This is my 1982 DL-5 Brat. It is a cumulation of 8 years of building followed by tearing apart, and more of this procession.
Currently it consists of 7 inches of lift. An ER27, 2.7L MPFI Horizontally Opposed 6 cylinder. The heads have had a mild polish and gasket matched porting. The exhaust is a custom bult headers the flow from the quad 2" ports to dual 2" pipes into a single 3" pipe that runs through a glasspack to just behind the doors. I opted for a larger single exhaust because it was simpler to plumb and easier to tuck out of the way of trail obstacles. The motor then feeds into a 5 speed dual range transmission out of an 87 that replaced the 4 speed dual range that had replaced the stock single range 4 speed. This then goes into a divorced Nissan transfer case out of an 83 720, and finally out to the hitachi R160 3.90 differentials. The front diff is now an externally mounted rear differential that sits under the transaxles diff. The suspension and drivetrain all ride on a custom built frame that keeps the power of the upgraded powerplant and drivetrain off the unibody. The rear shocke have been replaced with coilover shocks from and 87 4WD wagon. Axles are hand built, the cups have been ringed for re-enforcement. (But I still keep blowing them up). Brakes are non-vented disks in the front, and the rear drums have been replaced with non-vented disks from and 87 Turbo wagon. Front end has been redone, it now consists of the front bumper, radiator supports and headlight supports being one piece that pulls off the front of the truck to make ease of the work on the motor. The body has had 17 inches pulled off the bed to make the angle of departure much better.
The interior has had quite a bit of work done too. The carpet and carpet pad have been replaced with a rubber backed nylon carpet that can handle getting wet and dirty. The seats are out of an 88 GL-10 Subaru. The dash has had a tachometer and electronic oil pressure guage added to the rudimentary set of guages that came in it stock. A toggle panel has been added for the various controls needed (ign, fuel pump, computer, fan, forward lights, backup lights). The stereo is a Pioneer DEH-P4600MP head unit. I liked the MP3 function of it, so I don't have to worry about carrying disks with me that can get messed up, just one in the player. Speakers include a set of Pioneer TS-X150's , and Pioneer TS-A6961R's in custom boxes. CB is a roof mounted Uniden PRO510XL with an external Pioneer TS-G4640R mounted in the dash.
