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Sorry if I missed the information above, but what 86 model do you have? Is it an EA82 4WD? If so, you can get a pair of Sachs 4WD struts from Autozone for under $110 with 25% off. Not sure if this helps.

OK, just received the parts from SPFY. I have ordered parts/accessories from them before for my 2017 Outback and 08 OBS (RIP) before, and my experience has been fantastic with them. They even upgraded shipping on this order for me and waived the shipping charges. I highly recommend SPFY for Subaru parts etc. However, here are the pictures of the fresh date coded matching Subaru struts (SHOWA is the manufacturer). You will note that the mounting bracket on one strut is a bit pulled out, but I can straighten that out, no issues. I am wondering whether these are rebuildable - future consideration.

Get two of these and buy H4 bulbs of your choice. The Hi/Lo kit is not being sold by Amazon presently, hence the problem. Individual Lo/Hi headlamp

I bought my kits from Amazon. Check out amazon.com. If you are getting the Hella kits, the H1 (High Beam) and H4 (Low Beam) bulbs are included in the kits.

It is the same kit. You can use it in a two lamp or 4 lamp system. Some wires are not used. Separately, you can make this kit with a couple of Bosch relays, some 12 gauge (or no less than 14 gauge) and 16 gauge wires (relay trigger) and suitable connectors. The kit should be nice, but if the shipping is that high, not worth it. Here is a document with relay wiring diagram for several applications. 12v-relay-common-uses-with-wiring-diagrams-installation-guide.pdf

This is good information. Appreciate it.

The headlamps on my 87 Brat are not the brightest at this time. In 2016 I upgraded to Hella kits for the high and low beams, but did not add relays etc. I have been looking at adding an under hood relay kit (see attachment) and had a couple of questions: Would it be better to also upgrade the under dash headlamp relays at the same time (reference Loyale 2.7 Turbo's article from several years ago)? Or would it be overkill? Any input into wiring of the 4-lamp system depicted on page 1 of the attachment? Do the high and low beam grounds etc. look OK? I like how terminal 87a from relay 1 feeds the battery to terminal 30 of the second relay for the high beams. The lamps on the Brat are the ones linked below. Thanks in advance. High Beam Low Beam Headlamp Relay Instructions.pdf

Aftermarket axles are a miss and hit. I have had reasonable luck with front axles from Advance and Autozone, but am having issues with new AZ axles now. I initially replaced both fronts on my Brat and they were fantastic. No shakes, noise or vibrations. This was about a month ago. However, I have done a lot of work on the Brat and must have put a hole in the outer boot of the right front axle. AZ ordered me a new one that I installed the day before yesterday. Now my car shakes. So I called them yesterday and they were real nice and ordered me another one. Will see how it goes. I wish I had just rebooted the initial new AZ axle instead of exchanging it for a new one. Once I dial these in, I should periodically regrease/reboot them in the future rather than replace them.

Thanks for posting the details. I just went and ordered this part from SPFY. Hopefully it is exactly what you have. It is interesting that these are height adjustable struts with included lower spring perch.

Yes, that is my query. Did you use the EA81 strut mounts or modify the area to use the EA82 strut mounts. More detail is appreciated. Separately, I have ordered Sachs struts for 4WD EA82 models. They should be delivered by Monday. I don't want to modify the strut mount. Hence curious about your details. TIA.

I wish I had kept my original struts (or at least the lower spring plates) when I replaced them several years ago, ~2004. The ones I have now (worn out) are the KYB 234028's. I have ordered Sachs 031172/031173 4WD struts from a local parts house. They said that if those are not the correct ones (they are EA82 4WD struts I believe), to bring them back. I will try and visually match them up. If they are a no-go, then I will spring for the Subaru struts and hope they include the lower spring support. Separately, in discussions with Sach's CS last Thursday, the proper Sachs P/N is 317002 for the fronts (same L & R) and 317007 for the rear. CS said they were still available outside the US. Part of the ZF group is also TRW and Boge. The Boge front strut P/N for the Brat (Brumby or MPV) is 30-P83-A. I have the TRW P/N's for the EA82 FWD models, if anyone is interested.

Thanks, I need to look into this some more. If you see the link you provided, and go down that page, you will see the 4WD adjustable strut in a picture, similar to one in this link. I will go to the local dealer tomorrow and try to get clarification. If the lower seat is indeed included, then no issues at all.

Thanks. This is the one I called Tacoma Subaru (Subaruparts.com) yesterday. They indicated that this is a strut assembly without the lower spring seat. The lower spring seat P/N is 721065031, and this part is NLA. However, another member just bought Brat struts from Subaru and indicates that it included the lower spring seat. Awaiting clarification now. Strut Thread

OK, when it rains, it pours. I would be pulling my hair out if I did not have so much time under the current climate out there. OK, so the outer passenger driveshaft boot, just prior to the large clamp has a rip and it slung CV grease on the brake backing plate, wheel, strut rod, exposed portion of the caliper etc. etc. The driveshaft is brand new, and I am sure with all the work I did, I managed to put that hole in the boot. It took me some effort to clean the grease off. Autozone has ordered a replacement for me and I will have it next Tuesday. However, I cleaned the rotors, caliper pin bolt, caliper bracket pin and pads thoroughly and put them back together. Went for a test drive and the brakes are better with no pulling. Could have been a sticky caliper, a little grease or a combination of both. Looking at the inner rotor surface to bracket distance, I am concerned there is not much clearance. Will have to keep an eye on this; rotor scoring potential? Some other issues that have cropped up are damaged exhaust manifold gaskets (simple fix) and a noisy auxiliary fan motor. Looking at suitable sized SPAL fans now. OK, so this is my conversation with KYB over the past few days (better read from the bottom up). My only concern now is the lower spring perch dimensions and geometry. Will I have sufficient clearance in the fender area for the spring seat(s). More on this later. _____ From: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 08:45 To: Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range No, they are not similar. 233023/233022 is angled more, wider, and off-set on the strut body. Regards, Technical Support KYB Americas Corporation techsupport@kyb.com _____ From: Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 6:33 AM To: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range Good Morning KYB Tech Support, I appreciate the responses below. I am almost ready to order the 233022/233023 struts and have one more question. Are the lower spring seat angle and size on the 233022/233023 struts similar to the angle and size on the defunct 234028 struts? I will go ahead and place my order after confirmation from you. Thanks again and best regards. _____ From: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 16:53 To: Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range If what you say about the one hole on the accessory bracket of 234028 is unused, it’s possible you could work with 233022/233023. The height of the bracket is about 10mm lower on the body of the strut for 233022/233023, but maybe you can make this work. Yes, 233022/233023 does have a flat section on the stud mount of the piston rod to secure it in the mount. 234028 and 233022/233023 all have the same piston rod diameter of 20mm. Regards, Technical Support KYB Americas Corporation techsupport@kyb.com _____ From: Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:23 PM To: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range Dear KYB Tech Support, One other question – Are the full (maximum) piston rod diameters between the 233022/233023 struts and the 234028 struts the same. This is to make sure that the piston rod of the 233022/233023 struts can go through the upper spring mount plate on the car. Best regards, _____ From: Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 10:21 To: 'Tech Support' <techsupport@kyb.com> Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range Good Morning KYB Technical Support, I appreciate your detailed reply below. The mounts appear to be the same based on web pictures of the 233022/233023 vs. the 234028’s. The 234028’s that are on the Brat now have a dual (actually single) accessory bracket for the brake cable, with one of the bracket holes unused. Hence the same strut is specified for the right and left sides. However, the 233022/233023 combo has specific accessory brackets for the left and right sides. This is what I want to confirm prior to ordering the 233022/233023 struts. Would you folks be able to look at the drawings in your literature database and confirm. Another question is whether the threaded portion of the piston nut has a flat section like the 234028, to secure it in the mount whilst torqueing the strut piston rod to specification. I ask this is because the strut length and thread size (M12x1.25) is the same per your confirmation below, and if the threaded piston rod is the only part that will extend into the strut mount hole, then I will be OK. Worse case, I will be out of a few dollars if it does not work. Just trying to do as much homework as possible prior to ordering the 233022/233023 struts. I appreciate your responses. Best regards, _____ From: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 14:32 To: Subject: RE: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range With regards to the damping specifications and overall lengths, 233022/233023 and 234028 are pretty similar so that would not be an issue. The upper mount stud size is the same for all 3 part numbers, however, the design of the piston rods are a little different so SM5365 may not fit or may require modification to work with 233022/233023. These struts have a stepped piston rod, meaning it starts off at the same diameter as 234028 with the M12x1.25 mount, but then it has a shoulder area that bulges out to 15mm, and then bulges out again the full diameter of the piston rod. 234028 on the other hand starts at the tip with the M12x1.25 mount, then bulges out to the full diameter of the piston rod. Aside from all of this, 233022/233023 would likely require a lot of modification to fit on your vehicle because the lower mount and accessory brackets are very different so you likely to remove and redo welds for these brackets, which we do not recommend unless you have the correct tools. Regards, Technical Support KYB Americas Corporation techsupport@kyb.com _____ From: Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 9:14 AM To: Tech Support <techsupport@kyb.com> Subject: 1987 Subaru Brat 4WD Dual Range Good Morning KYB Technical Support, I am fixing quite a few things on my 1987 Brat, including replacing the front struts. I replaced the originals with KYB struts, P/N 234028’s in 2004, but they are worn out. I cannot find any replacements. Questions: Would struts 233023 and 233022 be suitable for my application? These are for FWD Subaru’s from 1985 to 1989, I believe. I am not worried about the slightly lower (possibly) ride height in the front. The KYB motor mount specified for the 1987 Brat is SM5365. Would the KYB 233023 and 233022 strut piston rods clear this strut mount piston rod hole? If so, I may be able to use the 233022 and 233023 struts. I cannot find the specifications for the 234028 struts on your web site anymore, presumably as these have been discontinued. How can I compare the specifications for the defunct 234028 and 233023/233022 struts? My car is disabled presently and I appreciate a quick response. Thanks in advance. Best regards, Brat Details: Year: 1987 Make: Subaru Model: Brat Transmission: Dual range 4WD VIN: JF3AU53B1HEXXXXXX

Can you please verify the P/N. I called Tacoma Subaru (Subaruparts.com) yesterday and they looked at the drawings and said that it only included the strut and studs. The P/N for the 4WD strut is 721032064. The lower seat is P/N 721065031. The lady on the phone said that the spring seat was not included. Can you please post the P/N you purchased? Thanks a bunch.

Will check this out shortly. Thx. Bennie.

Update: Still working with KYB and sent them another question this morning. However, per their response yesterday, the 233022/233023 struts do have a flat on the stud mount portion. Plus the maximum strut piston rod diameter for both struts is 20 mm. They also said that the brake cable bracket on the 233022/233023 struts are 10 mm lower than on the 234028 struts. I sent them another question on whether the lower spring perch angle and dimensions are similar between the 233022/233023 struts and the 234028 strut. Once I get clarification on this, I will make a decision. Now to work on my new brakes some. The Brat is pulling to the right when braking. Looking at the right rotor through the wheels, I can still see hatch marks on the outer surface. Looks like my right caliper is not doing its job or I may have some grease etc. on the surfaces.

I understand, but the originals are height adjustables and the lower spring perch is a separate part. I still have not called Tacoma Subaru to discuss. If the original includes the lower spring perch, then sure, it is a no brainer.

Thread resurrection - Evinrude, how did this project end up? Appreciate an update.

I have received some communication back from KYB, but sent them a few more questions. Will post their responses here later. Right now, per their feedback, the strut height, damping rates and piston rod thread (M12 X 1.25) specifications are the same between the 233022/233023 struts and the shot 234028's that are on my Brat. Awaiting their F/B on whether the strut piston rod threads have a flat a like the 234028 ones do, and whether the lower securement provisions to the knuckle are compatible, other than individual left and right side accessory brackets. If the lower securement provisions are compatible, then I might buy these and grind out a flat on the piston rod threads, so it will pass through the strut mount hole. Unless, the strut piston rod thread already has a flat...... Update: Sent them another question on whether the maximum diameter of the piston rod between the 233022/233023 and 234028 struts are the same. This is to make sure that the upper spring seat on the Brat is compatible with the 233022/233023 struts. This is a question as the 233022/233023 struts have a three tiered strut piston rod, starting at M12 X 1.25, then bulging to 15 mm and then to maximum diameter (not sure what this is?) vs. the 234028 that starts at M12 X 1.25 and then bulges to the full diameter of the piston rod. The upper spring seat for the EA82 might come into play here. Then need to worry about the spring diameters etc.

Understand. I have put in a notification request when the Gabriel's arrive at RA. Will call Tacoma Subaru and see if they have lower spring seats for the original struts. Thx. Minor add: Also sent a note to KYB USA to see what they say.

I have had a spring compressor (Craftsman) since the early 2000's. First struts I did was on the Brat in 2004. Have used it a few times on BMW's, Nissan's and Subaru's. No issues with replacement of struts etc. I just replaced the strut mounts on the Brat with Mevotech mounts, but greased and reused the original bearings from the original mounts; torqued the strut piston nut to 29 ft-lb. The actual spec. may be a bit higher. The EA81 mounts and the strut piston rod have a flat portion and this keeps the rod from turning when tightening. A few more things to tie together and it will be ready to fire up. However, now I need to source a pair of new struts. With respect to placement of the spring compressor, I clamp three coils on each side (typical) from the bottom. This gives me more clearance. One side is no issues with a gun, but the other side, the bolt is too close to the lower spring seat, and I do it by hand. So gun a bit, then with the hand etc. It is quite simple with basic precautions. Thanks for your responses. I appreciate it.

OK thanks. I will read up on the specs of the 233023/233022 struts. The KYB 234028's that I had replaced the originals with in 2004 are worn out. These are the same for the right and left sides due to the double brake hose brackets on each strut. Basically, one side of the bracket is not used on each side. I just want to make sure that the strut piston rod threads on the EA82 struts will be able to go through the slotted hole in the strut mount for the Brat. Do you remember how you tightened the strut piston rod nut on the 233023/233022 struts? Was the strut rod threaded portion slotted etc. as in the EA81's? TIA.

I just posted an update on my Brat progress thread. However, would these KYB FWD struts (233023 and 233022) work on an 87 Brat? TIA.

Update: I have been working on the Brat all day and have just taken a short break. One setback is that my struts are shot; the right front is worse than the left front. Looks like front struts for the Brat are no longer available. Subaru shows them, but the lower spring plate is NLA. I have done some preliminary searching here and am noting that FWD struts from certain models will fit. Question - would KYB 233023 (drivers) and 233022 (passengers) struts work on an 87 Brat. How about 4WD struts from an 86 GL wagon? I know Sachs has struts for them. Appreciate any help. My car remains on jacks and ramps.