1WD Foz's

1WD Foz's Foz

Howdy guys and girls,

Im new around here and thought id start a journal to document my hopefully awesome adventure modding my 98 FOZ.

It all started about 7 months ago when i came up with the idea of buying a second car for my wife and I to use for our 1 hour long drive to work, giving our Honda a rest.
Initially i was looking for a cheap Land-rover discovery also thinking we could use this to do some camping and light 4x4ing on our days off, but quickly realised that a Discovery would eat my money in fuel alone so started looking for a cheaper alternative.
Then i noticed a nice looking 98 on gumtree for $2000 no reg no rw, 189k
and seller says clutch may be due.....
I hesitated in calling him for about 3 weeks as i just wasn't sure about Subaru's or Foresters in general, then one day noticed he dropped the price to $1000
So i gave the guy a call and went and looked at it.... $900 was his lowest and the clutch felt fine.
I drove her home (with a permit).

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Booked her in for a Rw the next week and listed defects found was:
~Replace wiper blades
~Rectify R/H tail light and stop light
~Replace drivers seat belt
~Secure spare wheel
~Secure battery
~Replace and bleed brake fluid
~Replace clutch & brake pedal pads
~Clean and rectify oil leaks
~Replace L/H inner cv boot
~Replace front & rear sway bar link bushes

So i did what i could and got mechanic to do the rest.
Next week i had rego :monkeydance:

I drove it around for a couple weeks and started to notice that if i put my foot flat.... some times it would slip, so i looked up clutches on ebay and took a gamble with a relatively new melbourne based brand "Blusteele' as they had crazy low prices, $250 new ,shipped, with 12 month warranty.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Blusteele-Clutch-Kit-for-Subaru-Forester-S10-2-0Ltr-SOHC-EJ20J-98-02-w-WARRANTY/182301956674?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

I had it sitting there for when the Foz needed it and it wasn't long until i got the car bogged (in my front bloody yard mind you) :rotfl:
and the clutch was ruined after minimal attempts of getting out with road tires.

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look at the damage to my Neighbours front lawn :redface:
luckily it only cost a slab to recover.

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The truck that pulled me out :rotfl:

So i threw my car at the same mechanics that did my rw and they installed my clutch!!
Also had my flywheel machined and they found a leak in my rear main seal so replaced that while they where there....awesome!!

My wife and i started exploring how far down the dirt track this little foz could take us in places like Lerderderg State Park & LaL LaL & Bungal state forest. whilst we stuck to the chicken track mostly... I realised fast this was a capable little beast.
Next thing to go was me rear left shock...... i knew it was coming tho, and taking it offload didn't help a bit :shrug:
So I ordered rear KYB's and standard Kings springs from Archm-suspension in Bayswater as they had the best prices and the boys down there are really nice.
you can find them on ebay

https://stores.ebay.com.au/archmindustries/

So i had them Installed and straight away what a difference it made, the rears must have been so saggy before cause it looked lifted when i picked her up lol

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New rear kings springs and kyb shocks

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Old ride height :rotfl:

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New ride height

Then it was time for some new tires as i had a few issues with the old ones
I went with 4 x Yokohama Geolander G015 AT in 205/70/R15's

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The last issue i had was the speedo died, subaru wanted $350
wreckers cost $10 and i got 2 :rotfl:

And im trying to figure out what this loud noise is coming from my rear passenger wheel area, it comes and goes ,sounds like a loud grinding noise majority of the time around 90-100ks.

1WD
 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
cool led bars there. how you connected them, wired ? on separate switches ?
 
Thanks man ,
i have them wired to the high beams and i have a switch in the car to turn them off

everything on roof on one switch and the one on bumper bar has its own switch

1WD
 
jf1sf5 said:
That noise at 90-110 km/h could also be a bad rear differential, have a look at the rear axles if you have play while turning the main shaft left to right.
Click to expand...

I got under today and tried this but everything seems good i think , no play in anything


1WD
 
Still have all those led bars? So witch ones you use and when and which better. ? Those small onesnon sides doing anything? Would be nice to see pics with those led bars comparison how they light up road
Maybe next year tho xD
 
Hey Scalman,

At the moment i have 4 led lights on my foz,

On the roof i have a 20" Curved Black Oak Led bar made in USA.
This is a superior led bar made from quality parts and would impress most people.
its 40 x 5w Osram led's or 200w and 22,000 RAW Lumens.

https://www.blackoakled.com/collections/curved-led-light-bars/products/20-inch-d-series-curved

On each side i have a 4" led bar from ebay.
these are so cheap but awesome.
80w each and theoretical lumens are 6800lm
so probably closer to 3500 RAW lumens each.
They do a great job of lighting up the sides, and they're adjustable..... so can be pointed nearly anywhere.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/8X80W-PHILIPS-FLOOD-LED-WORK-LIGHT-BAR-OFFROAD-DRIVING-REVERSE-4WD-4X4-4-5/391748013556?hash=item5b36004df4:g:T6sAAOSwqfpZwIwT

On my front bumper i have a cheap and nasty 23" ebay light bar which i totally wouldn't recommend to anyone, i got it for $10 but people pay more for it and its poo....
will replace it with 2 x spotlights for added distance when funds allow me to do so...... until then it stays there lol.....

I will try to get you some pics over the next few nights if i remember...... although pictures never seem to show the true intensity....:twisted:

1WD
 
Hi guys,

So I've come across a fantastic deal, just need some advice on how to tackle this the best way.
My friend bought a '93' pajero and wasn't a huge fan of the bull bar it came with, he got a great deal on a second hand TJM one near my area so we went and picked it up.
When we came back to my house i asked him if i could put his new bar up against my Foz just to see how far off it is in a rough fit, and so our shock it looked like it was very close.

I only took a couple of pics but here they are
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So i asked him to send me a couple pics of his old bar once he had it off.

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I liked the look of it and told him i would come over for a test fit to see how far off it is.

So i went over to his house and removed my front bumper....and a few other things :rotfl:

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We tried test fitting it to see how much clearance it leaves me with.
During this first test fitment i didn't remove the big black plastic thing that goes across my front (as seen in pic above), which prevented me from getting it snug, but gave me a good idea of how close we where.

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Then it chose to rain cats and dogs lol
so we moved to a carport and i removed the front black hard plastic thing and the bar was nearly a straight swap!

Im so sorry i forgot to take pics once i did the last test fit as i was so excited at how close it was...... the sides of the bar needed a small shave to get it to meet the front quarters seamlessly, and from what we saw, a couple custom made HD mounts that would look similar to 'L brackets...'and it would bolt right up.

Not too sure if this makes any sense but once i removed the black plastic thing on the front of the foz, there was 2 heavy duty mounts (bumper supports??) sticking out the front of the car which the big black plastic thing was mounted to.
When i lined the bull bar as close as i could get it.... the bull bar mounts where both less than an inch away from the inside of both the HD bumper supports!!
which is why i think a custom made HD 'L' type bracket would work.

Has anyone done anything similar in regards to custom fitting a non Subaru bull bar?
am i on the right track ? lol

The only other thing i need to understand is what options i have with regards to the airbags... as I've heard many people experience airbag errors after fitting a bull bar.

The bull bar cost me $40 :monkeydance:
hence why i want this to work so bad :rotfl:

After bull bar is fitted ill cut a hole for the winch cable to feed through,
and would mount a winch mounting plate behind the bull bar... but winch will not be attached to the bull bar in any way as its not a winch bar, purely want this for the added safety to myself and the car if i was to hit a kangaroo.....the extra front clearance i would get... and not having to worry as much about catching the bumper and ripping it off like the plastic one i have now.

So what you guys think ?

1WD
 
It won't meet ADR, if that's a concern to you.
 
Hey mate thanks for your reply

Unfortunately I would have to bite that bullet to have this bull bar mounted.

I would love to get yours and others advice on how I could install this bull bar as close to "Properly" as possible.

Im not looking to just "make it work"
I want this to last...to be safe..... and also have the option to re install my stock bumper should I have any hassles or wish to sell in the future.

1WD
 
Wow it looks so close to a true OEM bar! I can see everyone now hunting for '93 Pajero bars for their SF subies :lol:

I may have instructions "somewhere" on mounting my SubaXtreme bar, I'll see if I can dig them out and let you know.
 
^ although that looks like a SG series II bar. I wonder is the bracket the same?

Can't find the install instructions for front bar - found them for the rear bar though!

@1WD Foz This may help: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzdkvUpsJFA"]Fitting a 2006 - 08 Forester Bullbar (OB-055) UPDATED - YouTube[/ame]
 
Kevin said:
Wow it looks so close to a true OEM bar! I can see everyone now hunting for '93 Pajero bars for their SF subies :lol:

I may have instructions "somewhere" on mounting my SubaXtreme bar, I'll see if I can dig them out and let you know.
Click to expand...

Hey Kevin,
Im glad you think its close too :monkeydance:

I read a fair bit about SF owners using many different snorkels from other 4wd's, one of the main ones being a 93 Pajero (with slight mods), but i never would have thought a bull bar would be a near straight swap as the Pajero looks wider IMO.....
I came to conclusion its the "big 4wd" illusion :iconwink:

SquiresSquire said:
You can see the bracket here on this Subaxtreme Bullbar (https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1542/24387803226_4e05a3fd96_c.jpg).

That bracket replaces the metal reinforcement beam on the car, and the bullbar then bolts to that. That's for SF & SG's anyway
Click to expand...

Hey SS,

Thanks for the link mate

That "reinforcement bar" looks very similar to what i was thinking i would need tbh..... but without the bar in the middle, unless the middle bar on the replacement reinforcement bar is needed for extra......... reinforcement :lol:
Then Im thinking i could maybe have something similar made in a 3 piece setup consisting of
2 X side "L" brackets that attach to the front of the FOZ
1 X Middle sport beam

Then it would be a matter of installing the "L" brackets....
Inserting the bull bar so the mounts on the bull bar are up against the already installed "L" brackets, then inserting the "middle support beam" on the inside of the 2 mounts on the bull bar and bolting it all together


Kevin said:
^ although that looks like a SG series II bar. I wonder is the bracket the same?

Can't find the install instructions for front bar - found them for the rear bar though!

@1WD Foz This may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzdkvUpsJFA
Click to expand...

Thanks heaps for the video Kevin..... its very similar indeed

If i can use the video you sent me to help describe a few things:

@ 2.21 on that video it shows what the new reinforcement bar attaches to, On my Foz its very similar but has less excess metal around the tubular support mount, mine seems to protrude a little more and mine has more bolt holes to attach to.
@ 2.23 is a really good shot of what type of "L" bracket i think ill need.. and this shot also makes me think with this custom reinforcement bar i get built,
I may be able to have the bar that attaches to both "L" brackets welded further back to allow for the bull bar mounts to attach to both "L" brackets without hitting that bar :discomonkey:

Feeling much more confident.... Thanks guys

Anyone have any bad experiences with airbags and bulbars on this forum?

If the airbag will deploy prematurely ive heard i may need to disconnect the airbags, does that sound right?

1WD
 
[MENTION=114]Kevin[/MENTION], yep it is a Series II Bar in that photo, but I do own both a Early SG Bar and a Late SG Bar, I can confirm the bracket is virtually the same, except for the outer length.\
[MENTION=15735]1WD Foz[/MENTION] I'd recommend a bar between the two L brackets like the Subaxtreme, it's there for strength, and to stop flexing/twisting
 
1WD Foz said:
Anyone have any bad experiences with airbags and bulbars on this forum?

If the airbag will deploy prematurely ive heard i may need to disconnect the airbags, does that sound right?1WD
Click to expand...

No, don't disconnect the airbags! If anything I think the airbag may deploy a little later as there is more metal up front before the sensor gets woken up.

I've not had a serious front-end accident with a bull bar fitted but I think the bar you have will not cause any issues. It looks like very similar materials to some bars I've seen fitted to subies.
 
Thanks for the clarification SS!
It makes sence that the middle bar would only create more strength
ill make sure mine has that feature now

Hey Scalman,
yeah id still think about going a Pajero snorkel but id also like to incorperate what Kevin has done with his snorkel,
as it has much more practicality for the purpose so may indeed "borrow" his idea :rotfl::monkeydance:


Thanks Kevin!!
Thats awesome news
I wasn't too sure which way the airbag sensor would go.....
being more or less sensitive
but with the New idea of having the bar in between both "L" brackets for extra support i think your theory is 100% correct
and great to hear you've had no issues!!
I was hoping I wouldn't have to disconnect it at all
so thats really good

Thanks again

1WD
 
Hey guys,
Small update:
I haven’t had the mount made for my bull bar yet but will do very soon...
But in the meantime....I’ve partially upgraded the sound system in my foz.
So far I’ve installed my old pioneer deck ,

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2 x 6.5 kicker 100w rms in the front doors

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running of an alpine 2/4 channel amp,

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The back 4inch are still stock, running off the deck [emoji30][emoji1304]

Then last week I went through my shed and found 2 x 12” old school pioneer subs in some very shabby sealed boxes that I used to use about 6-7 years ago and my bridgeable 850w mono amp 🤭

Thought..... hmmm....I wonder? [emoji848]

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Now it sounds not bad at all, but the boxes are crap, and take up too much room, so I’m toying with the idea of making a custom slimline box to seat my 2 x 12’s.
I’ve been thinking about what I want from my boot space and came up with an idea to DIY a sub box and fit it up against the back seats in between the shock towers, THEN DIY a custom rear twin draw setup to sit up against the custom sub box, so when put together would look like a 1 piece.
Carpet everything so it looks like a parcel shelf and not a sub box.
Or to save space purchase an alpine type R 12” sub and have just that
Not 100% sure yet but will see how I go

I had a flat spot from 1k-3k rpm so changed the spark plugs out and wow car feels so much better now
Most importantly no more flat spots [emoji1377]

I was given a cool little waeco 12v kettle for my birthday and when I tried to use it in both my front and rear 12v sockets it fried them both leaving the fuses fine but not allowing power out ,
So I’ve temporarily installed a twin 30amp socket and successfully used the kettle last night for the first time and it was awesome
Takes a little while but is much easier than bringing our gas stove and a pot

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1WD
 
That 12v kettle .allways wanted to buy one but then i read that it takes about 20 min to boil water. So is that true ?
For subwoofer , do you have space on sides in trunk. Could do something similar as i did mine.
11245d1206230490-custom-sub-box-forester_xt_2007_mulva_09.jpg
 
Hey Scalman,

If kettle is full to the top it will take around 20min which I totally agree is a long time
Usually I only do 2 cups at a time and thats around 5 min or so
but if i need extra hot water to clean ill just pop it on in advance.
Good thing is it turns itself off so i can pop it on and go get fire started or make dinner and not have to worry about it boiling over.

I love that Custom sub enclosure !!
is it yours?
Looks fantastic if it is mate!
if not... show me yours? :iconwink: :lol:

I did think about that type of enclosure but the only thing is I've never done any fibre glassing, so not sure if it would come out as good as that lol

I have a couple questions about it if you don't mind mate:

# Did you ever have them in a sub box in the car, like mine, before you made the side enclosures?
# If I use the same sub in a box, or in the side enclosure....which has the best bass output i wonder ?
# And would the side enclosure make more body rattling noise or the sub box i wonder?
# What sub/amp combo are you using ?

1WD
 
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