ImprezaRSC

I'm not making my own blend at home. I simply fill up the tank with 8 gallons of gasoline and 8 gallons of E85. Both pumps are right next to each other at the station I fill up at. 8 gallons of each give me roughly 45% ethanol/55% gas. I don't measure things out to fractions of a percent with this stuff. The computer handles the rest of the adjustments. I do have a feeling that I'm pushing things a bit with this mix on this old ECU. I waited for 2 years and 15,000 miles for my RS to blow up on E85 and it never did. This little experiment was worth trying and these are the results I have. Take the results as you may, but I'll keep using this stuff as long as I may.

Dear Lord...that sets a new standard for lunacy! That must be a truck frame underneath it. It can't be stock. Anyone speak some flavor of Nordic? My manhood suddenly feels smaller...

True. It's early to declare success. Late enough to not declare emminent failure, though . Mileage has been 22-27mpg.

I bought this 1991 Legacy 2.2 AWD wagon with 275k on the odometer. It was another "cheap" ethanol experiment to see what would happen. I hadn't tried ethanol in an OBD1 car. I figured it would either run, or leak like a sieve and grenade the motor. 1500 miles (YES 1500 M-I-L-E-S) of 20-50% ethanol content and the car is running fine. I have not replaced the fuel filter, injectors, pump, or any of the ORIGINAL fuel lines. The car passed emissions needing a head gasket with a 20% mix. Mileage has been consistently 22-27mpg. It idles a LITTLE rough when it's cold. However, driving it around, you really wouldn't know ethanol is in the tank. The car has spent most of it's time in 5th gear on the interstate, lately. I tend to grandma the car a bit and never rev it over 4000rpm. The car is a slug anyway, so there's no real point. Low end torque is just fine. I don't push it on the top end mostly due to the loose oil pump bolts. I'll keep running it like this until it explodes or I need to finally replace the engine. I'm planning on a boosted 1.8L w/ 5lbs of intercooled boost and a TD13T off of a WRX. My RS is still torn apart, but I can't resist tinkering with a Subaru :-p . My next experiment on this engine will be an MSD coil upgrade to see how it affects power and mileage. I'm able to run 50% ethanol (8-9 gallons of E85) in a completely stock, junked up POS and not die, wreck, or get molested by aliens. Let the flaming commence .

Nevermind...the money came to do these, the axles, and the steering rack together LOL...

Thanks. What about pushing my luck with 29s? I'm kind of looking for an excuse to trim them anyway . I figure it might be a compression issue with the struts? Would the tires hit the trimmed fenders and also rub on the struts. The front of the rear fenders looks the most difficult to convince with a BFH. there appears to be avout 2 inches around each fenderwell I can cut and beat back with a hammer. C'mon...let me beat on the car with a hammer. Please? I'd never do this to my Impreza

I've got a good story for ya. It's why I'm so darn hooked on this 91 legacy wagon. I bought the thing from a guy leaving town (clean title!) for $250. I didn't expect miracles. Not the first one. The motor knocks when it's cold but it needs the "kitchen sink" if you know what that is . It's AWD with 275k on the ODO. It's dented. It's rusty. The locks don't completely work. The back hatch is stuck closed. The front fenders have rusted away behind the tires. The passenger headgasket leaks a bit. This thing is old, worn, and in need of some love. But damn, everything I did to tune her up, it's like she was back from the dead and crawling into the ring for another few rounds. It's no WRX. That's not why I bought it. I bought it because it refuses to die. New plugs, o2 sensor, 20% ethanol fuel, and an oil change brought this car back to life. It needs some more TLC but the car has done things with 4 studded snow tires that some yuppies in SUV's proved that they couldn't do. I think the only difference IS the tires. 4 wheel drive and studded tires made this thing into a tank. The same tires on my RS, even though it was lowered, made endless snow/ice drifts a paradise of vehicular control. Icy ruts are what suck. They have no sidebite like a real m+s tire. You know why this looks tough as hell? Because it is . I want a small nimble 4x4 with adequate ground clearance, good suspension, and good tires. A lifted scoob is just perfect for me. One side note on tires. Mom bought these Kumho mud/snow tires that just rule! They're knarly as hell and claw through anything but they're quiet on the road. The treadblock wraps around the edge of the tire. The 29in tires I put on this thing will definitely have that feature. I look forward to having a Subaru Legacy wagon as a mini-truck for my household. These JC sports turbopipes sitting here will fit this chassis, too.... Oh, and it likes ethanol too. Just some FYI .

Been there to Thule and I swear I didn't find all that stuff to the right after going through the motions... ...and I swear I didn't put in "outerspace." "Under a rock" is what I usually list. Maybe outerspace is more fitting .

Hooo-wheeee, Cleatus! That right thar dun work good! It needs a link, BTW. I searched JC whitney but found this instead of what you had listed. $20 Sorry to sound so discombobulated about things. I get excited when it comes to modding things. I have so much to say and my wrists get tired when on a forum-whoring streak . Giving you specifics usually gets me further, even if you think I'm a country bumpkin from outerspace . It's possible to have enough options that you get lost in all of them... I should change my username to "LegaN00b"...

I basically need to carry a full size spare with the lift, but didn't want to carry it in the back of the wagon. That's my main issue. There's plenty of room back there, but I'm keeping as much of this space open as possible. There's room for me to sleep back there on road trips and still carry virtually anything! A safari rack seemed like a good idea. A swing arm would be nice but I'm pretty sure no one makes those. I bought the car mostly gutted already. There's 6ftx4ftx3ft worth of space in the back. It narrows to 3ft between the rear wheel wells, but there's enough room back there to do something with. I'd like compartments to store stuff and I can build those rather easily. The rear quarters by the taillights are open for little tool compartments in the back. I'd really like to wire an 110v converter to the back so I can run a bike pump or plug stuff in. The back seats are gone, so building over the rear foot wells is another option for utility space. I'm sorry I wasn't more specific. I'm going to do a freakish little monster garage job on it. I'm lifting it and using it for more utilitarian purposes. Who needs a big excuse to hack a cheap car?

I went to Thule, but wasn't sure which rack to use. I still need to hit up a junkyard as well. I'm a little too stuck on making things myself and was simply brainstorming. $1000 worth of basket + rails on top of a $250 car doesn't really make much sense . I searched like hell here looking for pics, posts or anything else and found nada. It wasn't in any faq's, either. Outside of a roof rack, what about a rear spare tire carrier that swings out so you can open the hatch?

If there's something ready made, I'd be all over it...

I probably flubbed up the terminology...it's the plastic piece that lines the windows up top that flakes off from black to chrome . It doesn't have cast gutters or anything, but I don't know which models came with rain gutters and roof racks or not (L's, Outbacks, etc?) It's a wagon with a flat roof. I'm not walking out in the snow to look, but I can tell you it's flat and that trim piece chips like most other old legacies . I'd still really love to find a safari rack or yakima racks that I could get a basket for. It's probably so simple I'm making it complicated, but I've never wanted to shop for a roof rack until now. This one doesn't have factory roof racks, so I'm still a little puzzled where they would mount. Somebody has to have made something already for these cars. (rant) Would this be a good project to practice some welding and whatnot? I could trim it, fit it, and make it level. A good bead on it is the real question. I just don't have much practice welding, but my geometry is fine. There's 4 mounting points for the roof, and I want to spread them as far apart front to back as I can. 2 big rectangles of approx 4ftx3ft with legs and crossbars for the base. 1in box-tubing would work fine, maybe a tad smaller? It doesn't need to be "beefy". It's just a basket. Short 4in legs give the upper lip some height. I think 35ft-ish of tubing total, maybe (6)6ft-bars? I have a 110 wirefeed welder that I never use, but I learned how to lay a semi-decent bead with it. I think it takes argon or some other inert gas to improve the welds, but I could run it without it and have splattered results. I don't think this would require MIG/TIG, would it? I'd cut a 45 degree corner on the ends of the tubing, tack it together, and stitch it up. Tack the legs on, weld the bases, and repeat for the upper lip. Prep the surface, then paint my new basket black . (/rant)

Hey guys! I'm shopping for a roof rack from my 1991 Legacy wagon. The car didn't come with roof rails/racks, though. From a little searching, I've found some racks that bolt to the rain gutters. Unfortunately, there were no names and prices listed. I'm specifically looking for a safari rack to carry that oversized 29in. spare I'll need, also mount some lights, and give a little extra storage space up top. The largest safari rack I can find would be nice . Thoughts?

Bump ....heheheh...struts assemblies are purchased

I have a few final questions before I jump into the suspension swap and axles on the AWD '91 Leggy wagon. 1. Solved. $300 for 4 strut assemblies off of a 98 outback (springs, struts, and tophats). 2. Ever roll the fenders on a 91 legacy? How did it turn out? 3. Yes...I'll post pics when it's done . Thanks for all the help Zapar, et al. You guys have been great.

Those Legacy pictures told me plenty and that's about what I'm looking for in a lift on this chassis, maybe a tad more if I can squeeze it out of there. It's like "OB struts", "OB struts+springs", and "struts+scorpion springs" go progressively higher with lift (1.5, 2, 2.5in). Is that right? Should I just go for the Scorpions and OB struts for max lift and be done with it? I'm looking for the tallest as well as the widest tire options available. A combined total of 4 extra inches after tires under the chassis will do just fine. I don't expect miracles, but it looks like there's plenty there to be had. http://flickr.com/photos/njdrsubaru/216391734/in/set-72057594094366502/ Getting THIS from just struts and springs is perfect for my needs: an offroad wagon that's a little beefed up. Bigger tires on this same combo is exactly what I'm looking for. I thought this high of lift had to have a body lift, too. If not, then cool! It just looks taller than I expected. Bigger tires look like they'd fit fine.

They're not 17 year old ricers, if that's what you mean . It's a local scooby shop. As much as I like the chief mechanic, he's a little stubborn . I won't name names or pit people against one another. I chalked it up to different ways of skinning the same cat. Did any of you guys run into problems with broken endlinks or mounts? I'd love to fit Outback or Scorpion springs onto my 91 Leggy. You guys seem to be in agreement that it's a straight forward parts swap. The "discrepancy" is that I need a different steering rack, tie-rods, new swaybar links, different a-arms and new rear linkages, all from an Outback or Forester. Not a peep of that stuff here, though. Sorry, but I don't take things on the internet as gospel. I didn't know if maybe the tires wouldn't align or something else appropriately goofy occurred when jacking with the suspension. According to your mighty search button...there's no boogeymen to worry about .

I've been talking with some freinds about doing this and they're telling me I need the Forester/Outback a-arms, front swaybar mounts and links, and a few other pieces. How are you guys getting away without doing it? Here, it reads like a bolt-in swap, but they're telling me differently. Is that more entailed work only particular to my 91 Leggy wagon?

...or an old beat up wagon

None of the body lifts fit your car? I thought that chassis still used GC style tophats until '03.

You've got other good pics in here. Mind if I raid a bit? This kind of tread pattern is what I was looking for. A big lift would be nice, but I was hoping to be able to do just enough to get a tread pattern like that underneath it. Even if I had to coax it by fender trimming, I'd be cutting off rusty metal anyway It needs struts regardless of what I put on it. It needs them now...well, right after it passes emissions and gets tags . Snow tires will get it around, but these struts have to go.

Thanks for the input. I'll be swapping the OBW/Forrester springs/struts in soon. I think they're the same combo as what is on your wagon in that pic. Regardless, it's nice to know 27's fit with no mods. Are those the 27x8.5x16? I'm looking at the same only with a 15in rim.

Did it take any "coaxing" to make those fit? That would work just fine for my needs. Do those rub on the spring perch at all? Thanks in advance for the advice, guys.

What's the biggest thing that fits with the obw/forester spring and struts then(2in. lift)? I was thinking 205/75/r15 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+AT+2&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=075TR5GRAT2OWL&fromCompare1=yes&place=26