HudsonJoe

Wow, if I'd have known it was possible that I'd been sold the wrong part, I'd have stopped alot earlier and skipped much of the head scratching and swearing. So asking for one to fit a '84 GL wagon is the sure way of getting the right one, eh? Is that a known issue w/ Autozone's parts listing? Thanks very much for the info - I'll pay them a visit tomorrow after work. Appreciatively, - Joe

I can't seem to get things back together after replacing the front right bearings on my '83 Brat. Back story: A few months ago I replaced the half shaft since I had a torn boot and a really bad clunking on turns. I put new brake pads on at the same time. I'd done this job before and had it go smoothly, but this last time it just didn't seem to be together correctly when I re-attached the caliper. And doing it from memory (i.e. too lazy to open the FSM right there on my shelf), I forgot about turning the piston as it's pressed back into the caliper -doh!. But the car is only used for a 2-mile commute, and I figured I'd look at it again over the holidays when I had more time and would already have it up on jackstands to replace the rear brake shoes. So a couple weeks ago I took the whole knuckle off so that I could use my shop press to install the new bearings (Having done lots of searching and reading, I now know that's not necessary. I probably could've just cleaned and re-greased the outer, but the inner was shot.). It was clear that somehow I'd bungled the half-shaft/pad replacement, since the pads had just been skating on the rotor surface. I'd already ordered a loaded caliper pair since it was only $20 more than the caliper rebuild kit at Autozone and much less work. So now I've been trying to put it all back together, and am stuck. Can't get the strut into the socket if I've got the ball joint attached, and vice versa. Removed the control arm at the other end in order to get everything back together, but then couldn't bring the control arm far enough inboard to get the bolt through. It's like the knuckle is about a quarter inch proud of where it should be, yet the outboard C/V joint of the half-shaft is drawn up to w/in a few mm's of the inside of the knuckle. I'm confident that I got the bearings fully pressed in, since I used the press and did a visual check. I'm also confident that I've got the axle fully through the bearings, as I torqued it to 150 ft-lbs with the rotor/hub on and then took the impact wrench to it afterward, set at 100psi in a fit of frustration. That got maybe another eigth of a turn out of it. So, sorry for the extra-long post, but is there something obvious I'm missing? A trick I've missed? I'm beginning to wonder if the replacement half-shaft is not to spec (too long). I stumbled upon a thread discussing that a few days ago but now I can't seem to find it again. I'd be grateful for any help/ideas. - Joe

Thanks for the confirmation. After more searching, it appears I've put the seals in backwards. Ah well, I keep telling myself I'm saving some cash and building my wrenching skills. Gonna try and get things buttoned up by this weekend (waiting on a loaded caliper pair I ordered from the local Autozone) and get my faithful rustbucket back on the road. - Joe

Grrrr! I spent a good 20 minutes searching and reading before posting this new thread, and lo&behold, as soon as I hit 'submit' the USMB server offered up a thread I'd not managed to find: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79611 So it looks like they are in fact the same, even for an '83? If so, that's good news, since Autozone's got it in stock. Sorry for the noise! - Joe

I'm replacing the front right wheel bearings on my '83 Brat GL (that's an EA81, right?), and when removing the old seals, it looks like the inner and outer are not the same. The outer looks to have a bigger (longer?) lip extending outward. But I can't seem to find a parts listing that shows them as different (have checked RockAuto and my local Autozone). Are they in fact the same? Thanks!