The Chariot

Having the fuel supply line connected to the smaller fuel return nipple does seem to provide enough flow, at least while parked there. Driving it under load may make a difference, but apparently the previous owners had driven it that way. The fuel return line is capped off because it has no place to go and I am not sure what effects or consequences that may have.

UPDATE: I found a fuel pump control unit in my storage area! Upon replacing the previous one, I did a voltage test again which revealed I was getting about 9.5V at the pump wiring harness when cranking although it would jump briefly to about 11.5V as I toggled the key back to stop cranking. As for the gas tank, I blew 115 PSI into the fuel supply nipple and that broke nothing loose. I also poked wire in there which I got it to go probably 20 inches until it stopped, but no progress with that either. So... I went ahead and rigged up the fuel supply hose to the fuel return nipple (bass ackwards) like they had it rigged up when I bought it (and also capped the return line). I cranked it over a bit and sure enough the BRAT fired up and ran pretty smooth. So at least I got somewhere, but obviously not ideal in its current state of being. I was glad to have it running, now I am curious if that was a bad idea capping off the fuel return line in order to get it running. I am hoping to fire it up again soon just to move it around the property and tinker with it, but not sure if I could be doing damage.

Wow. That fabrication is really something. Glad to see the write up and pictures as well to get an understanding of how those lines run around inside. I can imagine mine has a bunch of crud in there too.

Good to hear from someone who encountered this problem. Was it crud that got sucked through the sock and plugged up the line, or corrosion on the interior of the line itself? I assume it was just some crud since it sounds like you reused the same line that was in there.

That is what I am leaning towards unless I hear otherwise.

I located the FPCU on my BRAT. It happens to be the black box with 6 pins. I hope I salvaged one of those from a previous Subaru, but am not able to visit my storage to check right now. On the tank, I wonder if using compressed air is worth a shot or should I be concerned that could blow the sock to bits or damage something else in there?

There is 2.7V coming through the wiring of the pump harness at the last key position before cranking, then 0.0V when cranking.

I bought a Subaru Brat (manufactured 10/85) that needed some work. I have done a lot of work already, but one thing I am perplexed on are the issues with the fuel system. The previous owner (before the owner I bought it from) had an aftermarket fuel pump rigged up under the bed with it being powered by wires running inside the cabin and connected to the radio harness. This is obviously not an ideal situation and I want to get things back to normal. What I discovered though is two issues. Issue #1) I assume the reason they ran their own wiring is because I am only getting 2.7V when the key is turned to the last position before cranking which will not activate the pump (I bought a brand new pump which I confirmed to be in working order when hooked to 12V). I figured maybe there is a bad ground, so I ran a ground wire directly to the battery and tested again with the multi-meter to get the same result. Issue #2) They had the fuel supply line connected to the smaller return nipple of the gas tank and the return line from the engine was capped off. I discovered the reason for this is because the larger nipple that feeds the fuel supply line is plugged up inside the tank. I stuck a hose on there which I could neither suck nor blow via the power of my lungs. I could use a compressor to add more pressure and see what happens, but I am not sure if I could do some damage that way. I read about an internal sock that can get clogged up. Any ideas on what to do with either of these issues would be greatly appreciated.

Nice. Thanks everyone for sharing the valuable information. Now the mounting and routing of the e-brake cables could be more of a job than the actual swapping of hubs. Going to take a closer look at my e-brake set-ups soon and see what can be done to make it work.

What I love about the old Subarus I have driven (Loyale, GL, Brat) is the e-Brake that was integrated into the front calipers. Sometimes I needed to get out of the car on very steep grades and that e-brake would clamp down and hold the car no matter what. Now that I have an Impreza OBS that is being lifted and otherwise modified for off road use, I would love for it to have the front e-brake setup from an old Subaru. Does anyone know if there is there a way to do this and be able to keep a 5-lug hub? Thanks for any input you may have.

I may as well go without the spacers for now and save myself the extra work! Always good to know they are an option in case I decide to go higher (good example there from wagonryan and his FXT struts). I look forward to seeing those PA pics. As you probably found out, PA has a vast selection of old logging roads and random ATV trails. It's inevitable that I end up getting into mud around here. Also being able to crawl over rough terrain going very slow is a major plus with the D/R. I have one in my garage from an old GL that I used to have. I don't want to steal this thread for transmission questions, but can anyone direct me to a possible solution regarding the drive-shaft that gets around having to custom fabricate a longer one. I feel dumb that I have not found a solution on my own yet. To my credit, this lazy dial-up connection inhibits me from doing as thorough of a search as I would like to do.

This is my first post since I signed up for the message board. I have owned many Subarus and beat them around in the backwoods, but very recently bought an Impreza OBS due to the inspiration I found with your build thread (great pictures by the way) and others around the site. The only minor thing I may add are body spacers from a Legacy Outback, which I see you have no problems without them though. And I am also looking into a D/R transmission swap once I gather up more information on that.