raising a 95 legacy higher off the ground

[bgambino]

so I recently bought this very sweet 95 legacy 2.2L 4 dr sedan, 124K super clean

Got a T bind issue to deal with later...but...

 

I want to get this thing higher...I hate how it feels getting out of it

 

I know Nipper did BIG BLUE.....can you guys tell me what is involved?

 

Also...would love to put some 15" rims I have on it (its 14 stock)....if I lift it, I should be able to right?

[Olnick]

The 15" rims should fit just fine as is--provided they are standard Subaru width and offset.  Just don't get carried away with super wide or super tall tires!

[upnorthguy]

Outback struts and springs get you a couple of inches.  That is what I would like to do to my '95 wagon if I get around to it (my LS came standard with 15" rims).

Run some searches in this forum...there are a number of threads on lifting that cover the goods.

[WoodsWagon]

 

The red one is a 95 legacy with 98 Outback struts and wheel/tires on it. 205/70r15's.

[AdventureSubaru]

The Off Road section has a sticky on lifting an impreza. The whole process is the same with a legacy except you probably don't have to drill a hole for the rear tophats for the lift.

 

Shop for a set of 97-99 Outback or 98-2003 Forester struts and springs for 2 1/2-3 1/2 inches of lift. Add some 3/8 HDPE spacers which can be bought cheap or made cheaper (I make them out of wal mart cutting boards) if you want just a little extra lift for $20.

 

Get a set of outback trailing arm brackets and you're pretty good to go.

 

The rear swaybar still worked stock on my Impreza. The front remains disconnected and is not very noticeable unless you are an aggressive driver. With a little bit of fender trimming and removing mudflaps, you can clear a 28 inch tire.

 

The whole lift took me an afternoon to do with the help of my brother and most of the time was spent on issues of rust and not the actual process of bolting parts together. (the car was from Wisconsin.) You can see my build in the members rides section. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Edited April 15, 2014 by AdventureSubaru

[johnceggleston]

as mentioned, the outback struts will lift it about 2 inches.

and that is going to be the easiest and cheapest lift.

for the price of 4 new KYB struts, ~$300 shipped i think,

you get both lift and suspension.

 

i did this to my 97 GT wagon, and my 00 lego wagon.

once you are used to climbing out of an outback,

climbing out of a lego is a pain, especially if you are over a certain age.

 

the extra height would also allow you to install outback size tires, 205/70/15.

these would give you almost another inch.

but they would throw off your speedo.

[bratman18]

96-99 Outback, or 98-08 Forester strut assemblies will work.

[Bushwick]

The seats in the 95' Legacy actually sit lower in the track for some reason i.e. no seat height adjustment and sit close to the ground. If you just want to sit higher in the car and not feel like you are climbing out of a Corvette every time, try swapping in full power seats (or just the brackets and mount your seat tops to them) with height adjustment. I'm pretty sure the Outback has them. I never realized how high my seats sit in my other car until I got the Legacy. The other car is even lowered 1.5" and the bumpers sit about 2" lower than the Legacy, but the way the seat was adjusted in that, it's several inches HIGHER off the floor pan than the Legacy. If you are on a budget and want to do it SUPER cheap, buy some square tubing and make stand off spacers to "lift" the seat instead (between seat and track, not track and floor). Or do like old women do and stick some dinner table seat cushions on the seat for a slight lift. 

Edited April 15, 2014 by Bushwick

[bgambino]

crap----I just wrote this out and hit a key and it got wiped out
Here we go again
 
I never messed with struts b4
1--If I shop for used parts--96-99 OB or 98-2003 forester.....I wont know how good a condition they are in--risky?--they would look like the attached pic right?
2--john---if I but the Kyb's....will they come with springs?  If not, then I probably can't use my legacy springs right?..then where am I
3--sway bars and trailing brackets were mentioned above....what needs to be done to do the job right--I don't know what a trailing arm is

swap sway bars too? and the brackets that hold them?
 
I am used to getting out of my 96 OB...the difference between that and the 95 legacy is UGHHHH
I am going to swap front seats.....

 

anyone know if Nipper is still around?

[zombieforce]

Can you put the outback springs on forester struts? I have spacers for my outback but want to do forester struts before I install spacers .dont really want to install used struts , so if mynsprings will work I will just buy new foz struts and swap my stuff over . Just want the most lift possible.

[WoodsWagon]

I never messed with struts b4

1--If I shop for used parts--96-99 OB or 98-2003 forester.....I wont know how good a condition they are in--risky?--they would look like the attached pic right?

2--john---if I but the Kyb's....will they come with springs?  If not, then I probably can't use my legacy springs right?..then where am I

3--sway bars and trailing brackets were mentioned above....what needs to be done to do the job right--I don't know what a trailing arm is

swap sway bars too? and the brackets that hold them?

If you buy new KYB's for a 98 outback, you can re-use your Legacy springs. That's what the red one in my picture has, and you can obviously see it's not sitting lower than the outback next to it.

 

If you carefully cut and bend the brackets where the brake hoses go through the struts you can swap the struts without having to bleed the brakes. Unless you have a Brighton with rear drums, then you have a hard line instead of a flex hose and you have to pull it then bleed the brakes after.

 

Stock sway bars work fine. The rear can be hard to get the hub pushed down far enough to bolt the strut in, and taking the sway bar off makes that easier. Hook it back up once it's together and sitting on the ground again.

 

Trailing arm brackets from an Outback or Forester are optional. They're the pivot point for the front of the rear suspension's trailing arms where they mount under the floor beneath the back seat. Swapping them out helps center the rear wheels in the wheel wells, so running bigger tires won't rub on the tail end of the rocker panel by the back door. 205/75r15's fit fine without swapping brackets, but it doesn't hurt, and if you go to bigger tires than that it reduces rubbing.

[bratman18]

As I said, it's not 98-03 Forester struts that will work, it's all the way to 08 that they will work. Just so you're aware. Those all bolt right in.

[heartless]

did the 98 Forester struts on my 95 Legacy - direct swap and bolt in - no need for drilling anything...and I love the added height.

 

to avoid having to open the brake lines, you will need to cut a small section out of the bracket that holds the line (do this in the flat area - not on the angled part) - a pair of bolt cutters work nicely, then simply file the sharp edges/corners smooth. I have done this multiple times with no problems.

 

Remove the clip that holds the brake line to bracket, move the line so that you have a little extra space to work with - cut out about a half inch or so of the bracket - just enough that you can fit the line thru it and file off any sharpness ... do the same thing on the ones going into the car for ease of installation. Once you set the brake line back in place and install the retaining clip you cant hardly tell they have been cut.

Edited April 16, 2014 by heartless

[johnceggleston]

the KYB struts and your springs will work.

96 - 99 the springs are the same.

newer springs would be newer, of course, and a little stiffer,

and that ''could'' hold your car a little higher than old weaker springs.

i reused my existing springs.

 

used is a crap shoot.

i did it ,

but i was buying several parts and and i got them really cheap.

but now several years later, my GT is pretty bouncy.

but it will let you see if you like it before you spend $300 on parts.

 

none of the other parts NEED to be changed on the rear.

the taller strut will push the rear tire closer to the wheel well , towards the fron.

but there will still be plenty of clearance.

 

i have heard, and i am not real clear on this so i may be wrong,

that the forester rear struts are not quite as tall as the outbacks.

 

the labor is not hard, easy to do,

and easy to redo if you don't like your springs.

but you will need to get the alignment done afterwards so keep that in mind.

 

the alignment specs do not change.

Edited April 16, 2014 by johnceggleston

[bratman18]

The only difference between the outback and forester struts are that the 98-02 rear struts have a lower spring perch, so you can't clear as big of tires. But the 03-08 forester rear struts changed that.

[bgambino]

John

 

Thanks....I have a 95 legacy though...you said 96-99 springs would fit...so would 95 not fit?

 

Woodswagon----yours looks great...I gotta do that to mine

[johnceggleston]

sorry, 95s will fit.

 

it's just that there were no tall struts in 95,

the 96 outback was the first.

[WoodsWagon]

to avoid having to open the brake lines, you will need to cut a small section out of the bracket that holds the line (do this in the flat area - not on the angled part) - a pair of bolt cutters work nicely, then simply file the sharp edges/corners smooth. I have done this multiple times with no problems.

 

Remove the clip that holds the brake line to bracket, move the line so that you have a little extra space to work with - cut out about a half inch or so of the bracket - just enough that you can fit the line thru it and file off any sharpness ... do the same thing on the ones going into the car for ease of installation. Once you set the brake line back in place and install the retaining clip you cant hardly tell they have been cut.

 

I've found it easier to do one cut then bend the flap out of the way, and then bend it back flat before putting the clip on. That way you still have a whole hole.

[heartless]

I've found it easier to do one cut then bend the flap out of the way, and then bend it back flat before putting the clip on. That way you still have a whole hole.

 

That is always an option as well - up to the individual doing the work, i guess. I find it easier to just cut that little bit completely out. Have done it that way on several different cars with no problems. the first was my 89 GL wagon that I drove for 8 yrs, then the 90 Legacy LS wagon - 7 years, the other half's 90 L sedan, and now my 95 wagon with Forester struts...

 

either way, it accomplishes the same thing - you dont have to open the brake lines.

 

one thing that should be noted tho - for the rears especially - the strut needs to be completey unbolted and loose so that it can be turned enough to get the bolt cutter on that bracket...front only needs the bottom loose, it will turn at the top

Edited April 17, 2014 by heartless

[Gloyale]

Front and rear swaybars don't need to be messed with at all to do this swap.  Other than just maybe unbolting to get travel to install the OB/FOZ struts.

 

You don't need the Rear trailing arm brackets either........You just get a bit more downtravel offroad with the OB/FOZ bracket.

 

4 used strut assembies from a JunkYard can be had for ~$100......easiest cheapest way but of course crapshoot on strut condition. 

[johnceggleston]

 

I've found it easier to do one cut then bend the flap out of the way,

and then bend it back flat before putting the clip on. That way you

still have a whole hole.

 

 

ZIP TIES work for the re-install.

that way you are not creating a rust point by exposing bare metal..