kanurys

Get your drill out. Thanks Chucks for the pictures and explanation. I'd love to do that some time, but for now I'm going to keep on the EA82 path (no 5 lug swap). I like my AA rims. So, I'm looking for camber options with the 4" SJR setup.

Yeah, it would be great to understand fully the way the plates mounted up. We need PICTURES.

I Just put new 27" AT's on my '87 GL with 4" SJR lift. I noticed the little nubbins on the tread wearing off on the inside road face of the driver's side tire. This reminded me that I measured (roughly with a protractor and long straight-edge) the camber to be off by about 1 degree between left and right front tires. There is also slight little pull to the right. Anyways, I've read a ton of threads with different information regarding adjusting camber on these older vehicles - or rather, making it adjustable - to no avail for a cost effective solution. Then I thought of the question I pose to the forum: would it be prudent to lengthen the strut top mounting holes transversely to give a small amount of camber adjustment? What do you think? It's certainly cheap. One of my concerns is the clearance of the SJR strut spacer clearing the strut tower walls if adjusted for camber. Another concern may be material strength of the strut tower, but I'm not as concerned with that, considering the design. Reinforcement is also possible. I think there are a lot of other things I could break before that.

Thanks! I'm glad this could be a resource for others. I did all this on a really low budget but did just enough to have a clean car. I saw the pics of yours. We have twins! You should start a thread and link it here.

Washed both scoobs. No more road salt.

Alright! It feels great to update the thread a bit. I bought new A/T tires and had them installed on the AA rims. I like the black on black. They're 205/75/15's which I think works out to about 27.1".

rebuilt ea82, weber-ed. I'd go with an ej22 if you have the opportunity. My EA heads are decked so it has a little higher compression than stock, which is noticeable in low rpm torque. The ej22 will kick more butt, though. Just search around. There are a ton of threads discussing these subjects in detail. Today I got all the parts for the legacy outback suspension rebuild - all sti bushings and KYB shocks. Also going to replace tie rod ends and ball joints. This will be a nice compliment to the sti engine and transmission mounts in it. While I'm doing all this I will be driving the GL! YES!

Actually I only drove a week with the stock rims and the 4" lift. Before the 27's and AA rims I was running 29's on re-drilled rims. I think the 27's handle better than the 29's and feel less bouncy. They get noticeably more torque, too. With the 4" you get most of your clearance from tires, not really much from the lift.

I finally bit the bullet and bought new 27" A/T tires to put on the Allied Armament rims that have been aging like red wine in my garage.

That's the same stuff I used. the seal kit is great except all of the paper gaskets are absolute crap. I'd order the kit and then get the substitute gaskets (er, the correct ones) from the dealer - they're plastic and some synthetic material. Those stopped a bunch of my leaks. Also the water pump gasket from the dealer - no question. The anti-after-burn valve in your picture 3 on first post is probably worthless now. The check valve in them rusts and becomes faulty. I'd remove it and plug the hole at the EGR valve. EGR still functions great and it will run more smooth through throttle positions. Yeah, those damn coolant hoses leak easily everywhere they have a hose clamp. You have to warm it up and cool it down several times and then re-tighten them.

what about cleaning the idle air control valve (IAC)? That seems to remedy some of these high rpm problems. I agree that it is also very likely a vac leak or bad ECU temp sensor (on the coolant pipe that runs over the bock and under the intake manifold, passenger side).

what about cleaning the idle air control valve (IAC)? That seems to remedy some of these high rpm problems.

These cars are easier than others but so much more difficult to work on than my lifted 87 GL. I guess it makes me appreciate the older gens and 80's engineering a bit.... Still, suspension design has come leaps and bounds since the 80's. My GF's 04 impreza handles like a dream compared to the outback... soft and firm feeling at the same time, and tight with a quick steering ratio.

Yeah, same thing for Legacy Outback http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=13225 the cheapest I've found them is $37 each plus shipping. It's $80 plus shipping for a whole new after-market(so not as nice as OEM bushings) control arm with that little bushing pressed in on rockauto, and then x2... I'd say if you're arms are in good shape it's worth it to press the bushings. I found them on http://www.subarugenuinepars.com for that price by searching for the part number. *They also have a pair of Group N control arm bushings that say they'll fit a 1999 Impreza. Will this fit my 1998 Legacy Outback? https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=746 P.S. I just did the Group N engine and transmission mounts - wow, what a difference, but a lot more engine vibration at around 2000 rpm.

I'm refreshing my 1998 Legacy Outback suspension. There is a ton of info on replacing the transverse link (the bigger bushing on the front control arms) but almost none at all about the little cylindrical bushing on the same arms. Does Subaru even offer this?

Alright. I received the new mounts and installed them. I dropped the exhaust manifold off of the engine, which helped a ton. There is a little more vibration and I can hear some low frequency harmonics at different speeds but all in all it feels WAY WAY better than the old stock rubber. The group N engine mounts are about 1/4" more wide than the stock mounts, and have harder rubber. The 1998 legacy outback transmission mount has about 1/3 of the rubber that the group N transmission mount has and is almost spongy. The group N mount is as hard as a rock, too. Thanks for your advice, Fairtax

Thanks for your help and interest. I'm usually a great sleuth when it comes to information, but for some reason there aren't many specifics on what is exactly compatible with a 1998 outback. There is info on almost everything after 98... I'm currently doing a full suspension/steering refresh and want to do the engine mounts to compliment it. Maybe a short throw shifter and new bushings. What do you think of the ebay cheapo short throw lever? Is there a better way to get short throw? I think the shift lever is the only leverage point, and therefore the only part to modify. Back in VW days, there were a few other linkages which were re-lengthened and you kept the shift lever the same. Anyways, thanks for the advice.

Here's what I'm getting: https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=657 https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=1405 I'm hoping that tranny mount is the right one.

gotchya, thanks. I'll do plenty of pricing research before ordering. I am just unsure of what new STI stuff will fit on my old 1998 outback. I will probably start with a group N transmission mount and see how it feels. Then new engine mounts and such. Thanks again for your advice. Is there a year that the STI mount changes that won't work for my older car? I know that the 6spd is different.

Thanks. Will something like this fit my 1998 legacy outback (5MT)? http://www.rallysportdirect.com/STI-Transmission-Mount-Subaru-5MT-Models-inc-2002-2011-WRX

Thanks. Will something like this fit my 1998 legacy outback? http://www.rallysportdirect.com/STI-Transmission-Mount-Subaru-5MT-Models-inc-2002-2011-WRX

Is there a difference between the engine and transmission mounts between auto and manual transmissions on these cars? What is a good upgrade if I'm going to replace them?

I just called Rallitek and found out that they no longer offer the rear heavy duty springs for 96-99 outbacks. I was ready to purchase, too. Dang. They did say that if I could round up 100 orders that they'd manufacture 100 for us. Yea, right.:-\ Which year Forester springs will fit the outback struts and how much more stiff are they than stock outback springs (1998)? I've searched around and mostly found people choosing 2 different options: Either (1) Forester springs on Outback struts or (2) an entire Forester spring and strut assembly. I'd like stiffer springs without much modification or extra cost (no king springs). I can't seem to locate the model year range of the Forester that these setups came from.

do a search for jetting.

Only if the battery is weak or ever needs more than a top off. But that's not a real big one, so I think you're ok. Today I checked my oil and priced out 5 general grabbers for the GL.