Clueless on 1984 Brat

[kayoteq]

Greetings..

 

 

Okay, I've been stalking this seller for a bit, about to go take him a deposit and have another round of inspection.

Have to wait till he fixes the axle before proceeding. Not a worry to me.

 

I crawled under, the rear fender edges are a bit flakey, and the tow hooks on the back are loose as a result of that area being

pretty funky, but otherwise, just the spots 99.9% of them get.

And while it's hard to inspect, at least the underside seems to be pretty solid, the edges a bit rougher, rustier..

 

Now.. What concerns me is that tow hooks/beams area rusting.. That left tow hook, for instance, is just barely held on.. Minimum welding back some metal in the area, or is this integral to the rear suspension etc?

 

This Is A Very Bad Thing? or

This Is Just Something To Fix And Move On..

..or, the classic, This Just Happens. Don't Tow From There.

[Turbone]

The tow hooks arent really structural, what you need to worry about are the top of the rear shock mounts.

Get a flashlight and a screwdriver(as a probe) then check the rear wheel wells real good.

[BratWarrior]

That's a really nice looking BRAT. More pics once its yours! What are you pickin' it up for?

[kayoteq]

Hey everybody, gather around, he's going to talk about 4wd mode!

 

The last one I drove of this era was an automatic.

 

What is the normal behavior of one of these, as my test drive resulted in plenty of..

 

..okay, folks, I ain't kidding about the title. This is the first time I've *owned* a 4wd system.

Borrowing the parent's automatic doesn't quite count. So my terminology will be vague.

 

Caveman simple:

 

Car go fine but put funny lever in all wheel mode and slow turn make car not go. Drive opposite direction, disengage, fine.

 

Am I experiencing normal behaviour of 4wd circa 1984.. while driving slowly, on a dry road..?

The guy says 'that's how I know one of these systems is working'

(when the um.. binding? occours. And have taken note of the 'evenly worn' tires caveat..

 

so yeah, everything can be bolted and unbolted if found...

 

but I'm starting anew with this. Just basic car knowledge, access to junkyards and a mechanic who can take ej's apart and have time for lunch.

 

So don't gripe and grind, I am under the delusion I know what I'm doing, usually after referencing owners, factory, and internet manuals. Usually.

 

I could have gone for a newer outback or something, but I like the simple..

 

 

If.

 

There's still the gauntlet of the local mechanic before the price is paid. ..

 

 

Stop laughing, or stop crying.. what's going on with that 4wd steering?just wanting independent opinion of problem:not problem..

Typical operating speeds, etc. Am I just experiencing normality?

I was road-testing.. would be foolish to not check the on-demand..

 

 

 

More pics, post deposit. Subies go like hotcakes or slow-moving project cars..

 

I wanted to lock this sucker down but not jump in all the way yet.

Short of a fatal flaw (anythng that welding and metal can't fix) or a munged transmission (2wd seems fine, to me.)

 

Shoot, even then, I'd just be talking the guy down on price

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, no pictures of the sexy typical engine compartment.

 

..he got the car down from the lift after changing the axle,

hooked up the battery and it started right up like it'd just stopped at the grocery store for a few minutes.

 

I live in some mountainous areas. I want to catch every possible problem early on and re-bulletproof it or put it on the spring retrofit list..

 

Appreciate the input. Not looking to run the Baja 100, just to make it back from a service call up in the North Carolina mountains..

[TomRhere]

Nice BRAT!!!!!!

 

Sounds likee you experienced typical torque bind in 4WD. You shouldn't use it on dry pavement especially turning corners.

 

It can be done, if you drive with the tires on one side in loose stuff on the shoulder of the road occassionally.

 

There is no "center diff" in the trans, so front and rear are "locked" together.

[kayoteq]

Ah yes, it was a vague memory about the torque..

 

While the guy is a retired Subie mechanic but there's snakes in them woods. usually tagged OBO, so I'm taking a grain of salt even then.

aka 'Trust, but verify"

 

(This find was after test-driving a 98 and a 00 that needed overhaul and a surgical removal of $1k from their asking price.

I love the Subies, but many PO kinda didn't treat them well. A dozen questionable systems vs. half-a-dozen basic things in a 84 )

 

I hope I can do the car well. Keep an eye on levels, etc and not push a component past its proper use. I can see how one of these could machine itself apart if used very improperly.

 

Heck yeah.

 

Now to source out the rear seats..

 

"What! No seats! forget it then, kid. Give me their number and I'll.. um, berate them. Yeah, that's it."

Edited November 6, 2011 by kayoteq

[Idasho]

That brat looks great!

 

As mentioned, it sound to me like you are talking about typical torque binding of the 4wd system.

 

Id jump on that brat in a heartbeat.

 

BTW, where are you located?

[kayoteq]

Location: right on the edge of Cherokee national forest, where the mountains are high and the residents are higher.

 

Yeah, when I go there tomorrow I should get some beauty shots of 'the nice one' hidden behind the washer and dryer..

 

Madness. Already sourced a Chilton 70-84 manual, found the ahem pdfs,

and hopefully my years of adaptive tinkering will allow me the privilege

of driving too slow in unsafe conditions.

 

Now the controversy: This is also intended to be my wood-fetchin' truck. Since liners aren't easy to source, should I be considering the spray bedliner?

Nothing? just some scrap paneling/cardboard? ignore it and use it like a truck? I see how trucks end up.. at least for now I can tell if it starts showing red paint. Ouch..

[bheinen74]

Do NOT use paneling or cardboard for the liner. That will attract and retain moisture, causing BAD rust.

 

Get some do it yourself bedliner, herculiner makes roll-on stuff for 45-65 a can. There are some spray on stuff too, cheap.

 

I like red BRATS, if this was mine i would power wash the black off, and make it right. That is new paint, and it was not done right to flake off in all the jambs, back etc.

 

Still a Brat worth showing off, these are getting more rare every year time passes.

Edited November 6, 2011 by bheinen74

[kayoteq]

I just meant cardboard while doing the loading, not keeping it in there..

 

 

I'm in a trap, aren't I? using a vintage vehicle for its original purpose during the times when it's most susceptible to damage...

 

 

So liquid liner is okay for the bed. check. Consult Directions for proper application.

 

 

Lot of things to take care of in fairer weather. If everything goes as planned,

some basic maintenance and an eye for the long-term.

 

Every spot you see in those photos pains me to see and will be corrected or at least primered (then I can sharpie it to match!)

 

There's a yard nearby with about 40 Subies of various vintages. Should be enough to take care of much missing/faded things, hoping to find a cyclops.

 

 

Okay, clueless, yes, but I've been lurking.

[Durania]

Greetings fellow Tennessean.

[kayoteq]

Heh, it passed the 3rd party mechanic gauntlet, in fact he said if I didn't take it he would.

 

So far I'm still amazed I have managed to legally prise this away for my personal usage. Now to learn how to use one of these and keep it alive.

 

 

Oh and, How Clueless Is I? It's actually an 85.

 

 

Oh, and as promised, Clyde's ride.

 

(Not for sale)

Edited November 8, 2011 by kayoteq

[Durania]

85 is considered to be the "best" year for the Brats. Last year for the jump seats and first year for the hydraulic lifters.

[bheinen74]

82 has running with 85 for best

82: cyclops light only that year, better trans ratio, and plaid seats

[Durania]

Touché on the plaid seats.

[bratman2]

87's are the best because they are the baby of the bunch,lol!

[kayoteq]

Well, took care of the funny smell. While the rest of the exhaust was ok, the front exhaust header downpipes were bad, now intact if not oem. Seems to have helped the hesitation a bit, but some of that may still be me being in the wrong gear for the situation.

 

Attempted to fix the backup light. bulb is stuck, base is funky. area behind signals is oxidated, so more areas to sand, treat and seal. At least it being mostly black the patching will blend in..

 

(shopping list: more sanding pads, por-15, rust converter, luck)

 

Not going for concours, just Stop Stuff From Falling Off

[ShawnW]

82 has running with 85 for best

82: cyclops light only that year, better trans ratio, and plaid seats

 

Yeah the cost of the 82 is the tiny clutch. I still vote 84 Turbo as best brat....after the MT swap.

[edrach]

Attempted to fix the backup light. bulb is stuck, base is funky. area behind signals is oxidated, so more areas to sand, treat and seal. At least it being mostly black the patching will blend in..

 

 

Not going for concours, just Stop Stuff From Falling Off

If the bad socket is on the passenger side, I have the tail-light base with harness but without the lens. That should solve the funky socket problem. I could let it go for $5 plus the cost of mailing it out to you. Drop me a PM if you'd like that.

[kayoteq]

Thanks, I'm going to try a bit more now that I'm in proximity to the shop rather than in a parking lot.

 

LH (Driver's) side, though. Just a stuck bulb.. just some careful removal of the bulb bits, or get another bulb housing and thread it into the casing if need be.

 

*Success: a little tiny chisel (usually for soldering) and chunked away that lamp base, avoiding the socket, till finally the little nub let loose. new bulb, works.

(okay, it wasn't that bad, but it did take an hour to get that bulb remnant out. USE EYE PROTECTION if chiseling glass lamp base. Itty bitty pieces.)

 

 

The temp gauge is still extraordinarily low.. peaking at just past the 1/4 mark if that. I have heat, eventually.. so I'm suspecting open thermostat

*and* coolant temp sensor function or wiring (clean, check reading at sensor, reading at meter (if accessible)

 

The other meters seem to be fine in their normal ranges..

 

While at the lamp, did some wire brushing and rust resolver on the lamp area. Also inspected all the bed panel areas; only one panel needed brushing and a layer of rust converter inside (the rest are just fine, sorry) and a few spots of orange to attack.

Mostly the rocker panel/ rear quarter lower sections that have issues; looks like a thin-alumnimum bondo-ish job back there, but just some coverage and a note

for spring refurbing.

Edited November 12, 2011 by kayoteq

[kayoteq]

Greetings fellow Tennessean.

 

Howdy..

sorry, was distracted by the sensory overload of a whole new set of wires, quirks and such.