superu

Its a big mutha! Its like 2.5-3mm deep, the hole measures 16mm and the outside 30mm... You won't actually have to remove the strut from the car or take it strut apart.. With the three upper mount studs bolted to the car, you shold be able to vise-grip the shock shaft and crank the stud bolt loose, from in the car... Then lay this fatty washer in there (I think I just used one), against the strut mount/tophat, then the regular washer (a slightly smaller outside diameter, gold-ish jobbie that comes with the impreza setup) then the nut... Crank 'er down and you'll be golden.. happy trails!

Alaskans are a different breed, I LOVE IT!! Welcome...

Clunking solved To get rid of the clunking caused by the rear strut shaft moving in the tophat/mount, install an M30 hardened washer (16 MM flat washer) between the upper mount and the stock washer and nut when attaching the strut shaft stud through the tophat/upper strut mount... Order of events: 1. with spring compressed, slide spring over strut shock shaft, seat in lower spring perch/seat 2. extend strut shock shaft to maximum length and clamp vise-grip at the bottom, snug agaist upper plate of strut frame 3. slide upper spring perch onto shock shaft/stud, and swivel such that the smallest ditance to the outside of the spring seat lines up with where the shock shat is closest to the strut body (by the lower spring seat) 4. slide upper strut mount onto shock shatf/stud 5. slide large washer (m30) over stud and seated in the upper stut mount/tophat 6. add factory washer and locking flange nut to stud 7. tighten it up 8. carefully decompress spring and seat properly in upper spring perch... put the strut in the car, attach the strut to the wheel, etc. etc. when you put the car on the ground, the extra washer will take up the play that exists in the taller collar of the forester strut stud that's not in the IMP stud (see previous pictures as well) that takes care of the clunking and the shock is securely mounted to the upper strut mount/tophat!!

Hmm, I got about 20.5 bolt to bolt, straight line, although there is a slight curve in the arm... Man, seems a little more complicated to get it just right than just swapping struts! All stock, I was at 6" rear diff to ground all forester struts and springs i was at 10" rear diff to ground forester struts on legacy springs i am at 8" rear diff to ground See previous post of IMP, LEG, FOR springs lined out

Yeah I swapped for shorter springs which let the tire go back a little... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/...0&d=1150778988 should shows the tire close to the front (as is yours) with all forester parts... i actually think my rear tire is sitting closer than yours. Its gonna be interesting fitting my SSR's.

Nice! It looks lke youe got the same closeness in the rear as did I, but i still had the stock 175 70s on there... Looks good, I'm psyched to see real meat under it now... OK, so question... How do you link/upload the pics to the message, rather than as attachments? I have to keep deleating my attached photos to bring more in.... here's pic of forester struts on legacy springs for the rear (reference the previous posts to see stock and full forester parts vs. this, the final product) I think the legacy springs mellowed out the rear such that it sits level with the front... I know, i know with forester parts all around its higher with more clearance in the rear, but its not my car... So just the mellow 2 inches all areound is fine... but now i have rear forester springs sitting around, heh heh heh

Zapar, "I would recommend looking into a regular legacy wagon rear spring. Might be a happy medium." As in the roll call for lifted IMP thread, I'm going to try legacy springs for the mellowed lift (compared to forester springs vs. impreza springs) b/c the impreza springs are not as ltall as the forester strut shaft/travel here's spring pix for 98 forester (left) 95 legacy (center) and 93 impreza (right) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3997&d=1151171638

Okay, here's rear springs from a '98 forester (left), ;95 legacy (center), '93 impreza (right) Sorry, not taking off my OB struts to show an OB spring too

Yup. The IMP uncompressed is about 12 inches and the uncompresses FOR is 16 inches.

Andy, Hmm, just doesn't look like much room for larger tires b/c of the swing forward...(http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3980&d=1150778988) And nope, that's brake fluid With a 3 ton floor jack's handle, we didn't have too much trouble getting the bolts off, but the upper driver's rear, that one was the bugger... I'm going to swap legacy springs today and put it together calling it good (hopefully).. the IMP springs don't even seat, and pop off the lower perch when poping the strut into place on the drum assembly... the photos here go with post #11, comparing my legacy on OB strut lift

sayn3ver, Is your rear tire uber-cloase to the front of the wheel well? This is my main problem, other than the back being lifted more than the front... I'm going for stock IMP springs in the rear to see if that'll mellow it out some...

ignore this duplicate (got booted by dialup AARRGGG!)

I think so, I didn't get that much (as my whit IMP) on my legacy/OB lift I think you get a couple inches from the strut shaft and a couple inches from the spring going forester into impreza, but OB into legacy only gives you a couple from the strut height, but the OB has the same spring as the legacy... Hmm, maybe I'll put these foresters on my legacy?

I'm ALL ABOUT my exedy stage II clutch from clutch express... They're good folks and they'll do you right...

Good beta!!

Okay, I've pulled the a rear OFR strut of and compared a couple things, First, longer suspension travel on FOR Second I think the clunking, while could be lower spring seat agaist the body wall, i think the stud isn't seated against the tophat and nut... See images, the IMP collar (where the stud rests in the upper mount/tophat) is smaller/shorter/ not as long, while the FOR coller (where the shock stud rests inside the upper mount/tophat is longer. The collar i'm talking about is less diameter than the shock shaft, but greater diameter than the shock's threaded stud... I think this, unseated condition gives the thunking, ergo, when (rear FOR strut on rear IMP) the washer and nut cranked all the way down are not seated on the upper mount/tophat, but are seated on the upper plane of the collar, thus the collar/shock shaft has .5 cm (5 mm) play up and doen inside the upper mount (which is bolted to the car)... I hope this makes sense... I too am having fun with the spring compresser, but was going to compare unlaiden springs (FOR to IMP and see the height difference ther as well.... more tomorrow, keep the imput coming, we'll get this lift ironed out in its minutae for other impreza owners to follow without runin into these problems!!!

So who's who in the lifted Impreza world? I feel like I've run into nothing but problems lifting my IMP with forester stuts and I would like folks' input for solutions... I swapped 98 forester struts into a 93 impreza. The front owrked great, but the rears were a pain... First, yeah I needed to get mounts and swap out the maount and upper spring perch, then i got them in, with a little grunting and lowered the car on the ground and found like 4 inches of lift..... The rear springs, givin longer suspension travel from the forester struts, are taller and give lift on top of the longer strut shaft.... Then I've got the horrible clunking and the struts practically rub the wheel well at the bottom spring seat... I'm thinking of putting the IMP springs back on, but think that with the lnger strut travel, the smaller impreza spring will not push the strut shaft tight against the upper spring seat, thus not hold the strut together with tension... I have legacy springs but fear either the same thing, or the same as with the forester springs.... I'm about 2 steps away from junking the project for stock Impreza material.. Before http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3975&d=1150778471 After http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3978&d=1150778616 rear detail before lift (link fixed) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3981&d=1150779235 After lift http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3980&d=1150778988 muffler detail before http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3976&d=1150778471 muffler detail after http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3977&d=1150778471 Granted 4 inches is neat, but its straining the axles and the wheel swung forward a lot in the rear, ergo not much room for larger tires... So I'd like to hear other lifted impreza stories and solutions. thanks,

Those were '98 forester struts and springs. I think the strut length plus the forester spring gave it like 4 inches. I'm going to swap out the springs from forester to legacy or back to the original IMP springs, but in doing so I'm going to look closely at teh shock studs in comparison to see how to get rid of the clunking...

Silly aint it? That's forester struts and springs straight into an Impreza... front's fine, back's kinda high (for what I'm looking for)

Right, i retained the washers from the IMP strute to install on the FOR ones. I put teh shock shaft through the spring seat, through the upper strut mount, then washer, then nut = clunking methinks additional washers? perhaps the shaft is not seated on the nut, ergo gap b/t shaft seat and washer ...

Right on, those are certaily larger than I would go on this rig. Its not aven an OBS, just plain '93 IMP L... Maybe OBS wells are larger? Anyway, did you have the clunking issue at the rear upper mounts (as did Andy and a couple others) when you completed the job? I'm thinking legacy springs (as you alluded to) and a washer or two to tighten the shock stud at the mount... THanks for your beta Eric (I think that's you I'm terrible conecting names to screen names...

these pix show the point best... before: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3981&d=1150779235 after: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3980&d=1150778988

That's good beta, thanks.. I have my old legacy struts and could part the springs... So I was thinking it would be fine to loosen the center shock nut in the car right, then jack it up and pull them apart? One could put the spring compresser on the spings tighten some, then jack up the car, and push the shock down into the shaft to remove the spring, right? I'm just trying to avoid having to take the WHOLE stut out of the car, again...

sorry, the last pix were sopposed to be the rear before and after, no the front... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57952 these should be befores and afters...

Andy, like you said, yes the spring seats just pop off whewn you unbolt everytihing, but its kind of a trick to get things lined up correctly again .. I too have the thumping in the rear.. I think its in need of some washers as spacers for the shock bolt... The front looks perfect, the rear looks dumb.. The wheel as swung forward and is too close to the fender, and i am not a fan of the chizle/doorstop look.. I'd like the rear to raise traight up a couple inches like the frint, so how can I mellow out the lift in the back? Anyone that's lifted IMPS would be welcome to chime in here... thanks..