Some one has offered in trade to me for my lifted wagon.... an 83 Brat with a blown head gasket, I'm not much into doing head gaskets and wondering how hard/Easy it is to rebuild, I tore into an EA81 a few years ago and it seems easy enough... the only thing that scares me is the pushrods

 

I know trading my wagon for a brat in any condition should be a no brainer but to go from a decent running car to a potential new engine car is not something I really want to do... Suggestions advice or any other ideas?

I know of the wagon you speak, and I'm gonna say GO FOR IT.

 

At the worst case scenario; you can find another running EA81 for a couple hundred bucks, and just swap it.

Then re-gasket the other one, and have a good one on the shelf.

 

In the event you really want to do the head gaskets; it's not that bad. You know well enough that there are tons of people on here willing to walk you through it, and even show up to help...

 

Trust me, it isn't that tough of a job to pull off. Even for someone without a ton of experience.

EA81 head gaskets are simple, cute little things. Like working on a lawn-mower.

 

If you learned how to walk and can form complete sentences..... you should do fine.

 

GD

Edited November 17, 200916 yr by GeneralDisorder

The dilemma I have currently is the guy just wants something that could last him a couple of months, Currently I have put a fresh oil pump and tightened up a few things, gonna go through the coolant leaks next... and then off to the races... it seems to be running good specially after oil change and plugs today... still lacking power though... retimed it again today so hopefully that will get something done...

 

I just don't want to trade him and then something major goes wrong with the wagon... it seems solid but slightly scared...

Yeah - that's a call we can't make for you. I deal with things the same way - if it's not right I won't let it go out the door.

 

Give the guy your honest opinion of it. Would YOU trust it on a 100+ mile trip?

 

Also - it's a used car. You can only do so much and you can't see into the future. Anything could go wrong. He should know this.

 

GD

ok.. Im gonna make sure that the coolant leaks are gone.. and try to figure out what is making the battery drain down... then I'll talk to the guy..

EA81 head gaskets are simple, cute little things. Like working on a lawn-mower.

 

If you learned how to walk and can form complete sentances..... you should do fine.

 

GD

 

Sentances?

Really GD?

I'm just joshin' ya :-p

 

I say go for it, and EA81's are my preferred engine to work on.

They're small, light and simple.

Can't get much better than that, unless you wrap a BRAT around it

 

Twitch

Keep us posted....

 

Sentances?

Really GD?

I'm just joshin' ya :-p

 

Yeah - I routinely screw up that one. As Col. Frank Slade said - "because it's not important for me to get it right." Not in here anyway.

 

I fixed it just for you Twitch.

 

GD

When I blew the head gasket in my Brat, instead of replacing the gaskets, I found a hydro lifter engine for 20 bucks. These engines seem close to bomb proof, you might be able to swing a similar deal.

It takes like a couple hours to do the head gaskets on an EA81 and you don't even have to pull the engine. Then after you have done them you can be that much more confident in your engine - new head gaskets and a good internal inspection.

 

I see no reason to replace the engine. That's plain silly over a GASKET.

 

GD

Just started my first gasoline engine rebuild today on my hatch's ea81.... not that scary compared to working on ships propulsion diesels, and the pushrods are very straight-forward. only thing I can't tell you is how to safely and effectively clean the mating surfaces on those damn aluminum heads... emery?

-just do it