Ever Victorious

I know GD would do it for a few bucks, but I'm not headed that way for QUITE some time. Anyone in Seattle got the equipment and desire to blast some wheels bare for me?

I helped a friend install that same sub in the trunk of his sedan (he wanted a minimum of space taken up, and not to pay huge $$). For the price and size, it's a fabulous unit, especially since it is self-powered. The amp that's there are for ettev's main speakers, not the sub.

Quite an interesting look. Maybe even a hair TOO low. But yes, how was it done?

Quite the opposite for me. I hate carbs with a passion, always have. I have no patience for finicky equipment that goes out of tune for no reason other than you looked at it funny. Hell, I'd GIVE someone my EA81 with Weber if they'd EJ my BRAT for me.

Have you ever considered that you might just be too hard on the cars, and that's why they betray you? Et tu, Brute? In all seriousness, however... this is the risk you run when you play with old, cheap cars. You can get an idea of what kind of condition they're in, but you never fully know until you start driving them for a while. There was a point in my life (About when I turned 23) that I decided being able to turn on my car and not worry about it was more important than having money in my wallet (or, at least, the illusion... since said money was invariably going to fix my car) so at that point I started buying new or at the most slightly used cars as my daily driver. Yes, I love playing around with the BRAT... that being the key. It's a play car. I have another car to get me around without having to worry or think about it.

Dangit, looks like I'm working that weekend...

Just curious if anyone has sent one of these dead Digi-dashes to Dakota Digital to see what they have to say about it.

Not exactly, as his Loyale and your friend's BRAT do not share common mounting points either. But adapting other seats to fit your (insert model here) isn't always a difficult chore. If you have access to a pull-a-part yard (or similar equivalent), do this: Take the seat rails off the underside of your Loyale. Measure two distances on the underside of the seat: 1) Distance, front to back, between the centers of the holes for rail mount on ONE side of the seat (either left or right). 2) Distance, side to side, between the centers of the holes for rail mount on either the FRONT or REAR of the seat. Pay special attention to this measurement. When you go to the junkyard and find a seat you think you might like, unbolt it and take the rails off of it. Take the same measurements. If #1 is a little off, it's not a big deal, quite easy to correct with a drill or dremel. If #2 is off, it can be a pain to correct (requiring cutting/welding and/or custom mounting blocks). So try to find a seat where the side-to-side measurement is the same. Read the following thread for an idea of what I'm talking about. Though this was done on my BRAT, the principals apply to a Loyale, they just require finding different seats where the side-to-side measurement is a better fit. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=100276&highlight=brat+protege+seat

Speaker wire is just two wires running next to each other, separated by sheathing, like lamp wire. MOST lamp wire is thicker than 16ga (ridiculously thick for the application). In my experience, lamp wire's sheathing is less flexible and becomes brittle quicker. Probably not the best for automotive applications, especially when you can pick up a spool of decent speaker wire from Best Buy or Radio Shack for just a few bucks.

Have you looked for slim-box sub enclosures? I'm fairly certain one of my local stores carries one that fits a 10" sub that will go behind the seats (at least in my Gen2). FWIW, before I made my behind-the-console box for my 4" speakers, I was looking to find someone who would make a fiberglass mount to put them up on the B-pillars near the roof. Even something like that would have possibly freed enough space that I could have put a standard sized sub somewhere.

As I mentioned, Kenwood used to make one... it was called the KSC-SW1. It has been replaced with the KSC-SW10, which is a pair of 5x7" woofers. I don't know of any other 10" models, nor see any on either Crutchfield or Amazon.

Replied to your PM.

Speaker wire: no thicker than 16ga unless you're running an amp for the speakers. Guessing not, since space is at a premium in the BRAT. Sub: You can place it wherever you want. I don;t know of any place in the dash large enough to hide a sub. And be aware that you're not just mounting the sub, but an enclosure box FOR the sub as well. Alternative Sub plan: http://www.amazon.com/Boss-BASS600-Profile-Amplified-Subwoofer/dp/B000OSZA44/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246142300&sr=8-5 or http://www.amazon.com/JVC-CSBB2-6-Subwoofer/dp/B000EYB6DC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1246142316&sr=1-1 or something similar, hidden under the passenger seat or on the cab wall. I've done something similar in 2 other cars so far and they give decent bass...not as much as a dedicated 10" sub, but they require little or no modification and very little space.

Well, happy b-day Zap!

Congrats Shawn!

West Coast Auto Glass in Edmonds is mobile, and did a fantastic job on my Kia. But they're probably not the cheapest, either. Good quality though.

If it were me, I'd check to see if a glass place can do it. I wouldn't go to the expense of doing it with OEM-grade glass (unless you spend the time to get it off a parts car). But after watching a pro work on two of my cars and then trying to do it myself, I'd have to say that really there's no seal like having a pro do it. Also, check with used car lots to see if they'll give you a guy who will do it cheap. O'Neill's Wheels in Everett was going to refer me to a guy who did windshields for $145. I only didn't take him up on it because it was for a nearly new car where I had a deductible of $200, which got me OEM grade glass.

After looking at a couple sites for rebuild kits, it appears that 80-82 non-turbo, 83-89 non-turbo, and 83-84 turbo all have different part numbers.

Oh yeah, and when you screw the top to the sides, screw it in through the TOPS of the sides, not the side of the sides... so your overall width is still 7". It's a tight fit with my Mazda seats in there, but also quite perfect once all is said and done.

Welcome... we've always got a supply of parts here and there. Best way to get them will be to cruise the parts for sale section, and post an ad in the parts wanted section with what specifcally you are looking for.

GD - With a full size (and I am referring to 185/70/13 tire, not a 2WD tire) tire I was having clearance issues between the back of the carb/throttle/air cleaner and the angle at which the tire needs to be inserted/removed in order to clear the body lip. T-spare fits just fine. It's a LITTLE smaller in overall radius, but it's also a good couple inches narrower, which solves the whole problem all at once. The one I got was off of a '93 Loyale and looked like it had never been put on, it was in FANTASTIC condition. Tom - I'll have to check that, but car audio is almost universally one resistance rating (4 ohm IIRC). Manufacturers tend to rate their equiment in peak power, not RMS. Two brands can have the same peak power, but depending on the construction of the actual part, the RMS ratings (the only rating of power that ACTUALLY matters) can be quite different. It's ok, I went and listened to new speakers at a shop today. Pioneer makes a good 6X9, as does Alpine, and they're quite compatible with each othe. As for the box itself, it's made of 1/2" MDF. The top piece is 10" long, and 7" wide. It is screwed onto the sides, which are 10" long and 4.75" tall. Then as far as the front/back go...only the BACK has a piece, which is 4.75" tall and 6" wide. It's covered in generic Schucks taupe carpeting, which is glued down with multi-purpose adhesive/sealer. Cutting and folding took almost as much time as making the box itself. It's important that the BACK be the lateral support for the box for two reasons. 1) the transmission tunnel slopes down slightly, so it will be level if you do it this way and 2) the ash tray on the back of the console will interfere with installation if you put a piece of wood in the front. Note that this space is ONLY large enough for 4" speakers if you use this configuration. Edit: Correction, the back piece may be 5.25" tall, as it is screwed into all 3 other pieces, and flush with all respective tops/bottoms.

I've dealt with the combination of two of the above words in two combinations today. First, Webers and spares. Obviously, with the Weber in place, I've been unable to put a full-size spare in the BRAT. But this is a lesson/warning to those of you with them. If you don't have a spare tire, GRAB A T-SPARE FROM A LOYALE! This is why: I'm thankful that this happened over the course of a few days while my BRAT was sitting in the garage at home. Yes, that is one of my BRAND NEW tires, flat as a pancake. And since I had nothin I could throw on it to drive it back to the tire store, I had to run to PaP real quick today and grab the t-spare out of one of the Loyales there. As a side note, if you paint your rims, file down the paint inside the valve stem hole. Apparently there was a ridge of paint there and the valve stem didn't seal completely, creating a slow leak. Now, of BRATs and speakers... I now have 4 installed, finally getting a chance to use a pair of Pioneer 4" speakers that I bought new over a year ago for another project, that just sat on my shelf for the whole time. I started by building a box to go between my low-rise console and the cab wall... and then installed the speakers and let it rip! I now have a new problem: The off-brand 6x9's in my other enclosures are so weak compared to these Pioneers that I'm now going to have to tear apart those enclosures and put REAL speakers in... so the 4" ones don't overdrive the big boys!

Great find, GD!

Mmm... weber... My BRAT has a Weber, love how it drives! Well except, how the throttle spring is now ungodly stiff.