mtsmiths Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 OK, here's the problem. The Pretty One and I are probably heading back to the Big Island sometime this or early next year. The 2000 Legacy will get sold on the mainland, it's just not an island car. We've got one car over there already, parked at the condo (LeBaron 'vert). I need a beach car. Gotta be able to haul surfboards, SCUBA gear, kayak, stuff li'dat. A T-Top Brat would be perfect ... but. Soobies just can't handle Hawaii rust, I know, I was first introduced to Subarus over there Waaaay back in the '70s before some of you guys were even recreational activities. Here's what I want. Good ground clearance, gas economy, 4WD would be a bonus, not mandatory, automatic (I've gotten lazy in my old age), open fiberglas body, at least minimal pickup bed, roll bar (not full cage), street legal (I will license in Montana before shipping over to Hawaii), not show quality, but clean and straight quality work with sound (if not fresh) mechanicals. Simple electrics, etc, no frills to break down. I'll handle tires, interior, radio and accessories. I don't know if anyone has ever dropped a dune buggy body on a hatch pan, but it seems doable by some of you guys after looking at some of the projects on this board. Or, it could turn into a glass open cab pickup on a wagon pan ... anyone wanna try? You will get paid up front for the donor car, and enough $$$ to buy the major components, expected to meet a regular schedule with progress reports and payments, up to a preagreed total amount. Should be a fun project (and fun to watch on the board), and we all win, prefer NW builder, since I live in Whitefish. And watch for the '00 wagon to come up for sale, it's a really good all highway miles car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 10, 2003 Author Share Posted September 10, 2003 ... NO on digital dash, MUST on fuel injection (I HATE the carb on my '87 GL). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 Smitty,was just wondering about you yesterday....good to see you still around....good luck with your request.Can you see how green I'm turning with envy???Shred on my man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 someone needs to pick up this project! I've had more fun spending Skeet's money on booze and female-related entertainment, oh yeah, and the car too. seriously, it's a lot of fun to spend someone else's money on a project like this; it's like it's your real job instead of that place you go to wurk. wirk? faah. good luck with your move mtsmiths! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 10, 2003 Author Share Posted September 10, 2003 as I was writing the post! I've been in MD all summer. The Pretty One did a summer sabbatical in DC, and I ended up with a pretty good job south of Baltimore. It looked for awhile that we were going to relocate here, but I don't think my employer is going to get the long-term contract he was planning for, so now I think not. I think the wife has been mainlaned out, and wants to go home to Hawaii, so ... it could be worse, eh? But I'm serious about building a Subaru based beach car, if I can find a competant builder, shouldn't be too hard to find a glass body lying around somewhere (no, not your Brat, too small!). You wanna do it? You'd hafta work fast tho, so I could take it back west mid-Oct. (unless something changes here). Heck, if you do it I'll throw in my USSR Air Force camo wagon with your racks on it ... (for 'consideration' of course). I'm going out to Montana in the morning for a conjugal visit, and driving Klack back east so I have a car here, and can take my stuff back when my contract is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobme Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 What would be much eazyer, and poss. more to your liking. Why not have someone build U a: VW bug pan( U can even get 'glass pan halfs if U want), with a 'glass dune buggy body, powerd by an EA81T or EA82T. It would be RWD, wich with that set up is almost as good as 4WD. Would have Subaru power, and replacment parts should be VERY eazy to come by. U could even have it built with long travel suspention if U want. There are even more 'glass bodys on the market now than there wer 3 or 4 years ago. And Kennedy makes the adaptor to mount the engine on the VW trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 10, 2003 Author Share Posted September 10, 2003 ... as long as I have a USABLE bed. The trouble I have seen with virtually all VW conversions (and I include the Thing) is that the d@mn rear engine is right where I want to dump a load of stuff! As to body 'style' I don't much care (other than those awful 'T-Bucket' things). FWIW, I drove a 'Bugatti' VW conversion for a bit on Oahu, in Hawaii. It was the most dangerous car I ever drove. It would wheelie every time you shifted into 2nd, and could pull the front tires off the ground going into 3rd. If it rained PARK IT, never mind getting wet from the water wheels right at your elbow, you couldn't turn, the front wheels would turn and the tires hydroplane with the car continuing in a straight line. I need a vehicle that can handle lava roads, beach crossings, haul stuff ... and not rust away in two years. And get good gas mileage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 I wish I could do this but I'd take a thousand years. My first thought was to contact Mudrat,see what he can do.He's on the west coast so it'll be even less effort to transport. Sounds like you need a pushbutton 4spd 4WD automatic set up.Chop a wagon?Work with the base of the unibody,or do you consider that too heavy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 10, 2003 Author Share Posted September 10, 2003 I'm not gonna be jumping it. As far as function, I could do a roofectomy on my '87 GL wagon and it would be fine, the problem is old Subaru steel. It just can't take a marine environment (as you WELL know Moosens). A glass upper on a wagon pan would be fine, would like a mild lift for bigger tires, but even that might not be needed if it had a high fendered shell on it. Many of the back roads to beaches on the Big Island are trails (marked by rock cairns) across the lava beds. There are often deep dive-ins and minimal overhang is a bonus. When you reach the coast shelf there are often stretches of sand, and that's where the 4WD really comes in (and the bigger tires are a help). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 start with a rust free sube, take all the panels off, and spray the whole undercarriage and inside of panels with bedliner or some kind of undercoat. Also epoxy primer makes excellent weatherproofing, it cannot be penetrated by air/water. I think it would be awesome to make a convertible brat with a removable hard top. The roll bar could be used to add the strength that is removed with the top. Man I would love to do this, but I have school, and I'm still in my teens, and all of my experience has been on beaters, though with money I guess that would be a non issue. Just general maturity then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodaka Rider Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 I second the motion for contacting Mudrat on this one. He has just opened his own fab shop, and should be able to get the job done right for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 you have mail. Newbie ... mutter, mutter, mutter harrrummmphhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 John!!!!!!!!! Hey can somebody dig up John (Mudrat)'s phone number? I know he's posted it several times.Ken,Eric,you west coast guys....help 'ol Smitty,would ya? Yes Smitty,I'm familiar with the marine environment and the effect on Subarus.......:boohoo: Smitty,you need a slave houseboy and small crew while you're out there?I can wax the stick with the best of 'em.What's that stuff again?"Mr.Zog's"???Use to use it on my windsurfing boards. Sex Wax,makes your stick slide mighty nice. Don't send pics. just kiddin,send pics...of the ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 http://www.hawaiianvacationcondos.com Shoot, I don't know how to do links on this board, so you'll have to copy/paste. You can use the map to see where we are, and all Hawaii beaches and shoreline are public access, and the landowners have to leave roads or paths open to the public to get there. Lots of the roads are unimproved lava crossings. We'll be pulling it out of rental and moving back in after we either sell or lease the Montana house. I'm flying back to Montana tomorrow and driving the '87 back to MD, so I have something to drive and take my stuff back in mid Oct. when my project contract is fulfilled. Then, howsomever much of winter we have in Montana 'til we are free to go back to the Big Isand. So I NEED that beach car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harpua Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 John Bloom's (mudrat79) number is 1-541-729-8490..........he is the man to talk to.....hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 Hows the fires in your neck of the woods? It's been so smokey in the Flathead valley that my airplane was stuck at the Whitefish airstrip for over three weeks, the visibility has been so bad that it couldn't be flown the 13 or so miles to Kalispell where it's hangar is. It raind two days tho', and The Pretty One says the fires are slowing a bit, and the air has cleared, I'm heading out tomorrow, so maybe I'll get the chance to fly her home to base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harpua Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 This place is burning all over the place.....we have the largest fire in the U.S. only 20 miles from my house.....lots of smoke. I am from Wyoming, and this fire reminds me of the Yellowstone fire. It has rained for a couple of days here, and it kind of put that fire in check. So you are going to put your house up for lease huh? I want to move to montana, maybe we can work out a deal...hehe anyway, i have to run... later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 i could throw one together like a box of legos! but i dont have a building anymore, and parts are impossible to come by. but it would be neat to see what i could come up with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwerst Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I know you said fiberglass - but another option to look into is aluminum, light, wont rust.... just build the frame in steel and seal/undercoat the bejeeezus out of it - and have aluminum panels mounted on it (might end up looking a little 'hummerish' with exposed screws/bolts but it'd be functional/cheap/and not rusting away. Just throwing Ideas around because unless you want to spend gobs of money or have really good fiberglassing friend - theres no easy way to a custom glass-body - Erik Hosa - Tacoma, WA - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Go find a brat shell in a junk yard. Dip the entire frame and body in a vat of line-x. Cut the fenders, mount some pug's with some fatty tires or do the 6 lug conversion. Use the EA81 with the crappy carb and there you go. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwerst Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Also - In thinking about different ways of doing it and what the cost would be. It would be helpful to give a ballpark guestimate on what you have to spend on this project One route would be easier to just have a frame made and mount the suspension/driveline to it and go from there with finding a glass body etc.. Heres what I did when I was bored for a frame/glass or frame/sheet aluminum.... or theres the budget route (what I'd choose personally) is get a rust free wagon, have the undercarriage professionally stripped (rockers too) have someone weld/patch up any of the holes punched in the unibody so that no salt/water/sand can get in and sit there and have them HEAVILY undercoated - look into POR-15 products. And if a bed is super-important - just have someone chop the roof of an EA-82 wagon and have it heavily re-inforced/add rollbars. Bums me out I dont have the tools (and experience) for that matter for this - best of luck to you though! - Erik Hosa - Tacoma, WA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hassey Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 It is kinda neat to know that I'm not the only one who has thought about the Hatch and Dune buggy idea, if i had the space and room i would try it. But having to rebuild my brat after the accident is enough right now Hassey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwerst Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Forgot to bump it when I added the pic to my last post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudrat79 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Thanks For the Cudo's everyone.... Smitty, if you would, Call me on the Number Harpua Gave you..its my cell #.... It will be better to chat person to person about what your Looking to do, and What we can come up with.... Cell is on all day every day, and if you're Serious about mid October as a time line, time is at a Premium already for this Project....... Hope to hear from you soon...... John in Eugene, Oregon....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 12, 2003 Author Share Posted September 12, 2003 Actually, mid Oct. may or may not be a deadline. That's when weare hoping to haveourWhiteefish rented, but never know. Anyhow, that is when I'll be back from MD. I'm in Montana right now, and getting my '87 wagon ready to drive back to Baltimore. If an off the shelf dune buggy body could be found that's close to the right dimensions I can do the glass re-work to make it fit. I would really like a good T-Top Brat but again I just can't fathom trying to keep up with the cancer. I also thought of basically 'deskinning' a wagon and sheeting it with fylon (sheet fiberglas) and molding it together. It would come out pretty 'Hummerish', but I'm after function, not form ... that said, it's still gotta look respectable, not like something the Clamptons put together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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