greggbrat

Will the fun never end.......one of these days I might actually get to actually get to drive the brat someplace besides the junkyard. :-) It would be more fun to work on it if there was not snow in the forecast.

The vibration doesnt change when I turn left or right......its just constant.

How would I figure out which DOJ is bad?

I just put 27" tires on my 82 brat by doing some trimming and firewall banging. I am getting a lift kit also but with more trimming and banging they would fit without rubbing.

Hey Jibs, I gave up on trying to sell the 15" pugs and decided to keep them. I put some 205/75/R15 tires on the rims and did a bit of fender trimming and firewall banging to get them to fit. They are just over 27" tall. On my brat I dont think they would fit without doing some fender trimming even with a lift. They rub quite a bit right now but after the lift I dont think they will rub at all even under the most extreme conditions. I have done some searching for tires and you can get pretty aggressive Mud tread in a 195/75/R14 and also in a 215/75R15.......My 205/75/R15 tires are just All Terrain tires. Hope this helps. If you need some tire vendor/brand ideas just let me know. And there are numerous posts on the subject as well Gregg

I put a junkyard 5sp D/R into my 82 brat and also replaced the front rotors/brake pads, repacked the front bearings at the same time. On test driving the vehicle I am getting a vibration while accelerating or under load.......when I let off the gas the virbration goes away (it also goes away by pushing in the clutch......even I rev the motor). Prior to the tranny swap there were no vibration issues at all. I just put on new wheels and tires but that didnt change the vibration. And the vibration is not felt just in the steering wheel but rather through the entire vehicle. And the vibration can best be described as if the stereo bass was really booming. I have heard that a bad DOJ will cause this problem. Like I mentioned earlier I didnt have this problem prior to the tranny swap......and all the boots are intact on the axles. If it were a bad DOJ how could I find out for sure which axle and if it is really bad (without having to replace them to find out.....thats an expensive and time consuming fix) I imagine it could also be the junkyard tranny causing the issue.......but again its a time consuming and expensive test to replace the tranny again. And ideas on how to isolate where the problem is located?

I will do a bit more diagnostics today. Right now I am in the process of cutting/grinding/beating fenders to fit my 27" tires. That should also check to see if a tire weight fell off. More to follow later. Thanks

More information.......I get the vibration (although it feels a bit different) just revving the engine while sitting still. (sorry, I forgot to give this vital information earlier)

I almost forgot.......I changed out the front rotors and brake pads (with new parts) during this whole tranny swap. Could I have missed something there?

Edrach, the problem goes away when I let off the gas as the RPM's decrease. I have read "DOJ" on many threads.......what does it stand for? The problem didnt exist before the tranny swap......but it does exist now. Given that it would seem likely its either a flywheel/clutch issue or a bad tranny. What is DOJ??????

Its a one piece driveshaft.....I had it lengthened and balanced. I thought the pressure plate was keyed by two small metal nubs sticking out of the flywheel and they fit into the pressure plate?

If you can get someone to come start it up once in a while that would probably be best......allows all the seals to be lubricated with oil.....otherwise they might dry out. Putting it up on jack stands would be probably be good for the tires. I am sure other people will give more advice.

I should have listened to Jerry (Bratsrus) when he said using an EA82 flywheel during this tranny swap would cause highway vibration. When I hit about 60 MPH the resonance of the flywheel seems to vibrate the entire vehicle........I dont think its affecting the driveability but it is very very annoying. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

If it does a geyser when you hit the gas then I retract everything I said earlier and agree its probably a head gasket. Good luck with it.

Everything was disconnected.......it was after putting everything back together and the car was started that it happened......pushing in the clutch a few times shorted the cable under the clutch fork. Now I am having a beer to celebrate the fact that my brat didnt blow up. :-)

Poof......fire under the hood. Both wires from the battery are completely melted. A 20 gauge (or whatever that gauge is) wire doesnt make for a very good fuse. :-) The hose was handy and fortunately I dont think anything else burned up. Another junkyard run to get a few power cables and I should be back in business. My fingers are crossed.

You have my sympathy......I had to replace mine on my 82 Brat a few weeks ago. You have to be part mechanic and part contortionist to change it out. But its not too bad.

What happens if you replace your transmission and in the process of puting it all back together you accidentally run the power cable from the battery to the starter under the clutch fork? Can you guess? :-)

I had a bad thermostat that was causing a similar problem.........but the temp gauge was also showing very hot. Dont be too quick to jump on the bad head gasket bandwagon.... 1. Make sure the coolant is actually flowing.......check if both your upper and lower hoses are hot.....and is the radiator hot? if not then it could be your thermostat or water pump. 2. warm up the vehicle without the radiator cap and check for bubbles. (or take it to a mechanic that can detect exhaust gases coming from the radiator) Just a few ideas.......I dont have all the answers but keep lookin'

How much for the two different bumpers you make?

Do you have "Autozone" stores in your area? They have a tool loan program and one of the tools you can borrow is a coolant system pressure tester. A great way to find the more hidden leaks.

If the muffler was welded on then the task gets much more difficult. If you have lots of rust on the flange then a new flange will also be needed to be welded on. If you have welding equipment go for it.......otherwise your best bet might be to head to the muffler shop.

Hi Jibs, I havent heard back from the person who wanted the 15" pug steel wheels........I will give him one more day to respond. As for the bumper......I am a bit surprised you already picked it up.......I definitely want to see photos before I might purchase the bumper.

My friend might be selling her 88 XT6 in the next few months.........She likes it but is looking for a newer car. It is in Denver. Keep in touch BTW.....if the power steering doesnt work, the cruise control doesnt work and there is a shot exhaust system then are definitely a few things wrong with the car. It often amazes me that people try to sell a car for too much money when they havent even performed basic maintenance. If someone were to buy this car and then bring it to a mechanic to get fixed the cost would be $1200 purchase price plus about $1000 in repairs. Thats a pretty expensive XT6.

I want to mount a winch on my brat but the stock front bumper wouldnt handle it at all. The brush guard bumpers are just not available here in Denver because Brats are quite rare in these parts. Has anyone tried retrofitting a "beefier" front bumper onto a brat? I did a retrofit of a 79 Chevy LUV rear bumper (with hitchball) onto my brat with good success........but I havent seen any front bumpers that are good retrofit options yet. Thanks!!!