Finally I got the engine running. The timing was off and it still needs a new carb. I ordered a carb but it was the wrong one and I had to send it back for an exchange. Once I get this new carb on it should run close to flawlessly, though I may also need a new battery(probly going to mount the battery casing in the back somewhere properly as well).
Also, me and a friend went to U Auto Pull It and pulled a 2001 camaro seat for 20 bucks. We only got one to make sure it would fit. It's going to fit and were going to get the second one asap. The mounting may be difficult if they don't fit just straight bolting them down. We will have to get a custom mounting bracket welded, but we have someone lined up to do that. I also plan on getting some black and red seat covers for each one.
I will soon have the money to get the red racing harnesses which we will try first bolting directly to the floor. If they aren't long enough we will most likely just measure and look for a roll bar to go in it.
The last thing we need to get it on the road is some new tires. They should be cheap since they are only 14 inches but we will see, hopefully I will have the money.
And if all of this goes according to plan we should be able to have it on the road by the end of winter.
Now, at that point I will probly stop until summer when I can get a job and work up the money for the doors and back window. Once I have those I can properly clean out the interior and get it carpeted. We will also probly do a few small things like get a cool looking shift knob/handle and get a new e brake boot(to get rid of the levers that open and close the vents, since there are no vents). The bigger things that we will need to end up doing when I have the money and time is paint, wiring(lights, blinkers and whatever else we run into), fixing the molding of the windshield, getting a new windshield, and deleting the vent holes.
Some extra stuff that isnt necessary but that might be added is a sound system(enough room in the back for a speaker setup), custom "OlBrad" license plate, and an upgraded dash.
But that's in the future for now I just want to drive the thing.
Peace,
Harlow
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Technical Difficulties
Well, one wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find someone willing to work on volkswagens. So after many weeks of searching around we finally found someone who actually will take a look at it. I was going to fix it myself because I believe the timing is just advanced to much, but before I could get to it it just stopped cranking altogether so I couldn't warm it up before hand. I'm pretty sure everytime we cranked it it got worse and that is why it will no longer crank. Since I'm only moderately schooled in engines and much less so in rear mounted four cylinders, I decided to keep looking. So hopefully this shop will be able to fix it and then I will finally be able to get the doors and start cleaning it up inside and out. I will give an update on if we got it fixed or if we will have to keep looking for shops. One day soon I'll have this engine running, I promise.
Thanks for being patient.
Thanks for being patient.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Bad Luck
So I am now the official owner of a Bradley GT. The car pickup was a success got all the papers signed and what not.
The trip was long and somewhat exhausting but fun. It is an 8 hour drive from here in Louisiana to Oklahoma. We started late at around 7 pm Thursday night. My dad and his friend came with me. My dad drove the first 500 miles. Now my dad's friend doesn't have good luck...at all, and we didn't have lights hooked up to our trailer...So as soon as my dad's friend gets behind the wheel he says "Watch a cop pull me over." He gets out onto the interstate and a cop pulls us over.....at the next exit...but all was good and well, as the cop was kind and understanding and let us off the hook. So as soon as we got into Oklahoma we stopped at a Wal-mart for an adapter since the trailer's light hookup didn't match the truck's(which is why we were driving it without lights to start). While we were there waiting on the guy we went and checked out Lake Hefner which we could see from our hotel room. As you can see from pics(linked below) the water level was really low. The cause was probably a combination of it being really dry there and having about 50 days straight of temperatures over 100. When we were leaving to head home the truck was reading 106 degrees outside....that's hot.
So now I have this car. It's in beautiful shape on the outside, and decent shape on the inside. It has aftermarket quad exhaust on it already. The guy we bought it from also gave us the original dual exhaust setup if we ever want to put it on. The aftermarket exhaust required the removal of the heating tubes, so I will find a way to seal up the holes left there. He also removed the side view mirrors and sanded over the spots where they were attached. The wiring may need some work because of how long it has been sitting and the fact that the windshield wiper motor isn't attached. The idle doesn't work completely, because it is running too rich, but we plan on getting it fixed soon. It will need a little clean up which we will do soon, but other than that it's in great shape and everything is original.
Now for the pics of the trip click here.
Me and my friend Hunter will be taking the car to a mechanic he knows to get a problem with the idle fixed. The next blog will include an update about that.
Peace,
Harlow
The trip was long and somewhat exhausting but fun. It is an 8 hour drive from here in Louisiana to Oklahoma. We started late at around 7 pm Thursday night. My dad and his friend came with me. My dad drove the first 500 miles. Now my dad's friend doesn't have good luck...at all, and we didn't have lights hooked up to our trailer...So as soon as my dad's friend gets behind the wheel he says "Watch a cop pull me over." He gets out onto the interstate and a cop pulls us over.....at the next exit...but all was good and well, as the cop was kind and understanding and let us off the hook. So as soon as we got into Oklahoma we stopped at a Wal-mart for an adapter since the trailer's light hookup didn't match the truck's(which is why we were driving it without lights to start). While we were there waiting on the guy we went and checked out Lake Hefner which we could see from our hotel room. As you can see from pics(linked below) the water level was really low. The cause was probably a combination of it being really dry there and having about 50 days straight of temperatures over 100. When we were leaving to head home the truck was reading 106 degrees outside....that's hot.
So now I have this car. It's in beautiful shape on the outside, and decent shape on the inside. It has aftermarket quad exhaust on it already. The guy we bought it from also gave us the original dual exhaust setup if we ever want to put it on. The aftermarket exhaust required the removal of the heating tubes, so I will find a way to seal up the holes left there. He also removed the side view mirrors and sanded over the spots where they were attached. The wiring may need some work because of how long it has been sitting and the fact that the windshield wiper motor isn't attached. The idle doesn't work completely, because it is running too rich, but we plan on getting it fixed soon. It will need a little clean up which we will do soon, but other than that it's in great shape and everything is original.
Now for the pics of the trip click here.
Me and my friend Hunter will be taking the car to a mechanic he knows to get a problem with the idle fixed. The next blog will include an update about that.
Peace,
Harlow
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Beginning
And so the "Bradley GT Experience" begins. I've decided to buy a Bradley GT and see what I can do with it.
A little bit on the Bradley GT. It is a kit car made by Bradley Automotive, in the 70s, for the Volkswagen Beetle. They made this model, the first, a second model, the Bradley GT2, a single wheeled trailer, and a fiberglass boat. To read more on the Bradley GT and other items listed here click here.
The reason I chose a Bradley GT as my project car, named Ol' Brad for obvious reasons, is because its a rare sight and I really like the sporty style of it. These cars are almost impossible to find in more than crap condition and so I want to add one to the world that is in great condition.
I started my search when my friend Hunter brought me to this spot in West Monroe where a yellow Bradley GT is sitting. We both found it a rather strange vehicle and one we had never seen before. After doing some research and figuring out what it was we tried to get into contact with the owner because it had been sitting there for quite some time and we were hoping they would sell. After finding that search was more of a goose chase I decided to look online. It took a lot of effort and time but I finally found one, that should be running when I buy it. The pictures are here.
That link takes you to a photobucket album of pics and vids of the guy I'm buying the car from putting it together basically.
Anyways, I have a few plans for this including doors and a back window to start. If you noticed there are no doors or back window for this car. I did find someone who makes them so its only a matter of money. Now, I did notice another mandatory modification that will have to be made is AC. This will be the big problem I'm going to have with this car because it is summer and as you may know, summers in Louisiana are a bit on the unbearable side. So to ring myself up a tab, I will have the car for about 1500(I'm waiting on him to get it running before I pick it up, I will be paying for parts he uses to get it there), the other necessary things I've listed bring that up to about 2600.
Now on to other fun things I'd like to do. I really want to paint the car black and have the logo's on the sides and back painted red. I'm also going to add some black and red seats I found. I'd like the rims to be black after I paint the car so I will handle that accordingly later on in the process. I plan to get a cheap audio system, just something I can have to listen to music when I want, because music is the second biggest passion of mine next to cars. Some other small things like the front window tint, black and red floor mats, a tune up, and interior red neons will have this car pretty much finished for me. I do not know how much all of this will end up costing me but I imagine this will take some time to complete. Thus I created a blog for the record keeping of this car and my adventures with it.
The next post will be an account of the trip to Oklahoma to pick up this car and will include pictures. So stay tuned and let me know if you have any questions about this endeavor.
Peace,
Harlow
A little bit on the Bradley GT. It is a kit car made by Bradley Automotive, in the 70s, for the Volkswagen Beetle. They made this model, the first, a second model, the Bradley GT2, a single wheeled trailer, and a fiberglass boat. To read more on the Bradley GT and other items listed here click here.
The reason I chose a Bradley GT as my project car, named Ol' Brad for obvious reasons, is because its a rare sight and I really like the sporty style of it. These cars are almost impossible to find in more than crap condition and so I want to add one to the world that is in great condition.
I started my search when my friend Hunter brought me to this spot in West Monroe where a yellow Bradley GT is sitting. We both found it a rather strange vehicle and one we had never seen before. After doing some research and figuring out what it was we tried to get into contact with the owner because it had been sitting there for quite some time and we were hoping they would sell. After finding that search was more of a goose chase I decided to look online. It took a lot of effort and time but I finally found one, that should be running when I buy it. The pictures are here.
That link takes you to a photobucket album of pics and vids of the guy I'm buying the car from putting it together basically.
Anyways, I have a few plans for this including doors and a back window to start. If you noticed there are no doors or back window for this car. I did find someone who makes them so its only a matter of money. Now, I did notice another mandatory modification that will have to be made is AC. This will be the big problem I'm going to have with this car because it is summer and as you may know, summers in Louisiana are a bit on the unbearable side. So to ring myself up a tab, I will have the car for about 1500(I'm waiting on him to get it running before I pick it up, I will be paying for parts he uses to get it there), the other necessary things I've listed bring that up to about 2600.
Now on to other fun things I'd like to do. I really want to paint the car black and have the logo's on the sides and back painted red. I'm also going to add some black and red seats I found. I'd like the rims to be black after I paint the car so I will handle that accordingly later on in the process. I plan to get a cheap audio system, just something I can have to listen to music when I want, because music is the second biggest passion of mine next to cars. Some other small things like the front window tint, black and red floor mats, a tune up, and interior red neons will have this car pretty much finished for me. I do not know how much all of this will end up costing me but I imagine this will take some time to complete. Thus I created a blog for the record keeping of this car and my adventures with it.
The next post will be an account of the trip to Oklahoma to pick up this car and will include pictures. So stay tuned and let me know if you have any questions about this endeavor.
Peace,
Harlow
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