Looking for....

20 responses total.

Looking for....replacement rims (wheels) for Subaru GL (5Jx13) - 
not chrome. Could not find at Discount Tire; $190 at dealer. Is there
a less expensive source?

This response has been erased.

Rane, I am not in CompuServe anymore, but there was a guy who advertised on
the classified ads there who had any kind of wheel you could think of.  It
was under "wheels."  If you have any access to CS he probably is still there.

Junk yard prices seem high to me, but they often have the parts.  I priced
an '87 Escort grille at local junkyards and they were more than at the Ford
Parts and Service.  I recently priced an air cleaner box and it was $50.

Years ago I got some wheels from a guy who was advertising wheels of all
sorts in the A^2 paper.  Heck, you might even find an entire worn out
Subaru GL there for $190!  When in a hurry I do as popcorn suggests.
Get on the phone and call all the junk yards you are willing to visit to
pick up the part.  Prices are *much* better than dealer or parts store.

Yes, try the junk yard.  Got a rim and tire for my wife's car at one and
although I don't recall the price, I remember the tire was worth it by
itself (actually I didn't want the tire, but they threw it in the deal,
so what the heck).  I'd be interested to see how the rim price is adjusted
for Subaru-ness.  If you've read the How to Keep Your Subaru Alive repair
book, you may remember the author says that Subaru parts vary wildly across
sources, so it is worth calling many places for the lowest price.

Having just bough brand new Subaru in May, I wonder if this book is worth
getting? 

Maybe at ca. 130,000 miles, its time to get serious about keeping my
Subaru alive! The wheels are just "ordinary" 5Jx13s - is that unique
to Subarus? I noticed a sale on "White Wagon Wheel" rims at Sears
for this weekend - I'll popo by and see what they have.

I don't know if this book is still in print (I borrowed the one at the
AA Public Library).  It is fun reading as the author has a pretty good
sense of humor and tries to explain all the technical stuff in
layperson's terms.  Although he covers a lot of repairs, he's not
afraid to tell you when to take it to the professionals (e.g., those
repairs requiring expensive special tools).  I believe this is the same
guy who wrote How to Keep Your Volkswagon Alive.  Subarus and Veedubs
have the same style of engine (though the Subie's is water-cooled).
There is an order coupon in the back of the book, for ordering directly
from the publisher.  That might be worth a shot (assuming you look at
the library's copy).  I found the Alive book easier to follow than the
Chilton's manual, though I suppose having both wouldn't hurt if you are
serious about doing your own repairs.

I just feed, water, air, charge and alcohol my cars now...I leave the
heavy lifting to the professionals. But let me tell you about the time
I rebuilt the engine of my '37 Cadillac.....

I don't think I'll get much out of the Keep your Subaru Alive book.  Any
car repair book that refers me to "professionals" defers just as things 
are getting interesting for me!  Unfortunately the 3 volume service manual
for the 95 Subaru goes for $50/volume!  I don't care for Chilton's because
the people who write them obviously never looked under the hood of the
car they are writing about.

Hayne's manuals are pretty good.  You can find them at a lot of import car
part stores.  They are *always* more accurate than Chilton, and if you can
read British, you can read these.  ;)

I checked with Sears for replacement rims but they don't supply them for
Subaru wagons of my vintage. I didn't want to run around any more, so I
bought a set from Subaru. I tried for a further discount but learned they
were already discounted - from $120 *each*. [I asked for "those
gold-plated rims" when I went in....]

At least you know they are the same width, will fit, don't have a layer
of rust where the bead seal is and run true.  All potential problems with
the used stuff ;-)

Right. In fact, rust where the bead seal is was one reason for replacement
(I lose air), as well as a warning from an automotive engineer I know
that I was running the chance of a catastrophic failure due to rust, this
winter. Now, could the old rims be fixed - say, sandblasted and painted -
to return them to saleable/desirable condition? I didn't even look into
that, since it would have obviously put my car out of commission for
a few days, but would there be a market for "refurbished" rims?

Are these rims so rusted out that their structural intregity is in 
question or is it just the rust under the bead?
 
The used rims I got had significant rust in the bead area so I went
at it with a file and sandpaper.  I suspect sandblasting would work
just as well.  Inspect after your done and smooth out any pits with
a medium or fine rat-tail file.  I'll bet that any deep pits or
gouges can be filled with body putty.  Before painting or putting
on the body putty, pickle the metal with an acid solution to etch 
the metal.  This will improve paint adhesion which will reduce future
rust problems.
 
I didn't go to these extreems with my rims.  Just got the bead area
nice and smooth and hit it with some black spray paint.  Used them
winters only for 8 years without a problem.  They wern't even the same
widths.
 
Unfortunatly the rims on our Subaru are 14" so I can't use your old
ones.

Re 10: in defense of the Alive book (for what that's worth ;) the
author does show you how to make and finagle any "special" tools you
might need assuming they are within reasonable range of the backyard
mechanic's skills and shop.  If you expect the book to assume you have
a $20,000 machine for one specific chore that you may perform *once* in
the car's life, then I think that's a bit much for a do it yourself job
(and book)...you might have more money to spend on such tools than I or
others, though :)  Seriously, some things are just plain cheaper to
leave to those who have the occasion to spread the usage of expensive,
specialized tools over more fixit jobs (as well as the capital to
invest).

I have the publisher's address and phone in a file on another partition
of my harddrive (which I can't access right now because I'm using a
different operating system), should anyone be interested in investigating
the book further.  Let me know, and I'll post here.

My Subaru rims are rusted externally. My automotive consultant thought
that it would be this winter's dosage of salt that might cause enough
damage to lead to structural failure. I don't think the rust is deep
enough for that at the moment. Maybe I should just hold them and offer
them for sale as-is - though if I could get an expert judgment, I might
have them sandblasted and painted first. Suggestions and/or offers
solicited! :)

Arnet's at 4495 Jackson Rd. does sand blasting and I've heard good things
about them.
 
I've done my time replacing exhaust systems, brakes, shocks, cluches, etc.
I take my cars to a mechanic most of the time now but with all that time I
have spent fooling with my cars lets me talk to the mechanics at their level.
I still do fluid changes, brakes, filters, rebuild my own alternators, etc.
when I feel like it or when I know more than the mechanic ;-)

        I'm working on refurbishing the aged interior of an '88 Mustang right
now from junkyard parts ... simply put there's always one car of that exact
make somewhere in the local area that was wrecked before it could get twenty
or thirty miles on it, and the interior's usually in good shape.  I feel a
bit guilty ransacking the puppy for parts, but it *is* in a junkyard ...

If it's been sitting there since 1988 then don't feel guilty.  Is that one
of those Mustang II's?

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