Bratenstein

My brat was hard to start and idled really poorly until I fixed a couple of vacuum line problems. That helped a lot, so I recommend checking your vacuum line plumbing too. If the vacuum diagram on the hood is gone, I think I can get a copy from my manuals. Send me a private message if you want the data.

There are a set of 5 pug wheels listed for sale in the marketplace. You might find a set in the junk yard, but if your time is worth money, I would just buy a set. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32102

Yeah, my ignition switch is from a Nissan, and the key blanks fit the Subaru door locks. Probably the common denominator is a shared manufacturer between parent companies.

I want to move to Australia. Better Bra...Brumbys.

What is his user id? Maybe people just don't know who to give the credit to.

Those jack nuts sound like the best drilling solution, and attaching the the rain gutter is less invasive. Would it work to weld some kind of anchors to the roof? That way you could grind them off when you decide a roof rack wasn't the thing to do. It seems like a roof rack could look cool, but what about the t-tops? Will it be elevated enough? And will they start leaking if the weight of the rack deflects the roof? My t-tops leak anyway, and I hate it

Excellent! You did a great job of showing how the tires fit. I will post pics of mine when I get them. Thanks!

I have looked for carpet replacement kits, but can't find any sellers. Does anyone know of a place that sells interior carpet sets for gen2 Brats in particular, and old subarus in general. I have found the seller's of newer ones, but they don't seem to carry older models. I am sure I am not the only person who needs a change of carpet. I edited this to ask about which J.C. Whitney carpet set people are using since Subaru is not listed...

I think this is a cool solution. Easy to use and elegant.

I can be patient. I know how difficult snow can be. We had a couple of inches at Christmas here.

A few drivers were harmed, too. Awesome footage unless you are squeamish.

I was joking, but I forgot to put the emoticon . What ever happened with Craven's tire testing?

Where can I get 4x140 17" rims for them? Maybe with a 6" lift they would work.

I measured the backspace on my rims and it is 3.75" (versus the 4.5" backspace of stock rims?). That would mean the 225/50R15's should wind up being at the same place on the inside of the wheel well and stick out 1.5" or so on the outside. 205/60R15's are 3/4" taller and 1/2" narrower than 225/50R15's, so I assume they probably have different potential problems. 215/50R15's might be the best choice. I am anxiously awaiting what Craven finds out, too....

I wrote to find out about the 6" monster lifts at this site: http://www.funonwheels.net/hirisesubaru/pages/pricelist.htm and they sent me a quote for a 1985 Subaru Brat kit shipped to Dallas, Texas: Thanks for your enquiry... The 6" kit is available for your vehicle now. The kit is $570.00AUD There is 2 options for postage and they go like this. Economy air-Delivery within 2 to 4 weeks - depending on destination-$359.00AUD Priority air -Delivery within 3 to 10 business days, depending on destination-$427AUD With the 6" kit being a bigger mod they are built quite a bit more heavy duty...hence the weight and postage costs. So totals go like this...$929AUD which today converts to $736USD for "economy air" $997AUD which today converts to $790USD for "priority air" Payment for your kit confirms your order and the most common and convenient way to pay for it internationally is via paypal. When your ready to order your kit I will send you a Paypal money request via email. Thanks, Dave Hirise subaru I know some people will think that is steep, but it is a six inch kit. I am seriously thinking about buying one (the mortgage can wait). Does anyone have experience with this product they want to share?

I heard back from them about a quote for a 6" kit for a 1985 Subaur Brat delivered to Dallas, Texas: Thanks for your enquiry... The 6" kit is available for your vehicle now. The kit is $570.00AUD There is 2 options for postage and they go like this. Economy air-Delivery within 2 to 4 weeks - depending on destination-$359.00AUD Priority air -Delivery within 3 to 10 business days, depending on destination-$427AUD With the 6" kit being a bigger mod they are built quite a bit more heavy duty...hence the weight and postage costs. So totals go like this...$929AUD which today converts to $736USD for "economy air" $997AUD which today converts to $790USD for "priority air" Payment for your kit confirms your order and the most common and convenient way to pay for it internationally is via paypal. When your ready to order your kit I will send you a Paypal money request via email. Thanks, Dave Hirise subaru

Good point about the back spacing. I measured the rims more accurately, and the Isuzu rims I have are 3.75" backspace versus the 4.5" stock rims. So I think at least the Isuzu rims are possibilities.

Okay, I will be very interested to hear about what Craven has to say tomorrow. I agree with Brian about rubbing. 205/50R15 is a bit smaller diameter, so if they already rub, then it will be tough with wider tires. I can reduce the backspace, but I still wonder whether they will rub the fenders when turned full. Craven will hopefully have good news!

Someone posted a link to this site advertising a 6" lift coming soon: http://www.funonwheels.net/hirisesubaru/pages/pricelist.htm Does anyone know anything more about this? I emailed them for a price, but haven't heard back yet.

That creek looked plenty nasty. I was pretty impressed they could get out over the other side. I'll bet a full-sized pickup would not have fared as well.

It could be a start. Maybe I could install bottle jacks at strategic points and plumb hydrallic lines to a single piston under the rear bumper where I could raise and lower it. Ah, maybe I should just buy another brat like Qman.

Hey, when are the monster 6" lift kits going to be available? Now that's the one I am waiting to buy! Will it be avaliable from BYB in the USA? Woohoo!

Well, I have given up on lifting my Brat for now. What I want to do is put wide tires on instead. I have a set of 15x6" alloy rims from an Isuzu that appear to have approximately the same back space as the stock 13" rims. I would like to put some Falken Ziex ZE-512 225/50R15 tires on them. These tires are about 9 inches wide, but 23.5" in diameter, so while they are about stock diameter, I am worried about whether they will rub in the front wheel wells. What experience have people had with putting wide tires on their soobs? I could go with 205 and 215 widths in low profile tires, too, but widest is bestest (Brats with wide tires look like lowriders naturally, something about the styling). Tell me what you have done to push the limits successfully without lifting your car.

I probably won't modify my differential at all since I live 800 miles from the nearest hill that would require 4WD (north Texas is flaaaat). But snow conditions are a concern (2 weeks or so out of the year...). Tomorrow I am going to look at a differential to see if it is LSD, so I wanted to know whether it might be worth getting. Thanks again for the helpful info.

Every time I see Qman's Beauty and Beast signature, I am jealous. I would love to have both a street and offroad set of subarus. But my wife already tells me I have too many soobs with one (I say the same thing about how many wives I have, too). How about this crazy idea: I have seen lowriders with hydrallics for raising and lowering them when the police are around. I am sure that a similar system (expensive hydrallics or cheaper mechanical means) could be used to make a Brat height adjustable. Has anyone thought about this, done it, or has ideas about how to do it? Wasn't there a soob model that could be adjusted an inch or so as a feature? I know that there is more than one way to adjust the height of the vehicle (suspension versus frame). The steering shaft is a problem--although a splined shaft and sleeve that could slide would solve the problem. Obviously you would have to remove the bigger offroad tires before lowering it for street tires (preemtive mention). The lift kits have quite a few blocks for lifting things, but how many critical points need to be supported? Could it be done with four hydrallic pistons and some rod and sleeve mechanisms that used pins to hold them at the other lift points (like those jack stands that use pins to hold them at various heights)? Any ideas or opinions (besides my apparent insanity)?