Mid mount Brat racer

[docmidBratt]

Hi there

I,ve been racing for a few years now with my old 1989 Xsi Honda integra fitted with a integra type R motor, adjustable suspension and slick tyres.

And she goes pretty good and reliable.

The classes I race in have a time brake out, which I've managed to run to as I've got better and improved the car.

But in the last 2 years the brake out time has dropped 3 seconds.

Which doesn't sound like a lot but it is for my car.

I could turbo or super charge it, but then your looking at some serious money to keep it reliable.

Now the other car in my class are things like,

RX7 turbo and na

Mitzi turbo

Volvo turbo

V8 mustang with big power

6 cylinder cars (similar speed as my car)

a few Hondas (similar speed as my car)

So you can see fast cars.

So I was looking for something that would be a bit more competitive, with room to improve.

I've always liked subaru's and have owned a few over the years.

legacy, wrx, sti, forester, so why not a Subaru.

Good traction, pretty quick (would have to be an sti).

New fuel pump, exhaust and a link ecu, should make 220 kw at wheels.

But the problem is the price of and sti round the 1999 v5-6 model would set me back here in new Zealand

around $6000 to $10000.

Bit steep for my budget.

So while at one of the meetings I ran in someone with this little beauty.

Mid mount Subaru engine. 

So it got me thinking.

My brother got a few Brumby's (brat) at his place. Why not mid mount brumby with ej20t engine.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

End of part one

[docmidBratt]

Pt 2

So it was a go.

Cheap (free) light, mid mount engine.

First step.

Strip it down,

The car has a bit of rust in it so will have to replace some bits.

Cut the rear deck out, remove petrol tank, remove guard.

[docmidBratt]

 

 

[docmidBratt]

Sorry about the post and images. getting used to things.

Anyway you can see the rust. But not a problem.

So we stripped it all back and replaced the rusted bits and she's looking good.

 

Now while looking around for tips and tricks on the build I come across this site and the form = midengined RWD BRAT.

Some good things on that form and another site I found this picture

 

Good info of the size of the engine.

So as we where moving on we would need a dona car to nect thing off.

bingo, a 1996 legacy Gt twin turbo.

Been in a fight with a pool and the drivers door. $400nz driveable.

 

Ripped the front cross member and engine out and sat it in to see what's up.

 

 

All good. enough room the firewall, not to mush room side to side.

Engine will fit in from the top if you remove the exhaust. Other wise from under.

 

Next thing was to reinforce the rails to handle the engine and suspension and arms.

Used 75x50mm box section. way better now.

 

Now you might think why not tube chassic the rear.

Well that's something left for the experts.

Its just me and my bro, We where brought up on a farm so we have things like welder, grinders and stuff like that around.

Luck my brother use to be a panel beater and has worked on a lot of cars and farm machinery, so big help.

Me, well I'm a mail man. but no my way around stuff aswell.

So a tube rear end would be best but we are doing this on a budget. small one at that.

So we desided just to use the front cross member as it was all setup to run everything.

 

End of part 2

 

 

 

[wallaby]

[docmidBratt]

So next step arm mounts and supports, gearbox mount,

Now for the arm mounts we mesured and mesured, and again to get the right distance between them.

Looking at the setup things didn't look right.

So we had a play and found if we just swapped the arm mount from left to right they would work better.

 

Next was to make some mounts for the arms. Bit of cardboard and stuff come up with these.

Look the part anyway.

 

And in place.

 

Next the cross member to support things.

Pictures to come.

 

And a teaser for the cab which will drop some jaws.

But where not at that point of the build.

End

 

 

[docmidBratt]

Right finished rear mounts. should be strong enough.

 

Next we have to put a lower brace at the rear bottom of cab and weld some end caps for the rails.

Then the engine can go back in.

We have started the gearbox mount, just need to do final setup and weld in to place.

 

The engine is a 1996 GT legacy twin turbo. We are going to use this engine as it was cheap and just to prove the concept will work.

The gearbox is a 1998 GTB legacy. To replace the auto that came in the donna car.

 

Got me hands on one of these kits from Bremar. Has a spline and a block off plate.

Nice kit, easy to fit, just had to drill the 9 bolt holes & the 2 pin holes out 1/2 mm and change the 9 bolts to shorter ones.

 

End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AdventureSubaru]

Great ideas here.

 

Any plans for structural bracing in the front? With all the weight in the rear and no motor etc. up front it would crumple like a tin can in a front collision.

[docmidBratt]

Hay thanks for the tip.

We are looking to do somthing in the front including some sort of fuel cell and some aero through the bonnet.

But I will check it with the guy who does the cage. He will point me in the right direction.

I've always put safety first.

Also with the seating.

 

You see i'm 6'3 and you will all no there isn't a lot of room in the cab.

So when you put a cage in it there's even less room.

So we had a think before we started the build and decided to make it a mid mount setting position also.

So a lot more room to move the seat forward so the cage and myself would fit no problem.

Again well have to figure out the steering.

But we have mocked up the peddles on a board and it seems quit good.

 

End

[docmidBratt]

[docmidBratt]

starter pic of the brumby in the paddock

 

Managed to pick these tein adjustables for $250 from a wrecker

 

We can start setting up the tubs now.

 

end

 

[jmoss5723]

This project is wild. I love it.

[docmidBratt]

Made a start on the guard / suspension mount

 

Also working on the inside.

Seat is mounted and it's on movable rails.

And mocked up peddles on a bit of plywood.

Seems to be about in the right position.

 

 

 

 

 

[docmidBratt]

[docmidBratt]

Sorry I havn't posted anything of late as I just had the final round of the summer race series.

Went good and bad.

The good is I posted my best lap time on this track and it was on average rubber.

The bad is that in the last race I had a brake problem.

I mean the peddle went to the floor while trying to brake. spoob

Pumped it a number of times and managed to pull it up a little but only 3/4 around corner.

So ended up going off into the grass ( this is past the kitty litter ) and into the tyre wall.

Put a dent in my front left guard and pushed my bumper in a bit but the tyre wall did its job.

So I suppose good luck there.

 

So also decided to rebuild the engine for the winter series.

Had a refurbished block sitting there waiting.

 

Its a Honda B16B engine running a few good parts.

And put a 4.8 final drive in it. So should get out of the corners better.

Its only 139kw at the front wheels but being light it goes pretty good.

 

So just got to put in gear box oil, brake in oil and coolant in and she'll be up and running.

Plus the weather here has been spoob. Rain and no cover to work under.

 

Anyway should have something up next week.

End

[docmidBratt]

Well its been a while.

Winter and no cover to work under and big changes at work mad things difficult but

we have managed to bang a few thing together.

 

I've managed to get a rolling wrx wagon semi stripped which someone had taken the engine and loom for and old legacy build.

So got it for $350 nz with a engine and everything I need to get the thing rolling.

 

 

Already taken the front cross member out.

Stuck the cross member under the brumby and come up with a plan.

 

 

 

 

So you can see it will work not bad.

The brumby cross members original holes come inside the wrx ones.

So it made sense to use them, as long as we don't go to big with the nuts and bolts it'll fit fine.

 

We also have finished the rear towers. Still bracing from the cage and stuff to come.

Also done a big chunk of the front firewall. (still bracing to be done)

Peddles mounted, booster and clutch, accelerator.

 

 

So next step

Finish cross member

Front shocks

lower control arms. Looking at them will probably notch and strengthen the main rails otherwise

we have to block the cross member down which will raise the front up.

 

In a months time I'll be going to a 4 day on 4 day off 10 hour day roster,

and 6 day on 2 day off roster 10 hour roster.

So more time to work on the old girl.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by docmidBratt

[Subaru Scott]

[docmidBratt]

well made a bit of progress this week

finished front cross member for mock up

 

 

Come up with a plan for fitting arms.

Had to cut some of the rail to fit arm.

But because the rail also has a flat wide and long plat attached along the inside of the rail we decided to use the other cross member

that holds the old strut rods and mod it a little.

 

 

We have also sat it all in with the arms and put a hole with welded bolt and you can see the piece we have to remove from the rail.

No problems. Looks good and strong.

just have to sort something out with outer mount.

Fix and reinforce rail again.

 

Now the problem is that the car is going to be a lot lower in the front than usual so when we went to setup the front struts

we found they are the long.

I had some old 700ld spring out of the back of my Honda racecar which are sorter but it doesn't give us a lot of travel.

Anyone know what other struts will fit. Need to be about 100mm shorter. (on the cheap)

 

Might have to go to the wreckers and have a look.

 

 

 

 

[docmidBratt]

Pics of bottom arm mounts

 

 

ordered some camber plates for the front struts.

They are about 60mm sorter then the ones I've got and will fit higher into the tower.

should fix the problem until we finish the build and see how it sits.

height adjustable will be in the future

[Omega79]

Edited September 26, 2017 by Omega79

[docmidBratt]

Back again with an update.

Well the span spardnubbin decides to full my page up with shi...........

 

But its been a while since i posted anything.

10 hour shifts at work have set us back a bit but we have done some stuff

 

 

This is the tie rod end mount.

Its off a L300 mitzi van and the L300 tie rod ends fit on the inner and Subaru tie rod ends fit on the outer.

So this is for the rear cross member to fix the steering arms.

So made it to bolt up to the steering bolt hole.

 

 

This is the brace we made to strengthen the front rail.

 

 

Started the front reinforcement.

 

The rest of the stuff we have done is fixing rust and holes and stuff like that.

 

Must make a video at some point.

 

L8ter

 

 

 

[docmidBratt]

back again.

 

Have done a lot to the brumby since late post.

 

Added drip rails from legacy. Just trimmed the outer section and welded in place. 

refitted the brumby door rubber and it fits all good.

 

cant show any pics as I'm out of space in my gallery, will work on that.

 

Also have taken nearly 5kg's out of each door and the same out of the tail gate.

 

fixed a lot of rust. started in the front and are pretty much at the back.

 

added the front grill mounts and linked the headlight surrounds and grill together. Look not to bad.

 

Ill try and get some pic's up soon. 

[docmidBratt]

 

the drip rail

and got an old 365x720 18" wheel of a mate.

spoob its wide

[subarubrat]

I cannot wait to see the end result of this build, should handle like a cat on carpet!

[docmidBratt]

Done some more work on the brat

Check it out