carfreak85

I say ball joints. I've had two that make a popping, banging noise over bumps. Go out and shake the wheel that makes the noise. If there is any noticeable play in it, jack it up and do that same thing with someone watching the ball joint/tie rods to check for play.

I'm still interested in coming.

That's probably an accurate statement. Cruise control was a rare and spendy option back in the day. My girlfriend likes to poke fun at people whos much newer cars don't have all the power features and cruise control, etc as my 1984 wagon.

In my EA81T wagon I tend to average 21-23 MPG, with a high and low of 17 and 25. Best I ever got was in my hitachi powered hatch before I lifted it, 35 MPG average IIRC.

Besides the dents in the tailgate and the missing radio your wagon looks awesome! I can give you some ideas on the radio area, but I still have yet to pull the dents from my tailgate, so maybe you could advise me there, if you decide to pull them. As a fellow nearly finished college student, I must say that if my EA81s weren't so durable, I would have been carless long ago. The amount of abuse and lack of maintenance I've poured over my cars is disgusting, but they keep chugging along! Good luck with that wagon, I look forward to reading about your future mods!

Great find at an even better price! Lets hope all that sitting didn't create any problems. How long did you say it had been there? As for the 4WD stuff, it is supposed to stay engaged with one push, so if you have to hold it in, something might be broken in the shift knob. Does the button stay in when pressed? I wish I had my FSMs to check for you... Oh, and MORE PICS PLEASE! Great looking subie!

I'd be interested in those wheels if they are the eight spoke style like in my profile picture. Shoot me a PM if you're interested in selling them.

Sorry to hear that, I was really looking forward to seeing some development on that vehicle of yours!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Sorry, but I know the feeling. :-\ Why couldn't they have just used better parts for those bitterly sweet digi-dashes?!?

Not normal for sure and I have not felt anything like that on our '07. Now, if it was a surging you're feeling, then yes, I have felt that. As for the battery, no, that's not normal either.

That shouldn't even be an option. The car would have next to no power seeing as the turbo engines dropped compression to 7.7:1. Just find a used EA82 turbo, don't mod the engine and be happy with a reliable, vintage Subaru. I say don't mod it because these engines are notorious for sucking, and not holding up well to increased power/poor maintenance.

It just ain't gonna happen. Maybe if the Baja had done better, but as far as Fuji is concerned, it was a failure. Might have to wait another 20+ years for the next BRAT, just like we did.

I have actually tired this on a gen 1 brat, no less. Unless you have the hands of a tiny Japanese geisha or the patience of, I don't know, something/one who is really patient, you will be very angry in no time. There isn't any way to do it without lifting/ removing the engine. I got it done, but I was working with a friend and it took the better part of an all-nighter and some of the next day. If you can pull the engine or drop the engine crossmember, do it. It will save you time, blood, frustration and a host of four-letter words.

Not available on the digi, and yes, huge PITA to keep them operational. More like black magic...

Glad you're still around Corky! Welcome back.

When I'm done with classes today, I'll shoot out some emails. BTW, the two links in the post don't work.

That is pretty cool. NEW ROCKERS!!

Knock on wood for you Connie... I'm stoked you found a working one, but I don't hold out much hope for Digi-dashes in the long run. Was this one you were able to repair (I remember you talking about being able to fix them) or was it just luck that it powered on? I'd like to get my original digi-dash back in, but unless someone can figure it out, I doubt that will ever go back in my car.

If they did make one, which they did (Baja), would you be in line to buy one? The reason I ask is because when Fuji released the new forester turbo, they stated that the reason for not equipping it with a manual transmission was because only 5% of turbo forester buyers from the last generation of U.S. bound vehicles ordered them with 5 speeds.

Thats what I told them. The boxer graphic was sweet, but the rest of the commercial was trash.

I don't even notice mine unless I'm trying to park on an incline.

Just doing the math you have a better power to weight ratio. That being said, your old man's car is probably built for the 1320, hard launches all day, 540hp all day. Despite that, I think you can beat him. You will NOT beat him off the line, sadly, if you want your trans to stay healthy, but even if you can stay close, you should pass him by the timing lights. Just one question though, why did you install a starter button?!?

Does anyone have any nice, unrusted rocker panels to fit a gen 1 brat? Just found a phatty rust hole that will need patching at some point.

I don't live in Oregon, but I'll email your reps to keep this garbage out of Wa's legislature. For those who are interested in the political side of things, signing up for the SEMA Action Network will get you a monthly email that will alert you to this type of thing.

True, but I can estimate roughly how many original EA81Ts there are v. all other USDM EA81s based on how long the EA81 was imported here (about 9 years, in the case of the hatchback v. 1.5 years for the turbos), and it isn't a very large percentage... If you don't want to spend more than $1,500 or $2,000 on an EA81T that's your prerogative and I've got no problem with it. You can probably find a really good one for that price that will fulfill all your boosted EA81 fantisies. On the other hand, you certainly won't be getting my wagon for that price. Ratty ones are super cheap, check out some of the rusty east coast ones that occationally pop up on eBay, we've got no argument there... More cherry examples are still a relative unknown quantity. The nicer cars just don't go up for sale often, and as these cars are still near the bottom of their depreciation curve, there is still room for their value to grow, weather or not they do, only time will tell.