travelvw

Get it done pontoonJ! I promise to finally sort out my fuel issue with a non-aftermarket pump and maybe do my timing/water etc. and all the other lift and bash related stuff, too! So much to do. Saw these folks on launch control, a Subaru powered buggy 2nd in class V2R. Way ahead in its class until a different sort of fuel issue arose (vapor lock). I've been driving around without utilizing boost for months, which is pure torture. K

Well, it seems they are currently on a long trip out West! In the mean time, I have not posted my version of the AR trip from last March...

Odd that B's CV angle hasn't changed much with the softer springs, maybe they will settle in, or possibly still not soft enough? Some 'real' bumpers would help, even if its just tubing... Still looks like a lot of metal missing from those rear strut towers to head out on a long trip as is... I would consider paying up for some rally wheels... haven't bent any of mine and they have taken some hard hits. OEM is clearly not made for the abuse you throw at it. K

My opinion is paint it black for sure and trim the bumper cover. Add lights to the bumper or inset. What's left of my bumper cover stays attached to my car much better than when it was whole and it looks damn sano. I left a small gap between the bumper and the cover, about 1/8". Well done on the tubing mixed with the sheet metal: I've modified mine twice and plan on doing it again to make the center punch much stronger. K

Not much brat left but an incredible build! K

Sounds logical. Especially considering they are cheap and readily available. Nice work! Those subframe/trailing arm bracket fixes should do the trick. Stitching the fatigue torn sheet metal together I imagine won't hold forever, but what can you do? If you decide to swap to a rust-free body, probably worth applying what you have learned and do a full brace and seam weld to all the weak points before transferring anything? I know that's a lot of work but it sure would be nice to have a solid, well built car from the start instead of constant patching to hold it all together after rust and fatigue have taken their toll. Slammo, thanks for sharing on the TDRA race. K

I hear ya', I have 3 project/driver's and can only really afford to do one right. Congrats to 2nd, look forward to any footage. I think CV angle and what you can get away with (or not) is much more useful than 2" safe max lift or whatever, since every car is a different, especially when you add bumpers, etc. Based on what you sent me previously, plus I added my info now with your control arms (ride height, unloaded): '99 Black Outback: 9* front, 6* rear '01 Blue Forester: 15* front, 11* rear '02 White Outback: 11* front, 4* rear '07 WRX: 10* front, 5* rear No idea what stock height CV angle is? Worth noting my 20k mile front '600hp' CV exploded after driving around town, soon after installing the new control arms (which are slightly forward and wider vs. stock), so that might go to show I am on the very edge of what they can handle up front (stock rear seems totally unstressed). K

Critters and carnage! Any video or pics of the race? Seems the cotter pins held. I put anti-seize on the 'frame' bolts when I installed my Frana control arms, but you might need loctite? Heck, maybe I should have used some? Bigger tires, better sidewalls, and more travel would go a long way for racing, but what you have is already perfect for trail riding. Those LP9 lights are $500/e, I hope they're good for that price. Based on where the center of B's wheel is in relation to the rocker, I'd say he has an additional 2" suspension lift over my 2.5" lifted Impreza. That's a whole lot of lift without a drive train drop. K

Nice looking wagon. I don't think you will be able to find a 14" tire at stock height that isn't a passenger snow tire. What size depends on offset and availability, but either way there is not much room in those wheel wells. K

Nice sealing wax red beige grey deluxe. Yeah my sister had one by her down in Texas, same paint job... K

Yes, this ^ is totally unacceptable ...hopefully there was no golf cart on patrol. Awesome!!! Excellent trip report, pics, and insane whoops. My WRX is that beer can since the previous trip, but I've nearly polished that turd... more soon! Cheers, K

Nice to see a solid attempt at tackling this major structural issue on your car, looks great!! K

Helluva point. K

Well, I had an absolute blast hanging out with the long travel guys from IL, and more short travel from TX! We did a little bit of everything from hiking, to jumps, to water crossings, to rowdy trail riding. Although us short travel folks kept up just fine on everything but the jumps, the long travel simply ate up the boulder-strewn water crossings and rock shelves. Ground clearance plus articulation can't be beat. My rockers definitely took a beating plus two bent trailing arms and a slashed tire! Looking forward to the next round... Short travel teetering down the ledge: Long travel bombs it: K

I don't know much beyond the 02-07 Impreza and that brace, which I never gave much thought to before...so here is an aftermarket full skid i had on my '02 and now my '07: K

WRX prices are falling as they age, but they still are not cheap. I will definitely be doing the STI upgrade in the near future while retaining my perfectly good OEM brakes and 15" wheels. STI 6MT I have heard is a great gearbox plus more gear choices and a better clutch. I have a little noise in the front diff on deceleration, but other than that my 5MT has held up well and shifts great, so the turbo 5 speeds seem to be improving (the bugeye 5MT I had was junk)? You are correct, initial low end torque is not very good on a turbo car, but that could possibly be improved with a tune. H6 is likely better on the low end, although heavier than a 4 banger turbo. I hear ya' on the lift, but I don't like having to drive like a grandpa down local trails. I started nicking the rockers when I got off the gravel/two tracks, and on to the real trails, which are tight, rocky and high clearance in MO. I can't clear most of the trails here. I also like to spend time out in NM and CO and those trails are no joke. Few more inches is all I need. Right now it sits about like a new Outback, so I have no intentions of going crazy with the lift. I think I can get a little more out of it on the trials and not loose much for handling, but I won't know for sure until I try it. This '07 is the newest car I have ever owned. I like the old, all manual stuff too (everything else I own is that way), but the new stuff is surprisingly durable. The vacuum? actuated climate control setup in particular drives me crazy! K

I imagine I am not going to convince you to consider a turbo 4 cyl? If you want relatively lightweight and plenty of power, why not an Impreza WRX wagon? Cost/reliability? I too like the Impreza wagon body: small, yet large enough to carry all your gear. Perfect size to negotiate the tight trials in Missouri. The King/AGX/Group N combo is fantastic for rowdy driving at speed, but no better than anything else out on the trails with 1/2" less travel than a Forester setup. Speed is what a modern Subaru does best, but it takes a lot of work to make it more capable off road. I think you are on borrowed time with that airbox :). So that car is an auto? I did a creek crossing not too long ago and hit a boulder I couldn't see in the water square on with the front of my bumper, rolled under, gouged the skid plate and down my floor pan. If I hit something like that at speed, it could really tear things up! I also nicked the rockers a couple times on that same trail. I think a body lift would solve most of that problem with good protection down the middle, along with some rocker protection. I don't want to take it as far as you did with the '99, and I don't think I will have to if the body isn't so close to the ground. It'll hurt the handling at speed a little, but I'm willing to give some of that up to get places I can't right now. K

If you can get away with building a bumper minus the plastic skin in IL like you can here in MO, what would ever be the interest in retaining such a thing? All they do is get ripped off, vibrate off and take your fenders skins with it. Front bumper cover was the first thing to get trimmed on my rig after running some forest roads. So is the '02 the new adventure/exploration rig and the '99 for racing? Bumper looks stout! I see opportunity around the plastic airbox (especially) and below the engine for a full skid plate? I personally drilled a series of small holes in the lower-center of my bumper to help with airflow to the radiator. Rad/engine don't seem to be getting very dirty and engine runs cool. The best thing I have done to keep mud and junk out of the engine bay is a full skid on the bottom. I built my front bumper out of plate with a little bit of square stock in the middle, but I really think it needs more for impact, much like you have done. I did a full 4x4 square on the rear of mine like the '99 front, along with a little plate work. Its heavy, but ready to back in to a tree and not take out the rear end. Originally I was concerned with weight, but as I continue to build on mine, I realize I'm going to have to do something with the suspension to compensate for the additional weight no matter the fact that I want more clearance and articulation...King Springs/AGX are not going to cut it in the long run. K

For sure. Nothing holds up better than the original coating from the factory. After you wear thru that, its a scramble to keep on top of the rusting process. Missouri south of HWY 44, or Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas are good somewhat nearby areas to pick up cars. The older Subaru's in this area of the country are also seriously under-valued, especially with that kind of mileage. Very much looking forward to seeing your struts in action, and in person...after I get my body lift done, I'm going to do something about the lack of travel. K

A thin layer of etching is by far the best on clean, bare metal (like after welding), follow up coats with zinc primer (then any top color of tinted primer you wish) is a great combo for retarding rust. I use a heavy wire wheel on a grinder and/or a light wire wheel on a drill to polish exposed metal clean, then scuff for paint (red scotch pad at a minimum, 220g sand paper is best). Proper cure time is equally important. I've personally been struggling trying to get some metal work done on my rig in the middle of an unusually cold winter with plenty of salt exposure and inadequate dry time: nothing really works well under those conditions, so some do-over's this spring, no doubt. No spray can works if you are painting over rust, nor does anything work if there is serious rust from the inside out. In that case, the metal will have to be cut out and replaced (like in your case). In pontoontodd's situation, primer should hold up a bit longer with the constant spray of gravel/dirt or salt?...not so positive on the later, as I don't see as much salt down here in the long run. Primer is soft and durable. The ruddy orange/red zinc stuff is particularly so (I like the Ace hardware brand personally)...so soft it gums up sand paper instantly, which makes it extremely durable to abrasion and the zinc also retards rust. Enamel simply chips off until there is nothing left, which is why I commented. Bet it takes little time to go from shiny black to bare surface rust? K

Definitely looks like a chemical issue on your filler seal. Might start using etching primer? You can buy it at Slow Reilly's, etc. Holds up way better than any other rattle can, even with minor prep to paint (scotch red). Zinc orange/brown primer is the most durable 'final coat'. I have painted whole cars this way for use/abuse and worked great. K

Crazy cold temps up that way followed by a warm front and more grey: gotta love the Midwest winters, back and forth with plenty of moisture! Not really any sun in the last couple months, either. Always look forward to hints of spring right about now... 45 pages here, and I have only skimmed some of it. Fab work and motivation is impressive, let alone that fact that you drive the sh*t out of what you build! K