espey_16 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 They sure are lol, there were actually about 40 of them. Man has to take a beer break now and then. The winch is an old Warn MX 6085 6000 pound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espey_16 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 (edited) Dbl post, my bad. Edited November 7, 2014 by espey_16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Loyale Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Bent some tube, welded it to the front bumper, mounted a winch to it. I didn't realize they even still made Rainier Beer. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 (edited) Thanks to brat82 I was finally able to replace the parking and turn signal lenses on the passenger side. It looks so much better. I hated those broken/missing lenses - they really made my Brat look a little like a junker every time I would see tham. Now it at least looks whole ! However, when I went to replace the in-bumper parking lens, I discovered that there was no lamp, no socket, and no housing to hold the socket or lamp - just empty, vacuuous space ! lol - something else I have to find and replace I guess... I kinda wish I could replace them with some kind of driving/running lights, but even if I could find the right size to fit in there,I would basically have no parking lights on the front....-unless I painted the inside of those white parking lenses orange/yellow and turn them into parking lights... Hmmmm..... - Bye the way... My bulb sockets and holders sit a little too loose - I am thinking of using some cheap kitchen caulking or something to seal them in, because it would be fairly easy to still remove the bulb socket/holder, tearing it away in the process - does anyone have a better suggestion of what to use ??? Edited November 8, 2014 by Subaruist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) I put the secondary gas tank in place, kinda - where it probably should be,and t fits almost like it was meant for it. Although still a bit high. the top of the body is stillbelow the rear window rubber !!! The reason I wanted to mount it in such a funky position is because I really wanted to partition the bed ( under the future bed deck ) so thatI could have a hatch from the cab, through therear wall, so that I would have extra storage space availabl from the cab, as there is so little room in the cab for anythng. However, if I am willing to give up on that, the tank fits wonderfully, with just a coupleinches extra space on either side. The gas sender will work perfectly, everything works with the slight exception of dealing with things sticking up above where I want the Bed deck, such as the fuel inlets and maybe the gas sender, as well as the filler tube, all of which would need covers or caps or protection of some sort. Now if I get desparate, I can scoot the tank back to where it is up against the wheels well(s), and/but that would give me just about 6 - 9 inches of space across the span of the bed/tank, which does not seem to be enough tobe practical, and although the tank seems almost perfect right where it is sitting now, if I moved it back it might screw up the rest of the space available for everything, namely the bed deck. However, another dilemma is the filler tube: Where it is sitting now, it is kinda crowded up in and next to the side where the bed slopes up to the top of the cab. Keeping inmind that the gas station idiots ( i call them that because they usually can't even figure out how to open my gas cap door - even after fooling with it ) are required to do the filling, and I am not allowed to, due to Oregon's idiotic law about doing so, they may either have some difficulty filling the tank,or will more likely bang-up my trim on that slope in doing so. IF I were to scoot the tank back a very few inches against the wheel well, then the gas port may become a little more acessible. Mind you, it would not be a problem for me or you, but only the guys who can't figure out how to open my gas door are allowed to fill it, and they are often ina hurry and not that carefull. I still have no clue what I will do about somehow putting a proper gas port with locking gas cap onto or preferrably INTO that filler tube. If I can put something INTO the filler port ( Using a gas-proof epoxy or sealer and maybe a bit of hardware to make it solid ), I can cut it down quite a bit shorter, and there will be virtually no chance of gas leaking out especially during filling, as there might be if I put something onto the outside of the filler tube. - Do they sell such a thing as a gas port tube? I mean, thse are usually just part of the vehicleor chassis, and are rarely ever replaced... Otherwise, more good news for me is that (#1) When I looked into the big gas sender unit hole, it does appear that the tank does have interior reenforcement/baffles, which would be significant in reuducing the sloshing of upto 166 pounds of gasoline to one side when I turn, I am hoping they are reenforcements/baffles, and not just one thing next to the sender unit for some other reason. Also, the tank (with gas in it) is rated at being able to physically withstand pullng 24 'G's in a turn, and being that a human being generally loses consciousness pulling less than 20 g's for even a few seconds, I think the tank and the gas in it will be able to withstand my style of driving, lol... (EDIT) - OOPS- just found something that may be perfect, will have to make some measurements and check on it being welded... Edited November 8, 2014 by Subaruist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Just bit the bullet, spent almost $70.00 and ordered the REAL (Dealer) repair manual: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike300z Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 (edited) Loaded up the subie with 18 5 gallon buckets of used motor oil and drove 15 miles home, with 2 people in the car. Didn't get pics because it was dark, but here are the buckets. Edited November 15, 2014 by mike300z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 (edited) Just bit the bullet, spent almost $70.00 and ordered the REAL (Dealer) repair manual: You won't regret this purchase. You will not believe how much information that manual contains about your car compared to ANY other manual, IE Haynes, Chilton, etc. I have most of the factory printed parts manuals of that vintage also. Worth every penny! Great Score IMHO Edited November 15, 2014 by Crazyeights 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Loyale Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Just bit the bullet, spent almost $70.00 and ordered the REAL (Dealer) repair manual: Can I ask where you got it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Early Rider Steve Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 That is a great looking setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonist Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks to brat82 I was finally able to replace the parking and turn signal lenses on the passenger side. It looks so much better. I hated those broken/missing lenses - they really made my Brat look a little like a junker every time I would see tham. Now it at least looks whole ! However, when I went to replace the in-bumper parking lens, I discovered that there was no lamp, no socket, and no housing to hold the socket or lamp - just empty, vacuuous space ! lol - something else I have to find and replace I guess... I kinda wish I could replace them with some kind of driving/running lights, but even if I could find the right size to fit in there,I would basically have no parking lights on the front....-unless I painted the inside of those white parking lenses orange/yellow and turn them into parking lights... Hmmmm..... - Bye the way... My bulb sockets and holders sit a little too loose - I am thinking of using some cheap kitchen caulking or something to seal them in, because it would be fairly easy to still remove the bulb socket/holder, tearing it away in the process - does anyone have a better suggestion of what to use ??? So what's the problem of just having the white parkers at the front of the car? The REST OF THE WORLD does it this way I've never understood why US spec vehicles need the front indicators on with the parkers (which would make them harder to see as turn signals), yet can still use the brake lights as turn signals (which looks cool, but is gotta be less visible than having separate lights) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snacky Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 rewired my gas tank. all the wires were severed. found some other severed wires. can't figure out what the heck they go to. wheres a wiring diagram? and now finally i can say everything electrically functions for some reason went to the junk yard to look at seats. lots of options. turned my subaru brat frown upside down. pulled some escort seats and verified info in the 90s seats. saw some other viable options. i can make just about anyting work easily if i can just bring these rusted tracks back to life - got them soaking i pulled out my passenger seat and found another pile of mouse turds and other nastiness. now i'm thinking instead of getting new seats i'm going to get the pump sprayer and just hose down the seats with bleach and vinegar and hose down the floor pan and test the funk smell after drying out the interior and the seats over the next month. spray repeat. spray repeat. i don't care if any of this stuff gets discolored. everything is already ruined and that's what justdashes in ca is for and vynil dye. sprayed every bolt i could see on the seats and in the floor pan with pbr. bolt soaking time while i ponder removed my t tops. hosed down the rubber with ballistol. broke one of the plastic latches. we need to band together and get a 3-d printer and make some of this crap. seriously. a friend of mine inspected my t-tops and rubber and says they are in fantastic shape. neither of us can figure out where my t-top leak is. either weather stripping, screw holes, or the t top itself like the rubber edging of the t top. going to do the water test with a hose if it will ever stop pouring rain. went to the exhaust shop. got a quote for 375$. went to the windshield shop. got a quote for 180$. bummed out about this t-top thing. my TA was a easier fix and the hurst tops were wayyyyyyyy worse shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subynut Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Changed the oil, fixed a coolant leak, and tightened up the steering in the PandaWagon. Pondered what to do about Wedge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonist Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I put the secondary gas tank in place, kinda - where it probably should be,and t fits almost like it was meant for it. Although still a bit high. the top of the body is stillbelow the rear window rubber !!! The reason I wanted to mount it in such a funky position is because I really wanted to partition the bed ( under the future bed deck ) so thatI could have a hatch from the cab, through therear wall, so that I would have extra storage space availabl from the cab, as there is so little room in the cab for anythng. However, if I am willing to give up on that, the tank fits wonderfully, with just a coupleinches extra space on either side. The gas sender will work perfectly, everything works with the slight exception of dealing with things sticking up above where I want the Bed deck, such as the fuel inlets and maybe the gas sender, as well as the filler tube, all of which would need covers or caps or protection of some sort. Now if I get desparate, I can scoot the tank back to where it is up against the wheels well(s), and/but that would give me just about 6 - 9 inches of space across the span of the bed/tank, which does not seem to be enough tobe practical, and although the tank seems almost perfect right where it is sitting now, if I moved it back it might screw up the rest of the space available for everything, namely the bed deck. However, another dilemma is the filler tube: Where it is sitting now, it is kinda crowded up in and next to the side where the bed slopes up to the top of the cab. Keeping inmind that the gas station idiots ( i call them that because they usually can't even figure out how to open my gas cap door - even after fooling with it ) are required to do the filling, and I am not allowed to, due to Oregon's idiotic law about doing so, they may either have some difficulty filling the tank,or will more likely bang-up my trim on that slope in doing so. IF I were to scoot the tank back a very few inches against the wheel well, then the gas port may become a little more acessible. Mind you, it would not be a problem for me or you, but only the guys who can't figure out how to open my gas door are allowed to fill it, and they are often ina hurry and not that carefull. I still have no clue what I will do about somehow putting a proper gas port with locking gas cap onto or preferrably INTO that filler tube. If I can put something INTO the filler port ( Using a gas-proof epoxy or sealer and maybe a bit of hardware to make it solid ), I can cut it down quite a bit shorter, and there will be virtually no chance of gas leaking out especially during filling, as there might be if I put something onto the outside of the filler tube. - Do they sell such a thing as a gas port tube? I mean, thse are usually just part of the vehicleor chassis, and are rarely ever replaced... Otherwise, more good news for me is that (#1) When I looked into the big gas sender unit hole, it does appear that the tank does have interior reenforcement/baffles, which would be significant in reuducing the sloshing of upto 166 pounds of gasoline to one side when I turn, I am hoping they are reenforcements/baffles, and not just one thing next to the sender unit for some other reason. Also, the tank (with gas in it) is rated at being able to physically withstand pullng 24 'G's in a turn, and being that a human being generally loses consciousness pulling less than 20 g's for even a few seconds, I think the tank and the gas in it will be able to withstand my style of driving, lol... (EDIT) - OOPS- just found something that may be perfect, will have to make some measurements and check on it being welded... I'd be very wary of cutting a hole through the back of the cab. Don't forget that these don't have a separate chassis like a larger pickup to take the torsion loads. That bulkhead on the back fo the cab would be preventing a lot of twisting on the chassis. Are you (well, the attendants ) allowed to fill the tank through a funnel? If so, get one (or make one) with a seal that fits snugly inside the filler tube/fuel filler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper 157 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) The M.E.A.V. (Multi-purpose Emergency Assistance Vehicle) is outta commision right now... should get the new clutch cable tomorrow and then It'll be up and running again. Before he got laid up and while He's been laid up, ive made some minor improvements: Added Fire Extinguisher to back Slapped on some "deer/animal whistles" (the little darlings can be pretty stupid around here and I have heard these help.) Transitioned all my survival what-not from my bulky survival gear box into a convenient and tighty tool bag. shoved a LIFE READY (think thats what it was called) aluminum emergency shovel under the pass. seat. Replaced the broken piece of crap fog light switch with a new LED rocker switch. undercoated the inside of the hood (WOW! that REALLY helps with the sound!) Undercoated the metal behind the rear bumper (was getting rusty) Removed all rust and undercoated the parts of the underbody that are prone to rust New lift support for back hatch Going to be putting in new oil sending unit. repaired fuel sending unit leak put on studs (Its that time of year!) once when its running im gonna try out some Lucas 3X OCTANE BOOSTER Still on the prowl for a brush guard Edited November 20, 2014 by Sapper 157 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 rewired my gas tank. all the wires were severed. found some other severed wires. can't figure out what the heck they go to. wheres a wiring diagram? and now finally i can say everything electrically functions for some reason went to the junk yard to look at seats. lots of options. turned my subaru brat frown upside down. pulled some escort seats and verified info in the 90s seats. saw some other viable options. i can make just about anyting work easily if i can just bring these rusted tracks back to life - got them soaking i pulled out my passenger seat and found another pile of mouse turds and other nastiness. now i'm thinking instead of getting new seats i'm going to get the pump sprayer and just hose down the seats with bleach and vinegar and hose down the floor pan and test the funk smell after drying out the interior and the seats over the next month. spray repeat. spray repeat. i don't care if any of this stuff gets discolored. everything is already ruined and that's what justdashes in ca is for and vynil dye. sprayed every bolt i could see on the seats and in the floor pan with pbr. bolt soaking time while i ponder removed my t tops. hosed down the rubber with ballistol. broke one of the plastic latches. we need to band together and get a 3-d printer and make some of this crap. seriously. a friend of mine inspected my t-tops and rubber and says they are in fantastic shape. neither of us can figure out where my t-top leak is. either weather stripping, screw holes, or the t top itself like the rubber edging of the t top. going to do the water test with a hose if it will ever stop pouring rain. went to the exhaust shop. got a quote for 375$. went to the windshield shop. got a quote for 180$. bummed out about this t-top thing. my TA was a easier fix and the hurst tops were wayyyyyyyy worse shape. A couple of tipsfor you: #1: I have salvaged extremely rusted things is a rarther drastic, but quick and easy manner - I got Hydrochloric or Muratic acid from a swimming pool store, put the parts in it in a 5 galln bucket, it ate through the rust fairly quickly and removed all traces of rust, then put them in baking soda and water also in another 5 gallon bucket, then rinse/wash to get rid of any lingering baking soda residue, and IMMEDIATELY dipped or coated with oil, WD 40 or something - anything, because if you don;t the metal will start re-rusting fairly soon. #2: Smell, germs, etc: At the store, even many grocery stores, you can find a small odd shaped dark brown bottle with yellow label - Lysol liquid. Not the same as the spray. Concentrated, smells like band aids. It will kill just about anything and everything. A friend had sewage back up and fill his basement, on my advice after clean-up, he sprayed everything down with its mix and it killed all foul odor. #3: I have seen new carpet for my 83 Subaru Brat I think at J C Whitney for $99 or so. I will be getting that once the major mechanical issues are dealt with on my vehicle. #4: Some types of insects and critters will find thier way right back into your vehicle follwingscent and scent trails left behind even years before - aside fromLiquid Lysol, Moth balls, bot whole, and crushed and sprinkled tend to repell quiate a lot of things. Yeah, its whiffy in itself, but it smells better than that yucky musty funky stink that may otherwise seem ompossible to ever completelyget rid of. If you really love your Subaru, once you get done any of that, first treat everything applicable that you can with rustoleum, - paint for the metal floors, etc, and spray for moving parts like the seat tracks and then a light coat of pain - then maybe coat the metal floor with truch bed liner. Itwill prevetn firther rusrting, and also give the floor a little more strength if it is thin in spots from rust and rust removal. Also, baking soda and water sprayare also good for getting rid of smells. If you first spray your seats or whatever with vinegar like you say, then if you spray them afterward with baking soda and water, the inevitable reaction and foaming might lift up and out residues, lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I'd be very wary of cutting a hole through the back of the cab. Don't forget that these don't have a separate chassis like a larger pickup to take the torsion loads. That bulkhead on the back fo the cab would be preventing a lot of twisting on the chassis. Are you (well, the attendants ) allowed to fill the tank through a funnel? If so, get one (or make one) with a seal that fits snugly inside the filler tube/fuel filler. A very good point, and one that has been lurking around the back of my mind as well. I had given a little thought to reenforcement, but again,you do have a very good point, and a consideration that I may not have have given enough consideration to. It makes sense, it also makes installing the secondary tank much easier if I just put it up against the cab. - But I really, really was hoping to have that extra behind-the-seat storage, dammit! lol.... ( snif ). If I get obstinate about it, I guess I could mount a fairly thick aluminum plate around the hole, and also use the tank and its mountings as further reenforcement, as it would be in a goodplace for doing so. I have also been considering the cost of having the bottom corners of the tank cut out in the shape of the wheel wellls, and putting some simple curved aluminum plate, which would be wider than the tank, so that I can mount the tank directly on top of and between the wheels / wells.This would be ideral for supporting the potential weight. At some point I will likely make inqueries, and if it turns out to be cost effective, I may not be able to resist. Also, I would probablyuse the old threaded bolt holes fromt the back seat seat belt rigs to fasten mounts/braces for the 2nd gas tank, so that in case of a frontal collision the tank will ntocome slamming upagainst the cab. The tank is older, and has obviously been dry for quite some time, as there is absolutley no slightest scent of fuel, so a welder might feel secure working on it. That would also again depend on the verticle clearance for the bed deck/cover at that spot. Up against the cab, the verticalclearance juat barely makes it, not counting fittings, filler, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoss5723 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 rewired my gas tank. all the wires were severed. found some other severed wires. can't figure out what the heck they go to. wheres a wiring diagram? and now finally i can say everything electrically functions for some reason went to the junk yard to look at seats. lots of options. turned my subaru brat frown upside down. pulled some escort seats and verified info in the 90s seats. saw some other viable options. i can make just about anyting work easily if i can just bring these rusted tracks back to life - got them soaking i pulled out my passenger seat and found another pile of mouse turds and other nastiness. now i'm thinking instead of getting new seats i'm going to get the pump sprayer and just hose down the seats with bleach and vinegar and hose down the floor pan and test the funk smell after drying out the interior and the seats over the next month. spray repeat. spray repeat. i don't care if any of this stuff gets discolored. everything is already ruined and that's what justdashes in ca is for and vynil dye. sprayed every bolt i could see on the seats and in the floor pan with pbr. bolt soaking time while i ponder removed my t tops. hosed down the rubber with ballistol. broke one of the plastic latches. we need to band together and get a 3-d printer and make some of this crap. seriously. a friend of mine inspected my t-tops and rubber and says they are in fantastic shape. neither of us can figure out where my t-top leak is. either weather stripping, screw holes, or the t top itself like the rubber edging of the t top. going to do the water test with a hose if it will ever stop pouring rain. went to the exhaust shop. got a quote for 375$. went to the windshield shop. got a quote for 180$. bummed out about this t-top thing. my TA was a easier fix and the hurst tops were wayyyyyyyy worse shape. Well there's your problem! Quit soaking your car in beer! On a more helpful note, if you find that you need new weather stripping or t-tops, I have a few sets of each. Why I have them, I'll never know, since my brat is a hard top, but I could let them go pretty easily I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I now have appointments with the local pro subaru mechanic for my bearings and a tune up, and then a clutch job with rear main seal thrown in. Its going to cost almost everything I have, but his prices are reasonable for a pro mechanic, and although I have not done business with him before, I tend totrust him because he has a history with older Subarus, and his yard always has more than one older Subaru Brat in it waitiung to be worked on. I feel confident about it. a real load off my shoulders. Years ago I had no choice but drive on a flat for several miles because I had fletted BOTH spares I carried then due to horrible road conditions. It ruined the one rear wheel bearings, and when I got into town I saw my rear wheel roll past me as the rear end suddenly slumped down. I have beenthinking abou that on every drive to and from work on the freeway,wondering "what would happen if my front wheel came off at 60 mph ?!? - Instant catastrophy, that's what.Eevn if I survived, the Brat might not. Yesterday evening I had a very embarrasing error on the freeway. I went to change lanes, and somehow someone was in my blind spot in the next lane and I simply did not see them, how I do not know. Fortunately they hinked and I got back into my lane until it was safe to pass. What alarms me most is that not only has that never happened to me before, but I drive my Brat watching everyone who could possibly come into range, both because the Brat is small, and people in larger vehicles might not notice it, and also because people on the road don't always respect it because it's small. I felt all kinds of bad, really shook me up. I guess I will have to drive even more paranoid-like from now on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subynut Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Quick check to make sure all is OK for the RallyX tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Well to catch up, I have not been able to post as I would like to, due to work hoursand being really busy. I have made some interesting little changes though... After buying the lenses for my in-bumper parking lights - which it turns out no longer existed anyway, no sockets, no housings, just empty space, lol. I decided to just remove the lenses and bought a pair of fairly bright ( 55 watt ) driving/"fog" lights at Harbor Freight for only 12 bucks, which fit fairly well into the same holes. For now the mountingis hap-hazard, what I could do on short notice - see, my headlights have been extremely dim. I had the alternartor checked - ok, and I replaced the headlights with the brightest that I could find, short of zenon, which would be very expensive for whatI would need to convert over. so I got :"extra vision" headlights. Normal quality headlights for this vehicle (see confusion below) average 40 watts loabeam, and 55 watts high beam, but the new ones are 55 watt low beam and 65 watt high beam. That should be good enough - nope, thay are brighter, but because of the dimness, they are not as bright as they should be. SO... Until I actually get to the bottom of the dimness issuse, I need some useful light on the one country road I have to travel to work. CONFUSION: The headlights for "My" 1983 Subaru Brat don't fit. They are too small. I had to get headlights for a 1981 Subaru Brat, which makes no sense. After looking at things, I belive that some previous owner replaced that whole section in front of the radiator with something from that year of some Subaru, tack-welded in place fairly well. ANYWAY... I also got a small pair of 50 watt halogen driving lights at Walmart for about $18, which I mounted to the ready holes in the front crach bar, and have angled a little off to the sides to focus on and pick up the sides of the road, the road lines, and any potential pedestrians or bicyclists, etc. HOWEVER, I now had no actual yellowor orange parking lights in the front.I suspected that this might not be street legal so to speak, and I was notoverly fond of those little white parking lights next to the headlights, so as I consider painting them with transparent orange and/or yellow paint, I got some tail light and parking light repair tape, just to see how it works, to be legal, and because it was easy, cheap, and temporary, but possibly lasting. ( I only switch the driving lights on when on that country road =, when I need them, as I am still a little worried that a cop might not approve of two sets of driving lights aside from the headlights, even though I was told that they did not exceed the total number of "white" or driving lights legally ) In the picture below you may be able to see that I used the yellow parking light tape around the sides of the previously white parking light lenses, and rtan a strip of orange tape don the front side of them for a two-tone parking light. I kinda like it. If it lasts, I may keep it that way as the tape actually does protect and preserve the lensesas well, more than paint would certainly. When I went to take pictures of this, my camera died. So I went to the nearby dollar store and bought batteries, which, after ONE picture died, - but luckily I bought a 6 pack and the camera uses only two. So after replacing the batteries, I toook ONE picture, and the next batteries died too, and the same thing all over agian after that. - In the end, I only had one remotely usable picture to share here, and please note that the driving lights, although dimmer than they should be, are not nearly as dim as they appear in this crappy picture, lol... So now, I can at least see the road, what's on the sides, and of course the road signs much better, although I still have a dimness problem, even with the new driving lights, which are newly installed, and have 2 or 3 fresh grounding wires of thier own. Also, yesterday, when it was foggy,and I needed them most, I smelled soething getting hot, and the fuse for the driving lights blew. I did have both sets oflights, totaling about 110 watts of power going through one 15 amp fuse and the cheap plastic toggle switch that came with one of the sets, so I replaced the switch with a good metaltoggle switch and replaced the 15 amp fuse with a 20 amp fuse. This morning I smelled that "something getting hot" smell again, but the lights did not fail.I suspect it is the wire itself, so I will soon replace the main wire with a heavier gauge wire and replace the 20 amp fuse with a 25 amp fuse for good measure. I also figured out tha I could use some aluminum angle for brackets that will fit/work great in/with the recessed holes for the original in-bumper parking lights, and to better mount the now in-bumper driving lights. I even figured out a way to fashion the brackets so thatI could adjust the in-bumper driving lights much like you do headlights. Monday the Bratgoes into the shop for front wheel bearings and a tune up, Friday it goes back for a clutch job and rear main seal replacement just in case, which the mechanic threw in, and always does, which seems like an all around good idea. Once all that is done. the next two priorities are replacing the horrible exhaust with a motorcyle/side pipes exhaust,and replacing the wheels IF I can get some damned 14" 6 lug rims somehow, lol. After that, I can start really doing all the cool stuff I WANT to do, like a little body work and then and then the Bed/deck/cover. paint, and a couple of custom decals, etc, and then accessory lighting, etc. Then my Brat will become WAY COOL !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 For my 87 - Swapping the 3AT from my 86 out for the 3AT from my 90. The 86 has slightly taller gears, making the car annoying to keep at a chosen speed at low speeds, and lacking in acceleration by comparison. The original reason the 87 has the 86 tranny, is that I converted it from 2WD to 4WD, and the 86 was the spare transmission at the time. I also was not aware of the different gearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espey_16 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I pulled the clutch side off my winch and cleaned/repacked the planetary gears. I was actually pretty surprised at how good everything looked in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike300z Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Put 2.25" exhaust on the subie from the cat back with a flowmaster 40 on the back with about 18" 2.5" and a tip. Welded it all. Sounds good except the exhaust leaking from the head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snacky Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) deskunked the rat funk in the 82 brat. used hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. success!! Edited November 22, 2014 by snacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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