I found the same when I went to link to the awning mount (which was solid, but overpriced, kit). Whatever it was, it was so bad he’s gone from social (Elise deleted her Instagram too). There’s a bunch of threads for 2019 in various forums about taking money and not sending product/answering phones/replying to emails. I never did any real business with him, but he was always generous with me as a friend and sponsor.
Funny…if you guys would like the full story about Josh and Bomber I may be able to dig it out a mere two houses down from where I sit now typing this. I’ve got a fairly new neighbor from Montana named Dunn who used to work with Josh at Bomber during the time it was burning to the ground. Small world…
Dunn has a very nice 4Runner with traction boards hanging off the the rear and all the other overlandaf goodies you’d expect to see on a 5th gen. Needless to say we quickly struck up a friendship around our shared hobby. Over beers one night he mentioned that he worked with an overland startup company before moving out here. I asked what they made. He said awning mounts and stuff…I asked, Bomber? Small world.
He seemed to have the same impression of Josh as you guys, but when describing what happened to Bomber didn’t seem very willing or capable of defending him. I didn’t pry, but it seemed to me that faults lie squarely in the lap of some personal issues Josh got into. I don’t know details beyond that, and like I said, I didn’t pry. I just remember thinking that night how small a world this industry and hobby is…
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I would be interested in knowing what happened, but we should keep any info on the front behind closed doors. It’s the right thing to do.
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I have a good friend here in Prescott that also worked for him, but would rather hear it from Josh than pry via third party.
True indeed about the industry, which is part of the reason I got out of it…the “politics” and rampant elitism were destroying my enjoyment of the hobby. I just want to tinker with cars, build stuff with wood/metal, and wander aimlessly until I find the next great firepit. If I occasionally get to write an article or shoot some photos that’s cool too. 
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I’ll be the first to admit I’m sometimes inspired into immediate action out of spite. It comes from a stubborn rebellious streak and repeatedly living through “the best vengeance is to rebuild, better.” This trait has always paid off in the long run, so I’ve done little to correct it. It’s too early to tell if that will be the case again this time around.
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Slammed: Introducing Sir Clax, second of his namesake…
The next morning I sat at my desk balancing out the previous night’s bourbon intake with with a steaming bowl of caffeine. The mouse moved on it’s own and I watched through a groggy haze as it placed an ISO ad for a rolling SG-chassis Forester in the local Subarus Anonymous FB group. By the time I was conscious enough to open Craigslist I already had a reply from a guy downtown with a 2004 XT (turbo). It was the usual story: 160k miles with a blown headgasket on a pristine no-accident chassis that’s spent it’s entire life on road. $1,200 included the motor on a stand, a super-low floor jack, and two huge bins full of rebuild parts (including upgraded heads). It was the highline trim too: black/dark-grey interior, factory subwoofer, and comfy bolstered heated seats. Perfect.
Well, mostly pristine. It was missing a few bumper clips and had a few easy-to-pull dings in the front fender. Oh, and the entire engine bay and undercarriage was slathered in grease because the headgasket blew violently on a summer day going 80MPH on a Phoenix highway. I don’t like manual transmissions off-road so I finished gutting the rest of the underbody and loaded up the pressure washer with degreaser.
I was about to start swapping over all of the good parts from the wrecked carcass when it hit me: why?
There’s nothing even remotely special about a naturally aspirated 2.5L Forester. They’re everywhere, dirt cheap, and will never be collectibles so there’s no sacrilege in perversion. The NAs are underpowered dogs, and I hated the idea of dealing with the headaches or costs of building a reliable 2.5 turbo motor. Dani had been tasked with finding her own new car and I was also about to leave for a year-long field assignment, so quickly “getting back to zero” was not the goal here. So I pulled the aftermarket goodies and parted out the rest of both chassis.
I was now the proud owner of a clean, stripped SG chassis on jackstands.
Present Day
The trained eye will immediately notice something fishy going on with the Subaru boxer sitting on that stand. 
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50% mo cylinders.
Also, I think the donor looked really nice, if not a bit low. Couldn’t you have just lifted that one?
That’s the plan. It’s still the same “new” (red/donor) chassis I’ve just sold the wheels, put a NA hood on for full sleeper effect, and pulled off the bumper temporarily for easier access.
O…M…G…wiiiiiiiiiidebody.
Spotted when reading up on H6 technical details. 
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To quote Tom Petty:
“Oh, my, my. Oh hell yes. You got to put on that party dress. Buy me a drink. Sing me a song. Take me as I come, 'cause I can’t stay long.”
That’s gorgeous. Yes, please.
Oh! I saw a Fozzy yesterday with a neat paint treatment. It was silver, but everything below the belt line (bumpers, over fenders, rockers) was dark charcoal—with a very tastefully applied, 1/8" neon green pin stripe separating the too.
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Nope, and nope. The Forester is the first casualty of the purge.
SG Fozzies look decent. Clean, boring…not really pretty or even remotely exciting without either going Mad Max (dirt) or doing a crap-ton of expensive bodywork (street). It makes for a good sleeper with the right goodies under the hood, it’s just so visually forgettable. This isn’t something I need or want out of a street car. (Not when I have a much easier and exciting Volvo 240 project waiting.)
As for softroad/offroad and photo shoot support, the plan for Something Blue changed recently—Dani no longer wants a car—and the Legacy Outback’s wider stance and longer wheelbase does a significantly better job in that role. It’s just so much more comfortable, handles great and drifts predictably, and has over a foot more space out…back for gear.
So, that’s it. It’ll get parted out, the unused goodies dropped back in the boxes and sent back to eBay, but I’m going to hang on to the motor as I have a couple other unrelated ideas for it…(Volvaru?)
If anyone’s curious or looking to do their own SG H6 swap (rare, but reasonable and well supported), here’s the loose plan I had for getting it swapped and pairing it with a “sporty” auto free of shift lag:
- Stripped 04+ SG Chassis (mostly stock interior, windows, lights, etc.)
- Legacy LL Bean EZ30D H6 engine
- 4EAT auto transmission with 4.44 final drive and VTD-style (45F/55R split) rear drive output (found in a few turbo Foresters, auto WRXs, and the auto Baja turbo)
- 4EAT fast-shift valve body
- R160 WRX rear diff with 4.44s and limited slip (R180 would be a more solid choice)
- WRX knuckles/hubs/brakes (5x100 stock bolt pattern)
- EZ30D ECM (2001-04 Legacy LL Bean)
- 4EAT TCM with SportShift programming (available from many years/models including Saab 9-2, but only two specific part numbers from a Baja plug right in)
- Baja SportShift shifter (physically fits a SG with no visible modifications, allows full 1st-4th access)
- Legacy GT paddle shifters, perhaps the whole steering wheel
- Instrument cluster from a 2005-06 Baja turbo with automatic (this is the only one with the combination of full selected-gear display, tachometer, and a size/shape that can be modified to work with some SG dashes)
- Merge wiring harnesses from a 2005-06 Baja and 2004 Legacy H6…supposedly plug and play
- Attach the Forester body wiring (plugs right in)
- H6 headers, custom exhaust because H6 Foz
- 2004 STI steering rack (static ratio 2.7 lock to lock, and fits without modification)
- HotBits +50mm coilover lift (dirt), or stock 2004 WRX take-offs for a 2" drop (street)
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That’s a very thorough build list. Would definitely make for a very nice scouting vehicle–but so any of your vehicles.
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