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Winter expedition vehicle?


thatswhatshesaid
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Touring Wagons are awesome winter cars. Stock+snow tires will get you a lot of places, including some where you really don't belong.

 

4315168441_39b7f11cee_b.jpg

 

Freeway commutes on unplowed/snowpacked pavement? No problem.

 

 

Sometimes the snow strikes when you're not expecting it... in the middle of the desert 30+ miles from the nearest town on dirt roads (and certainly not on snow tires).

 

 

This will be my first winter with an Outback lift on the Touring Wagon... I'm expecting good things.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm doing the Forester lift on mine (I think that's slightly less lift than your Outback struts) pretty soon as well.

 

Love your touring wagon, BTW. White looks awesome.

 

I just pulled my winter tires out of storage (they'll be on the car as soon as the first real snow hits) and threw on some awesome Bosch wiper blades.

I'm looking into the 4EAT lock switch. That'll probably happen next week. :)

 

I really wanted to do a 5-speed swap by winter, but that'll have to wait.

 

 

I'm building my just-in-case kit. I have so far:

- tool box with basic tools

- extra fluids (brake, ATF, oil, coolant)

- washer fluid

- fix-a-flat

- a small DC air compressor

- recovery strap

- full-sized spare tire

- recovery chain

- tire chains

- space blanket

- sleeping bag

- spare clothes

- 5 gal water jug

- .45 cal pistol and ammo (never leave home without it)

- duct tape

- electrical tape

- jumper cables

- backpacking stove w/fuel

- backpacking cookware

- freeze-dried food

- water purifier

 

I'm thinking I need to add:

- spare belts/hoses

- magnetic block heater

- decent shovel

- jerry can

- couple bottles of octane booster, in case I can't get my 92 octane way out in the boondocks

- axe

- nonperishable food items

- come-along winch

- spare axle

 

 

 

any other ideas for gear to bring or modifications to the car that might be useful?

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the back of my GL looks like a redneck warehouse:drunk:

-25' tow strap -a couple clevis's -tree saver strap -come-a-long

-full size studded snow spare tire -clutch cable -throttle cable -misc. metric hardware -bag 'o tools -german military folding shovel -tire chains -coolant, oil -gallon of tap water -couple cans of food -coffee can heater (folgers can, roll of TP, couple bottles of 85% pure alcohol)

-spare ammo!

i think that's about it

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the back of my GL looks like a redneck warehouse:drunk:

-25' tow strap -a couple clevis's -tree saver strap -come-a-long

-full size studded snow spare tire -clutch cable -throttle cable -misc. metric hardware -bag 'o tools -german military folding shovel -tire chains -coolant, oil -gallon of tap water -couple cans of food -coffee can heater (folgers can, roll of TP, couple bottles of 85% pure alcohol)

-spare ammo!

i think that's about it

 

.....pretty well sums it up. ha ha

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If i was unlimited to a build, this is what i would go with based on what i got.

 

1986 gl wagon, dual range

 

i would add a 3 inch lift, and tall, narrow army jeep type tires on 14 inch steel.

 

I would take the hoards of road signs i have and build skidplates to prevent being hung up on snow drifts.

 

We had the blizzard last year, and the only thing that would stop my soob were the 4 ft snow drifts that had accumulated in the alley.

 

otherwise, i keep a shove, a tow strap, and some salt on board.

 

And WOOL gloves. gloves get wet while digging, but wool stays warm, and dries out quickly. The defrost would dry them out in just a few minutes.

 

This is how i would be outfitted for urban snowstorm duty.

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I have a thought on the snow-in-the-radiator issue. The deepest snow I've plowed through was only bumper deep, so I have no experience with it, but I do have an idea after some consideration.

 

Could one slip a piece of fine mesh (somewhere finer than chicken wire, but not window screen fine) wire or metal 'fence' in front of the A/C condensor, or whatever you have where the condensor would be if you had one? This would catch the snow and still leave a small gap for the fans to push air into/from for the radiator. It would be easy to clean out, too, if you rig it right.

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