bratman2
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Posts posted by bratman2
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When you say new ignition switch did you replace the whole switch? The left hand side with the (5 wires I think) went out on my Brat. It did the samething you are talking about.
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Well I guess I did have one unfair advantage. There was a late model Legacy sitting in the driveway I could pull a seat out of and check fitment! Fabbing was very minimal. I guess I have spent enough on my Brat already with two paint jobs over 15 years, windshield, carpet and many other things that $300.00 wasn't much to me. I guess it depends on the price of your local salvage yard and the condition of your ea81 vehicle.
My orginal seats had grains of foam littering under the seat and I swear you felt metal when you hit a good bump. I felt they were shot for all intended purposes and not worthy of a rebuild.
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My key and locks are so worn I doubt a vin could reproduce a working key. I have taken the only key I have to a locksmith and he wouldn't even try to cut me another. He told me just keep messing around with flat blade screw drivers and I would probably get a better match,lol!
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If it is the same as my Brat you should find a plug at the end of those soldered wires under the dash. Unplug and take the assembly to a locksmith.
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I am sure the Escort GT seats are nicer than the 25 yo orginals. But I can't imagine going through the trouble of purchasing nearly 15 yo torn seats and installing them. Most any Legacy, Forrester, WRX, etc Subaru seat is an easy fit. Just my feelings on the subject. A properly restored seat would still probably cost more than a very late model Subaru seat also. First the seat pattern would probably have to be custom made. Then you would have to refoam the seat frame and possibly even redo some of the foam suspension.
When I decided to do this on my 87 Brat back in 04 or 05 I got new take outs from a 03 RS. Think I paid about $300.00 for them. Took me maybe 3 or so hours to install. Best $300 bucks I ever spent!
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Mine is not round that is why I say many can be adapted. We are getting ready to leave for the day. If I have time when I get home I will measure it and tell you the offsets/dimensions. Then look for a Walker or similar oem style muffler.
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I used a Mgnaflow SS muffler. It isn't stock quite but not that loud either. Anyways any stock style muffler the same size can be welded in just as this Magnaflow was. Look at Walker mufflers, they make oem style quiet mufflers. Truely I love the Magnaflow though. Reminds me of an older 4 cyl Porsche sound.
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Also make sure that the height adjusters on the front struts are not jacked all the way up. That will put extra stress on the DOJ boots, which is what the inside joint is.
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You probably be fine with a quart of primer as you only want to prime the bare metal and any repairs you have made, suchs as dynaglassing or fiberglassing rust and dents. Maybe three quarts of color and one quart of clear. Final coat mix half and half.
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The GL also had tilt steering wheel.
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You get your vacuum leaks fixed you will probably be fine engine wise. From the sound of it you are lucky to get 60mph out of it.
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I ordered the Gabriel struts for my 87 Brat some 10-12 years ago. They have been fine and still are. I did all the work myself and got the spring compression tool from Autozone if my memory is correct. Put down a deposit and got my money back when I brought it back to them. Not that hard to do it all yourself with the proper tools. No way would I pay nearly $50.00 to install springs on a strut. They can also be found on Ebay fairly cheap. I thought everything from 83-89 on the four wheel hatch EA81 hatches was the same.
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I put Subaru RS seats in mine. Came out of a 03, think I bought them in 04 or 05. A little fabbing but nothing major.
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If memory serves me it is 1 7/8". I replaced mine with 2".
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I would just change the fluid. We had a 93 (I think) Loyale with the 3-speed automatic. Transmission started slipping and I got the bright idea to change the filter and fluid. This was many years ago and I might remember it wrong but I think when I pulled the filter there was a nut on the bottom. This was a bolt from above with no access to put it back. I was able to get the new filter back in minus the bolt but their really was nothing wrong with the filter that came out. Plus it didn't fix anything. Yours may be different.
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Well I told you it doesn't take much to confuse me. Damn shift work, got to blame it on something. I guess with two bikes and a pick up also it has taken me almost three years for the last boot to bust. Must of had a brain fart!
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A clicking noise while turning under load is a CV joint. Clicking when going straight under load is usually a DOJ. Wouldn't hurt to check your driveshaft U joints also. Bad wheel bearings usually will give you some vibration at speed. If they get really bad you can catch it on a wheel check. When my driver's side was going South it passed the wheel check the first time confusing me, doesn't take much!! I have owned my 87 Brat for 15 years this year. I have purchased at least two bad axles right out of the box. I just installed brand new EMPI axles on my Brat because I was tired of the aggravation of dealing with that same crap and I was replacing DOJ boots about every 10k miles. On the EMPI axles I received the pin holes were drilled 180 degrees off. Didn't catch it on the first axle so I have to eventually go back under there and try to drive the pin back out and rotate the axle 180. On mine the flush hole had to line up with the beveled hole on the stub for the pin to fit.
P.S. Nice Brat!
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I had a pretty good oil leak on the front of my Brat when I bought it 15 years ago. Ran down the oil pressure sending unit and would have appeared to be the front main seal. Turns out the oil pump housing itself was cracked causing the leak. Really hard to see in place. It actually came off in two pieces when I replaced it. May not be your problem but something you could check. Maybe you could use a small mirror and check the pump. I wouldn't be using Royal Purple if I was dumping it all over the place.
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Last timne I had a click sound coming from the rear the universal joints were shot. Sound like a rock in a hubcap. Heard best at low speed.
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I would want the car to do it at least one more time before I worried about it. Then let the dealer worry about it if it does it again.
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That is a very nice looking Brat. Only thing I would have done different, and I am not trying to be too critical, is stripped the paint off the replacement fender. Had my 87 for nearly 15 years now. Have replaced the seats, painted is twice and maybe two dozen other things over the years. Decided a couple of weeks ago to set my 06 Ranger out and keep my Brat back in the carport! Good luck with your project, you have a very nice base to start with.
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Second the Magnaflow. I have had two Thrush mufflers over the years. One the case split after a couple of years (defective), the other rusted out from the inlet and dropped down after about 5 years. Now I run a Magnaflow stainless steel muffler. The Magnaflow is nice sounding on a flat four.
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Somewhat related but there has been much discussion over the 15W40 and T5 5w40 oil on the Suzuki Bandit forum that I also frequent. The Suzuki Bandits are 1200cc air/oil cooled MC with the transmission sharing the oil. Most Bandit owners that tried the T5 tried it only once due to shearing down pretty fast. Indicated by shifting getting crappy around 2k miles. Second it is a hydrocracked synthetic also. The few that are big Shell fans prefer the 15w40 over T5. If I was you and that concerned about oil abuse in my motor I would use Mobil 1 0W40 which is a true PAO oil and is considered by many to be the best oil that Mobil makes. Some Walmarts carry it for around $6.50 a quart, some don't carry it at all. It stays wiped out at the only Walmart that carries it close to me. So I get them to order it for me a 6 pack at the time. You can check the Walmarts close to you online to see if they carry it. They will hold it for you if you order it. That is what we use in my wife's Forester XT.
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My 87 Brat has no O2 sensor from the factory. I would think yours is the same. Place I buy tires from does exhaust. They ran 2" back from my Y pipe installed my Magnaflow SS muffler for somewhere around $150.00. I have been dealing with these folks for well over 30 years though. The Muffler was about $80. This was a few years ago and they really price wise do me very good but I would say they are still hosing you pretty bad. That is not including the Y pipe with cat.
Just put '07 Jeep Compass/Patriot seats in my 87 GL
in Old Gen.: 80's GL/DL/XT/Loyales...
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They do look good!