98 OBS Junkyard Build (heavy on the pictures)

[gwilson87]

So here it is, finally got the wife her own car so the OBS is mine to toy with. I also happened to drift it into a curb causing the passenger rear strut to get bent, and passenger control arm to bend a bit also. So this is a lil journal of my fun build. My goal is to mostly use stuff from the local junkyard. Already picked up some outback springs :headbang: I know there are a good amount of people out there who have had questions as to what springs/struts/etc to use for an OBS lift so hopefully my own trial and error can help some of you out. Not much done yet, but here are some pics none-the-less.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4MWYWQuRuI/AAAAAAAAB14/CwU2nrmSyW8/s720/CIMG7373.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4MWZDChX-I/AAAAAAAAB1k/VFp7JLWAXBw/s720/CIMG7374.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4MkB_RA1WI/AAAAAAAAB2o/U8-eGJKd0x0/s720/CIMG7377.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4MkCsikuEI/AAAAAAAAB2s/bjz5jJykv04/s720/CIMG7378.JPG
So yeah, there is is thus far, more to come tomorrow hopefully.

[RS MN]

this looks like its going to be an awesome build :D
junkyards ftw!

[GravelCrewMedic]

im here for the news....

[gwilson87]

I figured I would add some style while I was at it. No one may ever see this, but oh well.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4Xh1T-2NfI/AAAAAAAAB4E/yfwRUVd1r18/s720/CIMG7379.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4Xh2P57qPI/AAAAAAAAB4g/PLdB_wZR800/s512/CIMG7382.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4Xh1pWQK-I/AAAAAAAAB4Y/9DVI3C9WOVk/s512/CIMG7381.JPG

Hopefully things dry up tomorrow and I can get these on the car and start working on the front end.

[bigjoshsubyfan]

have you ever been out to one of our events we're holding a national challenge out here shorty you should come. Awesome build by the way junk yards are the best I like just up the street from pull and save.

[gwilson87]

I really want to hit up some of the local events. Maybe not race any yet but at least get involved somehow. I got my ham radio license so I can be helpful out on the course as far as communication goes. I am on slcsubaru but there doesn't seem to be many people who like to have dirty cars.

Weather is really nice today so I decided to take the day off from school and get some work done on the car before heading to visit my parents. I got the rear struts bolted up, realized I need to swap out some arms a bit if I am going to ever have bigger tires on, but the back is back on the tires. The passenger side still seems a bit tweaked so I might have had more damage than initially thought. Gotta check for other bent items sometime. Here are a few pics of the rear of the car back on the ground.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4gufWRpuyI/AAAAAAAAB5s/rrJ1UwgPOxI/s512/CIMG7383.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4gugZyRFWI/AAAAAAAAB5M/p2Hy6WWRq8c/s720/CIMG7385.JPG

Back on the front of the car I got the control arm off to assess damage. This would probably explain the horrible alignment and the passenger wheel rubbing the fender while I drove it home from the school after the "incident".
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4gvWE3MMnI/AAAAAAAAB5g/fIqf2dpHC30/s720/CIMG7388.JPG

Just a little bent :eek: Oh well, another trip to the junkyard sometime next week hopefully to get a new control arm, and the struts for the front. Stay tuned!

[RS MN]

now thats a lift!!

and it still has the stock suspension in the front?
that must look pretty funny haha

[gwilson87]

well... it HAD the stock suspension in the front. Drove it back about 2 feet then forward a few feet to get the back tires to settle. felt really wierd sitting in it with the back racked up like that.

[RS MN]

haha i bet dude, got any pictures of it like that?

[gwilson87]

No I should have though. Little late since I have the front end apart already. Next pics should hopefully have it on the tires... hopefully.

[RS MN]

i cant wait to see it :D

how are the camber/caster issues? if any?

[gwilson87]

Well the rear tires are kind of odd. The passenger side so far is still kind of tweaked with a bit more positive camber than the drivers side. I think something else might have gotten bent in the process of hitting the curb. But even with that extra clearance the drivers side isn't as bad as I was expecting which made me pretty happy. The struts themselves do rub a bit inside the tower walls I noticed. Maybe I will have to pull the struts back out and take a hammer to the insides to push them out a bit. :machinegunleft:

[GravelCrewMedic]

ok maybe i missed it some where but what springs and struts are those?

[gwilson87]

Not sure of the year, but here is the combo thus far. Outback struts and springs with the stock OBS top hats. I am thinking this will give me more travel than forester struts but not completely positive. But so far outback struts and springs with OBS top hats was what was used. kind of weird because the OBS top hats on the rear are two pieces while the outback ones are single pieces. Made for a tricky evening lining stuff back up in the garage.

[GravelCrewMedic]

interesting. this might be a better solution.

[SovereignAxe]

heyyyyyyyyyyy, I'm a ham radio operator too! My call is KJ4NRH.

I'm just a lowly Technician though, so my contacts are limited to about a hundred miles on 2M. I'm hoping to make General class before the end of the year and maybe find a cheap HF rig so I can make contacts as far away as Utah :D

Oh and good looking OBS you have there. I'm looking to get one of those myself.

[gwilson87]

Me and my wife are both technicians. WE got our licenses about 2 years ago and never used them actually. Her dad wanted us to get it since he is all about that type of stuff. I want to get a simple 2M rig in my OBS once its driveable. Today I was at the junkyard getting some stuff for my dad's 4runner and noticed an outback that had the front struts almost completely off, only held on by the top hats. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to get them when they were so easy to pull. Also they only charged me $15 each! :D That means I am sitting at about $75 for 4 new(ish) struts. Not too shabby considering 1 new obs strut would be about that much. Tomorrow (pending on what the homework and work work load is like) I hope to get my red boots put on at least. Pics to come.

[gwilson87]

The weather today was fantastic so after getting some homework done I got to work on the front struts. Couldn't do much because the junkyards are closed today so my search for a control arm will have to wait till tomorrow, or tuesday. But I did get my fancy red boots installed and the struts bolted up at least. Here are a few pictures thus far. Also on my list of things to do is a rear disc brake conversion :eek:
The lovely weather
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4rzq4p3M-I/AAAAAAAAB6o/NlVtzMv3Wu8/s720/CIMG7390.JPG
Strut stuff.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4rzrRxBIrI/AAAAAAAAB68/0sWHBq4395c/s512/CIMG7391.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4rzr0Q2CiI/AAAAAAAAB7E/ZBN3mITGEko/s512/CIMG7392.JPG

[subydrift]

Nice project! The shock boots look pretty sick! I think I might do the same with some boots from 4 wheel parts.

What part of Utah are you from?

[gwilson87]

Thanks, I dunno if anyone will ever be able to see the struts once they are all installed but oh well, they will protect the shock from rocks and such :) I am in the Ogden area. Hoping to make it out to some of the utah rallyx events this year to at least watch and enjoy.

[bigjoshsubyfan]

You'll love them and unlike most the local guys say it won't destroy your car I drive the crap out of mine and subydrift can vouch for that but the truth is all the street queens who complain about us have never done it so they don't really know. Love to see you out at the next event.

[gwilson87]

Well destroying my car isn't a major concern. It likes being dirty :D
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4LH6tBZF5I/AAAAAAAAB1A/diIq9WeguuQ/impreza.jpg

[bigjoshsubyfan]

Thats good to hear we just need more people getting into the sport out here and hopefully it will spread 08whitewrx on slc pisses me off and keeps alot of people away and non of his cars have ever seen dirt. Sorry for the small rant but I don't want to start **** over there.

[GravelCrewMedic]

love the new graphics!!

[gwilson87]

Yeah lots of people on slc club seem to all be about the fast mods, not that its a bad thing, just not my thing. First thing I did when I got my OBS was hit the dirt roads with a buddy. Here is a pic from that first week.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v76/121/48/578470603/n578470603_517471_5283.jpg
Good times for sure. Those that are reading this for info about impreza lifts, my outback struts I got bolted up perfectly. Top hats match perfectly and were no trouble at all to bolt to the knuckle either (might have to take the sway bar off to allow the knuckle to lower enough to bolt up. But yeah, off to the junkyard tomorrow after class to find a control arm and tailing arms, maybe get it fully on the tires tomorrow! Then I really got to start saving to get new rubber because it will just be weird having those stockers on with a lift.

[MadMax11]

... Those that are reading this for info about impreza lifts, my outback struts I got bolted up perfectly. Top hats match perfectly and were no trouble at all to bolt to the knuckle either (might have to take the sway bar off to allow the knuckle to lower enough to bolt up...


How much of a lift over stock are you getting with the Outback struts? And are you using stock springs?

[GravelCrewMedic]

i think the legacy outback and the forester spring and strut are very similar in results.

[gwilson87]

I think the outback struts give you more down travel... I am probably wrong but thats what I recall. MadMax, I am using outback stock struts and stock springs. I am thinking I can possible put forester springs on for a softer suspension. My thinking behind this is the forester is a smaller/lighter vehicle and so the springs don't need to be as firm as the outback ones. I might be wrong again but hey, I can always try and pass on the info to other people. After getting emissions done on the wife's wrx I will hopefully have time to hit the junkyard and get tailing arms, and a new control arm. Not looking forward to trying to get those off w/o an impact wrench, having one of those has spoiled me.

[gwilson87]

WIN! Got my control arm for $20 (from a outback? the entire front end was lying on top of a outback, but I know that it was the exact same as the forester next to it). It was only held onto the x-member by 1 bolt :D It even had the huge bushing on it that is the equivalent of an anti-lift kit, thats right, those expensive anti-lift kits, you can get them from the junkyard for a lot cheaper, at least if you can get them off with just a breaker bar. Anywho.... onto the good stuff. The car is together and drives. The rear struts rub against the tower wall and makes crazy clunking noises while driving, might need to pull them out and take a BFH to the tower walls. :machinegunleft: Other than that, the chamber issues are pretty much non-existent that I can tell, pictures will show it. I tweaked the front adjust bolts for as much negative camber as possible and it came out looking good. Might hit up some wiring tonight, and start planning what aux lights I need. Anyone know of if jackson rally still makes his styling lightbar that cuts up through the front bumper? here are the pics.
Right after setting it on the ground.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xdXf8KN3I/AAAAAAAAB7o/vQ0qnGPQDdo/s720/CIMG7396.JPG
After driving it a little bit.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xjBNYh7jI/AAAAAAAAB88/bjl5gJtPFr8/s720/CIMG7406.JPG
Rear drivers
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xgN0Loj5I/AAAAAAAAB8s/wr45dqsAK1o/s512/CIMG7402.JPG
Rear Passenger (still tweaked, might have more damage than originally thought)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xgOUjJQpI/AAAAAAAAB8w/09Ovu1lg7vg/s512/CIMG7403.JPG
Front Passenger
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xgO0s-zQI/AAAAAAAAB80/GmlvE83V96g/s512/CIMG7404.JPG
Front Drivers
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xgPfDXS_I/AAAAAAAAB84/43zu1ldhURA/s512/CIMG7405.JPG
anti-lift kit on the cheap :eek:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xdX4A0PaI/AAAAAAAAB7s/_Ct5zSSTD3k/s720/CIMG7397.JPG
Clearance!! WOOO :headbang:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4xdZETITsI/AAAAAAAAB74/bCt-52VREn4/s720/CIMG7400.JPG

[RS MN]

that thing is tall!
i love it!

fantastic job :D

[gwilson87]

Thanks, I am pretty stoked to get some other stuff done. Tires, lights, more lights, and eventually hopefully EJ25 :eek:

[Bubba02sti]

hell yeah that thing is tall

[GravelCrewMedic]

well done sir im taking notes as im going to be doing this very soon!

[gwilson87]

"Green"
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4yK1bErbrI/AAAAAAAAB9w/od2zgdhkvYY/s720/CIMG7408.JPG
"Blue"
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4yK1vZ8b-I/AAAAAAAAB90/WJU4vFGu1pk/s720/CIMG7409.JPG
+15 hp right here :eek:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S4yK1wmCClI/AAAAAAAAB94/wiGT6PuSFBw/s720/CIMG7410.JPG
That is all for today.

[bigjoshsubyfan]

[QUOTE=gwilson87;201888]Yeah lots of people on slc club seem to all be about the fast mods, not that its a bad thing, just not my thing. First thing I did when I got my OBS was hit the dirt roads with a buddy. Here is a pic from that first week.



Its sad how true this really is lots of street queens.

[gwilson87]

Well the work has halted for the time being while I search for a job with more hours. In the meantime I have done a little driving around and am trying to figure out why I am getting a clunking sound coming from the rear struts. I at first thought the top hats weren't on tight enough so I tightened them down as much as possible without hurting anything. Clunking still present. I was then informed by superu that I needed some washers on top to space the nut out since the strut shafts were a little different. I just barely stacked 3 washers on top of each for good measure, tightened down... And it still clunks. I don't think the springs are rubbing on the inside of the tower at all... I am really mystified as to why this is happening. Until I find the source I am slightly scarred to take it offroading. Hopefully during spring break I can get some trailing arms and get my rear camber issued figured out. Sorry, no pics for this post.

[gwilson87]

Rainy day, still slight head cold, and google sketchup... That all adds up to this. Nothing to do with my car but hey, I thought it was neat, and those are the Ikea Mudflaps also :headbang: Design for tires taken from Silverstone.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S5vvEZ75zhI/AAAAAAAAB-g/6hEk1Rh5leo/s640/sketchycar.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S5vvUMwAQDI/AAAAAAAAB-k/_osws5RC7KQ/s640/sketchycar1.JPG

[gwilson87]

Fixed my bumpity bumping from the rear struts thanks to superu's heads up on the need to add washers on top of the top hat. if anyone is curious, they need to be about 14mm sixed I.D. washers. OR just get 12mm and file them open till they are big enough since home depot goes from 12 to 16mm, you could get 16mm and grind the outside of the washer small enough to fit inside the top has as well... PICTURES!
Enlarged washer
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S51buziBoyI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/9bXeiylwMrE/s720/CIMG7411.JPG
It was a good day so me and the wife took the car out and went biking, no dirt shots yet, maybe later today or sometime this week.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S51aru-9agI/AAAAAAAAB_E/OstfX3-Yg-c/s512/IMAG0384.jpg
Needs bigger tires for sure.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S51arytVZQI/AAAAAAAAB_I/vJdrSlULcP0/s640/IMAG0385.jpg
Hopefully this week will give me trailing arms and maybe lateral links also. Or at least hopefully I can find out what the other odd noise is coming from my car... It never ends.

[gwilson87]

One of these things is not like the other! One of these things just doesn't belong. (If you have heard that song before than bonus points to you)
New junkyard items from a buddy.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6aCmNfHnsI/AAAAAAAACAE/P1LdPt4jdzY/s512/CIMG7415.JPG
One seems oddly thicker than the other one.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6aCmlkWjPI/AAAAAAAAB_0/9moIBDMFCpQ/s720/CIMG7416.JPG
Hmmmm... This could be nice.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6aCm-hZ59I/AAAAAAAAB_4/0ikzJVoD6iI/s720/CIMG7417.JPG
Win! New rear sway bar. From an RS at the junkyard, no idea if it is the stock one, but I know it is much better than the stock on on the OBS for shizzle!

[RS MN]

looks good man!
and that looks quite a bit thicker than the stock swaybar i pulled off my RS.
stock RS are 17mm, and the OBS ones are 13mm, IIRC,
so give it a good measuring :D

[bone_1113]

lol...i never heard that song until i joined the army...nice upgrade!

[gwilson87]

FINALLY!!! After using a 5 foot section of exhaust for better leverage on my breaker bar I got my trailing arms and brackets. The difference is a decent bit but the wheels still look forward a little. Might have to trim some metal a bit to fit the bigger tires, but I guess when the suspension compresses the tire will move slightly backwards. Anywho, onto the pics.
Trailing arm bracket. The arms are the same length but obviously the brackets are different.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6gq5w7STKI/AAAAAAAACBM/kfdoevqRDWM/s720/CIMG7418.JPG
Some sway bar nastiness.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6gmvyw0-eI/AAAAAAAACAo/H4tKQ9sc_D4/s720/CIMG7424.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6gmwkDErQI/AAAAAAAACAs/fOsOfKR1jc8/s720/CIMG7422.JPG
And here is where my tire sits now.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6gmyfusPAI/AAAAAAAACA4/5oWGEf7BQ0Y/s720/CIMG7431.JPG
Overall stance (I need some spacers in the front or something its a bit too high in the back for me.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6gn9dbvtqI/AAAAAAAACBE/xlCFEN_3ET8/s720/CIMG7433.JPG
Next things... new lateral links because putting a level along them shows they are bent just a titch. Hopefully I can find a dirt road and have some fun.

[gwilson87]

oh, and the new thicker sway bar is WAY better haha. The car doesn't sway like... something that sways :roll: Did a tiny drift off to the side of the road in the dirt just seeing how it felt and it felt awesome.

[beatersubi]

Thats awesomely high. What're those brackets off of?

[gwilson87]

The brackets were from a 1998 outback wagon. The entire front end was burnt pretty bad. melted bumper, no plastic in the engine bay, paint just weird all over the front end. Pretty sad actually. The ironic thing? In the back was a bottle of burn ointment.... Next on the list is lateral links since passenger side are a little bent, and while I have the bold off I am going to try and get the wife to let me buy the stuff I need for rear disc conversion.

[bone_1113]

Looks great! i need to buy another subie for my DD...that way i can do stuff like that to my OBS...cant wait to see the rear disk conv. as i plan and really want to do the same on mine :)

[gwilson87]

Alright I want some opinions. I think it would be pretty stylin to add this to the car when I get bigger tires since I will want a full size spare as well. This is my crappy photoshop.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6qyQm02GxI/AAAAAAAACCI/TYPk6ubzm9o/CIMG7436.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S6qyQ-ekJ8I/AAAAAAAACCM/LWaWi9HlZWs/CIMG7438.JPG

Any thoughts people?

[beatersubi]

The rear disc swap is definitely a worthwhile upgrade.
I think the bumper-mount spare might interfere with the hatch. I think a roof mount would be cool, but not as unique.

[gwilson87]

It would be mounted on a pivot so that it would swing away to the side after pulling a latch of some variety. Performance wise we all know its pointless but I am thinking something new (ish). Also it would be a LONG ways down the road. Plenty of other things actually need to be done first... :roll: Also kind of thinking about putting a snorkel on there. :D

[wagonryan]

I always thought it would be cool to put a snorkel on my obs haha do it!

[Bubba02sti]

subies with snorkles FTW... If you could figure out a pivot latch that would for sure be unique

[gwilson87]

Just a custom tubular bumper would make it a lot easier to find a way to mount a swing gate on the back. Just need money, lame.

[GravelCrewMedic]

So your doing a gravel express build ?

The Gravel Express differs over the standard WRX with the inclusion of:-

Bull bars at the front
External spare wheel attatched to the rear tail bumper
Increased ground clearance
Side sill running plates

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/rallymedic/gravelexpressLF.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/rallymedic/?action=view&current=gravelexpressLF.jpg)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/rallymedic/gravelexpressLR.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/rallymedic/?action=view&current=gravelexpressLR.jpg)

[gwilson87]

whoa, and here I was thinking I was being unique... but yes thats exactly what was in my mind. Add a snorkel also for those extra dusty runs. And instead of a box on top I have bike racks. Well shoot now I feel like I'm just being a copy cat.

[gwilson87]

Crap, I was pushed back to the bottom of page 2 there for a bit. I gotta get some work done.
Went out to skyline drive in Farmington area today. Had some fun. Pictures were taken. Yup.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S8D2ReIUxZI/AAAAAAAACwc/kn7WVFbRoiw/s640/IMAG0461.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S8D2Rt2VHQI/AAAAAAAACwg/VhcOyyHIypc/s640/IMAG0468.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S8D4XacM-_I/AAAAAAAACwk/vIY3lzybyQU/s720/CIMG8071.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/S8D4acGlvQI/AAAAAAAACws/PaFhSy9HtU4/s720/CIMG8074.JPG
Just wish there was more mud... :headbang:

Also just got my lateral links in the mail. Hopefully get those put in this weekend and that will help my weird camber on my one tire. Pics of that to come when it happens.

[Taiden]

This is awesome. How many inches of lift would you say you got? Looks like about 2".

I'm thinking of building winter strut/spring setup and summer strut/spring setup. Sounds like leggy outback setup would be awesome for winter.

[012.5RS]

pure awesomeness with a lot of good info. so ur saying u dont need forester/outback trailing arms to fix the rear caster problem? just the trailing arm brackets?

[Kostamojen]

Trailing arms are the same part numbers for pretty much everything over the years. Only the brackets have changed, so yes just the brackets.

But there are those OBX adjustable trailing arms that will work too.

BTW, what were the part numbers printed on the struts you used?

[gwilson87]

Hmmm... kind of forgot to update this forum along with the other ones, my bad. 3 months later and I am back with a lot of things done. Dual range swap with 25 spline front diff so I can use my stock axles is actually the only thing done, but that is a lot of work haha. Getting 215/75r15 geolander ATS tires this thursday. So yeah, pictures will get posted sometime or you can just look through the photo album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/glennwilson87/RandomCarPictures#

[GreenMtnMan]

Your project is looking just great. Your takinig your time and doing it up just right.
More pics

[lino]

good thread, keep it goin!

[2002maniac]

pic hotlinked from his Picasa:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9fqxEZYMcjE/TFCtKYmDDkI/AAAAAAAADEo/e5B1nUUl-xU/s912/CIMG8410.JPG

Looks badass!