High-Test and friends grease monkey shenanigans club (H&F GMSC)

  • Thread starter High-Test
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4,735
Israel
Kansas City, MO
FlyingAGasoline
This thread is about High-Test's car, and the cars of High-Test's friends. You find it disturbing that High-Test wrote the abstract in the third person. It is evident that High-Test is from Kansas.


So I traded in my Legacy for this little beauty. I absolutely love it.

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The heart of the beast:

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I've had the car for two months now, and I must say that the turbo four is one thirsty mill. Then again, Scoobies aren't known for their fuel economy. Nonetheless, it goes like stink.
 
My WRX gets 21mpg in the city...that's not too bad but yeah, Scoobs aren't that great on the fuel XD

I love these "Sleeper Scoobs" though. The Forester XT, Outback XT, Liberty GT, all got great punch with a competent chassis for their respective classes.
 
How are you getting 21 in the city?

I get 17 or 18 in the city. My overall average is 20.7. And yes, they're great sleepers. Too bad I've got the automatic. At least it's not the ancient four speed that moses carried down from Sinai.
 
I'm going to assume it's weight, and the ECU remap improved the fuel consumption markedly too. The GC8 only weighs about 1320kg while the Outback is about 1630kg with the auto.
 
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It can't just be weight. A four cylinder Camry of comparable weight gets much higher mileage. Are you suggesting that I revamp the ECU?
 
Thought we were just talking in comparison to my Scoob. Comparing it to other cars is a whole other kettle of fish...the Camry produces considerably less power, is FWD instead of AWD, naturally aspirated and tuned more towards economy than performance, etc.
 
You've got a point.


UPDATE:

I have learned, through the gentlemen at the legacy GT forums, that I can get 310 ft lbs of torque out of my car with a simple catless downpipe and a tune. Granted, I'll have to run 15psi, but it's doable for under a grand. The compiling of parts starts soon. I'll also get a transmission cooler, because the 5EAT isn't known for standing up to a lot of power, though it is good up to 350.

The modifications start soon. And then - The Mustangs will be dropping like flies. There's nothing like the feeling of blowing someone's doors off in a station wagon.
 
A year in Review. Well, 55 weeks, exactly. I acquired Rachel Murray, Jewbaru at Medium, order of the Nerdwagen 1st Class, on March 7, 2013.

It's been an interesting ride. There are good things, bad things, things that bug me, terrible things, and truly amazing things about this car.

The good: the turbo 4 sounds so much better than the naturally aspirated mill, especially when the throttle map is on Sport sharp. (It's a WRX motor, for crying out loud) There's that slight hiss that lets you know there's a snail under the hood, something I haven't heard, and have missed, since I had my Saab. Switching the car to sport sharp turns it into a whole different beast. It has higher ground clearance than the legacy, so it is easy to access. Another good thing: the transmission. It's not the 4EAT that Moses carried down Sinai, (Baruch Hashem) but it isn't that much better. 5th gear on the 5EAT is 500 RPM lower than 4th on a 4EAT at 70mph. But the fuel economy still sucks. The car actually has hooks to which one can attach bungee cords. My toolbox (a wide 5.56 ammo can) is actually held perfectly against the side of the cargo area. None of my six previous cars, (especially not the Mercedes wagon) can claim this. The back end has hidey holes almost everywhere. The hood scoop is a total boon, but a curse at the same time. When the roads are clear of snow but salted to the point where the lines cannot be seen, the hood scoop guides the way. I've been teaching my 14 year old niece how to drive, and the scoop makes finding the center of the road easy for her. For a while, she wanted a car just like mine. :P


The Bad: The car is 3700 pounds. The fuel economy is abysmal. I change air filters regularly, but my average is 19.5 miles per gallon. I don't romp on it much, unless some two-bit ricer wants to get his doors blown off. The acceleration is sub-par at best, even with sport sharp turned on. 7 seconds to 60. Then again, part of the problem could be the 5EAT automatic transmission. It takes a second to figure out what its purpose in life is.

What bugs me: On a 4th gen legacy, it takes two pulls of the sunroof switch to fully close the sunroof. On a 4th gen outback, it takes three. This has always baffled me. Also, the wiper heater switch is right next to traction control - out of sight. Occasionally, I hit the wrong one. Subaru wasn't thinking very hard when they made this wagon. The back seats fold at a slight angle instead of flat, and there's a hump to get over, as they carried the "leather" over the top and to the back and put a hump on it for some stupid reason. It makes loading the car somewhat frustrating. I can't fit a fullsize spare in the spare tire well. The donut they give is useless, FYI. The battery tiedown was engineered by an idiot. Japanese companies were once the grand masters at fake wood trim. But how fake it is on this car is comical.

Every two bit ricer or grown-up ex street racer wants to take me. Why they want to race a beige station wagon I will never know. I don't know if it's the hood scoop or the XT on the back, but I've had many, many cars try and race. The egregiously ricerrific get stomped. By a beige station wagon. They will have to live with that shame for the rest of their lives. One moron in a 240 SX with stock hubcaps and a fart cannon tried repeatedly. I even gave him two lengths on the highway. Even the car was upset with this fool. She let out the growl of that WRX heart she takes so much effort to hide.

The terrible: It seems as though Subaru doesn't know how to make a windshield. This is my third 4th gen legacy/outback, and the other two never had the windshield crack in a Kansas city Winter. I've got two gigantic cracks - my other scoobies saw much, much nastier winters. Also, in their infinite wisdom (or idiocy) Subaru made the liftgate panel out of plastic. I was in a tight parking spot, and the maintenance people for where I was had not trimmed the branches sticking out. Now there's a huge hole in the back of my car. The front end is assembled in such away that it makes my old habit of bombing snow banks a terrible idea, as the fender moulding will pop out and force the front bumper out with it. I've gotten it mostly fixed but it still doesn't look right. Doesn't happen on legacies, as there is no fender moulding.

The truly amazing: I mentioned ground clearance before. This car is much higher off the ground than a legacy. It damn well better be. It's an excellent "soft-roader", and an unstoppable frost giant in the snow. Of the cars I had before my first Legacy, the W124 Mercedes was by far the best. (No really. I drove that RWD Benz in Fargo on hardpack for half the year. It was marvelous) Then the Legacy was 1000 times better. With more ground clearance, the Outback is several orders of magnitude better than the Legacy. large amounts of snow make the entire year's worth of car payments worth every penny. The only thing I have to fear is other drivers - and I just scoot right by them. Then there's the sheer comfort I feel at the wheel of this car. It's my third 4th gen legacy/outback. I know it inside and out. I know where everything is. I know that even the non harmon/kardon speakers are damned good. Moreover, it's a combination of my two favorite cars that I've owned. I get the utility of the Benz wagon minus 13 cubic feet, and the security of symmetrical all wheel drive with modern touches. I don't need satnav or flappy paddles or voice activation or infotainment. I don't want want these things either.

But at the end of the day, all that matters is that I can honestly say the following when someone asks "What's your dream car?" My reply: "The one in my driveway, as it is right now." Aside from the 1960 Chevy Biscayne that exploded, it's the most powerful car I've had.

Damn I love this car.
 
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No. Van Subaru / Van Chevrolet in North KC / Gladstone. I'd never trust small town Missouri on "foreign" (the car was built in Indiana) cars. My family is from Marceline. I got into an argument with a gal who believed her Aveo was built in the US. Stupid... cannot be overcome by nonviolent means.
 
A bit of an update.

Don't go to Van. Ever. Blew up the turbo almost a year ago. They more than suck. Turbo went boom late June 2014, banjo bolt screen blew it and the up pipe. 30 degrees of shaft play - the thing looked like a wilted daisy. Thankfully, it didn't move out with the engine. They wanted 800 bucks for the up pipe. IT costs 130. Warranty company was down the street, and criminally stupid. MPP could be burned down.

I decided to go for the Stage 2 upgrade. I've been running it since March. Car runs 16 psi out of a small turbo, so it's hissing all the time. butt dyno says it's got more pep, timers say the 0-60 is the same. 60 to everything else comes much quicker. I outran a G35. I doubt its owner was happy about that. :lol:
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Look at the mouth on the stock pipe. WTH subaru? Took 2 hours to get everything done. Then I decided to put some washers between the flanges of the mufflers for a bit more noise.

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Oh my. That looks tasty. Too bad the car is boring Kansas Beige. I've been thinking about wheels and lowering the thing.

I don't know what wheels to use, nor what the best way is to lower it. Suggestions?
 
The easiest way is legacy Struts/springs and saggy butt spacers. You won't be as low as the car I posted. That's on BC Racing Coilovers. Wheels you basically have unlimited options.
 
I decided to remove the washers between the flanges today. I've got a 6+ hour road trip in the near future. The droning is getting to me. I like the noise, but I don't like living with it. The left muffler was a royal PITA. the bolts screeched and screeched, then the washers fell straight into the y pipe. The only way out was the stupid way. A few revs and they both flew out. Thank god I had extra nuts and bolts. Much more livable now.
 
Mega update. Now, this is the High-Test and Friends Grease Monkey Shenanigans club.

I've done some work. I replaced the center garnish on the liftgate. A nut fell out, and I didn't know it had gone into the latch. I had a night of random lights and beeping. :lol: It's fixed now.

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There it is without the paneling. By some miracle, I was able to save ALL the plastic poppers.


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Much better. Note the beat up old panel. Why is it plastic, Subaru?

On to friends' wheels.

My friend Sean has a 1999 Crown Vic LX with his mufflers cut off. It's an entertaining car, for about 5 minutes. Then the noise ruins it. We had to do plugs.

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Behold. Big Vickie. She's big, and Vickie. Also, she has a built in coffee table. The hood shocks are goofed. We used a 4x4.

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The plugs were all dry at the tips, but the closer we got to the firewall, the gunkier the top ends of the plugs were. Sean had a brief panic of how to wipe the residue out of the holes, then I had a brilliant idea. "Dude. You have firearms. use a cleaning kit." So, we wiped up the holes best we could.

The plug from cylinder 8 was a dripping mess. Turns out it's a common problem, just replace the boots on top of the plugs. He'll be doing that soon.

Vickie sounded like a new beast. :)


Another Panther. My friend Cody's. We went out and bought it for One thousand US dollars. 1984 Mercury Grand Marquis. I think we stole it. Everything but AC, the passenger window, and cruise control work. The keyhole and door pillar lights even work!

Big Bertha.

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Not even a hole in the upholstery. 32 years old, 133k miles. Cody claims he knows nothing about cars, but he's learning.

Only thing he hates is the mileage. I figure electric fans replacing the clutch will do a lot of good, as will a new fuel pressure regulator. Any suggestions to improve mileage on a budget? It's a 302 TBI. He'd like cruise to work. I don't know much about Cruise control systems.

We changed the fuel filter Saturday. Didn't take too long.

Also, had a cleaning session.

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She was dirty.

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I reinstalled my snorkel and Ram-air after cleaning the hell out of everything.


Plus, two pics from last summer of a friend and I goofing around:

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Things I need to do:

Rear pads and rotors
Front pads

Fix the noise from the sunroof (It's LOUD!!)

My mom is getting me tires for my birthday. Hopefully that will come with balancing and an alignment.

Thoughts on Turbo blankets?
 
The interiors come apart pretty easily. I've never wrecked a clip. I'm surprised the 16's cleared your brakes.

Why are you considering the turbo blanket? Trying to keep heat in the turbo, or trying to keep heat out of the engine bay?
 
Only thing he hates is the mileage. I figure electric fans replacing the clutch will do a lot of good, as will a new fuel pressure regulator. Any suggestions to improve mileage on a budget? It's a 302 TBI. He'd like cruise to work. I don't know much about Cruise control systems.
I don't want to be that guy who says he's bought the wrong car if he wants better mileage... but he's bought the wrong car if he wants better mileage.

Without going full-ecomodder on it there's probably very little he can do mechanically to make it more efficient, other than making sure everything is absolutely perfect - a full service, the best low rolling resistance tyres available for those wheels, inflated to the correct pressure etc. Beyond that it'll all be driving technique - mega levels of anticipation so he never has to slow down (and therefore never has to accelerate to regain momentum), using sensitivity on the throttle to coerce it into changing up early, cruising at a slightly lower speed, that sort of thing.

And if all that fails, tell him at least he doesn't live in the UK where it'd cost about three times whatever he's paying to fill it...
 
The easiest way you can improve the fuel mileage of an early Panther on a budget is sell it and try and find a Matlock version for the same price you sold yours for. They were marginally more aerodynamic (no where near as much as the 92+ ones, though), but more importantly they had a real fuel injection system.
 
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He had a budget of a thousand dollars in a dump of a town in southeast Kansas. It was the best running option.
 
Major update:

Baja bug project car. 1967, original 1500 single port, 30 pict 1 carb. Doesn't idle well. I have a feeling my fuel filter budget will be... a lot.

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I got it running last night, drove around the block, and it died when a plug wire came off the distributor. then.. it wouldn't start until this morning.

 


Fuel system works. I'm flabbergasted. Brakes are god awful. Not surprised at all. I took it for a spin around my neighborhood and saw police lights ahead. Thankfully there was a street on which to turn before the cop car.

It's so entertaining to drive. It has the turning circle of a dodge ram and the stopping ability of a train, but I love it.

@TexRex , suggestions? If I recall you're a beetle expert.
 
So I spaced. There's not a picture of my daily Driver in here. My dog chewed up my Mazda hat, and I'm a bit miffed.

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There are more Mazda 3s in my neighborhood than any other car. My dog and I have explored thoroughly. Subaru Outbacks are tied with F-150s for second. I've seen more el caminos than priuses.


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I think Toyota used the back of the 3 for styling inspiration for the Scion Yaris iA's nose.


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The parking brake weirds me out. It's a fantastic cabin.

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It holds lots of cookie jars. My Dad smoked in it. :irked: I think we got 33 in there.


Some thoughts at 3900 miles:

I know that 37 mpg can be done highway. I have done it. On country roads I've done 44. But.. it makes such glorious noise when it's screaming! The 2 liter skyactiv and the 6 speed are a match made in heaven. The interior is top-notch, everything is tailored to the driver, and I love it.

It's the first car I've had with a driver's side fuel door. Ever.
 
@TexRex , suggestions? If I recall you're a beetle expert.
Oh an expert I am most definitely not, but what sort of suggestions are you seeking? I wouldn't be surprised if you've done so already, but one of the first things I've always done when buying a car from another individual is bleed the brakes. Idle sounds fantastic; it doesn't sound starved at all.

If your plan is to retain the baja configuration and are at all likely to go for larger rolling stock, I'd definitely upgrade the front brakes at bare minimum, because the added weight/circumference won't be doing you any favors in that department. The PICT-1 isn't a bad carb at all, but you might consider a Weber progressive as they're inexpensive and will offer a marked improvement in the power band.

If you haven't found it yet:

http://1967beetle.com/
 
Oh an expert I am most definitely not, but what sort of suggestions are you seeking? I wouldn't be surprised if you've done so already, but one of the first things I've always done when buying a car from another individual is bleed the brakes. Idle sounds fantastic; it doesn't sound starved at all.

If your plan is to retain the baja configuration and are at all likely to go for larger rolling stock, I'd definitely upgrade the front brakes at bare minimum, because the added weight/circumference won't be doing you any favors in that department. The PICT-1 isn't a bad carb at all, but you might consider a Weber progressive as they're inexpensive and will offer a marked improvement in the power band.

If you haven't found it yet:

http://1967beetle.com/

I must have misread a couple posts way back when. that website. It is my friend.

I think I'll stick with the pict 1 for now. I'm looking at options for front brake upgrades. I've got the rebuild kits and shoes. I'm going for somewhat larger rolling stock. Should I go with the porsche / chevy disc kits? I don't have the dough for 5 x 205 front discs. Kinda sad that the seller used a '67 for the baja kit. I have the original hood and some structural stuff. But not enough to turn it back. It's a finish and flip car. I hope to at least break even.

I've got an oil leak through a screen bolt. the previous owner overtorqued it. His words were "I made the rookie mistake." I asked if he dropped the generator pulley washers. "Yeah, I did that too."

Is tap and die the way to go? Or are there other options?

My plan for now is to rebuild and bleed the drums first, then go from there.

I've got baja headlight assemblies coming in, so I can make progress on the lighting soon.
 
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