carfreak85 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I got into the vintage Subaru game about 14 years ago. The idea was to find a cheap 4WD car that could get me up to the ski slopes and maybe some light off-roading. One day I stumbled across the USMB and it was as if Pandora's box had opened and I dove head first into Subarudom. I came across McBrat's old "Subarus of the 80's" webpage and the moment my eyes locked onto the Fun Wheels BRAT go kart, I knew that one day I would own one, if I could ever find one. So I started searching. They would pop up every now and again; "BRAT Kart body for sale," "BRAT kart, no engine," "I have this neat fiberglass BRAT kart body, but it's been cut up into pieces, FOR SALE OBO." And so it went... Most of those karts that did come up for sale were stupid expensive, or were on the East coast. And so with a heavy heart I pushed the BRAT kart dream to the back burner, where it would simmer for years. Fast forward to last week and I find not one, BUT TWO brat karts for sale, and one of them was in Washington state! The description said that it ran and drove, but needed some work. The only two photos in the auction showed what looked to be a pretty well preserved barn find of a kart! After a brief email exchange with the seller, it was clear that this was going to be my kart. A few days later the auction was over and I was the proud new owner of the kart. When I took delivery of the kart the seller informed me that he had been contacted by a local scrap dealer. She told the seller about a running BRAT that she had for sale and he agreed to buy it from her, thinking it was a full-size BRAT and not a kart. After I took possession of the kart and had a chance to look it over I was impressed with how well cared for the kart looked. Some spider cracks in the gel coat, a few small cracks in the fiberglass body. Somebody used the original seat as a step and broke it, but I still have the shell. The kart is powered by a Briggs & Stratton Model 90702 3 hp engine that doesn't appear to be original (build date is 02/23/1987). The only thing I can tell that was missing were a few of the body-mounting bolts. I cleaned and lubed the drive chain, rewound the starting rope, replaced the body hardware and lubed up all the bearings and cables. Despite having horribly cracked tires and a piece of wood for a temporary seat, this thing is a blast! Easily my finest Subaru purchase to date! More to come as I get to know this kart better! Photos once I figure out why I can't copy/paste anymore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBrat Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Yellow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 Yes, yellow gel coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Now go to coscto and procure a proper power source for that sucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 I saw those mowers and the matching pressure washers too! Pretty neat, but not $400 neat. I wonder what the bare engine goes for... As it sits the thing starts and drives, so until something fails I'll try to put as little money into it as I can. Tires will probably be the first thing on that list, along with a new seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Mine is hanging up in the garage rafters, the goal is to get it painted to match the 82 and then drop it on a shifter kart. Just need to find the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Pics! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 I recently had the wheels sand blasted and powder coated, installed new innertubes and sawtooth tires, but one of the tubes has a pinhole leak. Follow along on Instagram @templeoffuji. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Without pics I’m guessing this is a go kart with a clown car sized body on it? Were these a marketing tool, comp kart or just a novelty item back in the day? Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 They were a marketing tool for the BRAT when it was launched. Could win one in a raffle and eventually I think you could buy them. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 That’s awesome! We didn’t get anything like that over here AFAIK. Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrizzlyFox Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 I've always wanted one too. Very cool little rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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