STEALTHY92 Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 So the struts on my OBS are shot and I was thinking about doing the Fozzy lift. I've read a lot of forums about this, and there's many different versions and "tidbits"...sometimes it's hard to make sense of it all. I'm heading to the upull JY tomorrow...they have an 02 Fozzy in there. So , correct me if I'm wrong, but basically what I need is: The strut/spring assemblies Rear camber bolts The sway bar and trailing arm brackets What about the sway bar? Or is there stuff I need off an Outback Wagon? How much lift will this add? Will I have driveline/CV axle issues? Major alignment issues? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Outback or Forester struts will work. I use the trailing arm aft bolt, get and extra set, for the top strut bolt. It's about perfect. About 2" of lift. The trailing arm is the same, you need the bracket that mounts to the frame/body Nice lift and extra caring capability. I did one for a Painter and he's load 10 5 gallon buckets of paint and his compressor in the back and it would be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Top mounts bolt spread can be different. You may have to switch tophats over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Thanks! Does it make a difference between Gen 1 or 2 forester struts/springs...or will both work? Also, the OB brackets are the ones I want right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 If you can, pull your rear struts and take the top mount along to match up the stud pattern and match it to the spring style. Yes, the Outback trailing arm mounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Went to a couple JYs today in the pouring rain...I found a 2002 forester that I think will be a good donor. Right beside it was an Outback wagon, I THINK 96, the rear suspension dif cradle thing was already out sitting on the roof...would the trailing arm brackets, sway bar AND sway bar brackets be OK to use from it for my OBS?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) You'll want the thicker sway bar available to you. If the donor's sway bar is thicker, go with that. Make sure it'll clear your exhaust and do a quick search to what's a direct fit and what's not. 97' should already have the thicker bar. I have a 95' wagon and it's rear sway bar was so thin I can't believe they even bothered installing it as it added NO support on turns and the entire rear "wagged" like a dog's tail on even minor turns. Think I went with a 99' Forester bar (can't remember at this point) or possibly an Outback bar which was noticeably thicker and huge improvement with body role. Still not "great", but much better. If you have the thin bar (diameter is about the size of a pinky finger) upgrading will be noticed. If you already have the thicker bar, you can try going with a WRX STi rear bar. Dunno if it'll be a direct fit with the lift or not. Other option that "works" is possibly doubling up a rear bar and tacking it at the mounting area. Or buying a soft steel bar and bending that to mimic the factory bar, then welding it to the mounting bar section (the area that has the bolt hole makes a decent weld spot that doesn't seem to negatively hurt the overall integrity of the sway bar's performance). I did this on my Saab. Doubled-up a factory bar set up then tacked in a hand-bent steel bar to mimic the factory bars. Cost like $15 in parts vs. $150+ for some aftermarket piece. Car corners like it's on rails. You WILL need an alignment in the rear after doing the swap. If it's way off, you can have rounded corners in a 100 miles. Edited October 25, 2015 by Bushwick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 OK, great thanks!! I robbed the springs and struts out of an 03 Fozzy today...just on my way to another JY to get the trailing arm brackets, and rear sway bar and brackets out of a 99 OB. That should be all I need I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Pretty much got it done...just a few little things left to button up,like bleeding brakes etc. The fronts were really easy. The rears gave me some broilers. ..a couple nuts broke off inside the body for the trailing arm bracket bolts. I had to cut a hole in the floor and re-weld them in place. I used the fozzy top hats and ovalled out the mounting hole very carefully. It's gonna defiantly need some camber adjutant though. I ovalled out the top holes at the strut bottoms to allow for adjustment. Hopefully they can get enough out of it! Looks a lot better...gonna need some bigger tires though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Pic? Smaller dia bolt on the top will also help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I run mine without a rear sway. It's a daily driver and I barely notice a difference. And when you hit the trail the sway bar doesn't limit travel. Sounds like you got the rest figured out though. Another option, especially for the rear, is to get the longer lateral links from the Legacy, or even an 02-07 impreza and installing them, or adjustable lateral links, and those would help with any camber issues you may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Great! Thanks for all the help. I post pics when it's all up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Stupid Internet. ..the more I read, the more scared I become!! Has anyone had any problems with axle binding,shuttering, blown dif/Trans seals, dif failure?? I've read a lot of posts where there has been no problems...but a few WITH problems. I hope I don't regret this whole thing...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEALTHY92 Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share Posted November 1, 2015 Whelp...here it is, all lifted up! I've driven it for a couple of days now and no issues, noises, strange habits...so far I am happy. I'm still running the 205/65r15 all season tires that came with it...but I think I need some bigger Grabbers...maybe a 215/70r15. I think I like the Bronze Met. steelies, so I'll keep them for now! I haven't taken it in for an alignment yet, but I've got the camber eyeballed pretty good I think. It still goes down the road straight as an arrow. It rides a bit stiffer than before...mainly because the other stock struts were shot. It also seems a lot more sure-footed in the rear thanks to the thicker OB sway bar. So thanks everyone for your help! Now I've just gotta get the lights on the nose and I'll be all set. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Looks good. Remember, a taller tire will turn the speedo slower, so it'll appear you are going slower than you actually are. MPG from taller tires will improve, but the added drag from sitting higher might make it a wash. Taller tires also negate steeper gearing, so you'll loose off-line acceleration but might pick up mid-rpm cruising pulling power if it's sitting near peak power. You'll also drop cruising rpm which will be the same as driver slower. An often overlooked effect is the engine will record less mileage, so if you go to sell it eventually, might be worth mentioning it's off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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