esteveW Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I'm going to pick up a Donor car tomorrow that hasn't been on the road for 10 years. It was moved recently so I know the wheels roll and brakes are released (I'm told). However, the seller says the tires go flat after a month or so which causes me some concern since I want to haul it on my dolly. Since it is 5spd D/R I can put it the transfer case in 2 WD (front) and leave the rear wheels on the ground. There is no spare and it's to late to go to the junk yard for and extra tire or spare. The Donor car is about a 87 wagon and I'm not sure of the wheel or bolt pattern. I have a Gen1 Brat here with a couple extra wheels and I could rob it for a spare tire if the bolt pattern is the same. Will this work?? I have about 120 miles of freeway driving and don't want to have to swap front tires to rear if I have a tire go out. It wouldn't be easy to take a tire off the front while the car is on the dolly. Suggestions or comments welcome. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoo Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Same bolt pattern, though your brat wheels may not clear the front calipers. I'd bring 'em just in case, or you could probably mount them on the rears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esteveW Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 Great, that would work, since the he will have all the tires pumped up when I get there and the fronts will be on the dolly. If the fronts go flat, not a problem. I just tighten the tire straps. I appreciate the quick reply and good news. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Ten-year old tires that have been flat will have flat spots you won't believe. Don't plan on them making that 120 mile trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esteveW Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 That is what I'm worried about. I'll take a couple of my Brat tires. If it were a week day (non holiday), I'd just stop by the local junk yard and get a couple spares. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeke Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 where are you picking up the car at? if it's south on I-5 I've got some tires down here in napavine you can use...(wheels too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esteveW Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 Thanks, However it's north east of me in Graham. Was found abandon in a pasture. I'll have to deal with the paper work but I want the tranny. It should be a 87ish ea82 but don't know if it is a turbo. I hope not. But if I'm getting the whole car and that means I have the drive train, axles and differental from end to end. I hope the ground isn't too soft since all the rain. My truck is 4x4 but winching the car onto the dolly may be a problem on low tires and soft ground. I have a really crappy winch on my dolly. I'd take my trailer with a new electric winch but the steer on the car is locked (no keys) and guiding it up the ramps could be a problem. I don't want to deal with disconnecting the steering column right now. Dolly line-up will be much easier. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 ANY old subaru will have the same bolt pattern, but ONLY old subarus will. 4x 140mm is the bolt pattern. only ea82/ea81 cars and previous has this bolt pattern. Peugeot 505 or 504 or 604 is the only other car in the world that uses the same pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 wow this sounds like fun! if you take enough blocks/jacks/wood you can jack the car off the ground and slide the dolly under it and avoid steering/pulling it. it's a job but i've done it before. pump the tires before you leave and i'll bet they'll be fine getting where you need to go. i've towed tons of cars that have been sitting for years. if they got air, they're not likely to dump it all in an hour. take two cans of fix a flat and dump it in for good measure. as for abandoned and no title - just yank what you want and scrap it. might not need to do paper work. In maryland, PA, or WV, i've scrapped cars in all those states without any title or paper work. You can do it yourself or call one of the local "junk men" in the newspaper - they'll usually know how or have connections to junk yards that will take just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 wow this sounds like fun! pump the tires before you leave and i'll bet they'll be fine getting where you need to go. i've towed tons of cars that have been sitting for years. if they got air, they're not likely to dump it all in an hour. take two cans of fix a flat and dump it in for good measure. be careful with this. i have driven/towed on old and dryrotted tires. you can get by with them. but my experience with old nylon tires is if you air them up good and all the way they blow apart or rip out. air them up enough that they roll and dont wallow around, but keep the psi's within 28 or 30 lbs, dont air them up too tight. take a good look at the sidewalls on each tire. it wnt hurt to have a good known tire as a spare. if you tow on a dolly, and you pop a tire, put the bad one on the front and move a front to the back and keep rolling! if you have 2 spares, put them on the back of the vehicle in tow as the front wont matter on a dolly use a comealong with a chain if the winch is too crappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esteveW Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 Made it home on the original set of tires. The fellow I got it from thought they all were flat but it turned out that they has just settled in to the soft ground. The right front was flat but it held air and is still up now. This car was a good "Score"!! '87 GL wagon with only (for a subaru) 137k miles. The only thing missing off the engine was the distributer. Couldn't try to roll it over since No Keys or battery. Now that I'm home (and once it stops raining) I will put a wrench on the engine and see if it will turn over. Some Meth-Head has stolen the Cat. converter Recent saw cuts. The body has some rust through and very wet interior. I don't think I will try and fix it up since I wanted it for the drive train. Anyone else could make it a daily driver. On the title!! Here in WA we have to have a title before we can take it to a scrap yard. If it is declared abandon, by the County "Clean up Inspector" he will take pictures, find the last owners name and address. With his paper work, I have to send the last owner a demand letter, to claim/remove it with in 10 days. After waiting the 10 days, if he doesn't respond, I can junk it with the County Inspectors paper. Or I can take it to the State Inspection Station and have the VIN and equipment verified (he's looking for motor or major parts from stolen vehicles). I then pay a $50 inpection fee and other state licensing fees and will get a "reconstructed" title. In my experience, these titles are NOT branded, since they were never declared TOTALLed. This will only work if the vehicle has the appearance of a Junker. Don't start cleaning or restoring missing stuff until after the first Junker inspection, by the county. Thanks for all the interest and advice. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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