miatapasta

Here you go. Finished product. I moved the fairlead 3/4" closer so it fits flush with the bumper, and added a trim piece out of a scrap piece of diamond stamped aluminum.

Hey man, thanks for the comments. I can see myself with a welder in a couple of years. I'll keep that in mind. It would make some under bracing easier, but so far I've had good luck with nuts & bolts. Necessity breeds ingenuity and all that, I suppose. As for the tires, the AT ones came with the car. I'm waiting on them to wear out before I swap out for something better. Finally, I do have the winch fairlead mounted. Keep in mind this is a rough draft version. It needs some fine tuning, but the idea is there. Could probably benefit from some more bracing. I'd also like it moved closer to the winch by about 1". Perhaps a trim plate out of diamond plated steel would look nice to finish it all off. That being said, it does work quite nicely. I haven't put a real load on it but I tugged my brother's car up the driveway and the cable doesn't rub on anything.

Don't worry. All bolts are grade 8. There are four bolts holding each side down: two on top, one up front, and one on the bottom. At least one bolt on each side is the OEM bolt that used to hold the factory bumper piece on. Although I'm not sure about size, each bolt head and nut is 14mm. The pics don't show the complete setup as they're in progress photos. Once everything is mounted, I'm going to disassemble it all, rust proof the factory frame bits, and have it all welded together at my local shop.

I think you guys will find this useful. I started mounting the winch up today. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/161507-2000-ob-off-roaddaily-duty-wagon/?do=findComment&comment=1345244

So I've been working on a winch mount for the rear. It's been kinda tricky but I'm glad it's panning out. I first removed the stock hard plastic bumper. I then was left with two pieces of the frame protruding outwards where the plastic originally mounted. Then I was able to mount two 4 foot pieces of 1/4" thick angle iron, tying the two pieces of the frame together. Mind you, this is a 100% bolt on application as I don't own a welder. Each side gets four bolts tying the angle irons to the frame. Two of the bolts are the original mounting points, and two are ones I drilled out. The pics don't show them, but you know. Then you just bolt on the mounting plate, and then the winch goes on top of it all. So the winch is actually mounted at an angle; it's technically facing downwards. It's just the only way I could have installed it. Therefore I do need to fab up a way to mount the roller fairlead, but it'll be easy (I already know what I need to do). Next up: wiring - just wanted to show that I used grommets to protect the heavy gauge wire from shorting out on the unibody frame. I have not finished running all the wiring to the front where the battery is yet. I stopped after breaching the spare tire well. At this point, I decided that I'm just going to give up and return it back to normal. I removed the winch and put the stock bumper back on. Ha ha, just kidding. If you look closer you'd see the flap I made to access the winch. I really like how that turned out! It fits perfectly under the bumper. All you'll see when it's finished is the fairlead and hook. It flips right on up when you need to access it. It's not done yet, but I'm past the halfway point. Until next time!

I had thought about a trailer hitch mount. Thanks for the idea. I was wondering what your opinions are on this too. I was looking at the spare tire well as a possible place to mount it. Practically it's nice because it's concealed, safe, and out of the rain. Functionally though I was wondering about the strength of the metal plating that makes up the tire well. Alternatively, I know the rear bumper is plastic, but with reinforcements I can see it pulling me out of level ground soft mud. Heck, we pulled it out of a ravine with a wheel off the ground with a storebought ratchet strap and 3rd grade comparable knots. Could be the availability heuristic, though. If there are any other ideas, please toss them up.

I haven't been able to get there and inspect it myself, but thanks for the heads up. What's your opinion on winches on the front bumper? I've looked at that pretty extensively and from what I can gather, it looks pretty stout.

Thanks man. I put together about 75 extra feet tree saver straps, snatch blocks, and extra line. Should have no problem with the trails I ride.

Scott, glad to hear you've got the same one as me. JP, you're right. Every time I've gotten stuck, it's the end of the line for me. It is my daily as well as my toy, and if I get stuck in the future, the last place I want to go is forward, ha! It'll be mounted to the rear bumper. Most of the trails I travel are wooded areas with trees aplenty. I actually picked up the 5000 lb HF winch yesterday. I coupled it with a Drillmaster angle grinder and they tossed in a free hook LED light. $187 total. I'm going to take off the bumper cover this weekend and see what the metal support bar looks like. The winch came with a mounting plate too.

Yep, stuck with the opens I fear. I need to stop thinking this thing is a Jeep. Heh

For what it's worth, this is a pretty impressive video. HF winch pulls out a Deuce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig7s2N9EZps That being said, I've been looking at winching videos all day. From what I've seen on YouTube, the HF winches can pull some serious weight. However, what I'm seeing a lot of them being used for is pulling huge rigs out of really deep stuff. That's not what I'm using my OBW for. I have gotten it stuck twice now, and neither time was as extreme as needing to be pulled through some exotic muck trail on some famous land. Once I got high centered, and another was me in a ditch on three wheels. I believe that a 5,000 lb rated rear mount winch with a pulley system (doubles to 10k) will be enough for me to get out of what I find myself in. I want my winch to be a tool used to pull me backwards out of trouble, not forwards and deeper into something else. If I'm stuck, I want to turn around. For me, getting stuck is a sign I need to take my two open differentials mounted to a station wagon to some milder terrain, LOL!

Hey guys, love them or hate them, Harbor Freight is doing another one of their sales. In my experience, they allow you to stack coupons in the store but not online. I was able to price a 5,000 lb Badland winch, a Drillmaster angle grinder, and a free LED light for $190. Anyone ever have any experience with a Badland winch? Their reviews on Amazon mention that they are not massive duty winches, but get the job done nonetheless. Is 5,000 lbs enough for a 2000 OBW, given that the wagon is only 3,500 lbs and will have the car's engine assisting it?

I've been doing a lot of research since posting, and it appears that really I'm stuck with the open diffs. Sure, one could weld it, but the point of this car is to be a daily driver with off road capabilities when needed. I could also go LSD, but they appear to have been all worn out at this point. If I'm wrong, let me know, but otherwise I've since abandoned the idea.

How often does your car see the street? Mine is 90% street duty, but there is access to many trails by my house even if I decide to turn off the road on a whim. That being said, I think I've pretty much turned against the idea.

Not an older Subaru like you guys have (I like those better personally), but here's my 00 OBW. I just cut all the excess off and made a small plate to protect the exposed wires and coolant lines.