16 replies to this topic

[The Scooby]

Well i talked with my grandpa tonight after gettin home from arizona. i told him about my scooby and such and asked him if he would sell me his 1980 brat.

he told me sure, he said he doesn't think its worth much because its rusted so bad, not too much, just side moldings commin off, and a little on the doors and fenders, not teminal.

he told me offer him a price that i think is good and its mine.

stats:
1980 1.6lt brat
4sp manual
dual range 4wd
carbed
jump seats
camper top
blue w/ blue, paint is still rather shiny, and interior is clean since it has had seat covers most its life.

now my plans.

10 inch lift
31's
EA82 ether carbed or spfi, maybe turbo
5sp w/ d/r
rear LSD
Devorced T-case

im thinkin of offering him like $100, what do you think?

looks like this, but much better condition

[GeneralDisorder]

For one - if it's a 1980, it can't be D/R, as they didn't come out till 81. It could be an 81 with a late 80 build date......

Lifting a Gen 1 is difficult - the rear end is rather problematic as I understand it.... also, if it does turn out to be an 81 GL D/R, then that is a rather rare vehicle, and you should endevour to keep it stock, and restore it.

No one has done the divorced transfer case on a Gen 1. While it could probably be done, all of the R&D would have to be done. It's not a simple copy operation, since the Gen 1 is quite different.

GD

[torxxx]

I think he posted that wrong

he told me 1981 earlier..

[The Scooby]

no it is an 80, my grandpa said it has lots of parts off a 79 he had on it.

it is 4wd, i know ive drive with it, might not be d.r then.

i want to lift it and make it decently capible, so what like a 4inch lift then and some 27's, or maybe a 8inch.

also if anyone can help me out on how to lift it my self, i dont have the money to pay someone lke mudrat79 to do it for me, so i have to do it myself. plus im moving to arizona so i could build and sell lift's there for fellow members down south.

Thanks,
Shean

[The Scooby]

see this is the height and tire size i want, if anyone can please help me out on info on how to botain this please come forward.

thanks,
Shean

[Rooinater]

just my 2 cents. parts are harder to find for those gen1's and a lot of time or at least by the HP are considered inferior for 4 wheeling. the rear axles are shorter.the front engine crossmember is differant, differant steering, different rear suspension setup. narrower too.

part of jason's problem with his. was blowing rear axles. the other part is his rear diff hanger might have been tweaked. i believe the axles (not sure just my guess from what i've seen) have less travel or angle in them before breaking. just because they are shorter axles.

[GeneralDisorder]

If it's a 1980, then it has the 1600 - that's got to go if you want big tires, so number 1 will be to pull the whole drivetrain (single range tranny is useless too), and put in at least an 1800, and a D/R. That in itself is no small task, as the engine cross-member has to be modified to fit the larger engine, or a cross-member from an 81 GL has to be found.... easier to modify yours.

Biggest lift I've seen on a Gen 1 is 3" - contact Mudrat79 for details - he's lifted at least one of them.

Anything higher than that has not been done to my knowledge... probably has, but I just haven't seen it. Well - without using a toyota frame anyway.....

You should really start with a Gen 2 Brat. The Gen 1's aren't well suited to this sort of thing. You'll end up spending more money and time than if you just got a Gen 2 for a bit more money, and started with an 1800 D/R, and just added a lift. The Gen 1 is cool, but it's harder to lift, and the drivetrain isn't powerfull enough, or capable enough to put big tires under without major modifications.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but the investment of time and money isn't worth it, when Gen 2's can be found on the cheap. And since the intention is to beat it up off-road anyway..... doing that to a Gen 1 is not looked upon highly. Even doing that to a Gen 2 isn't highly regarded, but it's done sometimes.

GD

[Rooinater]

sure as hell is highly regarded!!!! jason had a 6 inch lift on his gen1 brat. i believe. bet the 1600 sucks especially the clutch for bigger tires. but if you keep the rrrr's up it's a great motor.

[one eye]

I've wheeled the generation 1 brats my whole life, i counted it up I had 9 gen 1. They go ok but if it is an 80 it should be only in and out 4wheel drive. Like gd said restore it, keep it nice, they will be a collector car, here next year. (Thats where you can get the cool plates. If you need any part let me know i have 4 gen 1.


Jeff

[Mike W]

Unless the cancer is reeealy bad I'd say restore it and keep it stock.
That said, I've had thoughts of building a capable gen1 Brat but my approach would be to merge the body with Legacy engine, maybe Legacy crossmembers and some suspention pieces, and probably use diffs, axles, hubs etc from a non-Subaru but still keeping it IFS and IFR. I wouldn't want the body any higher than could be helped. Tippy isn't cool, especially if you're moving to the SW where rocks are the main event.

I'd start such a project by investing in tools and figuring out the total budget. Welders, saws, benders, etc can add up but can be an investment. There's lots of unfinished projects out there from guys that underestimated what it'd take to pull it off. I don't mean to be naysay, just advising a bit of caution before diving in.

Good luck and hope you at least get the Brat!

[Qman]

The gen1's can be lifted. They can become very capable off road. They can be a bit more expensive to maintain. To do it right the rear suspension will need to be upgraded. Easiest would be to use a gen2 rear torsion bar setup. The 1600 will work but it takes a lot to do it.(right Jared?) Sounds like to perfect candidate to me, rusted and neglected.

It will require more funding then doing any other generation Sube but could be a very unique vehicle. I would upgrade to the 1800 and D/R 4sp. Then add a Weber after you get it road worthy. 10" lift looks cool but is it really neccessary to offroad with? 6" will get you almost anywhere you want to go. Sounds like your budget is going higher every time you post. The bigger you go the more tire you're going to want to stuff in there. As the tire increases the power will decrease unless you start upgrading the motor. This is read as more $$$$$.

Try taking smaller steps with your modification ideas. Work your way up and you will find the right size lift and other modoifications that will fit what you will be doing. Much easier to go forward then backward.

[Adam N.D.J.]

Exactly whot Ken said. If you jump right into big stuff, you can have big problems. Plus you run into the problem of whot if you go too big and don't like it. I started out small, 2" lift, then when that wasn't enough, a 4"er, then finally the 6" lift. And I'm very happy there, if I had jumped right into like an 8" lift I don't think that I would be as happy. Also you do need to understand that there is a lot of trial and error your working with. Having built my first and last lifts, I had to do a lot of working and reworking to get things right. And Gen's 1's are a bit more problematic. Like the rear torsion bars (they are individually mounted) are mounted at angles to the body, not on a horizontal plane like the Gen 2's.
Of course I for one don't want to push you away from this, I think it's a great idea. And WHEN you do get the Brat, and start the lifting process, drop me a line, I'll help you through any problems that you might have, ........ for a nominal fee, (j/k )

[Rooinater]

yeah it takes a lot to wheel with that 1600. but for the most part i could still keep up. just had to high tail it up the steep hill climbs and bounce off the rocks!! hint the name high speed rock crawling. my dad started calling it after he rode with me at the EC camp out.

4 and 6 in. lifts is all i'd recommend. unless you are doing the divorced tcase and planning on going on extreme trails with me. otherwise 8" is fine but not suggesting more. 8" is plenty... anymore i'll roll again. not to mention the offset on my tires stick out 4" to help not rolling. if i had solid axles i could go taller and larger tires... but that would be even spendier for you.

changing out the rear end would definately be a must though... if you plan on trying to build your lift i guess the gen 1 would be a good canidate. no one makes a bolt up for it...

look at the pics of my car with the swampers on it. that was a 4/3" lift and 27" swampers. with a 1600 motor

[The Scooby]

no this is what im settled on,

4inch lift
rear 3.9 LSD
5sp D/R
EA82 or EA81 car
27's on toyota rims.

[torxxx]

sounds like a lot of work for an old car...

keep it stock and restore it.

then sell it for more $$$

buy a 84-86 brat and lift that

[junkyardgabe]

Looks like Grandpa refused your $100.00 offer, since he is now up to $960.00 on EBAY.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...item=2458596153

[The Scooby]

thats where i got the picture from, and no, i now own it. just have to take the time to drive out to the coast to pick her up.