Ratty2Austin

well, its decided.. I am driving the impreza back to the show!!! departure tomorrow or wednesday, depending on James Rachner and the brat crew (currently between MI and MN picking up a motorcycle?) should be caravaning with them... dont know if I will be able to post much after tonight, but if not, then see you guys at WCSS7!!! you guys in MT available again for a mini meet? give me a call if you are! (or if you want to ride along for the weekend to the show!)

I have been in contact with him for a bit now.. I am keeping him updated, and trying to help him over the phone figure out what is wrong with the brat... he tried pulling the Tstat out, and it is still not cycling coolant thru the engine, it just gurgles it out of the radiator.. ?? could this be a cracked head, blown HG or a cracked block causing the coolant passages to pressurize and not fill up with coolant? thats just one of my guesses.. I may be able to do one or 2 things.. I could go get the bike and bring it to WA (and make it back for the show!!) or I could deliver an EA81 longblock to him if needed, and if there is one available anywhere between here or there- in wich case, he could come finish the trip as he planned... anyone has any ideas feel free to call Ed, James or me about it!

I have been pondering this idea... if I can somehow let my work know that I wont be available during the WCSS weekend... is anyone else out in this area wanting to go to the show too? if so, could I ride along with someone on the way there, or would someone want to ride with me to drive my impreza back to MN? I need to retreive my motorcycle from WA and this would be a good oppurtunity to do so, and go to the show at the same time! I will ask my work on monday if I can get the time off.. and if I can.. i will let you guys know!! anyone that wants to "help me/help you", let me know soon! this may be a low cost method to let you guys who are out here go to the show, if your car cant make it.. mine will! (it has made the trip 3 times already with no trouble!!) we could split the cost of gas/food and such.. more people in one car the cheaper I will just need to drive my own motorcycle on the way back, so someone will have to drive the impreza back, or their own car if we go that route- any thoughts? call me if this sounds too good to pass up!

well, some of you I have been able to contact so far.. but I still havent met up with anyone yet! I do have a shortage of internet at this time, I can occationally check up on things when I can leech wireless off of the local coffee shops... as for now, just keep an eye out for me around the HWY 7/ I-494/I-394 area... and I did get a job at Eden Prarie Sears- starting Monday! I think tonight (fri) I will be at MOA wandering around, and seeing war of the worlds!! but if your around that area feel free to call me and maybe we could meet up John, I may come up to visit tomorrow morning sometime (if I can remember how to get to princeton ) updates and pictures from the trip will be up soon!

I am now in the Minneapolis area! I will only be online today, then be back in a week (I am going to WI with some people for the weekend of the 4th) I got a lead on a job already, possible mechanic spot at a sears service center.... the impreza and the trailer did pretty good considering the weight it was haulin' first half of the trip, I got about 23mpg, once I got to the other side of the divide (past Butte) it was down to 19mpg maybe the crappy gas out here? I noticed all the pumps i filled up at had 10%ethanol oh well.. once I got to Fargo, it was getting 21mpg again! got some cool pictures along the way, and I got to meet A-Dog- (thanks again for the nice place to take a nap!!!) and cool wagon! I will definately let everyone know when a meet-n-greet could happen thanks again for all the support along the way! (especially all the moral support!)

dont worry, I will be back to visit! this is my last post, till i get a net connection again! so for the next few days, watch for me along the way to MN!!!! guys in MT call me sometime in the evening tomorrow to see how far along I am, and to arrange the meet-n-greet if i am there at the right time! 206-856-7797 thanks for the support everyone!!! if there is trouble, one of you will get a call! woooooooooooowwweeeee!!! here I go!!!!

I will try to contact you when I am near... my computer will be packed up tomorrow evening.. so I need arrangements to be made now, if any... like meeting times/places along the way? phone #s? guys in butte/boesman/billings? MT that want to meet me for sunday night dinner/dessert? camping? which way is better for a trailer'ed car? I94 thru ND? or I 90 thru SD? I will check this tomorrow, then its offline time for a week or 2!!

welcome to the board! hope your subaru choice is good (how can it not be?) and I might see ya around! (I am moving to the modwest this weekend!)

I will definately come by if I ever get the chance in your area! yeah... I am leaving the bike here till I can come back to get it, OR.. one of my friends might buy it... sad, i know.. we will just have to see!

plan #3... this might be a winner.... drive my car+trailer+junk, without the bike this week..... sometime later in july fly back and bring the bike back over, (before winter starts! ) and then I will be less hurried... OR... I could fly back, get the bike, show up at WCSS7 and then head back to MSP!

hmmmmmm.... well.. i have the time now, tomorrow is my last day at Carter... any board members with experience towing a trailer and some free time want to come along? (either fly over from MSP, or fly home to SEA) to drive my car with a not-so-loaded down trailer, and follw me on my bike? or option #2, 2 trips...but... Freddie is opting to help pay for my flight back if anyone is gung-ho about coming along on this road trip as my driver (must be GOOD at driving a 5spd, and with a trailer) please call me tonight, so I can arrange the dates of when this needs to all take place!!! 206-856-7797 (cell phone)

so I am looking at most of my things here, and my tailer, and my impreza.. the "rated capacity" of the trailer is 970lbs.. and i dont think the EJ18 will like any more than that either, going up mountain passes.. one of the heaviest and largest things I am transporting in the trailer, is my bike.. about 500lbs loaded by itself... it gets about 45 to 55 mpg on the freeway, and is realitivly comfortable on long trips.... has cargo bins for all my camping needs... @1700 miles, and average 2.20/gal for gas...@45mpg, it would cost me about 90 bucks to drive it out there... then i looked up an airline ticket.. it would be about $150 or so for a one way flight back to seattle, on a tuesday night.. so if I leave sunday early morning, i could get to MSP sometime late monday or early tuesday.... then fly home, and take the car on the trip, with less stuff in the back... would make that part safer (less top weight in trailer, and easier on the EJ18..) what do you guys think would be best? if I bike it.. where could I stay for the least $$ (midway point, Billings MT) thanks for opinions! need to know before this weekend!!

Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh very pretty! probably pretty fast too! my EJ18 L wagon has ya beat offroad though http://usmb.net/albums/album318/DSCN6389.jpg very nice very nice!!!

i think he is going overboard with the trying to fool people with wording here.. any brat collector should know that thats not even a subaru part! (least not that I have ever seen??) the roundness would indicate gen1, but.. 5spd?? umm... not that I have ever seen.. looks like a datsun shifter or something

its policy at dealers to show registration to the car that the key is being cut, for "theft prevention" purposes.. and the maching cutting thingy, the code-decoder thing for the older keys is different than the new ones.. so they might not actully have it- try a lock smith, most cases, they can actually cut you a key to the correct fit with just the code (buy a key blank from the dealer, uncut)

wellllll i suppose i should have 2 partys then? if its friday for all the usmb'ers to come, will that be do-able with the rallyx? if so .. we could have a usmb party on friday and then the other party on sunday.. ?

sunday the 26th, I am planning to have a party here (home, in MLT) before I move out of state.. so everyone who wants to, should at least stop by and say goodbye and hang out for at least a little while before I leave!! you dont have to bring anything unless you really want to.. just show up! email me if you need directions- time of day, should be all day.. if you cant make it that day, just come say hi on another day, before the 1st of july (I will be gone then!!!!) dont know what or who will be happening at the party, so lets make it fun! we have a park across the street if there needs to be that much room (or if we want to have a fire with BBQ or something fun like that) whatever is left as far as excess subaru parts, will also be up for grabs.. i dont want to throw them away afterall!!

now at about a week and a half till i leave! I got my trailer licensed and working... just have to put the walls on it... trying to figure out a plan for sparkster and I.. he wants me to go ahead alone a day before him (I leave on the 30th, and he leaves on the 1st mid day...) he is trying to figure out if there is anyone in MSP that he could drop my stuff off with, so that when I get back from WI (party for the 4th I am trying to get to, then return to MSP later in the week)

hey now.. i had real bullet holes in my first lifted hatch... just ask Zap, I bought it from him! (he claims they were there when he got it ) there are some guys at work who would buy this mud stuff... not one, but 2 of the service writers have ford f-350 superduty desiels, lifted about 2 feet and with gigantic mud tires.. but....... the chrome diff cover is soooooo shiny you can see your reflection in clarity.. (I think he waxes the underside of his truck..) its so rediculase.. the funnier part, is that I have as much clearance under my imps rear diff as he does!!!!

woohoo! i got the apartment!! now I just neeed to sell the brat now, so that I can mail them my check for the first 2 months rent moving to excelsior!!!! now to just find a job!!

well, the apartment I applied to is about 545 a month w/most util... one bedroom... but they called today, they are ok with the app, except for me not having a for sure job lined up yet out there! (its hard to get a job from here...) any ideas? should I email my resumé to places? ideas? anyone have any job leads?

i was thinking of building a stand at one time, using a xmember, and a turbo crossover pipe with a muffler can on the end of it as a short exhaust... it could work.. use a old tranny that has a working neutral gear for your starter mount....

well, i saw the stripes and thought of the white stripe down the trashwagon 5, you know.. the one that was at WCSS5

I would have to say it looks kinda trashwagon-ish.. not bad... maybe the design with slightly different colors?

it sure has been a while sense the offroading, like the good ol days.. and now i am leaving the area! (not perminantly though ) i was just browsing thru some of my old pics and stuff.. and found a lot from the HP offroad days- might be able to do a CD or DVD of the pics sometime or another (once I am settled into my new apt...) and I can also make DVDs from the misc footage captured by my camera! *sigh* the memories...