rweddy Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Hello all been away for a bit, on the road way to much for work, but have a new job now working from home. I finally have the time to swap in some outback struts/springs/ and 15" wheels to my 91 LS legacy wagon. Is this a direct bolt up? Does anyone have a write up on this? How much do you think I can sell my 14" teardrop wheels for? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 its a direct bolt up for the fronts the rears you'll have to swap the strut tops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 its a direct bolt up for the fronts the rears you'll have to swap the strut tops Thanks! Will I get different lift if I only use the struts? What about if I use struts and springs? Will these give me diffent lift heights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadsubaruguy Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 i am currently running outback struts with the stock springs on my 90 legacy wagon. the ride stiffens up a wee bit, but not a whole lot. as for the outback springs, you could use them in the front without any problems,except for the swaybar maybe not working right. however, the rear is a different story. in order to use the springs in the rear you would have to drill new mounting holes as the stud spacing on the strut top is closer to that of the front on the rear tophats for the outback. you can do it, but there are other things you would have to do as well. The swaybar would no longer reach, as it would be resting on the gas tank because the suspension is so much longer, so you would have to put in some spacers somewhere to even it out. then theres the other issue, the strut body would rub against the car, so you would have to pound on the inside of your wheel well some to make it so it wont rub. your rear camber would end up off alot, and you wouldnt really be able to fix it, you could maybe try camber bolts, but it might not work. just a tip though, when and if you do swap over the struts, disconnect you rear sway bar from at least one side to make install easier. when you finish, the rear of the car will beabout an inch higher than the front, other than that, its super easy to do. the hardest part for me was the spring swap from stock struts to the outback ones..........as for the lift, its about 1.5 to 2 inches with just the struts, use the springs and get about another 2 inches or so, at least thats what ive heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I did a direct swap of front and rear struts from a '97 OB (used) onto my '90 AWD Legacy. I drilled 2 new holes in the rear as I didn't want to deal w/swapping top hats. I believe I used the outer bolt hole as a guide. Mine do not fit perfectly inside the hole in the top of the strut mounting location - they're off by 1/2" or so, but snugged up tight and don't squeak. If you drill 3 new holes using the OB top hat as a guide they might fit like the originals. Other than the top hat issue, installation was easy enough - and I'm no mechanic. I did struggle making room for the struts in the front and rear but found a lever to pry the wheels down far enough to get the struts in. For the brake line, you'll need to remove the clip and cut the brakeline mounting bracket thru one side and bend one end up and the other down to get the hose out. I've had no issues w/spacing of the rear sway bar or any other suspension parts. I have 205/75-R14 tires, which do rub on the front @ full lock. I have 205/70-R15 studded snows that are essentially the same dimensions, and fit too. There's less than an inch between the front of the back tire and fender edge. I've not had the car offroad to test full travel, however. I took it in for an alignment and it was just barely off in the front - ensure you mark the locating bolts/nuts/spacers when removing. The car drives straight w/no issues. It does respond quickly to steering input, but maybe just more noticeable as my old struts were.....old! I have over 4K miles on the swap and so far, so good. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share Posted July 20, 2007 i am currently running outback struts with the stock springs on my 90 legacy wagon. the ride stiffens up a wee bit, but not a whole lot. as for the outback springs, you could use them in the front without any problems,except for the swaybar maybe not working right. however, the rear is a different story. in order to use the springs in the rear you would have to drill new mounting holes as the stud spacing on the strut top is closer to that of the front on the rear tophats for the outback. you can do it, but there are other things you would have to do as well. The swaybar would no longer reach, as it would be resting on the gas tank because the suspension is so much longer, so you would have to put in some spacers somewhere to even it out. then theres the other issue, the strut body would rub against the car, so you would have to pound on the inside of your wheel well some to make it so it wont rub. your rear camber would end up off alot, and you wouldnt really be able to fix it, you could maybe try camber bolts, but it might not work. just a tip though, when and if you do swap over the struts, disconnect you rear sway bar from at least one side to make install easier. when you finish, the rear of the car will beabout an inch higher than the front, other than that, its super easy to do. the hardest part for me was the spring swap from stock struts to the outback ones..........as for the lift, its about 1.5 to 2 inches with just the struts, use the springs and get about another 2 inches or so, at least thats what ive heard. Ok so if I just used the struts then it is pretty easy and I will get like 2 inchs of lift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 Ok so if I just used the struts then it is pretty easy and I will get like 2 inchs of lift? Also if I get stuts off an outback, how hard will it be to replace the tophats with the ones off the current struts? Or would I just swap out the springs and use the outback struts and tophats. -R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 I don't know how much lift overall by just replacing w/OB struts and springs, but likely @ least 2 inches....I know that when I first got in the car after the swap it was noticeably higher. Swapping top hats depends on your tool selection. I've never done Subaru top hats, but I've heard it's easier to remove the top hats if you loosen 'em (don't remove!) while they're still installed, but if you have a vise/work bench, probably not a big deal. Then you'll need the spring compressor, which if you have power tools makes it an easier job, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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