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Post by mercer77 on May 6, 2014 17:27:37 GMT -5
I would like to start a list of everything for the GT1 that I or anyone else needs to address when rebuilding/putting this car together.
Anything from safety, comfort, or just a pain in the rear. Please add anything you can think of.
1 - No A/C
2 - Head room
3 - Needs a roll(crash) cage
4 - I don' like the steering shaft. Could be a potential spear through the chest. Some models of bugs have a place to compress the shaft.
5 - cooling for engine
6 - filler placement for gas tank
7 - sun visors
8 - back up lights
9 - butt sag
I'll add more later.
Looking for suggestions for any of these also.
Thanks guys/gals.
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Post by skip20 on May 6, 2014 19:24:13 GMT -5
I have a unused AC setup for the VW
PM me for info.
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Post by mercer77 on May 6, 2014 20:04:20 GMT -5
Does anyone use just the two small fans under the dash?
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Post by clouseau17961 on May 6, 2014 20:09:46 GMT -5
Hello,
No sun visors
No back-up lights
Butt sag
These are some of the ones I found when I started on mine.(eventually I will start a thread on mine)
Ed
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geddes66
Junior Member
Now I am an instructor at the RTS-M, Camp Roberts CA. Teaching new Army mechanics.
Posts: 87
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Post by geddes66 on May 9, 2014 0:34:54 GMT -5
#1 Covered
#2 Body lift/floor drop, 1-3 inches the angles on the tunnel cause a few problems with even weight distribution.
#3 Center of gravity makes a rollover very unlikely, you are much more likely to be run (literally) over in any accident.
#4 At least from '69 up they had an expanded section to give a little "collapse" in an accident.
#5 Engine overheating in not an issue. I have no special system, at speed, engine compartment is only a few degrees more than ambient.
#6 Make the filler go straight down to the bottom of the tank, use the current location as a vapor return vent.
#7 get them from a self service junkyard. Have measurements in mind.
#8 contacts in trans
#9 Re-enforce the fenders and block the body to use the rear shock towers for added support.
Like Jeff Troy wisely said "A Bradley is NOT the car you want to take into an accident." I think of it as a motorcycle that cannot fall over.
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Post by smyrnaguy on May 9, 2014 14:06:56 GMT -5
No one ever likes the previous guy's wiring either. Unless you are built like and are as limber as a snake complete all wiring before mounting the body.
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Post by mercer77 on May 9, 2014 16:23:13 GMT -5
Does anyone use just the two small fans under the dash? Is there a way to get into the seat without stepping on it?  (Unless you're a ninja) |
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Post by Dan MacMillan on May 9, 2014 19:34:37 GMT -5
If you are concerned about the steering shaft use a shorter unit or shorten yours and use 2 u-joints to connect it, placing the bottom of the shaft to the side of the steering box. You can install a slip joint between the 2 u-joints. I get mine from full size Chevy vans. Do not use the flexible rag joint that is normally used on the vw box. This will cause the column to go sideways if you hit too hard. similar to the lower one   |
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Post by leonardabell on May 9, 2014 19:50:37 GMT -5
Does anyone use just the two small fans under the dash? Is there a way to get into the seat without stepping on it? (Unless you're a ninja) I stand beside the side of the door, and place my right hand on the back top. Lift your right leg up and onto the floor in front of the drivers seat. Put your left hand behind you and onto the side of the car, and using a three point balance, put your left leg into the car on the floor with your butt on the top portion of the seat. Then slide down and buckle up. To get out, slide your butt up the seat as far as you can get, and using your right hand on the top and left hand on the side, get your left leg out without scraping the side of the car!!!! Then you can get your right leg up and out again being careful about scraping the top of the car. |
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Post by skip20 on May 9, 2014 20:19:04 GMT -5
Does anyone use just the two small fans under the dash? Is there a way to get into the seat without stepping on it? (Unless you're a ninja) I stand beside the side of the door, and place my right hand on the back top. Lift your right leg up and onto the floor in front of the drivers seat. Put your left hand behind you and onto the side of the car, and using a three point balance, put your left leg into the car on the floor with your butt on the top portion of the seat. Then slide down and buckle up. To get out, slide your butt up the seat as far as you can get, and using your right hand on the top and left hand on the side, get your left leg out without scraping the side of the car!!!! Then you can get your right leg up and out again being careful about scraping the top of the car. Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years, I always opened the door 1st!!!! HAHA  |
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Post by Gary Hammond on May 9, 2014 21:09:07 GMT -5
Hi Mercer77,  Does anyone use just the two small fans under the dash? What two small fans??? Any pics of them? If you have fans, they must be something extra installed by the previous owner. The kit never came with fans to the best of my knowledge. Gary Hammond,  |
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Post by leonardabell on May 9, 2014 23:22:53 GMT -5
I have two fan shaped vents in the firewall under the dash. They need to operated manually by standing on your head!
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Post by Gary Hammond on May 10, 2014 7:54:29 GMT -5
Hi Leonard, I have two fan shaped vents in the firewall under the dash. They need to operated manually by standing on your head! I hooked up flexible push/pull cables to my vents so I can open them from the dash without having to stand on my head.  And then I put some outlets in the back shelf with large hose and PVC pipe exiting near the inlet of the engine cooling fan to get forced circulation of either outside air from the vents or heated air from the heat exchangers when the doors are installed. I also installed splash deflectors on the front side of the vents to keep rain and road splash from coming thru the vents. (Guess how I found out that road splash can come thru the vents?)  Gary Hammond, |
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Post by leonardabell on May 10, 2014 12:21:06 GMT -5
Gary, good Ideas all. Thanks.
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Post by clouseau17961 on May 10, 2014 18:10:07 GMT -5
Hello,
Mine has the holes under the dash, but, no fans.
Where do you get the fans for there?
Ed
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Post by victorhugo on May 12, 2014 16:17:41 GMT -5
#2 WHERE I CAN BUY THE TREX? ON HOME DEPOT AND IS SPECIAL MEASUREMNT? OR TYPE? ,I FINALLY REGISTERD MY VW PAN,AND MAYBE THE NEXT WEEK I REMOVE THE VW BUG AND PUT THE BRADLEY BODY !! BECAUSE I AM A TALL BEANER AND I NEED TO MAKE A DROP PAN AND THE BODY LIFT TO FIT MY 6ยด2 BEANER BODY THERE
AND YEAH IS THINK IS A GOOD IDEA THE ROLL CAGE!!
P.S I THINK MY VW BUG SINCE IS A MEXICAN MODEL HAVE A DIFFERENT INTERMEDIATE SHAFT!!
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geddes66
Junior Member
Now I am an instructor at the RTS-M, Camp Roberts CA. Teaching new Army mechanics.
Posts: 87
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Post by geddes66 on May 21, 2014 19:37:42 GMT -5
The holes are for the vents, the vents connected to the engine and used its fans to push hot air into the cabin. It is an anemic setup that is directly dependent on the engines RPM's for flow. I have put the inline "booster" fans into mine. They are the cheap bilge type. They are noisy, move very little air and if the engine is running so slow that they are needed, it is not putting out alot of heat anyway.
Make sure the hoses from the engine fan are connected to the heat-exchangers even if there is no ducts into the cabin. The engine fan continuously pushes air over the heat-exchangers even when the air is not going into the cabin. If they are disconnected, the heat-exchangers overheat.
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Post by Big-birds-ride on May 22, 2014 16:57:38 GMT -5
My Bradley has vent openings in the foot area high up which let in fresh air when open, and two under each side of the dash that are connected to defrost vents on the top of the dash. These have tubing going back to the engine sheet metal where the engine fan pushes the hot air into the tubing. These defrost vents have shut offs.
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Post by cocacoladodge on May 26, 2014 10:18:37 GMT -5
ok, back to mercer77's topic. I would recommend finding a way to add a little more weight to the front end. The a/c unit components that you can move up front would help some, but also you may want to look into adding more additional weight somehow. You have very little downforce on your front end and the front brakes may not grab the way they were designed to with the heaver Bug body. I don't know about anyone else, but I also have issues with the front end lifting off the ground if I'm going over 73mph (or mid 60s if my headlight flaps are closed).
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(Unless you're a ninja)
And then I put some outlets in the back shelf with large hose and PVC pipe exiting near the inlet of the engine cooling fan to get forced circulation of either outside air from the vents or heated air from the heat exchangers when the doors are installed. I also installed splash deflectors on the front side of the vents to keep rain and road splash from coming thru the vents. (Guess how I found out that road splash can come thru the vents?) 
