85T-REX

You should at least drain enough to get the level below the intake. Almost a gallon will do.

Did you have any work done to your car recently? My intake gaskets started mysteriously leaking after I had some work done. I checked the bolts and all three on the d/s were loose. I just retorqued them then, and again the next day, and they've been fine ever since. Seemed a little shady to me. Hopefully that's not your case.

I would suggest getting it all from a j/y first. If you can find one car with everything still in it, it should all work good as long as you can turn the comp. Try that first. OEM parts cheap? I don't know about those.

One thing I forgot is the second electric fan for the radiator that you will need to grab. It's all bolt on and plug in so it makes a really cool project with a big reward. The only component you might need to buy new is the dryer. Depending on if and how long it's been exposed to the atmosphere it could be shot. New ones are only about $20.

It's all drop-in and absolutely worth doing. Especially in SoCal. You will need the mounting bracket for the compressor. Make sure you save all of the bolts. You will need to undo the rad bolts to put the condenser in but you won't need to remove the rad completely so no need to drain it. Everything else under the hood is pretty simple. The trickiest part will be putting the evaporator under the dash. You may want to make sure the heater core and the rest of the cooling system is in good shape first. Some SoCal folks like to put tap water in their cooling systems and that will tear up a Soob. If that's good, you will just need to take out the long plastic duct piece and install the evap and the short piece(s) of duct. As far as the switch that turns the A/C on, you can use the factory style switch or modify a push-button to turn it on or off whenever you want. The factory style switch will turn the A/C on in A/C, Max A/C, and defrost. When you pull the components from the donor car you will see how easy it will be to put it all in your Brat. Just don't forget the relay block on the p/s strut tower.

Nice find!!! That's a beautiful Brat! I got both of my Brats from SoCal. The '84 didn't have A/C so I put it in. All of the wiring is there, bundled up, so all you will need are the components and hoses. Put it all in there, check for leaks, charge it, and enjoy. You'll need everything under the hood including the relay set on the p/s strut tower, the evaporator and air ducts that go under the dash on the p/s, and the electric switch that mounts under the radio console and attaches to the heater box. I did mine 9 years ago and it's still blowing ice cold. I can't help you on the other stuff but good luck!

You call that a scoop??? It looks more like a big vent. A functional vent. You got it Gary, way to represent.

You still got that "noone" in there. Because of that, it's not true.

Really takes you back, huh?

I didn't say he said I was the only one. He said "noone". I understand his point perfectly. I'm not sure how minor a hood scoop is on a Subaru but I'm sure a lot of people noticed it. These days it's common but it wasn't then. I think we're all on the same page. He just used the wrong word.

Like I said, I'm sure I'm not the only one which doesn't prove any rule.

I know, I just mentioned that I do so you can't really say that anymore. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

You mentioned how "turbo" a gen 1 legacy looks. When you look at it you know it's got a "turbo". Why do you think it looks funny?

Isn't that the first Subaru with a factory hood scoop? How cool and quirky is that? They always catch my eye.

If you don't have A/C or if the A/C isn't charged, you can pull the unit out from the passenger side. Don't use any stopleak stuff. Once you have the new core in, refill your cooling system with 50/50 antifreeze and "distilled" water. It's the best thing you can do for you system. No more corrosion and a lot less leaks.

Take a 10mm socket to the bolts holding the left and right belt covers on. I believe there's 4 in each. Do your best not to strip out the nut ends that are molded into the back covers. Slide the covers off and you have a pretty good view. You could probably do it without taking the fans out if you use a 1/4" drive or a wrench.

The dreaded whooshing sound means low coolant. If you have any debris in your cooling system that floats, that's when it could make its way to the heater core and get stuck. Does your Brat have an overflow tank? Mine doesn't. If not, you need to be extra careful that you keep the rad topped off. Leaks in the system should be fixed right away. Have you smelled any coolant in the last 6 months? Let us know how the flush goes.

Did you check whether your coolant was topped off? Do you hear a whooshing noise from under the dash when you start the engine? If your coolant is full and the valve I mentioned is working fine, then the flush would be necessary. I've done it by disconnecting both heater hoses under the hood at the firewall. Make sure the coolant is drained enough before you disconnect the hoses. Hold the water hose up to each pipe with your hand wrapped around it to force most of the water through the core. You'll be able to tell by the color of the water coming out when it's clean. Do that with both pipes and make sure the dial is on hot. Put the hoses back on and refill the coolant with a 50/50 mix of fresh coolant and distilled water. That will keep your system from corroding and also keep your hoses in good shape.

If you're going back and forth between hot and cold (like morning and afternoon) it may be a problem with the valve on the d/s. It's the valve that opens to allow hot water to flow through the core when you turn the dial to the hot side. Check the operation of the valve (with the engine idling) and feel the lines to see if they are all hot or warm. Be careful though, they can be pretty hot. If the valve is opening and closing properly, you'll probably need to flush the core. That's pretty easy to do, just make sure the heat dial is turned to hot.

Does your hot/cold control feel and sound like it's working? Are you getting good heat everywhere else?

Is your center vent closed?

There are a few things that determine the patch shape. Tire tread width, stiffness, tire pressure, and the weight of the vehicle. Your stock wheels are probably 7" wide. Going narrower on the tire is your best bet. If you want to go narrower and higher I would suggest: 195/65R16 or 185/70R16 These would raise your car approximately 3/4" and may be just enough for the snow and lips. It shouldn't be an issue with rubbing anywhere. The stock 195's on my Impreza do great in 11" of snow. 185's would be even better.

AWESOMENESS!!!!!!! I had to do the same thing with my '84 when I bought it. For some reason, some folks in California seem to think it's okay to run straight tap water through the cooling system. Mine was in a whole lot worse shape than yours. Make sure you always run the 50/50 antifreeze/DISTILLED water mix. Your cooling system will love you for it. The cable for the air direction control runs up the passenger side and connects to a cam there that works the doors. Check that one and make sure it isn't bent or out of adjustment. If the doors still won't work right, you may need to take the air intake hose off and reach in and see if there is anything going on in there. Watch out for critters! I've never had that problem with any of mine so keep us posted on what the fix is. rex

Under the hood there is a small white vacuum module between the passenger strut mount and firewall. That is what stores the vacuum for the heater controls. Check all of the vac lines around there and follow the line toward the engine and check for loose or split connections. You will also see where the vac line goes through the firewall. That's all part of the controls so make sure there are no leaks. rex