I have read numerous threads but just need the straight talk. I have an EA 81 from my 85 Brat that has a broken crank. I have not had the time to open it up and see what happened but I do know when I bought it, the crank pulley was sitting in a "funny" position as if it broke not far behind the pulley. I am afraid of what I will find when I split it so I am trying to find another engine to use for parts or rebuilding it. I know that you dont usually need to build the bottom end but I would like to go through it and have a brand new motor for my Brat. My Brat has another motor in it (solid lifter) but I want the new one to replace it just as I pull the old one. I have a bad habit of taking too long to finish projects and cannot afford the shop space for this project. I found a motor and the guy says it came from a Brat but does not know the engines year. It is 646941 serial number but does not have the sticker on the valve covers.

 

My question is this, can I buy this motor and put my new hydraulic lifter heads on it even if it is a solid lifter motor? There are not a lot of EA 81 motors close to me and when one pops up with all parts including a radiator and shrouds for 200 bucks, I may have to grab it. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

If it has solid lifters, it needs to stay that way. i dont think they have the oil ports for a hydraulic lifter to operate. a buddy of mine tried it and he might as well have taken the lifters out. however if you swap the rocker arms out, the heads should fit right up

So as long as my heads are okay on my 85 engine, the short block does not really matter? I just want to make sure so I don't starve something of lubrication. Thanks for your help.