Numbchux

Anything is possible, but that is the major structural member of the car that is rusted out. It's going to require considerable time and patience to fabricate new frame rails, and seal everything up. Not to mention the fact that I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg (maybe it's the worst of it, but I bet there's a lot more). Looks like the rocker is gone. If you're doing it yourself, looking for a project to fill up your free time, knock yourself out. If you're paying someone to do it. It'd be far cheaper to have a solid shell shipped to you from another part of the country.

From the pictures, it looks correctly installed. I drove thousands of miles in my '88 with similar geometry (not an EJ swap, though). Is your pitch stopper hooked up? I'm curious about "There is a bit of space on the tranny cross member that I had to use a spacer for."

Sounds very much like the issue we were having with our 04 Outback VDC last summer. Slow temperature creep under load. A very thorough cooling flush solved it. 2 chemical flush treatments with a drain/fill. And back flushed the engine, radiator and heater core independently with water. While the radiator was out, I used cleaner and hose to rinse any dirt and debris out of the outside of the radiator and condenser cores. The hot lower hose is a good sign, as it means you have circulation. But it's just not getting rid of the heat.

^Excellent post right there! I've heard of the regulator/bypass spring in the oil pump getting weak and allowing oil pressure to bleed off, which seems plausible but I've never seen it. And absolutely might be an anecdote, where someone replaced an oil pump and it seemed to get better, but it may not have made it to it's next oil change.

If it's a USDM engine, the VIN of it's donor vehicle will be down on the RH side of the block, right next to the flange for the transmission bellhousing. There's a flat spot there, and it's stamped in there. It's very difficult to see with the engine in the car, but I have been able to sneak a phone down in there and take a picture of it. Otherwise, as Bennie said, under the alternator will be the basic engine code, which just tells you the displacement. But that's a start.

I have had a leaking axle boot sling grease onto the exhaust, which can cause a smell without actually dripping anything on the ground. Beyond that, it could be just about anything. IIRC the catalytic converter is right up under the engine on those, so even the slightest drip will end up on a very hot exhaust component and burn off. Will likely have to remove the under tray, and look around with a good flash light to find evidence of the leakage.

Yea, the pressure regulator in the oil pump can get weak and stick causing low pressure. Light flickering while drive it means you have single digits psi. NOT GOOD. That's alarming at an idle....Either that, or the clearances on your engine are getting so loose and the oil is blowing out faster than the pump can supply. I think it was 2002 they switched from the 9mm to the 7mm rotor. I measured the one in my '00 Outback, and it was 9mm. Basically everything in the '90s had the 9mm, but rumor has it the 2.2 ones were set at a lower pressure. 10mm is WRX 11mm is STi Some JDM models have 12mm, and I think there's an aftermarket one that's 12, maybe a 13. 9 or 10mm is good. I got a deal on an 11mm one locally, and used that on my '00 Outback. In theory, this means the bypass will be open more, which can heat the oil and pull more out of the pan. But the way I drive and this climate, I'm not concerned about heat, and I check the oil level every time I fill up. Quick google search turned up this page, which shows the OEM part numbers for 10, 11 and 12mm. https://www.outfrontmotorsports.com/subaru-oil-pumps

Since this is another one of those accounts that just posts once with a strange link in the middle and never responds, I imagine he doesn't care.

Legacy chassis has a longer wheelbase, and therefore a longer driveshaft. There is no difference in carrier height between Legacy and Outback. I would assume none between Impreza/Forester, or that it would be negligible, but I haven't played with Imprezas at all. Any impreza, 93-07 with the same transmission will definitely work. There are some differences in them (older ones have 3 Ujoints, newer have a DOJ in the center, etc.), but they are interchangeable. They all use the same Ujoint, so there isn't a heavier duty factory option.

My last 2 aftermarket ball joints came in a Moog box. They were both garbage in about a year....

Clunking is usually sway links or bushings. But something is shifting. Get under there with a pry bar and find it. What brand suspension parts were used?

Off the top of my head, I thought '98 was the old style, but I'm not completely sure. Punch the VIN on www.partsouq.com to see what it came with from the factory. Best is to pull the cover and see. If it's the new style, try for a '99. Only difference should be the tensioner.

No. Dealer installed accessory

I'm guessing an exhaust heat shield. They will only vibrate at certain rpms, and idle in gear is just right. Thump the exhaust in a few places and see if you can hear anything.

Yep, spring clamp no longer does it. Screw clamp puts more force on it, and might just be enough to help. It's not the correct fix, for sure. But a new hose is surprisingly expensive for low pressure hose, so a clamp usually does it.

I'm not unfamiliar with those temperatures, I am further north than the majority of Canadians, and while I try to put our daily driver in the garage (unheated, uninsulated), we own 19 cars, and only one garage space. I do not use block heaters or battery blankets on any of our cars. As has been mentioned, an alternator doesn't really generate much power at idle. To recuperate from a cold start, it's best to drive it for 30 minutes or so. My Forester doesn't get driven more than once a week. It's started up just fine every time (I really only move it when I'm clearing snow, so it's usually cold), but it has the best battery. When it's cold, the power steering pump will whine like crazy. Generally it's air being drawn in between the reservoir and pump, a screw clamp on the hose and a new oring on that fitting will help, but it's still going to do it.

The 4-cylinders are more common, but these are not rare. I bet they made more EZ30s in 2001 than all the SVXs over the years, not to mention the fact that the EZ platform carried on with some changes until just a few years ago. I've had zero trouble getting new parts for mine.

Wrist pin access cover. There's an oring under that that is definitely been leaking.

Great cars, great engines. I have 3 of them on the road, planning to swap another into a Baja. I much prefer the VTD AWD that comes with the VDC models. It's a shame to have the nice premium car and engine in the LL Bean, and the crappy MPT AWD. Only engine issues I've had are valve cover gaskets, oil cooler oring, coolant hoses (there are a few small ones between the water pump and oil cooler, they get oil contaminated and seep. Also metal lines in front of the oil pan and under the LH valve cover can rust through) and serpentine belt pullies (the bearings in these can seize with very little warning. Pull them off and give them a spin periodically. The bearing alone can be replaced on the factory pullies). I use plain old green EG coolant and regular fuel.....occasionally if there's oxygenated premium for a decent price, I'll use that, but not very often.

When I worked at a Subaru dealer, we tried a few aftermarket cats on customer cars. I bet 80% of those cars came right back with the same problem. We had better luck with the aftermarket ones that are listed for sale in California. That said, the factory cat was stolen from my Honda Odyssey last fall. I bought an aftermarket one to replace it. It was less than $200, and a factory cat is about $1500 (and the theives cut the flanges off the pipes on either end, so I would have to either replace those pipes, or fabricate something anyway).

Agreed. You need an Alternator Read the codes and diagnose, cruise will return. You have a 2.5, unless it's been swapped. You likely need transfer clutches (ASSuming you have an automatic. I'm guessing this is why you got stuck).

That's less than a 27" tire. Outback struts can pretty reliably clear 29s. Now I'm sure the spring perch has moved a bit in 20 years (as early Legacies came with 14s and a 2009 with 17s). My bet is on stock, or stock replacement. Turbo in that year came with a smaller diameter tire than a standard legacy (215/45r17 vs 205/50r17), so no reason to think they would have taller struts.

Depends on what you want. Nobody makes a true selectable locker for a Subaru. The duty C solenoid mod for automatic transmissions is decent, but IMO if you're pushing hard enough to need it, it's not strong enough. I can't find the information now, but there's a company in Europe that can rebuild the viscous center diff for a manual transmission to be significantly stronger. Lock-rite offers automatic rear lockers for Subarus. These can be a little odd, as when you go around a corner, they only power the inside wheel, and the outside wheel ratchets. But offroad performance is 1000% better. There are a couple companies that make selectable lockers for Nissan r180 front diffs. Subaru STis use r180s in the rear. I have seen a couple examples where people have found the right combination of pieces to use those lockers in the rear of a Subaru. If you're a real baller, pontoontodd makes a unit that replaces the center diff on a 2006+ STi 6MT which gives simple FT4WD function (open or locked, no LSD) and a real low range. But you'll probably be in it $10k by the time you get it all set up with the 6 speed swap, and it would be kind of pointless without at least a lock-right in the rear.

EA82 was sort of an evolution of the EA81 (EA81 being 80-87 and EA82 85-94, here in the US), but with a lot of major changes. Biggest being the switch to overhead cams and timing belts (which moved the distributor). The single port intake manifolds can be swapped between them, so an EA82 manifold is a direct bolt on. But, there are other challenges (biggest being the distributor...). EA82 is a dinosaur (so is the EA81, but at least it's simple). Almost completely unsupported. Now, most of the parts you'd be using for the SPFI swap are simple and reliable. But no, there is not really any new anything available for it. You'd need a used front harness from an SPFI car, and cut out all the stuff that's not engine related (pretty detailed information in the write-up). Used throttle body, used ECU, used distributor pickup, etc. Again, these parts are not exactly prone to failure, but they're still 30-35 years old. And even if it works, it's still 35 year old technology.... When I get some free time (HA!), I would like to use a Speeduino and an EA82 intake/TBI on my Brat. But I only use it around the yard. I think I would use something a little more powerful/supported for a street car (I say that without actually having used the speedy, lots of people use them on the street). Sorry to bring up the EJ so much. Your first post sounded like a complete nightmare, so I jumped too quickly to "start over". I do think you'd be happier with the end result of an early OBDII EJ22, and there are solutions for most of your concerns. But it's certainly not your only option.

4-cylinder Automatic Foresters and Outbacks in that vintage should both be 4.44. Best way is to use the VINs from both vehicles on www.partsouq.com. If you look up the ring/pinion part number for the front or rear, the gear ratio will be in the comments.