Delux's Subaru Forester project

[delux]

Some may be familiar with my Project Forester of which I am doing up. I've been adding updates to the original 'Who wants a Forester' thread started by @jollyfkr2

As its more of a build thread than a for sale thread I have decided to start this thread so its easier (for me!) to find. When I finish it and decide to sell it I'll prolly have to move it all back over but thats just tough, lol!

Heres how it all started....

Jollys friend inherited the car. Its 'new' owner couldnt keep the car as she stays in Londons dreaded ULEZ zone. The Forester faced a stark future. It genuinely appeared to good to scrap. Despite short MOT it had been well maintained and drove better than it looked. It was placed on here, possibly the cheapest petrol Subaru at the time!

This is where I step in. I didnt want it! I like Subaru but even in great condition, the Forester isnt a looker! It hasnt won rallies like its Impreza and Legacy relatives. Its more practical than desirable. I already have a Subaru that sits about doing nothing, why do I want to take on its fat ugly sister too?

On top of this, the dishwasher resigned that week, it was 400 miles away in a town called London or something, Mrs Deluxs big birthday was looming and finances were still recovering after annual big holiday/plundering by taxman. So in true Autoshite fashion I jumped in and commited myself to take it on!

Literally waiting to take off to Scotland. Suspension suggesting paving slabs in the rear! These early Foresters have fancy self levelling rear shock absorbers best described as dogshite. Pic credit @jollyfkr2

The roadtrip began! Before I go on, Mrs Delux has many talents. Documenting a roadtrip with a camera sadly isnt one of them!

What resembles a glorified but unfinished bus station at stupid o'clock to be treated like sheep going into the dip we took our seats on the easyjet flight to Gatwick. After getting the wrong train to London centre, we arrived at the right station were we were welcomed by Les from BL Transverse Mini specialists. Everything sorted we headed for that place familiar to every Subaru driver, the petrol station! Think its somewhere in Croydon.

 

Headed for M25...

...stopped at Cobham services. Previous experience told me not to drive on the M25 needing a pee as at any moment everything will grind to a halt for a couple of hours!

Lets see what this machine will do! U.K.'s first pay as you go racetrack, the M6 toll!

Factory option satnav was very basic but appeared accurate!

Whilst I was being mugged £18 for 2 jars of Chilli jam at Tebay services white van man's mate got out for a butchers at the sumptuous interior. 

KFC in Livingston (Scotland)

Made it back to Delux global headquarters. Car drove back faultlessly. Drove way better than it looked. Had convinced me it was worth fixing! Took it to work the next day to start the to do list.

More to follow...

[delux]

Again, considering the cost it wasnt too bad! Appraisal took place (with several mechanics who had assembled, laughing at 1st later turning to congratulations! 😄)

Might be the rocker covers leaking, might be cam seals. Bit of pink round the thermostat/water pump too. The list started!

Rear turrets dont look great but fared well to poky screwdriver test.  

drivers rear arch didnt fare so well!

No play in suspension bushes but they look like something out of a Titanic documentary!

Not bad underneath!

May benefit from reversing sensors!

Front lamp had developed its own biosphere

Not sure of the effectiveness of aerodynamic modifications!

So, not that bad! Could all be done in a weekend if you were keen enough. So with that it was dumped in the pending tray (my other lock up) for a few months!

More to follow...

[delux]

First step of the build is to get it into the big garage. Battery was charged up and...it didnt start! Down at my lock up in sideways sleet I didnt have the usual diagnostic facilities. I did notice the fuel pump wasnt pumping. After turning the immobiliser off and on still nothing. I shuffled under and gave the fuel tank an almighty kick and viola! Started!

Fuel pump is pretty easily accessible on these older Subarus so theres no excuse for not checking it properly. If I was at work I'd check for voltage, earth and see how many amps the pump was drawing but this is my own car so like a dick I charged out and...

...bought a new and uprated fuel pump. Then discovered the car still had the fault!

Relay was fine. Dont have the correct wiring diagram so had to figure it out from the Impreza one (which has different colour wires!) 

Which revealled...

that little fucker! 

So now it starts! 

Mrs. Delux has just returned with some sizzling Fajitas (not a euphemism!) More later...

[delux]

So now it starts and drives time to do a bit!

Postie in the huff!

Service done! (by dealer trained Subaru technician, lol!)

Getting my moneysworth out of new dishwasher!

About to be dismantled!

Not too upset about broken thermostat bolt as waterpump and thermostat replaced. Not keen on pink antifreeze though!

New cam and crank seals, thermostat, waterpump, timing belt, idlers and tensioner. 

Rocker covers given coat of paint and new gaskets. Engine surprisingly clean inside. All going well until...

On older Subaru service sheets (before my time there) it states to change the PCV valve at certain mileages. They are only a couple of quid and if they are blocked they might have contributed to the oil leaks. Hmmm, I'll change that then! Its on the back of the inlet, bit fidly to get in. I'll just take that wee pipe of and...SNAP!

This little breather attaches to the main intake pipe. Not particularly expensive but to change it you need to...

...take the massive inlet manifold off! 

Ever start a 5 minute job that turns into a couple of hours and uses half your 'spare gaskets' pile?!

Pretty sure that sad face is developing a smirk!

Weldathon on its way...

 

 

[delux]

I've used a bit of Autoshite magic here. These repairs were done at different times with the car in different states of 'in bits' but I have posted them all together so we can get all the jokes about my welding over and done with in one go! LOL!

Great start!

Looking like something from a potholers youtube channel may I introduce the OSR inner wheel arch!

The 2 white squares are where the sill trim clips in! 

The turret its self seemed solid but there were a few patches needed. 

 

Before anyone comments on my welding, I can still fit the wheel on, the car doesnt have a steering pull and the patches took the weight of the paint, so I am improving! Its solid but a bit agricultural!

Next on the list, outer arch...

Repair panel not the worst I've seen!

I can snotter patches in place well enough to survive the MOT assesment tool all day long but welding bits people can see frightens me! I am happy to admit, my familiar overconfidence does not extend to body repairs or paint. You cant tell in these pics that follow but I was shitting myself throughout!

 

Well, its not gonna fall off!

The only thing to overtake my fear was boredom. I had too fine a grade of wet n dry so instead of taking a few hours it took a full shift! No wonder you bodyshop guys are all raving lunatics!

Well, I've bought it now....

Looks patchy here but I'd literally sprayed it then took the pic.

In my head I'm usually my biggest critic but even I smiled when I saw it. Its far from perfect but it genuinely looked better than before! Will I be having a go at the Impreza now its starting to bubble? Not a chance! Experts can do that!

Just need to clean it and sort out some better bumpers and thats the body done! Can unclench now.

More soon...

[delux]

Next area to break my heart and savings was the rear suspension. 

Not the best angle to view the car from but wasnt too bad. 

Brakes servicable, shock absorber less impressive. 

This bolt! Its the bolt that goes thru the lower arms and hub assembly. The centre bit is exposed to the elephants so either snaps or swells up and siezes on removal. I have genuinely seen experienced, hardened mechanics brought close to tears removing these but both sides came out without any drama....

...which allowed me to remove the rear subframe. I took it to work were we have bigger grinders, gas bottles, vices, pullers and presses for dismantling...

...which turned out to be a waste of time as it all unbolted without hassle. Only bolt I had to cut was for the ABS sensor!

...which usually would have pleased me but I'd expected the worst and bought a pile of new bolts!

A fight then broke out between some old suspension bushes and an old, overweight but good looking mechanic! Despite this the mechanic won!

Bit of wire brushing and I could get on with applying the paint runs to the suspension. 

Better!

Pedders raised rear shock absorbers. 

With 50mm spacers (from Ukraine!)

Put your arms in the air!

According to the excellent offroadsubarus.com forum, if you raise the suspension over 3" you start to get alignment and driveshaft issues. It got me thinking, at 2" the alignment would be a bit marginal. The solution is to lower the rear suspension. I could have bought a kit to do this but at the time stuff from the U.S. rocketted in price (cheers Trump!) It was supposed to be a budget rebuild instead so I took a few measurements and showed the pics of the kit to wee Scott.

Wee Scott trains people how to machine stuff for oil rigs and stuff. So, for 6 bottles of Kopperberg (Wild berry) I had the correct spacers in titanium! (U.S. ones are steel) 

Crossbar had to be lowered a similar amount

Nice subframe reinforcement from Japan. Was gonna slap some sparkly black paint over it like the rest of the suspension but looked so nice I fitted it as it was!

Then realised why it was listed for the Impreza and not the forester! Cock!

Wee Scotty to the rescue again. People at my local Tesco can be heard whispering about that Swedish alcoholic every time I go there now! 🤪

Just like every other 26 year old Subaru underneath, lol!

Brake fairy had visited too!

A guy on scoobynet.com had a decent set of flexis which became mine for pennies too!

Looking back at my original design concept...

...I realised there was something missing. Big tyres!

Using the sizing chart on offroadsubarus.com I knew I could fit 215/65R16 tyres. Wife might find out how much BF Goodrich cost so bought these Insa Turbo Dakars as they were highly recommended on a Jimny forum.

Couldnt fit them to the existing 'concrete' finish wheels. Back to the paintshop...

Yeah!

Ok, thats enough for today! Thanks for looking. 

More tomorrow!

[tooSavvy]

@delux.. Yes, I knew just what you meant...

SMA took me through it, some while ago 😵

Ha Ha.... You done well 🛠️👍

🚙💨

[delux]

Next area of the money pit to have money flung into it was the front end. Again, some Autoshite magic has been used because the guy in charge of the parts ordered the right front shock absorbers but for the wrong model of Forester! Special ones had to be made and shipped over from Australia. Everyone at pedders.co.uk was very understanding and once they had stopped laughing sorted it all out! Meant a bit of a delay but its all together now. 

Front end suspension is a bit easier to work with. Its relatively simple McPherson struts with wishbones. Doesnt require any subframe spacing etc.

Not bad overall but pic doesnt show sticking caliper slides or knocking noise over bumps.

Ebay hub puller worked great on the passenger side then shat its self on the drivers side. After 15 tonnes in the press at work, the OSF driveshaft and I agreed it should stay in the hub! 

Bushes removed

New track rods, track rod ends and paint, nice!

While to OSF driveshaft refused to give up its hub, the inner boot was torn. Luckily it only meant removing the inner CV. New one fitted. 

Wouldnt usually lose sleep over rusty brake backplates but replacements were cheap and available. 

Ball joints replaced, backplate fitted, bit of a paint, ABS bolt someone snapped (me!) replaced!

New front wishbone rear bushes!

Brakes replaced, freed off and all back together. Spacers are so tyres dont hit shock absorbers!

Not sure the zero spoke alloys were the best choice!

Front shock absorbers and lift spacer ready to go.

Looking a bit more businesslike now!

Car got new brake pipes throughout. Old ones were not too bad, few had been replaced already but I wanted shiney new ones. Heres a pic of a clip I broke!

This was the point I began wondering if this was such a good idea!

Still to do the alignment and sort out the anti roll bar links. Leaving it until last to give everything a chance to settle in. 

Despite the custom suspension parts, spacers etc. there was one clearance I overlooked! The 12mm clearance between the garage door and the top of the car! 😄

Suspension lift doesnt look too dramatic until you compare it to a 'normal' car!

More soon! 

[Metal Guru]

18 hours ago, delux said:

Again, considering the cost it wasnt too bad! Appraisal took place (with several mechanics who had assembled, laughing at 1st later turning to congratulations! 😄)

Might be the rocker covers leaking, might be cam seals. Bit of pink round the thermostat/water pump too. The list started!

Rear turrets dont look great but fared well to poky screwdriver test.  

drivers rear arch didnt fare so well!

No play in suspension bushes but they look like something out of a Titanic documentary!

Not bad underneath!

May benefit from reversing sensors!

Front lamp had developed its own biosphere

Not sure of the effectiveness of aerodynamic modifications!

So, not that bad! Could all be done in a weekend if you were keen enough. So with that it was dumped in the pending tray (my other lock up) for a few months!

More to follow...

Rust wise I’d say about the same as my 54 Impreza, so pretty good for 5+ years older.

[delux]

3 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

Rust wise I’d say about the same as my 54 Impreza, so pretty good for 5+ years older.

Yeah, when I worked at Subaru I saw loads of newer cars in worse condition! There was a recall where we had to change brake pipes on Legacys up to 15 years old. Some of them wouldnt have made it round the banger racing track! I've genuinely had to do more welding on 10 year old XV models than this one.

[delux]

Next victim of my tinkering about was the automatic transmission. Its not a lineartronic (CVT), its the 4EAT that was more or less unchanged from 1992 to 2009. There was nothing wrong with this cars one, its just one of those gearboxes that goes on forever. As the rest of the car corrodes and crumbles the transmission carrys on as before. When I was at Subaru, customers who had run auto Subarus for 20+ years hated the Lineatronic so I'm pretty relieved!

Go faster guys not interested in them as its a slushbox. Nothing on the car is old enough to interest the classic car crowd. As a consequence there isnt much online about these transmissions. Dealer training centres around Lineartronic boxes and how they work. 

All this made me even more determined to have a sniff about it!

Cos I knew removal was imminent I stuck a couple of strong magnets on the transmission sump a few weeks before just to catch as much shite as possible.

Pretty clean considering 100,000 miles. Oil removed was brown but ran clear. All ok then!

Dirt on pick up/filter not obvious until put somewhere clean!

Magnets offset to increase their surface area. Just to prove to my mentor that I was actually listening that day!

Back together. Spin on oil filter doesnt have a replacement interval but Subaru insist you change it if you work on the transmission. 

Refilled with decent quality Dextron ATF II left over from some 2nd grade budget car assembly company!

Whiteline make an insert for manual gearbox models and later autos. They dont make an insert for this transmission so I bought a manual one, modified it then stamped it home with my workboot, job done! lol!

Manual models run 50:50 drive split so are fine offroad but cos mine is an auto, if I chuck it at the scenery it chucks 90% drive to the front wheels making a big silver understeer machine. I'm gonna have to rig up some sort of device to stop this happening. I've not done it yet as I'll have to experiment on loose surface to make sure its gonna work (if it can be done at all!) 

Otherwise, transmission is sorted and prolly good for another 100,000 miles! Which it may have covered before I find its forever home! 😄

More to follow...

[delux]

Not really mentioned much about the electrics cos pretty much everything works in that area. Bit shit really as thats where my wages (and finances for all this!) are earned!

Headlamp bulbs uprated. Got these in the Impreza and they are pretty good!

Left new, right old!

Cos there is a bit more road noise from the tyres the solution was to update the sad looking original tape player...

...with a slightly more modern seedy player.

Which in turn was joined by a Turbotimer/Voltmeter.

'Check engine' light had started crying out for attention. Code stored for 'Knock sensor'.  After ensuring I hadnt left it unplugged messing about with the inlet manifold I tried checking te terminals. Couldnt see them very well so removed the sensor. Glad I did as the sensor had split. Thinking back, any time I've changed one in the past they had the same issue.

NOS one sourced from scoobynet.com forum!

Back in its hole, code cleared!

While the wipers were thoroughly tested on the trip from London the passenger arm had a measurable amount of free movement

All better with good 2nd hand linkage

Towbar wiring may contain attitudes and hardware considered acceptable at the time! Not sure it works but appears to have been fitted in a hurry!

Nice 13 pin with armour plated wiring on the way!

Also managed to find a NOS front lamp. Not a big job but one of those little things that makes car look far better!

[delux]

All that pretty much brings us up to date. 

Car is pretty much back together...

Rear sofa back in place!

Brakes bled

Cooling system thoroughly flushed of pink stuff/sludge/corrosion/fossils and bled with correct stuff

Zorst resealled 

Favourite tool so far! Despite working as long as I have in the motor trade I'm still shite at filling cars with oil and not making a mess. Subarus are tricky to refill at the best of times but this funnel makes it so much easier! Just dont swing it about like a chimp when you unscrew it, lol!

And thats it for 2025!

Stay tuned for anti roll bar link bodgery and turmoil, MOT nerves, Towbar wiring and trying to find and attach decent bumpers!

Seriously, thanks for looking and thanks for all the 'likes'. Complements mean far more when they are from guys you respect!