kenpdx

I've had similar issues on my 97 Leggy and it turned out the steering rack was trash, for what it's worth.

1997 Leggy turned Outbackish has 220,780K miles on original engine and is humming right along. My last Soob (87 DL) had 337,000ish upon its death. Damn nephew never changed the oil, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Well, while on vacation in Calgary, I found a Forester drivers seat and some new hatch struts cheap. Damn seat is a good 2 inches higher which is taking a little getting used to. Also have an Outback "lift kit" on the way from a fellow USMBer which will be getting fired in upon my return to Ideeho. After that a tube bumper and we'll be good to go. Well after struts and such, but those require $.

Sweet ride! I had an 81 that I loved to death, you'll have fun with that one. Welcome to the club!

That's what I was wondering, but I have access to a plasma cutter and MIG welder, along with a badass shop, so a little fabbing shouldn't be a problem. Got an OB block set purchased and soon to be on the way. Gonna slap 'em in after i get back from a little Canadian road trip.

Slowly, but surely, she evolves.

Copy that. Thanks for the feedback. I figure I've got a decent idea of what I'm doing but it would be silly not to take advantage of the knowledge here.

Yep, I didn't mention it because i already have one available, but good eye on the catch

So here are the plans to get her a little taller and more offroad worthy: New OB struts (current ones are on the way out) +1.5" over stock OB Extended King Springs- + approx 1.25" Strut toppers-3/4" OB body blocks to level out the CVs and bring the body up 1.25" With the current tires I figure I'll get about 3" lift on the body and up my clearance about the same. I think this should work out well, but time will tell. Any of you Jedi wanna give this a quick look and see if you can find the fatal flaw I most likely overlooked or if I've chosen to go about this the hard way? Thanks!

thing is a damn tank. 17 tons, 10.5 feet tall, 840 gallons of water and it offroads like nothing else. Got to give it plenty action here in the desert this summer on fires. LOTS of fun.

Just checked 'em out and have an email in to them. thanks to you both for the input:D

Howdy all! I'm looking to find if someone might know of a US retailer for King Springs, or if ya gotta get them from Oz, thanks!

NGK "V-Power" plugs in and she purrs like a kitten. Just like the last set of 'em.

thanks for all that! I appreciate getting the info. Today was a strictly cosmetic day, but i did chat with the guy owning the equipment necessary for the tube bumper. Should have that after the first of the year.

Thanks for the info, that makes sense. This is my 4th Soob since 1993 and I've always just loved 'em the way they were, but after customizing MT bikes for a long time I figured it was time to step it up a level. Plus I can't really find the car I want, so figure i'll build it with the guidance of the superb knowledge of the folks here.

Got her in August '09 with 150k on her and have been on numerous road trips. Still going strong.

I'm fairly unsavy on engine mods. what are the necessary mods to get the heads to fit and function properly and what might be the drawbacks of such a switch? Thanks!

Thanks, that's what I figured, just thought I'd throw it out to the big brains:D

I have been a tad wary of the 2.5 seeing all the head gasket issues, I'll try the heads. It's got 212k and is going strong, so I don't figure I'll mess with it til it goes. Lots of steep 2 tracks here and the 2.2 with an auto doesn't really have the poop in the crux spots. The longer I have it the more I want to play around with it. a couple friends here are big time Toyota modders and are always ready to provide motivation to modify. I'll post photos as I get the gumption to mess with this thing. And the $.

Me behind the wheel of my other 4 wheel drive This thing REALLY gets it on in the sticks!

Figured it was time to join the frenzy on the Members Rides page. Got this 97 in 07 with 150,000 and kept it mostly stock despite rallying the thing pretty hard in the boonies. Mods to date include OB struts, 15" wheels and tires (195-65-15), AFE dry air filter, cut down and repainted bumper (soon to be replaced with a tube set up and lights). Not too much work as it's my daily driver, but there are plans for some interior mods: WRX seats, map light pod Add a small lift out of an OB or a 3" High Guys, 2.5 motor when my trusty 2.2 ************s the bed and the tube bumper and lights when I can get a hold of the dude with the CAD program, bender and notcher. Not super fancy, I know, but I do my serious off roading on my MT bike.

Hey y'all, I've been running NGKs for a long time in all my soobs, but was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions/experience with Bosch or other plugs that they felt were better than the NGKs. Thanks!

I've got a 97 Leggy that I run OB struts on (and I got some 15" wheels/tires to get a little more lift) and have had zero issues. I did go with the trailing arm hangers and found it helps with tire rub while going slow through really rough terrain, but I don't think it's necessary. The combo makes for a decent cheap lift that helps get around in the sticks without beating the ************ out of the underbits. Gonna build a tubular front bumper and get some extra lights on it this winter:D

SUCCESS!! It would appear plug wires, PCV valve and a can of SeaFoam (holy god, what a cloud of nastiness) has done the trick. Primarily the wires I think, the old ones were pretty haggard. Thanks for all the input, folks!

Getting some today.