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Hi all, I just acquired a 1993 Subaru Legacy Wagon for my son. It is in good running condition after replacing the fuel pump. I am trying to figure out what exactly is involved in lifting it (nothing crazy but thinking 2 inches?). It needs tires so planning to get new wheels and bigger tires. Guessing spacers are needed to push the wheels out? Honestly I have no idea and I am looking for some suggestions on what to do and how to find parts or know what is needed. I really appreciate any direction.

Thank you for this info. It’s great to have feedback from someone who has actually done some of this.

welcome, lots of folks here should be able to help.

GD, thanks for that - very interesting and informative. Puts the lie to what we've been told all these years about the importance of friction-modifying additives in ATF. Fwiw, Walmart's house brand Dexron VI / Mercon LV specifically mentions compatibilty with Subaru ATF and ATF HP, so if one insists on playing by the rules it isn't that hard to find after all.

In old Gen and H6 JDM I’ve never had issues buying US gaskets. Ive only seen the generic pvc type hoses be different.

Your best bet is to buy a Subaru that’s closer to what you want (Manual or bigger engine or turbo or whatever you want). What do you want? Go buy that. Then learn by learning how to maintain brakes, do preventative maintenance, do upgrades, and ask specific questions about which turbo or how to rebuild a turbo or upgrade Intercooler, etc. If you absolutely insist on jumping into a big project then buy one that needs work - buy a blown turbo with manual trans and repair it or one with a wrecked bumper and swap bumpers… I think that’s about all I can help on this conversation, so I’llbe checking out. Good luck and enjoy the soob. OBS are great, reliable transportation. They’re about the easiest and inexpensive 200,000 miles you can get.

There’s so many different ways to do this - it’s almost infinite. It’s hard to say much with confusing general questions. Whatever you do - Get a new Subaru turbo only. Or equivalent OEM supplier. The choice of block and internals and transmission depends how much power you’re aiming for, how much you’re willing to spend, and *how long you want the engine to last* - which everyone says they want but actually spend no time considering. First you wanted a 97 DOHC which isn’t turbo, nor ideal. Then you wanted forged internals which isn’t necessary or beneficial on a non turbo. Then later you say turbo. You also said “little modification” but now you’re mentioning turbos with forged internals that you’ll be installing yourself - which will require rewiring and controllers with extensive cross member and exhaust overhaul and/or cutting/welding. Then you mentioned upgraded transmission. That’s the opposite of “little modification” price tag of your implied goals has ranged from $500 to $15,000 depending how we interpret it. Id work on narrowing down your goals here to something chewable and manageable. One of the best subaru builders is in your state, Superior Soobie in Oregon could do it for you. You’ll get top notch work and more importantly it’ll last.

swapping engine/drivetrain from a wrecked WRX is the 'best' approach for what you propose - dig around at NASIOC.com for examples of swaps. Very time/labor/$$$ intensive you CAN make the present car more fun to toss around corners..

Big update, the heads are on! The factory repair manual says to "coat each side of the head gasket with liquid sealer", which I interpreted as copper gasket spray. I've used this stuff on EJ motors, it seems to work just fine. I also used it on the copper sealing rings at the bases of the cylinders... Another thing the manual mentions is a spacer tool to help torque the bolts that hold the rocker shafts on. I just took apart some EA71 rocker assemblies and borrowed the towers to use as spacers. I was able to borrow the head alignment tool used when bolting these heads on, you can see it bolts to the coolant crossover flange and holds two of the intake bolt holes in place. It's starting to look like a real engine! I torqued both heads in steps, the repair manual is pretty vague on what I should actually do. This is the OEM manual, too. It says to tighten in stages before the final torque, so I did 5 pound increments. It went very smoothly! Next is rocker shafts, and I have some NOS parts on their way to continue my assembly.