cd45

I plan to put a HAM radio in my Brat. It has a removable face so I can mount the radio under the seat and just the face on the dash. I don't have to worry about the depth.

Having owned a couple of Jeeps and a Chevy Suburban, I like the system on the Subaru much better, less parts and easier to work on.

We were iced in here in Oklahoma for the last couple of days. So we put a rope on a board and tied it to the back of the wagon. We pulled the kids around the yard for a while, they had a blast. [/url]

OK, I figured out what was wrong with the wagon. After it finally warmed up to 40 some degrees, I went out and inspected the engine. I kept hearing a sucking noise, more of an air hissing sound. It took me around 3 minutes to find. It was a vacuum line into the intake manifold. I reinstalled it, and fixed my manual choke. The engine had a very bad lope during idle. It runs like a top right now. Feels good on the hi way and everything. I still plan to swap the EA81 into the wagon, just not in as much of a hurry. Thanks for all the info, I will still need it in the coming weeks.

I am going to leave the engine as is, I know it is sealed very nice, with good compression. If I leave the PS pump in the spare tire area how will I have power steering? I have read and been told by people on here that the fly wheel bolts right up to the EA81 and the clutch should work fine. I plan to pull one of the fans off of the Brat to use on the rad in the wagon. I know the disty wires need to be lengthened. Thanks for the info.

EA81 has no power steering. Therefore, I have to move the whole assy.

Here is my '87 GL. I liked the idea of an OD green car. It took me about 10 cans because it was very cheap paint. This pic was taken after I installed the 14" Nissan wheels.

The EA82 in my 1987 is pretty well worn out from what I can tell. The cold snap in Oklahoma really hit her hard. I can't keep her at idle while cold. I have to sit with my foot on the gas pedal to keep her running. I know that is the job of the choke but, mine is a manual choke and the linkage is bound up somewhere I can't find. The mileage has fallen to about 18 MPG, down from 25 MPG. I have a great running EA81 with a Weber carb sitting in another car. How hard is it to just swap them out? The only problems I see are the fan on the radiator, the pump for the power steering, and the A/C compressor bracket on the EA81 is broken, so I need to move the one from the EA82 over to it. Has anyone on here done this? How hard it is? I have 4 days to get it done, and have the car back on the road by Monday. Any ideas gladly accepted.

87 GL, D/R, Carbed, Hitachi, 14" Nissan Wheels, EA82. I get around 26 MPG on the hiway, 23 to 24 in town. I don't care. I love the way it drives. It is much better on the road now that the 14" wheels are on it. It rides 100% smoother. I will be replacing the engine soon, the one that is in it is tired. I have an EA81 that is in good shape that will be going in it, at least until I get the EA82 rebuilt. If it gets better milage, it might stay.

I have a tired EA82 in my '87 wagon. I have a '84 Brat with a Weberized EA81 that runs great, except that the 3AT went out. Is it possible, without major work or changes, to put bolt the EA81 to a 5SP D/R tranny? I have to keep the wagon on the road, it is my daily driver. I want to put the EA81 in while I rebuild the EA82. If it works in the wagon the way it worked in the Brat, I might just leave it there. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

OK, tonight while getting ready for bed, another nieghbor called because he was stuck. Mid 90's Lincoln Town car. He had buried it up to the wheels in wet grass and mud. I got my chains out, went over and pulled him out with no problems. I say again, this is the best car that I have EVER owned. I works every time. It does whatever I want and need it to do. I will keep this car for as long as there are parts to repair it, and keep it on the road.

When my Brat was running, it was a beast on the road. It had no problems doing 80 to 85, and was not floored doing it. It has a hydraulic lifter EA81 with a Weber in it. I was completely surprised that it did as well as it did. I don't know if it was the engine or because it was a 3AT. I am thinking about putting it in my 87 wagon, the EA82 in the wagon is very tired, and needs to be rebuilt. I hope to do this during 3 day weekend very soon. If anyone has any secrets, please let me in on them. I will be doing this this summer.

I just drilled out the hubs on my wagon so that all 6 lug wheels will fit. That gives me more than just better tire selection, now I can get wheels from Nissan, Chevy, and Toyota, and they bolt right on. Just my $.02.

A new neighbor came over today. He has stuck two trucks in his back yard. It rained on Friday night, and the ground around here does not drain very fast. His whole back yard was almost a swamp. He stuck a Ford Explorer, and when his friend tried to get him out with his S10 Blazer, he also got stuck. He wanted me to use my tractor to pull him out but, the last time I tried to pull anyone out with the tractor, all I did was mess up his yard. I took my '87 Wagon down and pulled them both out like I was driving on dry pavement. I think I was even more impressed than they were. Just one more reason to keep this car on the road for ever, no matter what the cost.

OK, minor change of plan. I ended up taking the test to get my tech license. I passed. A friend gave me a 5w walkie talkie, and I really like it. I plan to go with a full HAM set up in the Wagon because it works better and has a lot more range. I just have to save more money since HAM stuff is a little more expensive.

Here is a pic of my '87 with 14" Nissan wheels. They cost me $75 and came with the tires installed. I love the way the look on the car. By cd45

I changed the tires on my 87 Wagon. I went from 13" Soobie steels to 14" Nissan steels. The old tires were 22" tall and the new tires are 25" tall. They are 195/75/14's. I did not cut any fenders but, I am running street tires. I am thinking when I put new tires on it of going to 205/75/14's, and then I might have to trim the fenders.

I converted mine to R134a. It was not very hard. A friend has the vacuum machine to completely purge the system. Then we put the R134a in to replace the R12. I did not replace the dryer, I could not find one at any of the local parts stores. I have not had any problems with it in a little over a year. I did replace the o-rings on the back of the compressor with ones that were made for R134a. Good luck, it works very well, and is a lot cheaper.

Big question, what would it take to convert my Soob to burn alchohol? I am not talking money, I mean parts and work wise. I have the plans to make a still, and have been thinking about it for a while. I already plan to convert my tractor to straight vegetable oil, or at least bio-diesel. If I can get the car to run on alchohol, that would be even better. I understand that it would not get the same mileage but, that is ok, since I will be makinig my own fuel. If it gets that bad just make a bigger still, or another still. I am just doing a little research right now, and getting opinions.

Easy fix. I have to replace mine twice, the drivers side anyway. The idler pulley froze up and killed the belt. Luckily the car never missed a beat, and belt did not come off, it allowed me to get off the road and turn the car off.

I plan to be there. I will be driving the Wagon. I also hope to get the parts for the Brat so it will be on the road again. I can't wait.

I finally found out what was wrong with the blowr in the Wagon last night. Pulled the relay, and the wires and clip were dark from heat. I guess the relay would get hot and cutout. It would not run on hi for more than 5 minutes. I replaced the relay and it ran on hi all the way to work this morning. Now I can run my A/C on hi and stay cool on the way home this afternoon.

I went with KYB after the Monroe's I put on 3 years ago went out. I think the car feels tighter but, it might be because I drove it for a couple of months with a bad shock on the rear.

A friend gave me a Realistic VHF FM Transceiver, model HTX-202. It came with an antenna for the car, and coax, and two antennas that are for just walking around. I know it is a HAM unit and I will need to get a license but, it was a free radio, and it sounds better and talks farther that a standard CB. The same friend gave me a CB too. I think it is the same model that CobCob put in his Brat, and I might end up with it in there too.

That is a very nice Brat. I really enjoed driving mine, until the tranny went out. I can't wait to get a new one.