GeneralDisorder Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Bugaru and myself went out to scapoose again, and found some new trails. The place is littered with really awesome 4x'ing action. We got a little crazy, and both of us came out with some nice damage. I bent my mustache bar, and subsequently broke a rear axle because of it (popped it out of the cup). I dented my gas tank and bent my new front skid plate too - looks like it did it's job. Bugaru bent his front drivers side lower control are like a toothpick, but drove out on it anyway.... I'm sure pictures of that will follow shortly. I forgot the battery for my camera (of course), but luckily they had theirs, so action shots will be comming shortly when they post them, or I get the pics from them... At the end of the day, we both drove out. I did 70 MPH all the way home. Bugaru said his was a bit "sketchy" with the bent control arm, but it dove out anyway just like a subaru should! Looks like our list of improvements will be: Stronger lower control arms (weld some plate to em I should think). Improved mustache bars. Gas tank skid plate. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Damage, Damage? What Damage...... I thought thats how they were suppose to look? Love the skid plate up front. What is it made of? Where/what are you attaching it to in the back? I'm also looking for suggestions on how to reinforce the diff bar??? Looking good! Glenn, 82 Hatch? Well it used to be..... 01 Forester, still is..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 Actually - the skid plate is attached to the stock skid plate locations - it's made from (I think) 3/16" plate, and some sqaure tubing. The plan is to run more sqaure tubing behind it. We really didn't expect to bend it, but now that we know, we'll be makeing a few changes to the design. The plan on the diff bar is to run a strip of 1/4" plate perpendicular to the bar it'self - make it like an I-bean that you cut in half lengthwise... if you understand what I'm saying. That will make it strong in both directions - both horizontally, and vertically. We just have to bend a 1" wide peice of plate to the shape of the bar, and weld it right onto the side. I think others on the board have theirs done this way... McBrat if I recall has his "improved" - ever bent one Mick? GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 just an idea, may be expen$ive make one out of small I beam, and tubular steel to reinforce, sandwich the dif bar between plate steel and slip some tubular steel around the round parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I still haven't installed mine yet. I'm still running with one I bent back into shape Qman has been running one for a long long time, and I don't think he ever bent it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Yep, three years on my design. Not even a hint of bending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Hey Ken - what do you do to protect the fuel tank? GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Originally posted by GeneralDisorder Hey Ken - what do you do to protect the fuel tank? GD Don't hit shtuff!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I'd be amazed if Ken was able to bash his tank into a rock or something, his tank has to be like 3 or 4' from the ground. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 How is Ken's tank any different from mine? Cause I'm pretty sure it is the same tank, and in the same location.... Ken? Want to confim this? In fact - mine *should* be about 1/2" higher, since I'm running 28's.... GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Brat rears set up higher..... these both have 3" lift in rear with suspension raised up an additional inch... and both running 27's.... http://usmb.net/gallery/album91/PDC_0334?full=1 but, since you are running the rear struts, not sure how that compares with the 3" PK/BYB rear..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 As I recall, Rob said that he has about 1/2" more clearance under his diff than Ken, and his hatch has the rear strut's like my wagon... both of them are running 27's. Now I'm running 28's, so I should have another 1/2" on top of that, so my guess would be that I have at least 1/2" more than Ken, if not a full 1" more. I can tell you that I have 13.5" under my rear diff.... so we ought to be able to compare that number if all our diffs are in the same location, then the gas tank ought to be the same relative to the diff. My guess is that the difference with the Brat's, is that the rear strut top is physically lower on the body or something.... makes sense anyway... GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Hmmm it wouldnt let me delete this post, so I will make it on topic... I need to get one of those skid plates for my brat, the old one is so tiny (and I broke one of the mounting holes for it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugaru Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 As promised, here are the action shots from this Sunday: ATLAS4X4.com Unfortunately, most of the mud dried up during last week's nice weather. Hopefully we'll get some nasty weather soon to make up for it. We still managed to find some hairy trails to keep things interesting--lots of stumps and big holes. Oh yeah, and the trees across the path. Lots of fun to be had up in those hills Subaru style. I haven't had a chance to get any pics of my damage. I'll try to get those in the next day or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Yeah - I think this is the bugger that did the nasty on my mustache bar - I'm afraid that soobs weren't really designed for log-hopping: The last series of pics you see there is where I broke my rear axle. The bend in the mustache bar caused the axle to over-extend and pull out of the outer cup. But I did make it up the hill.... barely with the welded rear. Axle went out just as I got up there. Bugaru tried, but it didn't happen - it's very steep, and there's a HUGE hole right there under the right front tire. Flo - it's clean. Sorry about that. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 GD, awesome report. Interesting picture of your exhaust pipe. Consider extending it out past the end of the bumper. With the pipe as it appears now you're going to see lots of rust under there soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I have 14 1/8" under my diff. It's like I tried to teach you at Reiter. Finesse and patience, and checking the area before you jump in. Be glad that whatever you hit was round and not sharp. You'd be looking for a tank now if it had been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Originally posted by GeneralDisorder How is Ken's tank any different from mine? Hmmm, mine doesn't have a dent? J/K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Only a few of us remember back to when I put a huge dent in my first hatch while going thru Walker Valley. The rock was good and sharp, but the tank didn't spring any leaks. The dent was big enough that it literally held a gallon less when I filled it after that. That hatch was un lifted though. Since then, I apply the finnesse approach. A little getting out and checking the right line is always recommended when in a situation that might bash your lifted Soobs gas tank. Heck, the Rubicon didn't even manage to put a dent in any of the three Soobs who went there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Yes - I agree, we do get out and check quite often. And I'm getting better at picking the right lines through stuff, but in the case of that big log you see there - the only right line would have been a shovel and dirt, or a chainsaw, as there was really no way over or around it that was any easier than where I drove. Ian escaped the damage because he has a hatch and thus the better departure angle on me.... 14 1/8"?!?! Holy crap! How did you manage that with the diff hanger blocked down 3"? I'm confused.... GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Scary ain't it. Oh, I remember the dent from the "Shark tooth":eek: Also remember the look on people's faces when we went up the trail. That was a fun run. The maiden voyage of the Hatch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Originally posted by Qman Scary ain't it. Oh, I remember the dent from the "Shark tooth":eek: Also remember the look on people's faces when we went up the trail. That was a fun run. The maiden voyage of the Hatch. That would be "shark fin". I found the photo. Got the dent on the way off of it. Before the HP new the Rubicon, it knew Walker Vallley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 18, 2004 Author Share Posted March 18, 2004 You wax eloquently about finesse, but that rock looks easily avoidable.... was there a time when you too were learning?? J/K GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Zap is from the "School of Hard Rocks". Literaly, and in more ways than one:brow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Originally posted by GeneralDisorder You wax eloquently about finesse, but that rock looks easily avoidable.... was there a time when you too were learning?? J/K GD Ken chose to go around it, I wanted the photo. The rear tire slipped off to one side as I drove off of it. I was using as much finnesse as I could with an open diff. You can bet that by that time, Ken and I were already using finnesse as well as we could, we had Suby Beast to preach it to then. But the picture wasn't to point that out, it was to show the jagged edge of the rock so you could picture the dent in my tank. And yes there was a time when I was first learning. Way before I had that hatch. (and yeah, what Rob said. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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