Don_Quixpunch

Yay! That's just the answer I was hoping for. Thanks.

I read someplace that there were two different versions of first generation cars. I found fenders and a hood from a 79 wagon in the the classifieds. I'd really love to get them for my 81 Brat. Can anybody tell me if they will definitely fit?

I'm not incredibly knowledgeable with the Subie wiring, but I've been tinkering with stereos for years. I still have an EA engine in my Brat, but I upgraded to a 100 amp alternator. I changed to larger ground cables along with the larger power cable. No noise at all. Historically, my main cause of interference has been dirty and loose grounds.

Great score! I paid nearly twice as much for mine and it's rusty as hell.

@Sonicfrog. If you really want one, there's a first gen in SF that's about to get parted simply because the guy can't get it through emissions.

You haven't mentioned what you've got in the way of amplifiers and such. But one thing that commonly gets overlooked is induction noise. If you have input level wires running alongside your main harness or a large power wire you can pick up a lot of noise through them. That's why the pros run power on one side of the car and signal on the other side. If that's not it, try looking at existing ground points for dirt and loose connections. Especially the ground for the head unit itself.

@91Loyale, Things might have changed by now, it's been a long time. But when I made that trip, we usually got a few days in Christchurch then flew commercial to LAX. I'm guessing the flying down there is done by Air Force guys these days. If your friends are air crew, they would be able to bring damned near anything you want. But if they're just passengers, it'll probably be cheaper to ship UPS.

I think I'll be able to make it, but until I get the cooling system fixed and have time to debug any other problems that have come up while the car's been sitting I don't have the confidence to commit.

Thanks for the input. Sounds like the simple regulator is the way for me to go. Hope this helps other people having the same problem too.

Oops. Forgot to include the URL. http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/carbs101.htm

I just found this article about tuning carbs. This is the guy who jetted my Weber, and he's very respected in the VeeDub community. I got the Redline kit and jetting made it run so much better. Anyway, I've been wondering about the gasket at the top of my carb being gas soaked. The article mentions the need to check and possibly regulate fuel pressure. I've seen no mention of it here on the board, but there are people getting lots better mileage from their Weber equipped EA81s than the mid 20s I get. Hopefully, this will help others with the Weber upgrade as well. Could I swap out my aftermarket pump that shoots too much pressure for a factory pump and solve the problem? Or do I need to pony up the cash and install a pressure regulator? If I use a regulator, will it simply hold the built up pressure in the line behind it? Or does it need a return line? While I'm at it, did I mess up by not installing a return line to the carb?

Oh wow! That is really baddass. Mine is an 81 GL and in much worse condition. Have you dealt with seats yet? If not, I could prolly help you. I put seats from an early 90s Eclipse in mine. Also, if you still have that fender, I'd like to talk you out of it.

Hahaha. I wish. Well, technically, it runs. But not for very long. At least not til I get a new radiator. What's wrong with yours?

I might just hafta show up and show off my clunker BRAT.

I finally started patching the holes rusted through my inner fenders! In the summer, the extra airflow coming through the edges of the firewall was kind of nice. But in the winter, the heater can't even keep up with that much cold air. I started by ripping out all the rotted metal, then wire wheeled till I had bare metal quite a way past the hole in all directions. Then I filled behind the hole with Great Stuff spray foam. After cutting the foam to match the contour of the original inner fender, I sprayed 3M spray adhesive over the foam and just barely onto the metal, then covered the hole with aluminum foil so the fiberglass resin couldn't eat away the foam. Finally, I layed in a single ply of 1200 weight glass with a generous overlap onto the metal. I'm giving the patch a couple of days to fully cure before I go back and sand the spots where the peel ply didn't stick, then feather the edges just a bit, drill some holes and rivet the patch in, then finally goop some undercoating over the whole mess. I know, fiberglass isn't the best way to repair steel panels, the consensus seems to be for a max life of 3 years for such a repair. But if I had a donor car for those inner fenders, I'd probably fix it up instead. Once this project is all the way done, maybe I'll get brave and start poking at the rest of the rust underneath to see just how bad it is. Somebody please hold my hand, I'm scared.

If only you'd posted this deal last summer when I was rich. )= Somebody please post pictures of their lifted 1st Gen Brat. I so want to lift and EJ mine.

Please post your results when you get it figured out. I'm sure many of us are interested.

When I blew the head gasket in my Brat, instead of replacing the gaskets, I found a hydro lifter engine for 20 bucks. These engines seem close to bomb proof, you might be able to swing a similar deal.

I'd pounce on it. But then, I'm not a huge Camaro fan and I do so love the first gen Brats.

Blah! Half the fun of being on the board is that other people have figured out most of what I wanna do already. Guess it will be up to me to find better halfshafts then. Don't hold your breath, right now the job hunt is a much higher priority.

What about modifying the car to take different halfshafts? Once I find myself a job, I really want to give my 81 Brat a couple inches of lift along with a 5 speed d/r and eventually, an EJ.

Now those are slick. Where'd ya find 'em?

I've had larger plywood baffles buzz, so I quit using it at all, prolly would work fine for a small baffle that's not bridging a large hole. That's right about MDF being intolerant of moisture. Mine are getting paint and Herculiner, guess I shoulda mentioned it.

I'm putting 6.5 separates in the doors of my 81 Brat and have the same issue. The best solution is to make a custom baffle plate outta MDF. Measure first to see how deep your speakers sit, you need the baffle plate to get you at least that far from the surface of the door. If you get MDF that's thicker than the space you need, you can recess the speaker into it. If it's not too late, you might also want to add some sound dampening to the inside of the door skin while it's torn apart.

That is freeking sick! Now I know just how ugly my Brat really is. On the bright side, I can drive mine with minimal stress. Were it as nice as yours, I'd be terrified to scratch it. Congratulations though. That is spectacular.