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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 16, 2011 12:27:23 GMT -5
Hi,
A&C was Mike Negri in Fountain Valley. I bought several interior kits from him after Bradley folded. Allied Plastics had what was left of the gullwing the windows and rears. Mike a lot of accessories, mostly GT parts, but a few Twoie things as well, like GTII emblems and rocker switches.
He was nice to deal with and completely reliable. Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 12, 2011 18:39:59 GMT -5
Hi, CV,
My image was still in layers. I saved it as a gif and used my Photoshop expertise, which means that I asked my art director to fix the image up as a 100- x 57-pixel avatar. She did it all, and I just stuck it into PhotoBucket.
It's nice to have graphics pros around when you constantly suffer from brainf*rt.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 12, 2011 10:32:27 GMT -5
Hey, Jeff,
Very cool. I always enjoy seeing your impeccable workmanship - as well as your enthusiasm for such a variety of subjects.
V-8s, center-mounts, EP conversions and all the rest may be fun and challenging for a gearhead, but to me, no kit car has charm, charisma or appeal without VW power.
The VW format keeps the fun level high and lets this shadetree wrench twister actually get a project finished reliably.
Warmest....
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 11, 2011 10:45:45 GMT -5
Okay, I'm clueless.
With Photoshop, Adobe CS3 and years of computer experience, I can't seem to make a simple jpg avatar image appear in my profile. I've reduced to 100 x 57 pixels and uploaded to PhotoBucket. No matter what I try, there's no image to the left of in my posts.
Can anyone help?
Thanks and warmest regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 11, 2011 10:16:30 GMT -5
Hey, Jeff,
The EZ wire harness you posted looks good for my Fiberfab MG-TD, but I have some questions.
1. Are the quick disconnects at the ends already in place or are they supplied separately so you can cut each wire to an appropriately correct length?
2. I'll assume by your negatives regarding the JCW wire that the EZ wire is of good-to-excellent quality. Correct?
3. How about the connectors? Today's quick disconnects and ring connectors from most auto stores and parts houses are soft, not at all like the quality connectors that were on the original GT harness. Soft quick disconnects, even without excessive on-off repetition, tend to loosen and can eventually disconnect on their own. Are the EZ connectors marine quality, or at least any better than the run-of-the-mill contemporary auto parts cheese?
4. It seems the EZ is based on the typical forward-mounted engine. Any problem for a VW setup?
5. Finally, does that paperwork at the left of the image include a wiring manual? I was planning to build my own harness for the MG by using a combination of the Bradley GT wiring manual and the Fiberfab manual. Fiberfab's manual is a pain-in-the-ass maze, and over 36 years, I have found my 1976 GT wiring schematic to be 100 percent functional and reliable. If a schematic is included with the EZ kit, what is your personal experience with following it, and how would you rate its functionality? In addition to all the stock components, the TD's only extras will be windshield wipers and washers, a "warm-up" AM radio and an ooh-gah horn. Twelve circuits should be more than enough.
Thanks, ace. You comments and experience are always appreciated.
Warmest regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 11, 2011 10:14:32 GMT -5
Hey, Jeff,
To avoid hijacking this lengthy thread, The following message also appears in a new thread: "EZ 12-Circuit Wiring Harness." Please respond in the new thread so we don't step on kitkarguy's action.
The EZ wire harness you posted looks good for my Fiberfab MG-TD, but I have some questions.
1. Are the quick disconnects at the ends already in place or are they supplied separately so you can cut each wire to an appropriately correct length?
2. I'll assume by your negatives regarding the JCW wire that the EZ wire is of good-to-excellent quality. Correct?
3. How about the connectors? Today's quick disconnects and ring connectors from most auto stores and parts houses are soft, not at all like the quality connectors that were on the original GT harness. Soft quick disconnects, even without excessive on-off repetition, tend to loosen and can eventually disconnect on their own. Are the EZ connectors marine quality, or at least any better than the run-of-the-mill contemporary auto parts cheese?
4. It seems the EZ is based on the typical forward-mounted engine. Any problem for a VW setup?
5. Finally, does that paperwork at the left of the image include a wiring manual? I was planning to build my own harness for the MG by using a combination of the Bradley GT wiring manual and the Fiberfab manual. Fiberfab's manual is a pain-in-the-ass maze, and over 36 years, I have found my 1976 GT wiring schematic to be 100 percent functional and reliable. If a schematic is included with the EZ kit, what is your personal experience with following it, and how would you rate its functionality? In addition to all the stock components, the TD's only extras will be windshield wipers and washers, a "warm-up" AM radio and an ooh-gah horn. Twelve circuits should be more than enough.
Thanks, ace. You comments and experience are always appreciated.
Warmest regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 6, 2011 11:11:53 GMT -5
Hi, Fords and others,
If you're relatively new and don't know Bob, he's one of the white hats. You can trust him.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 4, 2011 10:42:02 GMT -5
Maybe they should bring it back and call it Cobra. That's about all that appeared in any significant volume. Nice cars, but enough is enough. I still miss the days of VW kits, the simplicity of which makes Bradley cars so appealing.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Jun 3, 2011 21:48:02 GMT -5
Good for you, Leonard. Enjoy!
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 25, 2011 6:57:59 GMT -5
..and I thought politics was funny!
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 22, 2011 16:25:34 GMT -5
Hi, Sentenza,
PLENTY of GTs around, Maybe not as many Twoies, but still a solid number. You're one of these owners, so it'll be nice when your car's done and you can get to a few shows yourself.
Several years ago, maybe 2004 or '05, we had more than a dozen Bradley cars at Carlisle. We had a club tent, and several of us, led by Jeff Troester and the Maryland crew, assembled a GTII under the tent, then drove it around the fairgrounds before the show closed on Sunday.
Owners came in from neighboring Eastern states, as well as several others from the Northeast and Midwest. Cars were trailered or driven, but they got there one way or another. Carlisle was a great place to see what other owners were doing up close, gather information and the all-important inspiration to make their own cars better drivers.
I had arranged to have a special Plexiglas ordered prepared by Sun Ray. The gulls were picked up and taken to the show by (I think) Patrick in Minnesota, then distributed to the owners who had ordered them Save the cost of shipping and got several owners on their way with new Plexiglas.
Like I wrote before, Carlisle is still a great show, but without other Bradley owners there to yak and have fun with, I'd rather be flying RC airplanes or racing vintage karts.
Warmest regards...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 22, 2011 14:16:16 GMT -5
No. It's just that the members don't seem to be interested in attending the show like they used to.
I was there on Saturday, too, and the only other Bradley I saw was probably yours -- a purple GT body with the headlight doors sealed off, no top and a heavy-duty roll cage in the co*kpit. Obviously set up as a race car and not street legal.
I looked for the owner but no one was near the car.
Mine was the ChromaLusion purple GT towing a restored 1962 vintage Blitz F-1000 race kart on a T-tube trailer.
I was there from roughly 12:30 P.M. to 3:30, then got bored and left. WAY too many Cobras, only two MG-TD kits and one original, and only one XKE -- and that sh*thead owner swapped the Jaguar wire wheels for some dumbass mag-style rims. A no-class UGH for sure!
Anyway, Carlisle is still great show, but when the Bradley guys don't come, there's nothing of interest there for me. I couldn't care less about looking at low-budget hot rods, stunt c*cks and foreign cars. BTW, a stunt coc* is the guy who stands in for the male porn star when he's out of gas. That's what I call an imitation Ferrari, Lambo or anything else that cheaps out where an original is still available. My MG is a SC too, but it was the only way I could get one (still a poser and doesn't make it a real MG).
Anyway, sorry I missed you yesterday.
Warmest,.
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 16, 2011 10:00:50 GMT -5
Hi, Guys, Most of you know that I played a lot of good rock & roll in my day. I have an interesting collection of basses and guitars, and I've been restoring a full stage load of vintage Sunn gear for the last two years or so. If you're into the real thing, here's a link that's guaranteed to make you smile. sunn.ampage.org/sdp/index.php/topic,6398.0.html BTW, David Heffernan, the artist who carved my '74 Strat, is the guy who did the window illustrations on Led Zepellin's Physical Graffiti, all the J. Giles Band album covers and all the Spyro Gyra covers (the girl drawn on those covers is his sister, Claire). Warmest regards...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 16, 2011 9:44:28 GMT -5
The show is coming this weekend.
Weather says rain all week through Friday, and that's good, Maybe it will be all rained out by Friday night and we'll have the first rain-free Carlisle weekend in a lot of years.
Am I on my own or will some of you show up? My plan is be there on Saturday, and return Sunday if there's anyone to hang out with.
I'm not much into looking at Cobra kits (stunt c*cks), but the show always a few magnificent XKE restorations. Lots of great MGTD examples are there, too, kits and originals.
If you get there and want to look me up, the cell is 717-917-3670.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 11, 2011 9:56:50 GMT -5
Hi, Guys,
I know where to put my hands on one GTII windshield. It was installed in a never-completed car, then removed to be used as a backup for the owner and the unbuilt donor car was sold less windshield.
Windshield is in excellent condition, and still has the "Viracon Curved Windshield, Shaded, GT2" sticker in place, dated April 28, 1980.
$500 plus shipping. Pickup okay (near NYC).
First response with ready $ gets it. Send PM or phone 717-917-3670.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 2, 2011 17:21:05 GMT -5
Sorry! Looked again and the filler mod isn't there. What I saw was one of the patio light sticking up over the top of the tank.
Anyway, it's a good idea, as any GT owner will immediately tell you. Filling the tank with the stock filler tube sucks big time.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on May 2, 2011 17:19:47 GMT -5
Hi, kr,
Dimensions are correct for the original tank as well, so thehag's numbers are dead on.
You'll also note that a fuel filler was installed at the top of that tank near the rear edge. This is strongly recommended on my CD, and eliminates the inherent fueling problem with the standard GT filler location.
The filler mod lets the fuel go straight in without having to get around the dog legs. Nice to able to fill your GT in 2 minutes or less instead of 15 -- especially in sub-zero weather and wind! Also lets you pull up to either side of a pump island - very handy in a long line.
Regards...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 27, 2011 9:13:06 GMT -5
Hi, KCG,
Licensing is more of a problem now than it was back then, although it still may have been an issue. I have no idea how to explain the Avenger kit, since its existence counters anything I can figure - limited market, offbeat subject.
Ford allowed several companies to do the GT, but none that I know for the "GT40." Cox had the "Ford GT" as a 1/24-scale slot car, and possibly in 1/32- scale also. I also seem to remember a Ford GT kit from AMT or MPC, or one of the finer offshore companies like Tamiya.
Anyway, it's all moot. I don't think you'll ever see a commercially mass-produced kit for a Bradley.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 27, 2011 7:13:04 GMT -5
All good counters to my argument, but not really the same at all.
Dune buggies were a hugely popular item in the 1960s and '70s. All a company had to do was pick any one to get the market satisfied. The market wasn't the owners of a specific dune buggy, but rather anyone who wanted to model one. Most purchasers probably never knew one from another.
Can't comment the Avenger, since I'm not aware of whether it is a unique kit (like the GT and GTII) or a copy of an original. I always thought it was something like a Ford GT40, and race car fans are a wide market.
Kitting models of specialty cars is a different story. Even though customs are one-off machines, their designers had tremendous following, with collectors who would be interested in whatever they produced. Good examples are George Barris, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Dean Jeffries.
Barbi "anything" should require no explanation.
There are always exceptions to anything, but I still have never seen a Bradley car in the hobby industry, and can't imagine that any company would have been market-blind enough to produce one. Would you?
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 25, 2011 10:03:10 GMT -5
Nope. I'm in the hobby industry and have never seen or heard of a Bradley model or kit of any kind offered commercially. A company as large as Mattel would never even begin to consider making a model of something where so few originals were made. Five thousand GTs and (maybe) 500 Twoies -- p-l-e-a-s-e; that's business plan suicide. Same would apply to RC and slot car companies. At one point, I was thinking of producing 1/10-scale Lexan bodies that would accept a Losi or Associated chassis, but interest was silly at best. No one seemed to mind that the one-at-a-time, hand-pulled Lexan bodies would cost about $20 or $30 each, but they didn't understand that a good RC setup to go underneath could easily be upward of $200. Worse, I think that fewer than five members were even remotely interested. BTW - Please don't suggest trying again, because I no longer have time or any interest in investigating or even considering the project. Twoie owners might look intro a Datsun 240 or 280Z. BoLink or Parma may have produced an RC car body for one or both of them back in the 1980's. The 240 or 280 might be the easiest production car replicas to modify to get "kind of" close to the Bradley GTII. Regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 25, 2011 10:01:30 GMT -5
Nope. I'm in the hobby industry and have never seen or heard of a Bradley model or kit of any kind offered commercially.
A company as large as Mattel would never even begin to consider making a model of something where so few originals were made. Five thousand GTs and (maybe) 500 Twoies -- p-l-e-a-s-e; that's business plan suicide. Same would apply to RC and slot car companies.
At one point, I was thinking of producing 1/10-scale Lexan bodies that would accept a Losi or Associated chassis, but interest was silly at best.
No one seemed to mind that the one-at-a-time, hand-pulled Lexan bodies would cost about $20 or $30 each, but they didn't understand that a good RC setup to go underneath could easily be upward of $200. Worse, I think that fewer than five members were even remotely interested.
BTW - Please don't suggest trying again, because I no longer have time or any interest in investigating or even considering the project.
Twoie owner might look intro a Datsun 240 or 280Z. BoLink or Parma may have produced an RC car body for one or both of them back in the 1980's. The 240 or 280 might be the easiest production car replicas to modify to get "kind of" close to the Bradley.
Regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 16, 2011 12:09:26 GMT -5
Hi, Dan,
Positively 1976.
In conversations with Bradley salespeople when I bought my kit in April of 1976, they suggested that I might prefer to have the soon-to-come GTII instead. They told me that the car wouldn't be available for "awhile," but that the wait wouldn't be too long.
I'm a model airplane hobbyist, and the Twoie looked like more of a project than I wanted, and much more like a car than the simplistic bop-around that had me interested from the start. I passed, and my GT kit was delivered in May (76). At that time, the Twoie had still not shipped.
Final scenario for me... I've driven my GT for 35 years and more than 600 thousand miles and I still love it (drove it another 100-or-so miles yesterday). Bought a virgin GTII kit in 2000, collected everything I needed to complete it, including air-co and a hot sound system, and never bothered to start working on it. After seven years of garage storage at $50 a month, I sold the whole thing -- including double glass all around -- for less than half of what I had in it, not counting the garage.
Just the same, I always appreciate a nice Twoie when I see one, and that's starting to happen a lot more around here lately -- but MJ's all black scheme is still the best I've seen for that body style.
Warmest regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 10, 2011 12:29:15 GMT -5
Hi, Wynn,
Gray and black go with pretty much anything, which is especially nice if you ever paint the car again.
My GT has had five different paint jobs, and that doesn't include the original metalflake root beer.
I had the gray cokpit components made when I did the pearl flames over the black body. The same interior also worked fine for my present ChromaLusion Royal Plum paint scheme, and will no doubt still be fine if and when I paint again.
Neutral is almost always the smart move.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 9, 2011 9:43:14 GMT -5
Hi, Again,
Don't know if there's really any interest, but I just did the online registration.
I'll be there for the weekend unless something comes up urgent for the airplane magazine. I'm only an hour away in Lancaster, so I may or may not do the hotel.
Anyone who's coming - please post.
Warmest regards...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 7, 2011 14:05:31 GMT -5
Hi, Eric,
DX6i does not and never did make airplanes fall out of the air. The reason for the status is that Horizon (Spektrum) has introduced their newer DSMX technology to replace the systems with DSM2.
I have Spektrum DX5e, DX6i, DX7 and a JR 12X, all with DSM2 and the operate flawlessly. The only condition where a problem is possible is in a tight area with something like 20 or 30 aircraft up at once. I wouldn't give it a second thought.
As for a trainer, you'll have to tell me whether you want glow or electric power. Electric is a lot less trouble these day, and far superior for ease of entry and reliability.
ARF lets you select the power and RC options, BNF lets you choose a JR or Spektrum transmitter and everything else is in the box (including receiver, servos, battery and charger), and RTF has everything included.
I'd suggest an inexpensive electric-powered RTF trainer, then go for intermediate stuff after you've learned the basics. There's no EDF (Emotional Debt Factor) in an RTF, so you won't be pissed if you get disoriented and dump it a few times.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Apr 6, 2011 20:31:41 GMT -5
Singer, bass player, guitar player from 1959 till 1980, then hobby industry guy. Editor in chief of hobby industry trade magazine till 2009, and editor in chief of RC airplane magazine (for AMA) from 2008 through the present. Still play and sing, but last pro stint was from 1992-1994.
Wrote two books for RC aircraft in the '90s, one for Tab and the other for Motorbooks International, both now out of print. Current model design is F-14 TAMEcat from The World Models in China, distributed in the US and worldwide by AirBorne Models LLC in Livermore CA.
Always a model aircraft guy, but also involved in all other model hobbies. Two kit cars (GT and Fiberfab MG-TD) eight 50-year-old vintage race karts, and recently finished restoring some two tons of vintage Sunn PA gear, and Sunn bass amps and guitar amps from the late 1960s and early '70s.
Have an interesting guitar and bass collection, including an original 1968 Dan Armstrong bass, 69 Armstrong guitar, 75 Fender Mustang and a 1974 Stratocaster (Nastycaster), hand-carved by David Heffernan (album covers for Led Zepellin, Spyro Gyra, Peter Wolf, J. Giles band and others). Lots more guitars and basses, too.
BFD (big fu**kin' deal). I came close enough, but if I was a star I'd still be doing it!
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Mar 28, 2011 11:42:46 GMT -5
Hey, Jeff,
Outstanding, my friend. But I wouldn't have expected anything less from you.
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Mar 24, 2011 11:22:30 GMT -5
Same here, guys. Hope it's a great day!
Warmest...
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Post by Jeff Troy on Mar 23, 2011 14:33:17 GMT -5
If you drive a Bradley where the sun is, you really should have air. There is little-to-no cross-flow ventilation in a Twoie, and none at all in a GT. Those two screw-vents up front are worse than a bad joke, and they bring in more bugs, dirt and pebbles than fresh air.
Worst air-less condition is a summer rainstorm - hot, humid and no relief. The sliders do little to bring anything into the car with enough volume to cool you, and removing the sun panels in rain is not a viable option.
The GT is even worse than the GTII because nothing opens while you drive. The up side to the GT is that the gulls and (Sundowner) rear window are removable. Unless you're stuck in rain, the GT is much "cooler" sunshine car than the GTII.
I had air in my GT from the day I built it, but in my 2000 (fourth) rebuild, I thought that I could do without it. Three months later, the body was off and air went beck in.
I had an air-co kit for my new-in-box GTII kit, but decided that I'd much rather build my Fiberfab MG-TD than the Twoie. I had the GTII kit for seven years without drilling a single hole, but I did a ton of research and collected a lot of nice optional parts. Building the car without air was unthinkable
Short story -- ABSOLUTELY air - in ANY and EVERY Bradley car.
Regards,
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Post by Jeff Troy on Mar 20, 2011 22:46:24 GMT -5
Hi, Scott,
The Bradley is a riot in town and on the highway. I can't even count the number of Philly to Miami, Atlanta to NY, Boston to Miami and even out to Kansas City trip I've done, all nonstop except for gas. Mileage is up around 635 thousand (!) right now, and still climbing.
I've never understood why the "Bradley" is intimidating and scares owners with road-ability. Its mechanics are 100 percent Volkswagen, and they travel fine over the highway. All you did was add a plastic body that improves aerodynamics and reduces weight. If you're fixed all the mechanics, the rest is just cosmetic.
Anyway, nice job so far. Now finish it - and try the highway.
Regards...
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