LS Swapped Lifted Subaru Impreza Hatchback | Here's What It Looks Like

Lifted 2009 Impreza Hatchback Modified For Offroad

This Subaru Is Massive and Is Getting A Chevy Motor Installed In It

Our friend Dusty was kind enough to give us the rundown on his LS swapped Subaru Impreza hatchback. The swap isn’t fully completed yet. But he’s laid out his process and progress up to this point. We can’t wait to see the finished product.

“My project car started out as my first purchased and fully paid off vehicle that was originally dropped 3”s on tuner wheels and tires. I drove it like this for about 3-4 years on the daily. Once I paid it off I decided I wasn’t getting enough attention so I wanted to change it up. I had been following @nifftymittens and @tomahulk along with many others. We shared ideas and progressed together along the way.”

Lower Beginnings Before The Lift Kit

First 2" Ebay Lift Kit

“This was my first lift which was a set of 2” strut spacers off of eBay. When the lifted Subaru’s I was friends with got taller I tried to stay ahead of the manufactured products going from 2” strut spacers to 09 forester struts on 2” strut spacers making it a 4” lifted Subaru. When the 4” lift came out from name brand manufacturers I decided to build a 3” front and rear 3” subframe drop kit and 6” strut top spacers on 09 forester struts.”

4" Inch Custom Lift Kit To Test The Limits Of The Subaru Platform

6" Inch Lift On The Impreza Before The LS Swap Began

“After @feildsdallas (Checkout Dallas on Instagram) made his blobeye wrx 8”s tall I wanted to do bigger. So started building a 12” lift to stay way on top of the lifted game. As I bought my 33” mud tires and finished the rear 9” subframe drop spacers and relocated the strut perches I started thinking about the life of the stock rear diff. As I thought on it I noticed that people were starting to run straight axles in the rear I wanted to swap to that idea because of reliability with my over-sized tires.”

“This was the 12” lift with the 9” rear subframe kit that is scrapped after finishing the rear.”

“This is the current state of the rear straight axle swap. The front straight axle was originally made to use Jeep coil springs and I’ve since converted it to leaf springs as well.”

Straight Axle Swap In Progress

Why The LS Swap In The Subaru?

“I went with the LS1 engine because of the numerous models of Chevy vehicles that came with them. Which made it easy to find one and start making mounts for it.

I went with the 4L60e Chevy z71 pickup truck transmission and transfer case to convert the car to 4×4 and to match the LS1 engine as it also came from a z71 Chevy truck.”

Current Progress Of The LS Swap

“I’ve also since painted the engine bay and parts of the engine to the specific colors I wanted.

Next step is to make leaf spring shackles and mounts for the front to mount the front straight axle. Then steering and then rebuild the engine.

It’s the first LS powered (straight axle swapped) stink eye Impreza ever that I know of.”

What's Next?

Dusty is continuing to work on getting this swap finished and buttoned up properly. We’ll continue to post updates as he makes progress. Check back with us regularly to stay up to date, and follow him on Instagram @project_trailassassin_ to say hi!

Thinking About Lifting Your Subaru?

Check out these helpful articles to decide if you want to move forward with a lift:

4 Things to Know Before Lifting Your Subaru

August 1, 2023

If you’re interested in lifting your Subaru, we think you’re onto something great! Subaru owners looking to get additional off-road utility out of their cars should certainly consider lifting for a much more capable vehicle. However, lifting any automobile above its intended ride height, whether with bigger tires, spacers or different suspension, will come with definite changes in the car’s performance — for better and worse.

off road subaru baja with a lift kit. Similar to outback.

Will Lifting My Car Void My Warranty?

August 15, 2022

You’re really enjoying your new Subaru Outback; the fuel economy is awesome, it’s comfortable, and it’s got enough room for all your stuff. But now you want to lift it just a bit so you can take it on even more adventures. You’ve no doubt wondered “is lifting my Subaru going to void my warranty?” The answer is yes and no. It depends on a few things and we’ll explore them each.

Can You Lift Your Subaru? Here’s 4 Ways To Get More Ground Clearance

July 27, 2019

Four Popular Ways To Lift A Subaru – Decide If It’s Right For You By Ben Boxer Ready to lift your Subaru for some offroad trail action? There’s four common ways to give your Subie some additional lift: bigger tires, strut spacers, lift springs, and longer suspension assemblies. We’ll explore these options for creating a little more clearance under your car and help you decide which is best for you. It’s important to recognize that you can use one of