pressingonward

That's quite the door gap on the Impreza. What is the gear reduction of your low range? I'm sure you've mentioned it, but I certainly don't remember! Glad to hear it is holding up.

Enoyed your trip report as always! Those are some cool grasshoppers for sure.

Wish your pictures were showing up inline. As someone mentioned a while back, I have to open each picture in a separate window to get them to show up

Man, I missed a ton of updates - the notifications were going into spam. Loved the pics from your past couple trips - you've got a good eye for capturing cool photos. I'm curious whether the frog in your one pic with the snake escaped or not lol. Congrats on finishing the Reno race, that's no small feat! Very cool that you were able to build a custom 6mt low range - would love to see more details to satisfy my own curiosity You've been hinting that the black subie is nearing the end of it's useful life - what's the replacement going to be?

Interesting! I'm guessing that photogrammetry is where you take photos from multiple angles and some software program stitches them into a 3D model? I'd love to learn more about that process. We had a 3D scanner when I was in school that did similar, but it would be cool if this is now achievable without expensive hardware or software. The new knuckle looks very stout...I'd be tempted to machine some cutouts to drop a couple pounds without sacrificing strength. How do you plan on making the knuckles? That's a big block of stock and a lot of CNC hours and fixturing if you're going that route...a 5 axis mill would help

Pics work for me...take a while to load Nice looking machined parts!

RZRs are definitely rear-heavy, but have pretty impressive suspension, even a 2013. If you even came close to matching that performance in a Suby I'm downright impressed. Nice work!

Sounds like an awesome trip! Thanks for sharing.

Voltages sound OK to me. I don't own a Subaru anymore or else I'd check it for a good comparison, but based on what I've seen that should be just fine. Sounds like you've got a pile of worn out starters

Looks like a beautiful area, thanks for sharing your trip with us! Usually a starter that just clunks means the solenoid is engaging to extend the drive gear, but the starter motor is either bad or doesn't have enough juice to spin (or the engine is locked up...). I'd check for ~10 volts at the starter (while trying to crank it over). If it's less than that you've got a battery, cable, or ground issue, or a starter that's completely shorted out and bringing the whole system voltage super low (check voltage at battery while cranking, shouldn't drop below 10.5 v).

That sounds like a nice upgrade if you can make it all work. Certainly nice to have all 4 axles the same so you only need one type of spare.

R180 looks like a good upgrade to improve reliability Those conversion races are a nice find - should make it a pretty straightforward install.

Nice work on the trans jack adaptor and new crossmember. Those look very well done!

Looks like you got to visit some awesome places on your trip. Nice pics. Bummer about the gear tooth, but I'm looking forward to reading about your 6mt swap. Glad you made it home without any serious breakdowns

Tip for you on the snap ring if it's not too late. If you look at your picture you can see that the edges of the snap ring are rounded slightly on the side facing away from the bearing. The other side will have square edges. When installing snap rings you always want the thrust load to push on the rounded side so that the square side is pushed against the groove in the shaft. The square edges have more surface area in contact and can take greater load than if you're pushing the rounded edge against the groove.

Nice work on the wheel well repairs. For your ABS experiments I can't add any useful technical info, but I will give you a Public Service Announcement warning: Brake systems are somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000-4000 PSI (if I recall correctly). Pinhole leaks at pressures above 2000 PSI create a fluid jet powerful enough to cut body parts off. Make sure when you're doing your experimentation with the ABS pump that your lines are rust free, fittings are tight, etc. If you have an open line and you cycle the pump, be very cautious with where that line is pointed. An open line won't have enough pressure to cut body parts, but it could certainly send a high pressure jet of fluid bouncing all over the place and into someone's eye. With that said I'm eager to see what you're up to with the ABS testing, I'm not quite sure from what you've said so far what functionality you're going for.

You guys are nuts - in a very good way! Love seeing your adventures and make-it-work attitude. It's refreshing to see someone get out there and have fun without spending a ton of money or having to have everything be perfect (I struggle with this a bit - "oh I can't do x to my car because I'd really like to do y and z at the same time", so I end up never doing anything ) Keep up the great work, I enjoy your most excellent write-ups!

I would not recommend driving it just in case something comes apart. If it has a stripped hub the axle nut might be loose, and the axle nut is what keeps the entire hub, wheel, and tire attached to the car.

I think you got rotors for an EA81. I looked them up on Rockauto and it says they fit a BRAT, which is EA81. Here is what you got: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1279883 And here is what I think you need: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2033472&cc=1268715

The only times I've run into acid cure silicone is in industrial applications and the tubes that come in Felpro gasket kits. Permatex does not state whether their products are acid cure or not, but they do not give off the sharp smell associated with acetic acid, and I have never seen them harm paint or cause rusting issues

One challenge would be getting ATF in and out of the torque converter. Most of the heat in an automatic transmission comes from the torque converter, so even in front of a manual transmission it would still need steady fluid flow to keep it cool.

I unscrewed the latch mechanism from the T-top and used a little Permatex Ultra Black to seal it. Fixed the leak quickly and easily. Any RTV silicone should work fine. It's been a while so I don't quite remember what the leak path was, but I think it must have been around the bolts.

I really like Centric brake rotors. They are very high quality and I've never had a problem with them. I have had problems with other brands being warped straight out of the box. Cheap rotors also warp easier in general use due to poor quality iron and poor manufacturing processes that leave internal stresses in the parts. I can't speak directly as to whether ACDelco rotors are any good or not.

Partially clogged radiators are really common. My BRAT had the same problem, and the radiator was partially clogged. When you're offroad you're generating more heat than on the road, and since you're moving slow it doesn't have as good of airflow. The stock fan is also rather terrible, but it should be enough to prevent overheating if the radiator is flowing freely

That nasty black tar that smells horrible is engine oil that seeps in past the bolt head and bakes in there for a few decades. It's completely normal.