el_freddo Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 Wow, that’s some damage to the outback! Will the plan be to straighten out the front end and go again or reshell the setup again? Cool that the flat towing went well. Over here in Oz we’d get hammered hardcore if we were found towing like that. Our laws state that the towing vehicle must be 1.3x the weight of the towed vehicle. So you can’t flat tow a like-for-like vehicle. But you can often tow one on a car trailer… We’re so backwards like that, and our authorities are complete Nannies about towing weights and vehicle weight limited etc. I swear our ADRs require lower weight limits than other markets. Anyway, I digress. Glad you got it sorted. Cool little solo day trip it seems! Cheers Bennie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 10 hours ago, el_freddo said: Wow, that’s some damage to the outback! Will the plan be to straighten out the front end and go again or reshell the setup again? Cool that the flat towing went well. Over here in Oz we’d get hammered hardcore if we were found towing like that. Our laws state that the towing vehicle must be 1.3x the weight of the towed vehicle. So you can’t flat tow a like-for-like vehicle. But you can often tow one on a car trailer… We’re so backwards like that, and our authorities are complete Nannies about towing weights and vehicle weight limited etc. I swear our ADRs require lower weight limits than other markets. Anyway, I digress. Glad you got it sorted. Cool little solo day trip it seems! Cheers Bennie I have to look at it closer but yes my current plan is to cut out and refab the lower radiator support from scratch, probably 2x4x1/8" wall rectangular tubing or similar. Might increase approach angle a bit and probably be stronger. Then finagle the hood latch/upper rad support back into place. Right after it happened I thought about just buying another rust free car and swapping things over but I think it will be easier and cheaper to repair this one. There don't seem to be many laws regarding flat towing, certainly not much enforcement if there are. I can't say I recommend towing something as heavy as your tow vehicle without brakes but we've done it a number of times now. It has become increasingly common over the last 5-10 years to see two or three cars hooked together driving down the interstate, likely all purchased at an auto auction. There are stories that people operate trains of up to six of these cars with more than one powering the assembly. Trying to rent a tow dolly from Uhaul on the other hand took some finagling. The van I used is a 3/4 ton, we've towed a 20' enclosed trailer with it. Eventually talked to one guy who helped me figure out which options to tell them I had so their system would let me rent a tow dolly to tow a FWD wagon, I definitely wasn't going to tell them I was going to be towing a Subaru. And the tow dolly has surge brakes, so definitely safer than flat towing from a braking perspective. That day trip was great, every time I take it off pavement I'm reminded that the first gen Impreza with EZ36 is like a cheat code as our friend A said. Didn't bother airing down, never had to use the low range or even lock the center diff, never got stuck. Also reminded me how many trails there are in the UP. My GPS log is up to 5400 miles of unpaved trails up there. There are definitely some repeats/overlapping trails so let's say we've been on 3-4000 miles of unpaved UP roads but I would guess that is about 1/4 of the unpaved roads/trails there. The one loop I did I probably would have turned around where (or before) that picture was taken it was getting so overgrown but I was still following a trail on the GPS. The other area I wound up in there were no roads anywhere on my map for miles yet quite a few roads/trails I was exploring, some of them quite wide and smooth. "Connected the dots" too as we like to say - go off the end of one road on the map and wind up on a different road on the map miles later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Oh yea, according to Uhaul, I only use their equipment to move 90s Corollas and Civics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 B straightened out the upper radiator support on the Outback. We cut out the lower radiator support. Hung a straight radiator and the condenser from upper support, hood closed, and started mocking up a new lower support. Got a piece of 3" square tubing to use for that. Put the main bumper beam back into place, squared it up, and cut a new mount for the passenger side. Will post pictures of all that later, planning on doing some fab tomorrow. The main damage to the engine seemed to be where the oil cooler/filter threads on to the block. I tapped it deeper and used one of the longer pipes we'd made when I did the same thing to the black Outback. Also like that time though the block has a hairline crack which was spraying oil everywhere. I cleaned this one out and then poured some super glue in the crack from the inside and outside. Then applied three layers of JB weld. Not real pretty but I ran the engine for a bit and I didn't see it leak a drop. So fingers crossed that will be a semi permanent fix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Geez, that front end took a fair hit! It’s worse than I thought it was going to be. I love how you look at the issue and go “we got this” and get stuck into it. Over here that would be a write off for a regular vehicle unless it was something special to its owner and they either know how to fix it or know someone that does and is willing to do the work. Looking forward to the detailed pics of the work done! Cheers Bennie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 On 8/18/2025 at 8:22 AM, el_freddo said: Geez, that front end took a fair hit! It’s worse than I thought it was going to be. I love how you look at the issue and go “we got this” and get stuck into it. Over here that would be a write off for a regular vehicle unless it was something special to its owner and they either know how to fix it or know someone that does and is willing to do the work. Looking forward to the detailed pics of the work done! Cheers Bennie It is here, too. But getting another rust free shell is no small feat in this part of the world. IIRC he travelled to California for this one. Not to mention the modifications already done to this one. That looks pretty nasty, but all ahead of the suspension mounts, so it doesn't need to be mm perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 (edited) On 8/18/2025 at 8:22 AM, el_freddo said: Geez, that front end took a fair hit! It’s worse than I thought it was going to be. I love how you look at the issue and go “we got this” and get stuck into it. Over here that would be a write off for a regular vehicle unless it was something special to its owner and they either know how to fix it or know someone that does and is willing to do the work. Looking forward to the detailed pics of the work done! Cheers Bennie I definitely considered buying a different H6 Outback and swapping the suspension over. Overall this seemed like less work and definitely less cost. 4 hours ago, Numbchux said: It is here, too. But getting another rust free shell is no small feat in this part of the world. IIRC he travelled to California for this one. Not to mention the modifications already done to this one. That looks pretty nasty, but all ahead of the suspension mounts, so it doesn't need to be mm perfect. Exactly. Yes, my brother bought this one for me in California, and while it's no longer completely rust free it's still pretty solid. Figure at least $3000 including transportation to replace it. Which makes these things a bargain really. And this car is relatively stock aside from the suspension and bumper/skidplate. But it's still cheaper to fix this one. Plus either way we'd wind up refabbing the skidplate and radiator/bumper support or whatever you want to call it. And I've been thinking for years about fabricating a better lower radiator support for these cars from scratch rather than just adding a piece of tubing underneath. On that topic. We started by getting the radiator support back into place so the hood would latch and line up. Then remounted the bumper so it sat level and square with the lights and fenders. 2" square tube going back at least a foot into the stock "frame rail" with a mounting flange for the bumper welded on the end. This is the only part that will be permanently welded on the car. Below you can see the square tube is only tack welded to one side of the frame rail. When we get things more solidly mounted the plan is to hammer at least two more sides of the frame rail flush with that tube and weld them also. Then B cut and fit a piece of 3" square 1/8" wall tube where the stock lower radiator support was. Since this is about 3x as thick as the stock radiator support and significantly larger section, plus an actual piece of tubing rather than a couple of stampings folded/spot welded together, I think it's easily 10x as strong as stock. Not that what it's attached to will be very strong. We will pick up about 1" of ground clearance/approach angle. Also by chance the stock radiator mounts we unbolted should line up great by just welding them to the backside of that tube. Got the main part of the engine skidpan straightened back out, bolted back up, and replaced some tubes. Have tubes almost fit from the big square tube radiator support to the bumper beam. Need to figure out exactly how I'm going to make the tabs and piece of sheet metal there. I know what I want just need to figure out the most efficient order of fitting/assembly. Then we still need to add a few more tubes but it's coming together. Ordered some new hoses and tubes for the oil cooler. Edited August 21 by pontoontodd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Made a tube to brace the radiator support longitudinally and to protect the exhaust. Bracket bolts to the body right in front of the subframe where the bumper brace was bolted in stock. Added a tube to brace that and protect the oil filter and cooler. Tubes welded back in to connect the radiator support to the bumper and to mount a piece of sheetmetal. B cut a piece of 1/8" 4130 plate for the front of the skid and I welded that in. Old airbox guard was mostly destroyed so I made a new one. Welded as much as I could on the car, then we unbolted it. B cut a piece of 4130 sheetmetal to protect the condenser and radiator. Radiator and condenser mounts welded on new radiator support. Basically ready for paint. I would like to get this thing back on the road ASAP but I'm going to see if the paint shop can get this all painted up fairly soon. Have new lines/hoses for the oil cooler, new radiator, etc. B took a pair of good engine mounts off my spare EZ30. So we have to swap some of that out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 Love your work fellas! Cheers Bennie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted September 24 Author Share Posted September 24 (edited) Got the spare tire well tank for the Impreza back from the fab shop. Before sending out for paint I capped and sleeved this tube so it doesn't just fill up with a pint of mud. Welded and painted passenger side bumper mount. That square tube goes a good foot back into the body. Replaced the engine mounts, that was more difficult than expected. Split engine mounts in middle, they didn't have the retaining plates like the ones off the other engine I installed. Lowered the exhaust to do it, the gaskets were definitely blown out. Unfortunately even after replacing with new the one still seems to leak a bit. Removed the oil pan and hammered it back out, bit more capacity than stock now. If nothing else it will take longer to get smashed up against the pickup now. Put foam strips around the radiator to seal up the gaps. Who knows if it will help, if nothing else helps keep the top tank from rubbing on the radiator support. Had to put in new threaded inserts for the skidplate. Those tack welds are just so they can be tightened down initially, they expand and clamp on the inside of the crossmember. Bracket for skidplate support, dipped that one in the enamel paint and looks good for now. Replaced trans cooler, condenser, and radiator. Bumper and skidplate etc back on. Maybe should have tried harder to find a paint shop that could match the body side color better but this place at least seems to use some very durable paint. Plus I think they're the only place in town that sandblasts prior to paint which was necessary with some of the old rusty pieces. Thought about going with white instead but I'm not sure that would be any better. I know, travelvw and slammo think I should have gone with black. Still need to replace the driver's side radiator fan and install the front sheet metal panel and license plate. Drove around the block and seems to be back to normal. No leaks I've found. Plan on driving it quite a bit tomorrow. Edited September 24 by pontoontodd 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelvw Posted September 24 Share Posted September 24 Should have been black, yep ;). Front end looks like it can handle a smash from an amateur driver! Nice work. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted 1 hour ago Author Share Posted 1 hour ago Drove white Outback around town a bit, seemed to be slipping at times. Hadn't realized the auto trans fluid was low, didn't realized it had lost much. Wound up adding three quarts but it is now slightly over full. Back to its normal amount of auto slushiness now I think. Washed it and put the front piece of sheet metal B made and license plate on. I've driven it over 200 miles and about five hours of driving, seems basically back to normal, alignment seems great. Haven't noticed any leaks. Hasn't been starting without using a jump pack so we cleaned up all the battery cable/starter connections. Didn't really help but the lead clamp on the ground post was due for a replacement, cut back those cables and cleaned them up. Eventually got a new AGM battery which seems to be working. Replaced the rear washer pump, old one was leaking. Replaced the RF headlight, one of the bolts had pulled through in the hit. Got a driver's side radiator fan and installed that. Exhaust was rubbing on driveshaft a bit, B had rigged something up that was almost preventing that, I tweaked it a bit and it seems good now but the middle section of the exhaust could definitely use some improvement there plus the cone gasket has been leaking for years because the flange bottoms out. B helped me replace the pitch stopper. The stock plastic one broke in the crash, which I didn't realize until fairly recently. Took some jacking up of the trans and prying to get the new pitch stopper to bolt up. On the plus side that straightened out the trans mount and probably gave us a bit more exhaust to driveshaft clearance. Pulled a vacuum on the AC system, seemed to be leaking a bit. Put a little charge in it and the o ring on the low side of the compressor seemed to be leaking. Replaced that, didn't seem to leak, put the rest of a can in it. Enough to actually run the AC, high side 50, low side slight vacuum, doesn't blow cold. Figure I'll check it in a week or so and see if it's leaked. We're basically past AC season here but it is handy for defrosting the windshield at times. Radiator fan runs with the AC on. We tried pulling the swaybar mounting bracket forward by using a come a long (hand winch) to the Impreza but I don't think it moved. Doesn't seem to hit the tie rod so I guess it's good where it's at. Rear portion of the driveshaft is bent, I'd say 1/8-1/4" (3-6mm). Buckled in the crash maybe? There's a high frequency vibration that's worst at about 50mph, I assume from the driveshaft. Got one on order from a junkyard. We went over some things on the Impreza. The rear wheel bearings had a little bit of play. Slight on the RR, about the amount we start to consider bad on the LR so I replaced that. Much easier with the bolt in wheel bearings. Replaced that CV axle too, inner boot was starting to cut/tear. Old wheel bearing spun freely and sounded bone dry, good thing I replaced it. B tightened down the aluminum bracket for the LF control arm, those bolts were quite loose for some reason. He adjusted the driver's door, hadn't been staying closed firmly again, catch probably just shifted out a bit. He found a leak in the RF tire, seems to be a decent sized stick or something. So I have a few tires to take to Discount sometime for their road hazard warranty. Unfortunately the trans started making a lot of noise Sunday on the way home from a day trip. Made it home fine. Most likely similar low range failure the black Outback had. Going to start transmission removal today. Have some new low range parts made up - different material/heat treat, more oil holes, additional bearing - hopefully will last longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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