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Hello Subaru brethren. I have a major problem that needs attention. One week ago I tried to change the clutch. After finding that the clutch set was the wrong size, I cleaned of the old set with brake cleaner and put it back together. I lost a clutch fork clip so I rigged utility wire around the bearing to keep it together. When I started it up, It gets to the point on the temp gauge where the fans should kick on. It waits awhile staying the same temperature, but when the fans come on the temp gauge skyrockets almost to red. While driving the temp gauge gets all the way to red. I have replaced the water pump, thermostat (and gasket), radiator (and cap), engine temp sending unit, rad temp sending unit, and rad hoses. I have taken the thermostat out, put the housing back on and blown threw the hose to see if the engine pathway is blocked (it is not). The oil looks fine, the trans fluid looks fine, and the coolant is burped and topped off. No leakage of any kind. When the temp gauge is in the red, there is no extra heat or steam to be found, no smoke. The only thing left in my mind is a cluster issue or a grounding issue. If anyone has two cents to throw in I would greatly appreciate it.

Been having bad backfires with my weber, and the car will almost die if floored from idle. This causes the car to be gutless in anything besides 4wd lo. Video: Good parts are 0:00-0:30 1:20-1:30 and then 2:00 to the end. The shot of the shifter is me going into 4wd hi, after that it dies, but I think that's partly because my u joints are crap. Bonus shots of the luscious interior. As you can see my tach is broken. Can you guys please post pics of how your tach is wired to the engine? I have this plug, which is in a sheath with the shiny connector beneath it.

Been having bad backfires with my weber, and the car will almost die if floored from idle. This causes the car to be gutless in anything besides 4wd lo. Video: Good parts are 0:00-0:30 1:20-1:30 and then 2:00 to the end. The shot of the shifter is me going into 4wd hi, after that it dies, but I think that's partly because my u joints are crap. As you can see my tach is broken. Can you guys please post pics of how your tach is wired to the engine? I have this plug, which is in a sheath with the shiny connector beneath it. https://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm200/ComatoseLlama/0623150959_zps4hnmfo9i.jpg?t=1435798642 Bonus shots of the luscious interior.

Hi folks, I know this has been covered a million times, but unfortunately I can't find a clear answer. I'm looking to swap out my old tires (165/65R13) for new shoes before attempting to drive across the country. I'd like to go as large as possible without running into any rubbing issues or requiring any sort of lift or fender cuts. It seems as though folks are recommending 165/80, 175/70, 175/80 and some 185/70. Does anyone have experience/recommendations with any of these on a Gen1 Brat? I'm leaning toward 175/70 to be safe, but I'd love to hear what people think (and see any pics that might be floating around). Thanks!

I've recently narrowed down my car issues to my carburetor. I have a parts Brat so i took that one out and popped it in mine, all the seals are new but it is a different version. And now gas comes of an odd area so i was going to put the old one back in, but theres a loose lever i can't figure out, can someone tell me where this is suppose to be connected with. its the part where my finger is.

Do you guys think I could do it? Would be after a frankenmotor swap, right now I barely have enough power to pull the car itself, lol.

I'm still a little groggy today from an 18 hour commute into the boondocks of Ohio to pick up a gem! I was slacking off at work on friday when I stumbled across a 1986 Brat with only 84,000 miles! I then bribed a friend with $50 to ride with me to pick it up. The guy I bought it from was not a Subaru enthusiast, but he was your typical Subaru owner, aka cool and down to earth. The car was passed between a few different people in the town, sounds like it sat in a few garages. The car is in pretty good shape, but in need of a few basics before she runs like she should. Any links or tips to fixing the issues are always appreciated. What needs to be done? The shifter has about 10" of play, It's the craziest shifter I have ever felt. I read a thread on here where someone called it shifting in oatmeal, which fits so damn well! The car needs an overall tune up. The guy I bought it from did not fully understand what he was doing. The car runs decent, but stales out when cold and is currently idling at about 2,5000 RPM. It will occasionally stall in mid turn if I don't rev the engine. The previous owners solution was a new carburetor, which he handed off to me to install at my leisure; however it's probably a much more simple fix than replacing an entire carburetor. Im going to go a little crazy with a can of carb cleaner and a new fuel filter this evening. There is an incredible amount of air in the brake lines. My guess is that he must have run the master dry while bleeding. I tried replacing all the fluid last night by using this method: an TON of air bubbles came out of the front left, hardly any out of the rest. I bled all brakes, but it did not have the effect I was going for. I only did about 8 peddle strokes for the rear tires (i was running out of brake fluid and couldn't do more). I think I may have to buy a spoob ton of fluid and try to bleed more to get the air out of the system. Right now I have to pump the brakes for pressure. The guy I bought it from gave me a new master cylinder because he thought that was the problem; but i don't think that is the problem at all, feels like air and not a bad master. Of corse it leaks some fluids, I need to clean the engine compartment to figure out where its all coming from. Looks like a majority of it is coming from the oil pump. Im replacing the oil this evening and will have a closer look. If you have any suggestions for things to look at or inspect or do to a car that was just rescued, please let me know. I want this thing to run like new and run for MANY more miles. What am I going to do with it? I have not made to many plans for the future, I'm just kind of letting it all sink in. First move is to remove the rear seat mounts and install some sort of lock box. I do a lot of campaign and will need the water proof storage. I would like to get a water proof fabric cover, not the topper, for the back Would like a Roll bar, Skid Plate, Fog lights considering how much to lift, would like to go a little crazy with a 6" That's all so far. What would you do, if you were me, and had this beauty sitting in your driveway?

Im still a little groggy today from an 18 hour commute into the boondocks of Ohio to pick up a gem! I was slacking off at work on friday when I stumbled across a 1986 Brat with only 84,000 miles! I then bribed a friend with $50 to ride with me to pick it up. The guy I bought it from was not a Subaru enthusiast, but he was your typical Subaru owner, aka cool and down to earth. The car was passed between a few different people in the town, sounds like it sat in a few garages. I was able to purchase the car for $2500. The car is in pretty good shape, but in need of a few basics before she runs like she should. Any links or tips to fixing the issues are always appreciated. What needs to be done: The shifter has about 10" of play, It's the craziest shifter I have ever felt. I read a thread on here were someone called it shifting in oatmeal, which fits so damn well! The car needs an overall tune up. The guy I bought it from did not fully understand what he was doing. The car runs decent, but stales out when cold and is currently idling at about 2,5000 RPM. It will occasionally stall in mid turn if I don't rev the engine. The previous owners solution was a new carburetor, which he handed off to me to install at my leisure; however it's probably a much more simple fix than replacing an entire carburetor. Im going to go a little crazy with a can of carb cleaner and a new fuel filter this evening. There is an incredible amount of air in the lines. My guess is that he must have run the master dry while bleeding. I tried replacing all the fluid last night by using this method: an TON of air bubbles came out of the front left, hardly any out of the rest. I bled all brakes, but it did not have the effect I was going for. I only did about 8 peddle strokes for the rear tires (i was running out of brake fluid and couldn't do more. I think I may have to buy a spoob ton of fluid and try to bleed more to get the air out of the system. Right now I have to pump the brakes for pressure. The guy I bought it from gave me a new master cylinder because he thought that was hte problem; but i don't think that is the problem at all, feels like air and not a bad master. Of corse it leaks some fluids, I need to clean the engine compartment to figure out where its all coming from. Looks like a majority of it is coming from the oil pump. Im replacing the oil this evening and will have a closer look. If you have any suggestions for things to look at or inspect or do to a car that was just rescued, please let me know. I want this thing to run like new and run for MANY more miles. What am I going to do with it? I have not made to many plans for the future, I'm just kind of letting it all sink in. First move is to remove the rear seat mounts and install some sort of lock box. I do a lot of campaign and will need the water proof storage. I would like to get a water proof fabric cover, not the topper, for the back Would like a Roll bar, Skid Plate, Fog lights considering how much to lift, would like to go a little crazy with a 6" That's all so far. What would you do, if you were me, and had this beauty sitting in your driveway?

Hi I'm after some help. I have a 1988 brumby gl 1800 and have had issues with the distributor. The first time it went I got it changed to a mechanical (that was the only option on short notice) and then it was fine again. Then about 2 months later it started stuttering and losing power and the mechanic who looked at it said it was the points and changed them and the condenser and gave it a tune. At the moment it starts and idles ok, not perfect, but when I drive her she starts to stutter and act like the other times just before the distributor failed. She seems to drive smoothest at higher rpm. At low rpm she really stutters and lurches along. Any advice would be appreciated.

Parts Needed for 1980 1st Gen BRAT GL I am trying to eliminate a slight shaking at higher speeds and would like to get an alignment done. I found about half of the parts I would like to replace, but I am having trouble finding the inner ball-joint assembly parts. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! (See the attached photo to match the following numbers) What I REALLY need: 4. Lock nuts 5. Boots 6. Snap rings (boot) 7. Ball-joint assemblys 8. Lock washers What I was able to find and already purchased: 1. Dust seals 2. Snap rings 3. Tie rod ends - Outer ball-joints

So now that my brat is becoming more and more done, I'm getting ready to tackle the heat. Well, lack of it. When I turn the dial absolutely nothing happens. I deleted the a/c, but it wasn't working before that anyway. Where should I start my chase for the fix of the problem? Down the rabbit hole I go.....

I wanna do somethin like this eventually For the front, I was thinking just recreating the stock one out of much more strudy material, like some 2x2 thick wall, and working in the radius rods. I'm guessing a ej 5 lug swap would be needed for strength. Axles would be a pita. Rear would be harder, Especially since I have a torsion bar. Would just replacing the tortion bar with some hard tubing, and then recreating the rear with the same stuff as the front, and then some nice struts all around. Other ideas and input would be amazing. Need some ideas

Hi, I'm Jeremy and I live in Lake Stevens, Washington. I have a 1983 Turbo Brat that needs some serious help. A friend of mine was supposed to help me restore it during last winter, then without telling me he up and left for Alaska after pulling the dash out. I am now stuck with a non-drivable truck. I don't have a lot of money, so taking it to a shop is out of the question. If any of you would be willing to help me put it back together I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

Howdy folks, long time lurker here, finally piping up with some questions. I’ve recently acquired a Gen 1 Brat with an EA81 motor and tranny swap. Things are running fine and it’s currently on the road, but I’m looking to drive it from Las Vegas back home to Toronto in a couple of months time when my current gig ends. To do so, I’m trying to compile a list of everything I’m gonna need to replace, acquire, fix and torque down. I’m hoping the USMB can help me out on this front as I try to get everything sorted out. First on the list, I’d like to replace the front axles - the boots on both are completely shot. I’ve read here that a lot of folks prefer having their original axles rebuilt rather than buying replacements. For my purposes, I’ll certainly hold on to my originals for future use, but to drive across the country, I’ll be looking to swap in some new ones. Word on the street is that EMPI have decent build quality, do Gen 1’s and Gen 2’s share the same axle assembly? Rockauto seems to suggest they don’t but it’s not totally clear. Do folks at USMB have a preferred vendor for EMPI? Lastly, if I’m replacing the axles I feel like I might as well do the wheel bearings too - is there anything else that falls in the same category of “might as well replace it” while the wheels and axles are off? I’ve got many more questions as I look to drop a weber on it, delete the EGR, tune up the cooling, switch over to Pertronix from points and possibly upgrade the alternator to a GM, but for now, any guidance regarding my axles and associated upgrades would be tremendously appreciated. Lastly, here’s a pic for those of you that are interested.

Hi friends, I have had this brat for a few years. Never really knew anything about mechanics before, and I have been learning! I can't find a wheel hub anywhere for my brat. I have been searching to figure out what other subaru vehicles have universal parts with my 82 brat without any luck. The gear on the front wheel hub are totally stripped. I can't find a replacement part anywhere! nothing online no auto parts stores stock it and subaru was not helpful at all. Recently an old brat got into a junk yard but the hubs were pulled before I could get out there! I'm at a total loss. Does anyone know if there are other models/years of subaru that would have a compatible hub? Thanks!

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/pts/4953127240.html

Do any of you guys know what size rectangle tubing/ c channel I should use to make a custom frame to but leaf sprung dana 44's under my brat? Was really hoping to make the frame smaller than normal trucks, I hate the look of like a 8 inch frame under the car. Any help would be awesome

"I'm El_Freddo, and this is my Brumby Story:" Ok, time I "came clean" about the Redback Brumby. This is how I picked her up about two years ago. AFAIK I'm the third owner: The previous owner was a bit of a talker/player. I went out to check her out as a bit of a tease for me, it was local enough for the drive - I've always wanted a targa top since Sunnie the Brumby that we got for my mother inlaw. I would've loved a blue one but beggers can't be choosers. The owner said a fella was coming up from Melbourne that weekend so I bid him good luck, he was asking too much for my liking. 6 weeks later it was still there so I made an offer - he still played a hard card so I told him to offer it to the other guy at the price he mentioned and I let it be. Less than 5 mins later he called me back and said deal. As you can see from the pic above there's some front guard damage, pity, it's pretty straight otherwise! The engine wasn't working - reckoned it just stopped one day on the way to work and has been sitting like this for 6 months. I thought blown HGs straight up - empty radiator and creamy oil told the story. In the tub it had a rubber mat that concealed some foundation sand/packing sand (the orange stuff) that had held the moisture and rusted the middle of the tray. The main areas where rust shows up were pretty decent which I was happy about. After getting her home she moved around the yard a few times before making it into the shed for some work. Family photo: First up was pulling the engine - pretty easy in these things! I had to entertain dad as a decoy for his surprise 65th - he sat and watched for most of it :/ Once on the stand we drained the "oil": Second bucket: ~15 litres of water and oil in total. Now thinking major head gasket and a possible engine replacement. Continued stripping the engine before jumping to conclusions though. Heads removed, such a pretty sight (not!). Never seen this before: This was the culprit - and the previous owner's story checked out at this point: That's a Welch plug that dropped out, dumping the entire contents of the radiator into the engine, stopping things pretty quickly I'd imagine! After getting busy with work and other things (4wd trips etc) Dad came up and put the long block back together for me while I was at work - this saved me loads of time! Once the engine was all back together I got it running - it blew a lot of blue smoke and I shat bricks. It was also running as rough as guts. Turned out that I needed to adjust the valve clearances better than I did - it was running on two cylinders, just. Once all 4 were back online it blew more blue smoke. Not happy Jan! This finally cleared up and ran without any smoke. Very stoked. One of the things we had to do was remove rust from the bore. This was a cheap build for a daily cruiser - so instead of a rebuild or even a hone and new rings we hedged our bets and went this way. No1 cylinder had a couple of small pits at the very top of the cylinder so we left it this way and ran with it. Now it was time to look at other parts of the vehicle. Redback got her name when I was working on the rear end pulling drive shafts off that had probably never been removed before. While hammering away a redback dropped out from behind one of the rear wheels. Sorted that one quickly! It wasn't the last - I think there were five all up from memory, so a name was born for this beast. The rear bearings were an unknown and seemed rumbly and one of the rear brakes was leaking. So after a small investment in parts: This was done: Rear end being worked on: Rear diff was out as well, swapped in for one that leaked less instead of swapping seals! Home made tool for bearing retainer nut removal: All coming back together well: "New" rear drums were sourced from one of the parts bombs, the originals had a decent 2-3mm groove dug into them! The new ones barely looked like they'd been used! Then it was off to a mate's place for some detailing - 4 hours of degreaser and pressure washing! Only got a phone pic of that, it's not been uploaded At some point, either in the transit there or back I managed to get a stone chip in the windscreen, just a small one but right in the driver's view. Again, stole a windscreen from a parts bomb. This one cleaned up very well - I was stoked. This also gave me the opportunity to replace the old hard windscreen rubber and tackle the rust that I knew was under the front right corner: Putting the windscreen back in - always fun. Had to look it up on ausubi as to how I did it last time on Sunnie the Brumby. Once that was read the windscreen was in within 20 minutes: A new heater hose above the water pump was sourced - I use another unit from a Toyota Camry, just trim to size: A few other things along the way and it was time for a roadworthy inspection: ^ I didn't like the original rims, different offset and to me they didn't look that great on this brumby. I also had a set of black sunnies in the shed with my snow tyres on them which easily swayed my decision. I reckon they look way better even if they're only 13 inch and don't fill the guards. So she didn't pass first go. A few excited rookie mistakes: 1/ Didn't fill the wash bottle 2/ Didn't bolt down the passenger's windscreen wiper arm, so that didn't move! 3/ Apparently I had a front indicator that was blown - I didn't find it on my check so dunno where they got that from. and 4/ worn front uni joint on the tail shaft. I fixed the other easy little issues straight up, had to order in the uni joint so got two and did them both at the same time. I also smashed my thumb pretty good doing this - only now is the damaged nail almost grown out about 6 months after the event! Once those things were sorted the RWC was issued and I was off to rego. Vicroads now make it nearly impossible to get an appointment! I was pissed that I didn't get one before the weekend, but got one Monday and had to take some time off work to do it - just frustrating! The blessing was that my birthday/christmas/birthday pressie rocked up in the mail at M&D's (home base for important mail!) - so I was able to use them during the rego process, saving me some extra coin on not needing new plates: At Vicroads just after rego was granted: Back at home: Used her for driving to work, loved it! Didn't have to worry about rain (I'd been on the scooter prior to this!) And of course, hanging with the family members: Since this pic Dad borrowed Redback for a few months. I missed the old girl, the scooter's fun but there's just something about a brumby, plus it can do over 55kmp/h without trying hard. It's easier to speed in that Ruby Scoo IMO. While Dad had her M&D headed overseas and I had a conference close to their place, so my wife and I crashed there and I drove to the conference in Redback. The issue that came up after frying a few alternators (dad went through this issue) was a severe lack of performance - the exhaust would become blocked at certain levels of acceleration. This got worse until I was stuck on the way to the conference travelling at 60km/h, and that was before hills! Not fun! Pulled another Y pipe from the parts bomb and that sorted it. This wasn't an ideal fit due to some spacers on my EA81 for the ERG system that wasn't on the earlier year parts bomb, but it works and Redback goes very well for an EA81! I've also got to fix the choke - dunno what's wrong with it but it doesn't work properly. The carb could probably do a with a rebuild too, she runs too rich overall for my liking. I've solved the slop in the gear stick with the classic slot and bolt arrangement: The Welch plugs were sorted by Dad's idea - massive grub screws/threaded plugs: They've worked a treat! I've been hunting for a bullbar - found one in Talem Bend, South Australia, got a mate to pick it up for me. So I need to roadtrip to the city of churches to pick that up soon. I've since found an ideal bar that fits the bill for what I want. If all goes well the first one purchased might end up on Sunnie the Brumby if it's better than the one already on her. I've also been tossing up the idea of a lift kit, but it really comes down the right price at the right time - I don't want to go all out like Ruby Scoo lift/tyres. One thing I would love to do is make the engine run with the stock L series MPFI system. I'm a true believer in EFI over carb setups. I don't know if I can do this due to space constraints without converting the auxiliaries to the EA82 setup - not an easy task unless you've got the EA81 turbo brackets and crank pulley. Also an AWD gearbox would be great. Will have to build one up and fit it in at some point. EA casing an EJ gearbox can be done without issue over here with a dual range gearbox. Cruise and remote central locking would be sweet and I'd like to add a neat little tacho, oil pressure and coolant temp on the steering column in a manner that doesn't cover the other gauges. It's just a case of time and money for those things - after all this is meant to be a cheap build! Cheers Bennie

After about a year of searching for a good Brat for a project I stumbled upon a 1979 Brat on craigslist in Wyoming for $100, a deal too good to pass on. I convinced my uncle in law to make the three hour journey to go pick it up for me and drop it off at my grandpas property in Montana, which is where it currently sits until early May when I have a trip planned to go pick it up. The previous owner had intentions of rebuilding the EA71 and had the heads disassembled and a few other things torn down as well. A few weeks later I saw an ad for a 1983 Brat that was so rusty that the rear end was about to separate from the unibody. The car looks very deceiving but it has almost no drivers side floor, rocker panels and the back half of the bed had already been replaced with a patch panel. The Brat came with the rear jump seats, headrests, seat belts, and even the bags that cover the seat belts. The car came with a lot of other miscellaneous parts as the guy I bought it from has supposedly owned like 10 different Brats and this was the last one he had. My plan is to swap the EA81 with a Dual Carb set up I picked up into the '79 along with the 4 speed D/R for now until I can find a 5 speed D/R to swap into it.

Hi Community, I don't know what to do, I've got an 81 BRAT, went from a Weber back to stock carb. Everything is set up as it should (according to my mechanic in Berkeley CA) and it's not coming close to passing emissions and now has no power after 3,500 RPM. I need an experts help. What could be going wrong. Stranded in San Francisco, Jack jacksokm@usc.edu 510-409-7861

I own both a Brat and a Baja- I thought this would be a pretty fun project. Enjoy.

Here we go... I currently on a 1983 turbo Brat. I'm looking for someone to help me put it back together and do some major repair work. Parts Needed: front end core duel fans front end intercooler (added?)

Hey Guys. I am having fun with my fully restored Brat that I got from a fellow board member, but I have been presented a new problem. Intermittenly, the stupid transmission does not want to come out of 4th gear!! I can sometimes "slam" it, and it will come out, other times, I have to let clutch out slightly to let it grab, then, push it out of fourth. Other times, no freaking issues at all. Any idea what this can be? Good thing I have a spare 5 speed I will be prepping to stick in there when I get some time (depending on issue, maybe sooner than later). let me know.. Thanks!!!

Just picked up a beautiful 79 brat, but I'm wanting to replace the struts. I've poked around a little but can't seem to find any part numbers. Anyone have any recommendations? Has anyone used the KYB GR-2/EXCEL-G SHOCK ABSORBER?

Hey guys. I'm pretty sure I know the problem but wanted a 2nd or 3rd opinion before I spend more money on the problem. 1983 Brat. Past month or so, it would sometimes not start right up, just a clicking sound. If I turned it a few times, it would start up. It's been getting worse and now I have to turn it like 50 times. It hasn't let me down yet and sometimes it gets a little juice and tries to start but then doesn't and goes back to the clicking. When I was doing tune up a few months ago, I noticed that Ignition coil was seeping some oil and my battery cables were mangled. So, I bought new ones and put those in this weekend (thinking mabye it was some bad connections) I also took a wire brush to the connection to the starter itself. Still the same problem. I know the battery and alternator are good, now I've got good connections but still just get the clicking and it's getting worse. I read through the forums that I could find and one question that came up is if the clicking is coming from the Dash area, or from the Engine bay. I'm pretty certain it's coming from the Bay. So, I think it's the starter?? Anyone else have any input? I'm new to working on my own cars so please give detailed troubleshooting steps if needed. Also, any recommendations on Starters?? It's a Fuji in there now and I can't seem to find a replacement Fuji. Thanks, guys.