01 Subaru forester build

[MarcosV1017]

Background: Subaru mechanic for 7 years which has put me through undergrad and most of grad school. Car is completely stock and has 340k miles on the chassis and engine. Will continue to be my daily driver until it dies for good.

That being said, i know this car wont last for ever and differential options are very limited and expensive for the car. It does not have traction control or x-mode like the fancy new ones. Keeping that in mind, i am going to try and make most of my modifications compatible with a future Subaru if I can.

I am also going to try and make most things on my own, because that is my nature and im not a fan of paying for a brand because im broke. I have also read a couple a bunch of the DIY threads on here and they are awesome! I also frequently go to junk yards in my area though, so if i find something i like at a reasonable price, i will probably get it if i have the funds.

This project will be slow as i usually have only one to two days off per week and currently live in an apartment where working on vehicles is prohibited so i have to head to my dad's shop (the one car garage of his house) if i want to do anything.

Background story of why, skip if you don't care: I have always camped and taken roads to the middle of nowhere as long as my car could handle it. I love the west desert, and Utah in general. Starting my research and my project this spring was inspired by getting bogged in a nasty muddy rut this spring. It was a place where i have been many times in the past (including the weekend prior) and i was always able to ride up or down the road with the rut. That day it happened to be raining and i had no idea how slick that mud was, and coupled with my cockiness of driving that patch many times, i took the same path. My car slid into the rut and i had a front and a rear wheel without traction. I high centered on my rear diff and my rear cross-member. I tried many things to recover the vehicle, but i only had a screw car jack and a 1.5 foot camping shovel. Put big rocks under the tires, tried to jack up the back of the car a couple of different times, aired down the tires, took everything out of the car (it was still cold and rainy), and nothing worked. My wife was a good sport about the whole deal but was visibly frustrated. She suggest we set up camp and let the storm pass and try and recover it when it dries out a bit. The next morning i was able to get it out using a pallet someone had left by the river. Took it apart and fit slats under the tires to get it out. This got me thinking about a lift kit and then the research and enthusiasm began. I have always wanted to build my own rally car (grew up in Argentina and saw the WRC a few times, hooked since) but this overlanding thing looks way more practical and can be a combination of the two based on what im seeing on some of these forums.




BUILD:
I have separated it into wants and needs with the needs being more prioritized numerically and the wants are numbered a little more arbitrarily. This is based off of what i think i need and my current budget. This will evolve over time as i will be in residency 07/19 and will actually get a paycheck! I would love to get all of your inputs on my list, train of thought, build, and other suggestions you guys may have in general. Be blunt, i dont get offended. If its stupid, or seems unsafe, let me know. In my post im looking for points of views and opinions, not for debate. Im new to this community and its ways of thinking and general knowledge base.

NEEDS:
1. Tires- seems like 9/10 people here recommend the BFG A/T KO2's and i would be a fool to not try them. The geolanders also have my eyes as this set would replace my winter set of tires.
2. Lift kit- that will be my second post on here.
3. Shovel (no i dont own my own real shovel)
4. Tiger claws (DIY)
5. Gas cans
6. On board compressor
7.limited slip rear differential- about the only option as an upgrade for my open diff. This will have to be a junkyard find and there are very limited models that come with these and also have the same gear ratio that i currently have.
8. Skid plates- Biggest fear of mine is to lose all of my oil from a rock hitting my oil pan. This will be DIY. I have seen some pics of people re-purposing street signs for skid plates. Seems like a good idea since i have seen a couple of these signs at yard sales this summer.
9. HiLift jack- im not super sure about this being a need of mine, but i would need a bigger jack than my stock one. I guess i could carry some 2x4 cut outs just chalk up my screw jack. Not sure. Would love input
10? Whats a need that you think i should have on this list?

Wants:
1. Roof top cargo rack- DIY out of EMT caught my eye, but its galvanized so im not super set on that idea, could go with another DIY option or hopefully this will be a junkyard find. Initially i was thinking taller=better to keep everything snug up there. I saw some posts about converting to lower profile set ups and that also made sense. In your opinion, what is the ideal height of a cargo rack?
2.Weather resistant bins- great idea. I currently use reusable shopping bags and everything goes inside of my car.
3. Awning- DIY for sure! I have seen some great builds on here and already have a lot of materials for them.
4.recovery tracks- if the DIY tiger claws don't work, this may go to the needs list, but I don't think i will make them. I have seen the wood ones which are not flexible enough and i have seen the DIY milk crate option which doesn't speak to me. I do have milk crates though. Anyone have experience with those? I am thinking of going with the X Bull $100 option from amazon and then placing steel hardware in it if needed.
5. QR rear sway bars
6. Snorkel- would be awesome, mostly for insurance, but i haven't found a Subaru specific one or one in my price range. I don't like the look of the PVC DIY ones so i will see if this can be a junk yard sourced part. I know... I know... its a stretch...
7. LED camp lights for the sides-this will have to wait until after the rack and awning. I plan to just get some Ebay ones and wire them up. Seen good right ups on here about them too!
8. Limb lifters- DIY. Cool write ups here and seems like a neat idea by principle alone. Will have to wait until after the roof rack as well.
9. Mud flaps- literally just for looks. Haha
10. What are some accessories or things you have done to your rig that has made your experience better that most people don't think about or that isn't in my list but I may benefit from?


Stuff i have cut out:
1.Lift springs- too specific for the car and wont have compatibility with a future subaru. But they would be awesome
2. Bull bar and bumpers. This is very time intensive to design (and build) one that would fit the current and future subaru. The next one will definitely get a DIY one with a winch. Not going with this option also takes a winch out of the question for this build.
2.5- winch- I have been looking at a potential DIY bush winch, but i would hate to mess up all of my lugs in an attempt to recover.
3.roof top tent: out of my price range and honestly hadn't ever considered it until i saw a bunch of people on here with them. I still don't see the appeal to them as they seem to take up a lot more space than a regular tent and an air mattress. My wife and i will typically set up a tent on the ground or lay the seats down and stick our queen air mattress in there. That's usually pretty warm. Yes its kind of a pain to take everything out to do so, but we are used to it. I would love for someone to drop some personal knowledge of why they think the RTT is the way to go and wont ever go back to anything else.
4. Rock sliders- these also seem like a good idea but with the approach and departure angles that my stock bumpers allow, i probably shouldn't be doing trails that require these. They would be a lot easier to design something that fits on a future Subaru too so I'm on the fence about building them if you guys think its a good idea either way. I'm not familiar enough with their benefits on stock chassis cars.
5. Diff lockers- the total would run really high as i would have to do a complete rear end swap (tranny, drive shaft, rear diff, axles, knuckles and breaks) just to go to am R180 set up, so i can THEN purchase a locker for it. Way too much hassle for this aged beauty.
6.Radio set up- seen some on here, i think i will make this choice when i have a lot more experience with this, but so far, just looking and admiring. This isn't necessarily a cut out item, but not on the build list ATM.


Sorry for the word vomit. Thanks for reading.

TLDR: im building my daily driver up to be able to do more things. Going to try a lot of DIY/ low cash options and see how it goes.

 

[MarcosV1017]

Lift kit:
DIY? Yeah, i thought this was possible and there are some threads online about how to do it, but there are parts that are a bit ambiguous or without full details. I stuck to measurements and began to work on them. Picked up some remnants from a local steel supplier for about 30 bucks. I dont have a plasma cutter or anything of the like so it was just me and my angle grinder. Made the parts. I read they were supposed to have a 7mm offset to maintain proper camber. i tried that as best as i could, but i dont have a jig or device similar, just some C clamps. Tac welded, assured fitment to the car, and then proceeded to weld them. I am not a professional welder, nor have i ever tried to learn by more than just observation. I have seen people weld before, i had done two small projects, and i watched some youtube videos the night before. WCGW? Harbor freight wire welder and lack of experience= ugly welds. The important part was that i properly prepped my steel, was getting good heat penetration, and was not burning through despite the big ugly beads.
Now to mount them to the car, I started (and finished) with just the rear passenger strut. While installing it, one corner of my welding job failed as i tightened the lift spacer to the strut. That was it. I called it. Game over. All the time spent on making these just to have the weld fail was a bummer. I kept going to see if it would at least fit in the wheel well with the inward offset and the spring was hitting the well just enough for me to not be able to put the second lower strut mounting bolt. And at that point the camber on the wheel was pretty bad, despite the offset.

The trailing arm spacers in the pics are incomplete. Theres an angle that they have as well that i need to account for when i reinforce them, but i thought it would be better to do it once mounted.

What i learned: I will have to have a professional weld these, and they definitely wont use a wire welder. Or they will at least know what theyre doing. I still need much more practice and reading.

What i will do in the future: i will mount it up again and determine what the camber angle currently is and do some math to figure out what the angle would be with a 0mm offset. Then i will cut that angle into my spacer pipe itself. Then take em off and hammer out/grind down these weak welds. I will take em to get professionally welded. I will also probably be investing in camber bolts just in case. I will also finish the trailing arm spacers when the time comes.

All of that work or fork out 500 bucks and just buy a pre-fabbed one. If i had the money, i dont think i would have even messed with this as a diy, but oh well. The scary part is that i have seen that pre-fabbed trailing arm spacers are prone to breaking. There was also a comment on a subaru thread about building your own being fine, but get some professional ones for the front. I didnt even try the fronts yet. Hopefully in the end, it will all work out.

 

[Dan B]

Holly cow!! That is a ton of work!! Good luck. I have an outback that I would love to customize but I have now skills.

 

[Joey83]

All these awesome Subaru threads makes me want one! :D

 

[MarcosV1017]

All these awesome Subaru threads makes me want one! :D

I would recommend them... But im a little biased.

 

[MarcosV1017]

Sad night. Just found out i cant run the BFG tires everyone is recommending due to the spring perch on the rear of my car. My two options are going with the yokohoma geolanders that a lot of subaru owners still like, or get some different struts from the 03-05 foresters and putting my springs and tophats on them. I replaced my struts about 30k miles ago, so thats kind of a bummer. The geolanders are also a more affordable tire and i am still trying to get away with a build that would not require specific parts for this model. Ultimately, if i see a newer forester in the junkyard, i will try and buy the rear struts, but the first thing i really want to upgrade on my car is my tire set up, so i will see which happens first. Tires are planned to be put on in september.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

The Geolanders are plenty capable for what your rig can handle. Get the LT for sure. Make sure to rotate regularly and use an X pattern after a few rotates as they're prone to cupping. I've had mine on for nearly 3 years and they work great. I will be getting BFG KO2's next but the Geolanders have served me well and are affordable.

 

[MarcosV1017]

Thanks for the advice!
Here is a picture for those who are interested. So, i was either going to go put a bunch of work into the lift i had already tried to make, or just cave and buy the $500.

While browsing through ADFs website, i realized he had another product on there that may solve both of mine at once. He has them listed on his website as lower lift brackets. This would allow me to fit the tires i want, get a 2.5"lift, and save me $240 if i finish my own trailing arm spacers or $120 if i cave and get theirs. This kit is $289 and looks like this

I wish i had known in the past that these existed as they would have been easier to make and dont require welding. Balancing this project vs other things that need to be done, i think it is more sensible to but then than to try and make them. Mostly because of the 1/4" slit at the backs which would probably require some angle grinding then dremmeling, which would take its sweet time.


This lift kit also could be placed on future mcphearson suspension systems if the bolt spacing is the same.

 

[Low594]

Looks like you've got a good start! You can also find an Outback in the wreckers and get all the subframe spacers, which will help keep your alignment in check and protect the CVs and on a serious budget!

 

[MarcosV1017]

Good to know thanks! This weekend he got wheel bearings and while i was at the junk yard i found a skid plate on a legacy!! Drilled it to fit the foz and it looks sweet. I will upload a pic tomorrow as it was night time before i pulled it out of the garage.
Ironically i had made the trip for a roof rack with no luck. I also found a hitch there for the rear of my car so i can mount a shackle on . Picked up a nice shackle that was "used" from the amazon warehouse for $7.30.

 

[Low594]

Nice score!

 

[MarcosV1017]

Thanks! Here's the pics.

Also, I'm now official


Picked up some aluminum sand ladders from the local classifieds: $60

 

[MarcosV1017]

Got new tires! 235/75/R15 BFG T/A KO2


clears front strut on a dry fit, probs wont clear the rear, but i dont have a rear hub and spindle to test it.

Also got some TPMS sensors from xbull on an ebay auction for $15.

 

[MarcosV1017]

Got a grill guard for a price i couldnt pass up so im probably going to build a bumper for this guy down the road. I woll try and make the brackets bolt on to the frame (like most) and then have the bracket bolt on to the bumper sp it can be a bit more universal. :$37

Got my roof rack and painted it (recommended in the reviews). Its currently mounted, but its night time again so i will get a pic in the day later . i went with the goPlus cargo rack from amazon: $86.

 

[MarcosV1017]

And also look at what i had made. I just have to weld a nut to the backplates so i can set the camber bolt in place: $30

 

[ZRex]

Coming along nicely! I love foresters, and lifted ones even more. I tried to buy this one from my friend after he rescued it from a trip to the scrap yard, but he decided not to sell it.

It's lifted with Kumho mud tires on it, 27x8.50R14 road ventures. It's kinda goofy looking with the lights up top but it's surprisingly capable!

 

[MarcosV1017]

Coming along nicely! I love foresters, and lifted ones even more. I tried to buy this one from my friend after he rescued it from a trip to the scrap yard, but he decided not to sell it.View attachment 66962

It's lifted with Kumho mud tires on it, 27x8.50R14 road ventures. It's kinda goofy looking with the lights up top but it's surprisingly capable!

Thats a sick car! It looks sooo good. I hope mine gets to look somewhat like that. I like the pod lights on top more than the light bars though. The grill guard has light mounts on it, so i think i will mount mine there when it comes time. Also the ditch lights look awesome. I will definitely go with some of those. Im putting off lights until the end though. After all of these things, i think the next thing is to go with an on board air set up so i will see. The bumper is going to get pushed back a ways. Im leaving town for work for 2 months on monday so this project is going to slow down significantly.

 

[MarcosV1017]

Sneak peak at how the front wheel will look. Couldnt resist mounting it on to see it while i was doing a the wheel bearing!

And heres a peak at how the rear wheel doesnt fit yet :/

 

[Low594]

Got a grill guard for a price i couldnt pass up so im probably going to build a bumper for this guy down the road. I woll try and make the brackets bolt on to the frame (like most) and then have the bracket bolt on to the bumper sp it can be a bit more universal. :$37
View attachment 66944
Got my roof rack and painted it (recommended in the reviews). Its currently mounted, but its night time again so i will get a pic in the day later . i went with the goPlus cargo rack from amazon: $86.
View attachment 66945

Looks like you are quite the bargain hunter, great finds!

 

[MarcosV1017]

Looks like you are quite the bargain hunter, great finds!

Yep! Its whats in my budget right now, but its also something i have done my whole life. I hate over-paying for things.