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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 16, 2009 23:17:19 GMT -5
Hello all! Just got my first Justy on Wednesday. I traded my 69 Baja Bug, which I'd had since I was 16, for a 1988 4wd 5 speed Justy. I must confess I got the Justy bug a few months ago (I realized that they're what the bug should've evolved into) and I lurked your boards for a while to learn what to look for in a potential purchase, so the first thing I have to say to you all is THANKS! I must say the Justy is the most practical car on the planet. Without (much) further ado: here is my new 88 Justy! The Good: Its mostly rust free (driver's A-pillar, and spare tire compartment showing some signs of cancer), and its sporting 63k orig. miles! 4wd works, tranny and motor not making any noises so far, syncros still good, heat works, clock works, rear wiper works, no leaks! \ The Bad: I'm sure you guys spotted the problems, but just in case; I already have a new lock for the gas door, and I'm looking for a fix for that bad motor mount. I also plan to grab a new one of those hoses that you can see ripped in half. The thing takes just under 3 and a half weeks to warm up at the moment so I'm hoping that'll fix that problem. The mileage is coming in around 30 or less mpg at the moment, so I'm doing a full tune up currently. The interior is a little beat down, but no tears or rips just minor stains. The sunroof leaks because the kid put HYDRAULIC GREASE in it to try to waterproof it. It seems as though the grease is instead breaking down and making it leak more. Luckily it hasn't rained since I bought it! I'd consider those HF lights to be a bad, but they do work. No relay in the wiring though so if I keep 'em I need to wire them right. Hoping to check my valves tomorrow, but might have to wait til next weekend. I'm also going to look into fixing the busted bumper mount on the passenger side; The mount on the bumper itself is broken. I have to fix one of my vents in the front. The moving part that directs air flow fell out. Other than that I'm just gonna hunt down the correct hardware for a bunch of things that don't have enough screws, and get a new antennae for the radio. Only "fun" thing in the forseeable future is a sound system I have lying around anyway. I have some more distant plans that involve quite a bit of show and a surprising lack of go. Is there anything for the bad list I'm not seeing? Thanks for any kind or helpful words!
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Post by Scoobaru on May 17, 2009 9:13:04 GMT -5
Very nice looking unit, you westerners are blessed to be out of the rust belt. Do all the maintanance, if you don't know the full history, cover all the bases. Change all your fluids, fuel filter, timing belt, air filter. For your warmup issues, the heat riser tube may help, but you also may need to change your thermostat. Enjoy, and welcome!
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 12:37:06 GMT -5
Very nice looking car. Looks like a deluxe model with the sunroof and passenger side mirror. If you need parts the LKQ yard on Foster has/had two '88's. Coal and I have been meaning to go there and pull some stuff, but our schedules haven't worked out yet. Hopefully they haven't yanked them. Damascus is closer to you, but last I checked they didn't have any Justy's. It's always good to check though. Damascus = 503-658-3191 Foster = 503-760-5820
I am rebuilding an '88 4WD, and I live out west of Estacada about 25 minutes from Joe's Donuts in Sandy. If you ever want/need help with the machine or want to look at my '88 FSM feel free to PM me and I'll give you directions to the homestead. Welcome and Good Luck.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 13:11:40 GMT -5
-what bad motor mount? -what hose ripped? I believe the hose in question is the pre-heater hose. If you are like me when someone says "hose" I think of the black ones made of rubber, so I didn't see it at first either. I think the motor mount mentioned is the pitch stopper - the end that is attached to the transmission bracket. It looks like it has a metal "stabilizer" rod sticking through it.
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Post by jintei on May 17, 2009 13:24:18 GMT -5
hey stacks, i think he means the depurator heater hose being cut, i guess it should reach to the exhaust manifold. The front engine mount next to the valve cover looks terribly miss-aligned, seems that the rubber gave up. the gas door really needs aladdin' s lamp to know how it is! I like your panda justy and the green valve cover, i have a blue cover and subieguy has a red one, Welcome to the club! jeje...
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Post by jintei on May 17, 2009 13:27:36 GMT -5
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 17, 2009 13:36:58 GMT -5
Oops! Sorry about the poor wording/pictures stacks. The preheater hose is indeed the torn one, and that "stabalizer" as ferox so nicely put it is a harbor freight socket extension that the PO used to shim the pitch stop. It works, but oh man does it look hokey! Few Questions:
1. If I cut the driver's A-pillar off one of the similarly styled subaru wagons/sedans would I be able to replace my rusted one? or is there a difference in the windshield's curvature/seal?
2. Would buying one of Subaru's official service manuals for this thing be worth it? I like to have a good manual for any car I own, and I hear the haynes' is non-existent & the chilton is mostly suggestion/ballpark figures.
3. I'm missing the bushing material for that pitch stop: I read about some sort of boat foam or rubber that was used to repair those as well as poly. What exactly would I be looking for here if I went to a boat supply store, or looked online? the old link was dead, and I've never worked on boats before so I dunno whats what there.
I didn't realize that I hadn't posted a picture of the driver's side. I had my finger partially over the lens when I took that picture so I left it out. Sorry!
Thanks for the tips! and thanks for the welcomes as well.
Ferox: I live off of 211 about half way to that new Fred Meyer thats not so new anymore. So I might just have to check this '88 out sometime. I gave the damascus U-pull it a look through as well, and although I couldn't really check ALL of it I didn't see any justys where they'd been stacking up the subarus. Thanks for the tip about Foster. If I can figure out what I need I might have to take an exploratory mission on over there.
EDIT: and thanks Jintei! The kid before me painted those motor parts, the drums, and calipers all with john deere green tractor paint. haha.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 16:29:38 GMT -5
1. If I cut the driver's A-pillar off one of the similarly styled subaru wagons/sedans would I be able to replace my rusted one? or is there a difference in the windshield's curvature/seal? 2. Would buying one of Subaru's official service manuals for this thing be worth it? I like to have a good manual for any car I own, and I hear the haynes' is non-existent & the chilton is mostly suggestion/ballpark figures. 3. I'm missing the bushing material for that pitch stop: I read about some sort of boat foam or rubber that was used to repair those as well as poly. What exactly would I be looking for here if I went to a boat supply store, or looked online? the old link was dead, and I've never worked on boats before so I dunno whats what there. Ferox: I live off of 211 about half way to that new Fred Meyer thats not so new anymore. So I might just have to check this '88 out sometime. 1) I don't remember anyone saying they have done this, but you should be able to find an appropriate Justy. The N. Columbia LKQ also has two '88's. It's just a bit of a drive. 2) A FSM (Factory Service Manual) is absolutely essential. The is no aftermarket manual that is worth anything. 3) I think the boat roller is the thing that goes on the boat trailer...the rubber rollers that the boat hull rolls up on to. I may be mistaken, but someone can probably clarify. I have been meaning to look into this myself. Seems like a cheap way to make all kinds of bushings. You are certainly welcome to come check out my car. It is in the later stages of a complete rebuild and restoration. The engine is finally rebuilt and I am doing some body work before I put it back in. More specifically, I have to build custom bumper mounts for my aluminum bumpers from a '79 Fiat X/19. I can also help you diagnose your new purchase if needed. Maybe Coal can come out too and we can have a Justy work party.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 16:33:55 GMT -5
Ha, Ha, happens to me all the time. ;D You post reply and DOH! somebody just said the same thing.
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 17, 2009 17:48:01 GMT -5
Cool. Thanks ferox. I was thinking about the a-pillar from different cars so that I could order one new, and put that in. I usually like to patch stuff with new stuff just from bad experiences when patching my bug. I replaced a hole in my door about the size of a nickel, painted the car, and there was a nice big rust bubble in my "new" patch a couple months later.
Does that FSM go for about the same amount anywhere? or would a stealership be my best bet?
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 18:13:11 GMT -5
I was thinking about the a-pillar from different cars so that I could order one new, and put that in. Does that FSM go for about the same amount anywhere? or would a stealership be my best bet? Ah yes, a new a pillar would be easier than removing one from the junkyard too. Unfortunately, I don't know about interchangeability. The Subaru Loyale, has many parts that look like they are the same as the Justy but aren't, so beware if you look at them. Ebay is the best place for the FSM, $20-$60. A parts manual is also a good buy. They are $10-$20 I think, and are very helpful, especially at the dealership. And Pete, I will definitely be posting many pic's in an original thread(s), and probably a write-up on installing custom bumper mounts on the uni-body.
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Post by kernal on May 17, 2009 22:03:23 GMT -5
Sweet car, good luck with it. I never realized the NW was so rich with nice Justys. I only saw 5 in central CA in the time I was there and only 2 in the last year in NJ. Moving and working Justys that is.
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 18, 2009 0:46:44 GMT -5
Yeah I consider this car a pretty sweet find. Most of the ones around here seem to have some sort of problem or another. Whereabouts in South Jersey are you at? I'm from Delran, and my grandparents grew up in Camden.
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Post by DrewNukesEm on May 18, 2009 2:56:35 GMT -5
Sweet car, good luck with it. I never realized the NW was so rich with nice Justys. I only saw 5 in central CA in the time I was there and only 2 in the last year in NJ. Moving and working Justys that is. Way sick justy man. Glad to see another NW justy owner found this site.. As kernal mentioned apparently here in the NW we are lucky enough to have more justys around than most places.. As SJ told me when I first joined.. Welcome to the Justy crew!!! I see you are here in the Pac-NW so you'll have any easier time getting spares than our brothers abroad.
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 18, 2009 11:18:30 GMT -5
Thanks Drew. I was glad I found this site too! After finding Thesamba.com when I had my bug I realized the importance of being a member of a message board when you have cars like these ones!
It is definitely a good thing we're so "justy rich" here in the NW. I've got a few friends that started hunting for their own the day they saw mine haha.
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Post by DrewNukesEm on May 18, 2009 14:08:10 GMT -5
Thanks Drew. I was glad I found this site too! After finding Thesamba.com when I had my bug I realized the importance of being a member of a message board when you have cars like these ones! It is definitely a good thing we're so "justy rich" here in the NW. I've got a few friends that started hunting for their own the day they saw mine haha. Yes, I agree.. I will say that this forum has been one of the best, most helpful i have been a member of.. I too used to have a VW.. '63 Beetle that I actually found on thesamba.com haha.. anyways I will defiantly say that my justy reminds me of my old bug, with better gas mileage and more pep... Although I see tons of justy owners on this forum from the NW, this last weekend I went to the Oregon Trail Rally.. I haven't ever seen so many suby's! The only thing was, I was the only Justy there.. I was looking, and looking, but nothing... Although I felt kinda special, I was kinda hoping I would run into a fellow NW justy member.. Oh well. It was cool though, as I was driving there (got 48 MPG , I look in my rear view mirror and see like 25-30 suby's in a train.. Just about all of them checked out the justy and waved and whatnot.. so anyways, I let them by and joined em at the end haha.. so its all these impreza's, and legacy's, with the justy as the caboose. It was a very good time.
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 18, 2009 17:24:12 GMT -5
We'll have to coordinate for the next rally, and bring a larger Justy presence to the table. This is the first Subaru I've had, and actually realized what I had. I bought an 88 GL wagon when I was 18, sold it a few months later, but maaaaaaaan was that a great car to have for the winter. Its pretty cool to see the Suby-dudes are as tight as the VW community. Its probably the boxer engine connection haha.
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Post by DrewNukesEm on May 18, 2009 21:53:00 GMT -5
We'll have to coordinate for the next rally, and bring a larger Justy presence to the table. This is the first Subaru I've had, and actually realized what I had. I bought an 88 GL wagon when I was 18, sold it a few months later, but maaaaaaaan was that a great car to have for the winter. Its pretty cool to see the Suby-dudes are as tight as the VW community. Its probably the boxer engine connection haha. Defiantly, I hadn't ever went, so I didn't really know what I was getting into, now that I know what it's all about and what to expect I'm making it a every year trip for sure, it was a lot of fun... Like I said, there were some awesome cars there.. Spectators cars, and rally cars, for the most part suby's and mitsubishi's ... There were VW rally cars as well (mostly older GTI's). But everyone there was cool and it is like the VW community, in that most all the suby guys i met were really cool, and the ones that saw my justy liked it.. (even though the justy doesn't have a boxer engine, and mine isn't 4wd) I think its just what makes a Subaru a Subaru (isn't that how it goes?)
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 19, 2009 14:52:09 GMT -5
So I went through DEQ today and then to the DMV... They tested my car as a AWD 4cyl FI car so I passed with flying colors. I get to the DMV, and they hassle me about not having a VIN plate on the dash, and then they point out the bill of sale and the title have two different names on them. Well I'm thinking I'm screwed at this point because the titles signed over to someone 2 or 3 owners back. The woman at the desk says "we're no expert on signatures *wink*" ... They couldn't verify that the VIN was right, and then told me to forge a bill of sale...
Good to know the DMV makes it easy for someone to steal a car? hahahahaha.
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Post by Raw Justyce! on May 23, 2009 15:43:01 GMT -5
I just did a rough calculation of my mileage (its written down in the car), and it seems I'm only getting about 22-23 MPG!
I am almost done with a tune up, I plan to check my valves (hopefully friday...), and I still haven't put in a new fuel filter, and a new air filter. Other than those three things my tune ups done.
I also plan to rebuild my carb seeing as the rebuild kits for these carburetors are so darn cheap. What are some factors that could be causing this abnormally low MPG. I checked the MPG survey for the 4wds from the site, and the average seems to be 34. No one else has reported mileage as low as mine, so that leads me to believe theres some areas that could use improvement.
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