subarubrat

BF Goodrich AT K0-2's and I can't say enough about how wonderful they are in this size (255/55/R18), they behave like low profile performance tires on-road and are top notch off-road in snow, dirt, gravel, and shockingly good in mud. http://www.scoobytruck.com/bb/download/file.php?id=880

http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlisle-events/carlisle-import-and-performance-nationals/default.aspx I was thinking about going, anyone else going?

You are taking an aviation approach of safety and reliability, I think you will have success in your project. Automotive engine conversions are somewhat common in homebuilt aircraft but they must be done right to have reliability approaching aeronautical engines which have redundant ignition systems, excellent carbs with adjustable mixture or mechanical fuel injection systems. On both of my planes I elected to use aeronautical engines because of the reliability and suitability to the task, it is very rare that a general aviation aircraft has an in flight engine failure that causes an incident, you can have a catastrophic failure on a cylinder such as a sucked in valve and land just fine on the other 3. We do magneto checks to ensure both ignition systems are functioning every time we start he plane and if one has failed we don't fly until we fix it. Personally I chose to stay away from automotive conversions but I would fly an aircraft powered by a properly implemented Subaru EA81, EJ25, or EG33 as these have a very good record in aircraft use, the EA81 in specific is a great engine for this application. But again, taking an aviation view of things is going to give you that reliability your looking for. Oh, and post some pics!

Very achievable, just do a google search for EJ25 aircraft conversion and you will see all sorts of examples of them being used with aftermarket carbs, fuel injection and how to pull it off. I would say get the ECU and wiring harness and trim it down to the essentials, we don't use factory ECUs in aircraft for a number of reasons such as altitude compensation but you don't have those complications. You don't need a pressurized fuel tank, just a fuel pump like a Walbro 255 Lph and a way to mount it in the tank. If you chose not to use the stock ECU, a kit such as http://www.haltech.com/platinum-sprint-500/ there will be wiring needed but it is not hard to do. Have you sourced an engine yet? If you going to have to pay to get something shipped you might want to consider the JDM 2.0 turbos, they are cheap and plentiful and are going to offer you even more power as is and can be easily upgraded for even more if you need that. The same methods above would apply to the turbo engine.

I can only imagine the nightmare of them fighting over who doesn't have to pay if you had two. I would get Haggerty or one of the other collector policies in your case, so long as you don't commute in it.

Yes, there are several options like Haggarty that specialize in collector cars. I called my company (Erie) and they had an "agreed upon value" policy so if anything happens I get paid that sum Vs the book price of an 82 Brat. Your company may have such a plan as well. -Edit: I should also mention that companies like Haggarty may have conditions that might not work for you, they require a non-collector car for every driver in the household, and don't allow it to be a commuter use car. I found it was better doing the agreed upon value through my existing company.

On my 99 Impreza RS (with turbo kit) I ran a 3in straightpipe from turbo to tail and it was AWESOME!

Its a fan forcing air through the intercooler.

It will be interesting to watch this thread evolve as time goes on. The unfortunate thing is many of the Brats on the road or for sale have significant rust damage, I can't tell you how many times I communicated with a seller who listed a rust free or "only some rust on the bumper" car and when asked for pics of some key areas underneath they replied that there was allot of rust they hadn't seen until they crawled under it. When these things start to rust they can go fast, likely many of the ones in semi rusty shape simply won't be here in a few years. Prices for clean examples have risen but compared to other "collectable" cars they are still not worth much, a pristine one would sell for less than your average low end econobox sells for new today, were not talking 69 Camaro or bug eye Sprite prices and I don't think they will ever see that range. Like so many cars of that era they had high disposal rates and corrosion issues, and so few are getting restored compared to other antique cars so at some point they will see a popularity boost simply by rarity. I don't think that will translate to Barrett Jackson bidding wars though, but it will be harder for enthusiasts to find good condition or restoration candidates, I think that now is the time to get serious about preserving them. The way we use them will also evolve, the garage kept ones that are out of the wet and salt will be here in another 20 years while the ones still being wheeled and exposed simply won't be and it is a tough decision, do you go out and enjoy yours now or do you get to drive it to cars and coffee when your retired?

Going from a Sonic to an Impreza is like trading a shopping cart for a Sherman tank, you made the right move!

We Baja Turbo owners have an axle problem, almost every place lists the wrong axles and most aftermarket axles are nowhere near as good as the Subaru OEMs. After upping my HP and giving my 160k mile axles a beating on the dyno I could feel them starting to go. After looking around I found a solution that seems to be perfect, stronger than stock, as much range of travel as stock, and as luck would have it half the price. I called 1A Automotive about the Autopart International severe duty axles they listed for the Baja Turbo and explained my concern they might be incorrect and they took the time to look up stock spline, length, ABS ring, etc. specs and got back to me saying they matched, I was ready for something to be wrong but they installed perfectly and no surprises. They are much thicker than stock and weigh a good deal more. Part number 1A-ACV-00109 I would post a pic but: You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.

I can't recall the specs but the go-to cam is the Delta torque grind cam. I run it in my Brat, good cam.

I think that era of Camaro/Firebird etc. is the next up and coming segment that will soon go through the roof like the late 60's cars have. At cars and coffee I am seeing more and more mid-late 70's of that type restored with the same quality and cost that has been the standard for the late 60's cars. Soon the good runners will all be restored and people will be fighting over the basket cases, and then the basket cases will be snapped up.

Yep, build the area up with filler rod using a TIG then drill/tap.

It just so happens I did this a few months ago on a 2004 Baja Turbo. I searched for a suitable Subaru replacement that would have the right fittings on each end to save trouble fabbing one up and such but nothing was just right. What I ended up doing was this: I left the end on the transmission as is. I cut off the last inch to inch and a half of the threaded rod that captures the fitting between the two nuts that mates to the stock shifter and welded a hollow steel tube with the same ID as the OD on the threaded rod onto the cable side. I think it was about 1/8in ID. Then I used 3/16 or so steel strip that was about 1.25in wide and drilled it so that it bolted to the two bolts that retain the stock bracket that retains the cable on housing on the shifter assembly. Then a few inches down I drilled two matching holes so that the bracket could be bolted on. Then I slipped the threaded rod and fitting into the shifter and made sure that both the shifter and the tranny were in Park with no stress and then a tacked the threaded rod into the tube that extended the cable. In short I relocated the point where the cable housing bracket bolts to the shifter assembly forward a few inches and extended the cable (which is metal threaded rod at the end near the shifter) an equal amount so that it is still adjustable and reaches. I used a TIG and worked in small sections to avoid overheating the extension and melting the nearby plastic and rubber housing, a metal clamp to heatsink also helped. It will be a few days before I can get pics, but if you need them let me know. I can also give better measurements but they might not apply to you exactly, but the method should be the same.

The one, and I mean one, complaint about USMB is that it does not have a useful file attachment quota (even the subscription is a tiny quantity) so you have to trouble with hosting pics all over or linking to sources like FB that can scramble links, and we do end up with allot of non working pics. Every other forum I am on subscription or not has in effect unlimited pic attachment, my own community I run on classic gaming has pretty much unlimited and the cost is minimal. I wish USMB would just turn on unlimited for subscribers and I would be all in, and it would absolutely grow the content in the community.

Not sure what you mean, I can see the pics in my post and in your reply.

I drove back and forth from work to the hotel during the height of the storm in about 3ft of snow and it was great! Throwing snow, blow off valve popping and hissing, exhaust growling and not a hint of getting stuck!

Best durability and sentimental value = EA81 Displacement waiting to be exploited = SVX H6 Stupid HP cheap = Forrester XT/Baja Turbo/ STi block Jewel in the rough = ER27 (XT6 engine)

They are often listed on ebay, various brands. If they aren't listed at present keep looking as they come up often. Prices vary widely too, I have seen single valves listed for as much as a set of four. You should be able to find a set of four for (intake or exhaust) for $25~45. Rockauto also had some last time I ordered. Valve seals, guides, seats and cover gaskets are also cheap and plentiful on both sites.

Sweet jeep! I would hold on to that one. As far as an engine goes, with larger tires and towing you want I would suggest the 3.6 H6 as it has good torque, another choice would be the 2.5L turbo from the STi or Forrester XT/Baja Turbo with the 4EAT auto trans. Also think about gearing, in Jeep land you can always buy any ratio you want but we are pretty much stuck with the ratio you have. If you lock your stock tranny in low you are now geared right for about a 30in tire and you can lock the ratio in low independent of the 2WD/4WD shift. If you want a low ratio beyond that you have to splice in a T-case and for that you need at least 8in of lift but it makes your life easier because the engine and tranny stay at their stock location, then you can go as low as you want in gearing. Just as something else to consider in your selection.

Check the wire to the starter, not the big cable but the small one that triggers it, it connects to a small spade terminal coming out of a plastic block just above the large starter wire. That could have easily pulled off as the engine dropped in the bay.

With the BRAT mostly finished it is time to look at the next project. About a dozen years ago or more I bought a BRAT go kart body from Moosens the Great and it has been hanging in my garage and I think now is the time to do something with it. My plan is to have the body shop duplicate the BRAT paint job and my original idea was to use a shifter kart to get crazy performance out of it. But today we have electric that can give better results and be much less temperamental. I am certain I can build a brutal fast kart under this body.

Went back to the dyno with a few more mods and an update of the tune, it may not show in the pic but it squats and screams on full boost now like it never did before, and it was stupid fast then.

Subaruparts.com Part Number 791017200 Part Name CLIP MSRP $1.06 Part Number 791017130 Part Name SCREW GROMMET MSRP $1.70 Also, I don't think those are 30 years old, there is no yellowing and they are fresh and flexible instead of brittle. I can't imagine Subaru doing a production run of these so they must be sourced from some other use but I can't imagine what.