how good a donor would this one be?

[riptide motorsport]

My good friends son has a decent shape 100,000 mile 98 outback I can basically have for cheap money. how good a donor would this make? thanks Steven

[Ks2]

98 had the 2.5l sohc if i am not mistaken, it is prone to headgasket problems around 100k, but switch to a decent headgasket when it goes and you have a good motor, a friends has 240k on the clock and it still works great

[StatGSR]

^ actually it has the EJ25D DOHC engine, but everything else you said was right on. Its not a great engine if you plan on making any extra power out of it, but its fine as is.

IMO i wouldn't be trying to get a donor until we know everything that is going to end up being used in the 818, but it seams like its just me.

if you have plans of using the outback until we know then i would go for it anyway. you can always resell it down the road.

[Ks2]

whoops my bad, yes the 2.2l was the SOHC, the 2.5l makes about the same horsepower and torque as the N/A impreza engines and shouldnt have any issues fitting in, but it is everything else you need from the donor that may or may not fit from the outback

for a decent daily driver they are not bad at all though... with 100k around here they still sell for over 5 grand, since with care they will last nearly forever

[Gollum]

Nothing "wrong" with that donor at all. If it's cheap and that's your goal then I'd go for it.

[riptide motorsport]

would the mechanicals at the corners be useable? ............thanks steven

[crackedcornish]

would the mechanicals at the corners be useable? ............thanks steven

yeah, I thought there were track width differences between the wagons and coupes/sedans...with the coupes/sedans being a bit wider.

in my area there seems to be an abundance of the wagons, but very few coupes or sedans for sale at anything approaching a reasonable price

[PhyrraM]

ONLY the '02-'07 Impreza/WRX sedans are wider. Same year Impreza/WRX wagons are narrow, as are ALL (sedan/wagon/coupe) '01 and older Imprezas.

If the 818 kit will eventually work with a '02-'07 WRX WAGON then that Outback will be a proper donor. It has a cable throttle like an '02-'05 WRX. It has a hydraulic cluch, like all WRX/STIs. The transmission and cluch are a slightly older design, but still the same size/profile/mounting. The steering column will have the same mounting, as will the pedals.

[crackedcornish]

ONLY the '02-'07 Impreza/WRX sedans are wider. Same year Impreza/WRX wagons are narrow, as are ALL (sedan/wagon/coupe) '01 and older Imprezas.

If the 818 kit will eventually work with a '02-'07 WRX WAGON then that Outback will be a proper donor. It has a cable throttle like an '02-'05 WRX. It has a hydraulic cluch, like all WRX/STIs. The transmission and cluch are a slightly older design, but still the same size/profile/mounting. The steering column will have the same mounting, as will the pedals.

the chassis from FFR is said to be based on the '02-'07 WRX sedan though, so I assume you will need to use stuff from the wider sedans to complete a chassis...no?

Edit: or would it just be a matter of swapping in wider axles from a sedan if a wagon was used as the donor vehicle. Was other stuff the same width between wagons and sedans, such as the dashboard and the windshield?

Guess it is best to wait and see what the final parts list will be from FFR before buying a wreck to steal parts from.

[BrandonDrums]

ONLY the '02-'07 Impreza/WRX sedans are wider. Same year Impreza/WRX wagons are narrow, as are ALL (sedan/wagon/coupe) '01 and older Imprezas.

If the 818 kit will eventually work with a '02-'07 WRX WAGON then that Outback will be a proper donor. It has a cable throttle like an '02-'05 WRX. It has a hydraulic cluch, like all WRX/STIs. The transmission and cluch are a slightly older design, but still the same size/profile/mounting. The steering column will have the same mounting, as will the pedals.

The outback is legacy based, doesn't it have a slightly different rear multi-link setup that might not be compatible with WRX mounting points? You're the guru so I'm sure you thought of this, I just though there would be some more differences than just track width.

Also, I doubt that wagon vs. sedan will be that much of an issue. Mounting points between the two will be identical, I just think there will be a different wheel offset required to get the right track if using wagon parts. Right?

[crackedcornish]

after going back to the FFR homepage I found this:

Let me talk about the running gear. Factory Five is famous for our strong and light chassis. In this case, we have designed a space-frame consistent with our tradition. Owing to the fact that this is a "World" car, (which means we intend to export this car, and it will be built in both the U.S. and around the world), the running gear HAD to come from a vehicle that is available around the world. We decided to use parts from the Subaru Impreza/WRX product line, wagon and sedan, model years 2002-2007. Some parts from earlier year cars will work but not enough to be true single donor.

seems I will be able to use the wagon parts which seem to be more accessible (at reasonable prices) in my area

[PhyrraM]

As far as Legacies and FFRs chosen chassis line:

The original '89-'94 Legacy is the first car on the chassis line. It should be a proper donor, but there will likely be small issues to deal with.

The '95-'99 second generation Legacy is a slightly upgraded version of the same corporate chassis. Most of the upgrades do not have much to do with parts FFR will use. (strut design, top hats, etc). The first Outback is on this Legacy, it uses longer struts and spacers under the subframes for lift. The 2nd gen Legacies are the closest to matching the details of the WRX and should make easy donors.

The '00-'04 3rd generation Legacy (second gen Outback) introduces the multilink rear suspension. The front suspension is basically the same as before. Because FFR appears to be using the stock rear hub/knuckle assembly the multi-link rear suspension cars will not have the proper rear hub/knuckle. All other parts will likely be usable on these 3rd gen cars if you source the proper rear assembly apart from the donor.

'05+ Legacies and Outbacks are a brand new animal. Other than piecemeal engine/drivetrain choices, the suspension stuff is likely going to be a no-go.

[riptide motorsport]

Ok , now I'm just plain confused! Sounds like mine is a gen 2 which is a good thing, correct? Thanks steven

[PhyrraM]

Ok , now I'm just plain confused! Sounds like mine is a gen 2 which is a good thing, correct? Thanks steven

Yes, a '95-'99 Legacy or Outback should make the second best donor outside of the FFR stated '02-'07 Impreza sedans.

My only concern with any of this is that FFR hasn't stated if or how they intend to deal with the 'widetrack'/'narrow track' issue.

[adesilva]

So according to Factory Five the ideal donor would be a 2002-2005 WRX?

I took a look on their website but I did not see a year range.

I can not wait till they give more information on parts needed off a donor so that I could start looking for one and stripping off what I need.

I also saw word here that their was a 818 wiki which was being created with all the current info we have, have it been made yet? I wasn't able to find it.

[crackedcornish]

So according to Factory Five the ideal donor would be a 2002-2005 WRX?

I took a look on their website but I did not see a year range.

I can not wait till they give more information on parts needed off a donor so that I could start looking for one and stripping off what I need.

I also saw word here that their was a 818 wiki which was being created with all the current info we have, have it been made yet? I wasn't able to find it.

read what i posted (and highlighted in red) above, that is an excerpt from "The Theory of the 818 by Jim Schenck, Director of R&D" on FFR's website.... it states 2002-2007 WRX
http://www.factoryfive.com/whatsnew/.../818intro.html

[bromikl]

ONLY the '02-'07 Impreza/WRX sedans are wider. Same year Impreza/WRX wagons are narrow, as are ALL (sedan/wagon/coupe) '01 and older Imprezas.

If the 818 kit will eventually work with a '02-'07 WRX WAGON then that Outback will be a proper donor. It has a cable throttle like an '02-'05 WRX. It has a hydraulic cluch, like all WRX/STIs. The transmission and cluch are a slightly older design, but still the same size/profile/mounting. The steering column will have the same mounting, as will the pedals.

I picked up a 2002 "Outback Legacy" (wagon) yesterday for around 4K. Does that mean I accidentally bought a potential donor?

[StatGSR]

I picked up a 2002 "Outback Legacy" (wagon) yesterday for around 4K. Does that mean I accidentally bought a potential donor?

no it means you bought the one with the wrong rear suspension that wont work for the 818. Doesn't mean other bits couldn't be donated from it though.

[adesilva]

read what i posted (and highlighted in red) above, that is an excerpt from "The Theory of the 818 by Jim Schenck, Director of R&D" on FFR's website.... it states 2002-2007 WRX
http://www.factoryfive.com/whatsnew/.../818intro.html

My apologies I have no idea how I may have missed that lol

[bromikl]

no it means you bought the one with the wrong rear suspension that wont work for the 818. Doesn't mean other bits couldn't be donated from it though.

No biggie. I wasn't planning to take this one apart, anyway. The body is in too good of condition.

BTW, what do you mean by suspension? I was planning to upgrade to adjustable shocks when I build my 818.

[StatGSR]

BTW, what do you mean by suspension? I was planning to upgrade to adjustable shocks when I build my 818.

See....

The '00-'04 3rd generation Legacy (second gen Outback) introduces the multilink rear suspension. The front suspension is basically the same as before. Because FFR appears to be using the stock rear hub/knuckle assembly the multi-link rear suspension cars will not have the proper rear hub/knuckle. All other parts will likely be usable on these 3rd gen cars if you source the proper rear assembly apart from the donor.

the shocks/struts from the donor will not be used no matter what the donor is.