1995 Subaru Legacy L AWD wagon.

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Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

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Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
I've barely started my build. This is my first overland build ever...So far. I've mostly repaired things...but I have added Outback struts front and rear for about 2" lift and 16x7" wheels and 215/60 tires. I also installed 1/2" home made spacers above the upper strut mounts in the rear to help level the vehicle better. So my ground clearance is about the same as a stock Outback...maybe a little higher. I've also added a trailer hitch primarily for a bike rack. Also the bike rack. My car didn't come with a factory roof rack so I added that as well. I converted all interior and exterior lights other than headlights to LED.
I'm in the middle of converting the front brakes to 2002-2005 WRX front brakes.

I'm picking out parts for a small solar system. probably 45watts with 20a charge controller and just one 55ah battery for now. With some DC 12v sockets and USB ports in the rear.
I'm also planning on adding some rear interior lighting and roof basket.
I don't have any plans for a drawer system yet...but that may change; but so far I've enjoyed sleeping inside the back and plan on doing that most of the time so if I do a drawer system it will be very low profile.

I've been doing tons of research on solar, overlanding, car camping, Subaru mods...etc..but if you have any suggestions I am open to any ideas!
 
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Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Before lift, tires, wheels, roof rack:





After:







Not upgrading the rear brakes yet...just waiting on my drums getting machined at the Shop them I'm going to clean them up and paint them as well as install new shoes.
 
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Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Ground clearance at Oil pan and rear diff after lift and rims/tires. The exhaust is definitely the lowest point.




This was after taller strut and rear 1/2" spacer install, but before new wheels and tires. Parked next to a Crosstrek for comparison.
 
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Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Scott said:
I will be following this with great interest as it seems I can pick up an older suby for less than $3000...
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Yeah...I picked this one up for $650 thinking it was an amazing deal until I found out one of the head gaskets was failing. I was trying to find an AWD wagon with an OBDII 2.2l motor specifically to avoid that issue.
 
Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Scott said:
Dig it.. Love me some suby builds.. My dream is to buy a late 90s early 2000s forester and build it into a dd/ weekend camping machine
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Be careful with Late 90's foresters. I believe it was before 98 they used the first gen 2.5l that had serious head gasket issues. I researched it quite a while ago when I was still trying to figure out what model I wanted; but it's definitely something I would suggest researching before purchasing any late 90's Subaru that may have a 2.5l
 
Scott

Scott

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I'm not going to lie.. I haven't researched them enough to know anything about the 2.5.. It's a pipe dream at this point.. But I'd gladly pay more for something else that isn't troublesome like you say the 2.5 is...
 
Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Scott said:
I will be following this with great interest as it seems I can pick up an older suby for less than $3000...
Click to expand...
I hope you find the info useful! I haven't been able to find much info on mods geared for overland on Subarus especially the 95-99 Legacys. Thankfully there is quite a bit on lifting Subarus and since many Subaru suspension and brake parts are swappable from '90-'05 it makes it much cheaper to do a mild offroad build.
 
The other Sean

The other Sean

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Minneapolis
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Robert Rosendahl said:
Before I did any offroad modifications...this had to hapoen as the original motor had bad head gaskets and cylinder wear problems from the head gasket leak.



Click to expand...
A low dollar Subie is on my want list once my current DD/beater dies on me. Dig this build.

Also, not one single word about the Little red truck in the back ground? Seriously? Whatzit? details!? Pics?
 
Robert Rosendahl

Robert Rosendahl

Rank 0

Traveler I

98
Milton Freewater, OR
Shizzy said:
A low dollar Subie is on my want list once my current DD/beater dies on me. Dig this build.

Also, not one single word about the Little red truck in the back ground? Seriously? Whatzit? details!? Pics?
Click to expand...
I'm really excited about this build...which is probably obvious...but I think particularly because it's going to be a perfect mix of on/off road for a daily driver and cheap to build.
The two things I'm worried about are gearing and tire size. I'm basically maxed on tire size unless I get the stomach for cutting into sheet metal...which probably won't happen until I finally manage to have custom bumbers made...but if that ever happens, I don't think I will be able to consider it a mild build anymore.

Haha, Yeah that was my 1976 Datsun 610 Pickup. Sadly only 2wd. He was a great little truck, especially in snow. Sadly he had to go to further the Subaru build.
 
Steve

Steve

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Traveler III

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Lorain County, OH, USA
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Welcome to Overland Bound, Robert! As a former Subaru owner, I look forward to see what you do with yours. I lifted my 2008 Outback XT with 3/4" spacers, and went +1 tires with Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S, which worked great on and off road. Most of my other modification were comfort/convenience, as it is several hours or even days to any place interesting from here in northern Ohio. I also had a 2002 WRX Wagon, but it was modified for autocross, so even speed bumps were sometimes a challenge for it. :)

Here's the OBXT build thread: Steve's Cross-Country Subaru Outback
 
The other Sean

The other Sean

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Pathfinder I

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Minneapolis
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With the AWD and the ground clearance you have, I wouldn't worry about more tire unless it becomes an issue. decent bumpers and possibly some under body armor will probably do more than good.
 
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Young Satchel

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Awesome! Love to see more wagon folk joining the fold! I drive a lifted Volvo wagon myself. Look forward to following this build. It's funny how quick things go from mild to wild once you get inspired [emoji41]
 
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