Rear Lateral Arms...?

[subydrift]

Ok so I got my 96' LOB last night and it is in way better shape than I had anticipated! I did a quick overlook of everything that might need to be replaced and I noticed the rear lateral arms (the ones the sway bar endlinks bolt too) are slightly bent right where the endlink brackets are. I was just curious if older or other model subys have the same latteral arms and if they'll work for a replacement? I'm gonna check out the local junk yards too when it warms up a little bit.

[BlackParis]

I could prolly sell you the set off my Sedan if yours are absolutely bent... got a picture of what they look like? why replace em if they are still in alignment...

[Team Illuminata]

You can have mine off my Legacy when I get my Noltec/Boyan replacements. If you're feeling flash I can sell you some Noltec/Boylan ones instead.

http://www.noltecsuspension.com/images/products/N62034.jpg

[subydrift]

Those control arms are sweet! Well I don't know if it is out of alignment bad but I guess it is more a piece of mind thing knowing they are straight as opposed to bent. I would assume they would knock the alignment out but I could be wrong. I'll take a pic of them and maybe you guys could give me some advice wether to replace them or not. Cause theres no sense in replacing them if I don't need to!

[subydrift]

Ok heres some pics. The passenger side is pretty bad and the drivers side is not too bad. You can very easily see they are bent. Any advice?

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i121/subydrift/CIMG1254.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i121/subydrift/CIMG1253.jpg

Thanks in advance!

Robbie

[BlackParis]

Hmm... Sway bar is bent to hell too...

Is there a Firestone nearby?

I'd recomend going there and Getting a Lifetime alignment (150$ vs 80$ for one) If they can get it in spec then good, If not then i'll send ya some lateral arms if youd like and then go back and get it all re-aligned ;) and if you ever need an alignment again, then you can go there for free !

Firestone is the only company I know that does "Lifetime Alignments", not goodyear, no dealerships...

[MilesFox]

i dont think the alignment is going to do anything for that one unless the lateral link can be straightened out.

sure they can camber in the wheel at the knuckle/strut but although pointing straight, the whole wheel is going to be slightly more inward than what it originally was

my opinions: replace the lateral links
otherwise, if the car drives just fine like it is, i wouldnt piss with the alignment. save your money for the alignment AFTER you repair the lateral links and make improvements(new struts, what have you)

[Rally OBXT]

Take the links off and bend them back with your He-man strength! :mrgreen:

Seriously though, it can be done with a vice and the right amount of leverage.

Getto fix FTW.

[subydrift]

Ya it won't be driving for a while since it needs a new engine but I think I'll just replace them and get some new bushings for all 4 arms while i've got it apart. i do plan on swapping in some forester struts so i'll probably get the alignment done after that.

The sway bar is bent? i thought it was just like that to clear the spare tire tub. Or are you meaning one of the ends is bent in? I found a few Whiteline 20mm bars on Ebay for fairly cheap so maybe I'll pick one up.

Thanks guys!

[Galen]

ya, i think he was talking about the end... it looks pretty bent.

[BlackParis]

I'm saying the center is bent.. between where it goes down to clear the spare tyre bump... Or maybe mine is bent up.. but mine is pretty much straight across....

[Galen]

oh, it looked kinda bent on the side to... prolly just how its supposed to be tho...

[BlackParis]

****... Sorry I never got around to crawling under the legacy this weekend, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my Wagon.. I'll get pics 2moro... Can prolly yank em too...

[pigpen]

Firestone is the only company I know that does "Lifetime Alignments", not goodyear, no dealerships...

NTB doesn't do lifetime, but they do 3-year and 5-year alignments, and they allow a one-time transfer of the service onto a different car, too. But when they tried to do mine, they couldn't free up the bolt they needed to move, so one of my rear wheels still has too much toe in...

but they told me the alignment is good no matter what I do. eg, if i install a completely new suspension, i can limp it over there for an alignment. I'm thinking these alignments with service plans are the way to go for a car that likes to slide sideways.

my sway bars are straight across the middle, but if your sway is symmetrical, it probably isn't bent. that's all i'd look for, since it should work evenly for each side. as long as it does that, and you're happy with the handling, that's all that matters.

[subydrift]

Ya I think it is symmetrical. I'm gonna swap it out for a Whiteline 22mm rear sway in the summer and run a Rallitek front sway with it.

[Team Illuminata]

This is great but there are none in Michigan. Should be called OTB (Ohio Tire and Battery)

[pigpen]

i'm in PA...the part where Ohio is 5 hrs away.

no firestone, either? i'm sure if you called around you could find some place that does alignments on a service plan...but my hunches have been wrong before. you need a sponsor that does alignments!

[subydrift]

Well I think I may leave them as they are for now and replace them if problems arise from it. I'm planning on buying and building an older Impreza or Legacy for rallycross next summer so I'm not sure I want to invest much into the Outback right now.

[RoadRunner]

Legacy rear swaybars are supposed to be bent like that in the middle. It's so that they clear the spare tire well, and it's the reason you can't put an Impreza rear sway bar on a Legacy. So, the swaybar is fine.

As far as the lateral links go, it's actually fairly common for them to bend. It's not a big deal... It would probably be a good idea to replace them, but if you don't, I don't think it will cause any major problems, unless your mechanic can't align it properly..

Any AWD 93-01 Impreza, 90-99 Legacy and 1st gen Forester lateral links are all compatible. Throw some STi Grp N bushings in there while you're at it. ;)

[pigpen]

Is there a Firestone nearby?

I'd recomend going there and Getting a Lifetime alignment (150$ vs 80$ for one) If they can get it in spec then good, If not then i'll send ya some lateral arms if youd like and then go back and get it all re-aligned ;) and if you ever need an alignment again, then you can go there for free !

Firestone is the only company I know that does "Lifetime Alignments", not goodyear, no dealerships...

I was at the Firestone dealer today to see if my Winterforce failure would be covered under manufacturer's warranty, and I inquired about the lifetime alignment. Full 4-wheel alignments for the life of the vehicle, with nothing really to void it. They told me as long as they can align it, they will. Unless you want a custom alignment or get rid of your cars really quickly, this is the way to go for your off-road subie! thanks for the tip Paris!

[BlackParis]

I was at the Firestone dealer today to see if my Winterforce failure would be covered under manufacturer's warranty, and I inquired about the lifetime alignment. Full 4-wheel alignments for the life of the vehicle, with nothing really to void it. They told me as long as they can align it, they will. Unless you want a custom alignment or get rid of your cars really quickly, this is the way to go for your off-road subie! thanks for the tip Paris!


I'm sure if you sweet talk em, and maybe throw em a tip, they will put in your specs too ;)