Giant

yeah i was shocked at his offer, but like i said, I couldn't refuse. I feel a little odd having the car without having actually paid for it. Take care of that as soon as he gets back.

In case its not obvious, I went ahead and bought the car. Guy made me an offer I couldn't refuse: A 3 week test drive to see if I thought I could fix it while he is out of the country and then I can buy it from him for $500 if I want. I want. The body is is pretty good shape except for the hood which is seriously dented and the hinges are f-ed up. Everything seems to be there, but the electrical gremlins are still persisting. I figured out that the original blinker switch is missing so I taped the toggle switch next to the arm so at least the canceler cam works. I'll add a pic of that tomorrow, it's pretty hilarious, but works. Biggest problems persisting is that the tail and dash lights do not work. I checked the fuses and all the connections in the dash but haven't narrowed it down yet. I'm thinking there is a short somewhere. Also the fuel, temp and speedo gauges do not work. I read in the manual that if both the fuel and temp gauges do not work then there is a voltage regulator that controls them both and it is likely the culprit. Anyone know where this regulator is located and/or what it looks like? The speedo is a weird one because the odometer still works fine and it is my understanding that they are directly connected. Any thoughts on my remaining electrical problems would be a huge help. This is my least favorite area of working on cars.

Took the shift linkage apart and there was surprisingly no bushing. Probably part of the problem because there was a lot of play due to the linkage wearing down the tranny input shaft. Cut a shim out of an aluminum can an viola! fixed. I have reverse! Now onto the electrical gremlins: does anyone have a diagram or can provide a picture of what the wiring should look like for the blinkers and the horn inside the steering column. I think the contacts went bad and someone jimmy rigged the blinkers with a toggle switch and cut a few of the other wires. The high/low switch for the headlights still works so I'm assuming that's the red wires. Blue maybe the horn (it doesn't work either), and i've got no clue about the extra green wire with the round terminal on the end.

I'm looking at purchasing a 78 Leone wagon I found on craigslist. Went for a test drive yesterday and it is in pretty good running order except for the tranny. There is a lot of side to side movement in the shifter while it is in gear (almost feels like it is still in neutral) and it will not easily shift into reverse. Takes a lot of fussing and most of the times that I tried I couldn't get it to shift. Anybody know if this could be some kind of linkage issue that could be easily adjusted or does it need a rebuild? Also the car has quite a few electrical gremlins in the dash. Most of the idiot lights didn't work and the temp gauge would steadily increase while the blinker was on. Any ideas there? Any input is much appreciated, I'm excited about the possibility of owning a vintage Subaru but need something that is somewhat reliable and not a major project while I am in school.