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Since the inadvertent demise of my junkyard-sourced 1999 Outback Sport Wagon, I've been looking to add another funky wagon to my stable, which includes the 1987 Mazda 323 Wagon that is my fiance's daily driver. Browsing the local Craigslist brought me to a extremely vintage 1978 Subaru GL Wagon 4WD. Incredibly rare to be around in trashed condition, let alone to be in decent shape, with huge spare parts inventories and a brand new rebuilt ATK engine still on its pallet! Pictures! Hiding in the storage unit   Made it home just fine (note that the trailer's tare weight is 700lbs over the weight of the car!)  Full of bits  The parts haul  Looking good!  Only rust is on the hatch  New engine and axles  Spare air conditioning parts (some new in box!)  Air Conditioning by Subaru! dealer installed  Rare tach cluster version  Sweet rear washer bag  Both parts of the Wagon toolkit  Set aircon to DESERT  Engine bay cleaned up  I'll be bad about updating this thread, and it'll end up archived just as I start driving it, I'm sure.
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Apr 25, 2014 20:12
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 05:07 |
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Cool. My gramps has a '85 GL, another reminder of how strange Subarus used to be. Does this one have the "Cyclops Light"?
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Apr 25, 2014 20:34
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animeliker posted:Cool. My gramps has a '85 GL, another reminder of how strange Subarus used to be. Does this one have the "Cyclops Light"? I don't have the Cyclops Light, I'm keeping my eyes out for one but honestly the last thing this car needs is more front weight! The OE brush guard is non-negotiable, so I'm a hypocrite.
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Apr 25, 2014 20:43
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Subarus are still pretty strange in a lot of ways, but these old "quadrozontal" cars take the cake in basically every way. You should check out the NASIOC thread where the FF-1 was resurrected; it probably has good parts sources as you start to go down the rabbit hole of getting one of these puppies up and running. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1351744 Of course, if you just leave that motor out I bet you can get an EJ22 and Impreza trans  Also tell us about that blue truck. I like trucks.
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Apr 25, 2014 21:49
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I remember that FF1, it was a triumphant kind of thread that rarely happens, but had the much more common sad ending, of sorts. I'll have a look, the best part is I can troll USMB, and less so, NASIOC for parts since I have some desirable parts to trade out like Brat taillights and good condition spare bumpers. That truck is a piece of crap: 1985 Chevrolet C20 Scottsdale (camper special). 4.10 open axle, A/C, auto, automatic falling apart interior. It drives like garbage, and I'm trying to get my dad to buy a real truck (something with fuel injection). Its the most miserable 11.5mpg I've ever experienced. My 1964 International 1100 had better driving dynamics. I'm hoping for an EA82 turbo engine and dual range 5 speed AWD transmission with the diff lock, but I have to change rear ends and lose me early-style universal joint rear axles. I might as well just get one of the EA81/EA82 5 speed 4WD boxes, I can get them in my stock diff ratio and they mostly fit.
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Apr 25, 2014 22:09
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The FF1 thread has a very happy ending now
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Apr 25, 2014 22:18
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Seat Safety Switch posted:The FF1 thread has a very happy ending now I only dimly remembered that Subie Gal bought it, looks like she's taken good care of finishing it.
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Apr 25, 2014 22:19
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DJ Commie posted:I remember that FF1, it was a triumphant kind of thread that rarely happens, but had the much more common sad ending, of sorts. I'll have a look, the best part is I can troll USMB, and less so, NASIOC for parts since I have some desirable parts to trade out like Brat taillights and good condition spare bumpers. Word of the wise (you probably already know) but the EA82 leaks oil like it's going out of style. Also, from experience the GL loves to chow down CV axles. Other than that it's generally reliable. I've heard the EA82 Turbo has headgasket issues but I can't confirm that.
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Apr 25, 2014 22:35
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That's a really cool car, I'd love to find one like this. If you're doing a trans swap, definitely go with the ea82 not-turbo 5 speed dual range box. They have a lower final drive (3.90 vs 3.7), and they have a lower low range (1.59 vs 1.2?). They're an overall better transmission. They're either fwd or 4wd selectable. The turbo ones are "awd" with a center lock. But it's not actually awd, it's really just an open diff. So it's still 1wd. DO NOT use an ea82 turbo engine. They royally suck. Search ea82t on ultimatesubaru.org if you don't believe me... And actually now that I think of it, they're so much wider than pushrod engine you have now, I seem to recall they don't fit very well. The EJ engines are actually narrower than the ea82 series.
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Apr 26, 2014 04:53
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Looking forward to watching your progress on this, old Subies are neat. My personal favorites are the 1st gen Justy and the Brat, but the wagons are equally awesome because, well, they're wagons. Occasionally I see an absolutely cherry GL wagon, like yours only tan, during my morning commute climbing the mountain without any trouble. The real kicker is the license plate: DRS WIFE, which I guess explains how they manage to keep it so nice.
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Apr 26, 2014 18:12
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Another poster eagerly anticipating your progress on this car. It looks like the paint has the potential to clean up really nicely, judging by the engine compartment.
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Apr 27, 2014 01:50
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Yeah, the paint is alright, though cleaning it up too much will expose the rust at the bottom of the fender and a lot of the dents, which are just hidden by the flatness of the finish. In actual news, I started assembling the engine. I got the water piping, new oil pump, and the carburetor mounted to the intake manifold. Unfortunately, the air injection piping has the wring size flare nuts on it (m12 instead of m14) it looks like, so I need to find some sort of adapter bushing. Anyone have any ideas?
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Apr 27, 2014 07:00
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Do you actually need all the emissions crap? If not, people usually just block it off and remove it. I can't remember the exact procedure, but it's fairly well documented at ultimatesubaru.org.
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Apr 27, 2014 23:09
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chrisgt posted:Do you actually need all the emissions crap? Shots fired
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Apr 27, 2014 23:31
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chrisgt posted:Do you actually need all the emissions crap? If not, people usually just block it off and remove it. I can't remember the exact procedure, but it's fairly well documented at ultimatesubaru.org. California  I love me some old subaru. Eagerly awaiting updates on this one.
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Apr 27, 2014 23:57
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bandman posted:California Yep. It's a '78, so if you want to not have to get a crooked smog every time, it's got to have all the original smog bullshit present and working.
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Apr 28, 2014 01:29
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My first car was a 1986 Subaru Hatchback. I approve of this thread.
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Apr 28, 2014 01:35
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Raluek posted:Yep. It's a '78, so if you want to not have to get a crooked smog every time, it's got to have all the original smog bullshit present and working. ...or you could swap in a motor from a newer Subaru, but again, it still has to have all the original emissions equipment present.
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Apr 28, 2014 13:35
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I don't have an EA71/EA81 transitional crossmember nor does the 5 speed box fit easily, there's interference with the steering shaft. I'm a stickler for emissions hardware working, but a in non-catalyst car, its more than a bit of a waste of time. I do have to keep the hardware functioning, though the passive air injection functioning isn't part of the test.I can actually order M12 Helicoils and tap them into JB-Weld or something similar. The real issue is the fact that I doubt the bubble flare will seat, being undersized.
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Apr 28, 2014 17:13
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The floor rust conversion and repairs are mostly done, so I'll start cleaning the carpeting up and painting/reassembling the interior as I wait for that stupid air injection hose thing, it has stopped me dead. Anyone have a source on early 80s carbureted Subaru engine parts? I think Its just a late engine with M14 ports instead of M12, or there was some bushing that didn't make it out with the rebuilt engine.
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Apr 29, 2014 16:00
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Nice find! My first car was a hand-me-down 1979 Subaru GL (2 door). Loved the hell out of that little thing. I could get to the ski area easier than most 4x4s when it was snowing.
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Apr 30, 2014 17:59
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DJ Commie posted:The floor rust conversion and repairs are mostly done, so I'll start cleaning the carpeting up and painting/reassembling the interior as I wait for that stupid air injection hose thing, it has stopped me dead. Anyone have a source on early 80s carbureted Subaru engine parts? I think Its just a late engine with M14 ports instead of M12, or there was some bushing that didn't make it out with the rebuilt engine. If you can tell or show me exactly what it is you are looking for I may be able to find it at this place in Cambridge, WI. https://www.google.com/maps/@43.017676,-89.036614,3a,75y,27.69h,71.71t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sksMGjcYTVPsjUL4ssySxUg!2e0 That's all Subarus and I think he has even more on the back end of the property.
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May 1, 2014 18:19
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extreme_accordion posted:If you can tell or show me exactly what it is you are looking for I may be able to find it at this place in Cambridge, WI. I asked on USMB and I have a 'late' 79+ EA71 engine, so I'd need the air injection manifold, its a single piece stainless deal that has 4 flare nuts on it and a vacuum valve. Here's a pic: 
DJ Commie fucked around with this message at 18:28 on May 1, 2014 |
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May 1, 2014 18:26
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Excellent! I love these old Subarus but they rotted like hell in my country and were mostly sold to farmers so they're ultra-rare in any sort of condition. I did nearly buy a FWD 4-door some years back, same generation but the facelift model. Always thought it was strange they didn't really have a model name, just called them by trim spec. Japanese ones are called a Leone.
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May 5, 2014 11:54
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Yeah, I've seen them called "Standard" as well, though there was really only one engine that year, which is all I'm purchasing parts for at the moment. I didn't forget the thread, I swear. Since I'm waiting on the seller to drop off some parts (like that air injection manifold), I cleaned and reassembled the interior, which is something I didn't care to do, but needed to get done to put fiance/kids in it. Luckily the door seals were in perfect shape and there wasn't much missing in the fastener department. The previous owner bagged and labelled most of the parts, which helped immensely. The carpeting is pretty trashed, so I'm on the lookout for a black carpet kit, though I really only need the front piece.
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May 5, 2014 20:41
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Good to hear on the Air Injection. I just got out of that field of cars earlier this evening. Lots of carb'd cars in that fleet. Only the GL's appear to have it? Do you have a diagram of where this part hangs off of on the block? It looks like there is a vacuum device on the right side of the motor by the AC unit if you are looking at the car. There appears to be a stainless steel line on either side off the back of the block. I couldn't tell where it went from there and the proprietor couldn't recall much about that particular motor. Mike is 76. Has owned that land since 1972. And is very much a hoarder of: Subaru's: GL, Forester, Brat, 1 Justy (3 cylinder?), 3 SVX, and a bunch of other cars. His buildings are "full of other poo poo of all sorts" but a lot of it was toys. Honest to god toys of all sorts. "Everything is for sale for the right price. Money talks and bullshit walks." So that LANCIA Beta coupe that 'ran when I parked it 15 or 20 years ago' ...
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May 6, 2014 01:15
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It looks like both the 49 State & California models had it, I imagine I could use one from any 77 or 78. That box you mention is connected to that 'spider' with the per cylinder flare nuts, but honestly I'd need the entire thing, with silencer (the cylinder on the top), as the assemblies varied over the years. And yes, Justy models had an inline 3 cylinder displacing 1.2L. The guy who sold me the car has one as his primary car, an early one with 4WD. Its pretty awesome.
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May 7, 2014 16:16
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How much do you think this thing is going to cost vs should cost? I'm not gonna let this guy pants me on a rare part. He said the engine info you gave me means those parts should be on every carb'd model until 84.
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May 7, 2014 17:39
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Honestly, if its the right one with the M14 flare must, the complete spider with valve and silencer are worth 35 maybe. There are a few other little things I could use, but I will have to get home from work to see what they are. Remember that it is a late engine, in an earlier car.
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May 7, 2014 20:00
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I pulled out the dash to clean it, and ended up fixing the totally screwed HVAC controls. The tach and nontach clusters share the same odometer/speedo module, so I swapped it over. I lost the rear defrost warning but gained a Low Range warning light  . I'm on the hunt for a tach cluster without that light so I can just replace the printed lens with a blanker.
DJ Commie fucked around with this message at 20:44 on May 15, 2014 |
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May 15, 2014 20:42
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DJ Commie posted:I pulled out the dash to clean it, and ended up fixing the totally screwed HVAC controls. The tach and nontach clusters share the same odometer/speedo module, so I swapped it over. I lost the rear defrost warning but gained a Low Range warning light I didn't know those had hi/lo 4wd. Unless a BRAT did....
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May 15, 2014 20:59
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DJ Commie posted:Honestly, if its the right one with the M14 flare must, the complete spider with valve and silencer are worth 35 maybe. There are a few other little things I could use, but I will have to get home from work to see what they are. Remember that it is a late engine, in an earlier car. Are you stuck shopping U.S. only for emissions gear? I've never seen that stuff over here in Australia while looting wrecker cars for parts for my EA81. Excellent project by the way. I have a real soft spot for the older Subies.
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May 15, 2014 22:19
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InterceptorV8 posted:I didn't know those had hi/lo 4wd. Unless a BRAT did.... Later cars did, I think the cluster came from an 83 Brat. A dual range AWD box with lockable center diff is my goal, but they are rare and probably impossible to rebuild at this point. General_Failure posted:Are you stuck shopping U.S. only for emissions gear? I've never seen that stuff over here in Australia while looting wrecker cars for parts for my EA81. Yeah, I think it was US only. As I remember, .au still had leaded fuel into the 90s, right?
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May 15, 2014 23:40
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DJ Commie posted:Yeah, I think it was US only. As I remember, .au still had leaded fuel into the 90s, right?
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May 16, 2014 00:06
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DJ Commie posted:Later cars did, I think the cluster came from an 83 Brat. A dual range AWD box with lockable center diff is my goal, but they are rare and probably impossible to rebuild at this point. They're not overly rare, actually. The RX and some XT6s had them. But the EA ones (that we got in the US) are fairly undesirable. The center diff is open when it's not locked, so it's kinda hopeless. They don't have as low of a low range, they have longer gear ratios, and they have a 3.7 final drive. And no, you can't just swap the awd center diff into a 2wd/4wd gearbox. Overseas, there were EJ dual range boxes that actually had real AWD. But you'd have to change to a newer EJ engine to use one of those. They're expensive and rare in the US, too. Because americans suck at manuals and they just changed us over to automatics and never gave us those awesome transmissions. Personally, I'd just go with the ea82 dual range box. That's what I have in my car, and it works fairly well.
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May 16, 2014 13:38
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Yeah, that was my hope. I have a real 4WD vehicle, so really I'd just want a single range 5 speed. Problem is my rear diff is the super early one that uses the propeller shaft axles rather than CVs, which means I have to find a trans with its ratio (4.10 as I recall) and get the 'fat-case' EA81 engine bellhousing, which is perfect for me to swap as I have the engine on a stand. I think flywheel/clutch/etc are the same, its just a engine-side bellhousing and transmission swap. That and I think its hard for me steering to clear. I'll have to read more about it.
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May 16, 2014 16:45
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Looking through all my spare parts, I think I can more than recoup the price of this car by just selling extras and doubles of parts. I got a spare engine, 3 spare sets of heads, and a few of the points style distributors. Those are probably worth $100 each since they are in perfect shape and look to have new points/condenser installed. Related to the air injection flare nut thing, I did get a set of the correct 'early' heads that have the correct M12 threaded holes. Should I take apart a brand new never started engine to swap the heads on, or just get some Time-Serts, which have the correct pit available and dimensionally would actually fit the hole. Problem with that is I do't know if the small tube bubble flare will work on the larger flare seat. At that point I could just JB weld it shut and tape the least amount of threads that made it look visually 'right.' extreme_accordion posted:How much do you think this thing is going to cost vs should cost? Still looking for one, definitely fine with $500 plus shipping for it!
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May 16, 2014 20:38
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Really, it's a 4.10, not 3.90 or 3.70? Huh... Weird. You can probably swap the stubshafts, though to put a different diff in there and keep the axles. The only later 4.11 transmissions are the EJ ones, which means you can't use an EA engine if you go that route. There are no true awd EA transmissions. You only get the open/locking center diff with terrible gear ratios and final drive.
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May 17, 2014 00:43
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Thanks for the info, the EA stuff is a bit of a gray area. I want a 5 speed with keeping my rear end first, then dual range, then AWD, in that order. I'll check for sure what the diff ratio is, it might be 3.90 and I'm just wrong.
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May 17, 2014 01:02
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DJ Commie posted:Thanks for the info, the EA stuff is a bit of a gray area. I want a 5 speed with keeping my rear end first, then dual range, then AWD, in that order. I'll check for sure what the diff ratio is, it might be 3.90 and I'm just wrong. Try and find what the rear ratio is. I'd be surprised if it's not 3.90 or 3.70. But it is possible. I don't know the 70's options too well. There were some weird combinations. If it's 3.90 it's not too bad a swap to change to an ea82 gearbox, assuming you get a bellhousing with a side mounted starter. If it's a 3.70, well, you could directly swap one of the fake awd/locking center diff boxes. IIRC you have to rework the shift linkages a tad, but it's not a big deal. Also, I swapped an ea81 into my 89 GL. I can't remember why, but I used an ea82 flywheel. That means the timing marks are wrong (because you have to set the timing through the stupid bellhousing access hole, marks are on the flywheel). So you just have to find TDC and make new marks accordingly.
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May 17, 2014 04:19
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