The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

currently have forked out for a set of outback struts and springs which are sat in my garage and due to a lack of time and needing to use my car pretty much every day of the week can't be installed into my gen 1 liberty until later this year, i am also planning to install a 2 inch lift which lead me to the idea of killing the problem of needing to change the strut tops of the outback struts by getting a lift kit with the blocks acting as an adapter changing the stud pattern to cater for this?? not knowing alot about lift kits personally i'm not sure if this is unreasonable or applicable but seemed like a good idea to me. any thoughts are welcome.

You will need Gen 1 Liberty strut tops (other name is "hats") and put them on Outback springs and you also will need Gen 1 lift blocks as well.
Cheers
AP

yeh i am aware of this but as i'm not changing them over until later after uni is finished i was considering the idea to have the lift blocks made to act as adapters to negate the need to change the hats on the springs...but be an un-neccessary cost but was just a thought.

woody.t wrote:... a lift kit with the blocks acting as an adapter ...

Have seen Suby Wan Kenobi (BYB) do this.
Daza.

Yep, Scuby Roo on here has this on his old liberty as well - he's having to make new strut top lift blocks made for his new outback to fit the lift kit in...

Cheers

Bennie

Why is changing the top hats such a problem?

well it isn't really a huge issue, my understanding is the springs need to be resat using a machine of some description? not 100% sure however which i imagine wouldn't be to expensive but if i'm getting a kit anyway why not save myself the trouble and maybe a few bob.

Are you're shockies new or second hand units? If they're second hand you should consider getting new springs. I had King Springs (the heavy duty ones that give you a 1" lift - well 'lift' in the sense that you don't get as much sag as with softer springs)... anyway, I rate the handling with the heavier springs. Standard springs, no sway bar = pooh handling on road (I like windy roads:twisted:). HD springs, no sway bar = much better . My new outback (1998) has the standard springs as I have not had time to change them over and i'm really missing the heavy duty springs. I do a lot of camping and a lot of white water kayaking/rafting over the winter so I regularly have 4 passengers + 5 to 6 kayaks on the roof racks + full boot of gear + a 6x4 box trailer with a raft, paddling and more camping gear... you get the idea...

BUT I think having the heavy duty springs installed WITHOUT weight in the car was one of the contributing factors to my crash which wrote the car off. bloody brilliant ride on twisty tarmac, hardly any body roll at all when just myself and a passenger + gear.

You don't need a machine to change the strut tops, you need spring compressors which look like this:

http://sea.stanleyasia.com/products/rac ... compressor



I got mine from autobarn (exact ones as above) for $50 and they are doing fine after 12+ uses. Don't get the cheapest you can find "because you'll only do it once" you'll just break 'em after the 3rd strut and then have to buy/hire more. You'll also need a #4 hex key (I think, it may have been a #5, not sure) and either one of those special sockets with a hole in it (who has those anyway???) or you can do what I did and get a 17mm socket and grind out flat sides nicely parallel into it so you can hold it with a shifter. My digital camera is busted but hopefully you can see it in your minds eye.

You will need the lift blocks to act as adapters for the rear only. Front bolt pattern is the same between g1 lib and g2 outback.

I have trailing arm mounts sitting in the garage... they took me a few months and a bit of cash to find, $75 plus post and their yours.

You planning on changing your wheel/tire set up?

Read this thread if you haven't already... not comprehensive and not everyone agreed in it but it will certainly give you some food for thought...

Good luck!

Owen.