Lachlan

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I'll take a pair. Let me know how fast he can get them out.

After welding in some new hardware: I installed the gift my wife allowed me to buy for myself: For those interested, that's a Corbeau FX1. It fits, but barely, widthwise. IF you're looking into the FX1 line for a gen 1 Brat, definitely don't do wide, and go for the pro if you can fit into it.

Also, thinking about the possibility of putting one of these L-shaped handles in place of my selector knob. Any way to get it off without destroying it?

Found a 5-spd d/r in a 1988 wagon. Has the 3rd gen shifer on it, which is still better than first. Is that a direct bolt up to the EA81, and will the rear diff match?

Yeah, I've been considering that. There are 4 '80s gls at the local pick n pull, transmissions are $110 each. I'll have to do some research as to which has the dual range. Even then, is it just a matter of cutting a hole in the tunnel for the selector?

I find that the old '70s style transfer case lever is in an awkward place; I much prefer the one that sits beside the e-brake. There are several '80s subies at the local pick n pull with the later type; has anyone tried to switch from one to the other?

Poo. That's not what i had hoped to hear. Thanks for the enlightenment, though. I guess I'll hit the junk yard and see what I can find.

While surgering my brat, I realized that, on one side of my radiator, the top and bottom support bars had come detached from the end tank. Upon inspection, it appears that these were brazed together. I cleaned them up pretty good, but I'm having no success in getting the bronze to adhere to the tank. Has anyone else had any success brazing the radiator? Or perhaps with another method of adhesion?

So if you've ever taken off your wiper motor, you'll see that the motor has a steel ball which sits in a white plastic socket in the wiper driving bar. And if you've ever taken off your wiper motor, you probably broke the little white plastic socket. Does anyone know the name or part number for the socket, or know where to source a new one? Thanks

Epilogue: Well, I tried pulling it out with a come-a-long, and torched it at the same time, but still the big kink didn't move. So I decided just to cut the 'rail' out: I was surprised at how thin the stock metal is on these. I would guess 18 gauge or thinner. So then I pulled, torched, and hammered at the remaining sheet metal. I couldn't get all the kinks out, but got it a little straighter. So I attached a 16 gauge sheet to help reinforce the sheet metal: And replaced the rail with some 1/8" x 2" stock and primed: Not perfect, but a valiant effort, and probably good enough for the brat. And yes, the headlight wires fell victim.

To be honest, I've been pulling the brat apart in my garage, so it hasn't seen the road in a while, and tuning took a back seat. But then I decided just to title and register in Ohio, where there are no emissions requirements. Problem successfully avoided.

Here's a better picture of it: I was going to leave it alone, but I've been working so much to repair rust holes, and now the engine is pulled, so I thought I'd at least revisit repairing it. In addition to the above-mentioned solutions, I figure I could do one of the following: 1) heat it up and hammer it out 2) torch it out and weld in steel of similar (or thicker) thickness What do you think of those ideas?

Thanks for the advice, guys. A typical oil pressure sender won't fit into the old idiot light hole directly, as it's too close to the block. The bottom hole in the oil pump you pointed out is rusted pretty tight on mine, and I don't want to risk using a gas wrench that close to the pump. So here's my plummed solution to fit both oil pressure and temperature senders (I did have to tap the holes out to 1/8"x27 NPT)

Moose, In need of the following for ye olde 81 brat: Both fenders front valence (body-colored sheet metal under the front bumper) handle bars for jump seats obrigado

Yes! That's it. Thanks for the tip! Interesting that the fork has no pivot, and the bearing isn't stuck in the clutch. Edit: oh, I just realized that's probably because it's push-type, not pull type.

I'm pulling the engine. Got everything separated, but the haynes manual doesn't mention anything about pulling the clutch bearing fork. I know in a 90's impreza I have to pull the pivot before it comes up--is there a pivot in this old (4wd) tranny I need to remove?

Thanks for the tips, guys. My local gas supplier doesn't care where you got your bottles from, as long as they're in hydro test. And I don't think they rent. On another note, I picked up a brass earth clamp from HF (it was less than half the price of a similar clamp at the welding supp?y store). It has a waring about lead content from the good folks in California. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for all the information. I found a really good craigslist deal on some big O/A tanks (75cf Acetylene, not sure what the Ox is, but it's about 4-5 ft high), so I settled on a compromise. So I have the O/A outfit, and a flux core wire welder that I can upgrade to MIG when I get a CO2/Ar tank later on. I've already used the O/A to do some light brazing on the body (hood hinge fell off), and it works nicely. I also found that the torch is a nice supplement to an angle grinder in spots too tight to use a cut-off wheel. But I'd agree, I wouldn't weld with O/A on the body. The flux core is much faster, easier, and there's less collateral burning. I've got some pretty big rust spots to repair now. If appearance is not a concern, what's the best thickness of steel to use to repair big holes and maintain rigidity?

Thanks for the input. I think I'll stick with the MIG welder for now, and maybe pick up a used torch later on for other projects. For you MIG welders, what size CO2/Ar cylinder did you buy? I see a 20 cu. ft. at HF for $100, or an !80 cu. ft. at the local welding supply store for $180. I think the smaller one would be more convienient for moving around the garage, but how often would I be going back for refills?

Well, apparently my Brat has a few more rust spots than anticipated. That's ok, it just gives me an excuse to buy/learn to use metal working tools! Naturally I can't afford every tool in the shop, so I'm looking for advice on whether I should start with oxyacetylene or MIG welding. Here are some thoughts I have from information I've gathered: OA Pros: cuts, shapes, and welds. OA cons: Have to regularly refill gasses. May burn through metal if not careful. MIG pros: cleaner welds. Not as much heat transferred into thin sheet metal MIG cons: Still have to refill CO2/Argon from time to time (but can flux weld in a pinch). Can't see puddle as well. Needs separate equipment to cut or shape metal. Any thoughts?

Cool. I use a manual choke, so I guess my brain completely replaces the ECU!

I have an 81 Cali Brat, but have replaced the cali hitachi carb with a weber. Is there anything else the ECU really controls?

Can anyone with an 81 Brat pull the part number off his struts? Mine are 721032260, and the company I bought these replacements from, after consulting with KYB, has determined that "the struts on your Brat are unlike the other struts that came on 1981 Brats manufactured for and sold in the US market."

Right, but there's no way a real pressure sender will fit that close to the engine block.