edrach

Found this on the ezboard for ORG comments: Yes the awards banquet is comming for Rallycross Awards on the 19th with the rest of the SCCA group. It should be a great night. Of course none of us Rallycrossers know if or how we placed so it may be a little bit of a void in the "presentation'' when our names are called and none of us knew or knew in advance enough to make plans and get the RSVP tickets for the "Gala" event. Oh well, perhaps the awards were never ordered like the last and only banquet I went to in 2002 so it doesn't matter any way.I would like to have gone to just enjoy the evening with friends and other drivers that do care but since WE are not stepping up to run things, it may be best to just let it die....... I haven't seen anything else on the "official" website as yet.

Count me in; can you add me to your list for a permit? Thanks.

You have a choice for which flywheel to use with the 5spd conversion. Either the original 4 speed flywheel with a 5 speed clutchdisk (spline count is different on the 5 speed d/r) or go with the 5 speed flywheel. There's another issue with the clutch disk; check with bratsrus1 for details. Depends on whether you want a lighter flywheel (4 spd original) which will rev quicker or the heavier 5 spd version which will offer better low end torque. I know bratsrus1 prefers the 4 spd flywheel and I have the 5 spd flywheel. With the 5 spd flywheel, the mounting holes to the crank are slightly larger; not a problem really since the flywheel will align itself slightly the first time you step on it. But anal soul that I am I wanted to find a bushing that would take up some of the potential play. After searching I finally found a solution at the local McLendon's hardware. They have a selection of 1 foot tubing in brass. I found a piece of brass tubing 13/32" outside diameter which fits perfectly into the flywheel mounting holes; inside diameter still clears the mounting bolt. I just need to cut it into 8 pieces about 1/2" long for the spacers I need. Update: Dremel tool cut the brass tubing perfectly. Couldn't cut it with a tubing cutter, brass is too soft to cut that way.

Another issue with the 5 speed conversion is the hanger for the exhaust has changed location slightly. Don't just leave it hanging in the center since this produces a resonance at 2800 rpm that is quite annoying (trust me, I've been there). Fab up a support for the center of the exhaust line that matches the original as much as possible.

Depends on the driveline shop. One piece driveline should cost less than $200. Check with bratsrus1 for a quality shop that has already made a few for the 4spd to 5spd conversion in the Brat.

Chris, thanks for posting. It was cool to meet someone else from the USMB out for a day of rallyx.

Rear height adjustment is not done with the shock, but with the torsion bar adjustment under the car (at least that's the case with my '84 Brat; I suspect it's the same for the '85 wagon).

Having just re-ordered filters for my '91 Legacy and '97 Impreza, I just got 6 from www.1stsubaruparts.com for $4.50 each plus tax and shipping. I always try to order filters along with other parts to defray the $5 cost for shipping. Part number for my cars is 15208AA060; order the drain plug gasket also (p/n 11126AA000) for 31 cents each.

I'll bet you a beer it's a bad ground/connection and worse on one side. Try plugging in another sealed beam to check; I may have one here at my house that you could try.

84 Brat is most likely a EA81 engine without a timing belt. However it would be wise to check the compression and see if the timing is at least close (rotor pointing at #1 plug wire every 2nd revolution at Top Dead Center on the flywheel). Compression check is good too.

The question you need to answer is "are my headlights dim because they are old or dim because the wiring/connections/grounds are bad." If the latter is true, these upgrades won't help you much; as a matter of fact, drawing more current for the higher power bulbs might make the connection problems worse. These headlamps can be a great improvement if you also rewire the headlights to run off a fused connection directly from the battery via relays to carry the extra load.

I'll be staying at the Day's Inn just off exit 306B on Saturday evening; hoping to get in by 6pm.

Try Jason at www.1stsubaruparts.com.

You've got my PM.

Go with CCR; we put one in our son's brat 8 years ago. It went in without any trouble and is still running strong. They also make shipping of the core return easy (if they are still taking cores).

That's definitely cool. My neighbor across the street has the same equipment and was out there last weekend with it and a chain attached to the front of his Nissan. Turns out his wife had rear-ended someone and he was using the rig to straight the front bumper support! Creative body work! Gotta love that.

I'm not sure what the wattage rating on of the Sylvania bulbs is, but normally more light means more current. I installed a wiring harness/relay set on my Legacy and Impreza and use 55W/100W lamps for a significant improvement. Here's a copy of an old thread I posted a while back: I would recommend Competition Limited. They carry a complete line of headlamp harnesses and selection of bulbs for them. I don't have a website, but ask for Gene Henderson; he's been in this business a long time and knows his products well. I took a look on the website and couldn't find the non-HID headlight harnesses and I called and asked and he said he still carries them. He needs to know make, year, and model of car as well as bulb type. Give him a call if you can't find the info either. Competition Limited 2243 Sosna Drive, Pinckney MI 48169 (734) 878-5553 www.hioutputbulbs.com Sadly, Gene died a year ago, but the new owner is still supplying harnesses and bulbs. I'm not sure that the 'phone number goes to the new owner or not, but the link certainly does. Use the link since the address and 'phone # above is no longer current.

This showed up in today's Times; it might be of interest here. U.S. Forest Service Will Impose Standards for Off-Road Vehicles By FELICITY BARRINGER WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 - The United States Forest Service announced Wednesday that it would begin a nationwide process of designating which trails are suitable for use by off-road vehicles, a move intended to limit damage to national forests. Until now, the nation's 155 designated forests and 20 grasslands have not had uniform policies for off-road vehicles. Some Western forests gave them virtually unlimited access; others, like the Chattahoochee-Oconee forest in Georgia, provided designated trails. Under the final regulations announced Wednesday by the Forest Service chief, Dale Bosworth, designated trails will be the rule everywhere. Individual forest supervisors will decide which trails are available to the vehicles, whether free-form trails created in recent months or years by riders going cross-country should be included, and whether vehicles and their riders will be allowed to stray off into open country under limited circumstances. Mr. Bosworth said in a conference call that he hoped the plans would be completed in four years. Environmental advocates gave lukewarm praise to the decision to enforce standards to keep the vehicles on trails but criticized the lack of firm legal deadlines and of local forest supervisors' ability to include what the environmentalists call "renegade trails," paths carved willy-nilly by all-terrain vehicle users. Sales of all-terrain vehicles have risen tenfold, to 51 million, since 1972, said Jack Troyer, a regional forester. In that period, the vehicles have become a source of conflict on public lands. They provide their users access to beautiful, remote country and an adrenaline rush. In the eyes of their detractors, they inflict a combination of noise and industrial odors, and deep scars into quiet, unspoiled landscapes. "Some of these routes have evolved over the years, have been enjoyed by the public, don't do damage and are good routes," Mr. Troyer said. "It's our expectation that some of the user-created routes" will become part of the approved system of trails for motorized recreation. But Jim Furnish, a former Forest Service employee who is now a consultant to the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition, which seeks tighter restrictions on motorized recreation, said he worked for the service for 35 years and saw motorized recreation "on public land go from nonexistence to running amok." Mr. Furnish said the new regulations were inadequate. "This is a runaway fire," he said. "They needed a three-alarm response with engines. They're throwing a bucket of water on a raging inferno." At the Idaho office of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a group of all-terrain vehicle users, the founder, Clark Collins, said he welcomed the new rules. "We feel pretty good about the final product," he said. "In fact we've worked cooperatively with the chief and his staff throughout this process."

Well, that should eliminate the dredded water truck. See you there Craig.

My guage came with the hardware and included two T-fittings and the sensor went into the center of the "T". Compression fittings for the other two legs matched the steel tubing running to the front cooler. The idea was to cut the tubing at a convenient spot and install the "T" and the sensor. Then all that was left was the wiring up to the guage. I wasn't too keen on cutting the tubing in case I didn't like the results, so I installed it with rubber ATF hose in the front and short sections of copper tubing for the compression fittings. That complicated things a bit on the install and since I'm pleased with the result, I'll be re-installing it the "right" way this spring.

Looks like you've got it covered, but I think there's a '78 wagon waiting in the holding area at Pull a Part. Which wheel? Front or rear, just in case they are different.

Least expensive source is the wrecking yard. Since it's an '83 it should be a non-hydraulic lifter head. Good luck with it.

No, I didn't; I'm being too picky with the 5 speed flywheel. It'll be on the road this month (Nov.).

I cheated; disconnected one line at the cooler and had my wife start the car and put it in neutral; pretty obvious which is which, expecially if the line starts pumping fluid out (put a drain pan underneath it just in case). In this case the inlet/outlet tubes run vertically instead of horizontally for the engine coolent.

Just to correct my earlier post: I bought a gauge and sensor at the local B&B Auto Parts store (local to the Seattle area only I think), but it was manufactured by B&M Racing & Performance Products LLC, Chatsworth CA 91311 (www.bmracing.com). It was a model #80212. Pretty basic gauge with hardware, fittings, wire (not really enough if you want to completely wire it in with internal lighting and such. It comes with two T-fittings (5/16" and 3/8") for the two most common steel outlet lines. I paid $59.95 plus tax for it. (Sometimes it pays to never erase your old emails; I cut and pasted this from the Toyotamotorhomes site that I frequent)