Benfolio
03-07-2009, 10:42 PM
Let me tell you off the bat. There's two things you're gonna need.
Cam (crash) bolts. AT LEAST TWO.
A professional alignment.
A full morning or afternoon, even if you have access to a lift. Okay that's three. Sorry.
One more thing, make sure your car and the stuts you get aren't bent. I have no idea which was which with mine since my car was in 1,342 accdents (or so) and the struts I got came from a totalled '05 WRX with 26k miles. And the right front tophat was bent.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020315-1.jpg
Hrm. Should have thrown the red flag right there. But I figured what the heck, let's try it.
So I replaced the tophat, the strut looked straight, so I and went at it.
Started from the top, took out the backseat, five 12MM bolts and some muscle (60/40 folding seat backs are heavy!) and I had access to the rear tophats. Three 12MM nuts per side. Two each are EASY to get to, the third hides under the seatbelt retractor. Take yours off to save time. I fought with an open end wrench (box end wouldn't fit bewteen the top of the stud and the retractor assembly) to take them off. Three more per side under the hood, same size.
Lift up the car, and the front struts will lower a tad. My rears didn't. Tires off, there's ABS sensors (if equipped) bolted to the struts with a 12MM bolt. Save the bolts, you will reuse them on the WRX struts. There are four 19MM nuts holding four 19MM bolts where the struts attach to the knuckle. My nuts came off easy but the bolts were a pain, only on the right front. I had alot of problems with the right front. You'll see. Had to air-hammer the upper bolt out. Speaking of which, the upper bolts in the front are cam bolts for adjusting camber. They only fit the top holes. Keep them. They come in handy!
Oh yeah, the brake lines. Subaru decided to enclose them in the bracket on my stock struts, making it necessary to REMOVE to brake lines from the calipers to remove the struts. Oooorrrr you could carefully cut a notch in the enclosed bracket. Like I did! Be really, really careful not to cut the brake lines! And save those brake line clips. A screwdriver and hammer will knock them out. You can reuse these on the WRX struts which, thankfully, have OPEN BRACKETS in which to slide the lines into. The stock WRX lines have a clip that bolts to the bracket. I may get these some days. Not sure if they are compatible with the Legacy brake lines though. The stock Legacy clips seem to be holding okay. Zipties would work too. :lol:
Got the struts out?
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020326-1.jpg
WRX on the left, Leggy on the right.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020327-1.jpg
WRX brake line bracket.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020328-1.jpg
Leggy bracket, notice where I cut and bent it out of the way.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020331-1.jpg
Rears. WRX on the right this time (and notable shorter).
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020332-1.jpg
Brake line brackets.
When I did I found the source of my clunking. Both rear upper spring mounts were junk, the one on the left had actually folded itself out of the way alloting the spring to all sorts of naughty things back there. :smt011
Slide the WRX struts back in, bolt them up, using aftermarket cam bolts in the upper holes in the rear struts, I learned the hard way that you need cam bolts in the rear. Without them you'll have some awesome POSITIVE camber back there. Aaannnd the stock bolts do not allow any camber adjustments. Now bolt the ABS wires (if equipped) on, and clip in the brake lines. More hammering will help. Install the clips into the slot in the brake line and put the lines in the bracket, tapping them down with a hammer and or screwdriver.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020330-1.jpg
Front
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020337-1.jpg
Rear
You will have to have the rear struts in completely (tophats and all) to get them to bolt up.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020336-1.jpg
But you can let the fronts dangle.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020329-1.jpg
Lower the car down (NOT ALL THE WAY YET!) and start the nuts for the rear tophats. Have fun with that nut under the seatbelt!!! The WRX tophats have longer studs, making it even HARDER to get that thing on.
Spin the front mounts so the studs line up with the holes and lift the strut up and install the nuts. You don't have to tighten ANY of the tophat nuts until the car is fully on the ground. Do this now.
That done, get that sucker on the alignment machine, PRONTO!
Now, I will tell you what SHOULD have happened, but something was bent on my car or the strut I got. The RIGHT FRONT.
The rears will need adjustment (unless you're REALLY LUCKY), but the fronts should be pretty darn close. Boom, DONE.
Mine needed minor adjustments to the left front to get it perfectly in spec, but once I got the camber correct in the rear the right rear toe was off. No biggie, a little heat and some wrenching brought it into spec nicely.
The right front, HAHA! Had to get another cam bolt for it, and had a blasty getting that sucker within spec. I got it close. Then gave up. Basically I had to physically PULL the top of the tire out while my buddy tightened the cam bolts. Something's bent. BUT....
It. Rides. GREAT.
No. More. Clunks.
I have 162,000 miles on my BD and as far as I know the struts are original. They look a tad rusty around the lower spring perches, but otherwise they look great. The rear felt soft when I pushed down on the trunk, and there was the clunking from the rear (and a little from the front). And a hint at float, but hey, it's a Legacy, not a STi.
Boy how things have changed. The car corners flatter, absorbs bumps better, and has A LOT less nose dive under braking. It rides stiffer but not annoyingly so, and responds much better to steering/acceleration/braking inputs. Ride is a tad more choppy but with that performance feel.
And now to the question I most had before the install. Will it drop or raise my car? Well I took some measurements before and after from the flat floor of my dealership's service drive to the bottom edge of the fenders (at the rubber moulding I still have on the rear fenders), taken at the center of the wheels.
BEFORE:
Right front 26 7/8"
Left front 26 3/8"
Right rear 26 1/8"
Left rear 25 3/4"
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020325-1.jpg
AFTER:
Right front 26 3/4"
Left front 26 5/8"
Right rear 25 1/2"
Left rear 25 1/2"
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020339-1.jpg
So yes, the rear is slightly lower. The front slightly higher. But not much. Took the measurements with a 1/4 tank of gas and a 25 pound tool bag in the left rear of the trunk. Otherwise empty. Remember though, the rear wheel openings are lower that the fronts, so actually the car still has a slight rake to it, and when measured at the bottom of the body, is HIGHER in the rear.
So that's it. I'm gonna go out and drive it some more. LATER! :smt023
Cam (crash) bolts. AT LEAST TWO.
A professional alignment.
A full morning or afternoon, even if you have access to a lift. Okay that's three. Sorry.
One more thing, make sure your car and the stuts you get aren't bent. I have no idea which was which with mine since my car was in 1,342 accdents (or so) and the struts I got came from a totalled '05 WRX with 26k miles. And the right front tophat was bent.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020315-1.jpg
Hrm. Should have thrown the red flag right there. But I figured what the heck, let's try it.
So I replaced the tophat, the strut looked straight, so I and went at it.
Started from the top, took out the backseat, five 12MM bolts and some muscle (60/40 folding seat backs are heavy!) and I had access to the rear tophats. Three 12MM nuts per side. Two each are EASY to get to, the third hides under the seatbelt retractor. Take yours off to save time. I fought with an open end wrench (box end wouldn't fit bewteen the top of the stud and the retractor assembly) to take them off. Three more per side under the hood, same size.
Lift up the car, and the front struts will lower a tad. My rears didn't. Tires off, there's ABS sensors (if equipped) bolted to the struts with a 12MM bolt. Save the bolts, you will reuse them on the WRX struts. There are four 19MM nuts holding four 19MM bolts where the struts attach to the knuckle. My nuts came off easy but the bolts were a pain, only on the right front. I had alot of problems with the right front. You'll see. Had to air-hammer the upper bolt out. Speaking of which, the upper bolts in the front are cam bolts for adjusting camber. They only fit the top holes. Keep them. They come in handy!
Oh yeah, the brake lines. Subaru decided to enclose them in the bracket on my stock struts, making it necessary to REMOVE to brake lines from the calipers to remove the struts. Oooorrrr you could carefully cut a notch in the enclosed bracket. Like I did! Be really, really careful not to cut the brake lines! And save those brake line clips. A screwdriver and hammer will knock them out. You can reuse these on the WRX struts which, thankfully, have OPEN BRACKETS in which to slide the lines into. The stock WRX lines have a clip that bolts to the bracket. I may get these some days. Not sure if they are compatible with the Legacy brake lines though. The stock Legacy clips seem to be holding okay. Zipties would work too. :lol:
Got the struts out?
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020326-1.jpg
WRX on the left, Leggy on the right.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020327-1.jpg
WRX brake line bracket.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020328-1.jpg
Leggy bracket, notice where I cut and bent it out of the way.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020331-1.jpg
Rears. WRX on the right this time (and notable shorter).
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020332-1.jpg
Brake line brackets.
When I did I found the source of my clunking. Both rear upper spring mounts were junk, the one on the left had actually folded itself out of the way alloting the spring to all sorts of naughty things back there. :smt011
Slide the WRX struts back in, bolt them up, using aftermarket cam bolts in the upper holes in the rear struts, I learned the hard way that you need cam bolts in the rear. Without them you'll have some awesome POSITIVE camber back there. Aaannnd the stock bolts do not allow any camber adjustments. Now bolt the ABS wires (if equipped) on, and clip in the brake lines. More hammering will help. Install the clips into the slot in the brake line and put the lines in the bracket, tapping them down with a hammer and or screwdriver.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020330-1.jpg
Front
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020337-1.jpg
Rear
You will have to have the rear struts in completely (tophats and all) to get them to bolt up.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020336-1.jpg
But you can let the fronts dangle.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020329-1.jpg
Lower the car down (NOT ALL THE WAY YET!) and start the nuts for the rear tophats. Have fun with that nut under the seatbelt!!! The WRX tophats have longer studs, making it even HARDER to get that thing on.
Spin the front mounts so the studs line up with the holes and lift the strut up and install the nuts. You don't have to tighten ANY of the tophat nuts until the car is fully on the ground. Do this now.
That done, get that sucker on the alignment machine, PRONTO!
Now, I will tell you what SHOULD have happened, but something was bent on my car or the strut I got. The RIGHT FRONT.
The rears will need adjustment (unless you're REALLY LUCKY), but the fronts should be pretty darn close. Boom, DONE.
Mine needed minor adjustments to the left front to get it perfectly in spec, but once I got the camber correct in the rear the right rear toe was off. No biggie, a little heat and some wrenching brought it into spec nicely.
The right front, HAHA! Had to get another cam bolt for it, and had a blasty getting that sucker within spec. I got it close. Then gave up. Basically I had to physically PULL the top of the tire out while my buddy tightened the cam bolts. Something's bent. BUT....
It. Rides. GREAT.
No. More. Clunks.
I have 162,000 miles on my BD and as far as I know the struts are original. They look a tad rusty around the lower spring perches, but otherwise they look great. The rear felt soft when I pushed down on the trunk, and there was the clunking from the rear (and a little from the front). And a hint at float, but hey, it's a Legacy, not a STi.
Boy how things have changed. The car corners flatter, absorbs bumps better, and has A LOT less nose dive under braking. It rides stiffer but not annoyingly so, and responds much better to steering/acceleration/braking inputs. Ride is a tad more choppy but with that performance feel.
And now to the question I most had before the install. Will it drop or raise my car? Well I took some measurements before and after from the flat floor of my dealership's service drive to the bottom edge of the fenders (at the rubber moulding I still have on the rear fenders), taken at the center of the wheels.
BEFORE:
Right front 26 7/8"
Left front 26 3/8"
Right rear 26 1/8"
Left rear 25 3/4"
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020325-1.jpg
AFTER:
Right front 26 3/4"
Left front 26 5/8"
Right rear 25 1/2"
Left rear 25 1/2"
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/03/p1020339-1.jpg
So yes, the rear is slightly lower. The front slightly higher. But not much. Took the measurements with a 1/4 tank of gas and a 25 pound tool bag in the left rear of the trunk. Otherwise empty. Remember though, the rear wheel openings are lower that the fronts, so actually the car still has a slight rake to it, and when measured at the bottom of the body, is HIGHER in the rear.
So that's it. I'm gonna go out and drive it some more. LATER! :smt023