ShawnW

Here in Colorado my friend runs a car just like that (except its alot more beat up) in SCCA and hes doing REALLY well with it. The engine developed a rod knock but otherwise its been great. 4 races so far. 3 1st places and 1 2nd, and two races of having the fastest time of the day OVERALL beating out WRX, EVO's, heavily modded cars, etc. The power and traction to weight ratio make it very competitive. I like being his mechanic when hes winning thats for sure.

Theres an article in the USRM about axles. Its very doable at home. You will want a rebuilt axle, the torn boot is likely to have allowed grit&dirt or water into the bearings and its done for. The ATF is the red stuff, and its not clear it just looks that way. Spark plugs on a 2001 will be very easy. You are going to like working on this vehicle.

Its the truck tax they were avoiding. Also, I would rather see them in the back of a Toyota, Chevy, etc than crushed in a junkyard. At least they are still around!.

If braided lines are available I would go that route.

I will kindof agree on the years thing but.... The headlights are cooler in the round because you can get H4 conversions from EMPI that make the rounds way brighter than the 86 and up. $17 each and worth every penny. The 85 and up starter is more able to handle the 2.2's requirements but thats a 100 dollar item...go to an auto salvage and buy a newer starter. The relocation of the ECU to under the rear seat starts in 85. Thats a much better place for the Subaru one too. All the same you can put the ECU there in an 84 (I did). Otherwise the only other downside is age to me but at the same time as part of the conversion you should replace all of the cooling system, rebuild the engine or have it done, and consider rebuilding the transmission if you can afford it. To me its just...buy the nicest van you can afford but CONDITION of the van is way more important than age. I started with an 84 for $1000, rod went out in the VW engine but van chassis had 22400 miles on it when I started which was really worth it to me..the interior looks that mileage. If you want a Syncro of course that is an 86 and newer thing automatically.

The gauge wont go to waste either way. Lets humor him. GD's advice on the $60 pump is pretty good though. If you put a new one in and your OLD gauge reads higher now you know what was bad. IIRC that wire to the sender, if you ground that you should register 60PSI? Sorry if thats wrong but give it a try. If your gauge points at 55 you'd know.

He's saying he thinks its a fun challenge to see how many MPG he can achieve.

Its about time you found me a brat. Just kidding but nice brat!

Did you hook the tach up yet? Does the needle hop when cranks and then does it register when you get it to run on carb cleaner?

Probably best to get yours repaired by a shop that does tank reseals. Radiator repair shops do em quite often.

If you can figure out where to put a radiator and related cooling system parts then its doable. A heater of some kind would probably be nice too so figure out where to put a heater core and fan too.

Funny thing is I THINK the 97 bearing would be the same. One of the few parts that has stayed the same.

Id try silicone on it first to be sure thats what is causing the problem. If it is then replace the part.

You dont have to discharge the AC but its possible they bumped the bolt on the line at the compressor and some leaked out.

If you have a 2.2 or 2.5L engine you can use the Vanagon conversion oil pans that are shortened. Kennedy Engineered Products (www.kennedyeng.com ) and smallcar.com both offer them. As for the radiator you could do like MikeW did and put it under the hood or use a shorter one and modify the radiator supports. Custom radiators can be had from a lot of shops just change some tanks and cores I think its around 200 bucks to have done.

BELT. And its DURABLE!

Its on the back of the intake manifold with a 5/8 hose tucked onto it. Its threaded in and requires a 19MM wrench to remove it. A ratchet wrench is wonderful for em.

Something is stuck in the carburator. It needs to either be removed manually or you need to get the engine real warm and hope it melts.

Whats that do?

Ive got a STI in my garage I would let go cheaply. Its got a crack from the accident it was in but was pretty decent. Comes with the hood chunk too.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57886

If I remember right its a very specific bulb and the dealer should have just the bulb available. Its not fun to get out on an SVX if I remember right too so its going to be slightly easier on the Outback but not fun.

Id like to setup a campout in Colorado for anybody that owns a Subaru powered Vanagon or is thinking of doing a conversion. Suggestions on a date are appreciated!

Well we just got back from our first camping weekend in it. More repairs and refinements to go but it is worthy already and thats all that matters. Lake Pueblo State park. Had an electric hookup at the site and got to try out the fridge, which worked on 110V. Still havent tried putting LP in the tank to see if the stove or fridge on that mode work.

The really nicely done cars have a really deep one color paint scheme to em. Those deep orange, deep blue, etc cars with alot of metalic. Subarubrat's paint job comes to mind. (subarubrat.com)