DaBrizat

Id like to see rear bumper pics.

Oops

Fried mine couple years ago putting battery in backwards. Was told the replacement was last in universe (or some such hyperbole). Was told at time that a Toyo truck had comparable part.

Drat! Rat shat in BRAT! Scat rat, scat.

There's a small secondary filter inside the air cleaner that I had to replace a while back.

I visited the body shop today, and got some disappointing news that my existing bumper would be hard to straighten, and the used and referbbed one I bought not a correct replacement. It would require about as much work to modify as to fix the original. So I'm going to keep looking for a replacement. On the positive side, they had a window guy there to out the used, chipped windshield back in. And he knew new ones were still available, and the shop gave it to me at cost (It pays to be there when they're working I guess). So they're putting the brightwork back on and getting it back together. I'm expecting probably in May still, but I'm not pressing them on time. I had negotiated to get it done over slow winter to get discount on labor. I'm getting excited.

Photo from about a year ago. Shown in home center parking lot next to a similar colored Farrari that I see around town now and again. I thought they were funny next to e/o. Photo taken just before I took it in for a respray. Solid, no rust car but drivers rear quarter had period body work done and the paint was just horrible, and masked around the targa stipe... So it wound up being a fullstrip and respray. Plus I tried to find some replacement parts for the bumpers which had been dinged and bent up a little. Just talking with the shop today to have them do final touches before I get it back for the summer. I'll post up pictures when I can.

Am I mis-reading this thread? DFOYL has a gen 2 BRAT Bumper like the one in pic for sale?

Mines Marina Blue and my wheels are body color with trim rings and raised whites.

I've got that piece that came with a box o parts I got once. PM me if you're interested in mine.

That's what I was talking about - more damage in minor accident than if contact was made at the bumpers. Sorry for being ambiguous.

remember that a spare out back that sticks out farther than the bumper means that the spare gets hit first if somebody hits you. Not much difference in a real collision, but if somebody is parallel parking by braille, it could cause problems. I noticed that was often the case with Rav4's when my daughter was driving hers. We were lucky, but I saw a lot who weren't. Of course less of a factor if there is no glass back there.

Picked it up tonight after work and im stoked. Working AC for first time since I've had the thing. It was muggy here today so it was nice to have. The compressor in my daily driver siezed last winter so it's nice to have some cool air. Geez I love my BRAT. And now Im really into it again. I got a Miata a few years back so the BRAT has not been the toy of choice since I took to sports car driving, but i have renewed interest in it. Gonna start cleaning it up for cars and coffee and cruise nights. (not done with Miata either)

^ I may have mislead you by saying coolant vs refridgerant. It's the AC system that's being looked into. You're talking about Miss Mud in the radiator right? When I asked the mechanic to check the AC, which has never worked since I got the BRAT in 2001, he said they essentially have to convert it or use modern refridgerant if they're looking for leaks and whatnot. They can't let the old stuff discharge into the atmosphere. Anyway they're just checking into it. Who knows what they'll find. Working AC is not critical for me with that car cuz it's a fair weather toy only, so open windows are not a problem.

Update: It turned out it was the Fusible Link(s), and that I did put the battery in backward (I'm embarrassed to say). I had it towed to shop to find that out. But on the positive side, I may have found a good mechanic - which is always good. And they're looking at fixing the AC system, and converting it to the new coolant - whatever that stuff is called. Now I'm thinking about having some paint / body work done. It was hit in driver rear quarter panel and resprayed with single stage paint - and of course it doesn't match. So I want to check into getting that repainted with 2-stage paint. The car is very rust free, but has some dings and dents. But I like that it's still original, so I don't think I want to have the body restored. I will leave the bed and other parts as is - patina I'll call it. EDIT: the real purpose of this post was to tell you all that the mechanic said that he found that there were less than 10 of those fusible links available in the continental USA. Certainly that means NOS or equivalent. But it tells me that we should be recycling those things when our old cars die. I'm sure they could make a work-around, but it's worth noting that they are a part worth saving.

Okay. I'll check that too. Would any of these problems rise up over the winter, without ever being a problem before? It's always been a champ.

Wondered about the fusible links, having read it in my manual, but wasn't sure what exactly I was looking for. I'll have to figure that out. I'll check the clamps more closely. They seem clean enough. And I'll take a friend along next time to tap the starter. As far as rodents, that's a possibility, but I've not seen evidence yet. I did puta bunch of store bought rodent repellant in the car, under the car, and in the unit. So I'm hoping that wasn't an issue. Something makes me suspect the usable link. There was a decent sized spark when I first attached the positive lead the first time, and not again the other times. I wondered if I'd fried SOMEthing. Thanks for your suggestions. I'll investigate and report back.

So I had my BRAT in a storage unit this winter and some time after new year I took out the battery to put in my garage with battery tender. When I went to put the battery back in and start it up I got no click or crank. The dome light worked and dash lights, but no crank. So since I don't have a multi-meter I took the battery to the parts shop and they tested it and it tested okay but at last 1/4 of life, but I got a new battery anyway and when I tried that, it was the same thing. I expected that I probably didn't have to get a new battery, but I thought it might help get it started so worth it. But no. Wasted money on new batty and still no start. And I have to have it out of the storage place my the end of the month. Any suggestions? Could I have blown a starter fuse or something? Any help would be welcome.

I have an extra frame for the seats. The frame was welded to the bed, and the stock seats bolted to it. You're welcome to it for the price of shipping. Send me a PM if you're interested.

I know I should know this, but it appears to have leaked out of my memory. I'm going to have the leaky water pump and some hoses and stuff replaced, makes me wonder if I should do the TB too. Car only has like 58K miles on it, but it's 28 years old. Hate to have it break, but I think there is valve clearance with this engine, but I don't know that either. Can somebody give me a quick lesson? Thanks in advance.

Dude! That thing was rough! Great job on the resto. I applaud your ambition and skeels.

Reading thru the responses, I'm inclined to agree with the electric blanket and seat heater routine, with the second battery. If you're prepared, and "prime" the rear area by trying to heat it up for a while before you stop, maybe it would work to take the edge off the cold before you get into the bag. I assume you'll have something on the bed floor to soften it up, so if you put down a few quilts, then the electric blanket, it might work like a radiant floor heating system. I agree with the guy who mentioned condensation earlier. I think you'll get a lot in there over night. Does your AC work, to de-humidify in the morning? You might have trouble with the windows fogging up afterward.

Was that on eBay recently? looks nice. I want a gen-1 and they've had a few nice looking ones on there lately.