13fido13 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I've got the chance to pick up a 02/1990 Legacy L. It's FWD. 250000KM on it currently. It's kinda rough, but runs. Manual transmission, would need to take it for a test drive before purchasing it. The seller wants $400 for it as is. Needs brakes all around, caliper on one wheel for sure, I'd consider changing all of them for peace of mind. Needs new rubber, but that's not a major problem. I know the beast is going to have issues, it's an old car. Issues I can deal with. Is it worth the time and effort to fix it back up? What's the difficulty of changing it to AWD? Would it be worth while to get it and swap it with a newer STi drivetrain? http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/hobbit13/d661317b.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted June 28, 2012 I Donated Share Posted June 28, 2012 What's the difficulty of changing it to AWD? Difficult. Probably a 9 or 10 out of 10. Would it be worth while to get it and swap it with a newer STi drivetrain? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USLiberty Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I just swapped my 93 l from a fwd to awd and its not that hard at all. Didn't even have to break out a welder, everything bolts up. 7 out of 10 difficulty and 2-4 weeks and a donor car to pull rear crossmember/diff/hubs, awd fueltank and front turbo crossmember, if you turbo it. As far as an sti swap, fawk yeah its worth it! Jdm 2.0 sti engine/ecu/6spd tranny/DCCD/front/rear crossmember with diff/axles/struts/brembos and everything goes for around 8000usd$ on ebay. You would have to have a good amount of tools and be pretty handi with wiring and a wrench.Its probably a 3-6 month project. It could easily cost 12-15k$ but in the end you have a car that is 600 lbs lighter than an sti and much lower insurance rates. Sure it doesn't look like an sti but in my experiences, good looks just get you in trouble. How does a 9200 rev limit sound? I've seen the phase 8 motors rev like butter to 9000 with a reflash. twin scroll turbo that it comes with, is at full boost by 3500 and is pretty BA. Of course you would need to flare the fenders so you can fit some fat tires under it. I am seriously considering a 6 speed swap myself. They can handle much more power than the 5 speed and the variable center diff is sick. I'm just debating whether or not to spend 8000 to get the engine and everything or just get a 6 speed/ dccd for around 3000$. There's a few member who have done this both ways on legacycentral.org in the "BBS" forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I'd personally say no about the STi drivetrain because of price alone. At that point the parts highly outweigh the price of the car and if you get slammed 2 days after you finish the project they'll give you $500 for the car. You'd have to have it appraised for insurance purposes by then and they'd want to raise your insurance a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USLiberty Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I got tboned and totaled my car, luckily the 15k$ in parts I had was all transferable to my 500$ legacy. I guess if you ruined your equipment then you'd be out a lot of money but unless you really destroyed your car then most of the parts can be resold. For instance I got about 1500$ into my jdm ej20g witg rebuilt pumps, bearings. If I wrecked it and didn't want another swapped subaru. I could easily sell the motor for 1200 on nasioc. I had minimal insurance and the insurance would have given me only 2800 for my ss. So I guess I look at it differently. The body of a subaru is the cheap and plentiful, the parts have more value than the car, but that's why I picked a lego like car. I think I was paying 30$/mo for insurance, had I had it appraised it still wouldn't cover the cost of parts I have in it. If I get in an accident where the drivetrain is destroyed then ill be worrying about how crappy obamacare will be because ill probably be in the hospital . I could part my car out for more than my car would ever appraise for. Why would you "have to" have it appraised? If I totaled my car I would want to buy it back at the cheapest price possible. Sure it took 3 months to rebuild another swapped legacy, but I got 500$ into another car with the same drivetrain that I fell in love with in my last car. I dont see why you'd tell your insurance company that you turboed and awdrived a fwd econobox. They wouldn't see the value in it except that they could charge you more on your premium. They wouldn't be able to appraise jdm parts and the work you have so why let em? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USLiberty Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Besides the swap, 400$ is a good price and I love that color. I wish I had it for my swap over the lt blue one I got. It has less mileage than mine, hows the rest of the body? Mine had 225,000 miles and engine was toast, window was broken and a dent in the taillight corner. I paid 500$usd and towed it home. Mine had good brakes/rotors and I'm gonna scrap them out, but I'm not sure its worth the shipping. You could try your local pickapart or salvage yard, should be able to find something there if your just gonna make abeater/ DD out of it. Watch out for rust in the rear quarter panels unless your good at bodywork also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 I'm picking it up on Tuesday. Ive already got the AWD swap parts lined up. I'm stoked for the build. I cant wait to go through it and see just how many little issues there are. Btw. What's the best way to check the engine light? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Checking your CEL is easy on our OBDIs! Here's a link posted by legacy777 from bbs that goes into a lot detail with pics: http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/engine.html Legacy777 started with a fwd first gen like yours and over the years has built it into one of the coolest subarus ever. Of course, his car was in mint condition when he got it. It was a family car. But if you have the time, inclination, and money, go for it and build it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USLiberty Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Yeah legacy777 has a sweet ride, he's gonna be installing a STI 6-speed soon using a SS 3.9 rear diff. I've been seeing 6speeds on ebay for around 2-3k$, Im thinking of getting one and selling my turbo 5spd, its got 140,000 miles on it and still shifts pretty damn good. I use uncle scottys cocktail though to smooth out the 1-2 shift, I know theres good and bad reviews but Ive only had good experiences .... so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 The deal fell through. Still looking for something though. The guy became very shifty and wouldn't produce ownership. I wasn't taking the car without ownership. He wasn't going to give the car without money. Heres hoping I can find something else. Maybe AWD turbo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 You may not be able to find something as cheap, but you can find something nicer. There are plenty of these cars out on the road. Even in Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 The adventure continues. There's a 92 SS in London Ontario. About 6 hours away. Price is good too. Needs body work. Stupid Canadian winters with the salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USLiberty Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I would stay away from rust, especially in the rear quarter panels, they are welded on. I do body work but I don't do rust I love arizona cars for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Rust sucks. You can slow it down for a while, but it will almost always come back. I have repaired some rust on rear quarter panels. It is possible, but it depends on how bad it is. Do you have a link you can post to the ad for the SS? Then we can tell you what you will need to do in terms of body work if you decide to buy. Details on the SS? Mileage, color, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaruguy509 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 For $400, I would say go for it and do a full tune up. In theory, if you have it for even a couple of months, it will pay for itself. Why not offer $300 cash and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Plans have changed. The 90 legacy is no longer an option. New plan. 92 legacy ss. Picking it up in month. Super stoked. I'll post up pics when I get some more of them from my buddy. 330k on the ODO. Black in colour but needs paint. It's on the list of things to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Awesome! My SS is black too! This is even better than your first pick. SSs are so damn cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 I'm definitely excited about picking it up, but I have lots of research to do and lots to learn. I'm used to working on Turbo diesel engines, but not turbo gas. Whole new ball game for me, but at least I won't be concerned about working on the vehicle due to the fact that I have other cars I can drive. Anyone have recommendations on good sources for info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I recently rebuilt my EJ22T, so I might have some answers as well as some others in this forum. The best source for info for first gen SSs is legacycentral.org. If you have a problem with your SS or 22T, someone has had the same problem and more and it has been resolved on that site. It's crazy the amount of info over there. It's a lot of digging to find it sometimes, but it's all there. There are some sick builds over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13fido13 Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 Thanks for the info. The car is still in running condition, but I'm looking for as much information before I really need to look for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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