Project Beater-ru

[single]

I would probably try to hang most of it off the oem beam or the mounts for the oem beam, and skip having a bunch of extra mount points.

As far as the headlights go, not sure of the fenders are the same or not but if you found a junkyard impreza of the same color it'd cost a lot less than 1000 to just swap the front end if you needed to.

I might look around this summer. The hood is super thrashed on this car. And so is one of the fenders. A front end swap might be worth the effort down the road, especially if I get around to doing the motor build I have planned.

Also, re: mounting points. I think you are spot on. I eliminated the 30lb OEM bumper beam, and made a plate that uses 3 of the four stock mounts for the bumper. I can do pull ups on the front end of this thing now. Had to undo some steps though, and now my lower bar is the one that is not attached. Will give better info in my main reply below.

Cool, project. Can't wait to see it w/ the bigger tires.

So, did you find that the Saabaru was cheaper than a comparable Subaru? Any advantage to one over the other (really expensive headlights notwithstanding)? I'm looking to replace my existing beater with a different beater.

Yeah I am pretty stoked about the wheels and tires. Tires here, wheels tomorrow.

I think the saab is cheaper, probably. I bought this off my friend for the same price as the dealership offered him as a trade-in. Seen some really cheap saabs lately though, 5k gets you a pretty good one it seems. Subarus are nice, and if you find an impreza its an easy lift. Sell you this one for 6k once I finish the bumper?

Sparce at sun runner is the go to guy for subie parts in Bozeman/belgrade . He just moved to a new shop on frontage about three miles west of Belgrade. The address is 69 bull rush

Sweet, good to know. Used parts?

And lights. Lots of rally lights.

Have two hella rallye 1000's I am going to mount on the front. Thats probably gonna be it tho.

Wow, some good info there.

haha definitely.

[single]

Todays progress is more bumper stuff.

Was fortunate enough to work inside, which was amazing for productivity.

Had the downside of working by myself for most of the day, which sucked for tacking the bar on (See picture below of using the groundflat grinder bench to fixture main tube on uneven concrete floor)

Decided to scratch out the mount points I made yesterday, and get rid of the OEM bumper bar. I didnt realize this was an option until this morning, so I was happy to find out how to do this. I basically made a plate that utilizes three of the OEM bumper mounts, and mitered a tube that was welded onto the face of the plate, and connected to the bar. It feels so solid now.

Here are some pictures...



you can see the new mount in this picture



pretty happy with my first tube bend. Not perfect, but it looks pretty good. Some of the asymmetrical part of the picture can be explained away by the body panels not actually being correctly installed after front end damage. The other part is just that it isn't perfect.



As it sits. New wheels and tires tomorrow. Also first day of a 20 credit semester of EE. Need I remind you that truck is still for sale?

[uglymoney]

Sweet project and blog. Thanks for posting! Look forward to seeing how your front bumper fab turns out. Depending on corrosion you'll probably need new toe bolts to get the rear end aligned though I'm not familiar with the Impreza setup at all. I replaced the hardware and then went with the Megan Racing links on my Outback. Had to Sawzall the rear bolts out which is a pain in the ass. Alignment and camber = dialed. Handles awesome but I now need to replace or rebuild the short block (:

[jamal]

Killer car, dude.
Presumably this a manual, right? I think with the manuals, the drivetrain won't just let 1 wheel spin, as it adjusts power to the whole axle and not each wheel. Also, I think the whole point of awd vs just plain 4wd is that it is otherwise always designed not to just let any 1 wheel just spin (however they do that). Could be wrong. Limited slip would hurt anything though
And lights. Lots of rally lights.

It'll let 1.5-2 wheels spin. The center diff on a 5-speed is a vlsd which can't fully lock (unless you cook it). So instead of being 50:50 torque split no matter what like an open diff (as found in the frotn and rear), it will do a little bit to give extra torque to the end without traction.

A good way to visualize this is to imagine one end on ice with no traction and then other on pavement with plenty of traction. With a 50:50 split, say it takes 2 lb-ft to spin the wheels on ice. Then the wheels on pavement also only get 2 lb-ft, and the engine makes 4 lb-ft. It doesn't matter how far you push the pedal down or how fast the wheels spin, it's still only making 4 lb-ft. If that isn't enough to get the car to move, it sits there and spins the tires on ice. So that's how the front and rear diffs work when transferring power left to right. Front to rear, that center diff provides some resistance. FSM says 4kg-m per 100 rpm, which converts to 26 lb-ft. I don't know how that curve is shaped, but it's safe to say it can't handle a full 170 lb-ft the engine can make. 50-lb ft is going to be plenty to get the car moving in my hypothetical situation though.

Newer Subarus use a traction control type system to help distribute power. For example, if you get a wheel spinning and then apply that brake, it means additional torque gets to the opposite side.

[stuckathuntermtn]

That was too smart and numbery for me

[WAlove]

Used parts? Yeah that is all he does. Your car is a little new for what he has in stock but it depends on the part. Randy's auto repair is also a good guy in Manhattan. He has a lifted 1989 gl with a twin turbo that he runs mud drags in.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Oh, Sunshine dude did a good job on some repairs on my car after getting a bunch of rebar to the exhaust system. Even 6+ years ago, the 03 was "new" to him, but as a mechanic he's good. He'll also fart right in front of you and your mother, which is awkward at first, but then hilarious.

[single]

Good news!

Tires are in.

Bad news!

Had to order special "tuner" lug nuts because of the chinese wheels.

Turns out that 27" is about as big a tire as I would ever be comfortable going. Honestly, it was probably for the best that I didnt have the lug nuts in time because I think tomorrow I will have to spend some time machining spacers for the rear trailing arm brackets to center the wheel in the arch.

And a little worried about the tall gearing from these tires...

Photos:



And a teaser. These wheels should all tuck well in the wells.

[brown9]

Sick

[joetron]

I am by no means a car guy, but goddamn, this is one cool fucking project.

I get up to BZM somewhat frequently for in-laws, and if i spot your vehicle I'm gonna be the spaz with UT plates trying to high five you.

[hawkgt]

love it..... solid project

sell your old rims? 16 or 17"?

[single]

would love to sell the old rims. The winter tires on them are toast, but the non-snows (assuming all seasons, haven't seen them yet) have like half a summer on them. Or so I have heard.

16", come with lug nuts. In good shape.

You in the area?

Also, if anyone wants the strut assemblies, they are free to a good home. I think the struts are kinda shot, but the springs are probably fine. Would be a good way to lower a forester. I am not willing to disassemble.

[hawkgt]

^^^ pm sent... may have spring trip up in your area so could work out. if you find a local buyer with cash, take the $$ and run.

[single]

PM replied.

[mntlion]

fun, wife had a saab9.3X for a few years...

[hawkgt]

side note..... anyone making a trip from boz to front range and can fit wheels/tires, pm me.

[single]

Lug nuts should come in today so I can *maybe* get the wheels on the car. Was planning on machining some spacers to drop the trailing arm brackets 1" yesterday, but decided that I could go spend an hour at the junkyard and pull a couple trailing arm brackets off some old outbacks.

So 3 hours later, I was covered in snow and soaking wet with bloody hands and only one bracket. Every other bracket I tried to pull ended up having a seized bolt inside that bushing assembly. Before I get flamed too hard for being a pussy, no one at the junkyard could get the bolt out either. Didn't help that all the cars were on stands that almost perfectly blocked the assembly I was trying to work on. Kinda couldn't believe that I was allowed to just walk into the junkyard and start turning wrenches without signing a release waiver or anything. But, this is Belgrade Montana, so it isn't too surprising.

After admitting defeat, I called the dealership and ordered the parts in for 70 bucks, which is about the same money as I lost wasting time at the pick and pull. They won't be here until wednesday. So yesterdays net loss was about 140.

The good news is that I think I might be able to score bodywork from a subaru front end pretty cheap. Maybe even sell my headlights for the majority of the money I would have in the bodywork/subaru lights. Not sure if that is a route I want to take, but it would be cool to find some bodywork that isnt smashed to hell. Maybe even put a hood scoop on the car. Even though it's totally unnecessary. Unless I do a forced air build, which is getting ahead of myself entirely. I should probably just buy a WRX and swap parts.

Trailing arm brackets may keep me from getting the wheels on tonite. Will keep you posted.

[Todd Zander]

They make you pay a dollar as a form of release at the u pull it junkyards in ct,

I honestly dread the day i rebuild the rear suspension on my 98 legacy, you got more guts than me doin it in the winter.

[frorider]

Have you picked out a Confederate flag yet?

Looking fwd to project pics

[single]

They make you pay a dollar as a form of release at the u pull it junkyards in ct,

I honestly dread the day i rebuild the rear suspension on my 98 legacy, you got more guts than me doin it in the winter.

Oh man, the struts are easy! You can do them whenever.

Have you picked out a Confederate flag yet?

workin on it. Trying to find one with a flaming skull theme.

[single]

Got the wheels to fit. Had to cut the valence a little bit tho. Might leave it like that... not sure. Need to get the trailing arm brackets in.

[Todd Zander]

Oh man, the struts are easy! You can do them whenever.



workin on it. Trying to find one with a flaming skull theme.

Lol, im talking knuckles( convert to disc), lateral links, vlsd and trailing arms. No easy chore with 17 year old hardware.

[Jumper Bones]

Love them wheels!

[single]

Lol, im talking knuckles( convert to disc), lateral links, vlsd and trailing arms. No easy chore with 17 year old hardware.

OK yup. Thats a lot more than I did.

Love them wheels!

Me too! Couldn't believe the price.

[Tye 1on]

But, this is Belgrade Montana, so it isn't too surprising....

After admitting defeat, I called the dealership and ordered the parts in for 70 bucks, which is about the same money as I lost wasting time at the pick and pull. They won't be here until wednesday. So yesterdays net loss was about 140.

fuckin classic Montana right there...

sweet project car!!