bendecker

BTW, the best thing I've found for pounding out the little dents in the metal pieces is a horse shoe! I use the side of the very top part of the "U", which I ground to a nice smooth surface and a really small tack hammer. Just put the metal down on a fairly hard and thick rubber sheet (I used our front door mat), put the side of the horse shoe into the metal and then hit the other side of the "U" on the shoe. Most importantly -- take your time! Many small taps while moving the shoe around makes the dents come out easily and smoothly. After the dents were out to my liking, I sanded lightly too get rid of the scratches and used progressively finer sand paper. Finally, I used a very fine steel wool with WD-40 on it to finish things off. Someday, I might get them fully polished, but this is not a show car and they look great compared to the dented mess I had before.

After searching high and low for an OEM replacement, I tried some U-channel rubber from McMaster Carr. Works pretty well. The only problem with it is the bottom of the "U" is too thick -- nothing a really sharp knife and a block of wood screwed to some plywood couldn't tackle (as in pull it through like cutting leather strips). 8507K42 Rubber U-Channel Not a perfect replacement, but looks really good to the non-trained eye:

The welder is a 220 volt mig. For the liner, I'm thinking of using more Herculiner. I already used it on the tailgate and it turned out really good. The Brat is only going to see human feet in the back (as in not used as any semblance of a work truck) and I'll likely put carpet in on top of the liner as well, so I think it should hold up fine. Plus, it's readily available around here for touch-ups if it has any issues. -Ben

So here is the way we did my bracket: I only had my welder-friend's time for so long and, in our hurry, we made one really stupid mistake: the front should have been 1/2" higher than it is. It just barely squeezes in with the seats on. I'm not happy with that one part, but I'll come up with a good, permanent solution in the near future. For now, I have a piece of 1/2 inch oak cut and fitted under it (not pictured). I might weld in a piece of U channel, or just cut a piece of aluminum the right size to fit the full length, left to right? I also might just move the seats 1/2" closer to the center and weld in new nuts. Mulling, mulling, mulling... There are 4 beefy bolts holding the whole thing down. And, the angle iron is from an old bed frame -- 1" X 1". It worked great except for the height screw-up in the front. 1 X 1.5" would be perfect! Underneath is scrap 3/16" metal drilled through the center. We bolted the bracket down and then Mike welded it in place. Note that he did not weld all the way around. He said you don't want to do that with metal as thin as the bed because it increases the chance of cracking. And, if it does crack overtime, you don't want it to crack all the way around. Once I am happy with the whole setup, I'm going to get the bracket powder coated and, perhaps the headrest sliders too. Next, the brackets for the headrest at the bottom. Then, some type of bedliner. -Ben

Very clever! I also love the rollbar! Any thread about the building of it? -Ben

Great posts! Keep 'em coming. Keeps me motivated :-) -Ben

Great info and thanks for the pics! The more I look under there, the more I'm thinking Mike's (the welder) idea of making a beefy "L" bracket is the way to go. We're thinking 1 3/4" tubing as well. I'll post some pics of what we come up with (might be a while). Just got the seats back in with their newly modified bottom bracket that now works as a bolt-ins (so I can take it out along with the seat). Seatbelts are back in too. Still need to restore the bottom headrest bracket/nuts that were cut off when the seats were removed and find/make a replacement for the plastic piece that keeps the one headrest snug as it slides up and down the support. Thanks, again, -Ben

So a buddy of mine who welds professionally is going to make me a rollbar for the cost of materials. From pics I've seen of other people's bars (never seen one in real life, 'cause SoCal is not exactly the Brat capital of the world), it looks like they attached to the same uplifted square where the seat belts bolt in to. But... that makes no sense because the metal is really thin there and that's where the seat belts go. So, anyone have a closeup of exactly how/where a factory bar is attached and/or any suggestions about good placement and reinforcement? Perhaps there is an "L" piece that goes against the frame and then makes a strong mounting place closer to the rear window? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. -Ben

Great score! I'm assuming the pics are from your farm and subie collection...? Vintage subarus are really hard to find in Southern California and your stock is really impressive.

Agreed. All the biodiesel in our area is from waste oil, which is great, but will only scale so big. I was buying 100% bio from waste oil for the same price as regular from a local station, but they stopped selling it due to the storage regulations (can't store it underground). We can still get 20% (again, from waste oil) and I'll keep using it when convenient, but it's not worth a special trip like the 100% stuff was. -Ben

Well... apparently, they are readily available for 1981's. Who knew? 1981 - 1987 strut mount

If NOS parts were readily available, trust me, I'd be using them. Figuring out how to replace old, cracked rubber and plastic parts is a pain! So, if you'd like to share any sources....? (hint, hint ) Of course, when the NOS runs out, every person trying to spiffy up an old Brat will have a choice between "my lights leak like a sieve when it rains" or, "I put in gaskets that no one will ever see that keeps the water out and the car fully functional." Most of us already fall into the second camp, I'd wager. -Ben

Glad someone's into this -- I was beginning to think I was posting this stuff just for me! Thanks for the kudos -Ben

So, I tried to recreate the front gaskets in their original 3-D form. It was a major FAIL (too complicated, too thin, my models were in really bad shape, blah, blah, blah) So, I went a two-piece, 2-D route and it worked great! If anyone else wants to make them, here's the full scoop on how I did it (get out your "arts and crafts" experience for this one): DIY Parking Light Gaskets If anyone shows interest, I'll look into making a PDF of the pattern and posting it somewhere. Yet another part of my 1981 Subaru Brat Restoration Tips and Tricks -Ben

We've spent a ton of time talking about this in our house. I agree with most of what he says in terms of pushing hydrogen (which it nowhere near prime-time yet and is just a stalling tactic) and being very pro-electric. I'm also a big fan of biodiesel made from waste oil (which, unfortunately, in California has fallen off the radar because of a lot of very STUPID regulations and, admittedly will only scale so far). Currently, my vehicle needs/dream list are: 1. a 1981 Subaru Brat ('cause I ain't giving it up!) 2. an electric car for day to day driving for all the reasons stated in his video and the fact that we have solar pv on our roof . 3. a subaru diesel when they are finally available in the US (hoping, hoping!) for light towing around town and long trips (I love diesels) BTW, if you haven't seen it yet, get ahold of copy of "who killed the electric car". It's a great watch and really makes you think.

Beautiful sight! Keep 'em coming!

Probably true, but I have a soft spot for 81's -- older body style, but with the ea81 engine! -Ben

Thanks for the kudos! I'm working on the small stick shift knob now and have my future sites set on tailgate chrome, windshield chrome and the strut mounts.

I took a look at mine today. It would have been be pretty easy, except for the fact that the hinge is made of flexing plastic. I doubt that anything that can be cast-molded at home would hold up in that scenario. To make one that would work, my first thought would be to use a stiff, more rubber-like casting compound (like a hard shoe sole), fill in the "hollow with ridges" part, and put a stainless steel hinge at the bottom. Probably not worth the effort unless several people needed them (unlikely). There would most likely be quite a bit of trial and error to get it right with some rejects. Oh well... thought it would be easier... -Ben

My gasket is in really good shape -- replaced it about 10 years ago when it was starting to crack and they were still readily available locally. Anyone interested in a group buy for chrome and/or stainless for the inserts? I'm going to poke around in the coming weeks to see if I can find someone who can make a set at a reasonable price. -Ben

I see that it's back up for sale. Missing the gas pedal...? Are they pure rubber, or is there a metal core? If it's just pure rubber, I might be able to mold you up an exact replica for the price of the silicone. -Ben

Hi -- Those little plastic parts between the air vent and the windshield? Most of mine were lost and I kinda get carried away with details sometimes, so... I made new ones: If anyone else wants to make them, here's the full scoop on how I did it. They turned out great! Plastic Tab Protectors Creation Another part of my 1981 Subaru Brat Restoration Tips and Tricks As always, I hope this helps someone, -Ben

I was just looking into having some made from stainless steel, but would much rather ride the coattails of a group buy. I PM'd you for details. Sounds great. BTW, I'm also looking into having the chrome molding for on top of the tail gate reproduced. Any group buys on that floating around :-) Thanks, -Ben

Seriously! I have video proof! Enjoy :-) -Ben

I'm not having much luck and am thinking about prying out the strips to see if I can get them made. Perhaps just a strip of stainless? Curved a bit? I'm a bit hesitant to do it, though, because even though they look pretty ratty, they're better than nothing and I doubt they would go back in.