Matt Smith and I went to the pull a part today to go look for some new parts for my brat. Sadly, the legacy wagons they had were pretty picked over, and there was only 3 subaru in the whole junk yard. I guess that is a good sign, compared to the plethora of fords and GM vehicles. I really do love the 80's Subaru, its like they couldn't have built anything better. Take for example, the XT, XT Turbo and XT6. One of the most aerodynamic cars of all time.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Jump Seats & Tune up
I put in new plugs and wires in the Brat. I love NGK products, and Japanese made things love NGK. 
Also of note, Brat plugs are almost identical to most moped plugs. It really is a big moped. So my jump seats where not installed when I got the brat. Apparently they are welded in from the factory, and the head rests are bolted to the back of the cab, independent of the seats. I wanted to be able to pull the seats in and out easily, and after thinking about some quick release pins, I decided that bolts down would be best so they could pull out and leave everything flush. I drilled the frame and the bed, then welded two nuts onto a piece of flat steel, so that they wouldn't pull through the bed, which is kind of on the thin side. 
I also attached the head rests to the seat brackets, so they come out with the seats at the same time. 
The flat steel gets tack welded to the bottom of the bed, so one guy can turn the bolts in and out easily. The seats are in and look great.
I need to get some seat belts in there now, I think I might go for airplane style quick release latches.
I didn't realize how many people know about Subaru Brat. I keep getting thumbs up and "that's my dream car" from people. That's right. I'm living the dream.
Also of note, Brat plugs are almost identical to most moped plugs. It really is a big moped. So my jump seats where not installed when I got the brat. Apparently they are welded in from the factory, and the head rests are bolted to the back of the cab, independent of the seats. I wanted to be able to pull the seats in and out easily, and after thinking about some quick release pins, I decided that bolts down would be best so they could pull out and leave everything flush. I drilled the frame and the bed, then welded two nuts onto a piece of flat steel, so that they wouldn't pull through the bed, which is kind of on the thin side. 
I also attached the head rests to the seat brackets, so they come out with the seats at the same time. 
The flat steel gets tack welded to the bottom of the bed, so one guy can turn the bolts in and out easily. The seats are in and look great.
I need to get some seat belts in there now, I think I might go for airplane style quick release latches. I didn't realize how many people know about Subaru Brat. I keep getting thumbs up and "that's my dream car" from people. That's right. I'm living the dream.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
1982 Subaru Brat GL
Greetings Subaru Brat fans. Welcome to my blog devoted to my 1982 Subaru Brat. If you've found this page, you must be somewhat aware of how wonderful this vehicle is. It's a car, it's a truck, it's a brat! The most thoughtfully designed car of the 80's, the Subaru Brat is a great example of why Japan is awesome. It had the highest rating for fuel economy of any 4x4 ever sold in America at the time of it's introduction, but faced an overwhelming tariff on imported trucks. Creative thinkers thus installed jump seats into the bed making it a passenger vehicle and beat the letter of the law, and in doing so, multiplied it's awesomeness by 2.3, and still kept it's price in the value category of cars. I realized I needed a Brat, so I searched far and wide for months to find this beauty.
A rust free Arizona Brat caught my attention and after some persistence with a less than reluctant seller for an out of state buyer, I got a ticket and bought the car. I spent the next 3 days driving from Tempe AZ
up through California
all the way back to Seattle. 
As this blog serves it purpose, it will chronicle the transformation of the Brat in it's current state to one of jaw dropping utility and comfort. While the exterior and drive train are in exceptional shape, it is a 30 year old car and in need of attention. The interior got baked pretty good and the seats need some recovering. I'll take pictures of the work that I'm doing and plop them in here and try to write funny things to go along with them.
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