It's interesting to me, how old brake pads and hardware will somehow 'deform' over time to fit caked on dust and/or rust. Put new hardware and pads on, and even if to tolerance there can somehow be a problem.
Regardless, I'm going to try and get down to metal on the carrier bracket today and eliminate that as a potential source of the issue. If I still have problems, I'll try the old brake hardware. Beyond that point, I'll get a set of OEM pads on the way asap.
Does anyone know what the issue is here? When I search for front brake pad set for this car (2005 LGT LTD Sedan) I get multiple part numbers for different front brake kits. For example:
https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru_2005_Legacy/Disc-Brake-Pad-Set-Front/60015053/26296AG051.html
https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru_2005_Legacy/Disc-Brake-Pad-Set-Front/49235215/26296FG010.html