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1983 GL Wagon build thread

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  • Views 19.5k
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  • 83subaruGLchick
    83subaruGLchick

    This is the day I first bought the GL. Bought it with 375K miles on it. Unsure if the the original motor or trans all I know. Is it is a 4 speed dual range and an EA81.   

  • 83subaruGLchick
    83subaruGLchick

    And another from that weekend. 

  • 83subaruGLchick
    83subaruGLchick

    Hi! My names Ivy and I figured I should start a build page for my GL this way I can keep track of everything at the same time sharing it with all of you!!  So a quick background on the car..I ori

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Nice job on your rebuild. Even for a soob, that is alot of miles. 

  • Author

Okay so much to update you guys on. So what I thought was a shocks, struts, tie rod(inner and outer) and ball joints job turned into a brake lines in the front, parking brake cable, rotors in the front, pads in the front, tie rods(inner and outer), ball joints, bearings, seals, shocks, struts, steering stabilizer bellows, passenger side cv axle and a lift kit job. Once I started tearing it all apart I realized all of that was either bad or close to needing replacement so I just am doing all of it at once figured why not right? Anyways so I’m in the middle of that and am currently waiting on the bearings and lift kit to come in to put it all together in the main time I’ve replaced almost everything else on that list, sanded down the fender wells and painted them, cut the front fenders, finished deleting the smog pump stuff, painted and sanded down the front end, finally repainted my rear spoiler and I think that’s it. Pics of all this progress to follow 

  • Author

The new and improved front wheel wells lol I think I’m also going to do that shifter bushing upgrade I read about on this forum somewhere while I’m doing all this other stuff 

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  • Author

What the rear looks like currently I’m gonna start tearing it apart next luckily I’m only doing shocks and painting and sanding back here. It should not take nearly as long as the front has....:clap:

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You'll love the painted guards - so easy to clean out and they look schmick when they're clean too!

Will you be doing the rest of the underside of the vehicle?

Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Bennie

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author
On 2/27/2019 at 2:02 AM, el_freddo said:

You'll love the painted guards - so easy to clean out and they look schmick when they're clean too!

Will you be doing the rest of the underside of the vehicle?

Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Bennie

I’m slowly tackling almost everything. To be honest I don’t think I’ll do the whole undercarriage I just don’t have the resources for that. 

Edited by 83subaruGLchick

26 minutes ago, 83subaruGLchick said:

I’m slowly tackling almost everything. To be honest I don’t think I’ll do the whole undercarriage I just don’t have the resources for that. 

Yeah fair enough. I’ve done my firewall back down to the rear suspension including the wheel arches etc. 

I had everything out already - gearbox and the front end. Can’t remember why I had the front end out, gearbox was out for a rebuild so I did the paint work while I was there. 

Cheers 

Bennie

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

Alright guys my lift kit came in over the weekend and I’m in the process of putting it in which is super exciting. The new rear shocks I have don’t fit the mounting holes are too small for the upper mount so I’m in the process of fixing that. Finally finished sanding/removing/painting most of the rust. She’s coming along! 

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  • Author

I’m also kind of starting to look around for a dash assembly for my car. It’s the dark blue I don’t NEED one but mine is pretty cracked so if I can find one I’d like to replace it. :) 

Keep up the good work! It’s looking awesome.  I would be so shattered if I found this on my guards - I’m about to look under the windscreen rubber of my brumby and I’m expecting it to not be pretty under there :( 

On 2/27/2019 at 6:02 PM, 83subaruGLchick said:

The pretty newly painted rear spoiler 

F8B572CC-2A17-4DDC-B8D9-0450C8E1CB19.jpeg

I missed this post - where did you get the spoiler from and do you have any pics of it fitted yet? 

Cheers 

Bennie

  • Author
On 3/21/2019 at 12:45 AM, el_freddo said:

Keep up the good work! It’s looking awesome.  I would be so shattered if I found this on my guards - I’m about to look under the windscreen rubber of my brumby and I’m expecting it to not be pretty under there :( 

I missed this post - where did you get the spoiler from and do you have any pics of it fitted yet? 

Cheers 

Bennie

These spoilers to my understanding came stock on some model years, when I bought my car it had the mounting for one but it was removed.  Luckily I was at Pick n Pull here locally one day and found a pretty destroyed GL that had this one on it! So I jumped on it.  It also had the cyclops eye but every part was taken already I could only tell because the mounting bracket for the light was still there...

  • Author

Old shocks VS. New shocks for the lift.  I'm surprised how much bigger they are.   The upper mounting holes didn't line up like they're supposed to so I'm in the process of drilling those out.  

UPDATE ON THE LIFT:

It's in, just the rear shocks aren't because of the fitting issue, I'm gonna finish putting the front end back together this week/weekend hopefully so it should drive out of the garage by Sunday if all goes according to plan.  Then I gotta start the engine swap.... which I still am about 1,000-1,500 out on which sucks especially since now my STI needs my money too 2 MONEY PITS IS NOT FUN! 

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