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Jessekrs123's 1984 Subaru BRAT


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Good news fellas.

 

Got in contact with the previous titled owner and he has agreed to help me with whatever I need to transfer the ownership title into my name. He said that when he had originally brought it to the junk yard, he had given the physical title over to them, but there wasn't an "official" title transfer.

 

He apparently lost my first letter, but he got this one and got in contact with me.

 

Now I just need to pay for a lost title form, have him sign it, wait for the title, fill out the transfer and it will be ready for the road.

 

I will also be getting my new oil pan gasket and oil pressure sender this week which will give me something to do on my day off. Can't drive a car that is leaking oil like crazy. This engine has only got 62,000 miles on it, it will be treated very well.

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Tackled my leaking oil pan and oil pressure sender today.

 

Here is the car currently up on jackstands:

100_0988.jpg

 

Took the oil pan off:

100_0986.jpg

 

Oil pan:

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Everything came off nice and easily. The oil pan bolts were not torqued like crazy, which they shouldn't be so they came off no problems.

 

Cleared off the mating surface on the block and the oil pan itself. This took a while and was a huge pain in the rump roast.

 

Speaking of pains in the rump roast, I am having a lot of trouble getting all of the bolts back into the pan and onto the block. The gasket that I had gotten from the dealer did not match up as nicely as I had expected, so I ended up only bolting in 16 out of the 19 bolts tonight.

 

There is an art to it though which I have figured out. Get in whatever bolts you can and only torque them about 1/4 way in. For the parts where the gasket does not line up with the hole, get the bolt in there with the screwdriver, guide it around until you have a good idea that it has made it's way through the gasket hole, then guide it around until you feel a click into the bolt hole and begin to tighten. A lot harder than it sounds.

 

Too bad it will be raining for the next few days, I just want to get everything together and consider oil leaks a thing of the past.

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Got the remaining bolts onto the oil pan today. Boy was that a pain in the rump roast trying to fight the horrible fitting gasket while trying to get the bolt onto the thread. Having little hands definitely helped, especially with the bolts circled below because the only way to get at them was sideways.

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There is an identical bolt on the other side. Really really hard attempting to fight the gasket and get the thread in completely by hand.

 

My new oil pressure sender wrapped with some teflon to be sure that it doesn't leak.

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Lol, that turbo is shot. Oil starvation = ridiculous shaft play and the compressor fins are all chunked out.

 

Got everything hooked up and ready to go. Filled the car up with some Shell Rotella 15w40. All of my Subarus run 15w40 and they all run like tops.

100_0994.jpg

 

Started the car up and crossed my fingers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:(

 

Some oil is still leaking.

 

I'm assuming that it is from the crank seal because there is oil gathering on the top of the oil pump assembly. It cannot be the oil pump because I resealed that. So I will be going to Subaru tomorrow to order a new seal and a new alternator/waterpump belt as well.

100_0995.jpg

 

Other than the oil leaking has certainly gotten better. It is no longer hemorrhaging oil from the oil pressure sender because that is new, and the oil pan gasket is sealing nice and properly, so I'm guessing that the problem now is the crank seal.

 

Also the car is very hesitant when the engine is cold. I'm thinking that the carb needs to be rebuilt when I get the chance. It's not keeping me from driving it though, once the car warms up it runs like a champ, so I'm guessing there is a failing seal or gasket within the carb or the intake manifold, I'll have to check.

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Took the crank pulley off today to inspect the leak. Turns out that the crank seal is fine and not leaking, but instead the oil pump is leaking on the top right side.

 

I checked the bolts for tightness and they were somewhat loose, but because they are small, I did not torque them too much because I was afraid I was stripping them. When I bolted on the oil pump after re-sealing it, I only snugged the bolts, but I'm afraid to see what happens when I take them out. The bolts were fine when I had removed them to re-seal, but I don't know at this point.

 

I have to go to work now with a busted swollen ankle and the thought of stripped bolts which will turn out to be a world of headaches if they are stripped. God damn I am so nervous right now I feel like I should start smoking.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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the oil pump has a pretty thin aluminum section in it that tends to crack upon removal.......that could be your leak....

 

Thanks, I re-tightened the bolts on the oil pump because they were a bit loose. If the leaking persists, it is coming off again and I will be getting a new pump from the dealer.

 

Changed out the plugs and wires today. The old spark plugs were pretty ratty and corroded, but they came out with no problems so that was a relief.

 

I also did a compression test while I had everything apart and came up with the following numbers:

 

Cylinder 1: 160 psi

Cylinder 2: 155 psi

Cylinder 3: 155 psi

Cylinder 4: 155 psi

 

So compression tests out good. That was after my first test because with my first test there was some crap in the threads of 3 and 4, and after I cleared them out I got better readings so everything tests out good.

 

The cap for the distributor is in pretty good shape, but the rotor will need to be replaced because it is a bit worn. I will be doing that next when I get the chance.

 

I am also having trouble getting the crank seal off, if anybody has any tips, please let me in on them. I did not have this much trouble getting the crank seal off of my EJ22E.

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Add some chrome rings and new lugs then you'll be set. Here's a set that I restored.

 

dsc04790.jpg

 

Wow that looks very nice. Where did you get the chrome rings? The car did come with those center caps, they just need to be cleaned up and they should look good. I won't be mounting my wheels until I register the car.

 

Got the crank seal off and put in the new one. It is still leaking oil.

 

Like bheinen said, it is possible that the oil pump cracked. I inspected it before putting it back on, and it seemed fine but at this point I am thinking that I probably missed the crack. Everything that deals with oil sealing at the front of the engine has been re-sealed, so I will be removing the oil pump and looking closely for any cracks.

 

Thanks for all of your help fellas, it is very much appreciated.

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Bheinen, you are the man. I just went down to the dealer to get my Alt/WP belt and I had ordered the oil pump along with the 2 o-rings and a new gasket. The parts guy who works there has been there for well over 20 years and he says that he used to keep a ton of oil pumps in stock because the aluminum would be easily warped upon removal.

 

Much appreciation. You guys are great.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well guys, back with some good news.

 

My oil leak has been fixed. Turns out that when I took the oil pump apart to re-seal it, I warped the aluminum plate that is screwed into the pump to separate the gears from the outside. Apparently this is unavoidable from what I hear so I got a new pump.

 

Some pics:

100_0998.jpg

 

Yeah, we like our Subarus... And the occasional 12 second Cummins.

 

Flashy new oil pump:

100_0999.jpg

 

NO MORE LEAKS!!!!!

 

This thing is now ready for the road... once I get it registered. Been working so much overtime lately that I have been unable to meet up with the previous owner and go through a lost title process. Soon though.... soon.

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Jesse

 

You are an inspiration. Our BRATS are, on the whole, about equal. Mine is rust free and I just received the title in the mail, but my motor is still sitting on the work bench, and I have at least one torn CV boot and a broken windshield, so niether one of us is driving:( Re: your last pic, one of my todos before installing the motor is to clean up my water pump pully to hopefully make that belt last a little longer.

 

Keep at it

Bill

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Jesse

 

You are an inspiration. Our BRATS are, on the whole, about equal. Mine is rust free and I just received the title in the mail, but my motor is still sitting on the work bench, and I have at least one torn CV boot and a broken windshield, so niether one of us is driving:( Re: your last pic, one of my todos before installing the motor is to clean up my water pump pully to hopefully make that belt last a little longer.

 

Keep at it

Bill

 

Thanks Bill, it's good to hear from another person in the process of building up one of these things. Definitely clean your engine off before you drop it back in. There is nothing more appealing than a car with a nice clean engine.

 

It must be nice not having any rust as well. I need this rust removed and some new metal welded in.

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I got bored after work so I made this quick vid:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jessekrs123?feature=mhee#p/u/5/-uj7LXXol88

 

Waiting for a call back from the previous owner so we can go down to DMV to request a duplicate title. Then hopefully less than 20 days for it to come in, then bring a bill of sale to DMV, get this thing registered and ready to attack the road.

 

I will also be mounting my wagon wheels and throwing those on once it is registered, so I'm definitely looking forward to leaving the crappy wheels in the cellar.

 

I really want to get this thing on the road before it begins snowing, because I plan on having all sorts of fun with my 4WD.

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Tractor? Whoot!! 2300 RPM shift points? Whoot!! Now I want straight through dual exhausts. :lol:

 

Bill

 

Haha, I did not want to get on it too hard because an old neighbor started breaking my balls about it not having any tags, even though it is insured. I did not want to piss him off and have him call the police or anything, you could hear this thing coming from a mile down the road.

 

I am really surprised at the amount of low end torque though. I thought my 1993 Legacy had great low end torque, but the BRAT has it even lower.

 

I will hopefully doing a 2.5" full straight pipe with a resonator once I begin welding in the new body panels and whatnot. There is something loose in the cat, so it has to go.

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Haha, I did not want to get on it too hard because an old neighbor started breaking my balls about it not having any tags, even though it is insured. I did not want to piss him off and have him call the police or anything, you could hear this thing coming from a mile down the road.

 

I am really surprised at the amount of low end torque though. I thought my 1993 Legacy had great low end torque, but the BRAT has it even lower.

 

I will hopefully doing a 2.5" full straight pipe with a resonator once I begin welding in the new body panels and whatnot. There is something loose in the cat, so it has to go.

 

Don't you love that grunt?

My BRAT's EA81 will just about pull through anything.

It takes a lot to bog out an EA81.

 

You'll lose some of that low end torque if you go too big with the exhaust.

And I've heard the gains for the upper end aren't worth the loss of the lower wend.

I think just cutting out the cat and installing a glasspack would suffice to give you a good rumble without losing much if any low end.

 

Twitch

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Don't you love that grunt?

My BRAT's EA81 will just about pull through anything.

It takes a lot to bog out an EA81.

 

You'll lose some of that low end torque if you go too big with the exhaust.

And I've heard the gains for the upper end aren't worth the loss of the lower wend.

I think just cutting out the cat and installing a glasspack would suffice to give you a good rumble without losing much if any low end.

 

Twitch

 

Thanks for your insight. I definitely want to keep that low end, so I'll probably just cut the cat out and mess around with the muffler or something.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Picked up a nice set of winters the other night for the BRAT. Came off of some old Escort wheels. A lot of tread left.

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However, these will not be going on my wagon wheels. They will be instead going on the crappy wheels that the BRAT has on now. My wagon wheels will be getting a fresh set of all seasons or summers or something.

 

100_1022.jpg

 

Actually, the tires on the BRAT now are still in decent shape. I'll probably keep those around just because.

 

My DMV trip was cancelled today because they don't open until effing 9:15. So I will be going next Thursday to get my papers and register this thing in my name. I hate the DMV so much.

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New Hours , as if they didn't blow already.

 

The Laws aren't bad , it's the DMV itself that sucks. We're pretty lucky with no inspections and emissions gone after vehicle is 20 years old. Makes my life better.

 

I'll catch up with you sooner or later. Let me know if you ever do a cruise down this way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Getting this thing through DMV has proven to be a humongous pain in the rump roast. In order to apply for a lost title, I must have the paperwork "notarized" so I went to the DMV the other day to take care of it and they turned me away, even though I had the previous owner there with photo ID!!! They don't notarize anything at the DMV which seems stupid, so now I have another problem to accomplish.

 

Oh well, enough bad news, it whipped the BRAT around in my river today. Here is a quick vid of me driving the BRAT through, then my dad driving is Jeep through.

 

It gets really deep and there are some big rocks on the other side of the river which is why I avoided it. Really don't feel like breaking anything on the BRAT since I have already gotten this far with it haha.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEXz84GYdso&feature=channel_video_title

 

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  • 1 month later...

Boy has it been a while since I've done anything with this car.

 

Got my winter tires mounted today, and quickly threw them on the car.

 

Having troubles getting registration as expected... it is either DMV breaking my balls or having trouble getting in contact with the previous owner. Thanksgiving is coming up though, so I'm sure the previous owner has a lot to do so we'll see what happens.

 

100_1146.jpg

 

Back of my father's Legacy. Nice pink interior! :D

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100_1149.jpg

 

That is it for now...

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  • 4 weeks later...

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