So car shopping has taken another turn. I just got wind of a deal on an '89 subaru thru SWMBO's co-worker. As yet, I'm unsure if it is a Loyale or a Legacy. Price is under $1k, with a manual, and all needed work will be done.
General info?
Loyale, funky wheel bolt pattern, 4x140, 13" wheels. Advice on dealing with this unobtainium wheel tire package?
Legacy, 14" wheels, 5x100. should my collection of ChryCo K-car/neon 14", 5x100s fit?
If it's an '89, it's not a Legacy...they didn't come to the US until 1990. They're easy to find parts for (including wheels), at least in my neck of the woods, I wouldn't worry about that. They're pretty robust little cars, but in your area I could see rust being the biggest issue. They're not great to drive in ANY regard (noise, handling, fuel economy, power, etc.), but if it's all wheel drive and a manual trans they're extremely good at getting you anywhere you need to go reliably.
Bryce
I'm interested in this subject as well as these are so darned cheap up here in MA and NH. Plentiful too. I have this Lego kind of feeling with these: tons of swapability like a Snap-Together model but I have no proof of this.
I think Peugeot wheels fit. Rust is the enemy.
Loyale: Get the spare tire out of the engine bay. I bought a turbo one a few years back, overheated, caught on fire and burned to the ground. I owned it for 4 hours and paid $400 for it.
They're super slow, too.
Their super mutant power is the ability to rust audibly.
Subaru changed very little over the years so you can swap Impreza/Legacy front struts and spindles into it if you want a common bolt pattern for the front, but you have to hunt down XT-6 parts to get the same in the back. I don't know if you can put the Loyale front calipers on the Impreza uprights, though. If you can't, then you lose the handbrake - old Subarus had it on the front wheels.
Rear drums are very, very expensive.
Back when I had one, I had plans of redrilling Toyota 4x4 wheels to bolt on. 4x140 is 4x5.5 and Toyotas were 6x5.5. The truck wheels I wanted to use had no hollowed out areas between the lugs, and with shanked lug nuts, the two new holes didn't need to be perfect because the two pre-existing ones would center the wheel well enough.
I never bothered because it rusted away in only a year and a half, and yeesh. Even a 1.8 Impreza makes more power than a Turbo EA82 engine, and the EG doesn't have the head cracking issues, or only three main bearings, or the crappiest ports that ever sucked, and they have a much better car wrapped around it too.
To convert an old Subie to 5x100 you will need a few things. In front you need the xt6 lca, but other than that you can use the impreza calipers, struts, and etc. In back you use xt6 everything except for the impreza backing plates. That lets you keep the loyale axles but you have much more front brake options and you have the xt6 rear brakes.
Or you could use the oh so common Pug wheels.
EDIT: I want a box flared leone coupe so bad, but good lord do they have unbelievable rust problems.
They don't have rust problems. They rust very well and thoroughly, thank you.
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