nontrivial

Now up on Ebay ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/166026336646 ) with a reserve of $4800.

I don't live in Oklahoma anymore, I'm in SW Florida until I leave. I have it up on FB at https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1172982303409882 I unfortunately have to sell it by the end of the month, so I started high and I'm going to drop the price until it sells. Currently at $8800 but if it hasn't sold in a couple weeks I'm going to put it on Ebay with a reserve of $4800. If it doesn't sell for that I'm just going to park it somewhere and hope it doesn't rot too much.

I am looking for a good home for my Brat. There are some local folks that say they are interested and I wanted to give them and everybody here dibs before I got serious and put it online. I suppose the price is a little negotiable but I'm not sure how negotiable. I've got plenty of pictures to eventually post online if needed. I would REALLY like to thank everybody here because you all have saved my bacon more than once with this Brat. If you have any questions let me know. FOR SALE $10,800 1983 Subaru Brat Four speed manual transmission with dual range four wheel drive. Runs great. 131,000 miles on the chassis. A real classic car that is fun to drive. Reliable enough for daily driver or for a road trip. I am moving out of the country and can’t take it with me. The Good: • Has only minor rust. • Includes removable truck cap. • Has 4 inch lift with 15 inch rims (13 inch is stock). • Rebuilt engine with less than 3000 miles. • Stock carburetor has been replaced with aftermarket Weber. • Includes tow bar, mount, and lights so it can be easily towed. • Some spare parts are included. The Bad: • The rear shocks need to be replaced. • The interior overhead light does not work. • The A/C does not work and needs two new hoses made. • The rally lights need to be wired up. • The reverse lights need to be wired up. • The 4WD indicator lights need to be wired up. The Ugly: • Need to use a button instead of ignition key to start. • Transmission requires some technique for a couple gears. • Some exterior emblems, badges, and trim need to be refurbished. • The minor rust needs to be dealt with soon. james at nontrivial dot org

Maybe, but so far so good. 🙂 I am keeping the bits in the car for a while just in case something goes horribly wrong and I have to rig another solution. But both ends were hose, so I figured all hose would be OK. It does come off just above the EGR valve and goes all the way to the firewall to a widget near the windshield wiper motor, which I assume is emissions related. Whatever it is I don't think there is much flow because there are only a couple vacuum looking hoses attached to the widget, so I am assuming it's just a giant vacuum hose.

Found my vacuum leak! This sort of explains why it was intermittent, because sometimes the leak was bigger than other times depending on how much the metal pipe was bent at the break. I just replaced this whole section with hose and it runs great now! In case you are wondering, this was mounted on the top of the engine on the back, and ran from just above the EGR valve towards the drivers side of the engine. Looks like the other end had broken in the past and somebody just got a longer hose, which is essentially my solution too except now the hose is attached to the engine and not this extension whatever.

My Brat has had a vacuum leak on and off since I've had it. I've spent a lot of quality time looking for it to no avail. To add to the joy it seems to be intermittent and seems to just fix itself eventually. Besides running like poo, I know it's acting up when the vent flap in the dash somewhere doesn't go "THUNK" shortly after I start it up. I still have a lot of emissions junk on it which would probably make my life easier but right now it is what it is. So my question is, does anybody with more experience with me have any pointers to try and help track this down?

So to make a very long, very sad story short, it turns out the transmission is as good as can be expected for being 40 years old. The problem was the clutch cable had seized. Apparently sitting in a field for 10 or 15 years tends to degrade parts. I just wish I had thought to check that before the transmission was temporarily separated from the vehicle. Next up: Vacuum leak, then rear shocks. After that I'll have to check my list.

So there are many references to a thread that outlines how to replace the stock 4MT transmission with a 5MT/EA82 transmission but all the links are busted, and searching for it seems to time out. Does anybody have a good link to that thread? For anybody in the future trying to research this I have learned a few details about it. The good news is the 5MT transmission will just bolt onto the engine. The bad news is that is pretty much the only good news. You need several parts from a donor car (clutch, clutch plate, shifter, maybe some rubber boots, and maybe the 4WD drive shaft. And on top of that it looks like you need some sort of custom mount, and there used to be a guy who sold a kit for that but as far as I can tell he hasn't logged in for a few year. Seeing as how I do not have a donor car, as much as I would like to put in a 5MT unless somebody has a better idea it looks like my best bet is to find another 4MT transmission and hope for the best. I'm also considering putting the existing transmission back in and selling as is because I'm not sure what other options I have right now.

So it turns out it is not a clutch release/throwout bearing, it's the transmission itself. After dropping the transmission (again) the pilot and release bearings seem fine but the transmission itself is hard to turn. So, am suddenly in dire need of transmission #4. The only place I can think of to buy one is on Ebay and I'm not sure which one might work. I would entertain any 4WD that might work, 4MT, 5MT, or whatever. Some options are: https://www.ebay.com/itm/185700120903 https://www.ebay.com/itm/266110131434

Thanks! The pedal seems firm and the transmission is a little sloppy in general but I figure that is normal for the age. Third is a little tough to downshift into though, is that what you mean? I've done a little work on it and (when it is running good) I really like driving it. I hate newer cars with all the sensors, computers, and screens. There are still a lot of little things I want to do on it (like refurbishing the bumpers and wiring up the lights up top), but since I got the big stuff done I'm kind of happy just driving it as is. In a couple months I'm moving out of the country and I'm probably going to be selling it.

Thanks! I really appreciate the help! Last time the bearing went out it took it's time and just kept getting louder. This time it happened a little more quickly and more dramatic, and I had trouble getting it into any gear except second to get it home. So I'm hoping I just need to replace the bearing again and everything else is fine. I actually replaced the clutch and plate a couple years ago when I swapped the automatic transmission for a manual (that crapped out a couple years later), and we are getting unfortunately too familiar with dropping the transmission now. I'm also trying to source a pilot bearing and I'm going to try and replace that too. It seems like the pilot bearing is easier to find. This is my fourth Brat and I've had more trouble with this one than the other three put together. I guess that might have something to do with it being almost 40 years old. :-)

I have a 1983 Subaru Brat with a 4MT dual range 4WD transmission but long story short I have no idea what year the engine or transmission is. The transmission is a little questionable but the throwout bearing was definitely going bad so (with some effort because I don't consider myself a mechanic) my dad and I replaced it with a new one I got from autozone. It lasted about two weeks and now I need to replace it again. I've been researching how to get a good quality throwout/clutch release bearing but I'm having trouble digging up a source/and or part number. As far as I can tell the internet does not think this part exists for a Subaru before 1985. A lot of the ones I've found online that might work have this cover or something over what is presumably the bearing, and I'm not sure what's up with that. I got the one from Autozone because it looked like a bearing, but after it went bad I went back to read the description more closely and it says it is a general purpose bearing. I'm hoping if I get the right bearing it will last longer. I happen to have an extra (bad) bearing on it's carrier/assembly/whatever and I took a photo of it in case it helps. The bearing has an inner diameter of 35 MM. Anyway, if anybody could point to a source for the right bearing I would greatly appreciate it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What color it the interior? I'm looking for a tan plastic shifter cover and vinyl boot. The donor car it came out of had a severe reverse issue and my uncle cut out the boot and a notch on the right hand side so he had more travel to get it into reverse. Actually the rubber boot I have under that is pretty chewed up too. Actually looking for a few tan plastic bits if you have them.

Well I verified that the original problem was there is an intermittent connection in the fan connector, which is why they originally bypassed the sensor. Once I fixed that grounding the sensor wire always engages the fan, so I deleted the universal fan sensor/bypass thing. So I guess if the fan still doesn't come in I'll try plugging it into the other one. :-) The bypass thing has some sort of a sensor zip tied to the radiator hose, a potentiometer to set the threshold, and some wires to connect it all.

I just wanted to post an update. I got all the parts installed and took it to a local A/C shop. The guy was nice an knowledgeable but said I would be wasting my money because the system had been disconnected for so long all the oil had congealed. He didn't seem to believe me when I told him that the evaporator and expansion valve had probably never had refrigerant in them. He also said that the hoses were probable too brittle to be used, and said the only refrigerant he used was R134. Finally he recommended I go find somebody that would but in a complete aftermarket system that would cost as much as I have into the entire vehicle. But he did say he would charge me $100/hour to do whatever I wanted him to do. He actually seemed like a good guy trying to help, but I'm not going to follow his advice. The current plan is to go ahead and buy a new compressor, and also an A/C flush kit to clean out the hoses and condenser. Then I'm going to flush the hell out of the condenser and hoses. Then I'm going to take it back up to him and tell him to hook it up and see if it will hold a vacuum, and if so go ahead and try adding refrigerant. I still have a question I would really like answered, though, in case I end up having to do everything myself. Where the hell are the high and low ports on this system? Again, the only thing I can find that might be them are on the compressor and they have black caps, so are those them? And if so which is which? Attached is a picture of the compressor I am buying.

I removed the radiator in my 1983 Brat to install an A/C condenser from a 1981 wagon. The Brat has an aftermarket sensor to control the fan, and I assumed that was because the fan switch/sensor on the radiator went bad and nobody bothered to replace it. So the idea was to replace that switch but it turns out there are two switches on the radiator and I'm not entirely sure what to do now. One has a single yellow wire coming out of it that was plugged into the harness, and the other has a single connector that wasn't plugged in. The one that isn't plugged in looks like the picture below. I guess I'm going to just replace the one with the (very frayed) wire coming out of it, but I was wondering if anybody could tell me what the second sensor is. My best guess is the Brat originally came with an AT, and the second sensor has something to do with that? James

After doubling down on the googling, it looks like the "Four Seasons 33276 Filter Drier" might be what I'm looking for. Before I buy it and try it, can anybody tell me what they think about it? I read somewhere that some A/C systems use a drier and some use an accumulator, and they are not interchangeable. Can anybody tell me which one a EA81/gen2 uses? Also after some more googling I came across a possible solution for the FICD actuator: https://www.ebay.com/itm/115310985226 So I think this project is looking up. It may take a bit of time to work through everything, but I plan on posting an update eventually.

I have a 1983 Subaru Brat that was born as an AT but now has a MT. I was able to salvage a fair number of parts like the MT from a 1981 station wagon, including most of the bits for the A/C which I am attempting to install now. Even though I spend a lot of time in hot weather and it would be nice, I'm really working on this for my dogs which I haul around in the back with a cap on. Anyway, if anybody has some answers/advice I would greatly appreciate it. Either the Brat had A/C at some point or else it is "factory equipped for optional A/C". The plan is to get all the bits installed and then take it to somebody that knows what they are doing and has the right equipment to drain, vacuum, and fill the system. I really don't have a preference for what type of refrigerant they use as long as it works. The first issue is mounting the compressor. I believe the compressor and mount that I have is the dealer installed version that has 8 mount ears and normally goes on the other side of the alternator from the (weber) carburetor. The first issue was, mounted with four bolts as it was on the 1981, it hit the side of the engine compartment and physically would not fit. So just until I know I can get everything else working I swung it up a bit and mounted it on two bolts. If I get it working I'll fabricate something to allow one or two more mount points for the compressor. BTW, I have no idea what shape the compressor is in at this point, but supposedly working before it was parked under a tree a couple decades ago. I see you can still get new aftermarket compressors, so even if the compressor turns out to be bad or marginal I know I can replace it. The next issue was, with the odd mounting of the compressor now the belt was getting in the way. So I got an idler pulley to replace the one regular pulley that is attached to the compressor mount, and since the belt was rerouted it doesn't get in the way of anything else. The next issue is the dryer. Since the A/C system was open for many years and then disassembled in a box for a couple years, my understanding is that it should be replaced. However, all the replacements I can find online do not have the two ports for the (I assume) high and low pressure sensors. Unless anybody here can point me to a good replacement the current plan is to get the portless dryer and just short the sensor wires and fool the Brat into thinking everything is fine. Not an ideal solution but good enough for now. The next issue is I was not able to salvage the FICD actuator (and everything directly attached to it) that pulls the throttle increases the engine idle speed when the compressor is engaged. For now the plan is to just keep my foot on the gas pedal when needed. If anybody could point me to a source for even just the FICD actuator I would GREATLY appreciate it. Finally I've read a fair amount about all this, and when draining and filling the system folks talk about a high and low port. The only thing that looks like they might be ports that I can find are on the compressor, and they are the same size. Is that what the ports look like on an R12 system, and if so which one is the high and which one is the low? If anybody has an thoughts on this at all on any of this I would like to hear them. Like maybe I should try to keep it R12 if possible, or if people think the hoses are just going to leak after sitting so long.

Cutting down and bending an aluminum door threshold resulted in a pretty good solution for tailgate trim. I ended up inserting the standard (new) plastic bed trim clips for stability, but using the screws that came with threshold and drilling new holes into the tailgate. I'm pretty sure it will take some abuse and I think it looks pretty decent. I might beat on it some more to lower it a bit, but it's good enough for now. The next project is to replace the shift lever bushings. So far the list I have is below, and I'll report back eventually when I have them: 633124170 - Inner / nylon bushing. Need two. 633124180 - Outer / rubber bushing. Need two. 633042040 - Nylon spacer. Need one. 33154GA210 - Rubber cushion. Need one. I really need an inner rubber shifter boot and a 4SPD shifter knob, but I think they are pretty much unobtainable at this point.

The Brat was originally an automatic, and I put in a manual transmission which turned out to be not great. It recently stuck in 3rd gear, I had another 4MT transmission because I was sure this day would come, and I just swapped it out. There is MUCH less slop now, and I can get it into reverse without trying too hard. I think the slop problem was mostly internal to the bad transmission. I do have a what's left of the doughnut at the bottom of the shifter, but there isn't much left. The bushings on the linkage are in surprisingly good shape, just a little warn and the nylons ones cracked. So long term I'll work on replacing the bushings and doughnut, but right now I'm just glad to be able to get it into reverse without having to sacrifice a goat or something. Longer term I do want to replace with a 5MT, but not while it is my primary transportation. Thanks for everybody's help.

Luckily plan A worked and the replacement 4MT transmission turns out to be a pretty decent replacement. I eventually want to put a 5MT in it, but I'm not in a rush now.

Sounds like a worthy project to me.

My 83 Brat has an 81 wagon 4MT dual range transmission of dubious quality, namely it is super sloppy even after replacing the pin in the linkage with a bolt. I know the wagon it came out of, and it had a hard life. It is very difficult to get into reverse, to the point that I removed the dual range 4WD linkage to increase the chance of getting into reverse. It is very easy to get it into 4th instead of reverse and normally it isn't a problem, except this time when that happened it went into 3rd and won't come out. The clutch works but I can't engage 4WD to test if that has any effect. I've tried manually wiring the clutched engaged (flying solo here) and trying to lever the thing out of gear underneath but it's stuck pretty good. This is my main transportation now, so the first thing is any advice on what to try would be appreciated. The second thing is I've always planned on replacing the transmission at some point, and I have a replacement 4MT dual range of unknown quality that I'm going to attempt to swap this weekend. I'm hoping it's a good transmission with minimal slop which will allow me to engage the 4WD again. But just in case the replacement is a lemon, I would appreciate somebody more knowledgeable than me looking over some ebay transmission options to verify they would work for a plan B. I can't really find another direct replacement, so the options are: a) https://www.ebay.com/itm/334256602954 - mythical 5MT 5SP dual range? b) https://www.ebay.com/itm/143901400021 - this is for a later model, probably not kosher c) https://www.ebay.com/itm/174524369221 - also for a later model, probably not kosher d) https://www.ebay.com/itm/334256586223 - not 4WD, can I use in a pinch? e) https://www.ebay.com/itm/334269076108 - maybe the best option? f) another source you might know of So to recap, I please need advice on: Any suggestions for my current transmission other than replace it? In case I need another transmission, will any of the above ebay ones drop in? Any other place where I can get my hands on a transmission?

I found a diagram in the manual and on this year 4WD there is nothing to adjust. I think the transmission just has so much slop that the linkage base just pops out whenever I try to put it in reverse. So I guess it will have to wait until I can replace the transmission.

So the fender liner clips (759114020) are spot on, but the fender bolts (901120005) are completely wrong. Maybe only part numbers less than 800000000 will fit mid 80s Subarus? Using an aluminum threshold for tailgate trim is still looking promising but I'm not done yet. If you want to try it yourself first you have to trim the length about 3/8 inch (6 mm or so for our non US friends), then cut about an inch (25mm) from the width. The hard part is working the aluminum with minimal tools because it is strong and light but relatively brittle. I ran out of time last weekend, but I'm in the middle of making two 45 degree bends lengthwise in it with a 4 inch vise and a rubber mallet. Assuming it turns out well when I get it done I'll post some pictures.