Giant

Just sold her today. $900 in case anyone is comparing prices. Don't know why the video link wasn't working though.

Here's a video tour of the car http://youtu.be/VR2Ui7i-vd4. The rust is maybe a little worse than I remember, but then again my other car is from Michigan. Kinda skews your perspective on rust.

Selling my '78 wagon in the Seattle area if anyone is looking for one. I've listed it at $1200 on CL (expecting the standard CL haggling) but am open to any reasonable offers including trades for a motorcycle. She runs great but the body and interior show their years. Minimal surface rust, and the hood is pretty beat up but still functional. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4523434649.html

http://www.vehicleidentificationnumber.com/vin-decoder/subaru-car.html

http://jalopnik.com/5933797/1978-subaru-gl-wagon-the-jalopnik-classic-review Can't say I agree with his assessment of some areas, but does provide a direct link to our corner of the internet when referring to the nuts who think these are collectibles! Either way its good to know that there are a few left in this good of condition.

If the hole isn't too big, JB Weld works pretty good. Just make sure you clean it down to bare metal first. If the hole is big enough to need a patch, fiberglass with a POR 15 coating inside the tank will work great. Good luck finding anyone who will weld on a gas tank. Both methods are really just buying you time, so be on the lookout for a new tank. The JB Weld lasted quite a few year on my El Camino though.

I did change the u-joints in my driveshaft. I've also previously changed the u-joints in the rear pass. axle. I guess all my driveline stuff is wearing out after 34 years. I still think I need to clean and grease the CV joints in the front. Plus the front right wheel bearing is making some noise. Eventually. I haven't done any comparison of w/ and w/out 4WD, but I usually try not to go too fast in 4WD anyway. I do still have harmonic vibrations over 60, but I'm hoping cleaning and greasing the CVJ will help that.

When the vibrations first got really bad, I did find a broken tranny mount and replaced both of them. After replacement it was fine for about 5 miles of driving then the vibration came back, so I'm not sure if the broken mount was cause or effect. However the violent vibrations are gone after repacking the DOJ. Whats the best way to check the motor mounts? I've grabbed the motor by the valve covers and tried to lift up and don't get much movement (I'm assuming I could probably lift this motor out by hand if it was completely unbolted). I don't want to just replace them on a hunch because they run about $50 a piece.

I finally had a chance to take the DOJ out and didn't find any play in the transmission output shaft or seal covers. I did go ahead and clean the DOJ and repack it with grease. The vibrations are a bit better, nothing violent but i think I'm back to the level of vibration I'm used to in this car. The HTKYSA manual mentions if the bearings in the DOJ fall out easily or the casing is severely worn it should be replaced. I wasn't sure how to quantify that though. I could pop the bearings out by applying a bit of pressure to them and there were some wear marks but nothing severe enough that I could catch my fingernail on it (my general gauge for if something is worn or not). Should the bearings not be removable, and how much wear is too much? I also came up with a pretty clever way to separate the DOJ without needing help to pull the wheel outward: hook one end of a bungee cord on a wheel spoke, wrap it around your leg below the calf and hook the other end to another wheel spoke. Now you can lean in to pull the DOJ apart and just use your foot to leverage the wheel out so it can be slipped around the tranny output spline.

I had the same problem with the shifter hitting the tranny while trying to shift into reverse. I wrapped a piece of an aluminum can around the input to the tranny to fill the space of the worn down metal. It's still sloppy, but way tighter than it was.

Yes its the 78 4WD wagon in the picture. Sorry, forgot to include that. It does have a 4 speed in it currently and I was hoping not to have to replace it! I'll check the seal plates tomorrow. I'm assuming the axle shaft needs to be removed for that? I supposed I should also just pull the axle and take a looksee in there to figure out what the heck is going on.

I'm having some serious vibration issues that I think I have narrowed down to the DOJs but I'm not convinced they are bad. I get crazy vibrations under load, but only once the car is warmed up and i've driven about 5 miles. I removed the spare tire and grabbed the passenger side DOJ and if I shake it up and down there is a lot of movement, but it seems to be at the base of the joint where it goes into the transmission. There is no play in the joint itself, no torn boots and it does not click when turning. Is there a bearing or something in the transmission that I can replace or is this a sign of a bad axle?

On the bottom left side of the housing there is a pin that holds the cylinder in place. Its small and hard to find but it is there. If you drill a small hole next to the pin you can use a pick pull it out. Once the pin is out the whole cylinder can be removed from the housing and then take it to a locksmith. Tumblers are probably shot. I did this with the housing removed from the column but I can't think of a reason why it couldn't be done with it still installed.

Sorry I don't know about the inlet screen but I do have another suggestion: The tank is pretty easy to remove, 5 bolts on the tank, 4 on the axle (has to be lowered to get the tank around the rear diff) and it drops right out. Find a radiator shop than will steam clean your tank and get all the gunk out. If you don't you'll be contaminating your gas a little at a time. If there are any rusty spots that worry you get a can of POR-15 gas tank coating and slosh it around inside. Seals everything and protects from future corrosion an leaks. This worked wonders on my El Camino and its a pretty cheap solution.

Picked up a spring at Ace, along with a 1" fender washer and a snap ring to hold it in place. Works like new now.

This forum has rapidshare links for a scanned copy of a 79-94 subaru repair manual: http://www.ausubaru.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-16439.html Couple of other manuals listed further down on the page.

Got it all sorted out, here's how it went: I ended up pulling my passenger side door lock to get the key code and had the locksmith cut a key for $20. I then tried this key on my ignition cylinder after thoroughly cleaning it with WD-40 and then carb cleaner to get the metal shavings out. Key didn't work, but I'm thinking this makes sense because the collar has breakaway safety bolts that weren't broken off yet. So it is probably a replacement. The locksmith also told me how to remove the lock cylinder from the collar: There is a small pin in the side of the case that holds the cylinder in place (circled in red in the photo below). Drill a small hole, e.g. 1/16", next to the pin and use a pick to pry it up till you can grab it with pliers and pull it out. The cylinder will slide right out, no key required. I then took the ign cylinder back to the locksmith and had him re key it to match my door locks for $24. So I now have a key for my car that matches the doors, trunk hatch, and ignition! Oddly doesn't work on the glovebox, but there is a code sticker inside the box if I ever want that one cut. Only thing I haven't sorted out is the spring that engages the column lock. I'm going to rummage thru the hardware bins at Ace until I figure something out for that.

Hmm, the Datsun search is turning up some possibilities. I'm going to conquer this beast and will post back with some results!

Sounds like it. The cylinder in my El Camino is pretty easy to remove if you have the key, just stick a paper clip in a small hole in the front and the cylinder will turn past start and the whole thing pulls out. Was hoping it was similar. I've decided that I don't particularly about having an ignition key, but would like a copy for the doors.

So it's not possible to remove the cylinder? Even just to get the code off it to make key copies for the door?

Found the ignition cylinder from my car in the cubby under the glove box. It looks to be damaged and I'm not sure if it works or not. Would like to take the cylinder to a locksmith and have a key cut so I would at least have one for the doors, if not the ignition itself. Can someone describe to me how to remove the cylinder without having a key? Here is a pic of what I have. Here is a pic of some of the damage on the case, not sure if this affects the operation of the column lock at all:

raging squirrel- thanks for the tip on forming a smaller line, going to give that a try. otherwise, it looks like i'm headed to the internet!

I agree with you there but I've checked the auto parts and hardware stores and can't seem to find 7/16 tubing in fuel line or vinyl. any ideas?

Anyone have any luck with replacing the vent hose that connects from the vent port at the top of the gas tank to the filler neck? Mine was cut and plugged off which prevented fuel from entering the tank at normal pump speed. I replaced it but the port seems to be an odd size (7/16"). Cant get a 3/8" hose on and a 1/2" leaks. This is on a 78 wagon.

give it the "two lane blacktop" flat grey paint job. looks rat without letting the rust take over