TROGDOR!

Yep, I found myself another vehicle to drive now that my wagon is gone. It's an 89 Nissan Hardbody pickup, 4x4, 3.0 V6, 101k miles. It's in the yard here at work, it was hit very lightly on the bedside. Just needs the bed banged out and the axle shaft on that side replaced. The boss is letting me have it for $1300, and I figure it'll take another $250 to get it on the road. I've heard these trucks are indestructible and run forever, and that they're great off road. Anyone ever own one? Now that I have a dog, and am getting a Nissan truck, the first thing to come to mind is that old Nissan commercial advertising the pickup, where at the end the Japanese Nissan spokesman (I forget his name) says "DOGS LUV TRUCKS!" No I'm not abandoning Subaru, I still have my XT that I'm going to fix one of these days. Hardbodies, very sexy...

I just realized you're in Louisville. I'll be there Labor Day weekend, if this doesn't fix it and you need a new trans, I can get you one for $100 bucks and bring it down then.

Well, I looked in the new USRM, and they said the old articles were lost in translation. Bummer, there was some good stuff in there. www.archive.org to the rescue! Here's the article I was looking for: http://web.archive.org/web/20040814115524/http://www.usmb.net/repair/?CurrentDirectory=FOLDER_3f29b58f50d9b8.15492800/&FileType=Article&File=ARTICLE_3f57fdb83de231.34713659.art It seems like your governor gear is gummed up. Take a look at that article for tips on how to fix it.

You'll need to swap the rear differential too. Your car has a 3.9, the turbo trans is geared for a 3.7. Install the trans without swapping the diff, and when you engage 4WD everything will go kablooey. So... you'll need the trans, axles, and diff. If you're converting from an automatic, you'll need quite a bit more...

New use for the radiator fan.... a propellor!

What size tires are on the car? Loyales do *not* take the same factory tire size as the older models. Factory for them is listed as a "165r13", which I believe is a 165/80/13. Check the tag on the door jamb to find that number. Many people put 175/70/13 tires on Loyales, which will throw off the speedometer just like you say, though I wouldn't think it would do it to such a high degree...

Anyone know where the switch is that controls the automatic belts? I think mine is starting to stick, sometimes when I open the door the belt won't go down, then when I slam it shut and open it right back up again the belt works fine. I know it's not the same switch that controls the dome light, as I tried pressing that one with the door open and the key on and it didn't do a thing to the belt. I can't see any other switches on the door or on the door jamb. Any ideas?

Sure will. Any EA81 fenders are interchangeable. Though, for the '83?? (someone help me out here) model year the antenna switched sides, so you may have to either fill the hole or make a new hole.

I found these things at the boneyard a couple months ago and never got around to putting them in. They're the rear speakers out of a 90 Toyota Corolla All-Trac SR-5 wagon- ya know, the weird looking AWD one that doesn't look quite like a normal Corolla. The pods are about a foot long and hold 4" speakers. Most of the mass is the duct work- these speakers are ducted like a wave radio! They sound just like my Pioneer 6 1/2" door speakers, maybe a little better- with the crappy stock Toyota speakers! Can't wait to get some decent ones in there and hear how they sound. The headliner can't support their weight, so I dropped it down, and ran bolts and washers all the way through to hold the things up. The stock headliner clips won't hold the weight either- but it turns out that XT hood hinge bolts (had some in my toolbox) perfectly fit the holes for the small clips and hold it up just fine. These added a whole new dimension to my stereo... I'd recommend them for anyone who has a wagon. My Loyale didn't even have rear speakers, and my experience with the GL ones in the back doors is that they really do nothing for sound quality or clarity. Here's a pic (click it)

Yes they do. The driver's seat also has height adjustment. The seats from any XT6 or an 87.5 full time 4WD turbo XT have headrests that move forward and back.

I'm at work at the boneyard right now, and ran it through our Hollander interchange. 85-94 will fit, but ONLY from a sedan or wagon. 3-door just won't fit, I'm assuming the slant is a bit different like was said above.

No, I actually did it. I think what Jim means is that when intalling the seats in an 85-89 car or using 85-87 XT seats you need to swap the seat rails. I had done that in my 2 87 wagons. It's not hard, but doing what I just talked about above is SO much easier- provided that you have the right car and seats.

Yes, you read it right! I snagged some blue XT seats out of an 88 wedge at the boneyard this weekend, and set to replace the gray ones in my blue interior today with them. I laid them in there to see how they would look... and whaddya know... 3 of the mount holes lined up perfectly, unlike the older GL/DL models. Here's why... 85-89 GL/DL series cars only have 4 seat bolts, 1 at each corner. 85-87 XT's also have 4 seat bolts, 1 at each corner. The rear bolts are 3 inches farther back than the GL/DL ones. 87.5-91 XT's have 5 bolt holes. 1 at each front corner, 1 at the rear outboard, and TWO at the rear inboard. The one they added is a bit father back and takes a 16mm ( ) bolt. 90-94 Loyales have SIX bolt holes on the driver's seat and 5 on the passenger. Similar setup to the XT's, just with another 16mm bolt added behind the first. So... here's where it gets interesting. On these 88 XT seats... the 5th bolt hole lined up!! So, 3 bolts went directly in, and the fourth (rear outboard), well, it was a straight shot, just 3 inches too far back. Used a 3 1/2" M8x1.25 bolt to keep it from moving around too much, and the seat feels rock solid. Only other mod I had to do was to swap the lap belt buckle, as the XT buckles are smaller. In summary... if both the donor XT and the recipient sedan/wagon have automatic belts, the XT seat swap is pretty much a bolt-in job! Unfortunately if you have an 85-89 car or seats from an 85-87 XT, you'll still need to do the old rail swap and mod.

The springs you want for the rear are the FRONT ones from an 86-89 Accord.

In a Loyale it may well be different. In my 87 wagon it looked just like that and was right next to the stereo. When I unplugged it the door chime immediately stopped working, and came back on when I plugged it back in.

That appears to be the "ding dong box", i.e. the controller for the door chime. Try leaving the key in the ignition and opening the door with it unplugged and the bell won't go off. Far as I know that's all it does.

$385 for a dual range is ridiculous. Is your car a turbo or nonturbo? If it's a nonturbo, all you need is the trans and shifters. When I have them I sell them for $125-$150 and wouldn't expect to pay any more. If you have a turbo, you need the above plus the rear diff and front axles. I wouldn't pay more than $60-75 for a used diff and no more than 20 each for used axles. Depending on the region, this stuff may be worth more or less. But no matter where you are, $385 is highway robbery.

I think it's time for you guys to take a road trip out my way. Here's a few reasons why... -New U-pull yard opened up -I went there today -Found 91 XT6 FT4WD 5sp -It has 83k on it -IT IS 100% INTACT AND UNTOUCHED -Only visible damage is rust-out on the bottoms of the fenders and frame rails, interior is still sealed and unspoiled -Here is the price list: http://www.sechristautoparts.com/images/price_list.jpg Guys handed me a price list at the door. It says engines are now $125. I actually laughed maniacally when I found this car. Come on guys, get your wrenches and let's go! Can't let the rednecks have this one! Of course there's also all the other Subie goodies around, such as a FT4WD nonturbo XT with 76k and minimal rust, a totally rust free Loyale, and more Legacies and EA82's than you can shake a stick at. Welcome to crash at my place or James' place up the street. Lots of fun, cookouts, and plenty of beer!

And if anyone has the same info for a 5 speed D/r swap into a 3AT car, post it as well. Gonna need reverse lights when inspection time comes up.

I second that. ANY Subaru 3-speed will at the very least bolt up to your bellhousing. Any 3-speed from an EA82 will work perfectly. I installed an 85 3-speed in my 92 Loyale and it matched up perfectly. Only thing different was the trans crossmember, though the crossmember mounts on the actual trans were the same, so I just re-used mine. The 4-speed is totally electronic. Also, it is physically quite a bit larger than the 3-speed, there's enough size difference to where they had to widen the trans tunnel to make this trans fit in the EA82 body. FYI, the 4-speed became available in 1987.

Yes, they did use those for the sunroofs. But this one in question came in every Loyale, sunroof or not. As said before it's for cranking up the seatbelts if they stop working. There's an acces hole with a dummy plug at the bottom of the b-pillar used to get to the motor.

Damn, sounds like you guys got your hands full. So what's the deal with TW6? Who owns it? Can't wait to see what you guys come up with for the Red Beast of Aaarrrgh. The car has a lot of potential. Seems like you all need to come out to WV to make a run to our huge salvage yard. You definitely have some projects needing parts. Would be cool to hang out again as well, I'll have plenty of potent beer around. Could try to get the VA guys to come up as well. And of course, we could always invite Skip.

No, these will not fit. Many compacts us a 4-lug pattern. There are two standard sizes. 4x100 and 4x114.3. Subaru uses a 4x140 pattern which is non-standard. Peugeot is the only other company to use this pattern.

So what happened upon landing?

Here's some pics of the infamous pimp interior in a junk 85 turbowagon (starting with the linked pic, and continuing for the 3 pics after it) http://usmb.net/gallery/albuo23/100_0205_001 I've also seen the pimp interior in an 85 GL-10, with the standard style seats and velour softer than the late model GL-10 seats. Good luck finding a set. Unfortunately this car in the pics has been crushed, seats and all.