November 5, 201411 yr I owned an 1100 FF-1 from '77-81, and did all the repairs and maintenance myself. Mine was completely stock and everything worked perfectly. i can verify a few things from personal experience... The brake system was A-OK with DOT-3 brake fluid as was the Star and 360 models before. The dual radiator system worked great, and that was in Southern Lousiana and Central Arkansas in the Summer. At speed (above 30 or so), the fan would never have to run even on the hottest days. On cold days, there were times when it took a long time for the cabin to warm up though. The stock wheels were narrower (by 1/2 inch) than the later Leone models after '74. I currently have a '73 wagon that came with those same narrow wheels, but later models were 1/2" wider. The narrow wheels are very light, and combined with the in-board brake drums, the front torsion bar suspension, and the steering geometry, the FF-1 was the most fun car to drive of all the cars I've ever owned (and I'm not kidding). There is so little unsprung weight on a stock FF-1 that it literally "floats" over obstacles, and it was almost effortless to steer the car as well. The turning radius never failed to impress me. I could turn completely around in spaces that would be challenging for a large motorcycle! Great looking FF-1 Jamie! I'll keep my eye open for parts in the event you want to return more things back to stock. Subaru had nothing to be embarassed about the design of that car! Edited November 5, 201411 yr by leone
November 15, 201411 yr I LOVE LOVE LOVVVVE this car! nice work from both owners so far. now if you ever sell this Subaru....DIBs!!!!
November 29, 201411 yr I would like to know if I could rebore the EA61 liners to accept bigger pistons as well as how much.
May 14, 201510 yr I owned an 1100 FF-1 from '77-81, and did all the repairs and maintenance myself. Mine was completely stock and everything worked perfectly. i can verify a few things from personal experience... The brake system was A-OK with DOT-3 brake fluid as was the Star and 360 models before. The dual radiator system worked great, and that was in Southern Lousiana and Central Arkansas in the Summer. At speed (above 30 or so), the fan would never have to run even on the hottest days. On cold days, there were times when it took a long time for the cabin to warm up though. The stock wheels were narrower (by 1/2 inch) than the later Leone models after '74. I currently have a '73 wagon that came with those same narrow wheels, but later models were 1/2" wider. The narrow wheels are very light, and combined with the in-board brake drums, the front torsion bar suspension, and the steering geometry, the FF-1 was the most fun car to drive of all the cars I've ever owned (and I'm not kidding). There is so little unsprung weight on a stock FF-1 that it literally "floats" over obstacles, and it was almost effortless to steer the car as well. The turning radius never failed to impress me. I could turn completely around in spaces that would be challenging for a large motorcycle! Great looking FF-1 Jamie! I'll keep my eye open for parts in the event you want to return more things back to stock. Subaru had nothing to be embarassed about the design of that car!
May 14, 201510 yr I owned an 1100 FF-1 from '77-81, and did all the repairs and maintenance myself. Mine was completely stock and everything worked perfectly. i can verify a few things from personal experience... . The brake system was A-OK with DOT-3 brake fluid as was the Star and 360 models before. The dual radiator system worked great, and that was in Southern Lousiana and Central Arkansas in the Summer. At speed (above 30 or so), the fan would never have to run even on the hottest days. On cold days, there were times when it took a long time for the cabin to warm up though. The stock wheels were narrower (by 1/2 inch) than the later Leone models after '74. I currently have a '73 wagon that came with those same narrow wheels, but later models were 1/2" wider. The narrow wheels are very light, and combined with the in-board brake drums, the front torsion bar suspension, and the steering geometry, the FF-1 was the most fun car to drive of all the cars I've ever owned (and I'm not kidding). There is so little unsprung weight on a stock FF-1 that it literally "floats" over obstacles, and it was almost effortless to steer the car as well. The turning radius never failed to impress me. I could turn completely around in spaces that would be challenging for a large motorcycle! Great looking FF-1 Jamie! I'll keep my eye open for parts in the event you want to return more things back to stock. Subaru had nothing to be embarassed about the design of that car! I would love to see photos of your 73 wagon! I had a yellow one
June 9, 201510 yr SOOOOOO...... This happened over the weekend! Blown away! Bested the Best at the 2015 Old School Reunion show. So cool! Proud of her - happy for Steve + myself (how could you not be?!?) But mostly happy for little Fuji Edited June 9, 201510 yr by Subie Gal
June 9, 201510 yr ...So cool! Proud of her - happy for Steve + myself (how could you not be?!?) But mostly happy for little Fuji AWESOME! ... ... CONGRATULATIONS!!!
June 9, 201510 yr Congratulations......... Congratulations.......... Congratulations........... Edited June 9, 201510 yr by 1000 Pistes
June 13, 201510 yr I had some thoughts on doing a custom bumper for 'Fujiko' : I hope this make sense, as it's a fairly basic fabrication with bit of Tube, Equal Angle & Some Flat Plate. The same design could be done for the rear. The lights are optional, but a few low profile LED 'Spotties' would make a excellent nod to Subaru's rally heritage ... Do note it's only a quick concept sketch, very roughly done to see if you like it … Add : The mounting bracket would in theory line up with chassis rail - through the gap in front valance ... Cheers, Bantum ... Edited June 28, 201510 yr by Bantum
June 28, 201510 yr I wonder would this fit ? Found here : http--,,--//buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h46239822 Cheers, Bantum ... Edited June 28, 201510 yr by Bantum
July 1, 201510 yr Author What was the name of that dealership on the east coast with a green FF1 in the showroom? I was just watching the news, and they were showing some stock footage of cars for a segment, and they showed that FF1 on TV!
July 2, 201510 yr I wonder would this fit ? Found here : http--,,--//buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h46239822 Cheers, Bantum ... Maybe! I have a black and silver one though from the Sport I'll mock it up and snap a quick photo It will look good once installed!
July 2, 201510 yr hello, Where I could find the ff1 factory parts manual,even in pdf ????? Not sure. =( I have the parts manual but it's a hard copy/paper copy
July 2, 201510 yr Not sure. =( I have the parts manual but it's a hard copy/paper copy how many pages it is? Is it possible to recopy it with my expences?
July 8, 201510 yr She's getting well known! Now we've popped up in another article - this time on Driving.ca LINK: http://driving.ca/subaru/auto-news/news/how-this-tiny-truck-spurred-a-love-for-funny-little-subarus What fun is this!?! Great article and I love the photos too! Go little Fujiko!!!
September 1, 201510 yr Not many updates as of late and I apologize for that. Car show season takes up the entire summer and we have simply been booked pretty solid nearly every weekend. but I do have to share SOME AWESOME NEWS.... Fujiko took home BEST OF SHOW honors at the West Coast Subaru Show #17! http://westcoastsubarushow.com/ I am very humbled and honored that the judges recognize the rarity of this car and the love put into it. Simply blown away. she. is. amazing. Photo below with her garage-mate and Best Historic winner (our 1970 Subaru Sambar Truck) More photos to come as soon as the rain stops. It's been storming since we left the show a few days ago... lol go figure!!!
September 2, 201510 yr ONE MORE TIME: Congratulations......... Edited September 2, 201510 yr by 1000 Pistes
October 11, 201510 yr ...and yesterday... I bought little Fujiko a friend! her Barn Find buddy had been sitting in a barn since 1989 !!!!
October 12, 201510 yr That's Awesome! This one has the amber corner lights, Like the ones that Subaru sold in Honduras... Kind Regards.
March 16, 20242 yr Author SubieGal can update this further, but as of today, the FF-1 is on display at America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington! (also known as LeMay's Automotive Museum) https://www.americascarmuseum.org/ https://i.imgur.com/fuAQIxr.jpg The exhibit is called "SHINKA" and is basically a HUGE JDM exhibit with all sorts of Japanese brands being featured. SubieGal has quite a few other cars there too! Sadly, I probably won't get to see the exhibit due to family issues But this is beyond what I could ever have accomplished with the car and I can die happy now The exhibit opens to the public on 3/16/2024 and will supposedly be around awhile if anyone wants to see it on display!!! Edited March 16, 20242 yr by Kostamojen
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