Back Story

 

Almost a year ago, I blew the head gasket on my '90 Loyale Turbo (automatic AWD). Wisconsin car, kinda rusty but overall, a comfortable old crock, and so I parked it in the yard (My neighbors just LOOOOOVe me) And it has sat and sat and sat, pining away for want of use; weeds grow around it whilst I pondered what to do; I know, I'm a bad Soobie daddy, get off my case. Besides, I had another vehicle ('84 Ford E-350) that worked just fine. Please note the past tense there. Because I just had to replace both front rotors on the van. Plus one caliper. Pretty straightforward but HOLY UNSPRUNG WEIGHT, BATMAN! Each rotor for the Ford weighs (I kid you not) 42 lbs, and everything else is commensurately beefy. So I swap 'em out,and.... what's this? My old lug nuts won't fit? OF course they won't fit! That might mean my Karma is good right now,and we can't have that!

 

So I went down to the local boneyard in search of the appropriate nuts, and I found them on an old short bus. Appropriate, no? Then I turned around, and my girlfriend grabbed my arm and started jumping up and down, because....

 

THE PLOT THICKENS

 

.... Sitting on the paved part of the junkyard was an old Soobie, lust like mine. Well, not exactly. It's an '87 carbureted 1800 GL wagon. SO, same body style, even has a better body, and the maroonish/burgundy paint looked buffable. I pushed and heaved the crap blocking the doors shut out of the way, and crawled on in. Not too shabby on the interior (grey, like mine), no broken glass, no dashboard cracks (I live in Floridia). Hurst knob on the shift lever... three pedals, so a manual trans... Dual range transmission... Dang. Gonna have to hope it's still there when I can come and get the trans and t-case next week. But the title was in the glovebox, so I took it out and up to the office with my hands full of nuts (heh.) we go. I paid for the nuts and then asked the guy behind the counter if "That old Subaru was available."

 

He said sure it was, but parts only. I said, "Okay. Well, here's the title, can you make sure it doesn't get sent to the crusher in the next 8 days?"

 

He looked at the title, flipped it over, put on his half-glasses and peered at it some more. "This isn't a salvage title," he said. "I can sell you this car as is."

 

THE MONEY SHOT

 

I perked up my ears, licked my whiskers, and leaned on in.

 

"How much?"

 

"$500."

 

BOOYA!!!

 

 

I rock, I rule, I am the bomb. I now have two Subarus, one that doesn't run with a ragged body, one that might or might not run with a straight body and clean interior. I am now officially a resident of these boards. You may send the Welcome Wagon out any time; just make sure it's got the parts washer in it! Any thoughts/questions/concerns, pray let me know. I'mma need all the help I can get on this project!

 

-epo

Congrats!

And by the way, is it true I can put the heads&turbo off my '90 onto this '87's block and have a reliable, streetable, more-powerful engine? 'Cause that would be too cool for skool.