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Post by centralvalleygter on Dec 3, 2010 22:21:46 GMT -5
Scott, I know that sometimes when things go wrong, you just have to let off steam. Electrical isn't an issue for me (I rewired mine from scratch, making my own schematic, but electrical comes easy for me), but small mechanical details drive me crazy. I've tried several ways to make a better door system and other things and have come away frustrated too! But, when we get it figured out the sense of satisfaction will be more!
One thing that makes fiberglass kit cars harder to wire is the grounding issue. Since you have no massive convenient common ground body, you have to run extra wires for grounding, thus it is easy to get a "floating" reverse-current circuit completion. Sometimes one well placed diode will solve all the funny little cross circuiting issues. Hang in there, you'll win the battle. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Dec 2, 2010 15:40:17 GMT -5
Allen, thanks for the kind words. While I can claim credit for the wing edging. The original plane was an ARF (Almost Ready-to Fly), so the graphic design was by the mfg. However, with the extensive reworking I've done, I did have to recreate the graphics/trim. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Dec 2, 2010 15:37:16 GMT -5
So Kyle, Good job, getting the simpler domain name to go to this site. Did we end up losing all the posts from the old site in the process of redirecting the address to this site? Or, is it still on a file server somewhere in hopes that we'll someday get the access info, or be able to hack into it and make a reference data base out of the old posts? Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Nov 23, 2010 15:37:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the sympathy. I should have torqued the heads while I was cleaning it up. Camp did go well. And yes a picture of me on the side of the road was taken as the bus went by and ended up on facebook along with a story.
My brother is presently rebuilding the big engine, getting line bored and other machine work done now. Goal is to have the van running again by mid December. Warmest,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Nov 12, 2010 21:13:22 GMT -5
Some of you have been following my bus restoration. As stated I had not done anything with the engine except a little clean up and painting. Our high school has an annual retreat to some camp each year. This year we were going to one about 3.5 hours away. I've been itching to take the van on a trip, so I volunteered to haul the sound equipment in the van (I was staying to act as a counselor anyway). The bus had been doing great for about 3 hours, cruzin' at about 65, temperature staying below 200 degrees. Unfortunately, about that time there was a twenty or so mile stretch uphill with no shoulder. It wasn't real steep, speed limit still about 55mph, but definitely a climb. I could see the temperature rising steadily, but there was no place to pull over. It got over 300 degrees and I could tell I was loosing power. Finally turned onto a road with a shoulder, but it was downhill for a while so I thought I'd keep it in forth and let it cool, since it wouldn't be working hard. It was starting to cool down when the "generator" light came on. If you know anything about ACVW's, you know that when that light comes on you got more than a 50% chance that you threw a belt (& thus no cooling). I pulled over quickly, ran to the back and checked sure enough- belt off, ran back to the front & shut it off. I had my tools and a spare belt, so I replaced it hoping it would start again. Unfortunately, NO JOY, just turned over like no compression. Had quite an adventure getting it towed, and then home after the retreat, but that would make the story even longer. Did the autopsy. Turns out that the head bolts had loosened, allowing the cylinders to move & beat the heads (both sides) to the point that the air could go over the top of the cylinders. Also there was scaring due to excessive heat on the pistons & cylinders. Minimum rebuild cost of about $850 (in parts & machining only). Rather than rebuild, my brother is offering me a 2200+cc motor 2for a great price. Originally set up to be a 300+HP fuel injected turbo motor. I'm going to put the stock carb and dual-port manifold on it (for now) with obviously bigger jets. With the limiting carb I will likely only get about 100hp (but gobs of torque). However, with a bottom end designed for 300+HP, it should be as dependable as all get out. Gotta admit, it is tempting to buy appropriate carbs and put the big motor in the Bradley & put my 1641 in the bus. Maybe some day, but not today. Unfortunately, it means refurbishing the outside of the bus will have to be put off even more. C'est la vie! Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Nov 5, 2010 10:21:39 GMT -5
I changed from all drum to front disc twice (BAHA & BRADLEY), and had no notable difference in pedal travel at all in either install (after proper line bleeding, of course). Who knows maybe there are devices for both what I said and what jsbtown brought up. Regards...
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Post by centralvalleygter on Nov 5, 2010 1:41:51 GMT -5
I have front disc brakes with drums in the rear. I do not have any device on any of the lines and use a standard master cylinder. It works fine, with the only issue being that the disc brakes lock-up much quicker than the rear brakes. My understanding is that they put devices on the brake lines (or use special master cylinders) that help control how much pressure goes to the front and rear separately, so that it balances out the braking and they work more in unison. Hope this sheds some light on the situation. Regards
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Post by centralvalleygter on Oct 20, 2010 11:48:12 GMT -5
I have found that different offices of the DMV have different attitudes with respect to being helpful. I have never had good luck with the office in the county where I live (seems their goal is to throw up as many road blocks as possible), so I go to the one in the next county over - whole different attitude, they do their best to help me accomplish what i want/need. Moral - don't accept the answer you get at a particular office, try another. Regards....
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Post by centralvalleygter on Oct 18, 2010 13:33:02 GMT -5
FYI, In California because the Bradley does not resemble in any way the donor vehicle, it must be registered as a "specially constructed vehicle". The only real problem is that it is considered to be the year model that you first put it on the road and must be smogged every other year to meet the requirements of the engine year. There is an out (a way to allow you to register the vehicle as the default year 1961 under SB100 process, which has no smog requirements), but I won't go into it here unless someone in California is needing to register their vehicle. Regards...
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Post by centralvalleygter on Oct 12, 2010 21:31:39 GMT -5
Well, rebuilt my Tequilla Sunrise. Added 6" additional wingspan (now about 42"), 1/2" additional chord depth and about 3/8" thickness to airfoil x-section. Did the maiden flight today, still a handful, but at least I got it up and down in one piece (a first for this particular plane - 3 tries before noted modifications). Also put K&B Sportster .20 with Perry carb on it. Gonna play with CG & throws to mild it out a bit. Below are some pics as it is now. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Oct 11, 2010 1:40:08 GMT -5
Hi Scott, Welcome to the board. Any glass shop can get you (and install, if you want) the windshield from the 64-67 Corvette coupe you need. Seats can be difficult because they must be only about 19" at the base, most are 20"-22". From time to time members will sell the stock fiberglass bucket seats. The following link has info about an aftermarket seat that works: bradleygt.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=366&page=1All the chassie and engine stuff is air cooled VW, which makes parts easy to get and fairly economical (which JC Whitney does have a lot of). The guy who originally made the doors and rear windows for Bradley is again fabricating and selling them. Use the search feature on this board and you can find most information you need. Just change days to something much more than the default seven days. And yes, get Jeff Troy's CD, it is valuable when working on Bradleys - he has the original assembly manual scanned in and lots of photos of his several times rebuilding his own car. Lifting the body works best with 4 people, but several members have fabicated systems that allow them to do it by themselves. Use the search feature & you should find some posts. If you can't let us know and some of those of us who have been around a while will try to locate them for you. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 30, 2010 17:09:59 GMT -5
I can't remember which model the Lanier is, its at home and I am at the school at present. I'll look and let you know. It is a Javelin (says for .19-.40).
The P51D scale Mustang is by Model-Tech (for .20 -.23).
My brother prefers large 4-stroke powered planes, his most recent being a Saito powered Ultra-Stick.
Naw, I'm a long ways away from you - In California (near Fresno). Still hoping we can get together on one of your visits to the west coast, though. Sincerely,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 30, 2010 16:34:05 GMT -5
As I said, just kinda getting back into it and my school responsibilities are high at the moment.
I had a .20 size Tequilla Sunrise which suffered a mild crash on one of my last flying trips before the hiatus (broke off muffler and landing gear). It has a very thin wing and fairly high wing loading so it flys more like a pylon racer than an acrobatic sport plane. I'm thinking of thickening & lenthening the wing a bit to slow it down and make it more responsive. It shouldn't take too many hours to make it flyable. However, it has a Futaba flight pak, and both the flight pack and transmitter batteries need to be replaced. Also have a .40 Lanier ARTF and a .20 scale Mustang still in the boxes I could build if I had the time. We'll see how things go.
Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 30, 2010 14:25:00 GMT -5
Love to see cars that were deteriorating being restored. Good work.
Was going to ask where in California you are, but after rereading it looks like you were in California, but not any longer.
Keep us apprised of the progress. Warmest....
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 30, 2010 13:19:24 GMT -5
Hello Jeff, I was hoping you'd jump in on this thread as I knew you had a great deal of experience in the R/C aircraft world. Nice article by your daughter, though I didn't actually see her name. I did recognize her from a previous photo I saw (something to do with karting, I think!).
Gotta admit, I think my favorite plane was the Sportster. It was a .20 size (don't think they sell them in that size anymore, I still have the plans, may scratch build another one). It had a K&B Sportster Engine (appropriate, huh) which really ran well with the tuned pipe. I tend to like that size - not overly effected by wind, easy to transport, and easy on the fuel (4-6 oz/flight).
The forth and fifth pictures down show the Q-Tee. Interesting because it used only a 3 minute run on a Cox .049 engine to get it up, however my record flight duration was over 3 hours. During the last building recession in the early 80's I lived in an un built-out subdivision (subdivision was complete w/ paved roads but no one could afford to buy houses with high interest rates). The black paved roads between the green weed-filled lots created great thermals.
I may get into ParkPilot planes, as our school campus is just a few blocks away and perfect for that size of plane.
Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 27, 2010 11:02:02 GMT -5
Have you tried all the learning tricks, like making a strapon Hula-Hoop landing gear. I think they also sometimes use dowels & wiffle balls. The idea is to make the helicopter tip proof within 1 ft of the ground, also lowers the CG a bit, which helps. LIke I say, I never tried myself, but I know it took my brother quite a bit of time and he had an expert trim the bird and help train him. Turbine Heli does sound like a neat project though. Warmest,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 27, 2010 1:47:54 GMT -5
Hi Eric, Yes, I like hobbies to help me relax, flying Helos is just too intense. My brother flew them for a while. Try trainer planes, much quicker and more relaxing to learn and generally fly. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 24, 2010 10:36:15 GMT -5
I flew a real R/C plane (been flying in simulator from time to time) for the first time in 10 years or so on Monday (09/20). K&B Veco 19 started right up and flew without missing a beat on 10 year old fuel on my old faithful Royal-Aire trainer (forgiving characteristics of flat bottom, high wing with plenty of dihedral - good for getting fingers back in tune). Old 1979 vintage Kraft Sport Series Radio (narrow band modified by Kraft Midwest in 1988) also worked flawlessly (it still has original batteries - just cycled them a few times, had near full capacity). Young friend (graduated from our school in 2000 - now the head computer tech for county gov offices & law enforcement, also consultant for school network) was just sure the old stuff would fail. Score one for the old stuff. At any rate I will likely resume the hobby as several friends (and my brother) are into it and it appears I can use the old equipment and planes to control the cost until/if I decide to get into "whole hog" again. The link below shows a bit of my long past R/C plane activity. www.swrnet.life/planes/index.htmlWarmest Regards, Steven
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 16, 2010 17:45:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the detailed update, I was wondering if you were making progress on it. Including the bit about the door problems and finally succeeding is encouraging to those who may be in the midst of a similar tedious aspects of their project. Looks good, not at all boring-Keep us posted.
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 9, 2010 16:56:56 GMT -5
Oldschool, Si vous prévoyez de Voyage au centre de la Californie (près de Fresno), nous pourrions être en mesure de se réunir pour le déjeuner.
If you plan to travel in the middle of California (near Fresno), we might be able to meet together for lunch.
Regards, Steven
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Post by centralvalleygter on Sept 7, 2010 23:37:28 GMT -5
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 31, 2010 0:09:58 GMT -5
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 30, 2010 17:15:25 GMT -5
Je suis d'accord, Il semble que vous n'ayez un travail de qualit? De bonnes photos. Merci pour les afficher. It will be nice to see a picture of the finished product.
Cordialement
(translation) "I agree, it looks like you do very good work. Good photos. Thank you for posting them."
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 30, 2010 13:18:47 GMT -5
Bienvenue sur ce forum
Il semble que vous êtes en bonne voie sur votre automobile. Gardez les photos ?venir, nous en profiter. Pardonnez mon français, j'ai eu quatre ans au lycée, mais elle a ét?trente-sept ans et je n'ai pas eu la chance de l'utiliser beaucoup, donc il est très rouill? Regards, Steven
I'm sorry I didn't think about it until later, but I should have translated the above, so people don't have to use translaters or wander what was said - it goes something like this: "Welcome to this message board It looks like you are making good progress on your car. Post more pictures, we enjoy them. Pardon my French, I had 4 years in high school, but it has been thirty-seven years and I haven't had a chance to use it much, so it is very rusty."
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 30, 2010 10:25:52 GMT -5
Jerry, The hole in the grease cap is suppose to be square so when the wheel spins the cable turns. The circlip simply keeps the cable from backing out, I don't think the round part of the cable should be able to extend through the square hole. On my old BAHA, I fixed the problem of an enlarged hole in the grease cap by putting a very small screw between the cable and the cap hole before putting on the retaining clip. Hope this helps, warmest regards....
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 27, 2010 13:12:07 GMT -5
Steven Thanks for the kind words. Glad your trip went well. Warmest Regards,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 24, 2010 14:43:28 GMT -5
The gulls and rear windows are available from the guy who made the originals, see the following thread: bradleygt.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=214&page=1At the bottom of the thread. I know that may seem a bit pricely - especially because the doors are relatively fragile, but you don't really have many options if you want to use the original type doors. It is difficult to find un-fitted used doors and once they are fitted to a particular Bradley, they are generally unsuable for other Bradleys (unless your standards for "fit & finish" and hinge hole repair are really low) because the nature of kit cars is that each is somewhat different. Regards...
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 24, 2010 13:40:37 GMT -5
Larry, You have stumbled upon one of the great mysteries of the Bradley lore - what is the correlation between the body serial numbers and the year it was manufactured? So far no one has found the formula (which was a good thing for me because in California I was able to use the default year of 1961, which exempted me of all smog requirements). However, most of the time the DMV is interested in the serial number of the chassis used, which can be found toward the rear of the tunnel by the transaxle nosecone shift linkage access panel. This number can be used to determine the year of the chassis at various Internet sites, such as: www.bugsandbuggies.com/Chas_Num.aspwww.lightner.net/ybdb/serno.htmlwww.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/chassisdating.phpThis youtube clip shows where to look. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDiQUG1GNsQHope this helps.... regards, Steven P.S. - Post pictures as soon as you can, we all like to see what the other member's Bradleys look like.
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 19, 2010 13:07:00 GMT -5
Jerry, You are successfully making a link to the site. To get an individual picture to show up here, you have to put in the path to it from the host server and it should end with the actual file name, which for a picture will likely be name.jpg
However, something is making it so you can't post picture on this particular thread now as I directly pasted code which is working on another thread and for some reason it is not working in this thread (it is ignoring tags). I don't if you have somehow created an open-ended tag in your efforts or if there is just something else wrong with the message board, but regardless at the moment I don't think anything you try (even if it is correct) will work within this thread, so no wonder you are frustrated. I host my pictures from the file server I manage at our private school, so it is easy for me to know the exact path and file name. Hopefully someone who routinely posts from a public server such as photo bucket (or better yet, image shack), etc. will pipe in and help with the path. Whatever the path, it definitely must go between the image tags, though.
Sincerely,
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Post by centralvalleygter on Aug 17, 2010 12:23:44 GMT -5
Anyone now which large VW engine is gonna be have the best reliablity versus power.....in the 1900+ class I'm planning on building this car into a week-end street car. I'd like to stick with a type 1 or should I be looking at other engine combo's
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As per other threads the most bang for the buck comes from the Type 1 ACVW engine. Parts are readily available and relatively cheap - which is amazing for an engine design as old as it is. Obviously other power-plants will work, but at the expense of parts availability, price and the number of shops that have expertise to work on them. From what I've read the maximum bore for reasonable reliability is 90.5mm. Going larger than that creates thin cylinder walls which reduces cooling efficiency and allows distortion. That being said then maximum size with 74mm stroke = 1904cc, going to 89mm stroke (which requires some machining on stock case) = 2110cc. Of course a lot of people do successfully run bigger bores, they just have to work harder to keep them dependable. Low end carb recommendation is dual single-barrel Kadrons. "A.J. Sims" can provide venturis and jets for about any size engine. Middle ground are dual webers. Top end is electronic fuel injection from CB performance. If mileage is a major factor the EFI makes a significant difference, but has definite higher up-front cost. Hope this is helpful info...
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