|
|
Post by horen2tas on May 26, 2015 20:10:57 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by cocacoladodge on May 31, 2015 17:28:36 GMT -5
Wow, that drivers gull broke nearly exactly like mine did. Its a good thing I'm going to Effingham, otherwise that looks like a good parts car for me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gary Hammond on May 31, 2015 18:53:53 GMT -5
Hi Bob,  Wow, that drivers gull broke nearly exactly like mine did. Its a good thing I'm going to Effingham, otherwise that looks like a good parts car for me. That's where they always break.  It's a design flaw that needs reinforcing in this high stress area.  I've had three break there, so the last pair I just sandwitched that area with stainless steel sheet. End of problem.  Gary Hammond,   |
|
dan
New Member
Posts: 1 
|
Post by dan on Jun 3, 2015 2:37:02 GMT -5
Me and my brother live in CT and were looking at this car we know little about the bradley GT but i have mechanic knowledge we were thinking about getting it and was wondering what you senior members think it looks like it has inward camber and things any information or things i can't see that you can tell about it would really help, thank a lot.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gary Hammond on Jun 3, 2015 8:05:22 GMT -5
Hi Dan, From the pictures and description it looks well worth the $900 to me. It will however, probably require some work and expense to get it road worthy. Figure on a total rewiring job and a complete brake job. These are not very expensive if you can do them yourself. When rewiring, it is advisable to replace the generator with an alternator that has a built in regulator. It is a pre '76 body that looks to be in good condition mounted on a swing axle chassis. It is missing windshield wipers and the front bumpers. The interior looks fair. Can't see the gauges in the pictures. And as posted earlier, it has a broken drivers door. I also noticed it doesn't have any door seals. Are the tires old and dry rotted or still in good condition?  Look for rusted out floor pans (which can be replaced and/or dropped) and a rusted out front frame head. Replacing a rusted out frame head is a more difficult repair. Common items to replace in the front are ball joints (or king pins), tie rod ends, steering dampener, wheel bearings, steering gear box, and steering shaft rag joint. The rear chamber can be adjusted to slightly positive and a camber compensator (or sway away) added to reduce rear wheel tuck under when cornering. Figure on new shocks all the way around. The engine appears to be a stock single port 1300 to 1500. The engine may or may not be original to the chassis. The chassis serial number is stamped into the top of the center tunnel just ahead of the rear shelf. And the engine serial number is stamped into the end of the crankcase just under the generator stand. There are charts available that decipher all the serial numbers. Engine condition and desired level of performance will dictate how much you will invest here. You may invest from $1000 to $2000 doing all the above to get a reliable, road worthy vehicle depending on what all needs to be replaced. To get a show vehicle will require as much as you are willing to spend on it. Gary Hammond, |
|
|
|
Post by jspbtown on Jun 3, 2015 8:36:24 GMT -5
Gary, as usual, nails it right on the head.
For the rear camber issue a camber compensator works great. A small adjustment on the torsion bars might help to level out the old swing axles. The car seems a bit high in the rear so dropping it a bit will help. The bigger the tires the more obvious it is.
And wiring...oh boy the wiring...is almost 100% likely to be garbage. In all likelihood it cannot be "repaired" and will need to be replaced. That is usually best done with the body off...unless you can bend your body in un-natural ways.
Once you have the body off there will be a lot of "fun" things to do.
So this is not a "bring in it the shop for the weekend" and get it on the road project. Its not as bad as a lot of the junk I have restored, but its not a minor refresh either.
|
|
|
|
Post by hockeyrugger4 on Jun 21, 2015 10:44:02 GMT -5
This thread made me chuckle, I ended up with a $900 Bradley from CT. The floor pans are totally rusted through. I got it because I wanted a project car but don't have much experience working on cars. Any advice on how to move forward or resources that could help? Replacing the pans seems like a pretty major task to start with.
Last question, I know the pans are bad, how can I tell if the chassis is rusted as well and is that a deal breaker?
|
|
|
|
Post by cocacoladodge on Jun 26, 2015 12:23:48 GMT -5
Look underneath... Pan replacement is something everyone has to do at somepoint. Its actually somewhat of a bonus, because you take out the 14 or so bolts that hold the body on, pull the body ( one person can do it, but I would recommend 2-3 just because it's awarkward) After you remove the windshield... While the body is off, you have easy access to redo the pans, clean up the engine, look over and replace wiring, as sometimes it's a total mess, and 35+ years old.
Yeah it sounds like a lot of work, and I sound nuts saying its a bonus. I can say that because you can SEE all the issues and get them fixed before they cost you more later on. Oh yeah, also when the body is off is a prime time to go over the brakes. Keep in mind this is a lightweight car and nearly no weight in front, so you need GOOD back brakes ( handbrakes are a bonus) and maybe bolt down some weights in the front to keep the car on the ground.
Don't let this scare you off, there is a lot of combined knowledge on here, and always good ideas to any questions you may have. This will be a headache 75% of the time while building, but the end result is totally worth the pain and blood you will put into it.
|
|
|
|
Post by dougiebug on Oct 25, 2015 21:10:01 GMT -5
Hey guys I am in Connecticut too. I have two Bradleys, one of them has the sports pack. Currently I am working other projects but I plan on fixing the sports pack before spring.
|
|
It's a design flaw that needs reinforcing in this high stress area. 
I've had three break there, so the last pair I just sandwitched that area with stainless steel sheet. End of problem. 
