Disruptive students, car questions, and doggos

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 05/05/2018 at 16:03 • Filed to: None

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It never hurts to start with a little Toby. I think he sets a certain tone.

This is why we only buy leather couches for this room.

Anyway, my class went off without a hitch with one exception. There is a labor contractor I see every year who hates me. 3 or 4 years ago, he took a phone call during the class, and I stopped the class until he got off the phone. He claimed I embarassed him, and has been complaining to the college about me ever since. Each year, he interrupts my class to make a speech abour how awful I am, how I am lying to the class, and how all I am doing is selling my law firm. He did it again this year, and did not stop until the rest of the class told him to shut up so they could get the material. The rep from the college is going to ask his superiors to ban the guy. Keep in mind, this guy is in his 60s.

There are two issues with the 2007 Subaru Impreza I bought for my son. First, I have no idea when the timing belt was changed (it has 150,000 miles). Second, while it is not leaking, I want to replace the head gasket because Subaru means oil leak in Japanese. I want the kid to be squared away with a car he can take to college that is reasonably practical and affordable to own. Even if the T Bird is ready for his graduation, he does not realize the fuel costs of the 429 Thunderjet V8, nor the basic impracticality of owning such a beast as a college student. [ASIDE: He just got SAT results and got a 1330. That is good, no?]

The estimates I have are really high. I could shop it around, or try to do it myself. I am thinking about just looking at the damn timing belt to see how old it looks.

Do you think I can do either repair myself with help from my son? Has anyone worked on these Imprezas?

I bought OEM mudflaps for the Sunchaser, with uncertainty whether they will actually fit.

I have taken a look to size up this project. The holes line up, and the size is right, but there is one problem. The body panel does not extend behind the wheel far enough to anchor the last screw for the shorter part of the “L” (above left of the “T” in TOYOTA above)

Will these work with the end hanging free or should I abandon this effort?

Lastly, I have a problem with my wheels. I am getting a lot of rubbing of the tires inside the wheel wells, which I had hoped would be resolved by the suspension work. But it persists. I love these wheels, but the car needs to be a practical driver.

Do I try lower profile tires (these are pretty balloony)? Spacers? Lift? Smaller wheels? If I go smaller on wheels, I would do something like this:

Or this

Or stock Supra wheels like these

Or these

I do not know what to do.

Have some cars I saw around town for your time.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:10

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A narrower tire might solve your rubbing issues. You could also try some spacers to push the wheels out a bit.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:17

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These wheels are the solution to your problem. And most of the problems in the world, truth be told.

;-)

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:17

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1330 is good, my brother just got a 1320 so I looked up what the hell it meant. 84th percentile or so.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:18

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I quite like that very 80s last set of wheels!

Eh....headgaskets in Subies are not easy from what I’ve heard because there are two of them...one on either side, and also because being a boxer, the space to change them is minimal because they are directly on either side of the engine. Somebody else may know more than I would though!

Definitely get the timing belt changed if you don’t know when last it was done!

jimz > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:18

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your student is simply proof that “adult” and “grown up” are not always synonymous.

1330 is 90th percentile, so I’d say Dave did good.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:19

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have you considered kicking the old fart in the nads?

ittl do ya good

(course im low enough on the ladder for eh.... twat had it coming to be a valid excuse if management likes you)

WRXasaurus > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:21

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It’s not simple to open up the engine cover and check the timing belt if it’s anything like my WRX. You could also write the VIN down and call a Subaru dealer and ask if they have any history on it. If it needs to be done I would ask around at indie garages and not go through the Subaru dealer.

There is probably some extension bracket that you would need to go with the mudflaps.

bob and john > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:25

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1 by 1 here.

1: subaru: pay a reputable shop to do it. fuck subaru HGS.
B: kid did good on the SATS
iii: ehh. id leave the mud flaps alone and go to a skinnier tire or a different set of wheel spaces. if not, Id say the gold Equips

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:27

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I believe I got around a 1250 on my SAT and it got me a hefty scholarship so I’d say he’s doing pretty good.

As far as wheels, I know nothing about fitment but those 4-spoke Equip wheels and the Supra wheels both look fantastic.

Subaru headgaskets are infamous not just because of their commonality but also expense. When I looked at an 04 Forester I got quotes from $1700-$2500 to get them replaced. It’s not an easy job but I’d recommend looking at some forums to see how it’s been for others.

Also you can use the myCarfax service to check to see if there’s any records of the belt being replaced. Just put the vin in and it’ll give you any service history. Note: myCarfax is different than Carfax and doesn’t give title/accident details or anything like that, just service history. It is free to use however.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:31

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If it’s rubbing on the inside, spacers might help, provided your wheels aren’t already poking out of the car. Otherwise, depending on where they rub, either lower aspect ratio or narrower tires (or both) should work.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:35

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Both sets of Toyota wheels you posted look amazing. If you choose to change, my vote goes to the Supra wheels.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:38

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First: dogs.

Second: definitely get the timing belt replaced on the Subaru. Call around. Look at Craigslist for shade tree mechanics. I bet you read CL adds — and people — well. But get ‘er done. If you find someone who speaks Subaru, weigh the pros and cons about getting yours replaced.

Third: If my kid got a 1330 SAT score, I’d probably buy her or him a car for college also.

Fourth: Wheels: bone stock original. Whatever Toyota shipped on that car, find a set and install them. With Michelin tires from Costco. Problem solved.

Finally: I hear the POTUS is looking for a few good attorneys...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:55

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I had basically the same Subaru, so here are my 2 cents.

1. Change the timing belt

2. Do a leak Down test to see if the head gaskets are bad.

3. If okay Replace coolant with approved Subaru coolant and conditioner.

4. Call Subaru specialists in Sacramento and ask for a referral to a shop in Fresno for the mechanic work. http://www.sacramentoautorepair.com/mobile/

5. Don’t do it yourself

Svend > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 16:56

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Re: The 60 year old who took the phone call. I’d of said, ‘right you feel that I embarrassed you when you took a phone call in my class those years ago. Can we agree that since then all you’ve been doing is embarrassing yourself!?’.

Re: the Scooby. Have you checked out any Scooby forums for recommendations for garages and advice?

Re: Mudflaps, it shouldn’t be an issue having the bit on the end hanging loose but you could fabricate a couple of metal pieces to add some rigidity to it.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 17:27

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1330 is a pretty good score especially if he has the coursework, grades, and activities to with it.

LastFirstMI is my name > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/05/2018 at 19:45

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I second your nomination of the Supra wheels.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 22:28

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One of the most difficult students I had to deal with was an older student who came back to school under a worker re training program when his old industry went bust. On the first day of each semester, I told the students that the industry was changing and that what I was going to teach them would get them their future job. Every day he would bitch about how technology wasn’t going to help him in his future job. Two years later, he came back to apologize for giving me such a hard time. He admitted that I was right - he was hired for his ability to run the software that I taught him.

It was nice that he had the humility to admit he was wrong.

I hope that someday your problem student will see the light.

shop-teacher > ImmoralMinority 05/05/2018 at 22:55

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I dig those first Supra wheels a lot. Always have. I think they’d look mighty fine.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ImmoralMinority 05/07/2018 at 17:20

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Text or call me, I can get you good prices on factory parts since I work for Subaru.

We put together a whole head gasket thing, there are a few oddball things with the turbo I would suggest doing to for extra maintenance. We can talk it over and go from there.