Champaign Charlie

Now with a name, cargo barrier and a good 'scrub', my 05 manual NA 'Safety' Outback is being prepped for our Cameron Corner trip.

I will use this Journal to record whatever 'tweaks' I think of / implement, what works and what doesn't. Comments and questions welcome along the way.

Right now off to bed - 5.00am start to try and get good AFL Preliminary Finals tickets. "Go the Mighty Magpies!" :iconwink:
 
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Charlie's 'Safety Kit'

  • Autocare cargo barrier
  • Bushranger Max Trax (20% off @ Anaconda);)
  • Long handled post hole shovel.
  • 'Ridge Ryder' Recovery (snatch) Kit (Supercheap, $100 - save $40) - Shackle fits ball hole on Hayman Reece towing tongue.
  • 'Ridge Ryder' Tree Protector (for use as Distribution Strap).
  • TIRFOR Hand winch with 3 snatch blocks. ($200 2nd hand from camper trailer forum) :discomonkey:
  • Air compressor / pump. Projecta 'Typhoon' (25% off at REPCO)
  • 2.5kg Fire Extinguisher (Opposite Lock $86)
  • 'Sand' flag [aka "bike flag"] (Local bike shop $18)
  • SubaXtreme front 'Sports bar' (Fitted 24/12/2011)
To come:

  • PLB ('EPIRB') ['Spot' or 'Accusat' MT410G]
 
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Charlie's 'Touring / Offroad Kit'

  • 1" Subtlesolutions strut lift :monkeydance: (Diameter now increased from 114mm to 124mm, to fit over the 'top hats'. They fitted fine!)
  • Raised King Springs :lildevil:
  • KYB rear shockers, :cool: to replace the self levelling rears (otherwise couldn't fit the raised springs).
  • SubaXtreme sump guard (fitted in Goulburn, @ SubaXtreme :biggrin:)
  • SubaXtreme 'Sports' bar (fitted by me, 24/12/2011 :twisted:)
  • Traxide SC80-12 Smart Charger :ebiggrin: set up to:
- Allow second cranking battery to be connected via 50 Amp Anderson plug.
- Charge camper trailer battery via 6B&S dual cable & 50 Amp Anderson Plug;
- Charge portable AGM / Gel 'deep cycle' battery in rear luggage area ;
- Power 'Autofridge' in rear of car via 30amp Anderson 'Power Poles' (instead of 'Ciggy' plugs or Merit / Hella plugs;
- Charge 'jump start' kit in rear of car via Anderson 'Power Poles'.
​
  • Prorack luggage basket & roof bag (fits 3/4 of the basket)
  • Rola 360l roof pod - as an alternative to the roof basket.
  • Kathmandu Car Awning
  • 'Autofridge' 39 litre 'Eutectic' Fridge
  • WAEKO 40 litre 'Cool Ice' Icebox
  • Triple extension cigarette lighter socket
  • Jaycar 'plug in' inverter
  • 1x25 litre Wild Country 'peltier' system coolbox
  • 2x 'roll up' tables
  • 1 x 20 Litre 'Blue' Jerry Can for WATER (from Ray's)
  • 1 x 10 litre Jerry Can for Fuel
  • 1x25 litre Wild Country 'peltier' system coolbox
  • Coleman 2 burner gas (i.e. propane) stove & cylinder
  • RACV 'Off Road' 1st Aid kit
  • 'Sand flag' (Bike flag)
  • GPS Netbook
  • 2nd spare wheel, matches original alloys.
  • TIRFOR Hand winch with single, double & triple snatch blocks ($200 2nd hand!) :biggrin: :discomonkey: :lildevil:
  • Swing out rear carriers for Spare wheel and 20 litre Jerry can (Same principle as Beigewagon's and El Freddo's, but welded to the ends of the tow bar frame. :discomonkey:) Dec 2010
To come:

  • Scorpion low ratio gears :twisted:
  • Explosafe fuel container
  • Front driving lights
  • Rear fog light.:lildevil:
 
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We made it!

Now that we are back from the trip to 'The Corner', and parts beyond, I'll post a report in the relevant forum, with photos once I get them loaded to Photobucket.
Will also put up a post on what worked well and what I'd do differently next time.
Three adult sized people and gear for 7 weeks (including Jerry of water 1/2 Jerry of fuel, sand tracks, etc) in and on an OB was a TIGHT fit.:biggrin: A rear carrier for Jerry and tyre would definitely have made for a better load.:cool:
Still, the rear end is now back to its correct height!:lildevil:
 
Chrlie's new 'Caboose'

Have just purchased a 'GoGo Camper Trailer' from a member of the campertrailer.org forum.
In addition to the annexe, https://www.campertrailers.org/camper_trader518.htm it comes with a 150ah battery and a solar panel, :biggrin: and is wired with Anderson plugs, etc. Will also post pics of the wiring.
Am looking forward to getting deep into national parks and chasing some 'dark sky' for my daughter's 8" telescope.:)
 
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Aftermath of 6 March hail storm.

Got a good look at the raised bonnet in full sun today. Totally trashed. :cry::sadbanana:The downside of aluminium panels, I guess.

One ding on the roof, just behind the sunroof. :sad:

Need to have a good look at the passenger side panels as well, as they were facing the direction of the storm.

Maybe will be lucky there.:neutral:
 
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Barry said:
Got a good look at the raised bonnet in full sun today. Totally trashed. :cry::sadbanana:The downside of aluminium panels, I guess.

One ding on the roof, just behind the sunroof. :sad:

Need to have a good look at the passenger side panels as well, as they were facing the direction of the storm.

Maybe will be lucky there.:neutral:
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Yep, damage to doors as well - still, I've paid the $600 excess and now it is just a matter of booking t in to get the work done.
 
the 'subalex Outback solution'!

This post from subalex sums up a 'development path' that should optimise Charlie, as far off road is concerned, when combined with my 1" subtlesolutions strut lift and raised Kingsprings. :lildevil:
subalex said:
Barry, fit the low range ratio from the L-series and you'll then start wishing you had L-series approach and departure angles, the things you'll be able to crawl up! The thing is that Subaru have always had the complete package just a little less than perfect. Take the L-series for example: great low range reduction and suitability for lifting and room for much bigger tyres... but a gutless engine. Then there's the Outback (I had an '02 model): great engine and comfort levels... but lousy low range and no room for bigger tyres. The only vehicle with the greatest compromise is the Forester, perhaps the 1st gen with the nearly as low-low range as the L-series. Get an LSD from an STi and swap the front diff ratios to match and you'd be grinning from ear to ear... at least I would be :)
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By the time my new Pirelli P7 tyres need replacing the engine and trans (330 - 350,000 km) will need a 'good hard look', so would be the time to also do:

  • Rear LSD (assuming the STi will fit the OB);
  • Corresponding front diff ratio (ditto); and
  • Low ratio change to manual gearbox.
At that time I will also investigate fitting larger tyres, if there is room.
Finally, will look at an subaXtreme front bar, if they are still about. By then I'll already have built my rear mount tyre / fuel carrier. ["Check" :lildevil: ]
 
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Barry said:
By the time my new Pirelli P7 tyres need replacing the engine and trans (330 - 350,000 km) will need a 'good hard look', so would be the time to also do:

  • Rear LSD (assuming the STi will fit the OB);
  • Corresponding front diff ratio (ditto)
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Originally Posted by subalex
Barry, fit the low range ratio from the L-series and you'll then start wishing you had L-series approach and departure angles, the things you'll be able to crawl up! The thing is that Subaru have always had the complete package just a little less than perfect. Take the L-series for example: great low range reduction and suitability for lifting and room for much bigger tyres... but a gutless engine. Then there's the Outback (I had an '02 model): great engine and comfort levels... but lousy low range and no room for bigger tyres. The only vehicle with the greatest compromise is the Forester, perhaps the 1st gen with the nearly as low-low range as the L-series. Get an LSD from an STi and swap the front diff ratios to match and you'd be grinning from ear to ear... at least I would be :)
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The R160 rear diff is whats used in most subarus. I believe there are a few STi's or something out there with an R180 which won't fit in your Outback - I know the dattos have an R160 and R180 setup...

As for the LSD, all you need is the centre as you can put this LSD centre into your current rear diff - keeping your diff ratios as per standard. Changing the front diff to match the rear is the backwards (read labour intensive) way of doing it... Venom reckons scorpion sells the rear LSD centre to get the upgrade. I haven't looked into this as he only told me today.

His Gen 2 liberty has a good setup. Its nice and tall without being over the top, it also looks very neat. The H6 is the icing on the cake that's for sure! I believe he's got 2 inch strut AND body lift with outback struts and heavy duty springs - not lifted springs, they have a variable compression rate. I don't have a pic to show :(

Cheers

Bennie
 
King Springs & KYB rear shocks fitted

King Springs & KYB rear shocks now fitted, car is noticeably higher. :monkeydance: :biggrin:
 
Nice. Now SHOW US SOME PICS mate!

;)

Cheers

Bennie
 
The LSD rear differential casings are apparently slightly different to accomodate the LSD. You can put an LSD centre into your non-LSD rear differential but some machining of the housing is required. This is only going of the research i have done, apparently not a big deal its just something to keep in mind. Otherwise just chase up a complete unit. If you find a mechanical unit, i would suggest sticking to 1 or 1.5 way LSDs. This means they only lock up on acceleration, while 2 way diffs lock up on acceleration and deacceleration which is more suited to track work.

I would like to see some pictures of this rig, or even better in person on a trip ;)

Interesting to see different approaches. I went 2" full body lift with stock outback suspension. I see people with the newer vehicles prefering 1" strut tops and raised springs, which gives more underdiff clearance with the same body clearance as the full body lift. Full body lift maybe seems a bit too hardcore for the newer cars?

Cheers,
Rhys
 
Venom said:
Full body lift maybe seems a bit too hardcore for the newer cars?
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Not only that, Rhys, but also full body lifts are hard to come across for my newish car (as far as I could research). I believe that is because they are really not recommended with the airbag trigger sensors spread around the front and the sides...

As you know, I've got the 1" lift at the moment, and will hopefully go for taller springs in the future (after the tyres), so I fit your description perfectly!:rotfl:

Cheers,
Pedro.
 
King Springs Before & After

Before & After Pics:

Stock Height.



Rear / Front .
StockRearLarge.jpg
StockFrontLarge.jpg


With King Springs

Kingsprings1inchSept1Large.jpg


Rear +30mm. / Front + 15mm.
KingSpringsrearLarge.jpg
KingSpringsfrontLarge.jpg



 
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Nice start mate! Are you getting some subtle solution strut tops or leaving it as is?

I reckon you'd love some strut lift on that, extra ground clearance is amazing offroad, every little bit counts!

Cheers

Bennie
 
Hi Bennie,

I have the subtlesolutions strut blocks, and had hoped to fit them with the new springs and rear shocks, but have run into a problem with fitting the front blocks.

Long story short, the 'hole' in the blocks is ~114mm and they don't quite fit over the top hats. Top hats fit pretty much flush in the 'hole' in the front sub frame.

From looking at pics of Pezzim's set-up he seems to have a 16-18mm smaller diameter top hat, relative to the hole in the sub frame, which is the same diameter as the hole in the blocks. (Bennie, I'll forward you the pm from Pezzim, to show what I am describing.)

So, assuming Pezzim's subframe also has ~114mm 'holes' his top hat must be around 96mm in diameter. Alternatively, his top hats might also be ~114MM. This would that the blocks and sub-frame would have ~132mm 'holes', however, I would doubt that, as the 3 bolt holes on mine are at the correct centres, which would be unlikely if the central 'hole' for the top hat was significantly larger.

I'd be grateful is someone could measure the diameter of the Forrie front top hat mount opening to confirm its diameter and post in this thread / PM me a photo. (Pezzim, yours should be easy to measure, as the mound on the top hat will now be sitting below the frame. :biggrin:)

Apologies for not having my pics of the problem on here, but the Telstra copper wire has poop itself at my place, (roll on the National Broadband Network!!! :cool:) so I am doing this from work. Will try and remember to bring photos on a stick tomorrow.

What I suspect is the problem is that the 2 top hat diameters are different, but with the same bolt patterns (at least in Aus). This may not have been identifiable to Subtlesolutions when producing the blocks.

Once I can sort it out I'll post the answer on here. If my conjecture is wrong I will correct it. Just part of the problem of being an 'early adopter' of a product I guess. The blocks are still fantastic.

Worst case I will need to have a bit milled out from the lower portion of the inside diameter of the blocks. This should be doable with a metal lathe equivalent of a flat mill router bit with a bearing on top. (Can tell I don't know much about metal work hey! :p)
 
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Front Strut lift & Top Hat issues (cont'd)

Here are 2 pics of the front strut lift blocks sitting on the top hats and also a pic of the top hat in the mount in the front guard.
P8280509-1-1.jpg


P8280511-1.jpg


The strut block is unable to fit over the top hat; and

P9040570-1.jpg


There is virtually no space between the top hat and the inner circumference of the mounting point on the inner guard.

This is vastly different to the situation with Pezzim's strut blocks, top hats and mounting points in his Forie.

:shrug: :shake: :(
 
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