Legacy RallyGuy Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Just wanted to document this day. The brat is now home with me! I drove it about 25 miles this evening and it was awesome....up until the moment I blew a fuse and lost all my lights. Lol Ah... memories! (ren and stimpy singing) Hehe, when it's down to a few little gremlins is when the car becomes fun! And honestly, I love the building part too! Looking amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Just wanted to share: Edited April 10, 2014 by spicypeanut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy RallyGuy Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Just wanted to share: And we just love that you did! Great looking car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) I'm trying to get all my running lights to be LED's and I seem to be running into some issues. I posted a separate LED thread over here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/145320-possible-to-convert-all-running-lights-to-led/ Halp! Small Update: I've driven the car about 60-70 miles so far. My mechanic wanted the motor to be broken in a little bit before he readjusted the motor. Hopefully after I get it back tonight it will be running quietly. He will also be installing the new speedometer cable so that I actually know how fast I'm going. Edited April 15, 2014 by spicypeanut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) Okay. Made some progress the last 2 days. Here goes a pretty large update. I'm still greasy and dirty from working on it all day. Got some replacement windshield wipers. These are old school. I much prefer what cars use now... Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Check out my freshly painted factory Mirrors! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr So because I didn't have this tiny little valve, the truck-let failed the smog test (Yay for California...). This is called a vacuum delay valve. Basically it delays the vacuum to the EGR valve so the emissions runs properly. I didn't have it the first time I tried to smog. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr With that little thing installed ALL of the emmissions numbers dropped drastically. So now the truck-let is running well, but it failed the smog test yet again. . The HC (PPM) is 332 and the max allowable is 239. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr I ran it back over to my mechanic who was able to retard the timing a bit and lean it out. I am hopeful that those adjustments will allow it to pass the smog test tomorrow so I can finally get my tags. Next up, are the shims for the rear head rests. I had one original set that was in good shape and another set that looked as if they had disintegrated. I went over to my good friend who has his own machine shop. He's been doing custom machine work for the past 40 + years. Well needless to say he re-created these parts and the attention to detail and the quality far surpasses the original components. Just look at these, they are gorgeous! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr <iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48004531@N06/13900549061/player/" width="375" height="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr He did a little spot weld repair on the damaged head rest that I had. Once I clean it up and put some paint on it, the head rest will look brand new. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here is some more welding I had my machine shop friend do. Basically each of the grab bars were very rusty. They were bad enough that he told me that he wanted to weld new pipe onto the original frame. Who am I to argue? Had him fix all 4 for good measure. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Did some touch-ups on the rear truck-let bed. Came out quite nice. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Now that the car/truck/truck-let/Brat is drive-able, I went ahead and re-installed the front push bar and rear roll bars. We polished up the bolts, used some lock washers and flat washers and re-installed both bars. I think they look GREAT! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr The mad house that is my garage at this point during the installs. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr I've gotten most things on my check-list taken care of. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr My dad and I were finally able to install both mirrors! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr I thought this was a fitting photo to end this update on: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Edited April 19, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) Nice job on the shims. I made up a mold a while back and cast a few sets out of casting resin. So far, so good. Same thing with my 4wd shift knob. I also made a mold for the gaskets on my mirrors, but those were cast out of a rubber material that has worked out really well: https://plus.google.com/photos/104996736048797020042/albums/5420708382421326497 Edited April 20, 2014 by bendecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 Nice job on the shims. I made up a mold a while back and cast a few sets out of casting resin. So far, so good. Same thing with my 4wd shift knob. I also made a mold for the gaskets on my mirrors, but those were cast out of a rubber material that has worked out really well: https://plus.google.com/photos/104996736048797020042/albums/5420708382421326497 Thank man, your molds look like they turned out great! My fix seems to be holding up nicely. The plans I have left are to buy some long shank lug nuts so I can mount my new wheels. Get some meaty off roadish tires that fit (13 / 5x5 What tires can I even get?), install all my LED running lights (and light bar). And some little things here and there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Small Update: Over the weekend my dad and I knocked out a bunch of small things. Some of which include: Install LED Light Bar (7200 lumen) Install and Fix Black Plastic Trim pieces Cover up extra door mirror holes Install front Grill Fix Front Turn Signal housing Seals Install LED running lights (all that is missing now are the side marker LED lights which are on their way) Measure and Order higher quality speakers to install behind the seats Remove ugly coolant over flow tank and replace with high quality powder-coated tank Install Battery Tie-down Install all LED's into Gauge Cluster and mount Gauge Cluster Install Gauge Cluster Surround Pictures to follow.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Last night I installed 2 5x7 JBL Speakers into the custom boxes and put them behind each of the seats in the cab. The sound is amazing! Now I've got 2 good speakers behind the seats and 1 good speaker under the dash in the stock location, along with my Alpine head unit. The sound out of the Brat is amazing! Tonight I should be installing the last of the LED running lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Last night I installed 2 5x7 JBL Speakers into the custom boxes and put them behind each of the seats in the cab. The sound is amazing! Now I've got 2 good speakers behind the seats and 1 good speaker under the dash in the stock location, along with my Alpine head unit. The sound out of the Brat is amazing! Tonight I should be installing the last of the LED running lights. Would love some pics of the boxes and speakers. I'm thinking of doing the same thing and am looking for ideas. Thanks for keeping the thread going 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Would love some pics of the boxes and speakers. I'm thinking of doing the same thing and am looking for ideas. Thanks for keeping the thread going Thanks Ben, I'll try to take some pictures tonight. I would have posted the other pictures already but I can't seem to remember my Flikr password again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Me too on the boxes. My current set-up has them in boxes but (the speakers) pressed up against the back of the seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) Pictures as promised: New Horns... Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here we have the redone jack and new coolant overflow tank installed: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Battery tie down. Now it wont be moving around under the hood! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Because the previous owner had mirrors that had longer mounting holes than the OEM mirrors, I was forced to plug them. But I feel it came out very nice! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Both left and right side plastic panels have been repaired and installed: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here it is before I installed it: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr And here I am teaching the ways of driving manual! Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here is a comparison of the factory head lights and then with a little "help" from my new LED light bar... Factory Head lights only: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr LED Light Bar: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr I've upgraded the following lights from incandesent bulbs to LEDS. Front and rear turn signal, front and rear running lights, front and rear side markers, reverse light, gauge cluster lights, light bar. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr And just for fun... Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Edited May 3, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 just remember, you cant run that led light bar on the road legally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) just remember, you cant run that led light bar on the road legally I don't use it on the road. It's attached to the car, but it won't be used until I go off road. One picture was for testing purposes. Edited May 3, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 just checkin of course! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) just checkin of course! I've also adjusted the head lights so I can actually see a bit better than that first picture would lead you to believe. But the light bar will come in handy up in the mountains for sure! Edited May 3, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) Did you have problems with broken clips on the plastic trim pieces that go outside, behind the window? If so, how did you deal with it? Also, did you repaint them? Edited May 3, 2014 by bendecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) Did you have problems with broken clips on the plastic trim pieces that go outside, behind the window? If so, how did you deal with it? Also, did you repaint them? The lower 2 clips on both left and right side pieces were broken by the previous owner. The previous owners fix was what seemed to be a JB Weld type of mass which attached the clips to the panels. I had to use the Dremel tool to flatten out that area. Basically what I did was after the panel was prepped, I bought some trim clips and popped them into the holes on the car. Then I used a adhesive silicone and matted the panel onto the clips on the car. You have to use enough silicone so that when the panel makes contact with the back of the clips, it can make enough of a bond to hold the panel on while it dries. I used to painters tape stretched very tightly to hold the panel in place while the silicone dried. The white clip is what I used for the side plastic panels. They fit perfectly in the holes in the car. The black clip is what I used to plug the holes left by the aftermarket mirrors the previous owner had used. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here is where you can see the tape was used to hold the panel in place while the silicone cured. Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Edited May 3, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 (edited) Big update today. My updates seem to be fairly often huh..... The rear head rests are now installed. The rear seat frame is now bolted onto the plastic seat, which is then bolted onto the lower seat frame. Now originally the Brat's seats were welded in the bed. This doesn't work for me. I want to be able to remove them and re-install them as needed. I've re-engineered how these will be installed. 6 grade 8 lag bolts, with steel plates under the bed should work beautifully.But for now, onto some new pictures. Here you can see how we refurbished the seat frames: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here are the head rests I got from RustyBrat: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Here's how they look installed: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Then a little shot of the fancy hardware holding the plastic seats to the seat frame: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Completed pics: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Things that will happen this week: 1. Welding on the lower rear seat frame, along with Grade 8 bolts bolting the rear seats in. 2. Re-worked exhaust system to try to pass smog. Everyone says with a pair of cats the car should pass, so we shall see. Edited May 4, 2014 by spicypeanut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 nice job! im glad somebody could get some use out of them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 nice job! im glad somebody could get some use out of them! I'll be honest, I'm surprised they came out as good as they did. They were pretty rough initially. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I'll be honest, I'm surprised they came out as good as they did. They were pretty rough initially. lol perhaps but honestly, ive never seen or heard of a set in "good" condition before being restored. regardless, they did turn out fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Finally got some new pictures up: Here are some shots of the speakers and boxes I have behind the seats: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Got some new plastic caps to cover the openings of the seat frames so water doesn't make a home in the pipes: Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr Untitled by blue03wrx, on Flickr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicypeanut Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 (edited) UPDATE: The rear seats are now officially installed. 6 Grade 8 bolts, nuts, washers, and lock washers and these bad boys are firmly secured! I also had a pretty expensive catalytic converter installed, as well as new exhaust tips. It sounds good and looks great! I'll have to take a new shot of it tomorrow. My LED dome light came in the mail today so now nearly all of the lights on this car have been converted over to LED. Edited May 10, 2014 by spicypeanut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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