The 98 Outback Project

[subarunut]

im 16 and don't even have my licenses yet (just a permit). so I've decided I want to be a auto technician for my future career havent decided for what brand cars as my dad was a toyota lexus tech for 40+ years. But I bought myself a 1998 subaru legacy outback for $650 had new brakes control arms strut and tires a new catback exhaust. the car itself was in amazing condition for the age except the usual rear wheel wells. The car was so cheap because It needed a headgasket. I thought to myself "I can do That its just a headgasket pull the engine ill be fine 100 bucks tops ill sell it in spring time." I got it home after finding my friends dad to tow it, Then the car project began. I Realized it had original accessory belts from 98 with the weather cracks to prove it. so i thought it needs a timing belt with 201,790 miles thatll break at any time 270 for the belt pullies sprocket tensioner and water pump thermstat and all gaskets. took me and my father to figure out how to keep the compressed springs aligned as we put in the belt but that was after the tear down for the gaskets I put felpro gaskets seeing as theyve been around for ever they make excellent gaskets. both sides done seeing as the engine was out I was really nervous that the guy i bought the car from just drove the car after the gasket blew and I would have to get the head plained but thank god h kept his word the head wasnt even warped on a machinist straightedge on my smallest feeler gauge set. I've done some body work with my friend (i just watched mostly im a mechanic and he is the body guy) we welded and bondoed a rust hole in the hood we have to get new quarter panels on the back and cut the rockers down alittle bit. pictures will be up soon and i Want to show you my project and If you have any ideas i am willing to listen for tips ideas or anything. but My biggest proble with the car is ive driven it on and off a trailer and i dont want to sell it but i need a 5 speed wrx or another legacy outback like the one on youtube wheel and torques is so perfect pix up soon when i get hime from school

[MonstarMotorsports]

my .02 cents. dont be an auto mechanic. Theres so many better paying jobs out there that take the same brains and schooling and make twice the wage with out bloody knuckles and grease stuck under your finger nails every day. and personally as a guy that started out with your mind set and is now trying to get into a better career. Id much rather make twice the wage so i had the money to spend tinkering on my OWN cars, vs working on someone elses every day. By the end of the day, the last thing you want to do is come home and work on your own. Just food for thought. Great to see some youngsters still out there learning though and tearing into these things. Get some pictures up soon!

[BattleWagon]

my .02 cents. dont be an auto mechanic. Theres so many better paying jobs out there that take the same brains and schooling and make twice the wage with out bloody knuckles and grease stuck under your finger nails every day. and personally as a guy that started out with your mind set and is now trying to get into a better career. Id much rather make twice the wage so i had the money to spend tinkering on my OWN cars, vs working on someone elses every day. By the end of the day, the last thing you want to do is come home and work on your own. Just food for thought. Great to see some youngsters still out there learning though and tearing into these things. Get some pictures up soon!

I agree and disagree. The Advil cocktail after work gets old for sure. I know from my experience, working in a repair shop gets old quick but now ive been working restorations for about 2 years and ive enjoyed everyday. Thats worth the lack of pay compaired to someone who sits at a desk all day to me. Do what makes you happy and youll never work a day in your life. :smile: NOw i gotta go clean my finger nails. :grin:

[SilverSuby]

Learning about that stuff never hurts but unless you get into an area where the amount of mechanics to people is really low the money isn't going to be there. Something somewhat similar is collision repair, they make some decent money, speaking of which I have to deposit my check to fix my car >:(.
-Logan

[MonstarMotorsports]

i wouldnt concider restorations a "mechanic" I love restoring old cars, thats my primary focus in my shop now. Theres so much more pride and joy in it than sitting in a service bay at a dealership turning wrenches. and i'd gladly do it every day for a living. When your doing something you love, it really isn't work at all. and when done right the money is excellent too. I cant complain there. The thing thats keeping me in it the most, is because i know no matter what my career is, I would never be able to build that many works of art unless my customers were paying for it. And i enjoy every minute of that. But whats making me want to change to a non car related career is again, after sanding on a customers car all day long, last thing i feel like doing is sanding on my own. It took me over a year to restore my '67 camaro for that reason alone, when it should have taken just a couple short months. and the older i get, the more cars i have on my bucket list, and time keeps ticking away. You can love your career, but it cant be your hobby IMO.

[subarunut]

I love the enthusiasm towards this subject. long story short the car i bought intending to sell it at a profit and find my dream subaru (any 5 speed low miles minimal rust) turbo or not and mod it but ive fallen inlove with this car and ive driven it im determinded to resell it or trade for a manuel because i truely loathe autoshttps://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox/13a6559901fda2e6

[MonstarMotorsports]

yeah sorry to pull the thread off subject lol. your young, you'll have plenty of time to change careers on your own lol.

My vote keep it (assuming its straight and rust free), and 5 speed swap it. stupid simple, and really its pretty cheap. free, or damn close to it if you do it right...
might cost ya the price of a new clutch.

[subarunut]

http://s1320.photobucket.com/albums/u52 ... 9b0654.jpg (http://s1320.photobucket.com/albums/u527/subarunut1/?action=view&current=sided_zps6f9b0654.jpg#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs1320.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu527%2Fsubarunut1%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3Dsided_zps6f9b0654.jpg)

hopefully this works i guess i cant upload anything to sli for some reason this is my car up until today with the primered back hatch and engine is in the process of going back in just needs to be settled down and bolted down but SHES ALMOST DONE =)

[1996Battlewagon]

Welcome young one. Just copy the img code:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/10/sided_zps6f9b0654-1.jpg

I want to express my opinion because this is the internet damnit.


i need a 5 speed wrx or another legacy outback like the one on youtube wheel and torques is so perfect pix up soon when i get hime from school

No you don't. And the reason is because:


im 16 and don't even have my licenses yet

TRUST ME, getting a "cool" car at such a young age can end in utter tragedy. The Outback is a perfect first car: not too fast, very safe and easy to work on. Be patient as time will prove good things if you work hard enough.

You're learning a ton by doing this engine work yourself. Kudos to you because when I was 16, I was flat-out stupid. Keep wrenching, stay in school and don't dwell on the future too much because that bridge is still in the cloudy distance and you can cross it with an air of confidence that you simply can not contain as of today.

[MonstarMotorsports]

i wish when i was 16 i would have listened to all the people that told me that ^

But a brand new STi had other priorities for my life. like stealing my license for 5 years and reeking havoc in far worse ways on top of that lol.

Your only young once, go have fun and enjoy it. just be prepared to work your fucking ass off for 4 times as many years to pull your self out of that rut you sunk your self in lol.

[subarunut]

the only reason i don't want to keep this car is that im not sure how hard this will be to make and find parts for a 5 speed swap and it has such high miles going fast isnt really the way to make this car last for as long as it should but hell if i find a transmition pedal cluster new radiator and other parts i might just keep the car and find a less used engine when this one breaks (if it does) but later today im plugging in the rest of the engine hooking everything up and she should be running by tonight!!!

[subarunut]

The car runs now! Turned her on today all plugged in just put in the radiator and headlights and get the exhaust fixed shell be I'm the road !!!

[Dead91silvia]

my .02 cents. dont be an auto mechanic. Theres so many better paying jobs out there that take the same brains and schooling and make twice the wage with out bloody knuckles and grease stuck under your finger nails every day. and personally as a guy that started out with your mind set and is now trying to get into a better career. Id much rather make twice the wage so i had the money to spend tinkering on my OWN cars, vs working on someone elses every day. By the end of the day, the last thing you want to do is come home and work on your own. Just food for thought. Great to see some youngsters still out there learning though and tearing into these things. Get some pictures up soon!
Truer words have not been said! I'm trying to get a job at Boeing right now because the busted knuckles and grease under my nails is getting kinda old...

Dont get me wrong, I love working on cars, but it would be nice to make a bit more money. The profeshion just does not pay what it used to.

As for the car you want... Work your way up slow. Dont make payments, and dont get a car that will get you in trouble. You have a BG Outback! Tons of fun to be had for sure! I'm 31 and I love my GT. Take a look at her, she's got 250K and still drive great and is reliable.

And if you want to see the first car I had, look in my sig and you will see a 1966 Volvo. not a cool car in the 90's, but it's the car I learned on.

Bottom line, you got a pretty cool car for a first car! Drive it, enjoy it, work on it, and learn with it. And get some pics up! LOL :smt005

[subarunut]

http://s1320.beta.photobucket.com/user/subarunut1/media/61BC6000-2476-4853-9460-B95A8348F662-23031-00000F541A0D2C4D_zps52d4e851.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

[NickTej22]

Hey, you got yourself a great platform there. My opinion, especially of you want to be a mechanic, keep it and do a 5 speed swap, it's not too hard at all, it pays off, you'll feel good about yourself doing it, parts can be had for cheap and like I said you have a great platform.

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