jmoss5723

CWP8 - Your bumper looks awesome, but I'm wondering what you did with your turn signals. Did you rig up the corner lights or something? I'm building a bumper for my BRAT, but I haven't decided what to do with the signals yet.

I guess I should say "lots of lateral wiggle as compared to the amount of lateral wiggle you would have with a block of steel (none)." My point was just that this is still a flexible connection like the initial design intended for it to be, rather that a solid connection like you would get if you replaced the rubber with a piece of steel. In short, it wiggles and flexes like a soft rubber bushing, which I imagine is the goal. (Edited for grammar)

In addition the ideas already said, you can put in a higher flow air filter (though often higher flow = less effective at filtering...). Seafoam treatment in the top end would likely wake up a car that old a little bit. Depending on the emissions requirements where you live, you might be able to reduce the restriction in your exhaust a little bit, too. Some people will also argue that a few stickers on your windows might give you a small power bump depending on the brands represented!

There is still LOTS of lateral wiggle in this arrangement. I bolted it down tight enough that I'm confident that the bolt won't come undone because of the constant pressure from the compressed rubber (plus I used a bunch of loctite!). And because the rubber is pretty soft, there is still an ability for twisting, lateral shear movement, and vibration dampening. It is definitely way less rigid than a piece of metal welded or bolted in. I have noticed no difference in the feel of the shifter or difference in vibration. On thoughts about your lift: When I lifted my BRAT 2 inches, I dropped all of the mounting points for the shifter linkage 1 inch and I was still able to get all of the gears. I'm thinking that it probably reduced the stress on this piece. No idea for sure, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Drill and bolt it. That's how i fixed mine a year ago after a few suggestions from other members. Not a single problem since.

Well since MOST people only lift new gen Subarus like 1 or 2 inches, 4 inches is relatively big. But yes, as far as lifts go in general, it won't be very big. For some perspective, on the forester forums SO MANY people put on 1 inch strut spacers and post before and after pics and everyone gets all excited . Really "extreme" guys put a spacer and put king springs in . It is pretty sad. I know some people have done some hugely lifted new gen cars around here and there are obviously a million examples of tall EA cars, but there aren't many foresters over about 2" of lift. Sorry to disappoint!

Another thought: I might do a 2.5" strut bottom lift and leave the 1" spacers I already have for a total of 3.5" (well, plus the 3/8" saggy butt spacers I have in the back), then do a 2" drop on the rest of the driveline. So I'd have a 3.5/2. this seems like the best and easiest solution, right? To account for camber, I would just need to offset the bottom hole on my brackets, right? How much, though?

I looked at your Forester and it is exactly what I have in mind! It looks awesome. I might be interested in buying a set of those strut-bottom lifts. Do you have any pictures of them installed without a wheel on?I'm having trouble visualizing how it all hooks up. As far as going 4/2 is concerned, I've heard lots of back-n-forth on how much the CV's can take and I think I'd rather err on the side of caution. I HATE changing CV's and I figure why risk more stress when I don't really need to? My primary concerns are approach angle and aesthetics. I don't take it rock crawling or anything, I just drive some really crappy "roads" to go hunting, camping, etc. I understand that I COULD go 2 inch difference between the struts and the subframes, but for my purposes, I do not need to nor do I really want to.

The 1 inch lift on my forester just isn't enough. IT MUST GO HIGHER! I am planning on doing a "big" lift on my 2004 XS 5spd this summer (along with finishing some work on my BRAT and diving into my Ski Team wagon restoration...) I have compiled a list of necessary modifications and I'm looking for some feedback to see if I forgot anything. I'm planning on doing 4 inch strut toppers and 3 inch drops for the subframes, etc. I might go 3/2 instead of 4/3, we'll see. I'm building it all out of 3/16" thickness steel tubing, with as much of it tied together with cross braces as possible. I've done the exact same type of lift on my BRAT, so I generally know what I'm getting into. Anyways, here is the list. Let me know what you think: Lift BLocks: Strut tops - Offset 7mm per 2 inches of lift Front and Rear Subframes Sway bar mounts Transmission Crossmember Rear Differential Hanger Center carrier bearing/support in the drive shaft Trailing Arms Extensions: Steering shaft Radiator Hoses Brake lines Shifter Linkage Pitch Stopper General Modifications: Air intake Skid Plate Exhaust routing And of course an alignment.

Ranked up there with a few luxury rides! http://jalopnik.com/ten-best-cars-for-a-super-drunk-passenger-1673166872

USMB user Pooparu makes and sells very nice decals on eBay already. Why recreate the wheel? I haven't purchased a set, but I've only heard good things.

Weird. I didn't get ANY notifications for my messages, but have a few from you and others. I'll reply right now! Sapper, sorry for the thread hi-jack. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

The ArmorAll bra sounds like their brand's take on plasti-dip. I've considered putting one like that on my Forester. After seeing your pics, I just might have to now.

Sapper, the wagon is looking good! I like the black on the hood a lot. Any chance you'd want to part with the roof rack crossbars? Those would be great for my restoration of the Ski Wagon.

Well there's your problem! Quit soaking your car in beer! On a more helpful note, if you find that you need new weather stripping or t-tops, I have a few sets of each. Why I have them, I'll never know, since my brat is a hard top, but I could let them go pretty easily I think.

My church does a really cool thing once a month where the deacons do a car wash, oil change, or other really basic stuff for single moms and widows. Like church/religion or not, you gotta admit that is way better than letting them get scammed at Shady-Lube.

I figure it is far more likely that no one who has done it saw my post. It isn't THAT wild of an idea. But I know that non-stop bumping a thread is annoying, so I said "just ONE bump." Sorry I asked a question in hopes I might be able to save a buck by getting a hitch on craigslist. If I have to, I'm happy to buy a new one that fits my car. I could modify the impreza hitch if necessary, but it isn't worth the hassle.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. This is the mentality I have with my sister. I give her advice on taking care of her car, but when she goes a full year without changing her oil or checking her tire pressure and something expensive happens, I just hope she learns from it. Give good advice, but don't beat yourself up if she doesn't take it. At least she is just wasting money on stuff she doesn't need. She could be putting off a brake job for so long that both front brakes are metal-on-metal (this is just my most recent real-life nightmare).

Beuller? Giving this thread just one bump because I don't want to miss the deal on this hitch.

Any chance that junk yard (or maybe you?) has the shift linkages for a D/R 5spd? I'm trying to accumulate the parts to swap one into the Ski Wagon and so far all i have the tranny itself.

I did a little searching around and I couldn't find anything conclusive. Will a hitch from a 02-04 Impreza fit an 03-05 Forester? I know they are built on the same chassis, but I'm wondering about clearance on the bumper, exhaust, etc. I would just try it and see if it fits, but it is an hour away from me and I'd rather not waste the time if someone knows. I recently lifted my Forester and now putting the bikes on the roof is a HUGE pain. If I can get a hitch cheaply, I can overcome my vertical challenge. Thanks!

I've got one you can have for like $10 if you want it. It has the gray buttons instead of the orange and blue, though.

I'm not sure about interchangeability, but all 4 of the 2000-2004 subarus that I've had have this fob. They can be had online pretty cheaply and pairing them with your car is mindlessly simple.

Hello from Pittsburgh! Congratulations on the new ride. I always loved the Outback sedans. Is that the 4 or 6 cylinder?