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Post by Gary Hammond on Nov 17, 2014 10:38:21 GMT -5
Hi Skip, Glad to see you were able to get together with Rob and rescue his project! I think he lost interest in it when his son wanted to move on to other things. He had a lot of big ideas for it, and did a lot of work on it. Did you get all the engines and parts from Rob as well? I would love to see this project completed into a drivable, showable car since I also have some time invested in it. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Nov 14, 2014 15:58:12 GMT -5
Hi agraham55, I'm running 205R60-15s on the front and 235R60-15s on the rear. I did have to slightly adjust the steering stop on the driver side to keep that tire from rubbing the floor pan. I also have home made headlight boxes that have enough clearance the way I made them. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Nov 10, 2014 21:21:06 GMT -5
Hi Pete, Are you still keeping up the GTII site? I haven't seen anything new on it for some time. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Nov 8, 2014 14:53:39 GMT -5
Hi Kyle, I liked the blue borders and background better as well. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Oct 18, 2014 9:21:59 GMT -5
Hi Erin, One thing about the Bradley is that every one of them came out of the mold a little diferent than the one before. The doors from one won't fit properly on a different one because the doors are made oversized and then trimmed to fit each individual vehicle. You can make a template from heavy cardboard that fits your particular vehicle and use that as a pattern to fabricate your own doors. There are two or three examples on this web site where owners have made doors similar to what you are proposing. Do a search for doors. I have a new untrimmed set of doors for mine that I'm keeping for my own future use. New doors are available (sometimes) from Sunray, but they are pretty expensive. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Oct 18, 2014 8:57:01 GMT -5
Hi James, Welcome back. Got any pics of the new ride? Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Oct 18, 2014 8:52:55 GMT -5
Hi Erin, Welcome to the Bradley club. That's a nice looking ride you have there. Where are you located? Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Oct 3, 2014 20:26:21 GMT -5
Hi All, I just got an e-mail from Ed Heys informing me that the article he wrote on Bradleys will be in the November issue of Hemmings Motor News. It will be hitting the newsstands on or about Oct 10th. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Sept 7, 2014 8:51:13 GMT -5
Hi Steven, Sorry to learn of your wife's sudden passing, but happy to know she will be spending eternity with the Lord ! Gary Hammond
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Post by Gary Hammond on Aug 24, 2014 22:15:45 GMT -5
Hi Dan, .............I did not find any type of seals on the heads or on the cylinders. I thought they were supposed to have brass rings and or spacers in the heads and where the cylinders meat the block but nota. ...........................So how do you think all that fuel got into the block. ...............Ideas? Dan 1. There are only thin paper gaskets used between the jugs and the crankcase. They like to fail and leak. I leave them out and seal with silicone seal instead. 2. The stock jug to head uses no gasket of any kind, but after market copper rings are available. I've not used them. Barrel shims are sometimes used on stroked engines to keep the pistons from protruding out of the jugs and colliding with the head! You need .040" to .060" of deck clearance between the piston and top of the jug/bottom of head. All this has an effect on the compression ratio and so must be carefully calculated when making changes. 3. Sounds like a bad (leaking) fuel pump or a flooding carburetor letting fuel into the crankcase/cylinders. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 30, 2014 14:56:44 GMT -5
Hi Ed, I sent you an e-mail with this history as well as some other info and pictures. I'm also posting it here in case anyone else is interested. My Bradley GT History When I acquired my Bradley in 1987, it needed brake and carburetor repairs. Being an outdoor power equipment dealer at the time, I took it in on trade for a lawn tractor. As I recall, it had just under 20,000 miles showing on the odometer. It also had been infested with mice and the gelcoat suffered ultraviolet damage. It took minimal work to get it on the road, so we drove it the way it was until 1990. My son even drove it to high school his senior year ('89-'90). Then it just sat from 1990 to 1995 deteriorating even more until my wife began threatening to give it away. I originally wanted it to use as a test vehicle for an internally supercharged experimental engine I had a patent on, but ran short of time and funds. Realizing my wife's attitude, I decided in 1995 to completely restore the car and build my experimental engine at the same time. I finally got it back together with lots of modifications to the whole car in the spring of 1999. I spent more time working on my experimental engine that summer than I did driving it, but my wife decided it was indeed a lot of fun to cruise in. In 2001, I became so frustrated with my experimental engine that I built up a more "conventional" engine which I finished up in the spring of 2002. My "conventional" engine has digital fuel injection, dry sump oiling , external oil cooler, 3/4 cam, 9 to 1 compression, valve train improvements, MSD ignition, counterweighted crank, lightened flywheel, custom exhaust, and a few other goodies. What a blast! It surprises the heck out of ricers and almost keeps up with my '97 V8 T-Bird all the while getting over 30 MPG. No more problems with oil temp or head temp either! I think it registered somewhere around 24,000 miles in 2003 when I replaced all the gauges with new electronic ones. It now shows 10,000 miles on the replacement speedometer. It's basically a fair weather vehicle, but is a blast to drive. It is currently in need of a new paint job. These cars are always an unfinished work in progress! Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 23, 2014 8:35:52 GMT -5
1963 thru 1967 Corvette COUPE only!!! Windshield from the convertible won't fit properly. I seriously doubt the Corvette Coupe and Pickup Truck would have used the same windshield, but I'm Ford guy --- so what would I know. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 20, 2014 16:47:56 GMT -5
Hi Jon, Nice work with the tubing! Just curious ...........what are you doing to the (V-8 ?) camshaft mounted in your lathe, and what's it out of Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 17, 2014 15:30:50 GMT -5
Hi Ed, Thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Is bradleygt.proboards the largest forum for the Bradley community? What are the other primary clubs, forums or sources for Bradley-related information/tech advice/social interaction? I don't think there's much else out there that's specifically for Bradleys. Pete started a site several years ago for the GT II at www.bradleygt2.com/index.php, but I don't think it's active any more. There is a lot of good basic VW tech info available at www.thesamba.com/vw/ and one of the members here has a web site for all kinds of kit cars at priceofhistoys.com/forum/index.phpMaybe somebody else can chime in here. There's tech info available from most VW aftermarket suppliers as well. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 16, 2014 12:37:17 GMT -5
Hi Ed, Looking at the members page there appears to be 1119 members registered. A handful of these are spam and have been blocked. Maybe 30 or so. 680 members have posted at least once since the board was started, and there are probably 50 or so members who visit the board frequently. On any given day there may be from 15 to 25 members (and 10 times that number of guests) on the board during the past 24 hour period, and there are at least 61 members who have 50 or more posts on the board. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 16, 2014 11:00:36 GMT -5
Hi Ed, Hello, I am writing a short piece on the (history, briefly) and current status of the Bradley community of owners and enthusiasts. Many questions, but first, approximately how many GTs and GTIIs currently exist, either as projects or on the streets? Also please direct me to FAQs section if I'm annoying you with basic questions. Are there a few spokespersons who would like to assist w/general Bradley info? Thanks for responding. Cheers, Ed Heys, Design Editor, Hemmings Motor News There used to be a pretty complete history about the Bradley company and the characters who started it posted somewhere on the web. I don't remember whether it was on our old site that got infected with a virus, on the GT II web site, or on a site of one of the members from here? To the best of my knowledge, nobody knows for sure how many GTs and how many GT IIs were actually produced. The company produced both kits and turnkey cars. They also had "dealers" or "distributors" who built turnkey cars. One of the most knowledgable members on this site would be Jeff Troy. He has a couple of CDs available that detail his personal builds. He also had contact with the people that started the company and visited the "factory" back in the day. His CDs even have some of the early documents and paper work. There is no FAQs section on this site. So any specific questions you have .......ask away! You're not annoying anyone! The nearest thing we have to a club is this forum. There are no dues or fees. It's just a place on the net for all of us who have, or have an interest in Bradley GTs and Bradley GT IIs to share and learn from each other. There are several very talented, knowledgable, and skilled people who post here. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 9, 2014 11:41:09 GMT -5
Hi Jeff, ................ They made dual port D engines. So it could be a stock D motor or someone could have used the case to build a 1600cc motor. So you need to remove a head and measure your bore. I don't know about the 009 coming from a Bus. They are the most common replacement aftermarket distributors sold for a VW. Theu don't work well with just about anything but they are cheap and available so people use them. Depending on the carbs a nice SVDA distributor will give you the best combo of power and mileage. I didn't know they ever made the D series engines with dual port heads. That's a new one on me. And of course except for the modified engine I built up and doing some reading, I really don't have much knowledge of stock VW's. And I agree from what I've read that the SVDA dizzy is the best way to go with the 34 PICT-3 carb. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 9, 2014 11:32:15 GMT -5
Ok thanks for the information but what is a dizzy ? And I pulled the valve covers probably one of the cleanliness engines inside so far that I've seen. Slang term for distributor. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 9, 2014 11:29:27 GMT -5
Hi Rick, So my engine is a Frankenstein. Yeah! Most engines this age have been changed, modified, updated to be "Frankensteins". LOL The only problem I see with this one is using the wrong dizzy. When you tear completely down, be sure to carefully check the center main bearing saddle for wear. The stock unweighted crankshaft tends to pound out the center main bearing saddle, requiring the crankcase to need align boring and oversized OD replacement main bearings. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 9, 2014 11:14:40 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Looking at the latest photos of the SN what looks like a "D" may actually be a "B" which is the 1970 1600 single port crankcase. The heads, intake manifold, and carb, would be from a 1971 or later AE series engine. And the dizzy is all centrifugal advance, probably a 009 from the type 2 Bus. This dizzy dosen't work properly combined with a 34 PICT-3 carb unless some modifications are made to the carb. This engine has been updated (modified) to be like the AE series engine - all except for the dizzy, which is the wrong one to use in this application. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 20:12:48 GMT -5
Another way to ID the crankcase is whether or not it has two oil pressure relief valves or only one. Starting in 1970 with the B series engine, a second relief valve was added to the front (flywheel) end of the engine just behind the flywheel in the bottom of the left hand crankcase half. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 19:30:33 GMT -5
Hi Jeff, Your engine is not a "H" engine...it is a "D" engine. At least thats what it started life as. It could be anything now. I tried looking at the video at home but could not. Probably my antiquated computer. I will give it a shot in the morning. Usually the year of the motor is relatively unimportant for basic things. They are usually referred to as single port or dual port. Some of the real early ones were very unique an are very different. When I see your video I should be able to tell what you have (at least a single or dual port). The total size can be changed within the block just as you would say bore and/or stroke a SBC. many parts are universal for many diffeent years. For wiring alot of people have used Rebel Wire. Made in the USA. Good customer service and well made. Oh yeah...and reasonably priced. Let me know what your plans are for the car. You can get away with 8 circuits. 12 for some extras. 21 is a waste of money. I don't think it's a D engine. I think Rick may have looked at a casting mark instead of the actual serial # or possibly misread the letter preceeding the numbers. I think it has to be either a modified H or B series, or else replaced by an AE series engine. Identifying the carb and dizzy should help ID the engine as well. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 19:24:13 GMT -5
Hi Rick, Well it has a dual port intake manifold, so it has to have dual port heads. These came standard on the 1971 1600cc engine and have been retrofitted to a lot of earlier engines. The 1969 was a 1500cc with single port heads, and the 1970 was a 1600cc with single port heads. I would guess either the heads and intake manifold have been replaced on your original 1500 engine or the engine has been updated to or replaced by a later 1600 dual port engine. Can't tell from the video if it has a vacuum advance on the back of the distributor or not. Kind of looks like it to me, but it also looks like a centrifugal advance distributor rather than an all vacuum distributor. Is it a combined vacuum and centrifugal (dual) advance unit? If it is, it may have been changed as my book indicates the 1969 and 1970 engines had an all vacuum advance with the manual transmission, and all had the dual advance with the auto-stick transmission. And from 1971 on, they all had the dual advance distributor regardless of which transmission was installed. Which carburetor do you have? The Solex 30 PICT-2 was used in 1968 and 1969. The Solex 30 PICT-3 was used in 1970. And the Solex 34 PICT-3 and Solex 34 PICT-4 were used from 1971 thru 1974. The 30 PICT models have a 30 MM diameter venturi and the 34 PICT models have a 34 MM diameter venturi. The carburetors have differing internal vacuum porting depending on which distributor they were designed to be used with. And a lot of engine builders have substituted an all centrifugal advance dristributor used in the type 2 Bus engines when going to a multi carb setup. If these are used on an otherwise stock engine with a standard Solex single carb, the carb has to be modified to idle and accelerate properly. A dual advance dizzy mated to the correct corresponding carb is the best way to go here. So.....look for the distributor model # and the carburetor model #. The carb # is cast into the carb body and the dizzy # is on an attached ID tag. And double check the engine serial #. It is usually stamped (not cast) into the right hand crank case half just below the generator stand. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 16:12:56 GMT -5
Hi Rick, So my engine is a 1500cc 53 hp? I would like to start with the engine rebuild but would hate to buy the wrong parts. My wife will start sanding and body work while I do the engine. That chassis would orignally have come with a series H, 53HP, 1500cc single port engine. But how do you know if it still has the original engine? If it's the original 1500 it can be upgraded to a 1600 single port (the 57 HP engine that came out in 1970)just by installing the larger (85.5 MM)cylinders and pistons. Or you can modify it with a lot of after market parts and/or a set of heads from the 63 HP 1600cc dual port engine that came out in 1971. My engine is a 1678cc (88MM bore x stock 69MM stroke)engine with dual port flycut heads (9 to 1 compression) , different camshaft , beefed up valve train, counter weighted crankshaft with 8 dowells, lightened flywheel, heavy duty flywheel nut, heavy duty clutch, heavy duty throw-out arm and bushings, dry sump oiling, external oil cooler, electronic fuel injection, home made exhaust, 097 Bosch distributor, MSD 6 ignition triggered by a comp-u-fire module, spiro-pro ignition wires, and cold NGK plugs gapped at .060". It pulls real strong in the 3000 - 5000 RPM range and will pull all the way to 6000 RPM. This was all installed in a new replacement crank case with stud savers and chrome-moly barrel bolts. Never had it on a dyno, but estimate it to reliably put out 100+ HP. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 15:31:44 GMT -5
And here's a scan of a page near the end of my Bradley GT Assembly Manual. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 15:23:25 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Well I'm a little redfaced! The 119 000 001- SN is listed as a 1969. Somehow I overlooked it and assumed it to be between the two numbers listed for 1965. (I think one set of numbers was for the sedan and the other set was for the Karmin Ghia.) My bad!! The 1969 model year did indeed have the ball joint front end, IRS rear end, and 12 volt electrical system. 1969 was the first year for the IRS! But it still had the H series 1500 cc SP 53 HP engine. And now I remember that starting in 1965 they started using the # 11 followed by the last # of the year to designate the Beetle, and the #14 followed by the last # of the year to designate a Karmin Ghia. And in 1970 they added a #2 after the year to designate the second time thru the sequence. Hence the 10 digit numbers! So: 1965 115 000 001- Beetle 145 000 001- Karmin Ghia 1966 116 000 001- Btl 146 000 001- K G 1967 117 000 001- Btl 147 000 001- KG 1968 118 000 001- Btl 148 000 001- KG 1969 119 000 001- Btl 149 000 001- KG 1970 1102 000 001- Btl 1402 000 001- KG They did this clear thru at least 1979, which is where my book stops. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 13:35:06 GMT -5
Hi Rick, Well the carb says 12v on it and I hooked a battery up all the work and it turns over. Since the Bradly GT kit came equipped with all 12 volt components, I would assume most people would have converted from 6 volts to 12 volts if they used an early chassis. The original Bradley GT Build Manual that came with my car also lists SN 115-000-001 to 115-979-200 with 40 HP engine and 6 volt system for the 1965 model year. And it also lists SN 116-000-001 to 116-021-298 with 50 HP engine and ball joint front suspension for the 1966 model year. I thought it talked about converting from a 6 volt to 12 volt system, but it doesn't. They appearantly thought most people could figure that out on their own. As far as I know, the only real problem in converting from 6 volts to 12 volts is the extra clearance required in the 6 volt bell housing for the larger diameter flywheel/ring gear used on the later 12 volt equipped engines. Never been there, only read about it somewhere years ago. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 13:07:58 GMT -5
Hi Jeff, Gary, The Samba (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/bugchassisdating.php) says 1965 is a 116 pan. Are they incorrect? They also show the last motor done in 1965 as being D0 050 314. Jeff I don't know about Samba - I rarely go there. I looked in my old Clymer 1961-1979 VW Beetle Shop Manual that I've found to usually be accurate. It lists chassis SN 115 000 001- and (thru ?) SN 145 000 001- as 1965 production, and only lists the letter D (without any numbers) as the engine production for that year (1965). And 1965 is the only year it lists the D series engine. 1966 started with the F series engine which was 1300cc and 50 HP. They also started the ball joint front end in 1966, and it was still a 6 volt electrical system and swing axle rear end in 1966 acording to my Clymer manual. My chassis is a 1967 model that came with ball joint front end, swing axle rear end, H series 1500 cc SP, 53 HP engine, and 12 volt electrical system. Of course I'm running a 1679 cc DP mostly aftermarket engine in it. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 8, 2014 11:13:43 GMT -5
Hi Rick, The 9 digit chassis # 119734820 is for a 1965 beetle, and the D series engine is the correct 1200cc 40HP engine for that year. The 1970 bettles were all 10 digit #'s. So it's got to be a 1965 model with 6 volt electrical system, king pin front end, and swing axle rear end. Not the best choice for the foundation of a Bradley GT. Gary Hammond,
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 2, 2014 10:36:32 GMT -5
Hi Savedbygrace, Hi everyone. .............................................................. . Let me know what you think. It looks very nice and shows good skills and originality. I applaud anyone who adds some of their own personality to these cars. It doesn't have to be what everyone else has! But as for me, I like lots of gauges and control knobs. So I went to the other extreme with mine.
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