Unfortunately this Brat will not have a good ending, this vehicle is barely holding itself together, nonetheless I bought it for $300 (double scrap value) I offered the guy so it wouldn't go to the junk yard like he was intending to.
I was planning on having 2 Brats running, but it looks like this one will just feed me parts for many years to come, more pictures to come tomorrow.
---backstory on the vehicle---
bought in 1980 as a 1979 model, the original owner would come down from Colorado to visit his family, in the 1990's it broke down in south Texas in a little town called Pleasanton TX (50 min from where I live). not sure how he went back home without it but never came back for it, was left outside for 20+years on the farm. farm sold to new owners 4 years ago, guy posts on facebook, I see the post and go get the vehicle before it ends up at the junkyard.