QuickRX

I had a wagon that did that, and it is a common problem in the snow/salt belt. The drain from the firewall empties into the area just ahead of the front doors- I'll betcha nickle that if you open the door and look down there, you'll see leaves, pine needles and general crud. I actually vac + pressure wash mine out every now and then (and get a nasty shower at the same time). Design flaw, they say... replacing the fenders is a start, and checking the chassis for structural integrity is a good idea. Is it fully insured? Never mind... -QuickRX

Darn, no pictures on hand. Good point, I'll blast some off and get a CD with the processing (I'm still stuck on film). Price range is to be determined- what I think it's worth and what the market will bear are not the same. I'll come up with something... any hints from market-savvy folks out there would be appreciated. Also, did I mention that in 1985 Subaru made 1500 RX's? Good trivia for ya. Thanks, -Tom

I've been thinking hard lately about selling my trusty old 1985 RX in the near future, and thought I'd start here cause you folks are Subaru NutZ + craZy peeple <kidding, so am I, tra-la-la> Here's the details: 1] '85 Marina Blue RX, dual range 4WD Turbo 5 speed 2] Miles: around 190k, odo shows less due to a misdiagnosis that recommended a new speed sensor (READ: Speedo). It was the ECM, and was replaced. 3] Replaced the engine 3 years ago with a strong, clean import motor, installed at Brian's in Des Moines (nice job they did, too!) 4] New rear shocks (OEM), front struts about 8 years old and still fine 5] Stock, except for larger rear anti-sway bar (off an '88 RX), tweak to the airbox internals (richer mixture), ripped out intake snorkle 6] Couple year old Bridgestone M+S 7] Fittipaldi 'Personal' steering wheel that may or may not be included... depends on what I find to buy, and if it will fit or not. It's... personal (and a great wheel). 8] Recent used cat, and a 2.5" straight pipe, *no* muffler (with a center cat, the shop had the Federal Fear Factor going). It sounds sweet, meaty and throaty, no rice-burner fart pipe here! All that exhaust going thru the turbo make a good enough muffler, eh? 9] Spare parts- a couple turbos, air box, hill holder, front calipers, snorkle, sheesh, the list goes on... 10] In all, a very servicable car that has several more years of fun left in it. Current issues: A] Needs 2 injectors (drivers leaking slightly- Brian sells rebuilt ones for $35 each. 2 passenger side injectors replaced late last year.) B] Right front axle starting to clickty-clack... the LF was replaced a year ago. The above 2 items I can do, or leave up to the next owner. C] A bit of cancer *starting* around the windshield, driver's side upper- most likely from a sloppy windshield removal/replacement in the dim and distant past. Bastards. D] A golf-ball sized whump in the windshield- from about 8 years ago, it hasn't gotten any worse, and it can't be seen from my seat, so I ignore it. E] Ah, heck, throwing a cap/rotor/plugs at it wouldn't hurt. Prolly about time... That's about it- it runs *strong*, handles as well as any '85 RX (that 'rally' suspension' has surprised many contenders) and still looks pretty damn good. There are the usual minor door dings and such that happen over time- I'm not going to hide anything- it's just been a great car (no oil leaks to speak of on this engine, either!) that has been with me since '86. I bought it when I was working at Carter Subaru, in the service dept. So yes, maintenance is a known issue with me... If you're interested, let me know, give me a reasonable offer, and we'll take it from there. Then, the dilema of what the HELL to replace it with that will keep me as happy. Fark, that's the WORST part! (Sure, an STi would do, but I ain't freakin Bill Gates yet...). Thanks, -Tom ("QuickRX")

Hey, now, that's something I'd be interested in! Please post any info up here, and ping my email account as well, if you would. Ed- I still have that RX- we met in the Redmond QFC parking lot, if you remember. -Tom, the co-star of "The Great Christmas Tree Robbery" of 2001... as seen on TV! Co-starring: Corky, as the concerned donor.

Well, it looks as though there are several driving classes throughout WA/ORE... http://www.icscc.com/schedule.html Links to the respective clubs are available by clicking about. -QuickRX "Do Itttttttttttt..." -That pizza guy

Dear USMB members: I got a private post from a lister that just got a car like mine and he asked me what mods I'd done. I gave him the list, the last one being: Driving abilities and training. So, the question is: Who has taken training and/or studied driving? Who feels that they are a 'good' driver that has not done so? One of my favorite life experiences was track time with training; the clouds parted and a ray of light hit me several times, and my driving habits were changed forever. The reason I bring this up is that I found one of the courses I've taken- http://www.irdc-racing.com/ No financial interest, blah blah, but seeing what YOUR car can do on the edge with maximim input of the forces of nature and at the limits of adhesion while a club racer is sitting next to you providing input (then, if you offer, taking over the wheel so you can FEEL what a perfect line is) is worth the price of admission. Hell, it's cheap if you think of the cost of renting Pacific Raceway! -QuickRX

Dear USMB members: I got a private post from a lister that just got a car like mine and he asked me what mods I'd done. I gave him the list, the last one being: Driving abilities and training. So, the question is: Who has taken training and/or studied driving? Who feels that they are a 'good' driver that has not done so? One of my favorite life experiences was track time with training; the clouds parted and a ray of light hit me several times, and my driving habits were changed forever. The reason I bring this up is that I found one of the courses I've taken- http://www.irdc-racing.com/ No financial interest, blah blah, but seeing what YOUR car can do on the edge with maximim input of the forces of nature and at the limits of adhesion while a club racer is sitting next to you providing input (then, if you offer, taking over the wheel so you can FEEL what a perfect line is) is worth the price of admission. Hell, it's cheap if you think of the cost of renting Pacific Raceway! -QuickRX

Well... in my '85 RX, Low worked best, for 2 reasons: 1] Gave me better engine/compression braking- rolling off the throttle gradually - not abruptly, especially if you're not level or going straight- the brakes are used less, all 4 tires grab; Then you can regulate rate of decelleration via the throtle. Can still steer, too, with more weight transferred to the front wheels! (Po' man's ABS...) 2] Acceleration is better. Having the extra 'squirt' that results from the quick revs that happen in the shorter gearing helped get me into and out of all KINDA stuff. Once I got up to speed, if there was less of the nasty white stuff or bare/wet or only kinda sloppy, back into Hi range, but on the RX, it's not REALLY necessary until I'm going WAY faster than anyone should- in public, anyway. And my name ain't Petter, anyway, but whatever. (Sideways is OK when confident of total control, outcome and with a clear run-off area in case things go all whoopty-woop, right? heehee) I kept the revs up to keep the engine in the 'sweet spot' of HP/torque, and to provide more engine braking when I did roll off of the throttle. -QuickRX

"I dont mean to sound like a snotty little kid or anything, but a larger rear anti-roll bar will have the same effect in FWD as in 4WD. The difference you're feeling is the tendency for the car to use engine braking more efficiently, lifting and thus unweighting the rear end, allowing it to rotate more easily." Well. Ok, then. Ever see that cartoon where two old sweathogs are in a chat room on their computers, and they each think the other is young and attractive? Hmmm... you coulda been Petter Solberg for all I knew... Anyway, true: An anti-sway bar doesn't care which wheels are driven, however the rest is pretty much arguable. But I won't. All I'll say is that with the bigger bar, the tendancy for the rear to swing about is greater than with the smaller bar. Or, are you really a lonesome, attractive 18yo SWF? lol... I hurt myself laughing.... -QuickRX

ShawnW wrote: "Check ebay theres one on there for $100 that claims to have 500 miles on it when pulled." Now, I'm a pretty good when it comes to searches, so all I can say is "I believe you saw one". I didn't find it. CTRL + C, CTRL + V paste would have been a good thing, but not to worry, life goes on... Thanks~ -Tom

Or maybe it's a toe truck? As in 'no bigger than'? lol hee hee and haha.

'Tis Marina Blue- otherwise known as light blue in non-merchandising lingo. BTW, I've had a blast the last few days getting into work- 4WD low gives plenty of compression braking, and quick acceleration. I have some newer Tire Rack M+S Bridgestone's that did a decent job, considering there is NO such thing as a 'Sport' M + S tire (at least in the now-archaic 13" rim size!). Fun Rally-trick Stuff I've accomplished lately: 1] I managed a reverse 180 out of the Stop-N-Rob parking lot, into 1st and down the road in one fell swoop; Think I helped wake up the SUV drivers waiting in line at the espresso drive in :-p A pendulum turn (Scandanavian flick?) getting onto the arterial; Power slides at every chance, and; Lift-off over steer (carefully- this thing tends to keep going roundy-round, I think due to the LSD rear). That, and, probably due to my putting a 87 1/2 RX rear anti-sway on it long ago. It's a couple mm larger than on the '85, and therefore reduces understeer in FWD but increases oversteer in 4WD. Oh, well... we spend 98% of our time with the 4WD handle in cup-holder position, eh? -Tom

This was posted a LONG time ago... there is an online resource that can be of some help (it's not totally complete, but the price is right): http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2574&highlight=online There are online Chilton books as shown in the link; goof around with the numbers in the Address bar to find other models. It's kind of a fun game to see what vehicle you end up with. Heck, it's snowing, go play around and let me know what you found! -QuickRX A.K.A Tom

Phat Phingers got me again, thanks for the correction. A 'B' package is the factory 'rally' configuration. There is the letter B in the VIN, which is one way to tell. Other than that, they have: 1] GL Dash and interior (no digital, thank goddess!) 2] Sport seats (as most of the GL10's had as well, but with a leatherette treatment on the side bolsters) 3] MPFI 1.8 OHCam Turbo engine 4] Suspension- adjustable front lower spring seat [up only] + rear coil-over shocks, with 3 settings for additional height adjustment. 4a] F+R springs Stiffer than on DL/GL, upgraded shocks to match 5] Black door handles + other trim, splashguards in front of the rear wheelwells, rubbery trunk 'spoiler' glued on 6] F+R sway bars 7] Limited slip rear differential Let's see... what else? Oh, the '85's had 'racing flag' seat inserts and seatbelts. Doesn't make it ANY faster, tho... lol. 115 screaming horsepower. whoah. <ahem> The 87 1/2 (and on) sedan had a body kit as well- front air dam, side skirts. I DO love it, it's relatively light compared to what's out there today with all of the safety stuff, I have a straight pipe from the cat back (turbos make GOOD mufflers!) and it sounds sweet- no fart pipe stuff, just a deep, healthy tone. I had Brian's Subaru drop a used engine in it when the heads went (again!) and I picked out a good one- it's as strong as new. It's getting old though, dammit; some cancer starting around the windshield, misc finish imperfections, stuff like that. No pictures, though I might finish off this roll and get a Costco CD and post some. Thanks for the offer- I'll let you know. -Tom

Anyone have a Leone-style turbo catalytic converter ('downpipe') hanging around? Mine has gotten all swiss-cheesy and has GOT to go. Contact me off list, if you prefer- Thanks, Tom Brisk tombrisk@hotmail.com -85 RX 4WD Turbo Sedan "Only 1500 RX 'B' packages produced" per Subaru for '85, did ja know that? Huh, didja? ;-)