mcbrat

he was a little freaked, but stayed calm... we got him out first... after extraction he was ready to get back at it....

nice. if it's all original, it appears to be a basic GL with the Dual range and centerlamp, so it should have the 1800 EA81 Engine... look right to the left of the distributor for the engine model stamp... and that would be paint code 45, Torreador Red... Nice woody kit too...

yep. "plan" for this winter is to pop it back out a bit, and maybe remove the decals, and give it a fresh coat of paint... I've got some cutting/welding to do in the footwells too... they have not faired well, where I beat it to fit 30's on it years ago....

a couple more pics from that weekend Start of the weekend Group at "FlagPole" Wider shot of the underside

hey stranger!

since it's a US Ski team wagon, you should've done the paint is Red, White and Blue instead of easter egg

I want to add a bit more protection for the windshield and t-tops, and an internal cage won't do that, so I will have something external, but it won't be massive...

I just don't like the look of some of the massive exo's I've seen. the BRat in WA with the 36's and full exo just looks off to me... plus I really don't want that much added weight. I watched some old soob video, and while I look back at the fun those were, I much prefer the liesurely trail-rides without getting stuck, or breaking something.... and I like having all 4 wheels on the ground (most of the time )

Definitely not with the Swamper SX's on it. makes my '72 3/4 ton chevy feel like a caddy...

remeber those old commercials... "your Brain"... "Your Brain on drugs" well, here's the BRAT version.... The first one is a pic taken at the first offroading trip my Brat went on... This is after my most recent outing...

yeah, when I first got it, there was a few minor dents, and a hole in the bed where a battery had sat and leaked for some time... the gas tank was totally varnished up... had sat for probably 13-14 years... it got a 4/3 Ozified lift in the beginning....

just the rear cage for now... I hate exos and the brat is tight inside, so I'm still looking at what I want to do....

mostly I made my 4th and last attempt at a hill climb, and I made it, but right at the top it dropped into the climb from around the corner... my climb at the top was right between 2 trees, and the angle I was at, and the drop there was too much. I basically planted my front end into the other trail, and rolled it to the left... coming to rest above the adjacent climb. my son and I were both hanging from the seatbelts. we got him unbuckled first and a friend lifted him out, then I unsnapped and fell to the roof and climbed out my "window" area. Took pictures, then began the recovery... it really was a slow roll. just held on for the short ride.

in the pic where you can see the guy standing, that's where I came from.

1st winch pull was from the side to right me. 2nd set of pulls were from my front bumper to get me pointed up the hill. a couple short pulls and releases with some wheel turning to help 3rd set was hooking another winch up to pull me more away from the wall. 4th was the first winch pulling me up to a less steep area so I could pull the plugs. after the cylinders were cleared, and plugs reinstalled, it started right up. one on my plug wires came apart and I jammed it together as best I could. after I drove back to camp I split the boot and repaired it better... and straightened out the fenders a bit... this particular area of the park is called Crash Canyon

yeah. just hit it with a dremel if there's anything not flush and call it good... the flange area of the head can only take so much beating before it will crack the aluminum

broken flush isn't an issue as long as it's truly flush the other two holes are the ones you would use anyway

other pics on my build thread... no roof damage at all....

took me 4 tries to make the hill climb... and this was my reward all of the other climbs in this area continue to the top so you can loop around to the others..... just not this one

I had a slight left roll... lost both turn signals, and caved the side in a little more than it already was... and you are looking up a hill climb here. the Brat was almost flat upside down. The pics from above help show actual position better.

We had folks from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Wisconsin show up. about 44 rigs total. had a really good time... But it was really dusty due to the dry conditions here this year... we had wiped down the whole inside of the brat last week before heading for the event....

better tube work pics

the ea82 y-pipe is even mounted, and would bolt right up to an ea81 either with both exhaust blocks, or no blocks... EA81's varied over the years, from no blocks, to 1 block, to 2 blocks... so any ea81 y-pipe that was made for the 1 block engine will not bolt up to the 0 or 2 block engines.... as far as the blocks being rotted, I've never seen one rotted, even on some of the rusty stuff I've had. they look that way because they are cast iron or maybe cast steel... I've had decent luck, tapping threads into the spacer, and running larger exhaust studs... much easier that trying to remove them usually, as the heads of the torx bolts are rusted to the spacer hard... I used an impact and could not remove them from the engine I put in Guido...

do not apply grease to the face of the throw out bearing. it's a sealed pre-greased unit. applying to the face would cause a mess... you don't want grease flung around and potentially getting on you clutch disc.