GeneralDisorder

It's normal for the oil pressure to drop at idle. Also the guage, and the sending unit are not that accurate. Replace the sending unit if it's leaking, change the oil pump seals or possibly the whole pump, and run 20w50 (I prefer chevron myself). GD

The capture nut that the bolt threads into has likely come un-welded from the sheet metal of either the lower radiator support cowling, or the engine cross-member (you didn't specify which end of the skid plate has the stripped bolt). This is a common problem for any mechanic, and a good knowledge of how to repair stuff like this is an essencial part of knowing how to work on your own equipment. You have a couple options - first, trying to grab the capture nut with some vice grips is a good start - if you can do that, you ought to be able to turn the bolt out. If that doesn't work, then you can either drill the bolt head off with a bit slightly larger than the diameter of the thread, or cut it off with a die-grinder. As for replacement, if you can get in there and weld in a new capture nut, that would be ideal, but probably too much work, and maybe not even possible to get to easily. Putting a new bolt and nut in there is possible if you can hold the other end while threading in the bolt, but you may have to resort to a large sheet metal screw instead. If it's on the front cowling, removing the radiator will give you better access to the capture nut location, and if it's on the cross-member, you should be able to get your fingers up in there - probably a needle-nose vise grip too.... GD

Gads! That's too much money. You could have purchased a rust free, low mileage wagon of the same vintage from WA or OR, and had it shipped to your door for less than that - probably two of them. I'm sorry that you got rooked. Next time come here and ask us. GD

Yep - EA82 axle joints (deeper), and a 1" body lift to correct the camber, and help the angle of the axles. This is only the rear, you still need a body lift in the front. But that's just 10 peices of sqaure tube, extend the steering linkage (there's a couple ways), and the strut towers. Really not that hard to build. All you really need is a chop-saw, a die grinder and a drill. And of course some time. Just get your car up in the air, and start experimenting. THEN ask questions here. If you aren't willing to do that, then buy a PK lift. They are good for people that don't want to do all this fiddling. My wagon isn't even staying at the height it is now - I'm going MUCH higher with a transfer case, and completely custom front and rear suspension. The experimentation never stops. If you just want to play around I say stick with the PK stuff. GD

Factory spec is 23-27. I get about 25-27 depending on how much my foot is in it. The 4 speed, and the 3.9 diff don't help mileage at all. You'll never get much over 30, and even that is stretching it. GD

You don't need a PK lift with the EA82 coils. The coils will give you all the lift you need. GD

There sure are a lot of misconceptions about the rear EA82 coil-overs on an EA81. No - the droop of the rear suspension is enough to pull the axles out of their joints.... that enough droop for you? I was going to make limiting straps till I discovered the EA82 axle joint mod. It doesn't really make it much stiffer either - since the torsion bar is unloaded, the vehicle weight is supported entirely by the coil. And with bigger tires that have more offset, you need a stiffer suspension to counteract the added leverage they have. I also have over 15" under my rear diff - something the PK lifts can't even come close to on a wagon (Brat's are different). And I'll keep saying this - as someone who has run off-camber in the rear for quite some time now, it really isn't that bad. The tires don't turn like in the front, so the camber doesn't really affect it all that much. The slight difference in wear can easily be dealt with by simply turning the tires over when you do a rotation. Cranking your front struts up that extra 1" will wear the tires 1000% faster than a coil-over in the rear will. I flattened my camber because I keep breaking axle from over-extension (because of all that droop I have). GD

Pull a plug, and fill the cylinder with nylon rope - make sure it's on the compressions stroke. Remove bolt. Remove rope. GD

Brat's were sold from 77 to 87 in the US, with a major redesign in 82. 77-81 are refered to as "Gen 1", and 82-87 are "Gen 2" All 77-81 Brat's used the 1.6L EA71 engine, with the exception of the 81 GL, which contained the 1.8L EA81 and the new dual range 4 speed. 82-87 all have the EA81, and either the 4 speed dual range in the case of the GL, or the 4 speed single range in the case of the DL. DL's did not have T-tops either. There's a lot more to it than that - I sugest a search, and a lot of reading on this board. GD

If you clock the torsion bar down, you will need longer shocks, or mount extenders. It will also move the wheel forward in the wheel well, and will look "funny" like my wagon does. If you are going for looks, I would reccomend blocks. Have a chat with PK - he could probably make you a 2" kit easy enough. GD

Certainly has all the characteristics of a broken passenger side timing belt - rapid loss of power, but still running on two cylinders. It will not hurt your engine, but I would certainly have a talk with the retards that improperly installed it - assuming that is the problem. Difficulty in turning the engine over could be because all the valves for cylinders 1 and 3 are closed perhaps...... GD

Not only will it be tough to weld, as Qman points out, but it will ruin your paint, and probably warp the thin sheet metal roof, which is not corrugated at all..... GD

Severe overheating can cause those nasty noises you heard - pre-detonation of the fuel causes the severe knocking. My Brat did that when I lost all my coolant from a failed heater core hose. After I let it cool and made the repair, it started right back up and drove away as if nothing had happened. You have probably at least cooked the seals in the oil-pump. You should replace them, and maybe the oil pump too. GD

Are you sure it didn't just overheat? Thin oil could cause the guage to not register, and severe overheating could cause the engine to stop running. GD

What he said ^ GD

Just as a compare, I had a Gen 1 (EA71) 78 wagon up to 85 MPH with an automatic. So all you EA81 types should be able to beat that at least..... even my lifted wagon can beat that. GD

Go ask in the new gen - we have no idea here..... GD

If you want more up/down travel, then an axle built using front DOJ cups from an EA81 or EA82 would certainly do that. The joint is physically larger in diameter, and will allow for greater angles, but unfortunately doesn't fit the splines on the rear axles shaft. If you can find joint parts to fit the cup and have the same spline's as the shaft (call up cvaxles.com perhaps?) you would have an awesome axle for pretty cheap. Being larger in diameter also means they can handle more stress...... I may end up having some stubs made from chromolly. Either that or use a modified Datsun Z axle with 510 stubs, or a datsun R180 diff..... GD

So what part of my post didn't you understand then? I give up...... GD

About 135 HP, and they run forever. But unless you make an adaptor, you need the transmission too - which unfortunately didn't come as a D/R here in the states. GD

Why do you want to get rid of the torsion bar? Unless you are planning some really amazing rear drivetrain changes (like I am, lol), the axles won't handle even what you can get out of the torsion bar setup. Believe me. You can fit some rear EA82 coil overs for about 3" of suspension lift, but without some changes to the rear axles, you will over-extend them at full droop. GD

They aren't as crazy as you think. Their engines are built for Aircraft not cars. An EJ engine is too heavy, and timing belts are NOT GOOD for a flying machine. RAM has a market sector that can support them at those prices, and when it's pay $7k for a tested, guaranteed, reliable engine or plummet 5,000 feet to certain death..... well.... you be the judge. GD

Sounds like a head gasket, or a freeze plug to me. Head gaskets aren't that hard..... maybe a 7 on the 1-10 scale. They are cheap enough (less than $20 each). Most of it is labor. You'll need a torque wrench to properly install them, but that's the only special tool really. Your manual should have a decent run down of the procedure. Make sure the heads aren't warped when you pull them off. If they are tho, you can have them milled flat again for about $35 each. GD

Yeah - the inner is the same as the outer - just a bad pic angle. Having to crawl under the car on gravel with a camera and greasy hands isn't easy. Here's a comparison shot of the two DOJ's - the left one is a stock rear EA81 DOJ cup, and the right one is a rear EA82 DOJ cup.... the EA82 one makes the EA81 axles stretch a lot farther.... Depending on how much extra stretch you need, you could use just one of the EA82 style cups, or if you need a lot of stretch, you could use them on both ends. GD

Ok - I took pictures of the EA82 here in the junk yard with DOJ's on both ends of the rear axles. It's an 86 wagon - build date of 01/86..... They are rusted on, or I would have pulled one for a better picture. Heck - if I could have gotten them off, I would have taken the cups from them..... I had to pull 4 of the other type of axles to get enough cups to make a set of EA81 "stretchy" axles. If anyone *really* wants them I could get them out.... or find another set. probably have to pound the spindle out of the wheel bearing, but they will come out. I've seen others like this too, and apparently from talking to Calebz about this, they aren't that uncommon. GD