jmr052

Jeff, I am not sure how close to Colorado Springs you are but there was a mid-80s 200sx in the yard east of 25 near B street (Fort Carson). Grab the rear calipers and be happy. You will need to use the piece from the subaru that bolts into the backing plate as the one on the Nissan is too fat. And as mentioned in the thread you looked up , you will also need to figure out a handle and routing of the cable. My new brakes might be done this weekend but the ebrake part is going to have to wait until I get a couple of more pieces. Jay

Tyler, I am sure that quite a few of the preceding posts have been a bit confusing. My suggestion to you would be to go to your local parts yard, the one in Lynnwood seems to get a lot of press on this board from the locals. Once there, just start taking a good look at the mechanicals of the 2wd and 4wd drive subarus of the same year ( Or a range that makes sense, ie: all ea82 cars). Doing this will give you a couple of good "ah ha" moments. Changing from 2 to 4 wd isn't hard and taking the parts off the of donor car yourself or with your helpers will get you familiar with the procedure. In fact you could do the entire switch at the yard first before tackling your car if you really want to be careful. Attn others: Will he have to get a new fuel tank or is that only for the ea81 switchero? Jay

She got the lift and tires in about 82. She says that she had a hard time finding a place that would do it (Denver area) and the name is lost in wine, I mean time . Jay

Brian, She no longer has the vehicule, sold in '84 for an '85 Blazer. Jay

These are pics of my partner's , she thinks 1981 brat. She bought it new before she got out of high school and got the lift and the rims. Don't ask, she has no idea over 20 years later about details. And no that isn't me in the back as we have only been together about 7 years. Enjoy. http://www.jayrohrer.com/pictures/brat/brat_1.jpg http://www.jayrohrer.com/pictures/brat/brat_2.jpg http://www.jayrohrer.com/pictures/brat/brat_3.jpg Jay Rohrer

Does anyone know if the arms are driven directly off of the motor or if there are gears to drive the arms?

It has been quite a few years since I have been through Boone. That entire area is very beautiful. Yes it is small! Although Ashville isn't all that far away, but then again Ashville is only something like 300k. Several small ski hills in the area that you can hit during the week, too many people go on the weekend. I am sure that there are a large number of off road trails in the area to give your suby a good workout. ASU has a good reputation in the state for a "small" school. You have to put it in the perspective of State, UNC and Duke being just down the road. Personally I would go for it as long as a small town doesn't scare you. Jay

I might be able to make it to this one. It depends upon.................... work. Go figure! Jay

Interesting. I used the calculator to figure out the difference in MPH if I changed the RX tranny to 3.9 from 3.7. At about 3000rpm in 1st, there is only a 1 MPH difference and at 4000rpm in 5th there is only a ~4 MPH difference. Makes me wonder if it is worth doing. I think it would be better to have the 1.592 low range and keep the rest the same, 3.7. This would make for some great 0-60ish times with the turbo. Jay

I thought that ShawnW was doing the 5-lug to his ea81T wagon. Jay

Is there an alternative to using the "special" brake tool to get the piston back into the bore? Thanks, Jay

I use 91 for my 125 mile round trip commute everyday from Manitou to Denver. I have tried to go cheaper (87) but the car just doesn't seem to like it. I drive an '89 Turbo Touring Wagon. Jay

I ...........for a header only to the new style turbo. Jay

Richie is right on the money. As a first car and low on cash, the turbo model's special stuff is a large pain. Gaskets are more and if you have any work done around the engine it is more because of all of the heat shields. I know, I own one and both work on it myself and also send it to the shop. I know that an engine pull or tranny change would take me several hours less if it weren't for the turbo stuff. So, first car, low on green, work on it yourself (or not) = carb or spfi model. Because unless you get lucky, you will most likely be resealing it once within the next two years. I know that the turbo model will run about $900 at the shop. It is much easier to do yourself w/o the turbo. But I would stay w/ the ea82 engine. Lots of them in the area JYs and you can "upgrade" easily. Then you will have the money to get a 5 lug swap, 4x4 if the one you get doesn't, RX tranny perhaps, XT6 tranny instead maybe. Lots of fun possibilities. My .02 Jay Manitou Springs, Co

Pretty much says it all. The alignment shop has some special bolts to help w/ the positive camber that has occured after the 5-lug swap but I need to know the correct size to buy. Has anyone ever seen these bolts, or used them? They are a bit strange looking as the part in the middle is a small cam and that is what creates the adjustment. Thanks, Jay

Not all stripes are 390. I have 3 of the stripes and they are 15". Just be careful and look on the wheel, it will tell you all you need to know. Jay

Surprisingly no one has yet suggested that you find the car w/ the engine that you want and then do a swap on the transmission. As long as you get a manual car it is easy. Since you live in Colorado, a close second to the NW for being Suby heaven, you will be able to find a D/R transmission at the JY quite easily. I have an 89 Turbo Touring Wagon and swapped in a FT4wd D/R tranny from an RX. I did it myself but it would have been alot easier with another body to help on the install.

21 is pretty consistent. I drive mostly highway at about 80mph. I am running on 195/60/15 tires. The mpg has been corrected for the tires. Although with the new engine it looks like the mpg will improve. Jay Denver, Co

Two TTWs w/ the back trim. I might need to make a trip to Finland! Jay

My '89 turbo wagon is surging/hesitating really bad between about 3-4k rpm. It has has a loss of power. #2. At idle the idiot oil light flickers/comes on even with the proper amount of oil. Yes I have a pretty bad oil leak. Not really sure where but suspect the oil pump seal. I have changed out the plugs, wires, dist cap/rotor, coil within the last 3k miles but was having the same(not quite as bad) issue before then. Thoughts? Thanks, Jay

What engines came in the 86 4wd 2dr coupe? I don't think it is an RX as it has a GL badge on the back. I will get the VIN soon to make sure. Has anyone done a lift on this beast? Pictures? Thanks, Jay

I tow my 89 wagon behind my RV. I had a cheap tow bar, took off the bumber cover to install the brackets to the meat of the bumber. Works great. Jay

Start up and drive. Temp gauge doesn't move and I have no heat. 10 miles later same thing and then the gauge will move to the the halfway mark and I have heat, instantly. Turn off the car after it is at OT. Start up, no heat and the gauge starts climbing toward the red. Then Bam! Hot air starts blowing and the gauge drops to normal. Within the last 10k miles: New--2 row rad, WP, 180-Tstat, most hoses. What is going on? Thanks, Jay '89 TTW, 5-lugs, FT4WD D/R

Well I got some sort of hose from........Napa and it was black. It looks to be a lot better hose than the one coming off the car, disreguarding the small split in the old one. On a more helpful note, I remember someone bending a hemostat to actuate the spring clamp that hold it on under the manifold. I did this and still couldn't get the spring clamp to go on so I used a zip tie. It hasn't leaked yet (one day and counting). So what other tricks do you guys use to clamp that hose w/o taking off the intake? Thanks, Jay

I disconnected the outboard plug near the AC fuse under the hood. The idle returned to normal. Now I just have to figure out what is wrong before the hot weather returns in 5 months. Thanks for all of the info Skip. Jay