mailman Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Hello! I've been reading these forums for a couple of months now, ever since I started my job as a substitute mail carrier and bought a 1996 Legacy 2.2 RHD. It was in impeccable condition for having 180k miles on it and being used 5 days a week to deliver mail, and I got all of the maintenance records since it was bought new. It does have a small oil leak and it had ATF in the diff (which I promptly changed out for gear oil). So anyway I really love this car, but the other day on my route it was snowing awful hard and I came down a hill to a T intersection a little too fast (I was probably going 5mph). Couldn't get stopped and I tried to slide into the turn, but my RF tire wound up going over the curb and the curb wound up under my right side door. I was able to find a 2x6 lying around so I stuck it under the wheel and was able to back off and get out of the intersection- luckily there's no traffic on that road, just a few houses and a dead end. The wheel was pretty bent up and the tire was pushed back, rubbing against the wheel well. I left it there overnight and was able to drive it onto the trailer to get it home. Looks like the lower control arm was smashed, along the part that connects to the rear bit it's all caved in and such. I can't tell if it made it far enough in to damage the exhaust yet. Also the link between the control arm and the sway bar broke. I'm not sure but the strut looks like it got beat up a bit as well... I was planning on swapping those for OB struts anyway though, so I might as well do it now. The wheel and brakes seem fine. I have approx. 10 miles of really bad dirt road that gets absolutely awful in the snow- winding, narrow paths up and down steep hills and such. I don't care so much about ride comfort, I'm more interested in beefing it up a bit so that if I do get into any other accidents in the future the damage won't be quite as bad. Plus, consider the bumps, rocks, etc that all put stress on it. Some of the turnouts for mailboxes are like a series of deep, deep potholes. Subaru did their best to design a mail car, but this job really takes its toll on a vehicle. So, after reading every forum topic related to suspension/control arms, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for what parts to replace with for what I'm doing. I was already thinking of getting bigger sway bars, OB struts, and maybe even some of those spacers that give a little bit of extra body lift. I want the lift not just for clearance but also for reaching some of the higher boxes. Also thinking a brush guard and skid plates might not be a bad idea. I wonder what people will think when they see this thing delivering mail, lol. Also, I'm assuming that even if the LF suspension is all fine I should replace the components when I do the RF? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 since you have to do some work any way, why not swap in outback struts, taller; and outback sway bars, thicker and stiffer. with the taller struts you will gain about 2 inches in height, i think, and if you want you can add larger tires, all the way up to outback size 205/70/15 or similar. the rear sway bar can be swapped, but you will need the taller outback bushing brackets. all of this will bolt on without issue. larger tires will give you about another one inch in lift. but since most of your driving is short hops, the larger tires may make the car a little sluggish, the larger tires will change the ''power curve'' for the engine / trans combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Should I change the springs with the struts? It's already sluggish, especially when full of mail, so I'm not too worried about it. That is until I win the lottery and drop in a JDM turbo, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 you can, you will not get the full effect of the lift if you don't. lots of folks buy strut and spring combinations from the parts yard, about 45$ each and just bolt them in. but given the age of 96 - 99 dtruts (these are a direct fit), unless they are replacements they are not going to be in very good shape. but it is an easy / cheap way to get a lift. FYI: i bought a wrecked 98 outback a few years ago for parts, $500, and the front struts were KYB replacements. i also got leather seats, a good working, factory rebuilt,auto trans and all of the suspension parts. the car was T-boned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyfvholla Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Sorry to here about your luck. I might be able to help though! I have an outback parts car. I have almost everything you'd need to repair your car and swap to outback stuff. Just throw me shipping costs, a few dollars, and the stuff is yours. I have: Front swap bar Control arm All 4 assembled struts/springs 2 OB tires Front and rear sway bar mounting brackets A passenger side tie rod if you need it I also have all the OB body spacers Just let me know Dooder. I be glad to help out. Where are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Thanks! I'm on the west coast but I'll send you a PM and maybe we can work something out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiyo1990 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Good luck on this man sorry about the bad luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Should I change the springs with the struts? thinking about the load you carry, springs would be a good idea. used would probably be a safe bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Update: Got the new control arm installed from an '03 baja. At first I had a lot of trouble but then found that either due to it being RHD or maybe just a difference between models, the aluminum bracket that mounts the control arm to the body was different. Swapped brackets and it went right on without a fuss. I'm going to wait to do my struts and stuff since I had a lot of other stuff going on this week and need the car on Saturday. Hopefully I won't crash into anything this time! Thanks everyone for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Wound up needing the car today and was able to get an alignment this morning (at a different shop, my usual was booked solid)... I think. They said their alignment machine's printer was down and so they couldn't give me the readout. It still doesn't drive like it did before so just to cover my bases I'm going to take it to my usual tire shop next week. It made it through though all the same, 60 miles of ice and snow and an unfortunate lack of snowplows. Going again tomorrow and then I can install the HVAC LEDs I just got in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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