Bought a Brat yesterday...

[Matt Monson]

Got yet another project to add to teh Ghetto Garage. It's a '79 Brat, which will be my off-road project. Pictures to follow once I pick up the car in a week or so...

[Legacy777]

nice!

I remember riding around in the back of one while in high school. A buddy had one, and we'd go around and torment the middle schoolers

[Matt Monson]

my experience in one was actually in 1979 as a little kid. The local VW dealership was also the Subaru dealer in town. Our '79 rabbit was in for some service and that was our loaner vehicle. My little brother and I sat in the back on the drive home pretending that the handles by the seats were joysticks and played at "shooting" the cars behind us on the freeway. I hope to someday offer the same fun to my childrens...

[AWD_addict]

Paint an American flag on it like the Brat in "My Name is Earl."

[Matt Monson]

Screw that. I want to paint it like the USSA version from 1983. The car started it's life out white, so going with that ski association paint job isn't too far off, though it may look a littl funny with a lift kit and rollbars...

[555BCTurbo]

Do it!!

The ski team editions are so badass!

[entirelyturbo]

OMG Matt, pics please!!

Welcome to the world of Gen1 Subarus. Take everything you find dear about newer Subarus and throw them out the window

So much stuff is completely different.

[Bheinen74]

<-------votes for STi swap.....

[entirelyturbo]

<-------votes for STi swap.....

This statement makes baby Jesus cry

[Matt Monson]

<-------votes for STi swap.....

This statement makes baby Jesus cry

Glad I am not alone in that feeling. The car will be getting an Ej engine swap, but just an Ej22 or at the most and Ej25 with Ej22 heads. There's way too much involved in getting the DOHC engines to fit, let alone the turbo plumbing as well. And it's such a light vehicle and I intend to play with it in the dirt, so something with a wide torquey powerband will be the desired solution.

[entirelyturbo]

Personally, I wouldn't even do an EJ swap. I'm keeping my EA71 in my 79.

I know it has 65hp, and I know I don't have to explain this stuff to you of all people Matt , but they're unbelievably tough engines, and need virtually no maintenance besides basic tune-ups (the pushrod motors have the cam driven directly by the crank, so there's no timing belt).

[TheSubaruJunkie]

I'd really like to see how you plan on squeezing a EJ into that tiny engine bay.

-Brian

[206er]

angle grinder, welder, and some 3/16 plate.
If youre seriously putting one in matt, Ill help you out with any cutting/welding that has to happen, if its actually needed.

[entirelyturbo]

Brian does have a point. My 79's frame rails are a fair bit narrower than my other two cars.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

I still wanna see pix of this. Measure your strut tower distance and make sure you wont need to do any extesive modifications in that area. So far, i dont think ive ever seen an EJ in a 1st gen Subaru, and im sure there's a reason for that.

Also, you have to think about the transmission, and the suspension you plan on running. Converting to a 5lug will be necessary in order to upgrade your brakes, and find suspension that will fit, the stock suspension wont support the wieght of a EJ22. Gen1 suspension is different than any Gen2 or Gen3 subaru.

-Brian

[The Scooby]

my experience in one was actually in 1979 as a little kid. The local VW dealership was also the Subaru dealer in town. Our '79 rabbit was in for some service and that was our loaner vehicle. My little brother and I sat in the back on the drive home pretending that the handles by the seats were joysticks and played at "shooting" the cars behind us on the freeway. I hope to someday offer the same fun to my childrens...

extremely funny you just said that, my grandfather had a 79 brat, hightop camper, jump seats and all. and my brother and i did the same thing acting as if we where shooting the cars. he just sold it a few years back and ive been searching for one for a dailydriver ever since, he still has the camper and seats out of it that he is keeping for me.

if i find one i will swap in the EA82T into it as well as the 5sp, convert to 5lug and lower it slightly for a nice DD.

[Yukonart]

I'd really like to see how you plan on squeezing a EJ into that tiny engine bay.

-Brian

You don't remember that Brat at WCSS8, Brian!?!?!?!?

[TheSubaruJunkie]

There were no Gen1 brats at WCSS8 Art. The Brat that had a EJ20T was a 1986 Gen2, and that was a remarkable vehicle.

The Gen1 Brats are alot more narrow than Gen2's.

-Brian

[206er]

so gen 1=ea71 right, when does that change over to ea81 and are all gen 2 brats ea81? are the single round front ends gen 1 or just the dual round?
do ea71 trans share the same bolt pattern and input shaft length as an ea81 ie a regular ea-ej adapter will work with the ea71?

[entirelyturbo]

The GenI's essentially started with the FF1/Star (the 360's were before that) ~1970ish. They were an 1100cc engine, called the EA61, the first of the EA series cars.

There were 1300s and 1400s through the mid-70's, the EA62 and EA63 respectively, and then I think the EA71, the 1600 engine, came out in 1976, maybe 1975, but I'm not sure. The Brat came out in late 1977 I think, as there was a Stage I 1977 with the 1976 body style, then the Stage II's had the same body style as Matt's Brat and my 79. In 1980, the GenII debuted for everything except the Brat, which stayed GenI through 1981, although having a GenII EA81 in 80 and 81.

There is a lot of stuff different in the GenI stuff. For instance, the starter and clutch fork are opposite locations, as the starter is on TOP of the bellhousing and the clutch fork is off to the left. That alone makes swapping between EA71 and EA81/82 engines and transmissions difficult. EJ's, forget it. The electrical stuff is way different, and get this: As best I know, GenI's all had exhausts that exit on the RIGHT.

All this is to the best of my knowledge, I've only been learning GenI stuff since becoming a GenI owner, so I could be wrong on some stuff.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Gen1 is pretty much anything with a EA71 in it, produced before 1980. 1980 brats and 1981 Brats are still considered Gen1 because they share the same body style of all '70s subarus.

Gen2 brats were introduced in 1982, some still with EA71 but with a new body style. The body style is shared with every 1980 to 1984 Subaru and are considered Gen2. Gen3 would be the EA82 series cars produced from 1985 until 1990.

There are two types of EA71. One type bolts to any EA81 tranny, and the earlier type do not. You can identify yours by locating the starter. If your starter is mounted directly in the center of the bellhousing then your engine will not bolt to a EA81 transmission (dual range 4WD). If the starter is mounted on the drivers side of the transmission then your able to use a EA81 Transmission.

The EA81 transmission will not hold the power of a EJ22. If you are doing a EJ22 swap, you will need the tranny and suspension.

You will be able to install a EA81 & dual range tranny, but you will need to slightly modify your transmission mounts and possibly your engine mounts. Your original CV joints will have no problem adapting to the EA81 transmission.

-Brian

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Also to clarify even further:

EA71 = 1600cc
EA81 = 1800cc

1980 & 1981 Brats came with EA81 & Dual Range 4WD.

1982 thru 1983 DL models came with 1600 and single range 4WD. 1984+ all came with 1800 and 4WD.

Rare occasions they put auto's in the Brat. EVERY Turbo Brat is Auto but only produced in 1983 and 1984.

-Brian

[Yukonart]

There were no Gen1 brats at WCSS8 Art. The Brat that had a EJ20T was a 1986 Gen2, and that was a remarkable vehicle.

The Gen1 Brats are alot more narrow than Gen2's.

-Brian

Ah, very good point! I keep forgetting there IS a noticable size difference between the two.

[206er]

The EA81 transmission will not hold the power of a EJ22. If you are doing a EJ22 swap, you will need the tranny and suspension.

it was my understanding that there are several people running ej22's on ea81 transmissions? ie austins yellow wagon? he put that thing through hell...

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Austin isnt several people. I he may have run with the 4spd, im not 100% sure. But everyone I know of that has done the swap use legacy transmissions, or the 5spd from a EA82.

-Brian