Nannadan the time traveller
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 2:59 pm
I've been in the process of looking for a reliable Subaru sedan or wagon to ferry the kids around in for a while now. While the kids are quite happy to get in the back of the brumby and hide under the canopy, myself the law and my wife are not.
Behold Nannadan http://i.imgur.com/SbZl2O4.jpg a 1980 sedan that has been living in the hills of Western Australia. Until recently she was driven by an old lady who was the second owner in 36 years.
more photos http://imgur.com/a/vIJeK the interior http://imgur.com/a/gWRIn
How did I found out about this car I was searching gumtree for Subarus and of course cheapest. I wasn't having much luck and I stopped for a while. that afternoon I got a message from Corax which as just a greeting and an ad number.
I looked it up and it was advertised as a front wheel drive auto that had done 172000+ original kilometers. no photos, He was selling it for his mother who could no longer drive.
I asked him for photos and he supplied 3 in the ad a couple of days later and I screamed NOOOOOO!!!!!! out loud, when I checked to see if he had replied to my email.
Shortly after that a Facebook page I'm a member of was awash with photos and people humming and ha-ing about how it would be there's if it was 4WD.
Cut to the chase ... I did ring him but got his home line voicemail repeatedly, I left a message and asked him to call me back. He did and after a lengthy conversation I then rang Corax to organise a lift to Jarrahdale on the edge of Perth.
I rang the seller again and told him I would come up on the 30th to have a look at the car. After an hour and a half journey and some baiting from Subarino about everyone heading to the hills to buy it. I laid eyes on Nannadan.
I did all of the usual checks ... oil, transmission fluid, oil in water check, water in oil check. all good. She did and still does have a lot of red dust everywhere. I got more and more excited where ever I looked.
I started her and my heart sort of sank as while she started and idled, I couldn't hear the engine over the crack in the Y pipe.
When I revved her she belched large clouds of black smoke, not whit or blue but black. I took that as a carby or tuning problem.
We took her for a drive and after a 10 minute drive through the hills of Perth, I bought her drove her home and have spent yesterday and today cleaning and fixing little problems.
While she had had a tune up who ever put the points in only did up one screw, so they had shut and were only just opening and closing. I reset the points and redid the timing, what a difference that made.
The carby was dirty but for it's age in very good condition. The radiator has a small crack in the passenger side header tank I thought I fixed it yesterday but it still leaks so that has to be done again.
I braised the holes in the y pipe up with a copper patch and phos copper welding rod. 36 year old metal doesn't like arc or mig welding and besides all I have for now is an oxy kit.
Once I got the Y pipe back on I started her and had to give her a rev to hear her. Not only is she really quiet now she runs so much better. I have been doing bog laps of Australind just because I can, waving at everyone and smiling like and idiot.
While her acceleration isn't ever going to be fantastic she sits on 100 with out a problem and will do 110 with out a problem but as Nannadan is graceful 100 is fine on the highway. (not in the suburbs)
I forgot to say that I paid $400 dollars for this sexy little gem
And A big thanks to Corax for driving me to Perth (and putting up with me) and for everything else he did on the day.
TOONGA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VPtl2c ... e=youtu.be
Behold Nannadan http://i.imgur.com/SbZl2O4.jpg a 1980 sedan that has been living in the hills of Western Australia. Until recently she was driven by an old lady who was the second owner in 36 years.
more photos http://imgur.com/a/vIJeK the interior http://imgur.com/a/gWRIn
How did I found out about this car I was searching gumtree for Subarus and of course cheapest. I wasn't having much luck and I stopped for a while. that afternoon I got a message from Corax which as just a greeting and an ad number.
I looked it up and it was advertised as a front wheel drive auto that had done 172000+ original kilometers. no photos, He was selling it for his mother who could no longer drive.
I asked him for photos and he supplied 3 in the ad a couple of days later and I screamed NOOOOOO!!!!!! out loud, when I checked to see if he had replied to my email.
Shortly after that a Facebook page I'm a member of was awash with photos and people humming and ha-ing about how it would be there's if it was 4WD.
Cut to the chase ... I did ring him but got his home line voicemail repeatedly, I left a message and asked him to call me back. He did and after a lengthy conversation I then rang Corax to organise a lift to Jarrahdale on the edge of Perth.
I rang the seller again and told him I would come up on the 30th to have a look at the car. After an hour and a half journey and some baiting from Subarino about everyone heading to the hills to buy it. I laid eyes on Nannadan.
I did all of the usual checks ... oil, transmission fluid, oil in water check, water in oil check. all good. She did and still does have a lot of red dust everywhere. I got more and more excited where ever I looked.
I started her and my heart sort of sank as while she started and idled, I couldn't hear the engine over the crack in the Y pipe.
When I revved her she belched large clouds of black smoke, not whit or blue but black. I took that as a carby or tuning problem.
We took her for a drive and after a 10 minute drive through the hills of Perth, I bought her drove her home and have spent yesterday and today cleaning and fixing little problems.
While she had had a tune up who ever put the points in only did up one screw, so they had shut and were only just opening and closing. I reset the points and redid the timing, what a difference that made.
The carby was dirty but for it's age in very good condition. The radiator has a small crack in the passenger side header tank I thought I fixed it yesterday but it still leaks so that has to be done again.
I braised the holes in the y pipe up with a copper patch and phos copper welding rod. 36 year old metal doesn't like arc or mig welding and besides all I have for now is an oxy kit.
Once I got the Y pipe back on I started her and had to give her a rev to hear her. Not only is she really quiet now she runs so much better. I have been doing bog laps of Australind just because I can, waving at everyone and smiling like and idiot.
While her acceleration isn't ever going to be fantastic she sits on 100 with out a problem and will do 110 with out a problem but as Nannadan is graceful 100 is fine on the highway. (not in the suburbs)
I forgot to say that I paid $400 dollars for this sexy little gem
And A big thanks to Corax for driving me to Perth (and putting up with me) and for everything else he did on the day.TOONGA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VPtl2c ... e=youtu.be
