BRAT XL!

11 minute(s) of a 22 minute read

And then came the wiring - the wiring, oh the horror of it all!  I did not even know the names of all the sensors that were on that Chevy motor!  What to keep, what to delete.  And the modern Chevy computer stuff - everything is intertwined with everything - It made me crazy, I withdrew, became a loner, started understanding the Colonel in the movie Apocalypse Now! 

I sent the ECM out to be reprogrammed.  Only deleted the EGR and rear O2s - kept everything else because this was going to be a all-year daily driver, so it needed to care for itself!  I even kept the resonnator box on the intake. I was in a very steep learning curve, spending all my free time learn to speak GM.  Just before I went over the deep end I ordered stand alone wiring from Painless Wiring - I bought the long harness that cleaned up under the hood and let me put the ECM under the driver's seat.  You can see how much the Painless harness reduces the wiring!  I also ordered a 21 circuit wiring harness for under the dash/hood (wipers, headlights, etc). The engine wiring is 21st century - everything else same as 1950's! Even the chrome steering column is for a 50's Chevy!

Then came the inside - I had no interior.  Looked around and it's pretty rare, local people wanted up to $700 each just to fabricate door panels, so I decided to make my own.  I found two decent Brat upper door panels, got some fiberboard from Home Depot and cut out lower panels and glued on some cross sewn pleather and made some decent door panels.  

I have always liked the 32 Ford style dash you see in magazine hot rod projects - so why not use that in my own project?  I bought a fiberglass dash front on ebay for $99 shipped, but it was too narrow even for a Brat and was only a face.  So, using sophisticated engineering tools (ink pen and scrap paper), I drew out what I wanted the dash to be.  After pondering it a bit on a shop bucket - I cut up an old camper shell for the panels to make it happen (I've built and/or restored a few boats so fiberglass is no mystery).   

It was a tough fit to get everything under the dash!  I wanted touch screen NAV, back-up camera, rocker switches,  a phone charger,  six gauges,  Jeep headlight and wiper switches, trailer brakes, real A/C and Heater, and manual front axle,  - bah, that only took a few more weeks to figure out!

Then for once I got real, real, lucky - on a whim I called the local glass company.  They said for $319 installed I could get a new Brat windshield and gasket - they knew of only one in the country - if I acted now it was mine!  I also came across nearly new Tee Tops from a Brat that was wrecked when new - for only $250 shipped.  When the time came, I could not stay in the shop and watch when the guy was slapping the windshield to seat the corners. I broke a FLAT CJ-5 windshield a couple years ago doing the same thing, a simple flat windshield!  Who knew one day I would be hiding outside freaking out while getting glass put in my old junky Brat "rat rod".  

Then the day finally came when I turned the key - and for the first time in many, many, years Red Brat (now White Brat) came to life!  I was stunned when she roared to life - it sounded good!  It sounded like the muscle cars I used to hear back in the day - that solid V8 growl!  I'm not ashamed to say there was a tear of relief in my eyes - I can do this!  Never have I done anything even remotely as difficult or complicated as this little Subaru Brat bought on a whim out of a farmer's field.  

I drove it in the yard 100 feet to the ditch where I photographed the finished black Brat a couple years earlier and took a photo. Some of the gauges didn't work - fixed that.  Cooling fans didn't come on right - fixed that. Not charging - switched to single wire alternator - fixed that.  Bled brakes 25 or 30 times so the felt right. After a couple of weeks getting tags, registration, insurance (1982 Brat) it was time for the first road trip.  I made it 10 miles out and back to the nearest gas station, but it would not shift properly - it limped home in 2nd gear - I was happy that it was under it's on power and not the tow of shame!.

I found out later the transmission had the wrong servos - it was burned up in ten miles - that quick, trashed!  $800 cash and a trip to Hot Springs got me a 4l60e built by a sympathetic speed shop.  A weekend later, I confirmed you can pull the trans on my frankenbrat just as if it was a Blazer. 

 Back on the road and this time I had a little truck I could drive!  It went from 72hp to 300hp so it is "peppy".  I converted the NP236 transfer case to manual shift and the front axle is manual shift - so she is still a 4x4 Brat.  Under way it reminds me of driving a V8 CJ5 if you have ever had that experience - quick response - quick turns - only it has the highway speed capability of a Chevy Blazer.  It was so much pain to do this, soooo much fun!  I call it BRAT XL.  Here she is!

9/21/2020 trust in the build is growing - we went on 180 mile round trip to Mountain View to see the White River - maybe next time I will pull the trout boat!

You can do this!  One baby step at a time!

10/3/2020

I put the Brat in a Car Show to raise funds for veterans - it was well received!

Although this is now my daily driver it is still fun to go on weekend rides.  We went to the top of Petite Jean Mountain, AR.

And we drove to Arkansas' Natural Bridge...

And then I parked it for several long days while I swapped out the 15" Chevy wheels for 18" Jeep wheels and new 255/55R18 tires!

10/22/2020

Luckily when I made the spare holder I made it oversize - the 18"s fit!

The lower profile tires improve handling - if you did not know better you would think you were driving a "normal" small truck.

Larry

Oh, almost forgot....what happened to Blue Brat?  I think with a good parts Brat...some duct tape and a donor Corvette....

Some people asked what about the two gallons of army tank pant?  Well some went on the cargo trailer I built from a boat trailer - and some went on G-Van (Government Van) - a retired Post Office van I bought at auction and repainted.  Oddly enough it was bought by a lady from Texarkana to use on her rural mail route!

 Take car y'all!