swcolegacyl

Hey xrayspecs, I'd say go for it. My car has no rubbing issues, no braking issues, no alignment issues. No problems what so ever with the suspension. I've taken my Subaru on some really BAD roads. You can find old mining exploration roads out here that haven't been driven on in over 30 years. And so far, i'm pretty impressed with what the Subaru's is capable of.

The low-point at the front is the skid plate and at the back is the rear differential.

Hi xrayspecs, Just measured the clearance: 9" all the way back. And no i have not measures the travel, though i've never bottomed out the suspension.

Hi njdriver04, Is it possible you car had been in an accident at some point? Because my car also has a frankenmix of Subaru and after-market suspension parts. None of them from a '96 Legacy. And the my cars' alignment is perfect. The only other after-market parts i used are camber bolts in the rear.

Hi njdriver04, i agree with 96outback. The alignment is dead-on. I don't have specific numbers. But the car tracks perfectly and no tire wear issues.

Hi, 96outback thanks! Some practical reasons for this upgrade: The south west corner of CO has very few radio stations. And the mountains and canyons make continues radio reception difficult out here. So I tend to use my iPod with a FM transmitter to the receiver. That works kinda ok, but I found a problem: When the LED’s are on, all I get on the radio is static. And the FM transmitter for the iPod stops working. The Blaupunkt was both AUX 3.5mm input and an SD card reader. This gives me some better sound options in the Subaru. I have to admit it sounds great and it’s just nice having a new stereo in the car. Over all I’d say, the Blaupunkt has really nice features with out being gaudy at a very good price. And the install was a breeze.

Well, finally got around to putting in a real stereo: Blaupunkt Brisbane 230 I got it from Crutchfield for $120.00 with a Subaru wiring harness, that made installation pretty easy. No special mounting needed, in fact i used the Subaru screws to mount the Blaupunkt using the factory holes for the old radio. I put in some new front door speakers also. Blaupunkt Brisbane 230 http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Brisbane230a.jpg Installed: http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Brisbane230.jpg

Hi Captain Dan, We're in monsoon season. It's rained here just about every day for the last month. Paradox is usually pretty burnt, but this year it's very green. All the pools in the wash i was hiking in were filled with water. i jumped in a few, what a treat that was.

Back out in one of my favorite places this weekend: Paradox, Co., exploring the petroglyphs in the south-east corner of the valley. If you look closely you can see my car at the bottom of the pic, about 700 feet below. BTW: The current suspension setup feels great off-road! http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/ParadoxPet.jpg

Installed '98 Outback factory lift blocks in the rear. The blocks go between the rear differential crossmembers and the body. pushing the body up about 1.5 inches. I had to have the car re-aligned after the install. The alignment is much closer to spec now, because i'm using '98 Forester rear struts and springs. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearDiffMount.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackSpacer1.jpg Installed: http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackSpacer1a.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackSpacer2.jpg Installed: http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackSpacer2a.jpg

Nice to have some light up front. I got a Outback map light/sun grass holder from a junk yard for $25.00. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight1.jpg A little scary making that first cut into the headliner. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight2.jpg First cuts: No turning back now. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight3.jpg A little modding of the opening, And added a cross brace for mounting. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight4.jpg Wired to the dome light: http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight9.jpg Installed, and tested: http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight6.jpg Finished. It looks great and works perfectly. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutbackMapLight7.jpg Edit>> I had to wash the map light, it was really dirty. Other than a tiny gap on either other side, because of the curvature of the headliner. Witch I can probably fix by scribing the headliner to the map light housing. And using a Dremel tool to shape the plastic. The gap is small enough though, that i might not bother. It came out great, i'm glad I installed it. At first glance you wouldn't notice that it's not factory installed. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/OutBackMapLight8.jpg

Hi 96outback, Looks like fun. Thanks for posting the pics. Some pics from Colorado County Road 578: My river crossing. Everything is pretty green out here, but this is about the most water i'd have to cross. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/County578_a.jpg We still have snow! http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/County578_b.jpg At about 11,000 feet looking West. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/County578_c.jpg

'SJR' is one of the lift kit makers for Subaru's. This is a body lift, so the drivetrain stays basically in the same place. http://sjrlift.com/

My friends' '98 Outback. 2" front and 4" rear SJR lift with stock struts and springs. He's got 17" rims on it. i can't remember the tire size. but i'll get it. I drove the car a few days ago. It drives great on and off road. His Outback now has about 1.5" more clearance than my car. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift10.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift11.jpg

Hey natetru --looks great. what's the clearance?

HI Captain Dan, I had been looking for a scooped hood for about a year. mainly on Craigslist in bigger cities like Denver. I'm in Telluride about 7 hour drive from Denver. While i was having the new bumper built i started calling all the salvage yards in the area and happened to find that hood locally for $250.00. And the guys that did the bumper for me installed the hood.

Hi 96outback, The Smittybilt seat covers look pretty cool. All the pockets are great. I have no need for rear seats in my car, so a keep them down and i there would be no room for the those seat covers. But i have been thinking about just removing the rear seats completely and building a platform instead. Your car is looking good. The roof basket sticks up pretty high off the roof. My car didn't come with a factory roof rack, cool that yours did. I didn't know that Kenda made car tires i use Kenda tires on my mountain bike. Was your steering rack failing?

Wish i bought one on these a long time ago: 18v Makita 1/2 Impact driver. I've had the 18v drill for years and the 2 18v Lithium batteries are still in great shape. So all i had to buy was the tool it's self. Still about $180.00 New on eBay.com. But this will make working on the Subaru a whole lot easier and quicker. Next to the Impact is a new Craftsman 12-Piece Impact set from (12mm to 27mm) $60.00 http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Impact.jpg

Lights: High beams, Love those LED's. The LED's lights on the bumper come on with the high beams and the lights on the roof rack are controlled by a separate switch. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Lights.jpg

Yeah, exactly. I currently have 15mm, H&R Trak Plus wheel spacers. Slightly more than a 1/2". It's not enough for the bigger tires though. The 205/70's are good enough for now. I have to be careful with how much money i put into this car. Of course i'm already thinking about putting in a 2.5 Liter or a 2.0 turbo.

I only have one car, the Legacy and I rarely drive it. I mainly use it to go camping on the weekends thought the summer and fall. The winters, my car may sit for mounts without me driving it. I have no need to go into debit, buying a new car that I don’t use. All I need is a good reliable car, and the ’96 Legacy Wagon fits the bill perfectly for me. By keeping the car in good condition, it should last me for many more years. As far as tires go: I tried the 215/80/15’s on it and the only problem was the back inner wheel wells on the front, rub when making sharp turns. I’d need either a rim with a larger off-set or larger wheel spacers. I currently have ½ spacers behind all 4 wheels.

Thank you, I try to keep my car mechanically perfect and very clean in and out. That engine has about 205,000 miles on it and it's still running incredibly strong. While i had the valve covers off today, i has able to get a peek inside. I could not see any signs of wear on anything. And the inside of the covers were pretty clean too.

Nah, I open the windows. The humidity levers here are very low. And although it gets hot, the AC is just not necessary. I notice a draw on the engine with it on, so it's stealing power that i want more than cold air. I keep the AC belt and an extra alternator belt in the car. So if i need the AC, it only takes about 10 min to install the belt.

Decided to get dirty and replace the valve cover gaskets today. A good sunny Saturday morning project. Not too bad of a job, a little messy though. Both sides were leaking, driver side was worse. Also the drivers side is much harder to replace. I also had the oil filter replaced and the oil topped off with Amsoil, of course. Fel-Pro. http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/FelPro.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/ValveCoverRT.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/ValveCoverLF.jpg http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/engine.jpg

Hi 96outback not much need for a snorkel out here. I live in South West part of Colorado and I tend to do most of my road trips is between Telluride and Moab, Ut. High desert to desert terrain. It's pretty dry out here. I might have to cross an occasional stream. Usually by mid summer, they're just dry creek beds. Though if i lived anywhere else with more water, i would consider it.