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Post by jspbtown on Mar 10, 2021 20:32:21 GMT -5
Two possible options. 1. Get under the car and take some measurements for what might work and then see if anyplace like Speedway motors or Summit Racing have something that is close 2. Search under custom welding places. A lot of marine places in Florida offer custom aluminum tanks. I had one created for my Avenger project. They built it with the tabs I wanted and the holes I needed. www.sptanks.com/www.boydwelding.com/
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Post by jspbtown on Mar 1, 2021 17:00:26 GMT -5
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Post by jspbtown on Feb 12, 2021 12:05:58 GMT -5
Well....lets see if I can help. Door seals: Check out www.soffseal.com for lots of possible solutions to your seal needs. Windshields can be tricky. Its a Corvette windshield so a Corvette seal should work. Almost all glass companies come to your home and can remove and install glass. That would be the best route. Regarding your turn signal...without seeing a picture of it , its gonna be pretty hard to suggest a place to find a replacement right? In all likelihood its not a custom molded piece and is likely from some sort of other vehicle. Regarding the defrosters...just use the stock VW heater boxes and run all the air to the windshield since you aren't required to have heat right? Use the factory lever near the ebrake to activate the defroster. Reverse switch is located in the tail housing of the transmission. It is a simple power in/power out switch and can be easily wired to any small white lights for the back up lights.
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Post by jspbtown on Feb 11, 2021 15:04:20 GMT -5
Pics?
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Post by jspbtown on Feb 9, 2021 19:22:58 GMT -5
Generally they are just held in by screws along the base. Of course its a kit...so it could be anything
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Post by jspbtown on Feb 9, 2021 9:00:22 GMT -5
While anything is possible...I don't know if you will find a NOS carpet kit.
You could just take your existing carpet and make a template. Bring it to an interior shop to be bound.
Its an old kit car...the days of ordering Bradley specific parts are loooooong gone.
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Needed
Feb 1, 2021 11:32:21 GMT -5
Post by jspbtown on Feb 1, 2021 11:32:21 GMT -5
Would love to hear about your process.
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Needed
Feb 1, 2021 8:54:05 GMT -5
Post by jspbtown on Feb 1, 2021 8:54:05 GMT -5
Interesting. Many have failed in that venture. If you get them to work you might have a little money maker going.
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Needed
Jan 31, 2021 18:19:00 GMT -5
Post by jspbtown on Jan 31, 2021 18:19:00 GMT -5
How are you going to make the doors?
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Needed
Jan 30, 2021 16:56:13 GMT -5
Post by jspbtown on Jan 30, 2021 16:56:13 GMT -5
Windshield is Corvette (I think coupe but I always get it wrong ) Doors and back glass are essentially unobtainable....although there are always the exceptions. But it will cost you a lot.
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 23, 2021 9:01:59 GMT -5
I would stay away from those Bag-o-Wire kits. They suck.
Pulling the body off makes great sense.
Does your state require hi/low beams?
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 22, 2021 10:15:56 GMT -5
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 22, 2021 10:09:08 GMT -5
I can see 3 pics. And yup...thats a project for sure To me the best seats have always been the factory GT seats. Those poly seats are not made to lay back at the angle needed for the Bradley. Looks like the tried to bond the plexiglass to the fiberglass....that ain't gonna work. Do you have the headlight covers? I think I have a set if you are interested.
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 20, 2021 10:07:13 GMT -5
So....a KEP adapter, new clutch, rebuilt geo motor, cooling system design you are probably looking at say $2500 if you do all the fab work yourself?
And lets say you double the mileage from 25 mpg to 50 mpg. Now lets also assume you might put 10,000 miles on the Bradley per year and gas at $2.50 a gallon. You will save about $500 a year in gas...about $10 per week and recover your investment in 5 years of putting 10,000 miles per year.
That would be quite unusual for the typical Bradley owner.
Have you considered the body mods and you will need to clear that steering set up? Very little room up front for moving things around.
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 19, 2021 8:35:53 GMT -5
Whats the plan for the suspension?
Given the cost and complexity of an engine swap you will probably be better off with the VW until it dies versus swapping it to save $ on fuel.
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 16, 2021 9:05:23 GMT -5
My advice....
1. Build it and get it on the road before you get into too many crazy mods or it will end up an unfinished money pit like it did for the last owner who had the same ideas.
2. If you cut out the center section you will need to reinforce the windshield posts so they don't try to fold and crack the fiberglass.
3. Have fun with it!
ps: The body lift is a great idea but you will obviously have to drop the front and rear suspension to compensate
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 13, 2021 19:19:55 GMT -5
Usually by a cable. But its a home built car so it can be anything
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 11, 2021 12:54:05 GMT -5
I would check marine sources. Many kit cars of that era used marine parts.
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Post by jspbtown on Jan 11, 2021 9:51:37 GMT -5
Green light can be any type of incandescent like you want. Without modifications is cannot be a LED light.
Nope..the oil pressure warning light serves no purpose other than to warn you of low oil pressure. If you want to use just the gauge to monitor the engine thats fine
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 28, 2020 8:43:13 GMT -5
"As far as fixing the weight distribution issues, what are my options?"...Well the GTII has the gas tank up front so that helps. You can add some lead weight up there but before you do anything you would need to get it weighed to see exactly where it stands and compare it to a stock VW. Remember....you can't just start throwing weight up there by guessing as it will have an impact on your handling AND suspension. With more weight up front you might need to consider a torsion spring upgrade and/or a brake upgrade.
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 26, 2020 10:07:15 GMT -5
2. I can live without AC ......Well that might be until you are surrounded by glass on a hot day with windows about the size of a piece of paper.. 3. Less things to break, I guess xD.....Ummm, no. When you go look at your first one be sure to look under the dash. I drive a lot of highways regularly, and if they're not good for highway driving I may be introuble if I buy one... You should DEFINITELY drive one on the highway before buying one Oh! one more question I thought of; how much cargo space is there behind the seats?....There is actually a lot of room in the back area. And yes, the rear glass does lift up with the "butt sag", is there a remedy for it? Yes...it involves fabricating a brace that generally runs between the two rear shock towers and under the package tray in the rear.
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 15, 2020 9:01:19 GMT -5
I would say $300-$700 depending on condition
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 14, 2020 21:03:02 GMT -5
With or without the windshield?
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 12, 2020 20:12:35 GMT -5
Someone did a flip nose on a GTII years back (Rob Stone???). It was tons of work and the project was never completed.
There really isn't much room up there for anything really. And it would be a TON of work to strengthen the glass, build the partisan, design a hinge system.
I built an Avenger with tilt front and back (it was designed that way) and it was a TON of work. I mean a TON! I had them bother operating via linear actuators. Trying to get a hinge designed, create a steel subframe, design the actuator mounts and more. That car broke my desire to build kits after 7 or 8 of them.
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 7, 2020 10:07:45 GMT -5
Welcome to the often confusing world of 40+ year old kit cars! We are here to answer your questions. Please feel free to sk as many as you like. So...starting out with what you have so far:
1. Would one make a good daily driver? Well that depends. Where do you live? Bradley's by nature are terrible in the snow, tend to leak in the rain, and generally have terrible heat and defrosters. 2. I saw something about them having AC but not heat, is this true? Most DO NOT have AC and its a big job to install a AC unit. Most DO have heat, and its terrible system that only helps to take a slight chill off. 3. What are some things I should know when buying one? You should understand these are hand built cars. Usually built by people who have no idea what they are doing. They are rarely wired correctly. They are generally not maintained well. And they suffer from many design and build flaws. They are also built on platforms that are 50+ years old and therefore have none of the modern amenities like power steering, power brakes, AC, roll down windows, safety crumple zones, fuel injection and generally have relatively poor suspension design. 4. How hard are they to drive/maintain?(don’t worry, I can drive stick). The motors are as simple as you can get. They need regular valve adjustments. The carbs can be a bit finicky. They tend to leak oil a lot. They have a decent seating position but can be cumbersome around town due to the lack of power steering and the relatively small steering wheel most people use. At highway speeds they can get a pregnant dog touchy due to their terrible weight distribution and their tendency t get a little light up front. 5. If I get one without a spoiler, would it be difficult to put on on? Nope....fiberglass is easy to drill. Although you might need to reinforce the area you mount it to as it might tend to crack the fiberglass. 6. What kind of engine swaps have people done to make these as fast as they look? Few people have been successful in swapping power plants. While it is entirely possible to swap in say a Subaru motor you have lots of fabrication which is required since it is a water cooled motor. Some mods that would need to be done would include designing & fabricating an entire cooling system, creating a new heating system based on the coolant and not the air (as in the stock VW system), an entire new fuel system to handle the fuel injection. All new wiring to incorporate the fuel injection system, the charging system, etc. You will also likely need to upgrade the clutch, upgrade the transmission, and upgrade the brakes to handle the extra horsepower. You will also need to work on the suspension and weight distribution to make sure it handles safely. s you can see...there is a reason why these cars are generally not good candidates for motor swaps.
Hope this helps.
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Post by jspbtown on Nov 14, 2020 9:17:52 GMT -5
Well...thats a pretty loaded question..."How much will it cost"?
Can you do any of the work yourself? If not you will likely spend more in paint alone than the car is worth.
How is the windshield? They are essentially unobtainable (yes, one may pop up occasionally). Have you inspected the wiring? I can assure you it will likely need a total rewire. To do so really requires you to split the body from the frame. Can you do that and the wiring? If its been sitting you will have to go through the entire braking system. While not expensive if you can do it yourself it is time consuming. I am sure suspension parts will need a full rebuild as well. Can you do that? Fuel system will likely need a good cleaning. The tank is custom so inspect it well. It will likely need to be boiled out at least.
Seats are custom shells made for the Bradley that might be found used. You would have to have them covered professionally.
What about an engine? Does it have one? What year? The tranny should be fine as those are relatively bulletproof for stock powerplants.
So...do your math. A well done Bradley GT2 (good paint, good engine, wired correctly, nice interior, good glass) would go for $5000-$6000 on a VERY good day to the right buyer. If you can't paint you might likely spend just that on paint.
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Post by jspbtown on Nov 1, 2020 8:36:10 GMT -5
Oh...OK. Well the GT2 uses a custom tank up front. Its a rectangle I remember that (its been years since I built my old GT2. Maybe someone here who has one can give you the dimensions
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Post by jspbtown on Oct 31, 2020 9:32:58 GMT -5
The stock size in the stock location is always best
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Post by jspbtown on Oct 24, 2020 7:41:47 GMT -5
Under the car. Again...going from memory here but I think you can access the latch assembly from under the car. If you can then you just manipulate the locking assembly to unlock it.
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Post by jspbtown on Oct 23, 2020 7:48:50 GMT -5
Its been so long since I built the GTII its hard to remember. I know the same thing happened to me. Can you access the latch from underneath?
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