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Post by pushnfords on May 22, 2010 15:24:30 GMT -5
Just thought I'd introduce myself...I'm sure I'll be doing lots of reading on here and I know I'll have some questions.
First question...what vendors do you recommend for parts?
My name is Derek and I used to work at restoration shops before I started turning wrenches for civilian contractors and now the state on Ft. Riley. A guy I've known for years contacted me asking if I could work on his '78 Bradley GTII. I'm heading to pick it up in a couple of minutes actually. The owner doesn't know much about it and I've never worked on a VW so I'll have to look it over when I get it in the garage. So far the owner wants a complete suspension rebuild front and rear, new drive axles, interior put back in (currently gutted), convert to disc brakes front and rear, and the engine will either get some performance bolt on parts or replaced with a new one.
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Post by jspbtown on May 24, 2010 9:10:53 GMT -5
cip1 is always a reliable source.
Others include:
Moore Parts
SoCal parts
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Post by wizzygt2 on May 24, 2010 13:45:14 GMT -5
Welcome, its always nice to have some more newbies like me around! You have to post some pics when u get started! Best of luck and have fun.
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Post by big bob on May 25, 2010 7:56:07 GMT -5
welcome to the boards!
the reply from JSPTOWN is good. he has done several rebuilds and you'll want to talk at him....
best of luck. post pictures of the process....
big bob
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Post by don29163 on May 25, 2010 9:02:25 GMT -5
I just rebuilt my front suspension, I would have come out way ahead, dollar-wise to have bought a rebuilt front beam assy.
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Post by pushnfords on May 26, 2010 18:29:00 GMT -5
I started working on the car last night. At first I was just going to bypass the fuel system & wiring and try to start it. Then I saw all of the stuff in the fins and fan from mice! So the engine is now on the ground and I'll strip it down and clean it up. I'm posting pics on my Photobucket page: s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff16/PushnFords/1978%20Bradley%20GTII/ |
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Post by don29163 on May 26, 2010 20:20:40 GMT -5
pushnfords, Are you going to use that A/c compressor and mounting hardware? If not, I would be interested it it. Great looking pics on your website. Take pictures of everything, example, one guy here needs to see the door hinges and latches. My pics are on www.carnutguys.com |
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Post by vallyr on May 27, 2010 12:09:33 GMT -5
chirco.com and jbugs are my fav bug parts places
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Post by pushnfords on May 27, 2010 16:23:19 GMT -5
cip1 is always a reliable source. Thanks for the info...they should give you a commision! ;D I started looking up parts and they were quite a bit cheaper than Mid America so I ended up ordering almost everything I needed through them for the rear end and engine. Burnt through $1,100 pretty quick plus an order from Autozone and still need to order heat exchangers from JC Whitney. I just rebuilt my front suspension, I would have come out way ahead, dollar-wise to have bought a rebuilt front beam assy. Who sells the rebuilt assemblies? I've been buying a lot of stuff outright...since I'm being paid to do the work I can't refurbish a lot of these parts for the cost of a reman/new part. pushnfords, Are you going to use that A/c compressor and mounting hardware? If not, I would be interested it it. Great looking pics on your website. Take pictures of everything, example, one guy here needs to see the door hinges and latches. My pics are on www.carnutguys.comTentative plans are to remove the side door windows and remove/sell the A/C system. But...we probably need to hold off on selling it until we're sure the door & window setup is what we want to stick with. I can take pics of the latches...posted a reply on his thread...but I think I'm missing door latches and linkage myself. Nice website and projects you have there! Our cars are almost twins...except I'm missing stuff. I've been debating pulling the body so I can get a better look at wiring and see what has been done. How does the body attach front and rear? I saw the bolts along the floor pan. I haven't jacked up the front or crawled under it yet. I work 40 hours at one job, 10 hours of commuting, 10-15 hours at another job, plus this Bradley. Busy right now!  |
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Post by bobevans on May 28, 2010 13:55:15 GMT -5
Hi...If you are going to replace the front end, I would recommend a Karmann Ghia as it has disc brakes already installed and can save some money if you can find one...
bobevans
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Post by pushnfords on May 28, 2010 19:26:13 GMT -5
Hi...If you are going to replace the front end, I would recommend a Karmann Ghia as it has disc brakes already installed and can save some money if you can find one... bobevans I've never seen any locally. By the time I bought some used ones out of the classifieds and refinished them I wouldn't be saving that much money for the owner. Quoting him: "Any part that is fair but not perfect, replace the bugger." |
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Post by bobevans on May 31, 2010 9:40:53 GMT -5
Duh....I guess I should have been more specific and suggested that a Karmann front beam with brakes attached might be found at a wrecking yard....
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Post by pushnfords on May 31, 2010 20:21:25 GMT -5
Duh....I guess I should have been more specific and suggested that a Karmann front beam with brakes attached might be found at a wrecking yard.... The owner wants the suspension and brakes to be new/rebuilt so if I did find some in a yard I'd have to go through them so I'd have to find the setup really cheap. Most of the junkyards around here are crushing everything older than '00 or mid '90s. The local yard just got in a '42 Plymouth coupe and I talked him into selling it to me for cash...I think I've found a buyer for it so just need to get it out of there before they crush it. I can't stand to see older stuff crushed. Anyway...point being...I've never seen a Karmann in person on the road OR in a junkyard...and I've been in most of the junkyards around with old iron looking for parts for my Torino. |
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