Long wheelbase Brumby....

[spike]

i doubt that AP
i just would of thought if there was one in SA theyd be on here
what i want is the 6 wheel drive one =)

[RSR 555]

Go on then Paul - spill the beans on this lifted Brumby - looks great - but where are the ladders to climb in ?:mrgreen:

Sorry Giles.. not mine but would love to own but you'll need to ask "isnowi" about this one. I found this pic on the web (I was trying to find the white one with the hilux running gear)

[dfoyl]

Couple of guesses on the reason for the LWB MV:

1. Tax reasons - possible the Finnish government had higher duty on utility vehicles under a certain length
2. Safety - distance from rear bar to fuel tank might have been too close (not sure if this would also affect the wagon variant?)
3. Marketing - ability to carry a certain length product inside the tray
4. Weight distribution - suitability to the local conditions

I'd be interested to see if they were locally-modified or made ex-factory. Given the limited market volume I'd be more inclined to think it was modified locally.

[rwhitely]

Hi everyone

I'm new to this group so probably don't know all the protocols. Perhaps this question has been asked before, and answered.

I've just bought my first Subaru, a 1992 Brumby, Perth city driven with 128,000km. I've driven it home here to Geraldton and it ran well, even outrunning a Land Cruiser with boat in tow on the Indian Ocean Drive (as it turned out the Brumby was only running on 3 cylinders due to a tight tappet!). It needed some servicing and most of this has now been done.

The mechanic replaced the front CV joint boots and now the joints are noisy (they weren't before). His boss told me that once the joints are taken apart, cleaned and repacked, that this can happen as the parts may be reassembled in different position. He also told me that they may still last another 10 years, even if the constant clicking on turns and load may drive me nuts.

I'd prefer to replace them than take a risk that they may disintegrate under load (which happened to me with a VW years ago). I'm told it's cheaper to replace the entire shaft assemblies rather than recondition them.

I used to do this sort of work myself years ago (back in VW Club days) but now no longer have the tools, ramps etc. Can you tell me please:

The mechanic's boss says price of the shafts have come down in past few years and he would replace them with shortest labour time, considering the work already done. I've searched for driveshafts on the net, to find some on eBay (everythingauto2007) for $160 each plus $25 postage (made in China); and some from SunSpares Parts Plus for $200 per shaft, with freight approx $65 - $75 a pair (origin unknown but reliable as they fit them in their workshop). I can't find any original Subaru parts to compare. I have yet to ask the mechanic for his price.

What is your advice please? I'm starting to love this little red Grumbler and want to get it into best condition.

Reg

[steptoe]

it may be worth the extra to have originals (green) reco'ed. Some of the Chinese imports supplied by a reputable nation wide supplier with five year 100,000km warranty have given me repeated grief. The best ones I have had so far have been rebuilds of old ones, originals or not, not sure, So far about 98,000km (my 100,000km warranty about up ) I just got all my old shafts and joints out, made a big mess in pulling apart, visually inspecting and assembled. I am surprised at the lasting results, as I just cleaned , inspected and rebooted! Others from China have clicked or vibrated/wobbled well within the warranty, sets or individuals - keep receipts and records!
My best time per swap is about 45 minutes, expect an hour per side labour

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

About the Long Bed Brumby (or Brat or MV) ...

Does make you wonder why a limited market got these longer arse jobbies and would be interesting to have measurements of the trays length...

...the wheelbase appears the same with an extended body work. Only question is : Why bother?

...I'd be interested to see if they were locally-modified or made ex-factory. Given the limited market volume I'd be more inclined to think it was modified locally.

...as Far as I know, they were built in factory like that, because the Laws on some european countries required certain Lenght on the small truck's bed to let them be considered as "Trucks" for taxation index purposes only.

So, Legal & Taxes Reasons are behind that.



Also a similar situation happened in USA about the Dual Range transmissions on the Subaru Sedans and Wagons, specially during the Subaru GL (Third Gen Leone - a.k.a: Loyale) with the Dual Range transmissions and EA82 engine era; they were considered as "Light Duty Trucks" ... See:

So Subaru Discontinued the Dual Range for USA Only, because many countries worldwide, like Australia or here, in Latin America, still has the Option to go to a Subaru Dealer and Buy the Dual Range version on many Subaru Models, as you can see on these Latin American Subies:

Yes, even with Push Button on Legacies (Liberties)








This is How the Local (Latin American) Subaru Dealers explain the Benefits of the Dual Range on the New Subarus:

Kind Regards.