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The Red Line


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If you're trying to push the limits, you should invest in an aftermarket tach setup so you know for sure. Otherwise, it's been my experience with the myriad of older cars that I've owned that the engine is screaming and the body is shaking, and the stick is vibrating, long before red-line.

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No cam belt, nothing to worry.

Just pedal to the floor as long as you like until the rev could not raise anymore, that is what I drive my EA71.:grin:

 

Thats not far from the truth for me too. About 50mph in second, 65mph in Third and 80mph in fourth.

 

Does this sound about right?

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ok here is what you do.

 

-warm up the engine.

 

-press the throttle.

 

-keep pressing it until the motor doesn't rev any higher.

 

this is valve float. don't ever do this again. :)

 

if you are anywhere near there then you're reving to much. redline is about 6k on these engines. you're nutty putty to go near there though. I did and now the motor is pooched.

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Damn, the 5 speeds are so much better.

 

In my 80 Brat 4 speed its 3500 (give or take) for 55 MPH and 3900 for 60 or so. I dont ever go past about 62 or 63 as I am really leaning into the throttle, but I can get pretty good gas mileage at 55.

 

I took my Engine up to 5,100 RPMs in second gear after I installed my tach... it likes to crap out at around 4,400, I figure the valves are probably floating at 5,000 as my engine is pretty old...

 

-Daniel

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Damn, the 5 speeds are so much better.

 

In my 80 Brat 4 speed its 3500 (give or take) for 55 MPH and 3900 for 60 or so. I dont ever go past about 62 or 63 as I am really leaning into the throttle, but I can get pretty good gas mileage at 55.

 

I took my Engine up to 5,100 RPMs in second gear after I installed my tach... it likes to crap out at around 4,400, I figure the valves are probably floating at 5,000 as my engine is pretty old...

 

-Daniel

 

that sounds wrong. there is a tuning issue with you engine. it's not valve float.

 

my old engine wouldn't hit valve float until over 7k rpm. (yes i did it. and yes the engine is blown. but not because of that specific instance)

 

tune your carb and adjust your valve lash.

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This is where I sit on the highway. This was on one of my many weekly trips across Michigan last year. I didn't keep it at 75 or so the whole way, but the tach wasn't too high, and I got better than 30 MPG the whole time. This is in an ALL original 1979 Brat, (4 speed of course)

 

 

 

brattach.jpg

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I don't know what kind of car you have, but in 1988 when I got my license, I had a 79 Brat DL. I went to the junk yard and found the instrument cluster out of a 79 Brat GL (the GL cluster has tach included, instead of just a HUGE speedo). It plugged right in, and the wire for the tach was already there.

 

Maybe that's an option for you, I don't know.

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Jonv23 is right there are two sets of wires (with plugs or sockets to match up with the instrument cluster). One of these plugs has a separate wire with a female spade connector. You simply plug the yellow wire/male connector from the back of the cluster into this. Could not be easier.

 

I sourced my instrument cluster from the US and changed the speedo to kilometres, as finding a cluster with a tach in Australia would be practically impossible!

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Is the DL/GL setup not the same there? Or are there no GL's?

 

In Australia (cannot comment for NZed) only the coupe and hardtop came with the dual instrument cluster. They were designated GL or GFT for the hardtop. Our 4WD models were always DL's.

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