Davalos

Okay, WOW!!! I asked around a bit, did a little homework, and took the plunge. I ended up buying some BUMPER PAINT in a shaker-can. And we're talkin' they make 4 colors: Black, White, Gray, Silver. I chose Gray (well, I picked-up a can of black, too). I chose to start with the rear-hatch plastic cover, since a) it's easy to remove, it was the most faded, c) it's the closest to plastic, rather than the vinyl wrap on the top of the doors, and d) I just felt like it, okay? Heh heh - Hung the panel on a coupla bungees from a tree and let'er rip with the shaker-can. I was NOT expecting an awesome result - I was expecting an obvious home-made fixer-upper-job look. I mean, this is a work-car, right? But WOW!!! What a match! As I was spraying, I could hardly tell that it was going-on, because the color was such a great match! Then, when I got to the part along the top lip/edge, the fading just vanished, 100% completely, like it was never there. So now it's still hanging there, resting peacefully while curing. We'll see how it holds-up to my constant abuse. I am constantly loading tools & equipment in & out of there all the time. Doors are next ... I'll get before/after pics. Seriously, I don't know how tihs will hold-up, but if it does, OMG, what a great discovery! I'm gonna try the bumpers with the Black. For now, this is amazing. I suppose if it only lasts a week, or if it flakes or chips or melts the plastic, it's not so great - but for now, WOW! I'll keep everyone posted. Anyone else try this?

Those damned utility poles! ... those things are always trying to get in my way, too! I had one jump out of nowhere right in front of me last year! Oughtta be a law! seriously, tho - holy crap! That's the kind of pic you usually see a big-old dent from the inside of the windshield coming out, with chunks of brain matter clung to it. Be glad to still have all your fingers to take pics & type about it ... wow!

Why did you have to snip yours?

Wow, I totally can't believe how awesome this Discussoin Board is ... That came-up as the Purge Valve ... that's not the same thing is it? My parts guy says it's not ... hmmm

I bought some pizza for the tech @ my local dealer & he hooked my '90 Loyale up to the computer - it threw code-34 "EGR Solenoid" .... went to my local parts store, and they don't even have an EGR valve LISTED (but they do have the gasket), and I see only minimal references to them here ... I search 20+ threads ... Is it just me, or am I in for a world-of-hurt at the dealer? .... This assumes the tech (who admitted he'd never worked on such an old one knew what he was doing ... he plugged his reader into an adaptor, and then into a yello DIN plug on the drivers' side by the firewall .. (Gulp ....)

Those Bostons are a little different than mine, but mine slipped right in - I don't think I broke out the nibblers at all ... unlike the rear...

What are your driving habit like? I ended up with some beefier (supposedly) ones in the back of mine, since I carry a lot of weight often, but the ride isn't that great. There are some that carry you smoothe as glass, and some that keep you low to the ground & smack you with every bump ...

I have 6" Bostons in my 1990 loyale Wagon - Front & Back Doors ... I think it depends on the mounting. There is plenty of lateral room because of the door cubbies.

I got one for ya … might be not just Subaru related. My Loyale spent a lot of time in San Antonio, according to the badge on the back hatch that I can’t get off no matter how hard I try. Anyway, the sun in San Antonio must be on steroids, because it sure did a number on the vinyl in terms of fading. Both sides in front, and the rear plastic on the hatch, too (I took a pic, but it's not too good). I’m sure I’m not the only one with this problem, and I’d imagine it’s not just Subarus, but does anyone have any experience with this? I am about to take off the door panels & switch some speakers, and I figure this is a good time to paint if I’m going to do it. Are there any other options? Armor-All is a water-based product & doesn’t do jack. Are there any other products out there besides paint that will restore some color? And with regard to paint, are there any paints designed to be used on vinyl? My guess is that it’s the same deal with the sun-fade on my bumpers, too ... Anyone else dealing with this?

uh oh ... looks like I should learn to re-size these things ... Sorry aboutt that!

Once again, the Subaroo (or “Booperoo”, as the guys still call it) fails to disappoint. This morning, I drove over to Lowe’s to pick up some cabinets that were ordered for a side-job I was doing – I headed up there for a CPU slip – “pick up the rest of the cabinets, Davalos” – Sure, no problem. I’m thinking a couple cabinets short – from what they were talking. When I got there, I gave them the P.O. slip & hung-out by the commercial sales desk – the guy thumbed “over there, Boss . . .” & gestured to the wall. When I looked over, I thought there was some kind of mistake – there was a pallet of cabinets sitting there! Evidently, they had ordered more than I thought. Ed, the commercial desk guy had me sign the slip & said “Pull your vehicle up to the overhead door & we’ll get you fixed-up. At that point, I was faced with a decision: admit that I brought a 1990 Subaru Loyale, or not. I chose to not. I admit – I wussed-out. I looked at Ed & said “Nah – that’s cool – I got it – thanks!” I got a flat-cart & started loading-up & took the whole load out side to the parking lot … it took a few moments to think it all thru, but 5 minutes later, I was pulling the empty flat-cart back to the desk. When I got back to the commercial desk, Ed handed me a $5 bill. I asked what it was for, and he said “I just won $15 bucks, I figured you should have your share” Evidently, he won $5 bucks each from the other guys at the commercial desk who bet against me, heh heh. They were bettin’ I’d come-in & ask for some twine to tie the last one on the roof … heheh So there she is - with all-5 cabinets in there, with the doors closed. We’re talking 168 inches of cabinet in there, plus my tools! I just couldn’t let that one go without taking a picture ... She rode a little low, and I sure as Hell couldn’t see in any direction, but I got ‘em… woohooo! If I’m not a convert now, I’ll never be, haha!

Does anyone have any experience (or problems) with rust on the gutter-mounted ones? I suppose I could be talked into those ... y'all think its a mistake to cannibalize, eh?

Heh .. I feel like the Hilti-Guy right now ... all my Hilti cases in the back in bright-red, just ASKING for people to look ... ack! Better get my tinting done QUICK!!!!

WELCOME, from one newbie to another. I'd be curious as to what glass resurfacing is, too ... P.S. - Nice bike!

THAT I did not know ... that's good info! Thanks!

OMG - I gotta get pics of this ... This morning, I took the risk and went to Home Depot & brought some rope with me in case I needed to put a sheet of plywood on top.... But GUESS WHAT - I got it INSIDE in the wagon! Yes, it stuck out the back, and YES, I ate a lot of exhaust becaue the hatch doesn't shut, but WOW! Awesome! I might just build some removable blocks to do this more often ... all you gotta do i keep it up high and watch out for the rear seatbelts & you can canteliver one in there. Rock on!

Thanks everyone - It's awesome to see I'm not alone here! ... hehe.

Hey all: I did the search on "Roof Racks" and I found a bunch of posts & references ... mostly aftermarket stuff and self-fabricated ones (some cool ideas, tho). My Loyale is pretty cool, except for 2 things. Well, maybe 3, but gun-turrets weren't offered in the '90 (I looked it up). Roof Racks and 4WD - I notice the 4WDs sit a little higher than their 2WD counterparts – what's goin' on down there? Anyway – roof-racks ... the factory ones ... Are they riveted in there, or just sheet screws? Counter-bolts or anchors? Before I go tearin' out the headliners @ the junkyard, I'd like to know what I'm getting into. I'm assuming Subaru is smarter than GM and uses more than double-sided sticky-tape ... My strength needs are pretty modest - a simple 7’ fiberglass ladder I could bungee up there would make me happy - 40 lbs max probably – and it would keep the right side of my head from getting bashed-in every time I stop (that’s what happens when you put it inside). I swear I won't try & put my 40-footer on there, I swear it! Hell, I'd need a red flag on BOTH ends, hehe! Btw - I want to avoid the ones that clamp to the gutters – that’s just askin' for rust in my experience ... but again, I come from the Ford thing. I think Ford puts time-delay corrosive agents in their steel ... set to go-off and activate immediately after you make your last payment. Anyone ever cannibalize racks, or make switches from one Loyale to another? Is it a worthy cause, or should I just stick with aftermarket stuff? Any ideas would rock, thanks!

heh heh ... yeah. I still have a Ford-osterone machine that I've modded a lot ... I suppose if I start feeling low about my manliness, I can spend the $20 bucks it would cost me in gas to drive it one day ... that damned thing holds 60 gallons of gas - can you imagine going thru that almost every week? But hey - you look cool when you press-down the switch that kicks in the hydraulics ... was my 1st hydraulic install ... I wonder if I could do something with the Loyale & Hydraulics, heheh! Hey - maybe I could get the Loyale to tear itself in half for the Guys, heh heh. Now THAT would rock!

Omg, I think I just creamed myself ... WOW!!! that is AWESOME!!!! I think that'll keep my out of trouble for awhile - THANK YOU!

Figured I should introduce myself ... been looking around for a good forum, and I think I found it - wow! You folks ROCK!!! Okay, a preface: Maybe some of you all have gone thru this before already ... this was new for me: I do construction. For years, I drove around in a 1991 Ford E-350 Cargo van that was 7’ tall and had no windows and tool shelves in the back. Oh yeah, and the roof-racks. Gotta have the roof racks. And parallel park? Fugettabout! This old van had really seen better days, and here in Michigan back in December when it was 12 degrees, I was beginning to realize that I was pushing it more than I was driving it, so I decided that I needed to get something else to work in. Next step - I checked-out craigslist and did a search for something to replace it with ... and ended up (almost on a whim) finding the cheapest dorkiest cars I could find. Hell, why not? So I sent some emails, made some calls … and lo – 45 minutes later I had negotiated myself into a 1990 Subaru Loyale Wagon with 155k on it. Bad shocks, bad battery, horrible bearings on the alternator, tires were shot, it kinda stank, even in December, but hey – a) it ran, it had heat, c) it had a (albeit meager) radio, and d) I could fold the seats down and put tools in the back. I was golden. I gave her the $500 bucks and drove away. License & registration was next – insurance was $1100 a year LESS than what I paid in the van. Just paid for the car twice. Sweeeet. Then came tires. $138 out the door. Did you hear that? $138 out the door. I used to pay $200 bucks-a-smash EACH for my 16.5” Load-Range “E” van tires. Just paid for the car twice more. Battery from Sears, Alternator from Ebay, I could live with the shocks-a-rockin' for now ... but nothing prepared me for the next Monday when I 1st pulled up into work the next Monday. You should have seen the faces on the guys. Oh yeah. Uh huh. Then came the comments: things like, "Hey Davalos! Nice Car! Bwaaaaaaaaaahahahaha!!!! What’d you do, roll some old-lady? BaaaaaaahHAhahahahaWAAHAHAH!!!" "Hey, Baby! C’mere! Wanna kiss? Oooooh baby! Let’s fold those seats down & get busy in the back, Baaaaahwa ahaha!!" Hey, Davalos, Where’s the kid-seat? Did you have it removed? BAAAAAHWAHAHA!!! And of course, my favorite: "Hey Davalos -– on the way home, pick me up some groceries! Yeah, and maybe ou should get some new panties, Bhaaaaaaaaaawahwhahahah!!" ... Two of them had to be taken to the hospital because they soiled themselves laughing when I opened up the hood for them & they saw the spare tire … hehe Okay, so it took a couple weeks, but they’re starting to get used to me rolling-up in this thing, and okay, so they tell me I’m never gonna get laid for the rest of my life – yeah, whatever. But hey – keep in mind, they still all drive giant small-penis pickup trucks and giant rapist-looking vans, so maybe they won’t either. And I put $30 into my tank now instead of $150 (yeah, no kidding!), and it lasts me THREE TIMES as long, I swear! Okay, so I won’t be getting laid after pulling up on a 1st date in my rusty Subaru Loyale Wagon, ok. I get it. But hey - it’s a nice car anyway, hehe!!! I have to admit, it’s grown on me. Besides, I went from 7 mpg to 33mpg overnight, and that’s even with the check engine light on … WOW!!! And I can get a friggin’ apartment-sized REFRIGERATOR in the back! I almost blew a nut when I found that out – holy crap! Now, I know – you’re all tellin’ me: “OMG, Davalos! Why the HELL would you use such a great car as a work vehicle! It’s Sacrilege!!” What can I say? I didn’t know what I was getting into whe I bought it – it was just a car. But now I think I’m becoming a convert. I admit, it’s a dorky little car as-is. But I think it has potential. So here I am. And there she is: I'll get some better pics pretty soon here. Not much to look at now.

Wish that pic was clearer ... how does it look? Yep - limo tint for sure - the 5% is the stuff that lets IN 5% of the light, so it's dark dark DARK ... but in Michigan we can't do the front windows - you cna only put a 4" stripe on the top portion of your front windows ... might look funny, but I'm goin' for it anyway (not the stripe) ... gotta fix the rear defroster 1st tho - tryin' that epoxy stuff - we'll see if it works ...

Okay, forgive the obviously newbie question: How do you check these codes? I"m in a '90 Loyale Wagon 2WD Stick The Subaru Dealer want $85 for me to get in the door - my local shop wants $65 bucks to get it on the lift, and I'm figuring I could BUY a reader for that ... but I haven't had much luck. I asked at my local "Murray's" and they said that I'd need an adaptor and "go see the dealer" Ha! My Check Engine light has been on since I bought it ... I thought it was just nothing, until I blew a fusible link the other week & the codes I guess cleared ... when I fired-it-up after overnight of no power, the light was off. but they were back within about 15 minutes, so I figure something it up .. Sorry if this is one of those "Um, I'm new here ... what's 1 plus 1?" questions ... I looked thru the 1st 20 pages of threads & this is the closest I found to it ... but it sounds like everyone posting here already knows what's what ... Thanks!

I had that problem with the speakers in the hatch - thank God I thought of thsat before cutting away ... There are cutouts for 6" rounds in the rear doors of my Loyale - not the best sound dynamics on the planet, but you're right - better than 2 ... I used 4 Boston CX7s I bought years ago and never used - they're pretty sweet!

I'm lookin' to swap out my Driver's seat in my '90 Loyale Wagon with something that I have NO idea where it's from ... it's a GM seat, hehe. Completely different dimanesoins ... have to fabricate some brackets. Just some flatbar stock to transfer bolt patterns ... I hope! I'll post pics of me tearing my hair out ... hehhe