4x4_Welder

I've used it on Fords and Toyotas, but I don't have any long term info, I sold both trucks within a couple months. The limited slips were still working at that time, though, no chattering or anything. I also use the Sta-Lube stuff from Napa, with the purple label. I don't have a bottle right here for a part number, but it's cheaper than the Lucas, has an additive for LSD, and I've been using it in two trucks at work with no issues.

If this is still going to be a daily driver, I'd avoid using an aluminum flywheel. They have a thin steel insert that the friction material wears against, and it tends to warp pretty quick. Also, the lightweight flywheel help with street/strip, and sand running where you want to get the revs up quick, but when off road you need more torque. The mass of an iron flywheel helps keep the car moving when you are climbing over rough terrain, smooths out the power at low rpms, and creates a feel of more torque. I'd check out http://www.alleurasianautoparts.com/, I'm going to be using a clutch from them for my d/r5speed swap.

You know most of my projects- I'm just trying to keep the Sube running now, I put a new engine in my 69 F-250, and I need to at least make the 72 able to be moved so I can move. With the truck on the road, I can do the 5speed, lift, and t-case swap on the Hatch. Lots of projects, tomorrow I get my new truck pusher- converted heavy commercial walk behind tiller, set up with a bumper and chain to shove stuff around. Should be interesting.

I used to have an 84 F250 4x4 with 6" lift and 35" mud terrains (BTW, a Sube with 35's and 12" lift might look right, trucks look like toys), it got used at least weekly, sometimes more. I did drive it out here, but I still wheeled it weekly until I rolled it. But that was because the spring bushings wore out, and the axle flexed over in a turn. Wound up on it's side in a ditch, rolled it back up, and drove it home. The truck I am building now will have 6" lift, and 38" tires, and will be flogged twice a week or more often, in the name of advertising for my company. If I can get away with it, it will be in the woods 5-7 days a week.

Yeah, my hatch has the plaid interior. Well, the back seat is, and the driver's seat, the passenger seat is an EA82 seat, and both fronts are under covers.

Yeah, I probably should do something like that on my hatch. I lost first gear for a while, missed the 2-3 shift due to the sloppy linkage, jammed it into a gear, and found myself in first. Ever since then, first has been the easiest gear to go in and out of. Although, on mine, since it is RWD now, I might try a motor oil, maybe 15w40 diesel oil.

Basically, the cops don't bother you unless you don't have mudflaps or you're driving like an rump roast. I have a friend over in Spokane that has an F-250 supercab that is clearing 40's, hasn't gotten in any trouble over it. There is a newer Super Duty in the area here with somewhere around 30" of lift, he just has quick-detach bumpers and lights mounted on the axles. I talked with him, his neighbor is a cop and nobody gives him any problems. From what I understand, since there isn't any inspection in this state, lift only becomes an issue when you get in an accident, act stupid, or the cops are bored.

Looks kinda like a Baja- Nice, I'm toying with doing that to my Hatch. I know somebody who put a wagon hatch on a brat, to give more interior room, but never seen a wagon chopped like that. It looks mean and rather useful.

I have to wonder if it's possible to make the front output the part time 4wd output instead of it always being on, and have the rear be the primary drive. When I pull the 4speed out of my car, I might have to investigate. But yeah, the only way to convert is to pull the front axles and run in 4wd. As far as the spinning and drifting, what does the silver tag on the rear diff say? If it hasn't been replaced, it should say 3.900, it almost sounds like somebody swapped in a 3.700 LSD diff.

Oil on startup is usually valve seals. Also, if you overheated it when the head gasket went, the heads may have cracked. I do agree that the majority of the problems you listed affect the heads.

Make sure you check under the dash for lamp cord, melted wires, melted connectors, blown fuses........... Hopefully your PO was a little smarter than mine. Also, if the fan makes a sound other than a nice smooth blowing air sound, replace it. A rattle or grinding noise is bad.

Tight, there is a gasket under the cap. The tabs on the cap like to bend too, so check those.

Probably a head gasket, I had a Ford 300-6 do that to me once. Blew between #3 and #4, couldn't tell once it was over about 1500rpm, but loped bad at an idle. Of course, that engine was really pushing the limits of the stock design-

Ok, it's partially fixed. I wired the fan in where it is supposed to draw power from, and it popped that fuse. The fuse it was tapped into was a 25a, supposed to be a 15a, so the PO must have known about this issue too. I'm going to replace the fan and the hack wiring too. It's got lamp cord, going out through the grommet for the clutch cable, between the grommet and firewall, and the end is wrapped around the fuse. On the plus side, I do have blinkers again after taking the fan out of the circuit. While poking around under the column cover, I saw that my ignition switch isn't in bad shape, but there is a pink connector behind it, seperate, that is melted a bit around one wire. It's a two wire connector, and I cannot see where it goes. Anybody know about this one?

Find a large nut that fits over the stud without touching the threads, along with four new studs (incase you mess one up), and at least four new lugnuts. You will ruin at least one lug nut this way. Hit the bad ones out with a hammer, hold the new ones on from the backside, put the large nut ove rthe stud, thread on the lug nut, and crank it down as tight as you can. Remove the lug nut, use that same nut to go on to the next one. Just like that, don't even have to pull hubs or anything. Oh yeah, be sure to use plenty of anti-seize or magna lube while doing this, use it on the threads only. This lets you put way more pulling force on the studs.

It turned out that the problem with the starter was the main power cable at the battery had a bad conenction internally, so now it's running again, but back to where it was on Friday. The thing that's throwing me off on this problem is that I have parts of circuits working, and parts not working. No blown fuses, and nothing consistant. I'll have to keep digging still.

Ok, I borrowed Pat's FSM, and it's clearing up some stuff, but causing a bit of confusion. It seems all the different failed circuits are off different fuseable links and even different terminals on the ignition switch. I guess I'll have to invest some time in it over the next couple days. I'm seriously considering just re-running the main power, body and engine grounds, and replace the ignition switch with toggles.

If you aren't going to use the EA82 clutch and flywheel, can I get those from ya? That's actually 90% of why I wanted that car.

The Brat and Hatch stayed with the EA81 style, the GL, DL, and RX were all EA82. If the joints are seized tight in the yokes, just cut the cross out with a torch. I used to do that with D44 front axle ujoints all the time.

I might have to take you up on that- the car suffered a total electrical failure today. Went to the DOL in Silverdale, the car was running -ok-, went to start it back up and had nothing. Couldn't jumper the starter and get anything either. Got it towed back to my house, worked on my truck for a while, and heard a noise coming from the car. I had left the key on, and the blower motor started running again. I think I'm just going to put some toggle switches in it, the key is really loose in the tumbler anyways.

That's weird, cause there is a vacuum line that goes from the lower part of the carb, out to a solenoid, and back to the vacuum secondary pod. Probably something the PO didn't understand and rigged together. I think it's time to re-do the electrical, and drop one of my smaller Autolite 2BBL carbs on it.

My hatch once again has some electrical issues. It seems to have dropped about half of the accessory circuit, but I can't figure out where or how. The PO wired the fan into the fuse box (probably caused this whole thing in the first place), everything was ok aside from slow wipers, but now I have no wiper intermitant or self-park, no fan, no turn signals, no seat belt chime, and the vacuum solenoid for the secondaries won't open. Needles to say, now the car is slow, overheats, and gets honked at. All the fuses under the dash are intact. So now I have to ask- Are there multiple feeds for aux. power coming off the ignition switch, or relays hidden somewhere, or is my car just flaking out on me? Is there a GOOD wiring diagram for this car available? I have one, I think it's a Chiltons, it's printed so small I can't even read it, and the parts I can read have the wrong colors marked on them.

I've thought about using sealed bearings for the extra protection, but I don't know if the grease in them can handle the high temperatures. I am running the regular wheel bearings in my Hatch, packed with high-temp Moly/Graphite grease. Six months, still holding up, and I am not nice to this car.

My ex's New Beetle Convertable cracked the windsheild twice from chassis flex, and I've popped a windsheild out of a Mazda truck the same way, so it is possible. The EA82 cars are a lot more substantial than the EA81s, so I can see that happening. I don't know if connectors alone would fix this, I am building a full cage with connectors for mine to prevent any flex, but I have been told that's overkill.

Looks very similar to this: http://www.tigertruck.com This one is a 4x4, too. http://www.tigertruck.com/4x4/index.html I used to ride in these in the shipyard every now and then, they feel halfway stable, but are limited at 32mph.