WagonsOnly

Jack, if it could go wrong, it did. Actually...that first post you made here a year ago, where Paul and I commented that this engine/transmission combination was one of the worst Subaru ever made--please disregard. The engine seems to have some weepage at the heads, but the trans is shifting perfectly. However...the electrical system is shot (alt, voltage regulator, etc), it's consistently blowing the ignition fuse, the starter has a dead spot, only one brake drum is catching...it's an adventure for everyone involved. I have to express my extreme and profound gratitude for everyone who made this possible though--Jack, Russ, Paul, my dad, everyone who's replied to this post--and most especially Shawn. Thanks again.

Jon, leave the stuff accessible, (just not out in the elements) I need to go down to Danbury/Brewster anyway to show the car to Connie. I'll be down in a day or two.

We got back at 5:30 this morning. WagonsOnly Sr. took I-90 out of Ohio...sorry I didn't stop and get it, Jon. (I was asleep when he got off the Ohio Turnpike.) I will get in touch with everyone I owe cars/parts/money/numbers by this evening. Sorry it took so long...

And the trek continues..... We're in western Ohio now, 40 miles W of Toledo on the Ohio Turnpike. Should be to PA by 7:30ish...

I'm assuming you've got an EA81 based car? (seems to be the most common with speedo troubles.) You'll need to replace not the cable but the seal that goes around the cable where it exits the tranny. This seal dry-rots and tranny fluid ends up spiraling up the cable, into the speedo or somewhere else on its way to the dashboard. It's almost like a corkscrew, or an oil well drill, in the way it spirals and spews oil everywhere once the seal gives way.

As Noah said-it's not necessarily "old" engines that are worst off from the switch to synth-it's a combination of age and mileage. I'd be hesitant to use synth in anything over 5 years old or 50K miles if it's had dino oil in it previously (ie everything I own except my VW). I use Castrol 10W30 in summer in my '70s cars...no oil pump or leak issues so far.

The VIN code should be stamped either on the driver's door or driver's door post, and inside the engine compartment on the firewall. It should also be on any bill of sale, title, registration document or WOF sheet.

The pic looks kind of like my Mild Yellow wagon before I buffed it.

For seals--have them custom-made at a reputable auto trim shop. JCW won't send samples and you'll have to have them cut/fitted to spec. I have not done this yet, but I have called every single Subaru dealer in the country, as well as parts depots and SoA--you cannot get those seals anywhere unless there's some private individual with them NOS still. They can't even be ordered from Japan. However, they are the same as all Stage 1 seals with the exception of the rear gate. So if you find a parts car, grab 'em. (That's what I did.) As for the split tailgate, I'm interested, please PM me with price/details/shipping/color/dings/dents/rust. Thanks.

There sure is-it should be on the top of the radiator support, to the right of the hood latch. If not:Castle White-16Mild Yellow-36Vista Blue-41Vital Orange-43Twinkle Silver-54Regal Maroon-73Swell Green-77Brilliant Red-85Vibrant Green-86Regal Maroon was only available on the Evening Star 1400GF hardtop. Swell Green was for 4WD wagons only. Bear in mind that the paint probably won't match anyway-compare the paint under the door panels or carpet to see what it will actually look like when mixed, as opposed to the (probably faded) paint on the hood or roof. (No offense...but sun fading will do that to a 5-year-old car, and having a very expensive batch of alkyd enamel paint made off the paint code only to find it's unusable for touchup on your car without a complete respray would be a waste.)

You'll be the first to know. I hope. (If you aren't, AAA will be and I've got problems...)

I'm not going to leave you hanging on this one unless the car turns out to be rusting out underneath me on the trip home.

Not quite, the tire sits a bit lower, more similar to the EA82 design--the tire is positioned so that the rim will theoretically prevent the engine from going through the firewall and into your lap. Personally in a car that old I'll take all the protection I can get Also remember that there's a lot less crumple room on a Gen 1 as compared to the EA81s.

Er...drive carefully--the spare tire is actually part of your protection in a crash. I'm not pulling that out of my hat or idly speculating--later Subaru owners' manuals actually say so. :-/

The FF-1 will be on its way east in about a week. I'm making the arrangements with DAS now. There's a snowball's chance in Tucson it might even make the spring Carlisle meet...if not, the '73 is running great and the '75 will be home soon too.

Leave the C-pillars intact and have a 5-passenger trucklet like the Baja. It'll be more rigid, if the car has a sliding sunroof you'll still be able to use it, and your insurance company won't nail you for driving a two-seater (this gets reported at inspection time in some cases.) Then mount a rollbar behind the rear seats...you could probably put the rear seat from a sedan back there, just more upright...you might even be able to cut out the crossmember that goes over the top of the trunk, below the luggage shelf, in a junked sedan and weld it in for lateral rigidity.

If I were you I'd pull the carpets, get a closer look at the fuel filler neck and mount points for the gas tank, and the reinforcement areas near the seatbelts....that car does not look safe for rear passengers (correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you're missing some pretty hefty chunks in the area of the rear seatbelt mounts). And I would have to assume the gas tank is not so far behind. Best option would be to mount this car's innards in Bucky, or another donor body :-\ (Please take this opinion with a grain of BioMelt, I don't want to look like there's a conflict of interest here.)

I can mail you a copy of a dealer's purchase order for an '86 d/r 5spd, carbed wagon for $1200. With photos of my car, if necessary. It was purchased on or about 8/1.

There's a 2-in-3 chance that the orange wagon has a clamshell. Those were only offered in that color '72-'74.

I've reserved CT Antique plate "QDZTL" for my '73 wagon...any guesses?

Yup, that's my wagon too. It's been buffed out a bit since then as well...in the photos, from the left are me, subeman90, Hocrest, and the right rear taillight of subeman90's '05 OBS before he got rid of it. Also, grille-mounted turn signals started in either '74 or '75, I think.

Ahem. The manual transmission Justies have no problems? Of the four I've had, ALL have had the 2nd-gear synchro grind or give out entirely. But yes, they are great cars. (And what's wrong with it being transverse mounted? There's plenty of room to work around it so long as your car isn't A/C-equipped.)

Negative on that, there's supposed to be a hole in the dash for change or what have you. It's just a little cubbyhole on all '73s except the coupes, which came from the factory with a tach there in '72-'74, and models with the dealer-installed tach. It's not "aftermarket"-the dealer put it there. If I were you I'd leave it.

Weren't some '91s built at SIA? I know my '93 was...193K and no major problems except for a clutch replacement. The original lasted to 181K.

Jon, I think he wanted the FE motor for his coupe--the better to run 110 through New Jersey with