98 Impreza OBS with STI Struts

[lmdew]

The STI Struts are great! The backs will bolt right up using the Impreza Springs and top hats. The STI Springs are tappered and will not fit the OBS top hats.

 

(Note, I think you could get the older legacy wagon top hats that have the tappered springs and then the STI springs would work.)

 

The fronts are a little more work. The top hats will bolt right in, but the knuckle mount holes are off by about 3/8" and the mount is wider than the knuckle. Here's what I did to solve both problems.

 

- Remove the old struts and cut off the mounting plates.

- Drill out the spot welds so you can seperate the inner and outter plates. You will use the inner plates.

- Clean everything up and remove the paint along the edge for welding.

- Insert the plates you cut off inside the STI struts mounting channel.

- Use the top adjustment hole as the master and align them with the existing hole.

- Clamp the new plates to the struts with the center line of the lower hole aligned.

- Weld the plates in place along the outter edge. There is no reason to weld the inner edge and this also reduces the heat put into the strut. (Get them tig welded to reduce the heat transfer)

- Drill out the lower holes. I used an old knuckle as my clamp and alignment jig. It worked well and I drilled a little undersized so I could file the new hole out to the existing hole in the old plates.

- Paint and then apply silcone sealer to all open seams (the ones you did not weld).

-Bolt them up and get an alignment.

The rears gave me a little lift (1/2 - 3/4") The fronts a small drop, less than 1/2".

 

Rides great!