Seahag1978 Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 I just posted pictures of my 1978 BRAT. Check it out! She's getting new cv axles tomorrow. Thanks for the advice! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieman Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 Very nice Brat!!! I just brought home a 78 today, now the fun job of restoring starts. What's the name of the bed liner stuff you used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 welp Jeremy looks like you done got yerself a nice brat there are you bringin it to WCSS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 19, 2004 Author Share Posted August 19, 2004 Very nice Brat!!! I just brought home a 78 today, now the fun job of restoring starts. What's the name of the bed liner stuff you used? I used the Herculiner in a can first, you roll it on with a paint roller. I think it's too chunky for the scale of the Brat because it's so small, and it dried with shiny and dull spots. I went over it with spray-on Truck Bed Liner (blue can at Wal-Mart) I think it's Duplicolor brand. If I did it again, I would use only the spray-on but lots of it, several coats. It dries super fast so the next coat can be put on quickly. I also used it on my interior door panels and dash to give it a soft pebble texture again after repairing them. One word of caution: thin coats on the dash! Don't build it up! I have a spot where I went over it several times to hide a crack, it will bubble on realy hot days. I use a sunshade to solve that until I find a new dash or sand it back and respray. Duplicolor makes a good vinyl spray paint too, very durable. Use a silver paint marker (found in the crafts section of Wal-Mart) for the silver lines on the trim between the door and decal. Mother's Back-to-Black is a liquid product, great on the jump seats, headrests and other rubber... use lots of elbow grease and a terry towel, just work at it, it'll get the oxidization out of the rubber and plastic (any color, not just black). Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 19, 2004 Author Share Posted August 19, 2004 welp Jeremy looks like you done got yerself a nice brat there are you bringin it to WCSS? I would love to be there, but am in Massachusetts. I will be entering it in a show on Sept. 11-12. I don't expect to win anything... there are some real purists (every nut and bolt is original) around here that will enter. High, high dollar cars. One thing's for certain, you can bet she'll be the only Brat! Guaranteed! We also have a show every Wednesday for D.A.R.E. any condition car is admired at that one. Have a great time at the show! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Cool! Mary,where in Mass. are you guys?I've got a '78 4WD wagon.There's only a few of us left in New England with these 70's cars....but you knew that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 Cool! Mary,where in Mass. are you guys?I've got a '78 4WD wagon.There's only a few of us left in New England with these 70's cars....but you knew that. In Salem... you got that right... heck there aren't even any in the junkyards! The Rust Gods got 'em all! Yikes! My local Subaru dealership part department told me flat out that they couldn't get parts for me. I did find 2 parts sellers that are great... they are so helpful and nice. But... try and find a mechanic that'll work on them! They laugh at me! Most of them are just "parts changers" around here anyway. My boyfriend Tim, can build any American muscle car from the ground up, this little guy leaves him scratching his head... he's never seen anything like it... completely clueless about it's design logic. I did find a guy that agreed to work on it... my mother's best friend's son... and he's a real live mechanic... funny how persuasive a mother can be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonpowaa Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 is that ed alexander's old brat? looks the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86surfwagon Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 get r done!! nice ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 yeah it's Ed's old Brat... Mary was describing it on the Yahoo board, and I pegged it as Ed's old brat before she got pics up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 is that ed alexander's old brat? looks the same. Yes, it is Ed's old Brat. I bought it from a guy in Florida. I read Ed's threads here, and I see he regretted the sale. The guy in Florida posted a rather deceitful ad, stating it was all restored, but after several conversations, he came clean on all its faults. I bought it for what I thought was a reasonable price. Ed can rest assured he did the right thing. There are several hundred dollars worth of repairs that are needed on it to keep it alive and I expected it when I bought it. I have spent countless hours finding parts. You come to a certain point in your life where you find something that's worth the money because it brings you plain enjoyment... and it's not something you need to survive, you just enjoy having it. (for example: see boat in the background) Well, that enjoyment for me is this Brat. It will be like having a car payment on a Mercedes to get it where it needs to be, but that's ok with me. Last week it developed a nasty noise... the brake caliper finally gave up completely and froze. It did some damage somewhere else, maybe. The outer cv joint is damaged too, not sure about the bearing. The exhaust let loose (we had it bandaged to get throuh inspection) In my city you are required to have any car kept on your property (for more than 30 days) properly licensed and insured. So, that's the rest of the story of where Ed's Brat ended up. I love the car and as long as I have it, it will be well taken care of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 yeah it's Ed's old Brat... Mary was describing it on the Yahoo board, and I pegged it as Ed's old brat before she got pics up Yes, you did Mick! Guess it was the Ford Chrome Yellow with red decals and red roll bar that gave it away? Hey, who made those decals? He did an excellent job! Wasn't there a little plate that says "BRAT" in that lower right bump-in on the tailgate? One more question, I ordered 2 CV axles and one was boxed wrong. Is the transmission end female? It hasn't been to the shop yet, the guy was out sick yesterday. I need to be sure I have the right part. Also, are all parts from a '79 interchangeable with a '78? Thanks! I appreciate every bit of info you have all given me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I am taking it that the cv in question has shafts on both ends? if so then you got the wrong part and for interchangability for gen 1 brats like yours they are interchangable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 I am taking it that the cv in question has shafts on both ends? if so then you got the wrong part and for interchangability for gen 1 brats like yours they are interchangable This has a male end that goes into the hub and a female end that's on the transmission end. The factory mis-boxed one of the two parts, the parts seller called to ask the factory and they told him it calls for the one with the female end? I'm not sure... hope he kept the right one and shipped back the wrong one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 yes, the outboard side has the splines that go into the knuckle/hub, and the tranny side is just the cup to fit onto the axle stub coming out of the tranny.... and yes, it was the yellow with the red stripe. Ed Dahl from Chicago made the Brat decals. (DahlEd@aol.com) yes, there was a little plate on the back of the tailgate that said "BRAT" This has a male end that goes into the hub and a female end that's on the transmission end. The factory mis-boxed one of the two parts, the parts seller called to ask the factory and they told him it calls for the one with the female end? I'm not sure... hope he kept the right one and shipped back the wrong one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonpowaa Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I hope you didn't pay too much for the brat, seahag. If I remember right, that guy who bought it from Ed turned around and jacked up the price hella. But it is a nice brat so welcome to the gen 1 club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Ahhh,well that's cool.We need to import a whole boatload of them from place like Ed's. Cool Mary,hope to meet you guys sometime.One member here typically has a dunes permit for the Cape."ByTheSea"-a.k.a. Brad-big wheeled Loyale wagon,that's him,on the Cape during season,Belchertown when school is in. Talk to you soon. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 I hope you didn't pay too much for the brat, seahag. If I remember right, that guy who bought it from Ed turned around and jacked up the price hella. But it is a nice brat so welcome to the gen 1 club. I saw what it went for on eBay and judging from some of the prices I have seen, it went WAY too low... trouble with reserves on eBay is, once they find it, they buyers nickel and dime it to death and it rarely gets much over it. Now Ed said he sold it for $2,500. plus $595 shipping. The auction I saw was for $2,800.? Rolex13 (or something) won it. Did that one fall through? Just curious. Anyway, when I saw the ad, Lance wanted $4,900. Ok... if it's all resored... ha! after talking about its faults, I got him to $3,900. (Looking at old archives, I have since seen another ad where he had it listed for $3,900. anyway, so no bargain there, unless he placed it after he realized he had the price too high). His ad was quite deceitful in the description. As I said, it all came to truth after talking. He revealed everything right down to the tiny crack in the tail lense. With the range of prices for a rusted-out hulk at $49.95 to an immaculate 2nd gen specimen at $6,100. I thought the price was pretty middle of the road, especially since they were a favorite item on the buffet table of the Salt Gods here in Mass. and impossible to find. Had the interior been better, I would have gladly paid the $4,900 or much more for a fully restored 1978. Again, when we get to a certain point in life... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 yes, the outboard side has the splines that go into the knuckle/hub, and the tranny side is just the cup to fit onto the axle stub coming out of the tranny.... and yes, it was the yellow with the red stripe. Ed Dahl from Chicago made the Brat decals. (DahlEd@aol.com) yes, there was a little plate on the back of the tailgate that said "BRAT" Whew! That's the one we kept! I did ask him to hang n to the other one til we were sure. Now to find the little plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Hey Paul speeking of ByTheSea aka Brad hows he doin cause I don't see him on at all anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormer Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 nice brat seahag! i have an 81 brat. they are cool cars, i see why you like them. the main reason i posted was.... your board name- ha ha- its cool! did you get that from the old popeye stories? seahag! lol-lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted August 22, 2004 Author Share Posted August 22, 2004 nice brat seahag! i have an 81 brat. they are cool cars, i see why you like them. the main reason i posted was.... your board name- ha ha- its cool! did you get that from the old popeye stories? seahag! lol-lol Actually, no... never saw those episodes... just made it up years ago for chat room purposes... but I have seen pictures of her since. Not very pleasant, huh?! Who knew?! I also had the moniker Crotchety Joan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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