Finally have an SVX
 

I've been trolling here for ages, though I've been posting on NASIOC since '02 when I got my first WRX.

I've been looking for the right SVX as a second car for the last few years, and the perfect one finally popped up. I bought it about a month ago for $1,500. So far I love it. It's my fourth subaru and first SVX.

Here's a picture from a local subie meet I took it to this past weekend:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...u/P1060072.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...u/DSCN2080.jpg


It's a '92 Touring. AWD, and every bell and whistle it could come with. Believe it or not everything works even at 140,000 miles.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

nice car. welcome

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

VERY NICE!!! Looks almost new. Has it been repainted?? And welcome to the site

Tom

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

You got a hell of a good deal. Nice rims too.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Welcome!!! It's always to have more Subaru enthusiasts with us..

Although I'm jealous.. Four cars AND you get to go to Subaru meets? Not fair...

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Welcome! Glad to see another NC owner :D.. What meet was that? (I am curious as I havent seen many meets in NC)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

that price was a steal.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Agreed. I paid 2/3 that for one with a blown trans and rust issues.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

No repaint, just spent most of its life in a garage. I'm the third owner and it came with a 5 inch think pile of records.

The rims didn't come with it. I had them mounted on my 05 WRX, and they just happened to be dual drilled for 100/114.3.

Don't be too jealous, I don't all own four at the same time. Just two.
The 05 WRX wagon to haul the family in and the SVX for fun.

Turbotime meet in Raleigh, NC. It's a pretty active area for the Subaru enthusiast. Check the SEsubforum on NASIOC for info on meets and install days.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

hang on to that one,

it looks immaculate...

killer deal!

congrats and welcome!

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Thanks.

Just to be clear, this car is far from perfect. I've got a list of things as long as my arm to do with. Luckily little of those are major things though.
The car is mechanically sound, though it does need valve cover gaskets, a new power steering pump, and the radiator is leaking from a split in the plastic around the upper hose.
The suspension needs a bit of help. The interior is nice, but the faded suede needs to be dealt with, and it'll probably never recover from the original owner smoking in it.

It does however have new cv joints and the trans was replaced at 94k. We'll see how much longer it lasts before I need to swap a manual into it.

My intent is to spend the next year or so just fixing minor little things without having to dump too much, then later diving into it head (and wallet) first.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Nice, one of the nicest looking Tealies Ive seen. Best of Luck it with it, and hang onto your wallet.:lol:

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Yea but still I prolly would have paid over twice that. You are lucky:)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

That is deffinetly a nice looking tealie! And a steal at that price!

Congrats on the purchase and hope you have alot of fun with it!




Dustin

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Wow, I agree with everyone that you apparently got quite a deal. That's a pretty car.

Knowing how much I've dumped into mine and how much more they really need, it's rather disheartening to know that a good "new" SVX can be had so cheaply.

dcb

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

mint svx congrats on a good find

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Make sure you check out the Power Steering O-Ring before you replace the pump. That is the usual problem and not the pump. Good luck. :)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

After about 2 months, I finally got around to washing this car for the first time. Took some pictures to celebrate since it was a nice day.
Since I don't have a garage, I'm at the mercy of the weather whenever it comes to working with the car. Now that it's warming up a bit I hope I can start to make some progress with this beast.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aru/svx3-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ubaru/svx4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ubaru/svx5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aru/svx2-1.jpg

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Looks great cleaned up. I look forward to seeing your progress. :)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

That was a excellent price. I paid that for my 92 Ebony. Good mechanical condition but it was poor cosmetically. The clearcoat is still peeling :(

I'm the one you should be jealous of :p
I have 9 Subaru's, 5 are running.
I just took my 89 XT6 to a meet today with about 100 other Subaru's.
I was the only old school Soob there :rolleyes:
http://www.cardomain.com/id/Turbone

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

So, I'm getting ready to have some service done to the engine.
I'm having the engine resealed since it leaks out of every possible a gasket. While that's being done, I'm just going to have a major service competed for my own peace of mind. Typical 60k service I guess: timing belts, plugs, all fuilds, etc...

While I'm having this done, are the any little tweaks I should have done at the same time? I'm thinking about finding a lightweight crank pulley locally to have added at the time. Figure it won't do much, but while I'm in there, every little thing can help, right?

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

"finally the perfect one popped up" :lol: I think most of us were able to find one of those “the perfect ones"!

Keith:cool:

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

We believe! We believe! :drool: <3

These cars do repay pride of ownership and good servicing. Yours looks very cared for. ;)

Nice deal, congratulations.

Joe :)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

The cars been at the shop for the last week. I should be getting it back tomorrow.
Had the engine pulled and completely resealed, major service done at the same time (new plugs, timing belt, fluids, etc...) A ton of parts needed replacing. I now have a new non-cracked timing cover, all new vacuum lines (olds were baked and cracked to hell), new knock sensors (also baked), and new power steering lines.
It's gonna be nice to have a non stained parking spot from here on out, and a quiet steering box.

The best part is that I now have a mechnically sound base to begin building any modifications around.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

That sounds great. If taken care of, these cars will go well over 300,000 miles. There are a few around that have done that. Good luck and the car looks great. :)

Go to the registration forum and get your car listed on the owners list. :)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

I haven't updated this thread in ages, simply because I haven't touched or really even driven the car. It sat not starting for quite awhile, but a new camshaft poistion sensor fixed that. She's been commuted in a few times since the summer, but that's it.

Now as soon as the holidays get over I'll be getting a PWR radiator to replace mine. The JB Weld on the plastic top tank just isn't doing the job anymore. I think I'll pick up some new radiator hoses at the same time. The lower one at least looks like a pain to change out, so I might as well do that now instead of at a later inopportune time. Anything else I should knock out while the radiator is being swapped? Water pump has already been done.

I'm hoping by mid-January I can start driving this thing a little more regularly.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

who makes the rims? they look good.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

They're ADR M-Sports. I'm a fan of the style, I like them a lot on my WRX, but I don't like the fitment on the SVX. At 17x7 they're just too narrow. However I dislike the stock wheels so much I opted for a reduction in wheel width.

Hopefully the new year will bring a new wheel option to the table as well. Something that will fill out those rear fender wells a little better.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Well, then you probably wouldn't want 17x8.5 Dodge Stealth RT wheels... they should fit, but they look almost the same as SVX stock wheels, and are also directional.

The car looks great. If all else fails, maybe 5mm spacers on the rear hubs? :D

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

I'm not opposed to directional wheels at all, I just have something against the stockers. I might have to look up the Stealth wheels. 8.5" is nothing to scoff at (I just had a mental "that's what she said" moment).

Edit: Just did a GIS for them. No likey. I think it's the large, off-color centercaps that I don't like. On both the stockers I have and the R/T wheels. Or maybe I'm in denial about hating directional wheels, I dunno.

No spacers. Can't run them with dual-drilled wheels anyway. At least not the ones that I've seen.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Yeah... I am not a fan of the black center caps, either... but If I wanted stock-looking wheels, larger in diameter, and in width... I'd get 'em, and paint/powdercoat them to match, anyway, and the center-caps wouldn't have a logo, and would match the wheel color.

But Ideally, I'd go with BBS CO in 17", or the similar CH in 18" diameter. I would LOVE to see those on an SVX, especially one lowered just a touch in the front. There is a single 5x114.3 fitment of each of those, in those diameters, that meets the stats for the SVX.

I like the way 18s look on the car... but living with 18"s on my Legacy... the harshness of the low-pro tires, and it's underdamped suspension has gotten slightly irritating. Even moreso since getting to know how smoooooth the SVX is, without being a luxo-barge that wallows and rolls.

I think I'd be tempted to stick with 17"s, and some nicely wide tires. I've never been a big fan of the stretched-tire under-size look that some people use to fit low-pro tires. If anything, tires should be wider than the rims they are mounted on.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

I haven't updated this in ages.

Recent developments:

Car sat for some time after trashing the front diff. It has since been upgraded to a low mileage 4.44 setup.

It now sports these:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3..._7500447_n.jpg

They'll be repainted or powdercoated a more appropriate color (not sure what yet) soon. I got a killer deal on these because of the color, and the multiple layers of color under that.

The care smells horribly of burnt fluids, exhaust, previous owners and cigarette smoke; so I've begun a thorough cleaning:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...r/100_2044.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...r/100_2043.jpg

After I have the interior fully scrubbed own I intend to have the carpet professionally cleaned. If it still looks aged, which I imagine it will, I'll try the DIY carpet dyeing I've seen described here on the forums. If dyeing the carpet black goes well, I'll try the same on the cloth armrests.

Then I'll address the leaking rear exhaust (at the donut gasket) by replacing the catback. The previous owner removed and disposed of the trunk drain plugs, hence the exhaust fumes from the leaking muffler. I'm ordering replacements for those and new taillight gaskets next week. I'm trying to keep the interior as nice looking and smelling as possible as this car is starting to finally see daily driving duty.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Interior has been scrubbed repeatedly. All carpeting has been thoroughly steam cleaned and let to dry in our nice 100+ degree weekend. All in all, it's 50% reassembled, and the car finally smells brand new!

Car is at the exhaust shop right now, and I"m eagerly awaiting the call to go pick it up!

New paint color has been picked out for the red wheels, just need some cooperative weather to get a chance to redo them.

I'm thrilled that I'm finally getting some traction on this project! Thrilled I say!

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

correct if Im wrong, but are you installing those red bbs's on a green svx:eek: Any photos of the freshly cleaned carpet. I steam clean mine in the car, but I suppose it is easier to clean out of the car. I just take out both front seats and use the Bissell home cleaning machine with the attachment hose and small brush and it comes out pretty clean, but the best part is it smells great afterwards.;)

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Yeah, they're on a green car, or Dark Teal to be exact. It's not as bad as I expected though and it's only temporary. My next project is to strip and repaint them. I still haven't gotten a good picture of them on the car, but I plan to. I'd like to be able to remember the brief existence of the Christmas car in the future. :lol:

I chose to remove the carpet so I could clean and deodorize underneath. I wanted to be sure I scrub down the metal floors, and check for any possible holes or openings that might need to be plugged. I was getting sick of exhaust gases finding their way into the cabin.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

ho ho ho, needs some of these .....
http://i.ebayimg.com/01/!B-)Uq0QEWk~...V7DFQ~~_35.JPG

:D

congrats on doing it right - sorting out the issues first instead of slapping a cold air intake and exhaust on it.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

- Interior has been completely re-installed. The SVX interior now looks cleaner and nicer than the one in my 05 WRX.

- The exhaust system from the y-pipe, that was once the catalytic converter, back has been replaced. Not a single exhaust rattle remains. So beautiful.

- Adjusted the TPS from its previous 0.21 vdc to a more appropriate 0.50 vdc. I was not expecting that to have made such a noticeable improvement, but my god did it! The car is tons more driveable, and the shifts on the 4.44 almost as smooth as stock.

- Replacement front sway bar bushings have been purchased and should be here in time for this weekend's round of fun. Maybe I can get around to wheel painting if the weather cooperates too.

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Sounds like you got a nice car Pictures would be nice really nice

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

+1 I would love to see pics of a Dark Teal SVX with Red Rims :D

Re: Finally have an SVX
 

Unfortunately (in some opinions) I never managed to get pictures of the car in its red wheeled glory. I do however have some pictures of the wheels in different stages of stripping and painting.

Partially stripped: Yes, I did roll around with two of them like this for about two weeks:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...96541107_o.jpg

Further along:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...30309627_o.jpg

And the final product:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...21242621_o.jpg