Builds Goose Gear 80 Series Build

[SoCal80series]

When I got back from the trip I took the 80 to my new mechanic to check was causing the oil leak. It turned out that the lower oil pan was the problem. My former mechanic had put the silicone sealant on sloppily. The oil pan was removed and cleaned and resealed. It is now running dry, without leaks. On Saturday I clay barred and waxed it. Not perfect - but it is looking good!

 

[SoCal80series]

Now I want to take it out and get it dirty again!

 

[SoCal80series]

It's been a while since I posted here. I just got the engine bay cleaned. It's not perfect, but I am satisfied with the results.

 

[SoCal80series]

 

[SoCal80series]

 

[SoCal80series]

Took the 80 out for my first camping trip in almost 16 months. Went up to Big Bear, which is pretty local for me. It felt good to get out again and do some camping and light wheeling.

 

[SoCal80series]

I finally got around to putting the new gas struts on the hood that I ordered months ago. What a difference it made! The old ones would not lift the hood all the way up and I would have to push it up. It would hold, but if I didn't push it all the way up it would fall down. The new one pushes up the hood with no assistance and it holds. I have to pull it down now - which is awesome. After finishing I immediately ordered new struts for the rear lift gate, because it isn't going all the way up anymore. OEM, of course.

 

[SoCal80series]

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. The gas struts for the lift gate showed up today and I installed them. It is thoroughly enjoyable to turn the clock back on parts of this vehicle and make it like it was in 1996!

 

[SoCal80series]

Out with the old and in with the new!

 

[SoCal80series]

Pushes that lift gate right up and it takes some force to get it back down. Just the way I want it. Another 20 plus years before these will need to be replaced.

 

[SoCal80series]

Working on organizing the 80 a little more this weekend. I put my chair next to my fridge and have been wanting to be able to lift it up so I can store my water in the space below. I finally found the solution. I came across these camera rails on Amazon and knew they would be perfect. Found a 4 inch length and also a 15 mm to 1/4-20 male adapter. I slid in a couple of roll-in t-nuts into the extrusion and in 5 minutes this project was complete.

Chair in place - now I am ready to camp!

 

[SoCal80series]

I was working on my stereo and lost one of the screws that goes behind the useless cubby. I dug around on partsouq and found the part number. Went to my local dealer's website and ordered 4 of them at 7¢ each and changed my mind and wanted 8 so I ordered that. When I went to check out I had 12 in my basket - 91¢ with tax. So I ordered 12 even though I will likely never need them. Here is the part number for anyone looking:

 

[SoCal80series]

Getting ready to take a trip to St. Louis, MO. for a family reunion. Because of fuel prices I was going to take my Subaru, but as I was planning I kept thinking I wanted to take the 80 as I would be camping. Finally I thought, I put all this money into the 80 for the sole purpose of camping - I am going camping. Why would I leave it my driveway? I may as well as sell it if I don't use it. At this point I decided I would spend the extra $800 on fuel (ouch) and take my 80. I am much happier now and know my trip will be much more enjoyable

In preparation for the trip I have been doing some detailing because I always like to start a trip with a really clean vehicle. I cleaned the carpet and the center console and dash and I think it looks dashing (pun intended)!

 

[TYM4FUN]

Getting ready to take a trip to St. Louis, MO. for a family reunion. Because of fuel prices I was going to take my Subaru, but as I was planning I kept thinking I wanted to take the 80 as I would be camping. Finally I thought, I put all this money into the 80 for the sole purpose of camping - I am going camping. Why would I leave it my driveway? I may as well as sell it if I don't use it. At this point I decided I would spend the extra $800 on fuel (ouch) and take my 80. I am much happier now and know my trip will be much more enjoyable

In preparation for the trip I have been doing some detailing because I always like to start a trip with a really clean vehicle. I cleaned the carpet and the center console and dash and I think it looks dashing (pun intended)!
View attachment 3035779
View attachment 3035782

Hope you have a great trip! I just had the same dilemma myself. My 8 year old daughter quickly corrected me lol.

 

[ab1985]

Good choice. I made the mistake of taking our Subaru on a family road trip to North Georgia earlier this year. As we got closer to Chattanooga and the elevations started to change I instantly regretted it. We weren't camping, but the 80 series is just great all around for a road trip outside of fuel consumption.

 

[SoCal80series]

I took a recent trip to St. Louis, Missouri and did some camping along the way.

 

[SoCal80series]

One has to get good coffee when traveling!

Camping in Junction Point, Kansas

 

[SoCal80series]

The parts to fix the issues that developed after the trip. I lost the AC belt coming out of the Rockies on I70, likely because the idle pulley lock nut seized and wouldn't tighten. I'm so glad my mechanic told me about that when he replaced my engine - Oh that's right, he didn't. I ended up replacing it with a Gates one from NAPA in the parking lot of the hotel I was staying at. The cleaning lady kept giving me the stink eye for working on my 80 - but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. There were chunks missing from one of the belts that attaches to the water pump and alternator. I waited until I got home to fix that. I also threw a PO330 code coming leaving Colorado. I ordered some new knock sensors from partsouq. When I got home I noticed that my (former) mechanic had put them on wrong. He had put the belts on top of the idle pulley by the alternator instead of underneath . This made slipping the alternator out of the way to get the belts more difficult. I eventually got it out and put the new belts on.

I am currently waiting on jack stands to take the front wheel off to make it easier to access the rear knock sensor. I had some Harbor Freight ones that were recalled. I decided that I wasn't trusting Chinese made junk to make sure my head isn't crushed. I went out of pocket and bought some 6 ton American made ones. Buy once - cry once, right? At least I know that I won't have to purchase these again.

 

[SoCal80series]

This daddy long legs must've said, "You either put a winch in here or I'm moving in!"

 

[SoCal80series]

it been awhile since I posted. Like everyone I have been busy. On my trip back from St. Louis my ultra gauge threw a p330 code and I needed to replace the rear knock sensor. Before I could get to it I sprained my LCL ligament in my right knee. Consequently, I couldn’t work on the 80. After three months of physical therapy my knee was good to go and get the sensor replaced.

Learning to do a little wrenching was one of the reasons I bought the 80. The only hard part for me with this project was actually finding the rear knock sensor. The FSM diagram is of no use. In the summer when I went on YouTube there was only videos for the front. When I checked it again over Thanksgiving week I finally found one. It came off with little trouble.
Reading up on this project, they didn’t lie that you need extenders on your ratchet todo this. I had bought both a wobble bit and an extender set from Tekton. It included a 24”, 18”, 12”, and a 9”. I ended up using the 24” and 18” on the project to clear the wheel well to properly torque it.

It was an enjoyable project for me because the money saved from having a mechanic do it more than paid for the tools I bought. That’s a win win to me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of this.