wallaby

welcome fellow countryman:) just noticed you're from sydney - AFL, Rugby or League

sorry i posted this in the wrong place to start with so i will try here i'm kinda new to this new gen thing (mods- delete the other one if you like) a friend of mine has a 92 legacy wagon AWD last night she got hit on the RH rear side - fairly hard rear door, quarter panel & window all bashed in looks mostly cosmetic but i'm not real familiar with these cars the car is pretty good otherwise - i may even be able to bash out the side enough, replace the window and door and go to it she just needs a car to drive at the moment my question is how difficult would it be to replace the rear quarter panel? if i say got another car and went to zzz is there a way to tell if the rear axle is screwed up - other than drive it and wait? the RHR wheel took some of the hit it , looks straight, rim not bent but......... I'll post for parts in the wanted section

sorry wrong place my bad see new gen post delete this one if you like

i have a gutted cat and stock exhaust back to the rear axle joint where i grafted ( i think thats the correct terminology) a 24" x 2" hotdog (cherry bomb , glass pack? ) - called hotdogs in australia - that is very worn out and is what i had . only just fits with about a 4" long 2 1/4" tip under the rear bumper. this is on a completly stock EA81 and the sound is nice - quiet deeper note at idle and hwy speed, howls when pushed and some satisfying popping down hills etc i am very happy considering the investment - nothing. am still watching this one to see what everyone finds out

originals are in fact just a retracable lap belt bolted to the threaded hols in the floor. any replacements would have to have appropriate mounting points

had to reply to this one.... mahindra made a jeep like vehicle and bought it to australia in the 90's it was pretty much junk every other country has high efficiency diesel engines available in all kinds of vehicles but not in USA:mad: in Australia we can get small trucks(toyota, mitsubishi, mazda etc) with exceptional turbo diesel power - my brother has a mitsubishi with a 2.8 intercooled turbo diesel that drives great those engines are also avialable in SUVs as well as the cars like VW and peugot just my *************** for the day

thought i would put in my .02 i worked for a truck accesories shop for a while and have sprayed quite a few bedliners. we used Scorpion http://www.scorpioncoatings.com/ it is very flexible and keeps its color we used to charge around $5.50 /sq ft for non truck apps (we had flat rates for long and short beds) I would think with a sube you could work out a special rate. on do it yourself... preparation,preparation,preparation....... have not done any of these but even with the pro stuff its THE most important step, rough up the paint with a nylon or wire brush or even a needle scaler. if the product you use has a primer type product - use it. cleanliness is the next most important use multi purpose thinners or lacquer thinner and wipe down everything so there is no dust or grease or rust. i have seen a few DIY's and none look good after a while, that said i no longer work for this company and am wondering if surface prep is the key as i would like to do my brat both in the bed and inside the cab so am interested in the DIY results that others have had

JD oil (mostly comes from the same suppliers anyway, just use a particular formulation under licence)will work . i used to work for a CIH dealer so that is what i have experience with

do you know any farmers? a hydraulic/trans oil like Case Hytran is real thin but is designed to work in the trans and diff of a tractor so will offer good protection. I ran this in a Mitsubishi 4x4 for a while and it made a big difference to the shifting also ran it in an old GM car with a 4 speed. be careful you don't leave it in too long as HyTran will absord water(condensation) fine if you have 50 gallons not as good if you have a gallon or so

maybe i should clarify, I am using mine more as a utility vehicle around a irrigated fruit and vege farm. works better than a ATV for the steep hillsides and handles muddy irrigated fields like a champ(even with free bald tires) the farm(before my time) has killed a RH drive legacy and a couple of gen 1 wagons doing simmilar things. as a result I am rarely hauling heavy loads but the pickup bed ALWAYS has stuff in it- irrigation pipes, boxes of fruit, people so having somewhere to tie down or hold on to is good. My thought was to run a pipe (3/4" or 1") above the tacky chrome trimbolting it onto the front - maybe incorporating a rollbar/grizzly bar/headache rack behind the cab (made out of larger diameter and putting a 90 deg bend or flat plate or something at the back by the tailgate. for the tailgate it is often used as a bench so i would cover the whole inside with diamond plate and roll it over the top to cover the pinchweld. i would be doing this right now but my welder died:mad: so i have to replace it before i can do anything

just to brag here but i got mine for $85 anyway use the seach to find people doing subframes and maybe you can use that info to reconstruct the rusty places. (i have been looking at these too as my $85 brat in quite rusty) i believe the rear bushing etc are the same as a wagon of simmilar vintage but a more experienced member could confirm that

will be inerested to see what you come up with, i have been thinking about this too as i use 1 of my Brats for serious truck type jobs and the tacky chrome trim is not standing up to it. I had thought of some bed rails kinda like these http://www.pickupspecialties.com/putco_pocket_locker_truck_side_b.htm but doesent the Baja have something like that. I was thinking something more servicable as i would use it to tie stuff down etc but the therory is the same. the tailgate wing is a cool idea - go to a shop that sells canopys - they have to remove them from the tailgate for the canopy to fit right. Dodges and late model Chevys have a similar setup that you may be able to modify I will be watching to see what everyone comes up with

if you are going to import get the stuff from Australia(speedy etc) a least you know they are good and have history

The theft of copper and other metals is a $1 billion /year industry in the US (just an interseting tidbit)

i have a 82 brat on the road and another i use around our farm have been really glad to have it with the crappy winter weather lately (don't have the technology for pictures yet) would be cool to get together at some point

great to see someone else reviving old soobs. i am close to you, in Clarkston, i have only been into soobs for a couple of years but they are pretty simple, i may be coming though on the weekend, not sure what you need done but may be able to work something out or at least take a look.

i just replaced the clutch in my 82 brat, not sure if yours will be simmilar? was very simple i didn't even pull the engine completly out- pull radiator etc, engine mounts, starter motor and separated engine from tranny. i didn't even disconnect any fuel or vacumn lines. engine will move foward enough on a floor jack to do the clutch. did not change the pilot bearing (that may have been more interesting) but did the thowout brg. I did not have equipment or help to pull the engine out all the way. This took me a easy day in my backyard with no help.

i guess no one has experience with this next question... what year range has simmilar instruments to my 82?

those are wayyyyy narrow and you will probably notice the difference in handling - on road especially. if they were studs or off road tires i would say they might work, but on road you should stick with what you have now or close to it

unfortunately bull bars are unheard of in the land of the free they have mozzie swatters, light mounts, push bars(not sure what you would push with them) i'm not sure if i can get one in my luggage next time i go home but failing that i will have too make one myself......probably be too heavy then - but it'll be tuff:banana:

welcome fellow southerner!! keep us updated on the rugby

as mentioned can i replace it with one with a tach it it?

have done a few seaches but cant seem to find any info. the odometer in my 01/82 Brat(DL?) is not working - speedo works just fine but the odo dosen't . I'll admit this is not a life threatening situation but it is annoying - i like to know my fuel milage and i sometimes use my car for work and get paid for milage. i have a parts car - also an 82(DL wagon) that had the same instrument cluster so I changed it out (it has less miles on it:) ) but it has exzactly the same problem:-\ ) next i decided to investigate more closely and found the little gears that drive are not meshing like they should. Is this a common problem? this is also a std dash - only temp and fuel no tach so i don't see much point in trying to fix it. can i install one with full instruments(temp,oil,battery,fuel & tach)? will it use the same wiring? is there wiring there and i just need to get sending units? would it be easier to fix or replace and install aftermarket tach etc? if there is something i can replace it with - then does any body have one?

8 deg F (too bloody cold) here soob started just fine even after not running for a couple of weeks i have a choke issue and maybe should get the details of the beast's shotgun modification to hold the throttle down (barrel length etc) thats maybe the ultimate redneck modification - using tools for more than 1 application a brick works too hopefully a weber will fix it when there is suitable fundage

i discovered this forum a while ago and have found the info very useful all my questions so far have been answered by existing threads. i am a Australiain citizen living in SE washington and currently own 2 Brats although i know them as brumbies.....(do the ones for parts count:grin:) 1 for a daily driver and 1 that was a very cheap alternative to a utility vehicle around our farm(works better anyway...)i have a wagon that i am planning a full on utility mod (think kawasaki mule- flatbed no doors etc). i will be hopefully doing some improvments/mods to my fleet in the near future so will be gratefull for the collective experience here. Thanks for a great website and keep up the good work.