TROGDOR!

Flog as usual. Should be fine.

That Crutchfield unit will also accept a normal type stereo, I believe the section for the knobs is removable. I had one of those once as well, looked pretty slick. The Metra one isn't so bad either, it's what I have now. Most people don't even realize it isn't factory. There is no perfect way to do this- either use an adapter, let the radio hang out an inch, remove your heater, or mount it somewhere else- that's it.

92 Loyales were all 3AT's. The 4EAT in the EA82 body style was discontinued after 1990. You sure they're even giving you one for a Loyale?

I think VW was actually the first to have 4WD in a car. Back in WW2 the German army used a vehicle based on the VW bug that employed 4WD. The line is kind of blurred to if it's really a "car" though. Kinda like the Brat, is it a car or a truck? Depends on who you ask.

That would be (304) 225-7823. The guy that runs the place is really friendly and knows his Subes. He let me have a dipstick on deposit when my belt broke on the interstate and threw mine to God-knows-where. Deposited $5, got the dipstick, and when I brought back the one from a parts car, he gave me the $5 back. Good guy.

Wagon struts will work, but will push the car up even higher.

Yes, L-series shocks and struts are a direct bolt-in, but they will lift the car. Closest you can get to original XT equipment is front struts from a 2WD L-series sedan or coupe, and rear struts from a 4WD sedan and coupe. The car will still sit too high, but shouldn't have any drivability issues.

Not exactly NC, but much closer than the west coast... there's a yard in southwestern PA that has a 79 wagon 4x4 4-speed, trans is yours for $85, you-pull.

Pics pics pics!! I (and many people here) have never seen an FF-1 outside of the Subaru catalogs, in ANY condition. Let's see it!!

Wow, I think every automatic RX I've seen has been black. Nice score!

Keep a close eye on your gauges too, scanning every few seconds. When my accessory belt broke, I caught it before the temp gauge was even 3/4 of the way up, no damage done. I also noticed the voltage gauge drop at the same time. I've learned to treat these cars with kid gloves when something goes wrong, so whenever I get any abnormal reading on the gauges, I check it out. Better safe than sorry. One minor problem can spiral into a disaster if you don't catch it fast enough...

I tried putting a GL radiator in an XT I had a few years ago, and it wouldn't fit under the core support. Too tall. Better yet, measure the height of yours, then run up to the yard and measure theirs. If they actually are the same size, then there must have been something else I did wrong. Anyone got either an XT or GL radiator laying around that they can measure? I'd measure the one in the RX, but it's pitch black out and dumping snow right now. If nobody has any measurements by tomorrow, I'll measure mine when it's light out and post the numbers.

No, it will not. The GL radiator is several inches too tall.

The car's a 94 Loyale, so info on disabling the clutch switch would be good too.

The FWD rear struts are actually longer than the 4WD ones. Don't ask me how that works, somehow it does- but they're quite a bit longer.

Use the front struts from a 2WD 85-91 XT 4cyl, with your RX springs on them. It will bring the front down about 1.5 inches, and the fender lip will be just above the edge of the tire. The bottom of the strut itself is shorter, and by doing this you actually won't lose any suspension travel. Keeping the RX springs will allow you to keep your firm handling, as the XT springs are very soft. Using the XT springs will also drop the car low enough to scrape the tires on hard turns; using the RX springs on the XT struts will bring it up just enough for the tires to clear, and it'll still look nice and low. For the rears, you can use the rear springs from the same XT, mounted on your original RX struts. This will drop it to match the front, but the rear will be squishy as hell- expect it to bottom out when you hit a big bump, and ride on the bump stops when you have people in the backseat. I'm planning to cut a coil off an RX rear spring when I work on my project next and see where that puts me, but be warned, that's half-assing the job as well. The only QUALITY way to do the rear is to order custom-made springs online- they're not all that expensive, anyone got the link? Here's what an RX looks like with 14" Peugeot wheels and 2WD XT front struts with RX springs, and RX rear struts with 2WD XT springs. Like I mentioned, the ride on the rear end is total crap, and I really recommend doing the rears differently.

Defrost still works fine with no A/C, you just have to put a little heat into it, maybe 1/3 up the slider. Running it on cold will fog the windows even worse.

If it has the front skirt and rear wing, and is push button 4WD, it's a Loyale RS. They were available both with and without turbo. Neither has any special equipment, but the turbo version, just like any turbo Soob, can be quite fun... As long as the body isn't rotted to hell, always a good deal for $300. And if it is a turbo, even if the body is rotted out, a solid turbo engine is worth $300.

You mentioned keeping your hand on the shifter- so the car is a dual range with the lever-style shifter? That would eliminate it being a possible vacuum issue, as that 4WD system has no vacuum connections. Stupid question, but... you ARE pushing the clutch in when you start the car, right? Even with it in neutral? The hi/lo shifter can indeed be adjusted, and if it's hitting the body, it can pop out of lo. I can't remember how to do it, but I know others here can...

Bah, humbug. Try it again now.

If it's a Loyale and not a GL or RX, it'd be a 1990- that's the only year they made the Loyale in that body style. No comment on the Dukes idea.

What does the area around the top of the strut look like, where it bolts to the car? If that area is rusted out or collapsed, the car is trashed and can't be fixed. If it's solid and straight, then my bet would be that thick bar where the suspension mounts to- though it doesn't look collapsed either, but with rust like that, it could be the culprit. That bar, which you referred to as the pipe, can be removed. It's probably a 2 hour swap job by yourself and involves lots of tough bolts and bleeding the brakes, but it's fairly straightforward and can be done without too much trouble. Probably will need to replace the rear shocks and both swing arms on each side of the suspension, as after riding like that there's no way they'll be straight, and probably won't line up to bolt back together.

Adding onto what the Dr. says... The part time 4WD turbo D/R's were only offered on the 85-86 RX, and could be special ordered on 85-86 turbo cars. So, if it's got a 3-position D/R lever and it's 87 or newer, it's 3.9. Easiest way to tell- count axle splines. 3.7 D/R of any type = 25 spline axle stubs. 3.9 D/R of any type = 23 spline stubs.

Remove the back half of the drive shaft, and engage the diff lock to run it in FWD. That wouldn't throw off the results, would it?

Loosen the lug nuts to just a little tighter than finger tight, then drive around in a circle in both directions. DON'T drive the car more than a couple hundred feet like this!