Twitch de la Brat

Heck yes! If its an RX that means its turbo, so you're gonna have to swap out the diff stubs, so you can put 23 spline axles in place of 25 spline ones (which are too long for your car) You can ask just about any off roader how to pull diff stubs. They should know. Chances are it's got the full time 4wd d/r tranny if its an RX, so you're in luck there (they're pretty rare), plus you'll be able to grab the disc brakes! But you'll need the diff as well, as they have a 3.7 diff ratio, rather than a 3.9 like your BRAT. You'll need to swap the stubs on the diff as well. Other than the bit of work you're gonna have to put into it, great find! Make sure you don't damage any of the plastic/fiberglass ground effects on that RX, they're pretty rare as well and many members search for them regularly. Twitch

I was perusing the local JY a while ago and found a first gen BRAT that was still original, rusty but original. The jumper's were still welded in from the factory But, anyway, back to the point, the shifter knob indicated it was a 5sp, but it still had the old style 4WD lever under the dash. So, just to make sure nobody had screwed with the shifter knob, I played with the shifter to see what gears it actually had. And HOLY SHNIEKIES it had a 5th GEAR!!!! AND it had 4WD!!!! So, my questions are, 1 was this an option from the factory,? 2 is it possible to hook a mechanically operated 5sp s/r to the stock linkage? 3 did a mechanically operated 5sp s/r even exist?!? And if they still have it and I have the funds and time, I WILL be going back out and pulling that tranny just save it from the crusher. Twitch(ing with excitement!!!)

is right. We never seem to have matching schedules. Hey Brian, we could try for a friday? This spring. Just a thought... Twitch

Have you checked the ignition wires under the dash? I wanna say they are brown, black w/white, Black and green? But they should be in a bundle all by themselves. I had a very similar if not identical problem. The day is started happening I smelled burnt plastic and about an hour later my BRAT refused to start, then would die while driving. SO check out the wires below your steering column, and if they have been crimped some time in the past, the crimps may have failed and shorted out, melting the surrounding plastic and wiring. Twitch

POO! :-p Not to mention the total lack of power unless it was a turbo. Twitch

Yeah and I'm DAMN SEXY TOO! Twitch

I have a digi-dash, don't know if it works but I'll zip it down to you for my cost and shipping. PM me with details if you're interested. Twitch

Lol, this is turning out to be a fairly amusing thread... And Steve, I don't know you personally, but I would HIGHLY recommend investing in a skid plate and bash bar as found on the 4x4 Subes for your new coupe if you're gonna do any sort of off-roading. Twitch

I think it looks great! It looks more USDM with that new grille, not to mention it probably breathes better anyway. The spoiler looks cool but it isn't quite as big as the ones we got over here. I bet it still does it's job though. Lucky with the snow. I've been hoping for snow to stick around here for quite some time. Twitch PS: Your english is better than some members on here who speak it natively

Don't forget the rubber mallet I feel your pain, I smacked my BRAT on a dirt/rock mount and tweaked the whole front end and bent my skid plate about 6 months after buying it. I say fix it. The PO of my Legacy massacred the front end (I helped too, but later on), and it only took some yanking and bashing by hand to get it straight again. Not to mention a tree, some chain and a good reverse gear will do miracles. It'll be worth it to fix it, unless you have something better and cheaper to replace it with. Twitch

Knowing Kia manufacturing quality, I say change it now to 10w-40 or 10w-30. Even though you live in a very temperate area, new cars are designed to run on thinner oil. Some new Fords run 5w-20 oil ! I know you'll probably never need the 10w-30 at its thinnest, but it should work better than the 20w-50 with the engine. Twitch

Yes. Turbo cars would have the wrong spline count. They have 25 splines rather than 23 splines like the N/A cars. I believe there are some modifications needed to make the rear discs work, but I'm not sure what all needs to be done. I would ask in the old Gen forum about that. Twitch

You'll need to be looking at a turbo EA82 car for the rear discs. Then you'll need a carb or SPFI EA82 wagon for your 5sp d/r transmission, driveshaft, flywheel, clutch and crossmember. But I highly recommend buying the clutch set new, and if possible, to make it easier, buy Jerry's (BRATSRUS) 5 speed kit. Or, if you want less hassle, go for the 4sp d/r and its a direct bolt in. You just need the flywheel and clutch set. And it'll be out of another 2nd gen BRAT, a hatchback (not 3 door coupe) or pre-1984 wagon or sedan (very rare to find a d/r sedan, if you do, buy it!!!). Twitch

Wow GD. That is an amazing find! It looks to be in incredible shape for having been around longer than you! I always have loved old tools, esp power tools. We stored a 1940's craftsman table saw for a gentleman (now passed ) and I was so sad when I saw it go (my back wasn't ). But it was incredibly strong and still worked! Twitch PS: I say go for the car lift, its more labor saving. Who wants to spend 20 minutes jacking and blocking every car you work on? I know I'm sick of it...

No wonder your wife won't let you touch her forester! JK I'd have a pic in here but I break the camera every time they take a picture. (no I'm not that ugly, I just hate having my picture taken :-p) Twitch

Welcome! You'll find most people on here are awesome! They all seem to know a lot and are very willing to help out. Just remember to use the search function before posting. Twitch

Nice score... But be quick and KILL THAT RUST!!! If you don't you'll be regretting it soon. I believe the BRAT shares the same gas tank with EA81 Hatches, so I would start checking into those for a new tank. Overall I say you scored well. Twitch PS: Nice SVX

AMEN TO THAT! I know way too many people who are completely incapable of driving in the snow. This saying fits in this case, "He who knows the least, knows it the loudest." Twitch

Nice. I have no idea where you could get a cakewalk job like that around here. I only have worked like a dog for my pay Twitch

And what job is that? You'd be surprised at the job market over here... Twitch

And this is why I avoid the police-state of Washington. I live in North Idaho, and therefore can enjoy a salt free winter But they're using some sort of liquid de-icer around here... I say all Y'all spokanites and Eastern WA people move over here. Everything's cheaper here!!! Twitch

Glared at the BRAT, used some "choice" words on Xandra and failed to notice to parts lego. I'm gonna need to start a "Tear Apart" thread for Xandra if she doesn't stop acting up. Twitch

Also, the Craftsman kit I bought is holding up fairly well. The impact is only rated for 75 lbs or so, so Its not the "bust anything loose" kinda impact but its good for body panels and light duty lug nut removal. The flashlight leaves a lot to be desired unless you're using it only as a broad beam light. Its a fluorecent light so it doesn't like cold at all. I would highly suggest buying the optional halogen directional light. The circular saw does well, but chokes on anything bigger than a 2x4. The sawzall, is well, a sawzall. It will rip its way through anything as long as the blade is at least halfway sharp. And the drill has 24 clutch settings and two speeds, but the thing is, its the lower grade drill and has less grunt than my dad's older, but more torquey drill. And they came with two Ni-Cad batteries, but you can buy compatible Li-ion batteries or Ni-Mh batteries to use. The Ni-Mh seem to be more cold resistant, and charge faster than the Ni-Cad, but are more expensive. The Li-ion's I haven't used, but all the Li-ion batteries I have, HATE the cold. They will completely stop functioning in temps below freezing, or will have severely reduced output. Twitch

HIJACKER! :-p Nah, I don't mind. Skil's are pretty low end stuff, they're mostly plastic (but most are anymore) Ryobi seems to be a decent brand, but I've never gotten to really play with them to check battery life or grunt. DeWalt is a good brand, but demands a premium. But it is also very expandable, with a HUGE selection of optional tools. Rigid is Home Depot specific, but is pretty good for reliability and power. Makita is AMAZING when it comes to power but reliability is so/so. Black and Decker is, well, cheap. Porter Cable was incredible when my father bought his kit 15 years ago. But that was 15 years ago. Twitch

You guys are so lucky... I've had fluff and less than a few inches of it... And it all disappeared I hope the weather morons are right this time. They forecasted up to 12" in the mountains over the next week. I hope its right THIS time... Twitch