Wirebrush

I've had a similar inspiration to turn a Brat into a snow cat by putting a pair of snowmobile tracks under the bed. There seems to be plenty of room under there, especially if the fuel tank is relocated to the bed. It seems like you could just remove the rear drive shaft or shorten it to a few inches to drive the tracks through the stock rear end, then fab up some skis for the front.

Check out Acme TDI conversion kits. You can swap a VW TDI motor into a Suzuki Samauri or Toyota pickup. If I had the resources I'd build a long wheelbase Samauri with a TDI engine and Toyota running gear.

Thanks Jerry!

I've searched and all I've been able to find is that for a hatch with a 5spd swap you need a 46" driveshaft. I don't know if the hatch and brat have the same wheelbase. Does anyone know how long a one piece driveshaft needs to be for a Brat with a 5spd dual range trans swap? Thanks

My 85 brat did exactly the same thing to me a few months ago. I ended up replacing the coil and distributor, but it still wouldn't start untill I changed the fuse, so I recommend starting there. Apparently the fuse can fail intermittently before giving it up completely.

I've long wondered about putting a V-max engine in a small car. I almost bought an old Honda 600 when I was out in Washington just to try it with.

Like these? http://http://www.arizonadrivelines.com/Buggy%20Axles.htm The double cardan joint like this is what I was thinking though.http://http://www.arizonadrivelines.com/bad_boy_drive_shafts.htm

I'm thinking of going this route as well, just because the 2.5's seem to be more available around here and I can get 2.2 heads and intake from the local wrecking yard for not too much dough. With big tires the extra low end torque would be very helpful both off road and on the highway.

I remember seeing an article or advertisement a few years ago for custom front axles for the front of IFS Toyota 4x4 trucks that would allow a huge amount of lift without dropping the center section. I thought they used a double CV joint on at least one end, but I can't be certain. It's been my dream for years to build portal hubs for older Subarus like the ones on Humvees. Maybe someday if I ever get a big mill.

Does anyone have any ideas where to find an XT6 clutch and pressure plate for an EJ22 swap? I can't even get any EA81 parts from the wrecking yards around here, and I haven't been able to find anything promising online.

Nice bumper! Did you fab that yourself?

Is $175 for a set of four with less than 100 miles on them a good deal?

Cooper Discoverer 195 R15. I have been looking for a 27" skinny off road tire for my Brat when I get the lift done and I came across some barely used Coopers and I was thrilled to find that they measure 27 inches in diameter and they are narrower that anything else I've found in a 27" tire.

They must have, I just saw one today.

If you don't mind, I'd like to know which wires go where as well. I'm planning a carbed 2.2 swap for my brat, and after having the original 1.8 distributor fail, I'm leaning toward getting a new or rebuilt Escort distributor for my build rather than yanking one from a wrecking yard. Thanks, Mike

Well it looks to be a 4spd.:-\ I kinda figured as much since I've heard the 5spd shifter is much tighter. Oh well I guess I'll be doing the swap after all.

Thanks for the input. It's a 4wd box. I'm sure of that much. Just to be sure are you giving left and right from the perspective of sitting in the car, or standing in front looking under the hood? Thanks again.

Yea, I can't really get it out on the open road and drive it without a running engine, and I don't want to drop in the 2.2 and find out I only have a 4 speed when I have a 5 speed dual range that I was planning to swap in anyway. On the other hand I don't want replace the trans if I'm just going to be replacing it with what's already there. Is there anything stamped or cast into the case, or a measurement I could take or an identifying feature or something?

So I got my new Brat home and I played around with it a little today. I'm planning a 2.2 and 5spd swap and it's missing several engine components so I spent some time today getting the engine ready to come out. I was checking out the shifter to see how sloppy it was and I noticed that it seems to have a 5th gear. The shifter will go into "gear" when pushed up and to the right, straight above reverse and it's not in neutral. I'm not sure if it's just from sloppiness in the shifter, or if I'll be wasting my time swapping in another 5 spd. Is there any easy way to tell if it has had a 5spd swapped in?

Did you put it on top of or under the bed floor?

Has anyone built an oversize tank for a Brat or installed an aux. tank in one? I'm thinking about putting all that empty space under the bed that would be foot wells in a hatch to good use. I'm curious if anyone has been down this road before and has any pointers. Thanks.

What's a set of those wheels worth? I may know where to get a set that's in great shape.

ettev: I'm really looking forward to seeing that Brat with the swampers on it. I have the same wheels and lift ready to go onto mine, but I haven't decided what tires I want. I really want the 29x8.50s but I'm afraid they will require too much body "modification".

I'm going to retrieve a dead Brat. Can I tow it with several hundred miles with a tow bar without damaging anything if I have the trans and/or transfer "case" in neutral? If I have to rent a trailer or dolly it may not be worth it, but I can build a tow bar for very little. Thanks, Mike.