skishop69

It may just be the module in the distributor. Take a test light and clip it to the negative battery cable. Touch it to the coil where the wire from the distributor attaches and have someone crank it over. The light should blink/flicker. Sometimes it can be hard to see the 'blink', so don't do this at high noon in the bright sun. If it flashes, disty is good. Also check to make sure you have a good positive connection at the coil and 12v. Another quick test is to intermittently ground the side of the coil that goes to the disty. Remove the coil wire from the disty cap only and hold it 1/4" to 1/2" away from a good ground. Turn the ignition on, connect a wire to ground and tap it on the coil terminal for the disty. It sparks, it 'should' be good.

You've got invaluable knowledge there and you've put in the work. I believe that's worth something. From what I've read thus far, almost all of the items are fairly common. With some patience and time spent at a PAP, you could disassemble there just for the parts you need and do it dirt cheap.

For the ability to drop the gearing like that, I'll take the FT diff. I'll also put up $100 if you can get 10 or so guys to jump on board with whatever they can afford. This would add tremendously to the idea for my ER27 conversion on the Brat when it's lifted!

I think we're missing a roof and doors! lol Got any spare bed sheet metal?

Bump...

You could see hauled in a Brat, How about the front end of another Brat!? AFTER I get the d*mn thing cut off after work, they tell me they won't hold it so I can come back with my trailer. Tight*sses... So I have to call the S/O and have her bring my tie straps. Hauled it just fine, but since I've had it filled roof to floor, front to back with wood, I figured it would.

Could be several things but here's a few. If you've got junk floating around in the carb, that can happen. Water in the fuel. Bad disty shaft, though usually that doesn't come and go. A coil going bad, bad connection or ground. And one that is overlooked and recently bit me in the butt.... A bad CAT. If it still has one, it can do this. I fought mine for almost a week with the same symptoms. Part of the core was broke and would flop around inside and plug up the exhaust. I found out it only takes around 1psi of backpressure to bog a Subie down. No CAT, no problem.

As already stated.... DON"T DO IT! You knock out two opposite studs on the hub then bolt the rim on. Using a centering punch, mark the four remaining holes of the rim onto the hub. Drill them and insert new studs....

There are several lines of thought on flushes. Doing it yourself is great, just don't pay someone to do it. Get 4 quarts of 'junk' 10w30 and a bottle of Napa's lifter quiet or their engine flush. Add it all in and use the old filter. Run it for at least 30 minutes around 1500-2000 rpm. I've used this method for years on incooperative lifters and tappets and in 95% of the cases, I've got them to shut up. Sometimes it takes some higher rpms after it's ran a while and longer times. I had one car take and hour and a half at almost 2000 rpm to shut up, but it did. You just need to keep an eye on engine temp and oil pressure. Any new sounds other than lifters crop up, shut it down!

Also take a look between the front backing plate and the rotor to make sure the backing plate isn't bent and rubbing the rotor or have some debris stuck in there.

Always. That's where the last one I looked at was toast was in the A pillars...

Ok, got the pics. Standard rust at the bottom of the tailgate and door sills. I've made a deposit and I'm going after it tomorrow night after work. Thanks for volunteering Spine. seems to be a recurring theme with me and buying Brats. I drove 3 hours for the last one too.... Bonus: extra engine, hood, doors, trans and trim!

Drill it yourself! You've got a clear shot and it's easy. Go to Napa and get the correct helicoil for the studs. I wanna say 10mmx 1.5 thread, but don't hold me to it. Follow the instructions and use the size drill bit they tell you to. Drill straight up 'til you feel resistance and stop. Take the bottom tap with some cutting oil, penetrating oil or trans fluid, start slow making only one or two turns then back it up (not out) use more oil, run it back in however far you came out, add another turn or two and repeat til it bottoms out. Then put some blue Loctite (I use green sleeve locker Loctite so it won't ever back out) on the thread insert and put it in. Double up a couple of nuts on the stud, Loctite the end in the head and run it down tight and take the nuts off. You clearly have some mechanical aptitude, so put it to good use and save yourself some money and hassle by not buying an unknown like heartless said.

I agree, but I can hope.....

At an '83 Brat for sale? They're having trouble getting pics to me, but are supposedly holding onto it until I get them. I don't have the address yet, it should be in her next email. They are in Astoria and they say it's rust free... Thanks!

Ok, I finally had time to shoot pics of my '84. It is all original except the seat covers. I had my buddy recover them. I'm not sure on the engine either. 193K, 70psi oil pressure on start up and 25 psi after warm up at idle and goes light hell! The wrinkle in the front fenders comes from high speed approaches to hills. Haven't had time to straighten them out and I've got a whole rust free front end for replacement anyway...

Rust in the bottoms of the doors, sill plates, A-pillar, bed and around the rear shock mounts of the bed. Popping out of 3rd gear.... All bad. Also things that have been clipped, capped, re-routed or re-wired. Could spell future trouble if it does done (bites tongue) hap-hazardly. Also make sure the cooling fan comes on.

Yeah. I have a little extra cash now and want an extra Brat. I want to offroad one and restore the other. I don't mind some work, but that was too much. Just have to keep looking....

So I get the dolly and my cash and head to Aberdeen this morning. There was an 83 Brat on CL for $1200. Talked with the guy a couple of times, told me it had rusted through in a few sections of the bed to cab wall, top of the tailgate, had the normal dents and dings and that it was using coolant so he thought head gasket. He was up front with everything and sent several pics of the rig and said he would take $800. I'm thinking I'll get it for less... Has a perfect topper, brush guard and two alloys identical to my set. So I get there and meet the guy. In his mid 70's and a real nice guy. He's got an extra engine, receipts for a new clutch, caliper, pads and some other stuff. I start looking her over, and find the entire lower section of the drivers door is rusted through, 50% of the A pillar between the hinges is gone and a hole at windshield level and the passenger side isn't too far off. This guy can barely walk let alone bend down to see stuff like this, so I know he didn't see it before. He starts apologizing and dropping the price. At this point, I'm gonna pas. Metal working is no problem as I rebuilt the sunroof frame in my XT, but just based on what I saw and it's location.... not something I want to spend time on. Not to mention, WTH am I going to find once I really get into it. He felt bad about me coming all the way down and we BS'd for a while. He's going to keep it for a parts runner, add some Bars snake oil for the leak and call me when it's dead for the parts. I guess it's better than nothing. We'll wait and see....

That's how I got my 87.5 Xt. Just bought it with no consultation. I still have the car, the old lady is gone. Clearly a good decision on my part. That car cost me a lot less than she did....

Because no matter how bad I beat the crap out of it (and I do) it keeps happily ticking along. Don't get me wrong, I maintain my cars. Regular fluid changes, tune up and repairs when necessary, but I am damn hard on vehicles. For the last 7 or 8 years I've owned this particular Brat, it's sat all but 6-10 days out of every year when I'd pull it out, get a temp tag and bomb it around hauling kids and firewood while camping. Every time, I could pump it 4 or 5 times and fire it right up. When we go out on a guys only weekend, I get ************ for towing a Brat behind my 3/4 ton Chev to use as my wheeling vehicle. The ************ stops when I'm the first to outclimb the other rigs, when I drift it through a mudhole, or when I tear off through the trees and beat them where they're going. Now that I finally have the title and I drive it regularly, I realize how much I missed it. I'm with GD, you gotta love something that can be torn down in it's own engine bay and where all but the very worst case scenarios can be handled in 3 hours or less with the bulk of those jobs being under and hour! LONG LIVE THE EA81!!! (and Da Brat..)

Sorry for putting these here guys, but for some reason, he hasn't gotten the pics of the door panels I got for him. Tried three times to mail them but they never show. I'll get this deleted as soon as he see's them. Thanks!

+1 or the fan switch or power isn't good.....

Nomad might be able to help you. I wouldn't send the guy ANY money. If you have to arrange to send it to someone from the club in the Boise area and have them pay, do that. A car in Boise advertised in Portland smells fishy....:-\

Looks like they crushed the Brats by Nomad, so I'm still looking. Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...