hkuspelite45@yahoo.com Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 .......but leave it more or less stock in its appearance. I've found tons of lift info but not much on just making a stock hight Brat stronger. By stronger I'm talking about suspension, driveline, etc. (not more horse-power). I really only mess around on FS roads. mountain trails, and in the desert, so I dont need a lift. I just want to make it stronger and more reliable sense the roads I do travel are often quite remote. What are the weak parts? Any suggestions on modifying the weak parts? What is the largest tire I can fit without doing fender mods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 IF all your traveling are FS roads, you have nothing to worry about. Focus more on carry'n spare parts, cause there are parts that will fail, but are near impossible to make stronger. Things that come to mind: Alternator Belts (alt & A/C if equiped) Front CV Shaft. Or a broken front shaft to install and limp home in RWD. Chain and/or strap to get towed out (you'll always want to "see whats that way") Also, things that are very handy to have in the brat are WD40, Carb cleaner, rags and of course... plenty of spare oil. Other than that, your brat should tackle almost anything you throw at it. We add lifts to add larger tires, not to make our suspension stronger. The stock suspension is strong enough. The Front CV's are the weakest point and there's not much you can do other than replace them. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88HatchMonster Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Front control arms are weak where they bend to bolt to the crossmember. The radius rods coming off of the control arms are week to. I've pretzeled both just running into things with the front tires. I welded a piece of 1 1/4" square tube over the length of the radius rod. I also welded a piece of square tube inside the control arm and plated the bottom with 1/8" steel. It's total overkill but at least I don't have to worry about that little weak point anymore Replacement EA81 control arms are getting scarce where I am. I'm sure you could get away with just plating the bottom of the control arm, that would help a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Front control arms are weak where they bend to bolt to the crossmember. The radius rods coming off of the control arms are week to. I've pretzeled both just running into things with the front tires. I welded a piece of 1 1/4" square tube over the length of the radius rod. I also welded a piece of square tube inside the control arm and plated the bottom with 1/8" steel. It's total overkill but at least I don't have to worry about that little weak point anymore Replacement EA81 control arms are getting scarce where I am. I'm sure you could get away with just plating the bottom of the control arm, that would help a lot. Excellent ideas! Thanks for shareing I might have to do that to my radius arms and control arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 These are pretty stout little machines. They have proven what they can do in stock form over and over again. Considering what you use your Brat for the only thing that will help, to a point that you would really notice, would be some 80 series tires. They will give you slightly more clearance. But most importantly they will give a little more cushion between the road and your suspension. And maybe adjusting the factory suspension adjustments up for a stiffer ride and slightly more clearance. Chances are the only way you will get suspension damage is if you slip off the road surface into a ditch or something. At that point, your going to get damage. Stiffening your control arms and radius rods will only move the damage to someplace you're not prepared to repair. Think of the control arm and radius rods as fuses. They are relatively easy to replace on the trail/road. They don't take up much space under a seat or in the bed. And they won't cause irrepairable damage to something else. I have replaced a few on the trail(both mine and others) and I would rather replace one or both of them rather than trying to repair a broken bolt from a body mount or worse. Obviously, this is my opinion and what you decide to do is your decision. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkuspelite45@yahoo.com Posted January 11, 2005 Author Share Posted January 11, 2005 My problem is that most of the areas I travel in New Mexico are remote, you might be 2 hours from a main road or an area with cell service. And although most places I putz are not bad, they can be rugged. I have busted stuff before in Jeeps on these roads. I take it that the CV shafts (axle shafts ?) mentioned are easy and quick to replace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Pretty much if you have some experience in changing them. The only time you'll have a problem with an axle is if you free rev a wheel and drop it on to the ground. Then the axle can let go. If you finess things you minimize the chances of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnpat Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Great pics from that website.....one question: Don't you get a lot of tire scrub on the fenders with the way most of those vehicles are setup? Looks to be like you would if the suspension is at all active. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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