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Hey everyone, im new to the Subaru community and wanted some advice. I've got a 99 outback that was my fathers before he passed away, and i want to turn it into a tough and reliable off road camper. im willing to put money into it over the years and it going to be my daily driver here for a while. once we are past the head gasket issues what can i do to make sure this thing is it excellent mechanical condition for road trips and camping i dont want to get stuck on a mountain because of engine trouble. aside from the engine what other upgrades can i make to make this thing a tank off road? i want to be able to keep up with my buddy's jeep wrangler, i know i cant go everywhere he can go when he has a 3.5" lift with 37 inch tires. but i want to go as far as i can on a reasonable lift like 1.5-2.5" that wont make the car underpowered because of the extra weight, nor make the axels and joints more prone to breaking. can i upgrade the axels and joints? should i? what should i upgrade it to? this thing is going to be a dedicated daily driver and camper so i want to cover any potential failure points before they fail and beef them up. any suggestions or people to call other forums i should post on or whatever you think will help.

I thought it time to share my full L series build - I had a thread in the welcome forum, but since writing this out recently I thought it a good time to move over here. Some of you will already know this vehicle... This is the short version I purchased Ruby Scoo from Yackandandah, VIC, Australia (google it!) in 2004 or 2005 for $500. What we didn't know was that the engine was toast - over heated to the point that one cylinder was cracked about halfway down. After some research I found that the EA82 engine came in EFI format, so went with one of these and had a steep learning curve into the operations of EFI systems. Pick a part became my best friend here! Problem was I lived over 1 hour away. After a year in the shed she was ready for rego. This is me learning some 4wd'n with a mate near Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo: From here I had a few mods done - welded rear diff. This was a good and bad mod as it gave the vehicle awesome point and shoot abilities but with the lack of lift I managed some damage to the underside of the body, I inverted my floor pans and didn't realise this for some time. In 2007 I roadtripped to WA with my brother with a "fresh" 9 month old rebuild that was going really well: SA/WA boarder: Perth: Hit a new milestone while I was there: And we had some fun too: On the way home we (read: my brother!) blew the side out of the plastic radiator end tank on a hot day drive home. We were stuck in Tintanara and were trucked home the next day. After sorting a temporary radiator it turned out that the engine was severely cooked. For 18 months I put up with a jerry-rigged carb engine over the MPFI wiring. It got me around while I sorted all the bits for my EJ22 conversion - again pick a part played a huge role in this conversion - this time I got all the bits I needed the before getting into the conversion. Cutting down the wiring was another steep learning curve and in hindsight quite easy to do, just need to know what you actually need and go from there. I didn't do the HG's on the EJ as I bench tested the engine and was happy with how it operated. When pulled from the yard it had 127xxxkms on the clock. Turned out the clutch was completely fried. All oil seals were replaced, cam belt replaced and I should have replaced the water pump - did it about a week after the conversion hit the road. Easiest way to do the Engine and gearbox - out from under: I cased an L series gearbox in a set of EJ front cases to avoid an adaptor plate and an EA clutch. This conversion is all EJ clutch and bolts straight up without issues: The initial test was a bit of fun in the paddock - I should've put the bonnet on though, it wasn't fun to clean! All fits in like it should be there. The L series should've come with the EJ from the factory, it's a great combination! Out at Robe, SA: After a chance purchase of a lifted L series, in one weekend the swap was done and Ruby Scoo grew to this: More fun, Otways, VIC: A few years down the track and a lot of searching I managed to track down a set of the infamous Scorpion 14 inch rims, these ones with the awesome general all rounder Wild Conqueror Super Trippers (can't get them anymore ): Robe, SA: Wyperfeld NP, VIC: Lerderderg SF, VIC: After two seasons at Mt Hotham and a 4wd'n trip with a "rally section" on the Dinner Plain Track south of the township I got Ruby Scoo airborne unintentionally. Not realising for some time but I did some extensive damage to the suspension mount on the LHS. Not ready to part with her I stripped her out and went to work between other things: While everything was reinstalled I added power windows, mirrors and central locking. That took a pot load more time than I anticipated and blew out the build time. I would say this took me 6 months over the summer period to sort out and get back on the road. Return to the road: Getting back into the thick of it: Mt Cole: Getting out in the High Country with the Subaru Club of Qld (offroad club, can't remember their official title) - most of these guys are online mates from ausubi: Basalt Knob South Tk before it was switchbacked: Back at Mt Hotham for another visit (Love this place!) New "trick" gearbox - L series AWD locking centre diff, front OBX (cheap!) LSD, 1.59:1 low range, low range oil feeders and 4.111:1 diff ratio (old box 3.7:1 stock ratio): Diff locking mechanism: This was an awesome mod - the diff ratio change has transformed the drive for the better. The ratio matches the tyre size the same as the foresters run so it's a tried and tested setup, just not really done in an L series in this fashion on a regular basis. I added a snorkel for added confidence during water crossings: This was 2013. For the christmas period we were planning another road trip to WA to catch up with some mates I made over there on the cruise in 2007. Unfortunately after finally getting my AC sorted the Head Gaskets let go. Not a bad run so I shouldn't complain - just the timing over the silly season slowed down the new parts arriving in a timely manner. But she's sorted again and running very well. First time I've had an EJ stripped down like this: Where I think the HGs let go, wasn't major but enough to run hot on a warm day. No damage resulted, money saved there Back together sporting a new radiator conversion (N14 pulsar) and new thermo fans - a good setup so far: Over Easter 2014 we ventured into new territory out at Walhalla in the foothills of the Vic Alps: First real good use of snorkel - Fulton's Creek Tk, Walhalla: Messing around, Fulton's Creek: Trig Track - 12 switchbacks! Loved this area and seriously cannot wait to get back out there! Last trip most recently was to McKillop's Bridge (very speccie!) and the general Snowy River NP, VIC: ^ Pics do not do this bridge justice, it's very high, very long and has been flooded over several times! I was with a "different" cohort for this trip with some mates in larger, "real" 4wds: Ruby Scoo held her own: Until I managed to blow 2nd gear coming off throttle on a down shift from third. Nothing harsh about it. From here it was a tow job, not fun! Once back on a decent track - logging truck track - we decided to see if I could manage third, using low range as another gear. This was done to avoid time delays, rocks flicking up and damaging the front of my vehicle and my newish windscreen. It was noisy in the box but it kept going, at the time I was kind of past the point of caring. After stopping for the others to catch up (I was rally style, they weren't!) we continued but I think it was too much, once the oil settled in the gearbox bits had moved. At walking pace I ended up locking up all four wheels. We were trailered from there, trailer came from Orbost. Then another type of towing occurred a week later: ^ These guys were great, they let me park up for a week in their yard very cheaply! Near M&D's, not quite "home" though: The gearbox came out at M&D's before I took the car home as I was itching to get it started. Once the box was stripped we found this damage: I've since sourced an SG forester gearbox for it's stronger internals as Subaru did a big overhaul on the 1st and 2nd gearsets in these boxes along with a few other things. My bench looks like this as I work through the little hurdles that are thrown my way: I've had to modify a few things along the way, the low range synchro hub being one of them: Latest modification hurdle is the woodruff key for the 5th gear as I want to use the 0.87 ratio I've got in the shed, not the SG's 0.78 as that's what I used to have and I wasn't too keen on it at cruise: That's where I'm at. Using Redback (Brumby - more to come on this addition to the family!) as the daily which is what I got her for, but I can't wait to have Ruby Scoo back on the road and 4wd'n again. I'm also working on some surface rust I've found since removing the gearbox, this is a slow process itself and work/family/social life is getting in the way too. Weekends are not at home at the moment I hope you've enjoyed reading and viewing the pics. While writing this and looking at the large number of pics I've got I've surprised myself just how many places I've been with Ruby Scoo. Many more pics if you want to view! She's currently knocking on 500k kms... I've had many great times out bush in this vehicle and I'm hoping there will be a number of years of more good times to come! Just have to get it back together and out of the shed!!! Regards Bennie

In Shelton, WA this coming weekend. I was at the Oregon Trail Rally last month and had a great time! It would be fun to meet some of the other local members, maybe have our own little meet and greet/BBQ? Any takers?

Hey Guys! I'm a huge fan of the Dakar African race! Up until yesterday I wasn't even aware of another race going through there. I'm not sure how I missed it, but in 2013 the biggest Amateur race in Africa, similar to Dakar, Bamako runs every two years. Well an 198x Subaru GL EA82 Touring Wagon won the 2013 event! I hear them speaking French in the video: Here is the description: youtube.com : BAMAKO2013 Czech SUBARU OffROAD Team 10 MIN clip Published on Feb 23, 2013 Vítězná cesta našeho týmu závodem Budapest - Bamako 2013. Díky všem co jste nám fandili! ;-) Translated: The winning tour of our team at the Budapest - Bamako 2013 event. Thanks to all you fancied us! ;-) I made a couple of 3-monitor wallpaper to remind me what my car could be. Download them both and let me know which one you like better in the reply: 1. the Three Car or 2. The collage Note: I have three monitors that are spanned together. My Windows Start Button is on the bottom right corner of all three monitors. Each screen resolution is 1680 pixels x 1050 pixels. So to make a single picture that spans across all three I simple multiply the length times three. 5040 x 1050 as a single file. Note: If you only have one monitor with this picture set as wallpaper - Tiled, you will only see the left most part third the photo. Let me say it was quite tricky to get it under the 2MB size limit and still look decent. And it turns out I don't have enough bandwidth on this server to continue to add files. Sorry team. Here are some more links for the curious: http://www.subarudobrany.cz/bamako2013.html http://www.subarudobrany.cz/ir_14/projekt_ir14.pdf http://www.budapestbamako.org/en

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I can find someone who can retrofit my legacy so I have off-road capability? I live in the Salt Lake City, Utah area.

I recently was given a 78 Subaru Brat, which i am already in love with. I have a few plans for this thing needless to say. My first and foremost project is to build the lift kit for it. Now i have read every single thread there is on lifting a gen 1 brat, trust me, but i still need help. i have all the materials i need for a 5 inch drop lift and 6 inch strut spacers, but i am just wondering if anybody has block specs or maybe just some last minute advice? This thing is never going to be my daily driver, i have a full size Chevy for that so it doesn't need to be comfortable on the highway just somewhat safe. My brat sat in about 9 inches of mud on the side of a road for just about 20 years before i got it, and before that it was not treated well, so its really rough. But it will be perfect for an off-road toy! all i did was drain the fluids out of this thing, put new fluids in, clean spark plugs, put a new fuel pump, coil, and air filter on it and it started up perfectly and runs like new surprisingly! The transmission is pretty noisy, but it's getting quieter the more i drive it. The previous owner decided to spray red primer right over the old paint 20 years ago, and that's why it looks as bad as it does, its not rust. I will keep you guys updated with any new progress! Mine is the red/blue one in the pictures needless to say.

I hauled home a ea82 loyal for parts on my road car last year and an 84 gl I wanted to use as a trail only rig. I didn't get to mess with it much over the winter but yesterday i discovered the engine wont turn over. I was trying to pull it over by putting socket on the crank pulley nut, to the left the nut just gets loose but to the right its solid as a rock. My breaker bar snapped at the end so its VERY seized i think. Guess thats what i get for getting a car out of a landfill. Now the hood sticker says 1.6 but it looks like one of you guys might have owned this thing because its got a ea81 and a fair amount of homemade wireing. Now I dont quite live in the states so its hard to find an engine. I cant just go to a junk yard and get one or cragslist. It would be more expensive that way even if i found one. I see RPMachine makes some rebuild kits at a price i can afford.Even few plces making ircraft heads. Rockauto has a nearly unusable websight and napa dosnt have anything but gaskets. Is RPMachine decent or should they be avoided? Off topic but I cant find any good info in lifting one of these other than 4inch is the most used on ea81s. All the treads ,pictures, links, other subaru websignts are so old and outdated that the archives 404. (looking at you offroad section). Im going to try and do my part by documenting my rigs but I dont want to have to reinvent the subaru lift.

Hello all! This is my first post, marking my foray into modifying my currently factory stock 2009 Outback 2.5i Wagon. I live and work in Los Angeles, so I do most of my driving in the city. However, I have been making more and more trips into Death Valley, Mojave, and other desolate, rugged desert locations, and have been tackling some pretty rough terrain in return. I've shredded two tires in the handful of times I've been out there, both times from very large rocks. I'm interested in lifting my Outback, as I don't want to do permanent damage to my car (like I said, lots of very large rocks and rough washes), but I am a complete novice when it comes to knowing about cars, so I'm looking for some advice! Where do you think I should start? Larger tires would require a lift kit I imagine, also thinking about a skid plate, etc.... Pros and cons? Thoughts? Thank you all for any help! Cheers, Jack

Hello All, I have a 2003 outback that is in need of some new tires. I am looking to use the vehicle as a daily drive/ trip car (camping, beach, exploring, etc) I am going to spend most of my time on the road, as such, noise, tread-life, and wet weather handling are important. That said, I live in NC, I spend time in the mountains and on the outer banks. I am not looking to ford a river or drive on an island. but some sand, gravel, rock, etc will he negotiated at times. I am looking for a tire that will be practical on the road, but will not leave me stranded if I decide to venture off the road a little bit. Currently looking at continental TrueContact all season. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hey all, I have my 1995 legacy L sedan that I lifted using a set of 1" Subtle Solution spacers on top of a set of 1997 outback struts. After putting my new tires and wheels on, it has a nice aggressive look. However, besides my 20yr old CVs finally giving out after the added stress, my main issue is with ride stiffness. I've assumed that's because the a-arms and trailing arms now sit at a more dramatic angle while at resting height. Besides lowering those mounts, I need some advice on if I should do. Any comments or ideas would be hugely helpful. Thanks

Hey so today I made a cool front bumper for my Subaru RX. Its not done yet still going to build in a custom two piece skid plate into it. All I did to make this was cut the bumper support out until the only thing left was the support. Welding some steel tubing into it untill it started to take shape. I am pleased with how it came out i just need some WRC looking lights to complete the look I am going for. The rear bumper is 4x2 steel frame rail that I stacked onto each other and simply bolted them up to the stock location of the rear bumper support so I can switch back easily. Stock Bumper support cut in half already. Then removed some more of it Welded the first 1x1 steel bar into the beast Welded an interesting shape and stuck with it Slowly started adding more metal Hood closed and fender just hanging on Now moving onto the back I built a custom trunk and frame into the car here it is without the bumper. Looks intense already. Caged intense trunk also another view Custom rear bumper Drilling holes Don't mind the welds =) flux core wire no gas in the winter usually with snow coming in haha Also some trunk pics other side

Hi Im Scott Im the Owner and builder at SJR my stores at www.sjrlift.com I build and sell Lift kits from 1"-9" , EJ into EA car engine swap kits, you can also put a EA dual range into the newer cars with my parts, I make and sell tube bumpers, and redrill EA81 and EA82 hubs to allow mounting other pattern wheels on the EA cars, I prep the EJ harness for the EJ swap, just send me your complete harness from the EJ car and Ill thin it out rerap and label the wires, can also do custom stuff at your request, Im located in Bellingham Washington , stop by and Ill give you a ride in my latest Offroader on my private land, check out my site here www.sjrlift.com

Franken Subaru, Rollin on 30's, staring down Jeeps from a 10.5" lift.

Hi all, I'm a long time subie driver looking to buy a new (used) Subaru for travel. All signs so far point to 2003-2004 Outback, potentially H6 with a manual transmission. Also looking into a lift of 1-2 inches for extra clearance, all terrain tires, and potential skid plates. I'm looking for a Subaru that can: -Navigate roads and logging roads in the rockies (Revelstoke, BC) -Haul surfing gear, fishing gear, camping gear, and potentially a Canoe/ Kayak through the Mexican Baja and the Pacific Northwest. -Ability to sleep in the back -Drive through beach sand, snow, some manageable mud, and rocky roads. Looking for any and all info, forester vs outback vs truck comparisons, preferred years, models, and modifications, stories and experience, and whatever other off-road travel information you may have. Cheers and explore more, Ben Driven: 2001 Subaru Legacy GT 2002 Subaru Outback 1999 Subaru Legacy Wagon 2005 Subaru Legacy Wagon (current)

Ive been working on this buggy on and off for just over a year now. Its nowhere near done, and wont be anytime soon. It started as a 4 door 2000 2.5RS Impreza, and mechanically still is (dont let the 02 tails fool ya.. I just like them). Other than a slightly tweaked engine from the previous owner (bored, decked, 3-angle valve, port & polish, high compression pistons ). Ive also modified some stock 04 forester struts w/ 300lb front & 175lb rear 2.5" coilover springs. Current cost is just over $2k. Just passed emissions 2 days ago.

I figure if you can fit 205/75r15 tires on a lifted leggy you should be able to do 235/70r16, right? only a inch and a half inch larger width, so .75 inches on each side. Just wondering what you guys think

i was just wondering if anybody has a mudrat tube bumper or something similar hanging around? my brother just got a new mandrel bender, and im itching to fab up an o/r bumper for my forester. im curious to know what size tubing mudrat79 used. Looks like the perfect diameter because of course weight is always a concern. And ive looked for some kind of reviews of his stuff that describes the weight and material used...but found nothing. I've got a ton of 1.25 schedule 40 and 80 seamless that I've built some truck bumpers, cages and misc. things out of, but i think its probably a little too heavy. So any advice or experience with the mudrats bumpers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I think everyone had a good time up at Walker this last weekend. It was just Pat, Reid, Ted and myself on this trip, which made for a smaller group, which is kinda nice. The trail conditions were perfect....wet, sloppy, and full of mud. Some of us were up there the weekend before and I think we all agreed the trails are also getting worn down in spots which made things challenging at times, but still a ton of fun. There wasn't too much carnage. Ted roasted his clutch on the first part of Lower Mainline and bent his shift linkage on the second part, but after some trail repairs he was back at it. I've never seen a clutch smoke like his did, but after it cooled he didn't seem to have any issues after that. I also broke a rear axle on the same part of the trail, but I didn't realize it until I was making my way up EZ Valley connector. I was driving a little hard when it happened. All in all, a great trip!! Reid, Pat or Ted: Does anybody have pics or video of me going through the water hole at the top of EZ Valley? Josh

Hey guys, I have a 2002 Forester that I'm trying to turn into an off-road monster.I'm a newcomer in this area of expertise so any and all helpful info is welcomed. I'm having trouble finding information on the possibility of swapping my AWD for 4WD. Everything on my car is currently stock. Where do I begin as far as finding as suitable 4WD system to replace the stock one from Subaru, any suggestions? Cheers!

HighGuysLifts.com is up and running. Site is still being improved, and as of yet we don't have a "shopping cart" feature. And it's lacking pictures......soon to be upgraded. But for anyone interested, we have a list of Lifts and Prices in the "kits" section of the page. Anyone who would like info, or would like to order a kit can e-mail to Info@HighGuysLifts.com EA71, EA81, EA82, Legacy, Impreza, Forrester and Outback. We make kits for them all. GET YOUR SUBARU LIFTED!!! HighGuys!!!

Hello out there this is my first time on this board as I just acquired an '85 GL wagon and have heard from many that it could make a good off-roader. Wondering if you guys can give me ideas on ways to lift its clearance and good wheels and tires that can go off-road but also handle the highway without killing gas mileage and my wallet...

so, as my topic says, im going to be modding my brat into a little rally beast. Im already looking for needed replacement parts such as hood, fenders, grill, rear bumper, etc. mostly cosmetic. but im still planning out the major modifications. One of the first things on the long list of modifications and repairs needed is an engine (well..actually an entire drive system, but engine being the focal point) for the much needed increase in power. im thinking the system from a late 90's impreza; ej25 motor, manual transmission, awd. actually, let me take a step back and just lay out the basic overall idea for the project. basically i want an every day driver that i can also go play in the sand with . cosmetically i want it to look like a factory soup up. very simple black body with white accents. mechanics is a who different story. im going to be building it for aggressive offroad use, so a small lift and slightly larger tires is in order. and an engine with much greater power; more specifically torque. any ideas on what engine or what vehicle to steal the drive system from? or any other ideas or tips? i will post pictures shortly, but considering im not in the same state as my brat at the moment, i only have pictures from earlier this year

The Santiam mountain mud festival was held this last weekend. HighGuys were at this one, and I believe we were the only subarus there. It was insane. We had a blast. Unfortunately my clutch was weak, so it only lasted a few hours then I had to stop wheelin. Drove home 40 miles under it's own power though. Clifford, my Bro Gemini's car, did well. Although he didn't push through as many obstacles:) Sadly. This is the only real action video. Making the deep crossing to the west end. I did this early, before the huge rigs tore it to hell. I'm about 1:20 in

Any good ideas on how to make a good snorkel for my 01' lego? pics would be great too!!

Forgive me Jeff for editing your post. Prepare for dust. It's a 7 mile long dusty road just to get to the parking lot. The trails themselves won't be so bad, but the main lines will be very dusty in August. Each vehicle needs to have a day pass for each day in the park. There is a gas station in Burnett (the only one) that sells the day passes for $5.50 per day. That gas station will be your last chance for gas ice and whatever. Bring your extra parts and especially axles. The trails are just rough enough to break your car if you don't listen to your spotter. Bring tools and recovery gear. Bring garbage bags so you can haul out whatever you bring in.