I just put new rear shocks in my 78 Brat. Man what a difference that made over the old worn out originals. Now I would like to do the front struts. I know they have not been made in a long time. Any suggestions? I have heard that ea-81 struts can be used. But doesn't parts on it need to be relocated to make it fit right? If so wouldn't you need to weld those pieces back in place. Now last time I checked these things are under pressure and I don't see how with the heat produced by a welder you could do this without destroying the strut. I suppose you might be able to if you just weld a little spot at a time and let it sit forever to fully cool. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Better yet anybody have a pair of NOS front struts for sale?

Come on! Nobody has needed front struts for their gen1?:-\

About 4 years ago I replaced the front strut inserts (shocks) on my 1978 4WD wagon. I just checked today at the parts store and they are still listed in the catalogue. They are Gabriel shocks and the part number is G44730. They suit years 6/76 to 8/80. I would assume the Brat uses the same strut. Are these no longer available new?

 

I checked Gabriel's web site and it only goes back to 1982!?! So maybe they no longer make them which would be a shame as they were gas shocks and made a nice improvement to my wagon.

kyb sells them still to

Yes, the 4WD wagon and the BRAT use the same strut. The 2WDs use a different one. Very similar, but diffrent due to the adjustable feature.

 

Todd

There are some on ebay. Check there. Sorry no link. Good luck..

Question, where did you get rear shocks from? And what brand are they?

I got KYB shocks. I got them from a yahoo store called classic garage. They were $54.95 for a pair.

I got KYB shocks. I got them from a yahoo store called classic garage. They were $54.95 for a pair.

 

Damn, thats pretty cheap, good find!!!

I got KYB shocks. I got them from a yahoo store called classic garage. They were $54.95 for a pair.

Got a link?

search classic garage on yahoo. it came up in the first few links for me.

Here is the link: http://store.classicgarage.com/subbratrears.html

search classic garage on yahoo. it came up in the first few links for me.

Tried that, didnt come up with any legitimate links, hense had to ask for a link.

 

Thanks Subieguy.

I just put new rear shocks in my 78 Brat. Man what a difference that made over the old worn out originals. Now I would like to do the front struts. I know they have not been made in a long time. Any suggestions? I have heard that ea-81 struts can be used. But doesn't parts on it need to be relocated to make it fit right? If so wouldn't you need to weld those pieces back in place. Now last time I checked these things are under pressure and I don't see how with the heat produced by a welder you could do this without destroying the strut. I suppose you might be able to if you just weld a little spot at a time and let it sit forever to fully cool. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Better yet anybody have a pair of NOS front struts for sale?

 

Rich, you saw what I did for struts on the old brat I had right? that wasnt too bad to do... actually, I just have them sitting in storage right now if you needed to get inspired by them

 

-Mike

Anybody got a link as to where I can purchase some new front struts at?

The front strut inserts are on that classic car website too: http://store.classicgarage.com/gl1.html

 

Although ill probably just take those part numbers and order them from somewhere else...

So are the original front struts rebuildable? I noticed on the top of the strut it almost looks like a big nut holding it together. I have one with the spring off it and that was just my impression. If not where do I find a strut with the part that the spring mounts on?