mcmillonbe

I haven't owned a Subaru since I traded in my 15 FXT back in 2017. I have owned 9 Subaru's going back to 1989 when I bought an 81 GL 4x4 in high school. I recently traded in my 20 Tundra for a 21 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring. I love this car but it is too new to use for hauling the dogs and misc projects around the house. I have been looking for a 3rd vehicle for awhile now. I was browsing the local classifieds and found a pretty sweet 91 Legacy wagon. I went back and forth with the owner and finally after much debate decided to look at it. 180k, auto, everything works, no rust, one owner for 27 years, pulled a car fax and it has records back from when it was new. T/belt, water pump, plugs, wire etc recently done. A/c blows cold. Passed emissions. Perfect interior. Took it for a short spin and bought it a few minutes later. I drove it home and then took the wife and the dogs for a short drive. Runs good, looks like a lazy TPS, not too worried about it, I'll deal with it after I get it registered. We have some good independent Subaru shops around here so I'll drop it off and see what they think about it. At any rate, it will be a fun old car to have around. I guess I like self inflicted torture. The last time I was in this forum, I was in the process of restoring an 86 Brat that ended up getting the best of me. It consumed way too much of my time and I did not have the patience to continually tinker with it. It found a good home in rural Idaho where emissions were not needed. If I can figure out to downsize the pictures I took with my I phone( I know, I am a dinosaur), I will post some pictures. At any rate, I am really glad this forum exists, the old Subaru's getting rare but I still enjoy having one in front of the house. Take care!

Good thought on the plastic dip for the bumpers, Im gonna shoot the bumpers with the HVLP just because it will be so much quicker and I already bought the quart of paint. I finally got around to figuring out the idle problem with the rebuilt carb, I sprayed carb cleaner at the base of the carb and the idle smooth out so I checked the carb mounting nuts and all of them were loose, was able to tighten three of the four, but one is stripped, won't tighten and cant get the nut off, guess I will be cutting that off tomorrow. Any thoughts on where to pick up the studs for the carb base? Last time around ended up finding the right thread pitch at Home Depot but had to cut down to match the length. I am kind of relieved because I really didnt want to ship the rebuilt carb back and wait two or three weeks to get another one. Also installed the junkyard speedo bezel trim with the headlight and wiper switch. The old one had a nice crack from when I replaced the dead speedo last fall. Should get the ball joint from Amazon tomorrow and then I can attach the strut and wheel bearing housing and finally start driving the Brat again. 3 miles in a month is pretty pathetic.

Finally a Subaru showed up at the Tear a Part junkyard. Spent 200 in parts today to freshen up the old Brat. Got grill, headlight bezels, turn signals etc, all the Black trim along the doors, various bits for the interior. Pulled the strut and wheel bearing assembly(?) as one and will replace the one I broke the bolt in the collar when I bought new struts as soon as I get the new ball joint from Amazon . Shot the new grill with Plastic Dip, turned out way better than my rattle can jobs of the past. Now just have another 20 hours of body work and Ill be ready to paint the old girl. Also cleaned out my HVLP gun since it was full of crap from the assembly, teflon taped all the connections that leak on the Harbor Freight guns. I will be repainting the bumpers once I get off the 5 layers of hand brushed tractor paint that the PO did. I think I have been bothered for almost a year on how crappy the car looks, but once I get the new parts installed, should make driving it a lot more enjoyable. The rebuilt carb I bought from National is running worse than the carb I rebuilt last fall, will have to see if I may have left some vacuum hoses off or something simple. I am excited to drive the Brat again, it has been sitting for almost a month just moving to in and out of the garage while working on the body. Have a super night! B.

Installed a rebuilt Hitachi carb that I bought from National for $150. I rebuilt two carbs for the Brat over the past year but never got it quite right. The old beast fired right up and settled into a steady idle after it warmed up. Also much smoother rev throughout the power band. I am sure the old carbs were leaking at the throttle plate, and now the exhaust is actually tolerable. I would have done the Weber but the emissions here are a pain. On a side note, installed some new struts, but still cannot get the struts to line up with the two bolts on the bottom mount position, I am off by only a 1/2", any ideas? I am out of patience and I am sure I am not the only one to have this situation. Thanks guys!

Continuing working on the rust removal on the Brat for the past several weeks. Rockers on both sides were shot, the wheel arch on the passenger side was mostly bondo and rust, and several other areas. Cut out the rust in drivers side wheel arch, welded in some new metal and then did long strand bondo followed by some light body filler. Also welded in the passenger wheel arch to the best of my ablility, not perfect, but better than the big rust holes. The rockers are still being cut up to fit and should should turn out okay over the next few days. I am determined to get this old ride painted before the last paint class on June 3rd. I would post pictures but not really in the mood to read comments about my welding skills. I have learned a lot over the last couple of months, mostly that I will never take on a rusty project again. The amount of time to get it perfect is beyond my capability, but at least this Brat will be good for many more years rather than ending up at the junkyard because of the cancer. To those of you that are good at body work, damn! I always thought body work would be easy, but I have been seriously humbled by this experience.

Went to the scrap yard and picked up a 4ft x 8" section of sheet metal to weld in behind the rear bumper. Cost was under 4 bucks. Will be getting the new rockers tomorrow and the rear wheel arches next Wednesday. The current rockers are rusted through pretty good, will take some pics before cutting it out. Should be getting close to paint in the next several weeks. Glad to have access to a real air supply as my 30 gallon Harbor Freight compressor doesn't have the beans to run the DA sander for very long.

I ordered rocker panels and rear wheel arches for the Brat. Will get the rockers in time for next weeks class, should be able to get them welded in with some mild work. The wheel arches should arrive next week. Spent most of the class last night sanding down the cracked and faded paint. Still lots of body work but moving right along. After the body work is completed in the next couple of weeks will be shooting it with a catalyzed epoxy primer then a two stage paint, keeping the color pretty close to factory. Let the good times roll!

The KYB shocks arrived today via Amazon. Perfect fit, took about 45 min for both sides, used some wd40 on the bolts before attempting to remove them. I was expected a real pain in the butt, but all the bolts came out without any of them breaking. The old shocks were pretty worn so the ride is so much better. Also adjusted the freeplay in the clutch pedal since it was pretty sloppy then drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon with the T tops up and got a lot of looks for that. There are always a lot of Subarus up at Snowbird and Alta, but all them are at least 96 and newer. Counting down to next Monday when the major rehab on the rusted panels begins, my $100 Harbor Frieght welder is fun, but no match for the real welders at the shop.

Ordered KYB shocks off of Amazon, should arrive tomorrow. The Brat goes off to the shop next monday. Taking a auto body class, the instructor is super knowledgeable and most importantly, they have a paint booth with oven, lifts and pretty much everything I need to do a pretty good refresh on the Brat. Will probably pull the engine to fix the rear main oil leak and might throw in a new clutch as well. Probably needs a total front end overhaul, won't know till I put in on the lift and look around. I will take some pictures during this adventure. Should be a lot of fun!

Guess I was trying to be cute since I did "trade" my car in, but you got me on my misuse of the word. Good catch! Lucky for me the Honda Fit is still assembled in Japan. Finally finished the repair on the rusted wheel arches in the bed of the Brat. After cutting out all the old rust, welding some patches and used some long strand fiberglass fill, then after sanding applied some bondo, sanded that and primed and painted it with some rattle cans. Really enjoyed using the DA sander I picked up at Harbor Freight, made sanding much more tolerable. Starting the body repair class on Monday and will get the old girl ready to get painted in the next few months.

Signed up for a body/paint course through my sons schools district so that I can work on the Brat in a more suitable environment than my garage, starts in a week, cost 200 bucks and should be able to get the Brat looking pretty sharp. Oh yeah, also traded in my beloved but tired 01 Outback VDC for a 13 Honda Fit Sport with 8 miles on in it. I know I am a trader, but the Outback was nickel and diming me and now I can spend more time getting the old Brat in tip top shape. Also will give me an excuse to take the Brat out next winter when the Fit wont be able to handle the snow. Got the Fit for 17k and while I still like the new Subaru's, I couldnt find a manual because I really couldn't deal with the CVT, so I went with a good little commuter that will be easy with my time and wallet.

Finished up welding in some sheetmetal for the wheel well housings in the bed. Not pretty but with some body filler will get the job done. Going to weld up some more sheetmetal in the wheel well arch tomorrow after I return the sheet metal shears that broke from Harbor Freight. Also pulled out a nasty dent in the passenger door using sheetmetal screws and vise grips. Will also be starting prepping the body for primer and paint over the next few weeks. Going with a base/clearcoat and painting it in my garage. No need to spend thousands at a body shop when I can get it pretty good for a couple hundred. Then will probably put up on Ebay and the local classifieds. Like the car a lot but dont have time to drive it, would rather see someone else get some pleasure driving it.

Picked up a cheap Harbor Freight mig welder today. I know its not the best in the world, but will allow me to patch up the wheel well liners. Spent an hour or so cutting and grinding away the rust so that I can actually get a patch to hold a weld. Bought some way too pricey metal at Home Depot for the patches. Going to order the wheel well arch for Subarus from Smiles auto parts, im sure it will not fit perfect but will make the adjustments. Someone way before I owned the Brat did a typical bondo patch about an inch thick to cover up the cancer on the wheel arch. Should be a fun project to keep the old Brat on the road for a few more years. A few more weeks and should be able to get some new paint on the old girl.

VDC is the first generation of traction/stability control for Subaru. Keeps the fun factor down since it won't let me whip any donuts unless I insert a fuse to deactivate it. Also cuts power when the tires starts to slip. I must be getting old, but I do like it, especially when I'm coming down the icy canyon after a long day at the mountain. It has saved my butt a few times when Im cooking down the icy corners, but not really anything that driving a bit slower wouldn't cure. Finally got the go ahead to start working on the body on the Brat. Going to weld in some patches on the wheel wells and some other spots that need attention. Then I will move to pulling out a nice large dent in the passenger door. With the sanding, priming, and filling in small body dings, I should be busy over the next couple of weeks. Going to paint in my garage when it warms up with a base/clear keeping the color pretty close to what it is now, also will get the topper painted while Im at it. Even if the paint doesn't turn out perfect, it will still be a huge improvement over the current condition. And then maybe someone will buy it.

Drove 30 miles to check out the camper shell, ended up buying it, its a little rough, but for $50 couldnt turn it down. The seller helped me get the shell on my roof rack, then we secured it with some hd cargo straps. Drove it one mile on the freeway and got nervous and pulled into a parking lot and redid the cargo straps, then drove an extra ten miles out of the way to avoid highway speeds. Had my wife help me unload and put it on the Brat. Then went to Home Depot and bought some J bolts to bolt it to the bed. My dog will love riding in the back with the side windows open tomorrow. WIll post some pics tomorrow, too tired to do much more tonight.

Found a topper for the Brat locally for $50 that I will check out tomorrow. Gonna strap to my roof rack on my h6 and hope for the best on the 45 mile trip home. I don't think the Brat is ready for a highway trip of that length yet. But at least now I can take my dog in the brat without worrying about her tearing up the interior. And keep her out of the my Outback, even though the dog gate has worked very well in keeping her in the cargo area. Also will allow me to put some miles on the Brat when I take the dog out for hikes. I will post some pics once I get the topper installed.

Drove the Brat about 10 miles yesterday, the most in several months, ran super good so I think I draining and flushing the fuel system solved that problem. Then put some engine oil flush as directed and changed the oil again, now have a bigger oil leak. Oil leak is sparotic, sometimes virtually no drips, then other times a nice dollar size puddle. Changed the oil pan gasket with cork gasket and ultra grey but looks like its coming from the rear main. May end up pulling engine once it warms up to deal with the leak. Just need it to be a little warmer. Let the good times roll!

Started up the Brat for the first time in two weeks. Fired right up with one pump of the gas pedal. Then let it warm up while I cleared the driveway of the cement that fell last night. Moved it over to the corner of the lot so the plow can get through if it snows again tonight. Put it 4lo and climbed in reverse into a pretty deep snow bank, sure likes the snow. Skiing again got in the way of taking out the Brat for a drive. Just cant give up the luxury of heated seats and the vroom of the H6 climbing up the canyon roads. Been thinking about putting it on Ebay but then I think about how much enjoyable it will be to drive with the t tops up on a warm summer day.

Finally warm enough to deal with the super leaky oil pan. Lots of sludge at the bottom, not surprised by how the PO treated this car. Took almost an hour to get the old cork gasket off, finally burned to off with my trusty little torch. Had a bolt that had broken off and managed to get that out. The cork gasket I ordered off of Amazon doesn't line up very well, so I think I will buy some ultra grey and try that. Still need to locate one bolt for the pan. No wonder why it leaked so much, probably hasn't been changed in 15 years, the gasket looked just like the valve covers that I replaced a few months ago.

I feel your pain. I bought a 87 Brat back in the fall, I thought it would be no problem, just a little work to get it pass smog. First e test, it blew 3800hc, after a good tune up with oil change and carb rebuilt got it cut in half to 1800hc at idle. Next, I got the distributor rebuilt, fixed all the vacuum leaks, verified by vacuum gauge and it went done to 800. Before the 4th attempt I replaced the non working EGR valve with brand new one and ran a high concentration of denatured alcohol and dumped the timing to 4 degrees. It still failed but was at 250 hc vs the required 220. At this point, I ended up going to the Board of Air Quality and got a one year waiver. Good luck!

Ran into this problem awhile back, decided the bleed the brakes in the Brat since the brake fluid looked like it hadn't been changed in many years. Used one of those one man bleeders, and ended up scoring the piston in the master cylinder. Bought a reman unit off of ebay and spent a good hour bleeding the brakes. Still all the way to the floor. Finally got pissed and went over to Harbor Freight and got a brake bleeder kit that hooks up to an air compressor. Bam, still took about 45 minutes to get all the air out, but now the brakes work good for a old car.

+1 on tires. I won't drive in the snow with the summer tires on my VDC outback. I always switch over the winter wheels/snow tires before the first storm. The Subaru is only going to be as good as the tires. Although, the Brat is almost as good in the snow with all seasons as my Outback with winter tires. Probably helps that it is over 1000lbs lighter and runs on skinny tires and is a manual. Either way, both cars are outstanding in the winter, even though they are two totally different cars.

Decided to finally attempt to fix the Brat today. Replaced the under hood fuel filter and shot the fuel lines with carb cleaner and compressed air. Viola! It made it back home after driving it around the block without dying on me. Maybe just crap in the fuel system. Might get brave tomorrow and take it for an extended drive to see if that finally fixed the problem.

Haven't done much with the Brat until today, it was pretty cold here with lots of snow, so skiing took priority. A few weeks ago, I was driving the Brat and it suddenly lost power going up a steep snow covered hill. Managed to get it home and parked it till it warmed up. It started right up after sitting a week and I took it over to my brother in laws rental to clear his driveway with my snowblower. He wanted to take a drive around the block, so as we started driving, it did the same thing, after about 15 minutes, it died. It would barely idle, and would not rev. Ended up having him tow me home in his Tahoe. So today, it started right up, idled fine in the garage. Decided to drain the tank, gas looked fine, no clumps or anything. Put fresh gas in it, and viola! The fuel pump started making racket then the car died and did the same thing the two other times. I ran out of time to hook up the fuel pressure gauge, but my money is a bad fuel pump. Also, I guess the PO decided that the fuel filter wasn't necessary. So after I verify fuel pressure, I will get a fuel filter back there and a new fuel pump. Anyone have any input on aftermarket brands? I know it just has to be a low pressure unit. I have missed driving the Brat, my h6 is much nicer, but its a tank and not much fun to drive.

Even after all the work, distributer rebuild, carb rebuild, new egr valve, replaceing all the vacuum leaks etc, I still had the afterfire, especially on the two-three upshift. Today I broke down and put a quarter in each of the pipes near the reed valves, and viola!!!!! No more afterfiring, I mean this car sounds like a normal car, the idle is super smooth now. I cannot believe that this was causing me so much frustration. So again, thanks for the site, the old Brat is now going to be driven on a daily basis, still have to reseal the the oil pan and the c/s seal but super happy with this simple mod.