Ever Victorious Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Well, thanks to Scoobywagon, Freebiemobile made it home today. The resurrection process can begin. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=14593 Here are a few shots I quickly snapped. I'm also glad Scoobywagon was there to take a look at the car with me as well, because if it was just me alone, I probably would have freaked out and run away. At first sight, I noticed that in addition to the rear hatch glass being broken, the rear quarter glass on both sides was not hanging correctly. The hood was stuck closed, all four brakes were frozen, one tire was flat, and the interior was, well, a loss. But I also noticed something else... though the VIN indicates the car is a Standard hatchback, the badging on the rear as well as some equipment found in the car indicates that it is actually a DL hatchback. Well, we had to haul her out from around the side of a house, and when we hooked up a tow rope and started pulling, the brakes broke free very quickly, and the car could easily roll on its own. Put air in all tires, and swapped a rotting tire from the rear to the front so SW could put it on his dolly and we could have 2 good tires on the ground. So.... now that I've got her in my garage, I can see some stuff about her... The hood wasn't fused or broken, there was just so much debris under the hood seams from being parked under a tree that it was stuck. it now opens fine. The rear quarter glass on both sides are simply missing a couple pieces of mounting hardware, which I may even have the parts laying around my garage to fix... (and if not, Home Despot would have it). The body is in PHENOMENAL condition, all things considered. The hood has a couple dents in it, and there's some rust spots, but all of them appear to be just minor surface rust... I haven't found any major patches of cancer or holes. All of the body panels except the hood are in really good shape, with no dents I could see larger than a quarter. The car IS actually its original color, though badly faded. Color code indicates Toreador Red. Actually inside the bay looks pretty clean, given how long it's been sitting. I will start the prep process tomorrow. Missing its spare, but oh well. Exhaust looks to be completely intact. Surface rust on the pipes, but the muffler doesn't sound rotted, and neither SW nor I could immediately see any holes in the piping. The interior is basically a complete loss. The car was not properly covered, and it got wet. simple as that... so basically everything has to come out. Everything behind the driver's seat I had intended to do that to anyway, but I also will need front seats and a steering column at the very least. (Anyone know if the Tilt column from a GL will bolt up?) OK... now some stats stuff. Odo shows 197k on it. EA71, supposedly in very good condition when parked. 4-speed FWD manual, brand new clutch just before it was parked. And here we go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handtool Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Nothing beats a free Subaru! I always wanted to see just how many miles to the gallon you could squeeze out of a Subaru. That looks like the perfect test sled. I would replace the rear hatch glass with lexan. The only thing I would replace inside is the front seats. Run water injection, lean out the carb, advance the timing, put on some skinny rubber inflated to the max psi... Well, what ever you decide to do with it, its good to see that it will live again. Good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 yeah, these are great mpg rigs.i had one as my second sube, it wasn`t even a dl, just a standard fwd hatch with no options.it was actually pretty zippy, and i got up to 37mpg!i really liked that car, it had skinny little tires on it too.i then sold it to a friend who cut it into a mini brat with a saws all and used it for house renovations, then it went to the junkyard, where i ended up pulling the motor for another project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 Minor update - I started cleaning all the debris off of the car and out of the trunk area... and I found an area of rust that could be considered "cancer". The good news is it's on the underside of the hatch itself. I also determined the rear window seal to be too compromised to reuse, so I guess it's off to PaP to get a rear hatch.. (Ed said there's one in Lynnwood right now, complete with glass). I've got the bulk of the pine needles, helicoper maple seeds, earthworms, and broken glass out of the various nooks and crannies and the trunk. Started to pull up the plasticized rubber trunk lining... found that the sound deadening mat underneath was soaked. Pulled all that crap out. (Oh well, a little louder... but a little lighter too). The metal underneath is just fine, no rust at all. Tomorrow I will prep the engine and see if I can fire her up. If I have any time after that, I'll see about getting that rear hatch, as well as beginning the gutting procedure. Oh, and more good news... there IS a drain plug on the underside of the gas tank, draining the gas should be a snap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 There's a '85 GL Hatch at Lynnwood PAP which would likely have the glass you're looking for (windshield is missing already). And aside from the seats being blue, they look like they are in much better condition than what you have there. Good luck with it; hopefully, it doesn't scare you too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Nice score! Looks like my first Subaru I ever owned except it had a little bit more rust... well a lot more rust. Sat in a field for 8+ years and I helped Hondasucks pull the motor, replace a couple blown freeze plugs in the heads and a new rear main seal as well. Put a 4wd clutch in it and we got her to run. I ended up trading it for a '79 4wd wagon which was in much better shape which I still have. Looks like a fun little project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Geoff, there is a blue '85 GL hatchback and a rust colored '80 or s Hatchback as well. They both have hatches and seats. The '80 has a slanted center radio console. Both have the side glass and all brackets should be intact. One of them should also have an EA81, if you wanted to upgrade. Just need to change the bellhousing I believe. Kind of funny that you end up with a Hatchback isn't it. Now you just need to get a 4WD and a lift, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 Geoff, there is a blue '85 GL hatchback and a rust colored '80 or s Hatchback as well. They both have hatches and seats. The '80 has a slanted center radio console. Both have the side glass and all brackets should be intact. One of them should also have an EA81, if you wanted to upgrade. Just need to change the bellhousing I believe. Kind of funny that you end up with a Hatchback isn't it. Now you just need to get a 4WD and a lift, LOL Besides EA81 seats, will anything else bolt into place? Like an XT or EA82 seat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Not without modifying the seat brackets. But its been done by several people here, I'm sure a search will come up with the topic. Or it might even be in the USRM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Geoff, are you the Geoff I think you are? Were one of the originals on the USMB and "gone" for a while; changed career paths and now a computer "geek" for a living? If so, welcome back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 Geoff, are you the Geoff I think you are? Were one of the originals on the USMB and "gone" for a while; changed career paths and now a computer "geek" for a living? If so, welcome back. Yes, Ed... one and the same... I thought you knew already? Still working for CompUSA, but I've moved to the new Lynnwood store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 No, I didn't pick up on that; getting slower now. I might stop by the Lynnwood store next time I'm up at the local PAP and say hello. Glad to see you're still around; good luck with the project....looks scary to me but certainly do-able. Yes, Ed... one and the same... I thought you knew already? Still working for CompUSA, but I've moved to the new Lynnwood store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 No, I didn't pick up on that; getting slower now. I might stop by the Lynnwood store next time I'm up at the local PAP and say hello. Glad to see you're still around; good luck with the project....looks scary to me but certainly do-able. Eh, it's a free car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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