BratRod

It is a 4spd D/R and will not fit your brat, unless you get a "fat case" EA71 bellhousing or upgrade to an EA81.

Wow. I had no idea that was the same brat (Seent it on CL). Did you fix the head gaskets as well? Nice progress. Keep up the good work.

Tons of info on it. They have a forum. People have tried dipping EVERYTHING... Kitchen sinks to boots. Plastidip holds up pretty well from what I've heard. I've seen people go a year with little repairs (yes, you can repair it!!!). Hardly hear about someone who's disappointed with it. Take time on prep work if you want a very nice finish. Since its a matte color... It'll be sure to bring out dents. And as a general rule: the more coats of dip, the better. Read up on it. They've got it down to a science.

Plastidip is around $400 depending on color. That includes EVERYTHING you need except the place to paint. Prep spray, actual gun, and 3-4 gallons of dip. visit www.dipyourcar.com for more info on plastidip.

Or you could sell it to me and not have to tow it at all! Joking. I know you love that car.

This one? http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/cto/4444317470.html

Not that I've seen. It pre-dates my time here. I've seen info about it posted here. Nothing significant that I remember. Someone will know something.

Always wondered what happened to this thing. Do it justice...

Seems like it's something that wouldn't be too hard to make. Tubing bender and flare tool should be all you need.

Should look good with my supercharger.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/350940360186?nav=SEARCH I may get one of these...

That is indeed a supercharger.... I've done some math and by over-driving this thing just under a thousand or so of it's max continuous rpm, I should get around 5psi. Not really aiming for power on this, though. Just the "Is that a blower sticking out of the hood of that Subaru?" response. For those concerned it's an AMR 500 (500cc per rev) and can be had for very cheap, relatively speaking. Plus it's just adorable compared to a 671. VW guys run these all day and get pretty good results. Gotta buy some flanges, steel, pipe...etc. Shouldn't take to long. Will be doing a draw through setup. Updates to come... still not the secret mod i'll be doing. Edit: Here's a guy in AUS with the same SC as this one. He replaced that automatic, btw. It sounded horrible.

Meh. Some people... Shawn will take care of it. I'm pretty sure he's seen the posts. The other guy will get a talking to. Don't let other people get to you. And don't feed the trolls: that's what they want. Keep on going. We're going to replace those guys one day...

Several did. Go look back at the posts.

Alright I got an update for you guys! I recovered my dash. Gee... that's a lot of vinyl Exactly what I wanted. Yeah... may be able to cover the seats with the left overs! Lol Lets get started! Most of the top done. Where I ended the first night Night 2 with some components thrown in to see how it looks. View of the top while I pulled the Brat out of the garage to do some things on Mom's Civic. All done! Minus a little fine trimming here and there. I started with a 54" x 6' roll of felt-backed vinyl. I wanted a huge piece in order to cover the thing in one piece, and the felt backing to cover the minor cracks in the dash that the shippers ruined... wasn't happy about that. That's why I haven't spoken of it. Anyway... got some 3M headliner spray. It seemed to have good reviews on amazon, so I picked up a can from AutoZone. Pretty good stuff. Not at all like the Super 77 spray. It adhered very nicely, and is forgiving. Best to let it sit for about 5-10 min like the can says; makes all the difference. I didn't manage to get it covered in one piece... which kinda sucked, but ehh. I had to make a seam on each side. It's not suuuper tacky, but it is noticeable. For the $40 bucks in materials I am thrilled with the results. Yeah there is a nasty dent on the driver side pad. It's a sight better than the gaping caverns that these dashes are notorious for, though. I am happy and that's all that matters. This was what I did to the 85' last year. I was quite happy with it. Except the 110 degree summer DESTROYED the leather in a day. The newly recovered dash will replace the one currently in the 85. Here in the next several months! The 85 gets a reseal, clutch job.... and a secret, never before see (by me), mod on a brat before! Will the 84 end up with the SPFI set up instead of the 85. WHAAAAAAAT?!?!? How much longer will the 4th gear syncros last in the 85? What will the 3rd vehicle I bring home be, and will my mother evict me because of it? The 84 gets patched up with my newly purchased welder! What'll happen? Stay tuned! And because I don't know where I posted this last time... the 85 down by a pond.

My 85 brat didn't work. Haven't tried the 84, yet.

Samurai was the first thing I ever went offroading in. That was back when you could still pick them up for $600 instead of the $6000 they go for now.

Don't say that!!! You gave me hope in the digital dash!

Thanks for the complements. The 85' is 99% rust free and is getting babied. The 84' has some minor rust issues, like in the picture, that need to be addressed. I'm picking up a MIG here pretty soon to fix the rockers and patch a place in the floor pan. Both are stock, minus the weber on the 84. The suspension is just cranked all the way up. The original plan when I had just one brat was to put a small lift on it, and run some 14" A/T tires for DD use. Then I got the second brat and was going to lift it and use it mainly as an off-road rig, and do more of a JDM style Brat on the 85. Now, plans could be changing again. The Brats are fun and all, but they're not the most comfortable vehicles in the world. Plus it could use a power plant upgrade. So, the 84' may be sold sometime next year so I can buy something else, or fund a complete EJ swap. I don't want to do it, but my mother said she would kill me if I brought another vehicle home. And having two Brats that are practically identical just doesn't suite the vast want I have for other cars. Still loads of time to make decisions.

Here are some pics. older pic Starting to do some body work on the tailgate. None actually done in this picture. Here's Brat #1

I remember the first time this was listed for $1100 dollars. I wanted it, but couldn't spend the cash at the time. Glad you found your way here! Have fun with that thing. It's well worth it.

Yeah, I've done some more work. I'm just horrible about documenting it. I primered the roof because it was bothering me. Cranked the front end up. Cleaned the Weber. A/C acts like it wants to work. I have a can of r-12 I'm gonna throw in, and hope for the best. I've been playing mobile mechanic since January which had eaten my weekends up. That's coming to an end soon, though. Once summer hits; I'll be doing the SPFI, P/S, dash swap, and possibly getting the other brat ready for paint. I'll make an effort to get pics, soon. P.S, you should check out the jumpseats on CL. They're a little pricey, but you won't get them cheaper without a road trip.

Oh, man! That's a helluva starting point. You did wonders in under 2 years.

I have a set of these that came from an 82 GL wagon.