legacycentral bbs

Fate brought me my '94 sedan and it has me smitten, I do believe it's turning me away from large old domestics to small old imports
I got it for a steal, have fixed most of it's problems, and have started doing all the fun things you get to do to a new car (on a budget). It makes me feel giddy, I don't think I've been this excited to tinker and think of neat things to do and interesting ways to fix its flaws (like rigging a hood prop rod in the trunk (for now) since a lift rod/spring is broken...) in quite some time. Also the new blank slate for goodies like stereo stuff and LED lights (LED freak here)... I'd imagine it's like getting a mistress younger than your wife
I also never thought I'd be so thrilled to 'upgrade' wheels on a car to 15" steelies and hubcaps, lol..., but those 14"s had to go, and those Impreza hubcaps are pretty sweet Baby steps!

I need to figure out how to get some pics up so I can show you things like the blue LED cluster lit up behind the narrow piece of steel with holes in it I fashioned up in the silly 1/2 DIN space you get with an aftermarket radio...

The exterior isn't much to look at, but it's whats inside (and how it runs) that matters most to me

BTW, I was thrilled to find this place (been lurking) and all the great info within, I've probably found 85% of all the juicy knowledge I've needed right here

Welcome and congrats!

Let's see a pic of this beauty!

I remembered my super motors username!
Sorry most of these are lousy cell phone pics (I'm typically pretty lazy), my phone isn't that great because I like to stay a few years behind with my technology (I'm cheap too ) To put it in perspective, my last phone before my current one was a flip phone

Here's the first pic I took of her, with the way-too-big tires I swiped off a small junk caddy at work... they are better than riding on steel belts!



And here we are trying on two different size wheel/tire combos at once... the fronts are 16" Forester wheels with slightly too big of a tire. I thrive on used/junkyard parts, so not everything is always 'proper'
I was only able to find 3 at the junkyard, and dangit I really wish i had the 4th!
You can see the nice dent in the driver's fender here, there's another next to the driver's door handle.



And here with all 4 Impreza wheels/hubcaps - I never thought any hubcaps could look so nice!
I had also polished/sealed the headlights here, they came out much better than I expected!!



I was proud of my first significant fix so I broke out the good camera to capture the moment 'Instagram style' (I don't use Instagram) I'm sure most of you know exactly what's going on here



And here's the only pic so far of what I like to call my 'electro-mojo'... I really like small electronic doo-dads and wiring stuff. My '85 is one of those cars that's old enough to not have an underhood fuse box, just a mess of fuse links... but it does now!
I'll get better pics of this and other things I've done one day.... I installed a USB charge port down in the far lower right side of the console sort-of where some new cars have them from the factory. Also a mini digital volt meter in the dash next to one of the switch blanks, LED replacement bulbs galore, CD player/speakers/subs/amp, and I fit a small thin red COB LED bar inside the 3rd brake light & wired in a flash module for it
I also made my own cell phone mount after being disgusted with what options there are to buy out there... I don't like crap stuck to my windshield, or on the dash, and those vent-clip things look like the dumbest thing I've ever seen I made it erector set style, proudly without putting any holes in anything (that you can see if you remove it) You can place my phone it in and take it out of the mount with one hand and it holds tight, and leaves room for the charge and audio cables to be plugged in.
I have a pair of small amber LED DRL/driving lights yet to install that I think will tuck in the lower bumper cover reeeaaalll nice I want to rig up an under-hood light too, and plenty of things I'm forgetting...

I keep meaning to finish my gauge cluster lighting...sigh some day.

Some better pics of what I've done inside

Welcome. Some very clever mods you've got there. Sounds like you'll fit in nicely around here.

Thanks! I like doing things that make people raise an eyebrow... One of my favorite things I did to one of the crown vic's was installing a trunk lid power latch from a Lincoln, something they never had.

And of course this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwrq_VAX1Vc

Score!

Unfortunately there were only 3 at this junkyard, but the online inventory of another near me says that they have two cars that at least came in with these wheels on them

If I find 5 (or more) then it looks like I'll have these on the Legacy,
AND the '02 outback I'm buying this weekend

Nice! I've always liked those wheels.

This fever sure spreads fast... but I found the best treatment for it. More Subaru.

85hpp wrote:This fever sure spreads fast... but I found the best treatment for it. More Subaru.

They have a way of multiplying.

Until there's no parking left.

Lol that's the truth

I got a little room left yet! Here's a lousy pic of some LED DRL type things and 'check yer oil' lights. Stuff like this is so cheap now, it's silly NOT to do it

And i accidentally bought some 2000's era (I think?) Impreza wheels and what i think are the regular boring 15" alloys for later 90's Legacy's. They were in decent shape and felt like a must-have for a budding Subaru enthusiast's unnecessary parts horde

85hpp wrote: They were in decent shape and felt like a must-have for a budding Subaru enthusiast's unnecessary parts horde

Careful, there. You may end up looking for more property to buy just for space to store your parts.
The underhood lights are cool. I need to do that.

I'm looking forward to it
Purging the Ford parts will make some room, that's how committed I am.
I have a large basement to fill, and no wife/kids to share it with. Most of my married friends say I should keep it this way???

And thanks! The under-hood lights are just a couple waterproof LED pods, the kind that go for 8/$10 on eBay. I rigged up a little pin switch too for that automatic goodness.
I also put some in the trunk, and replaced the broken switch with one from a newer legacy. I stole its nice(er) trunk carpet too... definitely not the same around the trunk loading area, but I plan to Frankenstein the two for a semi-good fit. Also nabbed its trunk release lever plastic to replace my broken one. I also replaced my broken trunk spring lift with one from that car... the rods are pretty much the same, but definitely a little stronger. The rear of the trunk lid is pushed up now, and it opens a little too fast lol. Gonna keep working on the gas lift support idea
Also replaced the hood prop rod clip, oddly I think this makes me the happiest lol...

Also, full size matching spare Why don't other people understand how satisfying this is?!??!
And yes, that amp will be upgraded very soon and I think I'm going to have to install a 4ch amp for the interior also, because this car deserves it.

Oh yeah, interior porn shot of the '02 outback's interior. My friend's wife took VERY good care of it, she's one of those car-always-clean types, and always up on scheduled maintenance. My only complaint is some pretty rough vibration when idling in gear... it's NOT the heat shields... I tried to twerk the motor/tans mounts with a big prybar and didn't get any movement out of them. The exhaust has been cut/patched in several places, one hanger is definitely not stock, and i'm wondering if a vibration damper could have been eliminated? I was eyeballing another Roo of that era at work the other day, and saw a spot up front that looked like the trans-axle has been rubbing on the cross-member while under torque. Gonna have a close look at that area on mine next

I tried on the 15" alloys I found... can anyone tell me what these would have come on from the factory??
I like them, they definitely look 'proper' but the 16"s will be going back on. Handling is night & day better with the 16"s and I've gotten used to it. These are just no fun

I had them on my old 98 outback, but I think they were standard on 2nd gen LSI models, as well as a common dealership add-on.

Added a couple more blue lights and the sound response module finally Most of my non bulb-replacement LEDs are some variation of these. Also a pic of the 10" Cerwin Vega's I've had for about 15 years and still going strong!