GreaseMonkey03 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) 03 forester rear suspension into 97 legacy outback. Here's what works and what doesn't for you parts hunter. OB has severe rot so I switched everything over that I could. Rear subframe almost identical. Forester has slightly taller bushings on top of the crossmember that OB doesn't have. So if anything you are gaining half inch in height or so. Still bolts up fine with OB bolts. Forester bolts won't work because OB has spacers between body and crossmember so they are too short. Rear sway bar mounts to the body are identical. Sway bars are different. Forester rear sway bar doesn't swap. It doesn't clear the spare tire. Forward lower control arm looks the same. Rearward lower control arm is different. You may be able to flip it upside down but the mounting tabs for the bar links are different. One hooks up above the arm, the other hooks up below it. Spindle is exactly the same. There are no differences there at all. Forester has drums, OB has discs. I swapped in drums and all. Rear brake lines from the splitter back are routed exactly the same. Mine were rotted out so I dropped the tank slightly and pulled the brake lines. The OD is slightly larger so if you want to be perfect, keep the forester clips. Differential carriers (front t shaped crossmember) are not the same but forester unit is beefier and bolts right in. OB has spacers between carrier and body so you will need to reuse the OB bolts. Brake hoses are different but mount to the body and the struts the same. I'm keeping OB struts but switching hoses because they mount to drums differently than on calipers. My e brake lines on the OB were seized so I had to cut them. The forester ones are too short but with some re routing and adjustment on the front I was able to make one side work for now. So in a pinch it's doable. The swing arms look identical but the mounts to the body are taller on the OB. axles swap no problem I think that pretty much covers it. Edited February 28, 2017 by GreaseMonkey03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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