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What Have You Done to your Soobie lately? (Please post in here and keep it going)


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While im here Loyale,

Id just like to say thanks. Nowhere else on the 'net have i seen a more consistently helpful fellow. Never a bad word or attitude; always just reaching out a helping hand with your knowledge to anybody who may need it.

Mind you, Ive been helped a lot by very good people...but you seem to stand out as somebody eager to help.

I just thought to mention it

Cheers!

Happy trails

God Bless

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... theres something that blocks it from letting the top of it set where it needs to be. If i really push on it i could do it...but i dont wanna do that...

 

Have you checked if the Speedometer Cable is routed as it Should?

 

Maybe it is impacting something behind it...

 

 

... Id just like to say thanks. Nowhere else on the 'net have i seen a more consistently helpful fellow. Never a bad word or attitude; always just reaching out a helping hand with your knowledge to anybody who may need it ...

 

Thank you for your kind words, which I Really appreciate.

 

Kind Regards & Blessings.

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Then, maybe it is the Wiring and its Plugs...

 

Once those gets pulled a little far from they should be, usually it becomes hard to slip them back in the right Place once again, so maybe there is a Chance that the Cluster is prevented to go back in place easily, due to the presence of the Wiring behind it, which bends in there, instead of sliding back... If that is the case, you can try to push the wirings & plugs back and see if they go there easily, or if they're hitting something, you can bend their shape in order to easy things... 

 

Other thing that might being causing the issue, is the design of the cluster itself; maybe you're sliding the wrong side first...

 

Good Luck, Kind Regards.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I`ve been away\busy for a while, due to work, getting laid off again, getting sick etc. etc.

But I have been getting things done in between it all.

 

Just before Christmas I finally got the clutch and front bearings done, then last month I was finally able to get the tires and rims taken care of... I made a deal with a local mechanic and got the use of a sand blaster as well as his ability to do wheels.

A couple of the rims were in bad shape, lost of rust, crud, old adhesive and tire residue and would not have held air, so I sand blasted the rims and gave it a coat of Cold Galvanize. The only problem with this is that it made it more difficult to mount the tires, so when a new guy who knew nothing tried to do one of the wheels, he ruined the tire. I improvised.

Here are the before and after pics of the ugly, ugly, horrible looking rims before and after I sandblasted them,painted them, and had new tires put on:

 

SAM_0100_zpsh40f5iqu.jpg

SAM_0113_zps3s1mgd7q.jpg

 

This was the end of "PHASE 1"  (In which Dorris gets her oats). The original plan was to get the exhaust done before moving on, but getting laid off just before Christmas more than killed that plan for the time being.

 

Here is what my Brat looks like now so far,   (additional post(s) for other things done.)

 

SAM_0108_zpsrsr9ebvk.jpg

SAM_0111_zpsee0ra6t2.jpg

SAM_0109_zpsksd4tpbh.jpg

 

More to come...

Edited by Subaruist
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Other things I have done:

I can't understand why the factory did not paint under the T-Top 'wings', being that the T-Top is a major feature, but I decided to correct that oversight, and painted that area silver, partly to go with future LED lighting that will shine in there to help show it off  when the situation permits.

 

SAM_0106_zps9rjnyihg.jpg SAM_0107_zps9ntjkfhr.jpg

 

The front (bug) deflector shield was something I saw at the local thrift and got for only $3, so I had to have it,mostly because of the color, as this Brat will eventually be painted in shades of blue.

 

SAM_0110_zpsiocprnxv.jpg

 

Speaking of paint...

 

I started the first stage of the paint.

The bottom 'stripe' being black. I chose that color for several reasons: I am considering coating these area(s) with truck bed coating or similar, which only comes in a couple of colors in a spray can; it accents the silver of the rims and will also accent the side pipes when I am able to get the exhaust done; and when I add the last layers of paint with "shimmer metal flake" it will accent that too; These areas are where the sun shines least, so no point in putting fancy colors there; As overtime, road grit, rocks, etc. will eventually scratch some of it up, and it will be easy to touch up, especially considering that I used Walmart 96 Cent spray paint for it. Everything lines up nicely including the rear bumper. The bottom section painted black seems to almost disappear, it makes the Brat look sleeker. It made a very good improvement to the look of the Brat, Very happy with the black

 

SAM_0114_zpsauxwmjsf.jpg

 

I also finally got around to fixing my drivers' seat, where the upholstery, foam, etc.had come off, leaving the metal frame bare, causing me discomfort and other problems. I used a combination of thin but dense/stiff foam rubber, and a piece of a really cushy kitchen floor mat, used contact cement, then duct taped it, and was then able to put my scavenged seat covers on. Seat feels great, just like it originally would, no bumps or anything. This also meant that I could finally put on one of the key mile stones, the steering wheel cover!

The seat is perfectly comfy when I get in and sit down. Very happy with it.

 

SAM_0115_zpsbde2dnky.jpg

SAM_0117_zpsmna7mdci.jpg

 

This clears the way for bondo and finishing the paint one section at a time.

 

One real disappointment was that the Krylon "X Metals" chrome-ish paint that looks like colored chrome or anodized aluminum was discontinued, which really ticks me off! I had such plans, and that paint was going to be put to a lot of good use, but NO0O0oooo! Once again my plans are foiled by discontinued paint !!!

- So I am having to adapt and such...

 

 


 

Edited by Subaruist
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Hmm. Let's see. 

 

Well She just got a brand new set of all season Thunderers.

Brand new Rotors, Calipers, and Brake Pads.

New wiper blades and an oil change

 

This next week she is going in for an oil pan re-seal and new valve covers, and a complete hose change up. 

 

Next month she is going in for new struts, and a newly machined exhaust system. :)

 

 

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so far i fixed the fuel pump,took the dash out to clean it,took two bags of garbage left by the p.o. found 7 bucks behind the radio, and a pocket knife took out the coil and power transistor found out the coil is bad (0 ohms across the  positive  no spark , downloaded the fsm online, still trying to fix rear wiper and a/c cooling fan(chopped up wiring),i will fix the front end payday,all this and the lady can't find the title so i am going slow for now will try afidavid in leu of title,wish i could get more wiring diagrams but i will make do with a little detective work.

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Today Elsia (her name) Received a new set of die cast silver and black pedal covers in addition to new black and silver seat covers, new classical chrome license cover frames, and a bottom to top chrome polishing of her bumpers and trim.  She also got her front and rear light covers  washed and detailed along with a newer modified set of wiper blades.  She is a very happy Subie right now. :)

Edited by doogie
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Today Elsia (her name) Received a new set of die cast silver and black pedal covers in addition to new black and silver seat covers, new classical chrome license cover frames, and a bottom to top chrome polishing of her bumpers and trim.  She also got her front and rear light covers  washed and detailed along with a newer modified set of wiper blades.  She is a very happy Subie right now. :)

 

this_thread_is_worthless_without_pics_zpsnnb0hn6c.gif

 

 

Finished up my wheels this weekend.

 

Wheels%201_zpsj0ld9h6o.jpg

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What did I do to/with my Subaru Brat ?!?

I took it for a walk on the freeway !!! - No kidding !!!

 

 

My fuel guage has not been working, except for the idiot light on it, so either I keep it topped up when I can, or I just put gas in when the idiot light goes on.Well, I guess the sunglasses I had on kept me from seeing the idiot light so I ran out of gas on the freeway about 3 miles before the off ramp...

 

When the gas ran out, the Brat just kept going, it coasted and rolled for more than a mile before it even started slowing down.

About a mile from the off ramp, it was rolling slow so I pulled onto the shoulder area, stopped, got out, and gave it a gentle push, - and it started rolling again, not downhill, level ground, so I just started walking next to it, merely holding the steering wheel to steer it. This continued for about a mile... I was just casually walking next to my Brat with one hand on the steering wheel ! lol...

At this point, I really didn't even mind anymore, because I was grinning and laughing the whole way at how it must have looked, me walking casually, hand-in-hand with my Subaru Brat down the freeway shoulder, lol...

I eventually parked it right where the off-ramp began because I ran out of shoulder, and this ramp was not safe to walk up, so I walked downthe hill to some maintenance roads under the freeway, found my way to the nearest gas station and the rest is predictable.

 

I so love my Brat anyway, and today I even liked it when it ran out of gas !!!

 

- Oh, and I got two more requests to sell it in the last couple weeks, lol...

 

NE-VER !!!....

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So, I decided to change the Whole set of Coolant Hoses on my Subaru "BumbleBeast" and I found that the water inlet pipe, known as the thermostat housing, was covered with some kind of scales plaque, and when I tried to clean it, a chunk of metal broke off from it...

 

This is not the first time I dealt with a broken inlet pipe, I managed to get made a brand new one for my '69 coupé, long years ago; that was made of Brass. So this time, I decided to get another one "Made in Hondurasbut this time done in thick aluminium;

 

 

So this is the Results:

 

Water%20inlet.jpg

 

 

I made this Photo Collage, just for Fun:

 

Ultra%20Grey%20Smeared.jpg

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The upper threads aren't needed on my Subie, so the new aluminium inlet pipe looks cleaner; also I don't use thermostat on that engine, since late 1985, it isn't really needed in the Caribbean climates...

 


 

Which metal is the one commonly used for those inlet pipes / thermostat housings?

 

Seems to be Black and to get rusty way easier than the rest of the cooling systems' parts; long years ago, a local mechanic told me that it was some sort of alloy... but I'll like to know which metal was used by Subaru / other makes, on this mere part.

 

Kind Regards.

Edited by Loyale 2.7 Turbo
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Looks like a stronger part.

 

Yes, it is much thicker & stronger indeed. thumbsup-1.jpg

 

The industrial shop where it was made, does such kind of parts, for Heavy Equipment.

 


 

 

... Which metal is the one commonly used for those inlet pipes / thermostat housings? ...

 

 

 

Seems like I found the Answer:

 

 

Housings.jpg

 

 

"Pot Metal" ... Here: ~► http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/What-to-Look-for-When-Buying-a-Car-Thermostat-Gasket-and-Housing-/10000000178533051/g.html

 

Kind Regards.

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