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79 Brat followed me home... Can I keep it?


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Yesterday a 79 Brat followed me home...

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7693

 

Well, actually, it had to be pushed kicking and screaming, 'cuz it had sat for 2 years with its parking brake on. The engine kind of starts, but pukes chocolate milkshake out of the passengerside PCV breather hose.

 

Some cancer on both front fenders, and surface rust elsewhere. Suspension was "exciting" coming down the hill from its previous repose to my place... really unbalanced diagonally.

 

Still got to work out the title (abandoned by property owner's friend over 2 years ago). But only cost $50 so far...

 

So, recommendations? "Restore" with its EA71 engine? Put in an EA81 with the EA71's bell housing? EA81 with D/R 4 or 5 speed? Or maybe an EJ22?

 

My wife is interested in this one, so it may end up with an... *gasp!* ... automatic. If I go through that much work, might just go EJ22 and 4EAT.

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Guest Vickaroo

I vote KEEP IT!!!! Poor thing kind of looks like a mistreated Junk-Yard-Dog!!!! So Give it lots of TLC and then turn it over to Mrs.NorthWet.... Vicky

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As for engines, I'd take a quick inventory of what you have on hand and make a decision based off that.

From the pics, it seems like you may have a spare Subie motor hanging around. :lol:

 

I'd go for whatever is the least work to install and get running.

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well you should most definately keep it....

ea22 will work but your gonna have to stuff it, my buddy just ripped apart a gen 1 brat and threw in a dual range with a limited slip diff three of four inch custom lift disc brakes and rewired the 22 clip to the brat with a leg comp and electronic ignition. after 3 days he had the entire thing runnin w/ no exaust and it sounded like a g o d d a m n tractor......custom 3 inch exaust - no muffler and apparently it romps like nobody's buisness in lolo mont.

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As for engines, I'd take a quick inventory of what you have on hand and make a decision based off that.

From the pics, it seems like you may have a spare Subie motor hanging around. :lol:

 

I'd go for whatever is the least work to install and get running.

Let's see:

2 EA81s

2 EA82 SPFIs (one known good, one known blown HG)

2 EA82Ts (one rebuildable, and one, in the pic, with a ventilated case :rolleyes: )

2 EJ22s (both blown HGs and missing a few belt-area parts)

 

Plus I have an EA71s engine-side bellhousing.

 

EA82s are too wide to fit between frame rails, and Mrs. Northwet isn't "in" to lifts.

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Keep it! Restore it! It can't possibly need as much work as mine did!

 

Since the motor transplant, I made the car show 2 weeks in a row!

 

It was worth it in the end... the little kids were thrilled to be allowed to climb in the bed and sit in the jump seats while the other owners were telling them "Don't Touch!" One little boy came back 3 times!

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How about a Honda engine? I have a line on a late '70s CIVIC engine with Hondamatic. How hard would this be to put in? What would I need to change?

 

Because the Honda engine is about the same age, this would still make it Historic, right? :headbang:

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i think he`s talkin a 70`s cvcc motor for its simplicity.i used a 78 cvcc as a fields vehicle for the longest time, and the drive train was bullet proof.sadly, i let it sit during the winter, and when i started it, the timing belt broke.an early 80`s toyota 1.8 wouldn`t be a bad choice either, it would be rwd, and there are tons and tons of mods available for them.my friend has one that will pop the front wheels of the ground on hard takeoffs:)

 

 

 

whats wrong with using a stock 1600 ea71, or another sube motor so you can keep the 4wd??they aren`t power houses, but neither were the old cvcc`s.

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I guess I should have checked the view count to see if I was being shunned or simply ignored. ;) I was just kidding about the CVCC engine, et al. I was fishing for some weird responses from those that know me. I guess that they don't really care after all... :grin:

 

In the short term, I will probably drop a spare EA81 into it and go from there. Seriously considering an EJxx engine for my wife, though. She really wants/needs an automatic tranny, and the EA71 would be a little to little... at least without some "goodies".

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I guess I should have checked the view count to see if I was being shunned or simply ignored. ;) I was just kidding about the CVCC engine, et al. I was fishing for some weird responses from those that know me. I guess that they don't really care after all... :grin:
ohh.....whoops, disregard my last post
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ohh.....whoops, disregard my last post

No worries. It was I who was trying to be the smarta... er, smartalec. I tried to shock people like moosens (Hi Paul!), but instead got people who were really trying to help. I'm a BAD boy... :-p

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No worries. It was I who was trying to be the smarta... er, smartalec. I tried to shock people like moosens (Hi Paul!), but instead got people who were really trying to help. I'm a BAD boy... :-p

 

nyuk nyuk nyuk......

 

 

Just rip it apart and start taking pictures already!!!:lol:

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