March 17, 201016 yr So as the title states this will be my build thread for my beloved 86 GL BRAT that i picked up for the low low price of 150 Heres the story- Right after xmass 09 went and got it from Battle Grounds WA and towed it all the way to Ellensburg and got straight to work on it. All i knew was it needed a new alt so i went for the 100amp GM and made it fit in there. Started up but would die after 10 seconds Eventually i traced the problem through the fuel system to a clogged line in the tank, nothin a little compressed air couldnt fix. And ever since she has ran great! Especially after replacing the clutch. Ive taken her on a few trips up manastash ridge for a little fun and was amazed at how well it could do completely stock. Currently i just got some new drilled yota rims from backcountrycrui (thanks Mike!) and put on some 27in snow tires that use to be on my impreza wagon. Fit great and with a little trim and bash there is almost no rubbing. Right now she is in the exhaust shop having that redone, cat back with glasspack. And i have a weber in the mail! Future plans are to go for 6in lift, steel bumpers, 5 speed swap when im tired of or brake the 4 speed, and get some general grabber at2 tires. Anyways enough blabberin, here are a few pics from yesterday back in south hill -Andy Edited March 17, 201016 yr by Fenix747
March 17, 201016 yr Great price for a nice brat! Sounds like a solid plan for it too. How is the manastach ridge for wheelin?
March 17, 201016 yr i hate you:)i would have snatched that up in heart beat......i miss having a brat. go for 6 ".it is just a bout perfect for ea81's.......cheers, brian
March 17, 201016 yr You arent very far from me, and I have some friends in your area, we're gonna have to meet up sometime and go Wheelin' -Bill
March 17, 201016 yr Author Thanks all SoobieDoo- Manastash i think is great, you head west and you get toward the naches area which has some tough stuff. I stayed east where there is nice country roads that can lead to some fun spots Brian- Its a good thing i saw it and replied less than a hour after it was posted! Bill- Definintely have to go wheelin sometime, I went up with you and a few others at xmass tree run in my impreza wagon and got stuck i think now im a little more capable. I think i might have to take a trip down to the slab, looks like fun. and when its liftin time ill be headin your way subaruguru- you better, we need more lifted subies in eburg
March 17, 201016 yr Sweet man. I like how those 27" tires tuck up into the wheel wells. Makes me hopeful to get mine! So are you gonna be showing this bad boy off at the Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter Meet? Twitch
March 17, 201016 yr Author Sweet man.I like how those 27" tires tuck up into the wheel wells. Makes me hopeful to get mine! So are you gonna be showing this bad boy off at the Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter Meet? Twitch Yea they tuck in nice, and turn well after a little work with the snips and bfh It will definitely be good to go for the brat meet I need to get back on that, ill post up a new thread tomorrow and get this ball rollin
March 17, 201016 yr Yea they tuck in nice, and turn well after a little work with the snips and bfh It will definitely be good to go for the brat meet I need to get back on that, ill post up a new thread tomorrow and get this ball rollin Sahweet. Where exactly did you cut and bash? My BRAT's by far rustier than yours, so I'm not too worried about a little cutting and bashing. Twitch PS: Do you want me to post up the "Official Thread"?
March 18, 201016 yr You could just crank up the torsin bars and throw alittle 2 inch lift up front to get alittle more clearence till you can get the 6 inch.
March 18, 201016 yr You could just crank up the torsin bars and throw alittle 2 inch lift up front to get alittle more clearence till you can get the 6 inch. 2" front lift on gen 2's make short work of axles, mine ate both front axles 2 weeks after I installed it. I'd just do it right the first time, it's cheaper that way -Bill
March 18, 201016 yr 2" front lift on gen 2's make short work of axles, mine ate both front axles 2 weeks after I installed it. I'd just do it right the first time, it's cheaper that way -Bill He could have been referring to a body lift, instead of a suspension lift... :-p When I get around to lifting mine, I'll just be doing the 2" in the front, jacked up torsion bar. But if you're going for a wheeler and not a "rally BRAT" then I say save your cash for the 6". Twitch PS: Bill makes INCREDIBLY tough lifts, at a good price too.
March 18, 201016 yr He could have been referring to a body lift, instead of a suspension lift... :-p When I get around to lifting mine, I'll just be doing the 2" in the front, jacked up torsion bar. But if you're going for a wheeler and not a "rally BRAT" then I say save your cash for the 6". Twitch PS: Bill makes INCREDIBLY tough lifts, at a good price too. 2" lift with body blocks would require shifter and steering mods, hence why it would be easiest to just wait and do the full 6", so you only have to modify everyhing once. Thanks for the free plug btw -Bill
March 18, 201016 yr Bill is right, i was talking about the suspension. Sorry folks im more gen3 savvy.
March 18, 201016 yr Author i know that the 2 inch lift works well with ea82, their axles can handle it much better than ea81's. So im just gonna wait it out and go big! till then ill deal with the little rubbing on off camber stuff and what not. I probably will rally it a little this season before the lift though. At least till the vw rabbit is ready to race
March 19, 201016 yr Author Exhaust is done! Sounds really nice video doesn't do it much justice but you get an idea. has a nice deep sound when the revs get up. basic set up is gutted cat with straight pipe all the way back to a twister glasspack on the end. -Andy
March 30, 201016 yr Author got some goodies in the mail installed the cb and pa today should get the weber in sometime this week if i can figure it out. we shall see how it goes -Andy
March 31, 201016 yr Author Weber carb installed! Despite the ridiculous weather yesterday good pea size hail storm i have no clue what to do with all the extra hoses, it said plug up everything except the distributer hose and of course gas line, so everything is kinda plugged up and i know that the filter is too tall, but forgot that when i ordered it. no worries should work so its installed and seems to be working great! still concerned about all the hoses and not knowing what to do with them, but it runs and thats all i care about -Andy
March 31, 201016 yr there is a weber consortium in the offroad section up top, and also some links in there to get you going.....read newb:)...cheers, brian
March 31, 201016 yr Author there is a weber consortium in the offroad section up top, and also some links in there to get you going.....read newb:)...cheers, brian trust me i read ive spent more hours reading than actually working on my brat problem is that im not real tech savy yet and dont understand it all, still in the learning process from what ive seen you basically plug up and or get rid of most of the lines in there, but there is something with the pcv that your suppose to do and thats what i dont know about. i mean its running just fine with everything plugged up so i might just take it all off and plug it better and call it good. but if im missing something id rather fix it now than later. -Andy Edited April 1, 201016 yr by Fenix747
April 1, 201016 yr Author today will be test day! takin a trip up into the hills with my buddy to see how the clearance and weber make for a better offroad machine i think there will still be snow so it should be fun pics to come!
April 2, 201016 yr Author pics! a little stuck have some video too, ill get that later things i learned- -my transmission sucks, doesnt want to shift while in 4 low, but ill deal with it till i get money for a 5 speed -a lift would help out a lot so i dont bottom out, but isnt totally necessary right now since the snow will be gone soon -ALWAYS bring a shovel, i have no clue why i forgot it -need to get a high lift jack so i dont have to use a small scissor jack anymore when i bottom out -need bumpers that can handle the jack -and most important, i need to weld my diff! it was really annoying having only 2 wheels working most of the time overall i was pleased at how she did, better than i would have hoped for. nothing broken which is always good. i dont have any money to do any real big mods like a lift, tires, bumpers, 5speed, and so on. so ill have to find the best way to wheel with what i got on a budget. i should still be able to have plenty of fun without the clearance. i think if i have more recovery gear and come more prepared in general i will be fine. so next on the list is to make a mount for a shovel in the bed, and get some containers to hold the smaller gear behind the seats. im thinking amo boxes might do the trick since they arent too wide. also i think a welded diff would be a cheap way to gain a lot of off road ability. anyone wanna weld my diff? please? -Andy
April 2, 201016 yr With a welded diff you will need Hybrid rear axles, EA81 shafts with EA82 DOJ cups, otherwise you will blow axles every time you go wheelin. I will weld up a diff for you if you come out to my place, I will even hook you up with all the EA82 DOJ cups you will need so you can build the hybrid axles -Bill
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now