New to Bradleys

[sbp]

Hi there! I’m brand new to the world of kit cars and Bradleys! I’ve found that I absolutely love the look of the GT II cars! I’ve been looking for a unique vehicle that would impress my clients, and the Bradley GT II seems to be the perfect one! I just have a few questions about them, if you’d be willing to help me out:

1. Would one make a good daily driver?
2. I saw something about them having AC but not heat, is this true?
3. What are some things I should know when buying one?
4. How hard are they to drive/maintain?(don’t worry, I can drive stick)
5. If I get one without a spoiler, would it be difficult to put on on?
6. What kind of engine swaps have people done to make these as fast as they look?

Thank you so much! Sorry I’m a total noob at this, I’m 20 yrs old, and I just discovered these! Thanks for any answers y’all can give me!

[jspbtown]

Welcome to the often confusing world of 40+ year old kit cars! We are here to answer your questions. Please feel free to sk as many as you like. So...starting out with what you have so far:

1. Would one make a good daily driver? Well that depends. Where do you live? Bradley's by nature are terrible in the snow, tend to leak in the rain, and generally have terrible heat and defrosters.
2. I saw something about them having AC but not heat, is this true? Most DO NOT have AC and its a big job to install a AC unit. Most DO have heat, and its terrible system that only helps to take a slight chill off.
3. What are some things I should know when buying one? You should understand these are hand built cars. Usually built by people who have no idea what they are doing. They are rarely wired correctly. They are generally not maintained well. And they suffer from many design and build flaws. They are also built on platforms that are 50+ years old and therefore have none of the modern amenities like power steering, power brakes, AC, roll down windows, safety crumple zones, fuel injection and generally have relatively poor suspension design.
4. How hard are they to drive/maintain?(don’t worry, I can drive stick). The motors are as simple as you can get. They need regular valve adjustments. The carbs can be a bit finicky. They tend to leak oil a lot. They have a decent seating position but can be cumbersome around town due to the lack of power steering and the relatively small steering wheel most people use. At highway speeds they can get a pregnant dog touchy due to their terrible weight distribution and their tendency t get a little light up front.
5. If I get one without a spoiler, would it be difficult to put on on? Nope....fiberglass is easy to drill. Although you might need to reinforce the area you mount it to as it might tend to crack the fiberglass.
6. What kind of engine swaps have people done to make these as fast as they look? Few people have been successful in swapping power plants. While it is entirely possible to swap in say a Subaru motor you have lots of fabrication which is required since it is a water cooled motor. Some mods that would need to be done would include designing & fabricating an entire cooling system, creating a new heating system based on the coolant and not the air (as in the stock VW system), an entire new fuel system to handle the fuel injection. All new wiring to incorporate the fuel injection system, the charging system, etc. You will also likely need to upgrade the clutch, upgrade the transmission, and upgrade the brakes to handle the extra horsepower. You will also need to work on the suspension and weight distribution to make sure it handles safely. s you can see...there is a reason why these cars are generally not good candidates for motor swaps.

Hope this helps.

[Gary Hammond]

Two other things to keep in mind is that replacement windshields are not available for the GT II. And most of them have "butt sag" which causes misalignment of the doors.

Gary Hammond,

[sbp]

Dec 7, 2020 10:07:45 GMT -5 jspbtown said:

Welcome to the often confusing world of 40+ year old kit cars! We are here to answer your questions. Please feel free to sk as many as you like. So...starting out with what you have so far:

1. Would one make a good daily driver? Well that depends. Where do you live? Bradley's by nature are terrible in the snow, tend to leak in the rain, and generally have terrible heat and defrosters.
2. I saw something about them having AC but not heat, is this true? Most DO NOT have AC and its a big job to install a AC unit. Most DO have heat, and its terrible system that only helps to take a slight chill off.
3. What are some things I should know when buying one? You should understand these are hand built cars. Usually built by people who have no idea what they are doing. They are rarely wired correctly. They are generally not maintained well. And they suffer from many design and build flaws. They are also built on platforms that are 50+ years old and therefore have none of the modern amenities like power steering, power brakes, AC, roll down windows, safety crumple zones, fuel injection and generally have relatively poor suspension design.
4. How hard are they to drive/maintain?(don’t worry, I can drive stick). The motors are as simple as you can get. They need regular valve adjustments. The carbs can be a bit finicky. They tend to leak oil a lot. They have a decent seating position but can be cumbersome around town due to the lack of power steering and the relatively small steering wheel most people use. At highway speeds they can get a pregnant dog touchy due to their terrible weight distribution and their tendency t get a little light up front.
5. If I get one without a spoiler, would it be difficult to put on on? Nope....fiberglass is easy to drill. Although you might need to reinforce the area you mount it to as it might tend to crack the fiberglass.
6. What kind of engine swaps have people done to make these as fast as they look? Few people have been successful in swapping power plants. While it is entirely possible to swap in say a Subaru motor you have lots of fabrication which is required since it is a water cooled motor. Some mods that would need to be done would include designing & fabricating an entire cooling system, creating a new heating system based on the coolant and not the air (as in the stock VW system), an entire new fuel system to handle the fuel injection. All new wiring to incorporate the fuel injection system, the charging system, etc. You will also likely need to upgrade the clutch, upgrade the transmission, and upgrade the brakes to handle the extra horsepower. You will also need to work on the suspension and weight distribution to make sure it handles safely. s you can see...there is a reason why these cars are generally not good candidates for motor swaps.

Hope this helps.

1. I currently live in South Carolina, but my family has a home in Michigan, so that's where I spend summer
2. I can live without AC
3. Less things to break, I guess xD
4. Well, that sounds rather straight-forward to maintain, then. Is there anything that other people do to try remedying the weight distribution issues? I drive a lot of highways regularly, and if they're not good for highway driving I may be introuble if I buy one...
5.Okay, cool!
6. Sounds like more work than it's worth...

Thanks so much for your very thorough answers--It's cool to see people with a lot of passion and knowledge on these sorts of things!

Oh! one more question I thought of; how much cargo space is there behind the seats? I tend to lug a quite a bit of video equipment with me on jobs, and it would be good to know how much room there is (I currently drive a truck, and I can cram everything in the front seat if needbe. Also, does the back window usually open? I've seen one or two that did.

Thanks!!

[sbp]

Dec 7, 2020 14:14:24 GMT -5 Gary Hammond said:

Two other things to keep in mind is that replacement windshields are not available for the GT II. And most of them have "butt sag" which causes misalignment of the doors.

Gary Hammond,

Oh okay, good to know! with the "butt sag", is there a remedy for it?

Thanks for the reply!

[jspbtown]

2. I can live without AC ......Well that might be until you are surrounded by glass on a hot day with windows about the size of a piece of paper..

3. Less things to break, I guess xD.....Ummm, no. When you go look at your first one be sure to look under the dash.

I drive a lot of highways regularly, and if they're not good for highway driving I may be introuble if I buy one... You should DEFINITELY drive one on the highway before buying one

Oh! one more question I thought of; how much cargo space is there behind the seats?....There is actually a lot of room in the back area. And yes, the rear glass does lift up

with the "butt sag", is there a remedy for it? Yes...it involves fabricating a brace that generally runs between the two rear shock towers and under the package tray in the rear.

[sbp]

Dec 26, 2020 10:07:15 GMT -5 jspbtown said:

2. I can live without AC ......Well that might be until you are surrounded by glass on a hot day with windows about the size of a piece of paper..

3. Less things to break, I guess xD.....Ummm, no. When you go look at your first one be sure to look under the dash.

I drive a lot of highways regularly, and if they're not good for highway driving I may be introuble if I buy one... You should DEFINITELY drive one on the highway before buying one

Oh! one more question I thought of; how much cargo space is there behind the seats?....There is actually a lot of room in the back area. And yes, the rear glass does lift up

with the "butt sag", is there a remedy for it? Yes...it involves fabricating a brace that generally runs between the two rear shock towers and under the package tray in the rear.

2. Hmmm... Well, I may just have to use a fan--the Bradleys have cigarette lighter outlets in them, right?
3. I guess I meant in comparison to new cars that have dozens of small computers inside and components that can't be fixed without being a professional.

I will definitely try to find someone who will let me try out their Bradley if I can. I've wanted to try driving one anyway

Fantastic, that'll make hauling equipment a lot easier than needing to pile it all in the passenger seat.

Okay, that sounds... slightly difficult to do. But definitely worth it, I'll bet.


As far as fixing the weight distribution issues, what are my options?

[jspbtown]

"As far as fixing the weight distribution issues, what are my options?"...Well the GTII has the gas tank up front so that helps. You can add some lead weight up there but before you do anything you would need to get it weighed to see exactly where it stands and compare it to a stock VW. Remember....you can't just start throwing weight up there by guessing as it will have an impact on your handling AND suspension. With more weight up front you might need to consider a torsion spring upgrade and/or a brake upgrade.