AdventureSubaru

Pretty sure I have a couple of these laying around. If you want a cheap used one shipped your way, let me know. otherwise, you could probably find one at a junkyard pretty cheap.

Great car. I've been driving a 97 OBS for the last few years and love it. Welcome to the board!

Yeah. And pictures! Welcome!

Struts from a 97 Impreza or Outback? If you still have struts that came on an impreza you can get another 3-4 inches of lift by swapping Outback or Forester struts/springs in there. There's a sticky on it that covers most of the info here in the off road section. Much more lift than that without matching body lift will certainly kill axles.

As long as the overheating wasn't severe, you should be okay. New radiator is the way to go. I patched mine a few times, but it just starts leaking again under stress. Rock Auto and ebay have them around $80. for a new one.

For EJ series cars, the auto seems to be the desired way to go for an off road vehicle. It can crawl along without issue. The manual bucks around trying to go a low speeds and abuses the clutch. My impreza is fine for trail riding, but for slower, tougher wheeling, I find myself wishing it was the auto. The other, more labor intensive option is to stuff an old dual range in there. (Unless you can find an imported EJ dual range) Then you have the best of both worlds.

Nice clean build!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill-holder Looks right to me. Did the MC on my wife's outback a few months ago. Similar set up. It was a cake walk to install.

You can find class 1 hitches fairly readily for any Subaru. The only thing to steer away from would be the early 2.5 and DOHC engines that had pretty severe head gasket issues. If you are getting a 95-99 try to get one with an EJ22 engine instead of the EJ25 From 2000 on up, the EJ25 was a lot better. So it's not certain years to avoid, but those certain engines. Otherwise, all very reliable cars.

Looking good already! Keep up the good work. I love seeing these old classics that seem on their way to the scrap yard get turned around and fixed right back up.

Car is looking great! Stick with it. These engines are so easy to work on. Even if yours is blown sky high, you can generally find a used one for a $100-$200 and swap it in an afternoon.

Apart from the usual look over - strong running engine, smooth shifting transmission, no structural rust etc. Check the heads for external leakage. Check the oil for signs of coolant mixing (looks like a milkshake) Torque bind is fairly unique to AWD vehicles, while on a test drive, take some slow tight turns and feel for the car to shake and stutter. (Like a 4x4 in 4wd on pavement) indicating a torque bind issue. Both issues are fixable if found, but are things you would want to know about before buying. Both repairs are a bit of a pain but can be done on a budget.

This is what I have to deal with some days. California culture is a bit of an adjustment. More pics to come when I get the photos from last weekend uploaded.

Will do. Love the trail pics. Would love to get this car out on some trails down there.

Nice OBS! Welcome to the board. I'm just on the other side of the hill from you. Driving the same color schemed OBS. Mine is a 97 and over 2x the mileage of yours, so expect plenty more dependability out of it. Any of the 5x100 Subaru rims should fit your car, so you've got plenty to choose from. I've also seen the 5x100 chevy cavalier/pontiac sunfire, VW, and chrysler/dodge rims on subarus. Mine currently has 15 inch steels on it from a 2000 Sebring. Your comment got me thinking on new paint job/rugged look. Do some research on the $50. rustoleum paint job. I've done a few of these over the years and may do one for my Impreza in the near future. It takes a bit of time and isn't showroom quality but is a tough, long lasting paint job that looks great in gloss or flat. Glad you're keeping this one running like a top. Too many cars of this age just get beaten to death after they turn 100k. General public seems to think that's the end of life for a car. Never realizing that these cars make it into 200, 300 and 400k if they are well maintained.

Timing belt/head gasket replacement is a good thing. The head gaskets on those 2.5 motors were a pretty common failure. If it hasn't already been done, you can expect the car to need it somewhere down the road. Timing belts are recommended at 75,000 miles. Sounds like a good call to me. If the head gaskets started going at 66k, may as well do the timing belt since it has to come off to do the heads anyway. If the repair was done properly, that engine is good to go for a long time. Apart from that, all are good options and fair prices for that age subaru. I'm partial to the outbacks since the ground clearance makes them more versatile to use. The imprezas are smaller which makes for better handling but less space for people/gear/whatever. But none of these platforms would let you down. They're pretty tried and true.

Outback (as it's generally known) and Legacy are the same car. The outback comes with an upgraded 2 tone trim package and a higher suspension that gives better ground clearance. Some legacys came in 2WD in the earlier years. Different looks but the same unibody. All things being equal, take the outback. They have the advantage of ground clearance and are generally of a higher resale value. If you get a legacy though, you can always swap the outback suspension onto it for the height it yields. Welcome to the board!

Ok.... now you have to do a build thread. Just by the pics shared this is already one of the most in depth subie restores I've seen. Love the look of the lift too. Looks like a heavy duty build. great looking hatch!

Check your drive shaft. If it's a metallic clank noise, you've probably got a bad joint. Could be a loose hanger... worn out tranny mounts. Have you climbed under the car to inspect these things? Without hearing and feeling it myself, this is my best suggestion of what may be going on.

Looks like a nice wagon - especially with miles that low, it's a rarity. Welcome to the board!

As far as average replacement costs, you're right on. I was speaking specifically of Pick N Pull and similar yards. Pick N Pulls are commonplace on the west coast and charge $99.99 with a $29.99 Core charge for any transmission. http://www.picknpull.com/part_pricing.aspx?LocationID=59&Language=English&NavItem=12&SearchCriteria=partpricing But yeah, back in the midwest, this is a much less likely option.

EJ22 is supposed to be 185 pounds. I am assuming this is minus fluids and bolt ons etc.

Looks good. I like the use of the quickdraw to lift the engine. Apparently I'm not the only one who mixes climbing gear and Subaru repairs!

Any Legacy or Legacy Outback from 1995-1999 will bolt right in. The only difference you'll find is the hood scoop option for GTs and some Outbacks. Otherwise identical. That was a common color, so you might find your match in a yard. In your area I'd be going here. http://www.joesusedautoparts.com/EZPull.html Used to live out in that area. Hands down the cheapest/biggest yard to go to. www.car-part.com will have local inventories. You'll pay more than a self service auto yard, but they should be able to tell you the color ahead of time.

Not bad considering what some charge for labor on such things. You could do it yourself with fairly basic tools. If the axle is not clicking on turns, it can generally be re-booted, or just pay a bit more for the simplicity of replacing the axle itself. You'll hear a lot of opinions on OEM vs aftermarket axles. I've always used junk yard axles. Welcome to the forum.