Crabman

Hey congrats on the awesome progress!!! I was cruising ebay today and I saw this gasket set. Thought I'd bring it to you attention, the price is right. Check out item: 250173618689. Keep up the good work!! Crabman

Have you made any modifications to it? Souped up the engine in anyway? I'm about to install a performance igntion system in my Brat. I'm hoping that she gets a little more zip! Crabman

Hey all, I found a full engine gasket set for the EA71, $78 after shipping. Does that sound about right? Thanks in advance. Crabman

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen an old soob look tougher than that. I bet you have a lot of fun driving that thing around the desert out there.

Hey Sako, I love the color too. I didn't do the paint. The paint job is over 4 years old, and it's actually horrible if you look at it up close. But it's not bad enough to justify repainting, and it looks good from a distance! I'm thinking about sticking the reproduction stripes on it (currently on ebay), I'm thinking black, since that's what I will paint my roll bar. It will also match the interior. Those stripes are a bit expensive now, maybe the guy will come down a bit.

UPDATE - I scored at the wrecking yard and found 3 x 15 inch pug alloys, and one 15 inch pug steel (the spare - nothing's ever perfect, is it?). I added a couple of photos. I'm really jazzed about it!! The brat sits a little higher, looks a little tougher, and definitely handles bumps in the road smoother. Anyways, I added a couple of photos to my collection, let me know what you think! Crabman

Hey Newsoobdude, I'm glad you like her. She was shipped from Idaho, last registered in Oregon. I hope that's true what you say about the smog laws. They are not exactly clear to me as of yet. But I am prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing legal. Yeah the previous owner told me he spent about $1500 in body work to have all the rust spots ground out then patched, then painted. But after that it sat outdoors for 4 years and was periodically snow covered. He finally decided to part with it. But it is a very good foundation to work with. I plan to finish what he started. I am going to be hitting up some local wrecking yards this weekend, just to try my luck out.

Trust me guys if I had my druthers, I would love to live in a state that was emissions exempt. If that were the case I would have a totally different restoration strategy for the Brat, - squeezing out as much HP as possible! SakoTGrimes - You should be able to view the photos by looking at the original message in this thread, then clicking on the "Photos" link on the right hand side of the message under my name and information. Let me know what you think!

Well I'm glad to hear that you guys like it as much as I do! I had to fork over some money for shipping, because finding one in Southern California was impossible. But I wanted one real bad. I can't explain this mysterious pull I feel toward these unique cars ,...But she's still a pretty good find. Somebody's partially done project that they wanted to get rid of after it wound up sitting for several years. The day I got her, I let her idle for half an hour, and she didn't overheat. She's got good compression, 150 in all four cylinders, but needs some help to be back on her feet properly. I've got a rebuilt dizzy on its way, as well as several other new ignition parts. I found a NOS carb for a 1980 EA81, that I will likely re-jet for the EA71 and install. Have to replace a torn CV boot. Have to put in a new exhaust and may run an aftermarket cat to comply with Ca. Emissions. I'm desperately searching for some Pug 14s or 15s because those 13s just don't do it for me. So when all is said and done, I will be pretty deep into my wallet, but call me crazy I will be driving my dream car Cheers All, Crabman

Well I have been procastinating, but I want to upload some pics even though I've already had it for a couple weeks. Anyways, check out the pics in my profile. The brat is checking out OK so far, but it is going to need some work for sure before it is up to passing California emissions:-\ . I need to get this beautiful car legal so I can start to show it off! I've got a question while your here. If I wanted to replace every piece of vacuum line and rubber under the hood, what sizes should I buy:) ? Thanks for all your help so far. See you all around the forum. Crabman

Thanks that's very useful information. Is there anyway of finding out if the jets are the same? Or do I need to just open it up and take a look?

Hi Everyone, I decided to start shopping for a rebuilt carburetor, and I actually came across a new one. However, the new one is specified to be a Hitachi 306-003 for a 1980 Subaru EA81 with Automatic Transmission and my car is a 1979 Subaru EA71 (BRAT), with manual trans and 4WD. From the picture, it looks like the same carburetor, and I looked at the part number stamped on my carb but apparently is was stamped very lightly because I could only make out the numbers "306", but I cannot sure what the last digits are. So if I bought the new carb, what do you guys think are my chances for success? Is there a big difference in a carb for a manual trans car and an automatic? For the EA71 and EA81? All advice and knowledge is very much appreciated. Crabman

Thank you that is very helpful. Wider is definitely better.

Does anyone have any thought on this? I finally got my brat, I've had just a little time to work on it. But I am in the process of trying to line up some new wheels for it because it needs new tires real bad and I want to have the wheels for it first. I couldn't find any pug wheels local. But I found a guy in Washington who has 14s and 15s, steel and alloys who's willing to ship (for a fee :-\ ). So I'm wondering which are best? I'm really not planning on off-roading the car. But I would like to fit the largest tire/wheel combination on there that I can, without rubbing of course. And it would also be good if the tires were readily available. Let me know what your collected experience says. Thanks in advance, Crabman

It was shipped from Idaho. I looked for something local, but this is just not a car that you come across in Southern California. Should be a real head turner, assuming I can get it smogged and on the road! Crabman

Hey All, Great news my '79 Brat is being shipped to me as we speak and I should have it a week from today. Yesterday I just received "How to Keep your Subaru Alive - The Complete Idiot's Guide". Great book! As soon as I get the Brat, I am going to take a ton of pictures, and do the Idiot's guide inspection step by step. Of course I realize you are supposed to do the inspection on the car before you buy it, but what the hell. Brats are hard to find out here and I wanted one really bad. I will be sure to post you guys with the pictures and the inspection results!! Anyways, my question. The car has been sitting for 4 years. The owner bought a new battery for it yesterday, emailed me that it started right up and ran very strong but had a rough idle and indicated that it was more than likely due to the 4-year old gas in the tank. So my question, are there any additives, or other tricks I can use, to make the car a little happier as I burn through this 4-year old tank? I'd like it running 'normally' as I do the inspection. Do I even have anything to worry about? What would you all do? Thanks, Crabman

I am actually in the process of having a '79 Brat shipped from Idaho to California and I anticipate some issues with smog laws. So can I ask if anyone replies to this guy's email address, can you also post your replies in this thread as I am very curious how this gets resolved. I guess it brings up a couple of questions: Will a well-tuned EA71 or EA81, with no O2 sensor or a disabled O2 sensor, pass California Smog Laws? If not, what are the options? Any Californian forum members out there? -Crabman

Hi Paul, You know I don't actually have the car yet, I bought it over the net. But when I do get it (early September), you bet I will give it a long look over, take plenty of pictures for the forum, and begin to construct my wish list. I've never bought a car over the net before, I really hope I don't get burned! So as of this point I am not sure about the windshield gasket, although the seller has told me that the windshield was replaced about 4 years ago when the car had lots of bodywork done. The seller has indicated that it will just take a little work to get it back on the road and boy I hope that is true, as of this point it just needs a CV boot replaced (current one cracked), and new exhaust. But yes, to your point, there is no doubt that the brat is a special vehicle with a unique place in automotive history. In all honesty, I think part of the reason I bought this car is because I know it's going to turn a lot of heads. Crabman

Hey thanks for the quick reply. I guess when I get her, I'll run her for a while and watch those seals. You mentioned valve covers and that reminds me of another question I've got. The last time I owned a car with a flat four, it was a '68 Volkswagen Beetle, and as part of routine maintenance, I had to adjust the valves every 3000 miles. My question: Same thing with the EA71 engine? Do I have to worry about adjusting the valves periodically? Thanks in advance, Tony

Hi there, I am brand new to the forums. This is my first post. I just bought a 1979 Brat GL that's going to need a little work before it becomes my daily driver. I also plan to fix it up and make it look nice. I know I am going to have several questions as time goes on. This is just my first! I was very happy to find these forums as there seems like there is a great amount of subaru knowledge here. The car is virtually rust free, reported to have very low miles which I'm not sure I trust. is it possible to tell if the speedometer has flipped? But over the past 4 years its gotten very little use, the owner said maybe 20 miles in total. And it has been sitting for the past year due to a dead battery. My question: The owner said it ran strong before he began to neglect it. I have read somewhere else on the net that if these old subaru engines sit too long it can be bad for the seals. Is this true? Have I got something to worry about? Let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance!!