1985 Subaru Other

GL Pickup truck

Manual

Clear

Gasoline

I spent 7 years building the most road worthy yet trail capable Subaru Brat I know of. It's got a gentle 4 inch front and 3 inch rear lift so that it's still retaining it's stock suspension geometry, meaning unlike more extreme modified off-road capable Subaru's, the CV axles ARE NOT hyper extended leading to premature wear, it DOES NOT cause abnormal wear to tires on the street due to positive camber that plagues many other lifted Subarus, nor is it excessively heavy over stock weight. (I estimate only an additional 300 - 400 lbs) This allows you to use trails normally excluded to ATV's only in most areas because of the narrow wheel base and light weight compared to other vehicles like Toyota PU's and such. With 13 inches clearance at the bottom of the rear differential, and 11 1/2 inches at the skid plate that protects the exhaust headers and oil pan from damage, there isn't much that slows it down. And with the ITP Terra Cross HD side by side ATV tires, it has incredible grip, just short of a true rock crawler with bead lockers. It still has the stock EA-81 push-rod engine (no timing belt ever to change!!) and it is as strong as ever! All cylinders read 185 LBS+ and are with-in 2-3 LBS of each other. Modified for power, the DGV 32/36 Weber carburetor is still very easy on gas, I have had 32 MPG on long trips thanks to proper tuning of the carb and a home built "condensator" filter on the PCV return line allowing any small amounts of un-burned fuel that slip past the rings to be re-burned when routed back to the intake, but minus any impurities. This engine DOES NOT BURN OIL however, like many Subarus of it's vintage, the head covers tend to seep a little oil, nothing major maybe 1/2 a quart needed at oil change. This is no garage queen, yet it has been used mainly as a daily driver. I used it on the highway going to and from Hamilton Montana to Missoula most of the time, and going hunting with a little off-roading (mainly over-grown logging roads, not serious off-road) sprinkled in. I loved this brat too much to hammer it off-road, and it shows. I never did more than minor to moderate off-roading mainly because I'm not very experienced at 4x4'n and I wanted to keep this brat as nice as when I bought it. I once had a mechanic friend comment "that is the nicest stock brat I have ever seen!" and yes, then I modified it to go off-road since that was my goal at the time. I bought this 85 Brat stone stock with 80,000 miles original with just the seats replaced by newer great condition (they are still in excellent condition today, pictures on request) bucket seats from a Toyota I believe. I have the original seats, head rests, seat belts and welded in rack for the rear jump seats. The rack has been modified to accept bolts so it can be removed (I bought it with the rack already cut out of the bed). I got this brat from a technician at Four Seasons Subaru in Missoula Montana, and he was the second owner, it was originally owned by the owner of another Subaru dealer, and babied all it's life. Still has original carpet that is in good shape, this car has been a daily driver 99% of it's life, and I only took it out occasionally on minor off-road excursions (I must admit I was too worried about damaging my very nice brat, so I never beat it up) and always climbed obstacles at low speeds rather than some who use speed to slam their way through. The pictures seen are from the Wild Bill ORV park in Montana where I was able to cross the gate-keeper of this " 7 " rated moderate jeep rock climbing trail, but I wasn't confident enough to try 70% of the rock obstacles, so I never bashed it around trying. I am selling for two main reasons: 1 ) I rarely took it off-road. 2) I have been doing as much commuting on a bicycle for health reasons as possible, and it's just not getting used much, so I'd rather someone who appreciates it and has the health enough to enjoy it. Here are the big ticket items: New Heavy Duty Rhino Pack Subaru XT-6 Clutch (fly-wheel turned to XT-6 specs to accept larger clutch pack) ,New Struts all around, New Les Schwab Federal All Season Radials (with warranty) 185/65R - 14 (Hubs have been drilled for 6 X 5.5 inch Nissan/Toyota Rims) Tires 2 years old, less than 3000 Miles (it's been sitting a lot due to my illness) and a spare Allied Type 80 White Spoke RWD Wheel with same tire bought at Schwab at the same time. New re-manufactured Distributor (re-manded to FACTORY SPECS with ALL NEW electronics and bearings for $189.00). Weber 32/36 DGV Carburetor (comes with a HP Books' Weber Carburetor color photo'd book) Professionally rebuilt and tuned DGV 32/36 carburetor. ( I have 20+ years building and tuning carburetors) New Ignition Coil, Plug wires, and spark plugs 3 years ago. This brat has the Two "Tee-Tops" or Fun Tops (one over driver other over passenger) as Subaru calls them with seals in great shape, no leakage at all (air or water) I also have a spare set of tee-tops in case one should be broken. The roll bar you see in the pictures is an original Subaru roll bar, and it's not decorative, it's a stout bar designed to do the job of protecting the cab from a dangerous roll-over. Off - Road and other modifications: With the lift kit, a Dual Range 5 speed and Limited Slip Rear Differential from an 87 GL-10 wagon was installed. Stock, this brat had the normal 4 speed D/R transmission. (high and low selection for gearing) Another unusual feature is that my A/C pump and lines are still in service, many subaru brat lift kits require the removal of the A/C pump. A/C works, just needs a re-charge. Custom built one piece Exhaust system designed to hug the bottom of the body for protection from rocks. Professionally built and installed by manufacturer Mud Rat 3 inch lift kit (Consists of blocks and towers between Front and rear suspension, engine and transmission and Uni-body) Later 4 inch front strut lift replacing front 3inch strut tower lift blocks (included in sale) custom machined out of combine axles by a friend with tolerances so tight, I had to sand the new strut bodies to allow them to fit into the blocks that are attached to the steering knuckle. Drilled Hubs to accept standard 6 x 5.5 inch lug Nissan wheels (Toyota's work too, it's the off-set that makes them ideal). Custom built 1 1/2 inch roll bar grade rock guard with attached skid plate (protects oil pan & exhaust headers) built by local Montana speed shop. This thing is indestructible, I have rested the weight of the entire brat on it and never had a problem, it is attached at the front deer guard/bumper (custom stick welded 4 inch steel "C" channel that is also attached to the main bumper mounts on the uni-body) and has never let my headers or oil pan get poked by a rock, and it has taken a couple hits leaving a dent into the skid plate, but no real damage. Custom built Snorkel from ABS pipe and other odds and ends from hardware stores, it has taken a beating on over-grown logging roads and never suffered any damage. Snorkel is mainly to keep the dust down low from being drawn into the intake on dirt and gravel roads, however I also have a switch to disable the electric fan motor to protect the radiator from a warping fan blade chopping up the radiator in the water. I have never done a river crossing, but short of a rubber boot around the distributor and a breather hose for the rear differential, it's ready for water up to the bottom of the windows. Sealed Beam 100W Hella lights (duplicate size of stock high-beam lights) are on a separate circuit with a shielded switch along with lights on the roll-bar for amazing lighting up the night. To power these lights and the wench is a 96 Amp GM alternator and dual battery system set-up like an RV with a separate solenoid switch isolating it from the main battery, so one can either use both batts at the same time to power everything, or keep one in reserve in-case the main battery gets too low. Last year, my rust free Montana vehicle (It's currently in Oregon City, Oregon near Portland) started to get a little surface rust that bothered me, so I got some POR 15 and sandblasted off the rust, and put the POR 15 on the metal to protect it. (This is the same treatment bridges subjected to sea water get and have stayed rust free for decades in the Puget Sound near Seattle) This has been done to the bed and entire uni-body of the brat to prevent rust coming back. There are small holes in the bed in the usual places, but no major structural rust spots, and no rust holes bigger than 1 - 2 inches, I count 3 in the bed. Pictures available on request. ITP Terra Cross T/P 26 X 9 R14 6 Ply Rated ATV tires on separate rims for off-road. I would simply switch from my road tires to my ATV tires once I reached the trail (The ATV tires are NOT highway rated, they will over-heat and fail if used on the highway at speed) These tires are rated at 900 lbs capacity each, totaling 3200 lbs. This vehicle stock is about 2600 lbs, I estimate that I have added about 300 lbs in mods, so well under the designed limits. (I purchased these tires after discussing their use on this vehicle with the ITP factory rep who ok'd their use in this application) I have used these tires at specified pressure ( 3- 5 lbs) at speeds over 45 MPH off-road on quarry rock roads and in the snow with no problems, amazing grip! I have WELL over 8,000 invested, and I'm not counting the countless hours I spent fabricating and testing different tires and building different versions of things like Snorkels until I had it just the way I wanted it. I have had this vehicle inspected to be road worth by a local Subaru Shop (Mountain Tech Subaru) feel free to call them, this car is ready to be driven home! I'm sure I am forgetting to include something, feel free to ask questions! Here is a link to additional pictures: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2289861/1 I reserve the right to end this auction at any time for local trade/sale unless minimum bid is met and qualified buyer has made payment in 3 business days from end of auction. Thanks and happy bidding! On Aug-14-10 at 11:51:33 PDT, seller added the following information:Feel Free to call with any questions. Dayn (503)723-5698 Thanks!