Subaruist Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I have taken some time to cruise through various threads on this forum, and have seen a lot of the interesting things Subaru has made. I have seen cool Subarus like the XT, the Alcyone, and others. I have seen and heard about other Subarus that are performance cars, super fast and agile, and all that we have all done with, for and to them. But there is nothing... nothing like a Brat. They don't just belong in a class all thier own by name or type or model. Even though they have many similarities to other Subarus, similar front-end body styles, etc. They are a singular marvel in the toality of thier unique design. Its not just that they have utility in being a sort of mini pick-up, its not just that they had seats in the back, as fun as that was for many people, especially kids, and its not just in how good they are in off-roading. They have a different and unique balance and weight and handling; how they react to your driving, how they react to the road or terrain or environment, and how they react to anything in nature conspiring against them meeting the expectations of their driver. As I have said to people many times; sometimes something is designed, that just happens to be intrinsically great in its design, beyond even the intent and wishes of the designer. I think they are a quintessential example of being greater than the sum of their parts. Something in its dimensions, proportions, size, and shape; Beyond inspiration in design, they are synchronicity in operation, super synergistic, magic in coincidence, serendipity bursting with energy and an innocent, wild abandon to please its driver and to go anywhere it possibly can. It is jealous only of dogs, for its love and want to be your best friend, but love to have them along for the ride... It cannot always survive a hard crash, but it doesn't care - it is fearless... It does not defy or laugh at death, it simply does not recognise its existence, and doesn't know how to die... It can suffer loss or lack of fluids, bent this or broken that, and limp as much as it has to, to get you back home... It cannot not speak, but hears your every wish and awaits your spontaneous whim at any fleeting moment... If it could, it would take you to Shangri-la, Shambala or Avalon, and if anything could get you there, by damn it would ! It cannot fly, but by God it wants to with all its heart ! There is nothing like a Subaru Brat. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Amen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 There is a reason I have had mine 17 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBrat Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 The reason ive owned 21 of them since I was 17 now 49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper 157 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 dont have a brat, i gotta wagon. If I ever was gonna get a pickup id start with a brat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subnz Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Totally agree a unique small compact ute (pickup) that drives like a car, with selectable 4WD ,D/R(EA81), 4MT with off road capability. Most, 2nd gen. (EA81 1800) had 4MT selectable 4WD dual ratio ( which can be shifted on the move from 2WD to 4WD to 4WD Lo and back without having to stop apart from using clutch) The 1st gen had EA71 1600 with single range selectable 4WD 4MT Understand that the turbocharged models had AT's? Had mine 1987 for 9 years - was my late fathers. Its completely original (no mods) https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/556996_2348882778184_23166076_n.jpg?oh=e4e1c8405c2cd249164826b617e82a69&oe=54B82035&__gda__=1421637060_56edb01cf1140544074c09ab98b78ece 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 That is a nice Brat subnz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rust Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 This is my 6th Brat, definitely a highwater mark for the subaru brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 to sum up the gen2 ute in one word - versatile Had mine 16 years, and only yesterday found one limitation ....300 kg of trailer hooked up, went off and asked for two cubic metres of recycled garden waste - the girl looked ...I assured her it was a 3 cubic metre trailer so it would fit. She din't mention she was more thinking of th weight . I felt the first metre going in, the second was nothing, until I went to go up a long haul incline. Fortunately second gear and 40 kph came into play and I got up and along, defionitely able to feel the weight. Won't do that again. Saved a second trip though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) The reason ive owned 21 of them since I was 17 now 49 Oh... so THAT's why nobody can find them anymore! You're hoarding them all! lol... - and I feel gulty for scrapping/parting out two or three ! Edited October 17, 2014 by Subaruist 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 to sum up the gen2 ute in one word - versatile Had mine 16 years, and only yesterday found one limitation ....300 kg of trailer hooked up, went off and asked for two cubic metres of recycled garden waste - the girl looked ...I assured her it was a 3 cubic metre trailer so it would fit. She din't mention she was more thinking of th weight . I felt the first metre going in, the second was nothing, until I went to go up a long haul incline. Fortunately second gear and 40 kph came into play and I got up and along, defionitely able to feel the weight. Won't do that again. Saved a second trip though I one time had a dealto strip some equipment that used big slabs of aluminum in thier fames, each being 4-6 inches thick, 2 feet wide, and 4-5 feet long, each one weighing almost 100 pounds. On one trip back home many miles with a load filling the bed that must have weighed 600-800 pounds,in a vehicle classed as being an 1/8th ton, which I think equals abut 250lbs. I had to watch my clutch, gas and steering, because if I was not carefull it would start doing a whleelie, - and no, I'm not kidding! Try putting 3 times the maximum load in your average pickup and see what happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) I think I just figured out one of the secrets for the Subaru's and Brat's engineering and capabilities !!! I don't know what the official scientific terminology would be, but I call it atomic scale. They say that we could not have giant ants (and similar insects) because they would collapse under their own weight, and might burst out of thier exo-skeletal bodies. Also, ants can supposedly lift and carry 50 times thier own weight, which is extreme. Also, you can drop an ant from various heights up to several feet without it being seriously injured, and this has little to do with aerodynamics, as ants are not very aerodynamic, and are fairly dense and compact in their structure. A Subaru Brat is much smaller than the average pick pick-up of its day, but was made of the same common steel, of the same general thickness and density. Most of its parts are also smaller, but again, the same general density and often the same thickness. For one example, if you put one large object of steel in the bed of a standard pick-up of its day, it would tend to flex the corrugated bed a little more in that standard truck, but less in a Subaru Brat, because the bed in a Brat is much smaller, and a more condense space, and in a way, more re-enforced, because the walls and uni/body and suspension, etc are closer together, as opposed to a standard truck bed that is several feet long with little or no more support. Another simpler example is that a long pipe is easier to bend than a short piece of pipe of the same thickness and diameter. If you were to shrink a standard contemporary truck of the day to the size of a Subaru Brat, its metal would be thinner than that of the Brat, and many of its parts would also be smaller or thinner than similar ones on a Brat, and to the converse, if you were to enlarge a Brat to the size of a standard contemporary pick-up truck, many of its parts would be thicker and more heavy-duty in comparrison. So what I am saying is that somewhere along the scale of things, a Subaru Brat is a little like that ant that although small, is able to carry a great deal of weight, withstand stresses, and be 'stiffer' due to its scale of density and strength of construction and structure. Or, in other words, they are tough, strong little buggers !!! lol... Edited October 17, 2014 by Subaruist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuhaKankkunen Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Ea81 running is like a heart breathing!!! it´s has feelings!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 This is my 6th Brat, definitely a highwater mark for the subaru brand. Where the hell have i been. When did you pick that up Pete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 This is my 6th Brat, definitely a highwater mark for the subaru brand. I like what appear to be individual headlight grills! The vehicle as a whole looks pretty cherry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatadude Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I can't wait to get mine back on the road. My first was an 85 turbo I bought in 1995 in Phoenix. That Brat took me through a lot of the dessert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coxy Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 There is nothing like a Subaru Brat, Except another Brat so Come on Subaru make us a New Brat you could base it on the XV and even make it a bigger Brother based on a Forester. Heck you could even make a Japanese El Camino one based on a Liberty. So wake up Subaru now that Evil GM influence is Gone to be replaced with a Dash of Toyota as sadly the Early Nissan Influence has been Frogified by Renault and is no more run with the Toyota influence for they are the Kings of Japanese Utility Vehicle. Heck you could even do a BRZ/86 deal and make it in two flavors and bring a whole lot more people to Brat heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 There is nothing like a Subaru Brat, Except another Brat so Come on Subaru make us a New Brat you could base it on the XV and even make it a bigger Brother based on a Forester. Heck you could even make a Japanese El Camino one based on a Liberty. So wake up Subaru now that Evil GM influence is Gone to be replaced with a Dash of Toyota as sadly the Early Nissan Influence has been Frogified by Renault and is no more run with the Toyota influence for they are the Kings of Japanese Utility Vehicle. Heck you could even do a BRZ/86 deal and make it in two flavors and bring a whole lot more people to Brat heaven. Sadly, that will never happen - not inthe USA anyway - due to both the modern industrial mindset, and tons of regulation. It would be possible in South America and other countries, as you can still buy a good old fashioned VW Bug there. The modern version, the "Baja" has almost nothing in common with the old Brats, other than similar shape and 4WD/AWD. They have all the gadgetry and modern crapola that most modern vehicles do, and all the failings that come with them. Part of the The older Brats' magic was in thier simplicity. Few parts, basically well made, few things to fail, so much less chance of failure. Every system, gadget, sensor and computer you add to a vehicle is just one more thing that can failor complicate things. Whereas the older Brats and Subarus did not even have a timing chain, which provedthat such things were not needed. Sure,you can get more power and efficiency with timing belts, electronic ignitions, etc. etc. etc, etc. - but you also get more complication, more things to fail, and allmaing it harder tofix should something go wrong. Now if someone could find and steal all the original blueprints, designs, etc, To older Brats and other Subarus and run off to South America with a Lottry winning, they could make a slightly new design to avoid copyright and patent lawsuits and create the next phenomena... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilySapphire Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 YAY!! This was such a sweet start to my day. I spent all day Sunday giving mine a proper tune up and adding in a fuel regulator (Weber wasn't happy). When I was done, I just wanted to drive my BratLee, I took to the streets, onto the freeway, down some country roads, then figured I should pick up milk while I was out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaruist Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 YAY!! This was such a sweet start to my day. I spent all day Sunday giving mine a proper tune up and adding in a fuel regulator (Weber wasn't happy). When I was done, I just wanted to drive my BratLee, I took to the streets, onto the freeway, down some country roads, then figured I should pick up milk while I was out. Ain't it great to drive something so fun to drive??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragingbull Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Where can I find those headlight grills!? I searched the Google, no dice.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantum Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) If your looking for a modern update - I give you The XV-Ute ... More to be found here : http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136886-subaru-xv-ute/ Cheers, Bantum ... Edited November 28, 2014 by Bantum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subnz Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) Sadly, that will never happen - not inthe USA anyway - due to both the modern industrial mindset, and tons of regulation. It would be possible in South America and other countries, as you can still buy a good old fashioned VW Bug there. The modern version, the "Baja" has almost nothing in common with the old Brats, other than similar shape and 4WD/AWD. They have all the gadgetry and modern crapola that most modern vehicles do, and all the failings that come with them. Part of the The older Brats' magic was in thier simplicity. Few parts, basically well made, few things to fail, so much less chance of failure. Every system, gadget, sensor and computer you add to a vehicle is just one more thing that can failor complicate things. Whereas the older Brats and Subarus did not even have a timing chain, which provedthat such things were not needed. Sure,you can get more power and efficiency with timing belts, electronic ignitions, etc. etc. etc, etc. - but you also get more complication, more things to fail, and allmaing it harder tofix should something go wrong. Now if someone could find and steal all the original blueprints, designs, etc, To older Brats and other Subarus and run off to South America with a Lottry winning, they could make a slightly new design to avoid copyright and patent lawsuits and create the next phenomena... Totally agree about the Brats simplicity being a huge plus compared to the complication / electronic management / sensors etc with modern vehicles ie my 01 Outback. Less is more from the aspect of longevity, simplicity, low cost to repair / maintain. In the 9 years Ive had mine (1987) all Ive had to do to it is replace breaker points (distributor) spark plugs, oil, filters, tyres, battery, clean carb, couple of cv boots and replace / rebuild the two universal joints in drive shaft. Edited November 26, 2014 by subnz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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