Gyoas759

Gotcha. I'll get some good Krylon or something on top then. Thanks!

Doesn't quite make sense to me. My impression was the primer paint adheres better to the metal so the enamel or whatever paint will have a better surface for the final painting. Am I mistaken?

Blue is the interior color, but I can always get the paint for that. Black works fine too. I'd probably be willing to pay for the shipping. I have 2 2nd gen tail gates that I was pricing and USPS would only charge about $40. (Parcel post) A bargain to me since these aren't that easy to come by. PM me a price and we can go from there. Thanks!

I have (and have had) a slew of cars that have needed touch ups, to complete repainting and so far, my experience with spray cans has not been very good. Most recently, I used Rustoleum Auto sandable primer on the fender of my 83 GL and on the hood of my 77 Mustang. This was only for rust prevention, to be finished this summer. This was last fall and already both have started flaking off. I noticed on the hood of the mustang (Which isn't even being driven. Just snowed on.) several flakes of paint are gone and the bare metal underneath has started to rust again. I sanded very well before applying the primer. I did only one coat since I will be finishing it in the spring. Any ideas on what I did wrong? Or is there a better spray paint out there to use on a car?

I can finally contribute! I guess this will be the "before" picture.

Not bad at all. You should see some of our east coast subies. You wont even need a sawzall to fix that rust. Nice car!

Look what showed up in the back yard this afternoon! After searching around for the past year for a Brat in PA that wasn't going to bankrupt me, I finally found one. And a first gen no less! It's in rough shape. Almost all east coast brats are heaps. (Heaps that often go north of 2k in price) This one has it's fair share of rust. Floor pans, rear bumper mounts, tailgate is pretty much useless. But, the frame seems okay. The bed actually only has surface rust on all but the very back. And I'm told it runs, but the fuel pump is most likely shot. Lucky me- it came with the original brush guard and has sliding rear glass. It also has a sunroof?!? (Is that stock or aftermarket?) I have to get to the Notary tomorrow and make sure everything will transfer okay. This car sat in NC for a few years and is titled from CT and has a CT bill of sale but no title. I'm told that title's aren't required in CT for cars older than 10 years. Provided all the paperwork goes okay, I plan on rebuilding this old gal. PA does not require vehicle safety inspections on cars registered as antique. My initial shopping list for the Brat are as follows if anyone can help me locate some parts. Passenger Fender Passenger Turn signal/lamps Windshield Taigate (some rust is tolerable as long as it's fuctional) Seats Fuel pump Lower interior door panels Any advice on where to begin and how to go about these things would be much appreciated. I'm still learning a lot as I go and could use advice from those who have already walked this path. It's going to be a fun project.

Bump for the interchangability. My new 79 Brat needs something new. I have a few EA81 seats lying around. Not sure if they'll fit or not???

Dang. I could have picked up a dozen for you if I had read this thread yesterday. There's a yard in New Ringgold PA that i went to today for the first time. There were 4 different Brats in the yard. I'll grab some next week when I go back.

Welcome to the board! EA81 is one of the engines that comes in the older subarus. Comes in 80-84 wagons, all hatches and I think 82-87 Brats. Your Subaru should have an EA81 engine in it. It's one of the simplest ways to differentiate between the different older Subarus. The older engines were EA71 and the newer are EA82. Congrats on the new sube! I've had several cars from the Subaru generation that you have and I can say, hand down, they are some of the most reliable cars mechanically ever made. That said, being a low budget 80s japanese car, they are prone to a few issues. RUST is your biggest enemy. This is the #1 killer of old subarus. Check your frame rails, rockers etc. and stay on top of it as best you can. there are a few threads about rust prevention in the forum. You can expect to leak a little oil, in these cars, and if you have a 4 speed 4x4 the shifter can wear out and provide what's known as shifter slop. it's a fairly simple fix though. That's all i've come across so far that would seem common with these cars. Most of the time they just keep running.... and running. Take good care of it and it should return the favor for many years.

I found a godsend the other day and will be picking up a 1979 Brat on Thursday. Pretty sure the fuel pump on it is shot. Will an EA81 pump work on the older engine? More to come I'm sure. I still need to go over it carefully, but provided it's not too rusty, I'm thinking about doing some pretty thorough restoration work on it. Hopefully it can also attend the show in Carlisle.

This is the best I can contribute. It was mud... covered in snow. So it made an interesting mix and was a good way to play with my new video editing software.

Sad about the hatch. I got stiffed last fall buying a Honda on Ebay from a dealer in Long Island NY. Drove out there to pick up the car and they couldn't find the title. 7 hours of wasted time, not to mention gas money, and they wouldn't even give me my deposit back until Paypal suspended their account for it. There was a guy from Pottsville that had a rust free fairly low miles 84 wagon for sale a few months ago. (Cole098) I think it was a 4 speed d/r, but I've got a low miles 4wd auto trans for it if you'd want to swap it. I had been talking with him for a while and I don't think he ever sold it. It sounded like a nice one.

Low mileage engines don't necessarily need to come from Japan. (Though I think they pop up on Ebay from time to time) I've only been an active subaru nut for about a year and I have found a spare 68k and 97k engine for my 83. And the parts car I have in the yard right now has 58k. (Engine had been sold seperately.) They're out there to be found. Find an old person car that's under attack from rust. I've been amazed in the Southeast PA area that some of these people are original owners of EA81 and EA82 subes and aren't even close to 100k. If patience wears out, there's always http://www.ccrengines.com/ I've heard great things about them, but as with all rebuilt engines, it's not cheap.

I tried the same thing about a week ago. If you don't have a release button, the only way to really detach them is to take the cover off, then reach in and undo the pin and stuff that holds them in there. I took the easy way out since all i needed from the seats were the covers - a sawzall zzz

Trashwagon lives up to it's name - 1983 Subaru GL 4x4 Leaks oil cooling fan must be turned on manually Starts with a screwdriver Coolant resevior is a Burger King cup Rust through the floors CV axles both make noise Rear shocks rusted through NO Cat or muffler Winshields held in by Caulk Hood opens with coat hanger drivers fender is loose at the bottom Windows go up and down with a 10mm wrench Shifter slop no radio rotted dash and vents guage lights always stay lit jumpy Tach sputters on hills battery cable must be disconnected when stopped bad axle brake light on cracked fog light unknown thump in front suspension headliner has about 300 holes vacume leaks bad turn signal NO heat/NO AC tires dry rotted gas guage does not work rough idle paint chipping rear wiper missing crunched front subframe speaker wired engine components No rear carpet 4x4 light always on Never broken down. (And this is after I've made considerable improvements to it. Should have seen it last summer!)

I've been reading among the posts and it seems the USMB is rampant with cabin fever. I'm the same way. I have some rust issues to address on my 83 in the spring. I'm planning on buying a welder and going full tilt to take care of the car. The rockers are pretty much gone, the rear wheel wells are starting to erode and when I lift up the carpet in the front I can see a little bit of the ground along the outer seams. I've seen some posts from a few people on the board who have cut out the rusty stuff and welded in new metal to fix the problem. I'm feeling up to the task, but my problem is, I've never welded before. Nuts and bolts are no problem, but this is new to me. Anyone care to help a new guy out? Any advice on where and what welder to buy? And I could sure use a dumbed down version of how to go about repairing the car. I get the concept, just need a little more detail. And what's the best sort of undercoating to use to seal the new metal once the rust is repaired. Thinking that rubberized undercoating for $3. a can at wal mart isn't going to quite cut it. I want to have my baby ready for the summer time.

I'm not going to miss out this year! I think my wagon has been sore towards me since I didn't get it to any events. trashwagon on the east coast. Looking forward to putting some faces to the fine people I've talked to on this board. Great way to start the summer. Let me know what I can do to help... put me in the loop!

I think I saw you! I was there from 9:30 till about noon. Noticed a guy with some subaru wagon wheels and as a passing thought, wondered what the odds were that he was a board member. Couldn't stop to chat since I had to finish up quick and get to Lancaster yesterday afternoon. Small world.

Great tip. Thanks! I'll have to check them out next week.

The EA81 drought continues. But EA82 cars were everywhere. In particular, there's one of those 3 door full time 4WD turbo EA82s. looked really nice. I hate seeing some of these cars in the yard. Saw at least 2 justys, couple XTs and SVXs. As usual, lots of legacy's and imprezas. A few outback editions too. Monday special - tires are $7. I got a set of nice BFG A/Ts for my van for about $25!! Harry's is the toy store of my adult life.

Hoping to get this done today. Any better option than a sawzall??

Neat set up! I can at least give this much to help having towed at least 6 Subarus. Someone who's done more than me will surely know the rest. 1. Disconnect the battery. Or depending on the car, you can just leave the key in, but in the off position. 2. Are the front wheels going to be off the ground? If so, you just need to be sure 4wd isn't engaged.

Got everything except the head rests. How do you remove them? I pulled and pushed and squeezed every direction I can think of. The sawzall is starting to look better and better...

The axle sounds about right. Both CVs have been making a lot of noise for a while now. I haven't bothered doing anything about it yet since I really only use the car for off road and snow driving anyway. I have a pretty good set off a turbo wagon that I can swap in there when I get a nice day to work on it. Wish I had a garage...