bendecker

Make a list of stuff you need. I'll keep my eyes open for parts. There may be a couple of gen1 brats being parted out in my area shortly (no promises - they aren't mine). My '81 welcomes you to the club!

5 years ago, I got a bit crazy with the speed on a dirt road with my un-lifted Legacy wagon. At the end of the trip, gas was drippping from a newly formed hole in the gas tank. JB Weld to the rescue! We let a ball of it cure right to the point where it was ready to set, and shoved it up into the hole. After it set, we cleaned around the patch really well and put on another coat. It's still holding to this day. Love that stuff.

If you'd like to see my brackets and some other tricks I've figured out, check out my album: 1981 Subaru Brat Restoration Tips and Tricks EDIT: I changed the above link to a different one that still shows the comments about exactly how I did things. Let me know if you have any questions.

As far as I know, the seats are the same for all years. The brackets are generally welded in, although I modified mine so I can take them out with 4 bolts. Your seat belts are not stock, but I would only change them if you want to really be a purist. They will likely work just fine. Great find. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with her.

I'm assuming longer shocks would be needed as well. Can you please confirm? Thanks! -Ben

That would be great. Part of my dream setup would be access to extra parts for the mods so I have the option to revert back to stock (although, realistically, the odds of that would be pretty slim).

Drooling... counting pennies... waiting to see where we sit after the holidays... and I want one SO badly!!! I hate to ask, but is there any way in heck you could help out with the steering and shift extensions? Spare parts from the junkyard are pretty much impossible to find in Southern California and my fabricating skills include just enough talent to screw up the first attempt. My '81 would be SO happy with a lift! -Ben

Apparently, I spent more than I needed. On the bright side, it's never going to fail again! Also, after searching on the part #, I found it for even less on http://www.dealerdirectparts.com -- Anyone ever used them?

The fuel pump in my 1996 Legacy wagon finally went out at the ripe old age of 225k miles. I opted for a dealer pump based on previous threads on USMB instead of an aftermarket. So, why the post? Pricing! The dealer only offers the whole assembly (not just the pump, unfortunately), but I can live with that. I called my local dealer and they wanted $509.00 plus tax. Compare and contrast: on 1stsubaruparts.com, it was $287 plus shipping -- a wee bit over $300.00 delivered. So... all I'm saying is DANG, that's a big difference! Assuming it's the right part, etc. I'm going to be doing a lot more parts buying over the Internet! On a side note, as per previous threads on USMB, it's better to replace your fuel pump early than have it die on the road (should have followed my own advice on this one!). -Ben

As the proud fellow owner of an '81, all I can say is SWEET!!! Mine's not a daily driver (far from it), but when it's out, it mainly sees dirt on our local desert trails. My kids love riding in the back. Someday, I will get that roll bar I keep talking about! Yours is serious eye candy!

Depending on how bad the dent is, you could take it to a chrome bumper restoration service. They'll straighten it out and re-chrome it. I had this done and it worked great. A word of caution, though. The place that originally did mine (many years ago) did not chrome the inside of the bumper (I believe that is standard in the industry, but don't know for sure). The inside rusted pretty badly over the years. When I had it re-chromed a second time, I painted the inside with SEM Rust Shield and so far it's held up great (there are a gazillion other products like Rust Shield -- choose your favorite). -Ben

Pictures, please!

Too bad you're not in the states. I have one sitting around collecting dust that will likely never see the back of my Brat again.

My '81 has AC and has two fans. One driven off the engine and a second on the passenger side that is electric and controlled via a thermostat. I don't know if there were two fans in non-ac versions. -Ben

Pictures, please!

A note on Herculiner (the only stuff I've used). I've seen countless threads on boards about how brutally rough it is. WELL... if you lightly hand sand it after you put it on to get rid of the really sharp particles, it's great! Highly recommended. -Ben

Update: I was just driving home today in it and realized how used to the noise I've gotten. In short, it's still growling along, but isn't showing any signs of dying yet. We even took it on a road trip to LA last week. -Ben

Like your site. Suprised I've never seen it before.

That's amazing. I have a '96 automatic (which I believe has the same engine as yours) and it's going strong at 215k miles. Looks like I have a standard to live up to now!

Way cool. So, I gotta ask -- what have you had to do to it over all those miles?

There is a company that makes adapters. I don't know anyone who's used them yet on a Subaru, but word on the 'Net is they are a very good company. The full thread with info on custom wheel sizes is here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=120619

I would assume it's also affected by simple supply and demand. As time goes on, more get parted out or scrapped. With fewer of them around, it drives prices up. In Southern California, an older Subaru is a very rare find, running or not. Didn't used to be that way.

For the dash, I have not done this process myself (I was lucky enough to get a dash cap from Coverlay before they stopped making them), but have always wanted to give it a try. It's a method of repairing a dash using bumper repair compound and spray-in bed liner: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/89/33/ -Ben

Good to know that autopartswarehouse still has a good supply of parts (though a bit more expensive than rockauto who is currently doing a bunch of "discontinued by wholesaler" specials). I also bought and mothballed a waterpump. My last one lasted about 100k miles and, at the rate I'm driving my Brat, when this one goes, they might not be available anymore. Cheap insurance

I just ordered a clutch cable for my 1981 Brat GL off of rockauto.com. They currently have several available. Of course, I'll feel a lot more confident once it gets here and I'm sure it truly is the right part, but they've been very reliable in the past On a side note, I don't even need one, but figured for $11.58 and knowing how hard they are to get, I'd mothball it until I do. -Ben