GeneralDisorder

I've tried the CB route, but after busting several antenna's (thick brush and tree limbs, etc), I've come to the conclusion that the portable citizen band radios are more practical. Someone in the groups with a CB is good for emergency's, but the small handhelds are better for trail use as you can use them even if your battery dies, and out of the car while extracting vehicles, etc. Just my experience. Plus they are dirt cheap. Fry's had Motorola's (cheap, small ones) for $9.99 a pair... GD

It's not the whole rear end - just the trailing arms. Making your own mounts would be.... dificult. There are rubber bushings in them, and so forth. And you would need welding equipment to put them on. You could use a die grinder and take the mounts off the other arms and weld them to yours. That's what I've done on my EA81. GD

The rear sway bar was stock only on the RX. There were smaller ones that came on some of the FT4WD GL-10's and other "turbo" models, but some do not have them. The mounts for the rear sway are brackets welded to the trailing arms. But these mounts don't exist at all on cars not equipped with the sway bar. You will need both rear arms to install one. D/R in itself does not mean it will or will not have one. It's very hazy as to how they were equipped - but mostly they were on Turbo models - just not all of them. GD

Yes - I know what you mean. The Justy took over for the EA81 hatch line as the "compact fuel saver", so there was no "need" for a short wheelbase EA82. As most hatchbacks are two door's, I think it's probably best to say that the "hatchback" is a sub-catagory of "coupe". So in a sense we are both right in different ways. GD

Yeah - thought of that - fluid is actually about 3/4" above the full line. Front diff oil is full. Not sure what overfilling would do, but that's the condition it sits in now. I suspect it may have been a crappy rebuild. Car was also sitting for about a year and a half on a side street. When I would take off there was some "chattering" from the trans, but it didn't seem bad.... on retrospect that may have been the clutch pack complaining. I went to turn left up a hill and got about 15 yards up the hill when it just lost all forward power. I got it to move about another 10 feet or so, but now it doesn't move at all. Good thing the woman was in my lifted wagon behind me. Here I was blocking traffic (diagonally over two lanes!) with a car that looks semi-post-apocalyptic, bad tags, no bill of sale (I've got the title tho), and I'm smack in front of the police station. I got out of there REALLY fast. I switched with the woman, hooked up a tow strap, and yanked it home. Had to put the wagon in 4 low to pull it up that hill from a dead stop.... fun, fun. GD

Interesting - fastest I went was 35 MPH or so.... but I'm told this trans was "rebuilt" not long ago. They may have weakened it. So basically it will be FWD now? I don't really care, I just want to be able to move it. It's a parts car anyway. I wanted to know if changeing the front axle out was likely to restore my power to the front wheels at least. I guess I'll do that then and drive it to it's new home in the scrap yard. GD

Here's an interesting one. Picked up a 93 Loyale yesterday with a "terrible grinding noise". Found that one recently replaced front axle is a 25 spline. So I pulled it and drove it home slowly with just the rear wheel drive. About 3 miles from my destination, after driving some 15 miles or so, I lost all forward power. Had to tow it the last 3 miles. When I put it in gear, the transmission shifts, and the speedo shows I'm going about 15 MPH with the front axle off. The stub on that side spins. When I put it in 4WD, the speedo changes speed a little, but I have zero forward movement from the rear end. Rear diff, axles and driveline are fine. So what gives? These things don't have some viscous clutch pack that I burnt up right? They just are 50/50 4WD like a manual trans when you push the 4WD button right? So what did I burn up in the tranny? GD

It may not be so much that the "anomilies" you describe are not there. Lord knows I've seen stranger things.... but more the way you communicate them in writing. We are quite often having a very difficult time understanding your posts. I'm guessing that if I were to speak with you in person, and actually see what you are refering to, we would come to a more mutual conclusion about it's source. You definately know something about what you are speaking, but maybe just don't know the right technical terms for such things? I'm just guessing here. Not trying to offend you, and I have only the highest regard for vetrans (having been a part of the military myself) - heck, I still think you may want to address some ground wires. If the ignition system shorts through the clutch cable, through your foot, and to the door panel then you definately have either a plug wire problem or a grounding issue with the engine block. Stuff like that can happen as the ignition system runs at around 40,000 volts, so it's possible for it to jump distances like that. The wheel thing..... well I can't see how that could possibly be electrical related. Sounds more environmental to me. Salt or other chemicals perhaps used in paving or other road work. The rubber in the tire would preclude all but the most insanely large voltages from passing, and the lug nut is not the shortest path to.... anything. GD

Just cause you worked on aircraft for the military? My father was a C130 mechanic in vietnam - shop forman etc. He had similar responsibilities.... still can't work on a car to save his life. He's a good cabinet maker tho. As for electrical and electronics - I have an ARMY security clearance to work on 120 kilowatt jet-turbine generators.... you know - the ones used for the patriot missle system? Being a 52D generator technician doesn't mean I know *everything* to do with high voltage eletrical systems, but I know my way around. GD

He's in holland tho.... You might just have your radiator rebuilt - it's not real expensive. About $60 around here, while a new one runs about $120 GD

Actually - the term "hatchback" derives from the first hatchbacks of the 60's. Such as the 66 Plymouth Barracuda... The definition has nothing to do with the "angle", but the fact that the rear glass is part of the "trunk lid", and that the rear seats fold flat, and the rear cargo area is accesible from the back seat. All these qualifications are met by the EA82 "3 door", so it IS a hatch. The EA81 coupe has a trunk (or boot if you like) in the traditional sense - seperate from the rear glass, and the rear seat does not fold down, nor is the trunk accesible from the back. What we are actually lacking is an EA82 coupe. It would be a sedan looking thing with only two doors - but they never made one. GD

160k? That's pretty low on the EA81 spectrum. Parts that fail? Surely you jest..... axles *maybe* but only because the rubber in the boots is old. Ball joint - again old rubber on the boots. The stock Hitachi (or perhaps carter/weber) carbs are some of the worst/most complex known to man... as luck would have it they usually run ok with the exception of the choke/cold starting, and are easily replaced with a real Weber or (my favorite) SPFI from the later GL/Loyale line. Biggest issue by far in your area is going to be rust. Other than that you need to watch your oil pressure. If not kept in check, the engine will suffer main bearing and rod bearing failure easily. 160k is about perfect for a new oil pump and seals. They are cheap ~$65, and only four bolts on the front of the engine. Well worth the investment and 30 minutes it takes to change one. Change the sending unit if it's leaking, and it's a good idea to take a real pressure reading with a mechnical shop guage to verify. 1) The "chaser" is the canadian name given to the EA81 Hatchback.... you canadian or something?? Anyway, yes - same engine. No "chaser" (or any EA81 Hatch) ever came with an EA81T stock. The EA81 Turbo is rare - it came in ONLY the Brat, Wagon, and Coupe, and only for two years - 83, and 84. There was exactly two EA81T hatch's made - both for the movie cannon ball run. One was destroyed, and the other is in the possesion of some automotive education institute in WA state. What you probably heard about was a member here on the board (rguyver) that put a turbo and SPFI on his "chaser" hatch. It had NOS and second injector at one point too, but the engine was a stock EA81 with 8.7:1 compression. 2) Engines that will "bolt in" - EA81, and EA82, and turbo versions of same, but a LOT more work is involved for turbo's. 3) Engine mounts? Well the EA81 and EA82 use the same mounts, and are similar to the EJ mounts - the EJ22 will fit in the chassis by slotting the holes in the engine cross-member about 3/4" outward - but it will NOT bolt to the transmission without an adaptor plate. Not sure what you mean by "turbo mounts" as far as I know there is no such animal. 4) Fabrication? Well depends on what you are doing I guess. I'm still not clear on what you want... 5) The EA81 trans isn't meant for anything over 100 HP really. They are good transmissions, but if you start putting too much torque through them stuff will break. The reverse gears are known to snap with too much power.... but the 5 spd from the EA82 will go in without a lot of trouble and they are more rugged. The race versions of the EA82T were around 170 HP Extras.... look at the brochure scans on this site. No idea on the safari racks - everyone that has one on this site that I know of either built their own, or had another member build it for them. Newer dash - not possible without major work and probably have to be custom or from something other than a subaru. All newer models are wider. Impreza seats are easy - really ANY seat you can imagine is possible. Usually some fabing/welding is involved. I have late 80's Isuzu Impulse seats in my Brat - very simple almost bolt in with those, but they are notoriously difficult to find. I have legacy seats in my lifted wagon - comfy. I would find another hatch with the correct window in it. Lexan is a pain unless you are racing and absolutely have to use it for regs. GD

The truely amazing thing, and the part that will really blow your mind, is that no one else understands it either. That's what happens when you use your imagination (and possibly supplemental pharmaceuticals) rather than a good book.... people have no idea what you are talking about. I'm seriously sending a linky to this thread to a couple EE friends of mine for a good laugh. Rock on. GD

If the check engine light is something silly you don't want to fix (Purge solenoid, etc) then just pull the guage cluster and take the bulb out. Or even easier, pull the plugs off the ECU, find the ground wire for the check engine light, and cut it. GD

Yeah - all the ones I've ever encountered were 2 row. Also the EA81's tend to cool a lot better than the EA82's, or they just last longer. People who have done EJ conversions report the EA81 radiator is plenty for the EJ... GD

*maybe* one of those square ones, but I kinda doubt it. Worth a try maybe. He's only in CA - last time I shipped an LSD there is was about $45 at the USP store. The knuckles weight less than a diff.... GD

"Hatchbacks" in the 80's meant the Acura Integra style - which if you look at one looks a lot like the "3 door" EA82. It really is a hatch, but since it was sold along side the EA81 hatch, they called it a 3 door coupe. GD

Not scarce (I could get you 50 sets (right and left) tommorow if you wanted them), and yes - largely boat anchors. The only reason you are having a hard time finding them is they NEVER wear out (not really possible since they have no moving parts), and so no one keeps them around for spares. Your's are only bad due to improper installation. GD

Many years are different, and most of the stuff can be eliminated. Just hook up the fuel suppy and return lines, the bowl vent (next to the bowl vent solenoid), and the EGR and Disty advance vac supply's on the bottom front of the carb. Block off everything else. GD

I've noticed that even with bad mains or rods if you have a new, sealed pump the pressure doesn't drop much since the sending unit is right there next to the pump. So you may be onto something with the oil supply. I have the stock pressure guage in the Brat, the Autometer in my wagon, and a Wall-Mart mechanical cheapy in my EA82 sedan, and they are all (more or less) in agreement on pressure.... seemingly regardless of the engine condition by the looks of the bearings in this one. I guess I'll see when the new bearings all go in and she's started. GD

Sorry - just joking - they don't really use the stuff anymore. Too many side effects. I was simply sugesting it to get rid of the "visions" of sparks jumping around in your cabin..... . It [was] generally perscribed for such halucinations - hearing voices - visions of sugar plums - etc. GD

Right - the crumple zones look ok. It's just that if you attempt to yard on the front end with a rack you'll pull the crumple zones out too. That was what I was refering to - not that they are damaged, but that they make it more difficult to repair the damage it's got. A front clip is definately in order for that one - you may only need the radiator core support, but the final say will come down to the frame rails, and how tweaked they are. It may not be much, but even 1/2" will make it really messy, and could damage the alignment and driveability. I still say get it - that's a good price. But beware - the current owner looks to have inspected the damage, and if it really were a slam dunk easy repair you would think they would do it, put the panels back on, and get 2000 for it.... GD

Front end looks pretty whacked - you are going to need a front clip from a wagon or something to make it decent again. No way all that structural will come back out straight. Too many crumple zones, and sheet metal with factory bends. As for the title, it won't make it worthless, but it will certainly hurt the value some - especially to those ebay types. You could find another Brat that's got a clean title but is wasted with rust and "transfer" the vin over (move the plate or change the dash, and cut out the section of the firewall and weld it in). Illegal of course, but it's not as if people don't do it. I guess there are also some states still where you can "wash" a title of it's brands. I hear Kentucky used to be that way - not sure if it is anymore. Sadly being an 86, it doesn't have the seats or the side-steps so may be worth a bit less due to that. It is the Marina Blue color which is nice (same as mine - I quite like it) GD

Aint that the truth! Mine has a hidden GPS unit. You might steal it, but me and my aluminium bat will find you..... GD

Cool - it's like a savings plan for a down payment on a house. I put money into my Brat, and I don't need a savings account. GD