encounter. Another possible sign would be 02 sensor problems - either fault code, or outright failure. Black smoke out the tailpipe (from running rich) could be the result of a clogged cat. Diagnosing these can be kind of tricky. In my most recent experience, I only discovered the problem by process of elimination. And this was only verified when the pipe was removed. And of course, you can easily destroy the 15-20 year old OEM pipe trying to take it off. Makes complete sense after the fact, but these can stump you when trying to chase down the problem. good luck, John

NGK's are the best for Subes, IMO. Besides being the correct legnth, they snap onto the plugs like no other brand I've ever tried. Plus, they look cool in blue!! The others just aren't quite up to par. Even the best of them pale in comparison. When you consider that NGK's are priced about the same as the "premium" grade aftermarket wires, it's really a no brainer. good luck, John

The interiors in the Subes from that era were really no worse than any other car. Cup holders didn't really become a common OEM feature until the early 90's You might want to consider one of my favorite "alley" solutions to the cup holder problem... It consists of a big fat sticky roll of duct tape. Just lay it down anywhere you need a cup holder, and place your drink in the middle hole. A few warm days is all it takes for the roll to securely attach itself to dash, carpet etc. good luck, John

Yep, just pulled one from an 89 GL AWD Turbo. It's for sale, BTW... John

Sounds like a classic choke problem to me... But before jumping to that, I would still run some fuel system cleaner thru the gas, and change the fuel filter. Also, spray the sh*t out of the carb itself with Gumount. This will all but eliminate dirt as a possible cause. If this checks out, you'll want to observe the operation of the choke as the car warms up. If it doesn't open/close properly, it could be either a mechanical or electrical problem. Check back here for more info on troubleshooting the choke, if you suspect that it is the cause. Replacing the carb should be the last resort. They are much more reliable than people give them credit for. good luck, John

I took this up with a Subaru Dealer Master tech with 20+ years... He said the dealer paid very little attention to the gen. Unless the meltdown was major, they just resealed the heads, and ran them thru. No machine shop work whatsoever. Straight HG job. My thought is that any cylinder head that is going on partially rebuilt motor should get a second opinion. Small price to pay for another "thumbs up". In my experiences, at least 50% of heads used turbo heads have passed the machine shop test. Either way, you have a decent chance that the heads are usable. My advise is that you ignore gen's - unless you have a good supply of parts to choose from. I'm sure that 3's have been engineered better than 2's or 1''s. Not sure I'm convinced that the refinements between each series are significant to the average derelict, however. good luck, John

Ronnie: There's a couple of us down here in C-Bus, and a guy in Akron. I do know that Miles Fox will be in your area (Akron) in the next few days , so you may be able to get him to look at it. Email me if you want to hook up with any of the guys in this area. All of us have parts and info to help you out with whatever you want to do. John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

I have seen Extend, in both spray and brush-on form, at NAPA. Some Lowe's stores also carry it. If you can't find it at those stores, you might try some old-fashioned hardware stores (True Value, Ace, etc). Extend gives you a lot of bang for the buck. As with any rust work, you need to do a good job of prep if the repair is to hold up over time. good luck, John

Gary: There are several products that supposedly neutralize rust. POR-15 has an excellent reputation with the classic/restoration crowd. It's also very expensive. I'm planning to use it on my 67 Mustang project cause I know it will hold up for many years. On my Subes, I have been using Extend. It is fairly easy to come by, inexpensive and works well. I'm sure some of the others are good, but I'm sold on Extend for routine rust repair work. good luck, John

I always "prime" treated rust areas with Extend, and I think this helps the rubberized undercoating stick better. The two systems are totally compatible, and I have had good experience doing it this way. I have never tried the zinc paints, but it sounds like a good choice for underbody. My only concern would be neutralizing the rust that had already taken hold (pitted metal). What is the best way to prep the rusty metal before using zinc paint? John

I've painted that style in silver, and contrasted the "SUBARU" lettering with body color paint (you'll need an artists brush to do the lettering). Those hubcaps are made of some kind of soft pourous plastic, and will need some prep work to look good. I would scrub them down with detergent and a scotch brite, then prime with sandable primer - as you would a car. You may need some glazing putty for any deep scratches for a superior job. Just about any paint will work, but I would reccomend a clear coat to protect the finish coat. Eastwood's Diamond Gloss is a good one. good luck, John

Gary: Good advice.Never attempt something like this without researching, and understanding each step of the process.

Yes, airplane stripper will get you down to bare metal faster than anything I've ever used. But, this is pretty toxic stuff. You may not need to strip the whole car if there are areas with a solid base coat. I'm wondering why you had three bad paint jobs in a row? Bad surface prep would certainly do it, but it could also be incompatible paints, a lousy gun, the painting environment itself, or just the wrong painting technique. How have you done your paint jobs in the past? You definitely want to get the steps right if you are going to be spending that kind of $$ for real automotive paint!! Paint is usually not the problem unless it is old, or improperly mixed. John

I will be documenting an "alley" paint job later this spring, and posting complete instructions on this Board (that is - if the elite USMB powers allow me to do so). I will be painting an 89 wagon, but the equipment and techniques are the same for any vehicle. I will be using a oil-base "farm and fleet" paint that comes in primer & several pre-mixed colors, and is available in gallons, quarts and spray cans. There are drawbacks in going with this system, but it is ideal for do-it-yourselfers that want a low cost, durable paint job, that looks halfway decent. If you can't wait until the write-up, feel free to email me with any painting questions you may have. good luck, John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

Replacing the glass isn't a bad option either, if availability and the price is right. Your model would be little harder to come by, but it can be done. It's good to get into the doors to do some maintenance every once in awhile anyway. They need to be cleaned out of crud, and all mechanical sytems thoroughly lubricated. This isn't on the maintenance schedule but it definitley should be. Replacing the door glass is very easy while doing this simple maintenance procedure. I wouldn't mess around with no "miracle" glass repair sh*t. If the scratched glass bothers you enough to go to the trouble of asking such a question, (not necessarily a bad quality), you'll need to replace the glass to be totally happy again. good luck, John

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who would support an honest and reasonable Sube shop in the Ohio area. I'm looking at a facility that would be perfect for this kind of operation. It's actually a former 1920's gas station that used to service Model T's!! There are plenty of parts and other resources available through my contacts on this Board, and other automotive people I know around Columbus. I have discussed this idea with one prominent Board member who may be interested in being the "resident mechanic", if I can pull this off. If any of you want to see this kind of shop open up in the midwest, speak up now. John

I'm seriously thinking about putting something together in the central Ohio area. Would you be willing to drive that far if you knew you would be treated right? Just curious... John