Subie newbie making first post.
I just bought a new to me [in all aspects] '83 GL 4x4 Cosmic Blue wagon, the color the birds just LOVE to ************ on [i assume because they think it's a body of water]. 109 cubic inches according to hood sticker. I'll put the engine# and year in that engine deciphering thread soon.
$100 loonies. Drove it home...the experience of which could best be described as a bag of square marbles rolling around a cement mixer drum coming from the front end. Steers reasonable but the axle shafts and/or wheel bearings and possibly struts complained loudly and frequently with every turn or bump.
....but it made it home, which is a good thing. Engine runs like a Swiss watch and the body is not too bad, far far better than some of the rot buckets that some of these vintage cars have unfortunately been reduced to. Underneath not too bad either. Some rust, sure, but where suspension components mount all looks ok.
Electrics seem to be excellent, everything WORKS, except the cigarette lighter...damn! Soon to be rectified.
No cracked glass, trim missing on passenger door.
Oil leaking from somewhere on to Y-pipe, and I think that's what gave me a headache on the drive home. That, and the fact the clutch cable was so maladjusted that the clutch wouldn't disengage all the way and had a hell of a time getting into gear when stopped at lights. Couple of times I had to shut it off and restart it in first gear to get rolling again. Ya gotta love the looks the yuppies indebted up their eyeballs with their overpriced houses and choking mortgages and crap bling cars give ya when that happens. eff 'em all anyway!
Anyhow, I would just like to praise the powers that be that made this site possible because the few days of surfing here have saved a whole lot of grief in dechiphering the mechanical mysteries of this car. As this is my first Subaru, ever, the wealth of knowledge and experience here makes me so happy I bought this car. I didn't think it could be possible to get this excited over a $100 buck car!!!
Over the years the popularity of these cars here in the Pacific Northwest, north of 49, intrigued me enough to check this one out when I saw it offered for sale. Previous owner seemed clueless about anything mechanical, the clutch cable as a prime example. Adjusting the cable first and then the hill holder cable has made it perfect again with one benefit being all the slop in the manual transmission [4-speed] went away and the shifter now finds every gear PERFECTLY! Wheww! All the synchros seem excellent now that it's adjusted properly.
The fabled Edrach Axle Tutorial is also a Godsend and has helped huge in approaching the front end work, currently underway, sort of. I do thinks slowly but methodically and have to wait for middle of the new month to spend any sheckels on it.
Anyway...so far so good and I haven't run into any rounded nuts or bolts yet. So far it's a joy to work on when forearmed with the right info from this great site.
Thank you all!!!
