The Beast I Drive

Sometime soon I'll have to go look in my tire pile and see if I have a somewhat matched set of decent tires, until I can afford some 185-60-R13s -Bill

Right on! That would be awesome. Let me know what you find and if you have anything else for the tailgate wagons. I need a lot of little parts, so let me know what all you can find! Thanks! -Bill

I want a couple sets of these so bad, but I dont have the funds right now... It's like the repro windshield gaskets all over again -Bill

The paint should buff out ok, but it needs some attention in the rocker panels, they are the rustiest part of the car. Theres also a bit of rust in the engine bay around the fenders, but nothing bad at all really. -Bill

That would be fine with me, I've never seen an FF1 wagon in person -Bill

I checked the door plate today, it is indeed a 73. The other is a 72. I wonder if I'll find a 71 someday..... -Bill

Nope, it is just an adjuster bolt. Nothing else should be attatched to it. -Bill

Seems my earlier pics arent showing anymore, so here's those, plus my newest addition... '72 Tailgate wagon New Tailgate wagon '76 4wd parts wagon '76 fwd wagon, sold a few months ago, new owner blew up 2nd gear so it sits in his shop atm Rusty, 1980 Brat Before being rear ended Brown '79 Brat, sold a while back And there are at least 3 or 4 others that I cant find pics for at the moment... -Bill

That isnt the axle, thats the rear subframe, it has the torsion bars for the rear trailing arms inside. The torsion bars are connected in the middle to a deal that has that bolt in it, and that bolt is actually to adjust the rear ride height. If you screw it in all the way, you can gain up to 2" over stock of ride height. -Bill

Im hoping I can get this one at least driveable before the next West Coast Subaru Show, it's been a while since I've had anything cool to show -Bill

Just got it delivered yesterday, traded off 8 rotting carcasses for it, so my dad was real happy cuz it cleaned the place up pretty good. It's not too bad, little rust, excellent body, all kinds of coolness about it Some interesting tidbits: I found a photo packet in the front seat that shows the car was wrecked real good in the back sometime in the 70's. The previous owner replaced the entire rear driverside of the car from the rear door back, then painted it that fabulous 2-tone. He did excellent work too, you cant tell it was fixed at all :cool: After the new paint, it apparrently got rear ended again, right in the middle of the tailgate , but again he fixed it absolutely perfectly This was all done around 1987-1989 or so. The front seats have new upholstery on them, and the door seals are all like brand new! At some point Semi-truck air horns were installed under the hood, havent found the compressor yet. Also installed is an aftermarket cruise control system, which appears to be all there, The drivetrain is complete, but I dont know what may be wrong with it. At any rate, it will make a great addition to my other Tailgate wagon Im thinking restoring/lowering one, and lifting the other and making it a show stopping 4x4..... -Bill

I finally got around to finishing the drawings of my Gen 1 4" lift kit plans, so now they are available for the do it yourself-er who wants to get it right the first time Available as an electronic version, or as a paper copy. Only $25 for each! Contact me, Bill, at (509) 391-5903, or PM me here on the board. Thanks! -Bill

I have 2 kits right now, but they will only fit 1978-1981 Brats. They will not fit Gen 2 Brats. Watch for a seperate thread on Gen 2 Lift Kits (coming soon). -Bill

If I can get those tailgates from him for a decent price (mainly need the upper gate, mine has some rust) and maybe a set of bumpers that would be sweet, mine arent in the best shape, but I think they could be salvaged if it comes to that. Thanks! -Bill

:headbang:After Christmas bump! Free shipping now through January 31st!! -Bill

If you can justify the cost, I doubt it will hurt anything... Gen 1 rotors are solid, non-vented as stock, these probably would dissipate heat better. No actual experience with them though. -Bill

If you don't need it in a hurry, I need to get back up there to Jeff's place to get some parts I left behind at some point, I was just up there for the last wheelin run. -Bill

Yeah, mine had a Weber on it. One time I ripped off the entire rear passenger side trailing arm on a stump in the mountains, there was so much rust it just fell apart when it hit. I was still able to drive it home though -Bill

I went some scary hairy places in my 1980 Brat, the only real issue it had was ground clearance. It had more than enough torque to climb anything, and it could take some really steep angles sideways. I just wish it had had more clearance, bigger tires, and a lot less rust. -Bill

The car has no title, so its already been stripped down to nothing, so all that has to be done is cut the frontend off. It's beefed up with 1/4" angle iron and 3/16" diamond plate -Bill

Yes, for the rear you will need longer shocks, HOWEVER I have found that stock size front shocks for a '74 Ford F-100 are the perfect fit, you will just have to do something about the bumpstops. I just cut mine off. -Bill

I can post what I have done to extend the shift linkage and steering shaft for this lift, but Im not really willing to do it for a vehicle I cant physically work on. Each rig is different so it's not really a one size fits all type of deal when it comes to that, but I know there are some talented fabricators in California who Im sure would be willing to do the necessary mods. -Bill

If that dont work out for you, I have a front clip from a 87 wagon that I beefed up real good, I'd let it go cheap too. I can get some pics of it if you'd be interested -Bill

I have several of these ready to ship Make sure you specify what color you want, otherwise you'll get whatever color I send you -Bill

No takers? -Bill