DPDISXR4Ti

Thought I'd re-ping this thread. Anyone ever come up with a tent solution for the Brat? I'm assuming the one from Kodiak Canvas, even their shortest one, would be too big.

Dredging up this old thread as it was the first thing that came up when I search "Subaru Brat Tent". Alas, none of the pics are coming through nor any of the links pointing me to a relevant thread. Anyone have any pics of this thing? Anyone find a current truck bed tent that can be adapted to the Brat bed?

When replacing the plugs, wires, and coil pack on my friend's 2007 Forester, I noticed a fair amount of oil pooled in each of the 4 spark plug wells. Of course it all leaked into the chambers and subsequently smoked like an old diesel upon start-up, but that rapidly cleared up and all is well now. BUT, I'm wondering how soon I really need to get back in there and replace the gaskets. It's only leaking into the wells - no external leaks at all. Think I can let it slide for awhile? With 77K miles on the clock, I'd prefer to wait until it's time to replace the timing belt and tear into everything at once. Appreciate any input.

I'm sure many figured it had been abandoned, and rightfully so. It spent 20 months at the paint shop.

Nothing like bringing a thread back from the dead. Is this thing still alive and kicking? Oh yea, and if you're interested in bizarre projects... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=1156644#post1156644

Finally got this thing home two days before snow starting falling...

It's finally at the paint shop - you can see the latest pics here... http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=2639&sid=2bb7ee459ee128284fbeedf53ce9b46b&start=600

I recall having an off-line conversation with someone on this topic - probably "pksjeep" who posted above. I believe he used some 1" x 2" UHDPE and used a router to get a shape close to the stock trim. This was just for the straight pieces - the curved pieces were re-used after scuffing and painting satin black. I may be confusing some of the above with my plans. Emphasis on "plans" as I've yet to do this.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to look next time I'm at Carlisle as I seem to recall there are vendors that specialize in that sort of stuff. Anyone know what length I need? The car's in the body shop right now and it's about 120 degrees where the cap is in the attic over the garage! I'm thinking about 15 feet.

Nearing the finish line to fresh paint... More pics here... http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=2639&start=600

Now that I'm actually getting closer to having Project XRBrati painted and road-worthy, I'm thinking ahead to the occasional use of the camper top. The original gasket that goes around the perimeter is toast and I don't imagine it provided much paint protection even when new. I'm wondering if someone might have found an after-market gasket which provides a little more cushion and wider "footprint" to it. This is all the more important given the somewhat warped condition of my topper. I need to lessen the pressure points on the body and have something that will fill the gaps.

I guess I'll provide my own answer in case anyone else ever wants to do this. Indeed the badge does come off - it's just held in place with double-sided foam tape, typical of many emblems. The little opening in the back helps to get things started with a small blade screwdriver. Getting the latch removed from the assembly is a little more involved, but not too bad. I took my 4" grinder to the smaller exposed head on each of the two pins. You need to get them fully flush, so it's all but impossible not to take off a little of the surrounding metal too. Even then, it takes some effort to push the pin out - need to make sure the casting is supporting or risk cracking it. The reassembled version will more readily come apart - looks like some 6mm Allen head bolts will do the job.

I can't be the first one to take one of these apart, can I? :-\

I want to disassemble my latch, both to paint it thoroughly and also to re-plate the chrome portion which is pitted on the under-side. I realize the two pins need to come out to remove the latch, and they're not meant to. Has anyone found a good way to do this and what did you use for replacements? I also want to remove the badge. It looks like there's a little clip on the back side that needs to get pushed up to get things started - I'm assuming I'll then need to work against the double-sided foam tape at that point. Any experiences out there to share? Are the badges available new should I trash it in the process? Appreciate any insight - finally getting close to dropping this thing off at the paint shop!

So back to this question... Has anyone found a junkyard donor that is a match for the 7mm square plastic speed nuts, as used to retain the tail-light screws? I'm sure they're available over the counter, but where's the adventure in that!? FWIW, the ones used for the side/inspection panels are 8mm. I've decided it's not worth opening up the tail-light ones to that size when I'm sure 7mm are available.

Figured I should cross-post this here. Actually, if a moderator wants to move it over here, that's okay, as it really better belongs in this section any way.... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=95272&highlight=baja+license+plate

Well, it's a year and a half later - I'm reporting back! From the dealer, the entire Baja license plate assembly was something crazy like $250, so I went and got a whole tailgate from the junkyard for $200. http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15529&highlight=subaru+baja But that was nearly a year ago - I only just recently got around to installing it on the Project XRBrati tailgate... The install was rather simple - I just bonded in four 1/4" spacers to get it off the sheet metal surface and provide some strength in the process (so that the sheet metal wouldn't "dimple". Although it's not quite on the same plane, the bracket conforms easily enough when bolted in plate. I would have preferred mounting it lower, but then it would have hit the bumper when lowered. I'm not in love with the install, but it will function as needed, and get me moving on and finally getting this project finished! Here's the current status BTW.... http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2639&start=525

Well, I don't think this thread would have helped you with that problem! In my case, I had to cut the gasket in half, as the roll cage was in the way and wouldn't even allow the gasket to be fitted in place by itself (never mind the windows). In hindsight, I shouldn't have cut the gasket literally in "half", but more like 60/40. That should allow me to load up both windows on the "60" side and then just pop the remaining "40" side in. I realize this is not a good solution from a "weather-tight" standpoint, but this car will be stored inside and rarely driven in bad weather, so I'm not too concerned. Glad I picked up the spare window w/ gasket at the U-Pull last year for $10. That was a deal to tough to pass up.

The little plastic things that pop into the body panels, and then the retainer screws screw into them. Two different sizes used. Want to use all the same size - the ones used on the access panels in the bed. Any better?

Not the most important topic in the world, but has anyone opened up the size of the square holes for the tail-light speed nuts, to the same size as used by the side access panels? Reason I'm asking, my original plastic speed nuts for the tail-lights are mostly all trashed, and I've got a zillion spares from the side panels, as pulled from junkyard cars over the years. The speed-nuts as used on the side panels are a softer black plastic, that doesn't crack if you look at it wrong. It would be nice to have the same thing all the way around. I've got a little pneumatic file I could use for the job. Anyone already been down this road?

Great, thanks.... Wonder what these sell for. I'll have to stop by the dealer and report back.

Great, thanks for checking. Looking again at the Brat tailgate last night, the outer shell is contoured, so some sheet metal work would be required to create a flat mounting area, but that's certainly do-able. One last question... Are the lights built into the frame assembly? It looks like those sections on either side that flip down with the plate house the lights, yes?

I wasn't figuring to put it in a Subaru engine bay any way, so plug-n-play was never a consideration. What I'm hoping is that this engine finds it way into use for some industrial applications, where the emissions restrictions won't saddle it with a bunch of extra catalysts and overall complexity.

I wouldn't agree with that. I didn't have a positive camber problem on the Brat (prior to it's dismantling), but I do on the trailer made with the same rear-end. Initially, I thought it was just a weight thing, but even when loaded, the trailer still shows some positive camber. I'm thinking some dynamic changed from when the suspension was attached to the Brat body vs. the simple trailer frame. I just don't know what it is.

For a single axle trailer like what I've built, there's no need for brakes. I doubt I'll ever haul anything more than a 1000 lbs. The only concern I have is with the positive camber this thing has, especially evident when unladen. It's not been an issue for the short-distance use it's had so far, but I wonder if the tires would burn through pretty quick if I used it for an extended highway venture.