Custom Big Brake Build ~ Lifted Subaru Impreza × Rot Wagon 

Tinker thank you

So after 7 months are the lines still holding up? I know that brake fluid is some nasty shit that eats thru a lot of materials

@@Pyromaniac2450 Great! Not an issue yet & still a solid pedal feel. I've done a few spanner checks on the system before trips & haven't had anything come loose. Only thing that could improve is maybe having sprayed some paint over the fittings that go along the rear subframe, because the salted winter roads have started to ugly them up a little.

What kind of wheels you are running?

Sure turned into a big job! Chopping out all the old stuff & running the new lines was just an afternoon job... but that rear disc swap was wicked! Took the better part of 2 days thanks to the infamous pair of Subaru b*tch-bolts ಠ_ಠ

Happy to help!

Thanks! I was just working on a turbo Forester in a junkyard recently that might make some contributions to the Rot Wagon project >:)

Thanks :) There's definitely an art to eating with grubby hands haha!

There are a few states here that are strict about modifications... thankfully Michigan isn't one of them!

Thanks! Was so happy to be rid of the crazy rusty stock stuff & build a system from scratch.

I did the same, using 15x8 wheels that had the standard mini-truck 5x4.5" pattern, but then I picked up a set of forged aluminum adapters to bolt to the 5x100 Subaru hub (1" thick gave me the stickout I wanted, but not necessary to be so thick).

Not much at all thankfully, & I was worried about that when I decided between -3AN vs -4AN. I have a little bit of take-up in the pedal before the master cylinder starts pushing fluid thanks to the master/booster swap, but I just need to adjust the pedal.

I was going for an Ace Ventura in the Rhino type of camera angle there: media.giphy.com/media/MyWS9zDhq9LIA/giphy.gif

Thanks! I love that thing, it's a been a real workhorse for me for years now.

Thanks, was pretty fun building a brake system kinda from scratch like this.

This was my test dummy before I do this to my D2 soon ;)

Thanks! Oh yeah it's a huge upgrade compared to the old single-piston fronts with drum rears. I'd like to change out the floating rear caliper for the non-floating style like the front (still single piston). Upgrading the tired 20 year old brakes on this thing was mandatory, in my opinion, especially with 5" taller tires now. Plus it was a really good experiment before doing a similar but larger upgrade by putting giant Range Rover Brembo's on my Land Rover project.

Tinker I think I like the idea of the abs delete also. Your set up now looks simple to problem solve. If you dont mind telling me how much $ do you have into the brake set up not including the rear disc swap and 4 pot front. Also you should think about a winch for the front... You can still get them stuck lol. I just got re-motivated after not driving my wagon for 1.5 years after blowing clutch and center diff. Bought a jdm trans and like 2k worth of goodies but could not find a lsd front diff and the trans would not go in till I was no longer open up front.

@@ashleygreen2738 It's mega simple to work on now! As far as money I can't say for sure since I had a lot of the parts laying around & was given several big parts. I'd be surprised if I had any more that $150 into it because of that. A winch is on the list, and actually I'm thinking of tying in the tube bumpers I'll build to hold one with a whole "exo cage" of tubing all around the car.

Yes & I think I will need one before I get more serious with trails, especially for the northern peninsula here in Michigan.

The trick, I find, is to try & carefully edit out most the busted knuckles & cursing at my own mistakes.

@@Tinker1837 haha no mate, I've seen your disco build. You're a genius

I did not, thankfully both the floating & fixed calipers in front use the same bolt pattern at the knuckle.

That's a "Powerbuilt All-In-One" 3 ton stand + bottle jack combo. They're really handy, bit heavy, but having everything all in one is really useful. Not to mention the big flat base is awesome when you're off pavement.

Oh & I totally forgot to mention they're only $30-$40!

Summit racing & the best course of action is matching the inner diameter size of the system that had the brakes you want to use. So if you're running AN with drums then match that vehicles original tube size, BUT if you're running AN with STI brakes then try & match it's original tube size. It gets more complicated when your doing something fully custom though.

Tinker thank you sir

Ebay or your local u-pull-it yards are a great resource. I just looked for any WRX from 2002 to 2007 (depending on your chassis) for the fronts, & if you're patient they can be had for as cheap as $50-75 each! They're a direct bolt-up in place of most the Subaru floating calipers, but the rear 2-pots are a different story. They cost more money, are more rare, & can require swapping a whole rear knuckle. BUT if you have a rear disc already then you can just pick up an adapter bracket that'll let you run the 2-pot rears 👍

Tinker oh awesome. I have a weird combo I’m the rear it’s like. Discs and drums lol unless it’s just discs idk lol I just got this car recently but thank you!!

Discs AND drums in the rear...? Different per side is not something I've run into before lol

Tinker no I think I just have disks lol i saw the e brake cylinder or whatever it is and thought it was a disk brake tensioner or whatever

@@Tinker1837 the drum is for the parking brake and its connected by cable

Yep :) One has developed a little shaft seal leak, but overall not bad for cheap junkyard parts. I thought for sure by now I'd have bent one bombing down trails or crawling up on stuff a Subaru wouldn't usually.

👍

Here is the video with all the detail on that ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5wcXyJJ-igM.html

A turbo at the very least!

Modify all the things! Haha!

@@Tinker1837 you know, I used to work for Ford and Peugeot Citroën here at my country (Argentina), never found anybody with knowledge enough to perform something like this. Those people often called "Engineers" (they actually are) for others outside the organization never think that they only have the ability to click here and there and open meetings and Excel sheets. Moreover, they often learn from people like you, watching videos and googling for common problems and solutions people find and they present a design change as if it was their own ideas. No sense has talking about the union and overall in a country like this where Ford ables operator to put their feet on the instrument panel at their free time, sleeping and smoking inside vehicles and directors telling nothing. Congrats, you're more engineer than hundreds!

And I told you "I used to work for Ford" 'cause I was made redundant a couple of months ago 'cause Focus stopped production but over any other situation, I like working and seeing what I'm doing, thinking and progressing but they expect to have people behind monitors and nosense meetings. Jajaja, let me know if you need some help!!! Un abrazo desde Argentina

It helps so much to have hands-on experience!

@@Tinker1837 Right, that's the point!!!

All the detail you could possibly want is in the build thread in the description

It was a pain! But it was my fault for trying it solo + trying check valve bleeder valves. Nah the larger master & booster was to match the larger calipers.

@@Tinker1837 I did the same thing you did and but I don't have any pedal.... I'm waiting on parts for a 1 1/16th master cylinder and a bigger booster off a 03 legacy outback.... We shall see.... Love the build by the way

Absolutely! Super trashed rusty lines were the reason I started all this rebuild on mine. The adjustable valve was a must for me since I went from 1-piston fronts to 4-piston fronts & drum rears to 1-piston rears. Had to have a way to balance the brake force. Oh they hold up great, 3000psi with that hose!

Just make very sure the transmission gear ratio and rear diff ratio match exactly or things will get ugly D:

@@Tinker1837 Impreza 2.2 automatic 1st- 2.785 2nd- 1.545 3rd- 1.000 4th- 0.694 Reverse- 2.272 Final drive ratio- 4:11 Wrx 2.0 automatic transmission 1st- 2.785 2nd- 1.545 3rd- 1.000 4th- 0.684 Reverse- 2.272 Final drive ratio-4:11 Does that look right? forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181343

Yep! All that you need to worry about are those final drive ratios match, and you have 4.11 with both 👍

@@Tinker1837 omg thanks dude!!!

@@Tinker1837 part 2 of the rear disc swap question . I have the rear hubs from a 05 wrx auto wagon do I really need to swap the rear differential with the hubs? To fit in the 98 wagon?

Those are 235 75 R15 tires (29.5") on 15x8" steel truck wheels that I mounted using a set of 1" spacers that convert from the Subaru's 5x100mm lugs to American style 5x4.5" lugs (partly for access to much easier/cheaper tires & wheels + to clear the big brakes).

@@Tinker1837 ok so how are the spacers holding up? What brand did you use I've always heard to stay away from spacers

@@totalmayhemleather4030 Great so far, but I spent a few extra on a forged set. Definitely have to be careful with them! A cheap set can break right off at the worst times, especially off road.

@@Tinker1837 ok thanks man

Nope, but I plan to remedy that.

Yes, but I prefer without for offroad.

Summit Racing, it's all Aeroquip teflon lined.

Summit is where I got my adjustable port valve. I didn’t know you could run all braided brake hose instead of hard line.

@@michaelhite1433 Yep, it's common in rally cars, trophy trucks, or any off road race vehicle that needs to be able to take bumps & bruises without fracturing a hard line. Just have to be careful you get the hose size right so that your brakes aren't squishy.

Tinker what size are you planning on putting on your D2?

@@michaelhite1433 I think -4AN should do the trick. I want to get a set of used big brakes from a Range Rover, since they're Brembo 6-pot front + 4-pot rears, & they're second hand so they're not expensive. I don't think they'll need more than -4 but I have to confirm the stock line size first.

Yep! They're part of the SJR lift-kit.

So the body spacers are 4" as well, I've got forester struts and have been told over and over that if I got 4" all around (body blocks & strut spacers) that it would be extremely rough on the cv axles. Have you had any trouble?

Sort of... the trick is to taper the subframe lift blocks & to correct the camber+caster with the strut tops (most the kit's not actually straight 4" spacers). Avoiding issues with the CV's was the reason I decided to get the SJR lift kit, not to mention helping out a guy running a small business. Only CV issue I had was with a few boots tearing, but I bought all my CV's from salvage yards so you never really know what to expect since the price is so low.

@@Tinker1837 I would love to get a lift from sjr but for some reason the site is down, and the only other lift I can find has 2" strut top spacers and 4" subframe spacers. Your ride is dreamy I'm jelly

Oh yeah it is... weird! They even have a monster 6" lift, & he's doing some cool stuff with casting aluminum to save weight versus steel lift spacers, so here's hoping it comes back before too long.

Welcome!

I got a whole set of rear knuckles + calipers + rotors from a later model Impreza. It was relatively easy, other than that huge lateral-link bolt that ALWAYS gets stuck... that was a pain :(

Tinker sweet im gonna try this some time on my impreza, mines a wagon L awd 5 speed with the 1.8, anything really different between the outback and the wagon or just the name and interior bits?

@@thatonecouple8291 Not much different other than like you said with the trim pieces. Your car could be a good candidate for a cheap turbo like my 2.2 is, from what I hear they take nicely to boost. It's funny how brakes can let you drive so much faster, just having the trust in bigger brakes allows you to push SO much harder offroad :D

Oh yeah! Ready for almost anything haha :D

It was working & I removed it for the new system.

Tinker put it. Back I wanna see how it works please

@@lilpeppa117G No thanks. Other than upgrading the rear calipers to dual-piston, & maybe adding a handbrake, the braking system is complete.

They're good fun to upgrade, so much aftermarket & so many parts that fit from other Subarus!

@@Tinker1837 what other then the Forester Springs did you use to left you car ? I want the same set up I have the springs am ordering the spacer

@@wwardiv I've also installed a 4" lift kit (big blocks that drop the subframes & strut tops) from SJR, then the 29" tires on truck wheels with adapter spacers.

@@Tinker1837 thanks

@@wwardiv No problem, & I should have a video on that lift kit before too long. Sadly I lost a bunch of footage on the install but I'm working on refilming a load of it. Hopefully I can mix it in with some fun trail runs :)

I don't always show every boring little detail in the videos ;)

Wrenching fuel haha! 🍺🍕

ABS is terrible off-road, especially in snow/ice.