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Rebuild Thread - 1979 Brat


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Look what showed up in the back yard this afternoon!:banana:

 

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After searching around for the past year for a Brat in PA that wasn't going to bankrupt me, I finally found one. And a first gen no less! It's in rough shape. Almost all east coast brats are heaps. (Heaps that often go north of 2k in price) This one has it's fair share of rust. Floor pans, rear bumper mounts, tailgate is pretty much useless. But, the frame seems okay. The bed actually only has surface rust on all but the very back. And I'm told it runs, but the fuel pump is most likely shot. Lucky me- it came with the original brush guard and has sliding rear glass. It also has a sunroof?!? (Is that stock or aftermarket?)

 

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I have to get to the Notary tomorrow and make sure everything will transfer okay. This car sat in NC for a few years and is titled from CT and has a CT bill of sale but no title. I'm told that title's aren't required in CT for cars older than 10 years. Provided all the paperwork goes okay, I plan on rebuilding this old gal. PA does not require vehicle safety inspections on cars registered as antique. My initial shopping list for the Brat are as follows if anyone can help me locate some parts.

 

Passenger Fender

Passenger Turn signal/lamps

Windshield

Taigate (some rust is tolerable as long as it's fuctional)

Seats

Fuel pump

Lower interior door panels

 

Any advice on where to begin and how to go about these things would be much appreciated. I'm still learning a lot as I go and could use advice from those who have already walked this path. It's going to be a fun project.:popcorn:

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Dude, you are like 2 days late. There was a set of both front lights with lenses that just sold for like 10 bucks, and a full set of side markers (front and rear) for around the same......maybe 12 bucks. Keep looking on ebay, there is gen 1 brat stuff on there all the time.

 

Nice score on the BRAT though! Just keep at it. It may try your patience (and wallet) and times.

 

Jon

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What color interior door panels? I have so much gen 1 Brat stuff laying around I might be able to help. I have Blue and brown door panels. I am not sure if they all came with the lower door panels in black though. I have those. I have 2 or 3 tail gates laying around. Just seems that they would get a little pricey shipping it all the way from the west coast.

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What color interior door panels? I have so much gen 1 Brat stuff laying around I might be able to help. I have Blue and brown door panels. I am not sure if they all came with the lower door panels in black though. I have those. I have 2 or 3 tail gates laying around. Just seems that they would get a little pricey shipping it all the way from the west coast.

 

Blue is the interior color, but I can always get the paint for that. Black works fine too. I'd probably be willing to pay for the shipping. I have 2 2nd gen tail gates that I was pricing and USPS would only charge about $40. (Parcel post) A bargain to me since these aren't that easy to come by. PM me a price and we can go from there. Thanks!

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You might want to have the alternator tested first before throwing a fuel pump into it. Gen 1s have the fuel pump tied into the alternator/external VR system so if either one of those is bad, then the fuel pump wont kick on unless its cranking. Then it'll run for a few seconds until the bowl on the carb empties, sputter and die.

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You lucky son of a gun. You got a great project there. There are only so many of those left. I have a 79 as well and am trying to stock pile parts for a restoration. If I come across any extra stuff, I will be sure to email you.

 

Nice score dude!!

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I'm told that title's aren't required in CT for cars older than 10 years.

 

:eek: Noooo,it's not 10 years. There'd be people stealing cars left and right and making their own bill of sale slips. The law was "before 1981" no title is required. Pretty sure they made it 20 years now. 20 years for Classic status,that's for sure.

 

 

I replied to your other post seeking parts. Check it out. ;)

 

Good luck with it.

 

Might not be the fuel pump. Tank might be gooped up and just not drawing like the '74 I just got that has been sitting.

 

Plenty of Factory manuals cheap on eBay. I'm sure I have at least one '79 I could give up. Read my reply on the other post and git on up here next month when the temps warm up over 50.

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Yup I agree. Try some new gas first. My '79 sat for years and it ran awful. But a fresh tank of gas, and an adjustment to the timing, it was purring like kitten. Hey I also wanted to add that you've got those sweet bed rails. Those were a factory option as I understand it. I've never seen a set on a car in person, just in the old brochures.

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Might not be the fuel pump. Tank might be gooped up and just not drawing like the '74 I just got that has been sitting.

 

Here's where I'm at with the engine. I connected a fresh battery to it, turned the key and it cranked over but didn't fire. (As expected.) Looking more closely under the hood, the fuel line isn't even connected. It ends at the fuel filter under the hood. Just to be sure things were as the should be with the engine, I dribbled a little gas down the carb. Started right up. No problem. I took a dry battery tray and stuck the end of the fuel line on it. Turned the ignition and let things crank over a few times. Checked the battery tray. it's dry. That's as far as I got with the engine. Now it's raining. Next step is to double check to make sure I'm not just out of gas. Assuming there's gas in the tank, what should my next step be?

 

Another easy question that new to me. For the EA71 engine, how many quarts of oil do I need for a change, and is there a reccomended oil type to use? Most of my cars typically get the Wal Mart Super Tech 10W30 every 2-3k miles but this one is going to be babied a lot more. Whatever is best for it.

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There is a drain plug on the bottom of the gas tank. Just unbolt it and let anything that is in there drain out. If the tank is rusted I can help you with that too. I have 2 extra gas tanks in my storage shed.

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There is a drain plug on the bottom of the gas tank. Just unbolt it and let anything that is in there drain out. If the tank is rusted I can help you with that too. I have 2 extra gas tanks in my storage shed.

 

Sounds good. I'll be getting back to it whenever this rain finally quits.

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