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Thanks for all the advice on this. Good to have someone else looking over my shoulder making sure to at least warn me when I'm doing something I shouldn't. Yes, we're just using these as transfer pumps. One for each direction since they all seem to have a check valve built in, the only reversible ones I can find are pretty expensive. 14ga seems overkill for 5A. I use 16ga for almost everything. Will take a closer look at the ABS wires for sure, I like the idea of just using them for power and then grounding the other terminal of the pumps. Will probably see what other wires are running back there we're no longer using too. On the topic of wiring, any suggestions on a relay/fuse good for 80+ amps? Want to put both the pusher fans on the secondary fan circuit. Figure I'll switch the big relay I add with the stock wiring/relay. Those fans pull almost 30A each (over 30A when submerged in water apparently). Planning on putting both the puller fans on the primary fan circuit, they are small and don't draw as much so I should be good there. Currently have one of each on each circuit on 30A fuses.

Long overdue trip report from early October. B and I decided to revisit some of the challenging portions of the trail riding with T in 2019. Friday morning before I left I shoved a couple pieces of hardware cloth between the radiator fans and grill/bumper. We met at Canyon Falls and headed north a little bit and started trail riding. Many of the trails we were on Friday were not on any of our maps and were quite overgrown. One of them stared getting soft and the Impreza started digging in to the mud. I locked the center diff and got out the folding recovery ramps and was able to get back to dry ground. We saw several different Notice of Authorizations posted for culvert and temporary bridge construction for logging operations. Some of these were about ten years old but we'd never seen them before anywhere. Impreza temp gauge started creeping up, the main fan fuse was blown so we replaced that. Not really sure why, it was fine the rest of the weekend. The hardware cloth in front of the fans did keep getting packed up with leaves and other vegetation all weekend, we cleaned them out quite a few times. Unfortunately none of the trails we explored for the first few hours went anywhere so we had to go back to the highway to go north a few more miles to some other trails. We were heading towards a hill on the topo that showed a trail going to the top so I tried to get there. Again wound up on some trails not on the maps and eventually came to a sign with a skull reading Paul Hytinen's trail of no return. That trail was basically a straight shot to the top of the hill. The first section was a fairly long and rocky climb, the only time I used low range all weekend. And yes that's an interior door panel lying next to the climb. We both made it up with no major drama and the rest of the trail was fairly mild. It was getting late so we camped in the little clearing at the top of the hill. In the morning B discovered that his RF tire had gone flat due to a small sidewall cut. He was able to double plug it. One of the first trails he had us go down was fairly narrow, rutted, and muddy but we made it through. At this point his plug was leaking so he replugged it which lasted the rest of the weekend (sort of...). Found a big tailings pile back in the woods. Found some decent campsites along a road next to a neat stream. Went to one of the stream crossings we'd turned around at on a previous trip with a less capable Subaru. Crossed it easily and continued. Went up a muddy climb that wasn't too steep but had a lot of logs that we're guessing other people put down but probably didn't help us. We both made it to the top but then I managed to go a little too far to the right and slide into a soft spot. Shortly after this I had a small stick jammed in my LF brake heat shield making an amazing amount of noise so we removed that. At that point I realized I couldn't open the RF door because the rocker was smashed up. Found an old RV way back in the woods. Went up to Mt Arvon from the west. Parking area was full of golf carts so we continued northeast. Got to another stream crossing we'd marked and turned around at with T but this time crossed easily. Eventually reached an old railroad grade that started out muddy and rutted which we had also turned around at on a previous trip. A little ways east a beaver dam was flooding a portion of the grade. This pond looks like it was probably occupied. Fortunately there was basically a beaver dam on either side of the road. We dug some drains in the dam on the downstream side and were then able to drive through. We were both briefly stuck but some jacking and logs under the tires got us back on the move. Just east of that was a four way intersection. We continued east on the grade and stopped at another beaver dam. This one was a similar deal but did not seem active, they had kind of dammed both sides so we dug ditches on the downstream side. Frog eating an earthworm, don't think I've ever seen that before. After a little draining It was starting to get a little late so we decided to go back to the intersection which had a big clearing and cook dinner. We then drove back to the beaver dam to check the drainage. Just before we got there B's Forester got stuck in a muddy rutted section and wasn't driving and making a noise that sounded like splines stripped out coming from the rear end. I was able to push the LR IB CV back in the diff and he was able to continue driving. We dug some more in the main section and fortunately kept walking to the far end and started draining a short but deep section at the end. By now it was getting close to sunset so we drove back to the big intersection to camp out. CV popped out of the diff a couple times on the way back. We jacked it up each time and were able to get it back in but it didn't seem like it had popped out far, maybe 1/4”. The next morning we started disassembling that suspension corner and got the axle out. Splines on the IB CV had stripped out, fortunately the diff gear looked fine. Put in his spare LR axle, ate breakfast, and drove back to the beaver dam to survey our work. Water levels had dropped almost a foot overnight. Found some more tadpoles and insect larvae We were both able to drive through, the hole at the far end was still deep enough to be deeper than my bumper so it's a good thing we drained a foot of water out of that. Of course just a little further was an even bigger beaver dam and this one was mostly on the downstream side of the road so we turned around and went back through the one that had been draining overnight to the intersection we'd camped at. Headed south and then continued east. Looped around to the other end of the grade and found another beaver dam quite a ways from where we'd turned around. Headed north, found some cool waterfalls. Revisited some other muddy spots we'd turned around at before and got stuck briefly and turned around again this time. A while later on another trail B got the Forester stuck in a frog filled stream crossing. Some jacking and shoveling and wood under the tires got him out. Then we got to another muddy rutted section. We walked it and poked at it with sticks and it didn't seem too bad except for the far end. Which is where I got stuck, somewhat high centered on some small trees that were fallen across the road we hadn't bothered to move. Probably with a little more momentum I would have gotten through. Took us quite a bit of high lifting, shoveling, recovery ramps, and wood stacking to get it on semi dry ground. Then B got stuck a little before where I had. We hooked up our straps and I was able to pull him up to the decent section of trail. We continued down that trail and just before we got to the major dirt road there was an RV and a giant tent set up in the trail. Fortunately there was a side trail nearby that connected to the dirt road and we continued. Our next point of interest was the beaver pond where T had flooded his Impreza in 2019. If I hadn't had it marked on my GPS we would never have noticed it. The road was built up several feet and a new culvert had been installed. The pond was still there but not much risk of flooding the road anymore. We went to a waterfall B had taken us to before, it's probably about a 50' slide and does have a little parking spot alongside the trail but no signs or anything. There's some metal chairs and pots and pans, a legit grill, and other cooking supplies stashed there but probably not enough flat ground for a couple tents so we decided not to camp there. We continued north and found a spot on a side trail to cook dinner and camp out. We headed back south, not long after that B's RF tire had another sidewall leak, this one probably worse than the first. We just swapped on the spare tire. Headed down a long somewhat rocky trail/road and rediscovered the vintage Barrington IL city bus turned camper we'd seen in 2013 and haven't seen since. Also saw an old plow truck parked alongside the road. Drove up to Big Bay and got gas at the station on the south end of town, it's well stocked with groceries and even has a decent hardware section in the back. Stopped at Thomas Rock Scenic Overlook on the way back to the trails. Excellent view, short walk. B wandered us down some narrow trails in varied forests we'd never been on. Headed back west on a slightly more northern dirt road than we'd been on. This one must have been some kind of major route long ago as there was a concrete bridge near the (current) end of it. Drove around the trails in that area, some good fall views but everything was eventually either bermed off or overgrown. By this time we needed to go back to civilization so we headed south on a major dirt road. Stopped at a boat ramp/park to air up and eat PB&Js and checked out an old truss bridge that's only open to pedestrians. We were entertained by the bicycle hanging from the top and ratchet straps underneath. Convoyed down to Green Bay, got gas, ate dinner, and split up for the rest of our drives home. Shortly after we split off I was stuck behind some old man camped out in the left lane. I finally got a gap on the right to pass him and as I was doing so I saw a cop parked in the median. Looked in my mirror to see the lights flashing and the cop pulling out on the highway. He eventually caught up to me and pulled me over. I assumed it was going to be for speeding. He walks up to the passenger window and asked if I'd been having fun off roading. Then says he pulled me over for loud exhaust. Asked if the exhaust was modified or if something had come loose off roading, I chose the latter option. He came back with just a warning ticket and said he was jealous of the fun we probably had over the weekend off roading. I would definitely like to make the Impreza quieter I just don't know how. I do have a slightly larger muffler I want to try but I doubt it will make much difference. I have a little more motivation to try it now though. Overall we had a good weekend, only major repair was the rear CV axle, good weather, almost no rain, almost no flying insects, no ticks. Saw a surprising amount of frogs. Trails were relatively dry, fall colors were neat. Should probably go up in October more often. Over 200 miles off pavement, spent the majority of our time and maybe miles on trails/roads we hadn't been on before, probably a quarter to a third of our time on roads that weren't on any of our maps. Perhaps the biggest portion of just trail riding of any UP trip I can remember. We were on some major dirt/gravel roads but it was a small portion of the time. Probably only 10-20 miles of pavement driving all weekend. Had to go out of our way to get to a gas station. We'd both dumped our jerry cans in our tanks but I was still probably within a half gallon of being empty by the time we filled up. Definitely further encouragement to get the extra ten gallon tank hooked up. Used the weavable recovery straps a few times for recovery, 5-10 times for pulling/breaking logs out of the trail. Radiator fans getting blocked by vegetation was an ongoing issue but fairly easy to deal with. Glad I put the hardware cloth in front, it may have saved the condenser from getting truly packed and folded over with debris. B didn't have that problem, we're assuming it's a pusher fan thing. I plan on putting the two small puller fans on the primary fan circuit. Those shouldn't attract as much debris and hopefully will be adequate for cooling most of the time. Then put the two big pusher fans on the second circuit, probably with a bigger relay and fuse. One morning the clutch pedal was almost to the floor but still worked. Eventually pumped up and seemed to work normally the last couple days and ever since. Mpact clutch disc seems a lot smellier than the one I had before but worked fine. It smelled like I'd been slipping it badly a bunch of times and while I was certainly working it in the woods it didn't seem to be slipping. Only used the low range once but had the center diff locked most of the weekend. Unlocked it a few times for long gravel roads. It did lock itself a couple times but then stayed unlocked all the way home and the next day of driving. Not making any more noise than usual. The next day while driving parts to heat treat in town some hispanic guys in their 20s were stopped next to me at a stop light. They signaled me to roll down my window and asked if the Impreza was fast. I just told them it had a six cylinder. Driver says me too and asked if I want to race. Sure. Light turns green and I let out the clutch at about 5000RPM and it proceeds to slip pretty badly as the car accelerates. Meanwhile their Chrysler 300 front driver is burning a tire. I had a couple car lengths on him but he stayed in my blind spot up to about 50mph when I backed off. The next weekend my wife and I went up north and stayed with some of her family. Impreza cruise seems to be working consistently, I wonder if the connection to the trans was getting loose/dirty. Has a bit of a wiggle when cornering sometimes. Eventually figured out one of the inner lateral link bushings is shot. Trans was noisy on the way back up north but has been quiet lately. Mostly in the center diff portion I think, when locking that it's definitely quieter (when it's noisy). It does have three different models of tires on it at slightly different pressures. Did lock the center diff by itself a couple times after the rebuild but hasn't in a while.

Turns out the IAC needed adjusting. Part of my problem (in my shop) is having too many parts laying around. This GL10 was a rebuild from the ground up and I had parts from my RX laying around also. Which means multiple IAC's to choose from (and not keeping stuff separated). So I grabbed the best looking one and cleaned it, then installed it on the GL. Only messed with it once, after getting the engine running, but knew too much fiddling is a bad idea. I got the car back to my shop last week and after going thru everything (again), I tried a little adjustment on the IAC. It worked like a charm, no more surging and fuel dump is almost gone. No more smoke after startup. It went home last night and the owner took it to work. He txt'd me and said it stumbles, shakes and farts at first, then runs better when its warmed up. I have the 2 10in fans on a switch now, the engine struggles to get to Op Temp but manages after several miles. Big reason is the radiator is a BIG 2 row aluminum rad (In prep for NA/T), so we may find a smaller rad to run temporarily. Now he needs to find another 5spd D/R trans as the current one is almost gone

Other side repeated today. Also took the opportunity to fit up the impreza wheel wells and strut towers I've saved. I cut the middle sections of the angle iron frame I tacked on when removing them, then using some more angle as a bridge I clamped them back together. I ended up somehow sacrificing a tape measure doing this, but I'm getting some momentum back in this project so if a cheap tape measure is the cost to get this back on the ground sooner over later I'm glad to pay it. I'll need to do a little more surgery to get them to fit truly properly, especially since the filler neck is on the opposite side of the vehicle, but I suppose if I'm doing this much fabrication that will be somewhat trivial. I'll also likely be cutting a lot of them out to fix some rust in them anyway, but it's a good start. Going to set this aside for a little while and return to the subframe setup. Any permanent install of these towers here is severely premature. Once I have a base I can measure from to get the strut towers to a proper height and location, I can start poking at this in more detail.

I've been looking at the rally Leones and their brush guards and I was thinking something inspired by that. Something that mounts to the bumper and wraps around the side to cover the running lights. I'm buying a spare bumper from my parts guy so I don't have to modify my factory bumper. I plan on using industrial rubber vibration dampeners (originally designed to be placed between heavy machinery and a concrete pad to absorb vibrations). Hopefully these will act as a bushing to absorb impact. Otherwise I'd have to figure out some sort of suspension system for it. The rubber dampeners seemed to be the simplest solution. Otherwise I could make the mount out of aluminum tubing and bolt that to the chrome moly guard. The aluminum would act as a sacrificial absorber.

I believe not all SPFI cars here in the US came with an O2 sensor. California has more strict emissions regulations than the rest of the nation. The California cars got O2 sensors, the cars sold in all other states do not have O2 sensors. I believe. Regardless, not all SPFI cars have O2 sensors from factory. I have found it interesting that despite my car originally being sold in California, it doesn't have California-spec emissions equipment. It has the national standard emissions equipment. I believe the national standard is just an EGR setup and a charcoal canister. No O2 sensor and no EGR temp sensor.

In case you hadn't noticed we have a lot more options for vehicle modifications than Australia. These pumps are 255lph. Assuming this extra tank is 10 gallons that would take about nine minutes. Could have it going before you even start filling the main tank. Worst case you fill up the main tank, pull off to the side for ten minutes, then go back to the pump. Guess I'll find out. I think this will be the simplest way. One hose connecting the tops of the tanks for venting. One hose connecting the bottom of the secondary tank going down through one of the access panels and down to the bottom of the main tank. Have two fuel pumps side by side teed into that bottom hose one pointing each direction. One of those pumps could run the engine in a pinch. Definitely looking forward to the magically increased range.

Yeah righto. That’s against our Australian Design Rules (ADRs) over here. Can’t pump fuel between tanks when refilling. Not saying it isn’t done, just that if you’re found out or cause a fire somehow you’ll be raked over the coals for it. And a Fawcett pump would be bloody slow - about 2L per minute transfer rate. Would be better off plumbing in a fill tube between the main tank and auxiliary tank with a one way valve towards the aux tank. There would need to be a vent line to the filler neck to help with the transfer. Or just have a secondary fill pipe off the filler neck to the aux tank so it fills after the main tank is full. Many ways to do it without over complicating things. Our Pajero (Shogun/Montero) sports a dual filler neck behind the filler cap so we can choose to fill the main tank or the auxiliary tank. This secondary filler pipe follows the main tank until it needs to head to the aux tank. Its pretty awesome the first few times being empty on the fuel gauge, then hitting the aux pump switch and watching (from time to time) the main tank gauge go from empty to full without pulling over

"One for each direction" I remember him saying he doesn't want to have to separately fill the aux tank. He'd like to flip a switch while filling the main tank to transfer it up to the aux tank. And then activate the second pump to transfer it in the other direction when needed.

B and I worked on the secondary fuel tank for the Impreza. I pressure tested it and flushed it out, seems like it doesn't have any leaks even at 30psi. I got the mounting flaps carved up so it fits and matched up the bumper mount holes. We had to do a little more hammering in the spare tire well. We came up with a plan on how we want to mount the fuel pumps and run the hoses. I need to get another pump, some hoses and fittings. Going to try to get wire connectors for the ABS wires so we can use those for the fuel pumps since they're already running front to back and will never be used for ABS again. B replaced the cabin air filter and cleaned out the airbox and blower fan, they were all loaded with debris. He also traced the brake lines under the hood and we came up with a plan on eliminating the ABS module and plumbing the left/right steering brake from the black Outback.

I added the charcoal canister between the gas tank and vapor intake on the 2.2, plumbing the vacuum valve per Bushytail’s advice. Viola, all is well. No more excessive tank pressure, no more bucking. An aside to the main topic: The shift mechanism on the old 4mt was fixed with tapping threads clean through the sleeve, and shift rod. Really is the ‘gold standard’ to fix this. For anyone still using the four speed. I sure took the long way around to get this fixed. Just couldn’t let go of the fact that the 2.2 ran fine with no canister in GL wagon. But many thanks to all here who helped me to get this Brat running right!

I have not seen anything officially saying one way or the other. But I would also bet interference. Even the 2.2 went interference in '97ish. That said, I see the FSM has a specific note to use caution installing the timing belt on a 2.5, as incorrect timing could cause piston to valve contact, and there is no such note in the 3.0 timing chain section.... I don't think I've seen or known of one break a chain. I've heard timing chain noise several times before due to damaged/worn guides and/or tensioners. Not that it isn't possible, but I'd be highly skeptical that it just broke without making a bunch of noise. What Cam sensor code? P0340 is for cam sensor circuit, indicating a wiring issue or failed sensor, P0341 indicates good signal but out of time. I've had engines attempting to start with bad sensor data sound strange while cranking. If it broke on the highway, the valves are already bent. It'll turn over nicely now. Before you touch those cover bolts, definitely do a compression test. If it fails that, I would drop the exhaust and look up the ports at the valves you can see (IIRC the front valves are hard to see through the single exhaust ports), and then crank it again to see if you can hear the compression blowing out the exhaust. If you have cylinders with no compression, but the offending valve cover and check to see if the buckets move freely and smoothly. While a stuck valve won't prevent a bucket from moving all the way out, there won't be any spring pressure on it. I believe you can see the bank 2 chain through the oil filler cap. Drop the oil into a clean pan and look for debris. Cut open the filter for the same. I would expect to see considerable metal in the oil if the chain has been failing. Maybe even drop the lower pan and look for bigger pieces of debris. I have an 01 H6 with no compression on cylinder 3. It all blows out the exhaust. I removed the valve cover and can move the valve buckets/springs freely with a prybar, resistance and movement feels identical on all 6 exhaust valves on that side (I believe if the valve wasn't closing all the way, the spring/bucket would not return all the way). It will still run, just super rough. I believe it to be a burned valve. And I will almost certainly swap in a used engine before I bother pulling everything apart enough to replace a valve. I have a couple known good high mileage engines. Or maybe try to get a JDM, although those are a lot less common/cheap than they used to be.

Pre-holiday update - went a little further with what I'm jokingly calling the subsubframeframe. I'm building up a small weld-in subframe/frame extension to locate and mount the impreza sheet metal number to. Fairly straightforward for the most part - to keep the parts somewhat simple I've had to clearance cut parts of the tubing to be able to maintain the ability to construct it out of straight tubes and right angles. Bends may be a slightly more robust approach with less material, but my fixturing capabilites are somewhat limited. Sometimes I think I'd give a kingdom for a good welding fixture table, but then again my brain works pretty well designing and fabricating this way so for now I'll use what I've got. This assembly looks to me like it will end up fairly robust. A couple more brace pieces to guard against torque / shearing are in process, and all open ends and channels I've cut are all going to get boxed in prior to final assembly and welding. I'll also be adding a few more pieces on the top to both provide more footprint for welding to the truck and to center everything between the original frame rails. I gotta go dig out my box of fasteners from the disassembly process and see if I still have the bolts from the impreza suspension and subframe, because next up is getting some threads welded in. I think I labeled everything but things got hectic in the last few days before its removal so I'm going to have to see what's still around.

Thats nuts Jeszek! I miss my wagons! -Justin

Impreza has still been wandering a bit so I wanted to replace a couple of the lateral link bushings and CV boots. Got a bunch of Group N bushings so I'd have some on the shelf for future repairs. With the billet knuckles and dog leg trailing arms and the stainless studs in place of the long bolts it's a much easier job than it used to be, didn't take me long to get both axles out. One thing I've been wanting to address almost from the beginning of this swap is the slop in the rear diff stubs. The combination of slop in the diff splines and the splines for the female axles allows the inner CVs to move around more and have more backlash than normal. The splines for the inner CV were worn on the stubs that have been in the car for a couple years now. I peened a pair of them like the one in the bottom of this picture. I tried pressing them first to squish the splines but that did nothing. This may not last long as a means of reducing the slop but I figured it was worth a try. B swapped out a couple of the lateral link bushings and cleaned up the long studs. He also shorted a couple of the inner bolts that were rubbing on the inner CV boots. I regreased and rebooted a couple CVs and replaced one axle. Once we got it all back together one CV had basically no slop on the splines, the other one still had some but less than before. While we were under there I decided to refab the section of exhaust that hangs under the subframe. Cut out that flattened section and replaced with 2.5" x .095" 4130. Actually has clearance to the CV joint now. We also came up with an initial plan for mounting the extra fuel tank. Can't wait to get that hooked up. B unbolted the top of the radiator and pulled it back the little it can move with the radiator hoses on it, then he blasted a bunch of crap out from between the radiator and condenser with compressed air. I want to get/make some different nozzles for doing that more effectively, should probably at least check that regularly. Still hoping that getting the puller fans on the primary fan circuit and the pusher fans on the secondary fan circuit will help.

I don't think I've ever seen a car with front parking brakes so you should be fine on that aspect. Probably a good idea to remove any abs sensors from the hub beforehand to avoid damaging them. Also avoid overtightening them when installing. If you get both wheels off the ground, test the bearings. Hold onto the spring while turning the wheel by hand to feel any vibrations, they should feel similar on both sides. Unhook the sway bar links to get that extra clearance on lower control arms

Just posting an update in case anyone else runs into this. As I said earlier My 83 Brat had a Nippondenso distributor [Cardone 31-812]. I swapped it out with a Hitachi [Cardone 31-810]. This solved the problem with losing spark at 2-2500 RPM. Thanks to all who gave advice.

Same!

I guess it's a good thing you got that spare 4EAT after all. UP weekend sounds like a blast, I'll have to join y'all again one of these times.

FWIW: I replaced the BPT - back pressure transducer - that sits on top of the EGR valve and has 4 vacuum lines connected to fix my p0400. These are readily avl. on most EGR subarus from the '90s and Toyotas - I used a (used) Toyota version on my '96 Legacy w/the 2.2.

I decided to not get a the XT based on turbo failures. Often when looking at an XT for sale the seller would say something about the turbo just replaced. Also I didn't want to buy expensive premium fuel. I got a 2009 Subaru Outback special edition with 95,000 miles on it instead.

You can use a cereal box to make those gaskets. Done it many times with no problems.

Sent out today!

1+ on KYB. If you have time and search the yards, I've found almost new KYB struts for <$50 each. Complete, just unbolt and bolt the replacements on. Has to be your lucky day in the yards.

Are you referring to the older 2 piece tensioner bracket? O.

no, not worth it. Just get some KYB's for your model and call it a day. O.

I’ve just heard that the newer style are prone to more failure, besides looking weird. I guess I’m just stuck in my old ways and don’t like change very much unless I’m forced to. moosens you’re amazing and I would never be able to thank you enough! If you don’t find one it’s all good, I’m just going to move over to the newer style. cheers!

A mate of mine here in Oz swapped over to the newer tensioner style with its backing plate recently. Far easier to get replacement tensioners than finding the original style. All the best with your search!

Been away from the project for a little bit - but I got your DM- we can chat about it there. Finally got back to a little bit of progress - Bit another bullet and decided to do a little exploratory deathwheel surgery to get a better perspective for the rear subframe mounting solution. I chopped out the passenger bed wheel well and I think I will likely be widening the rear frame slightly to accomodate a stock subframe and subframe bushings (hooray, buying more parts... 😶) This will end up being a much cleaner solution to my problem and I think the creative use of some welded captive nuts and box tubing will yield pretty great results. I kind of half-assedly leaned the new coilover through the wheel well cut after also chopping off the stock bumpstop - and I think the space will be tight but sufficient, especially since I'm planning on using the old Impreza wheel wells as a base for the new structure. There'll probably be some reinforcement of the stock bed sides too, but I'm gonna approach this as close to one problem at a time as possible. Like i said - tight but doable. Everything is also just loosely stacked in place, and the rear end is jacked up about 8" higher than it probably would be so everything seems short at this perspective. I only need about another 1.5"- 2" of real estate to mount the forward bushings, and I think I have a pretty good idea how I'm going to get those in once I've got a new subframe to play with. If anyone has a '98 or thereabouts Impreza subframe handy with the bushings still intact (I botched the original by being hasty - see previous posts), reach out quick or I'm gonna get impatient and go to ebay for one 🤣 Gonna repeat the procedure on the other side of the bed, then it'll probably sit for a little while again while I locate a suitable subframe replacement.

Disconnect the battery for 30 minutes or so. Clear the ECU co.des and see what comes back

Very clever. So rather than continue to reduce your hoarded inventory of Subie parts, you intend on hiding it in plain sight from your wife in the form of a Baja?

It might work, not sure though. The issue is the strut sockets into the steering knuckle, so you'd need a strut that had the right diameter and spring mount location. Here are the 4WD strut parts numbers I had in my notes. There are some used Loyale struts on eBay at the moment (both right and left). Front Right Sachs: W0133-1932779 Front Left Sachs: W0133-2038805 Front Right TRW: JGM4031SR Front Left TRW: JGM4031SL Front struts are very difficult to find. They are available but the parts availability seems to come in waves. There's not really any "upgrade" parts for these cars (there are overload springs out there). Just finding parts designed for these cars is an accomplishment. :]

My 2005 is nonturbo 2.5 and has the non cable electronic accelator pedal.

Once the Lifters were Ready, I had to ask to a local friend who has a small repair shop, his kind help and letting me to pull the engine in its place with his tools...

be advised, when you lock the transfer clutches the car will buck, bind and hop around like a truck in 4wd on pavement, so be careful running it in dry conditions on pavement, it won't be good on your trans. that's why i installed the light. it feels and drives just like a 4WD truck with it's hubs/diff locked.