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PostPosted: May 14, 2021, 2:44 pm 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
As she sits today, May 14, 2021

Simply another macro picture of where the build is on this date. She's a hot, noisy handful, but she's fun :wink:

--ccrunner

*Avila beach, CA... totally worth your time to check out.. beautiful place, and just to the west (1 mile) you'll find the Avila Beach 'dog beach'.. bring your pooch- it's wonderful 8)


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Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com


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PostPosted: May 14, 2021, 4:52 pm 
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As someone commented previously, that car has such a "Cobra-esque" look to it from certain angles. Though to be fair, it's "AC Ace-esque"... a contemporary from another small British cottage manufacturer, that turned into the Cobra after Shelby stuffed a V8 in one.

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PostPosted: May 15, 2021, 9:08 pm 
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I was raised in the UK where cars like the Berkley were common. The three wheel version was popular because a family upgrading from a motorcycle could drive the three wheeler on a Motorcycle license. Of course the four wheeler was I believe more powerful and looked better. Sadly the more powerful Berkley Bandit never made it to production in the 60's but plans are afoot to start production in the UK soon.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... s-54729631

https://www.berkeleysportscars.com/bandit-roadster


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PostPosted: May 16, 2021, 12:46 pm 
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At that price level they should just adopt a new name as no one of moderate means will be able to afford one. :ack:
The overblown (Soylent) "Green" thing offends me, I will have to build a two-stroke engine car to compensate. :twisted:
I do know where to source some SAAB engines.
I expect the "Electric Option" to sink them pretty quickly.
Too bad, the styling is decent.

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PostPosted: May 16, 2021, 7:08 pm 
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Joined: November 21, 2019, 12:09 am
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Location: Wilson, NY
ccrunner wrote:
As she sits today, May 14, 2021

Simply another macro picture of where the build is on this date. She's a hot, noisy handful, but she's fun :wink:

--ccrunner

*Avila beach, CA... totally worth your time to check out.. beautiful place, and just to the west (1 mile) you'll find the Avila Beach 'dog beach'.. bring your pooch- it's wonderful 8)


Avila beach, looks fantastic. Reminds me of the days of yore when we lived out there. Lots of fun and beautiful sights.

Ok, so the suspense is killing me, it’s 7pm here, I know we are 3 hrs ahead of you, but what was the result? Did you take the Berkeley, did you make every mile count, did you smile the whole time, did you get lots of thumbs up, or did you have to use your AAA card? Let us know so we can exhale ;). Looking forward to a report of your adventure.
Cheers,
Eric

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PostPosted: May 17, 2021, 9:16 am 
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OK. Time to come clean. Did the Berk make the run? Inquiring minds want to know.

I towed the B to the Gathering (430 mi each way) and had zero issues while driving the a few hundred miles of back roads of MO. I hope your run was as successful. :cheers:

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PostPosted: May 17, 2021, 2:42 pm 
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Joined: October 10, 2010, 10:26 am
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
She made it :yay: :yay: :yay:

Saturday past (5-15-21) was a big test for the little car as I asked her to take me 250 miles in one stretch.. No AAA card needed-no tools needed.. hell, I didn't even need to break out the duct tape :lol: .. As expected, I found some issues and concerns that will need to be addressed (see next post), but it was a fun day, and she never flinched- this VFR motor is a gem.

I set out for the meet up point in Ventura (100 miles away) in a mild drizzle which didn't concern me at first, but it was getting a little worse as I drove on. (Note to self; get one of those clip on hand-operated wipers the street rod guys use for days like this). the wet wasn't bad enough to have me turn around- just had to drive very carefully on the slick road on these low-grip tires (the drizzle ended by mid morning).

I quickly settled in and learned she likes to cruise at about 65 mph, and it doesn't feel too dangerous, at least until you stop and think about what you're doing, then you remind yourself to quash those thoughts about 'death' and 'dying,' and leave those concepts behind; today you're living your best life, in your microcar, on the interstate, inches away from a 6000 lb SUV that doesn't see you.. What a day.

I'd like to thank the Porsche Club of America (PCA) for allowing my decidedly non-Porsche car into their driving event up the coast. They did an OUTSTANDING job getting us out on some wonderful, windy, twisty, hilly roads that I never would have found on my own.. so fun :cheers: There was one scary moment when we were all driving a bit 'spiritedly,' and the parade came to a screeching halt around a blind curve due to an unexpected back up.. a real pucker moment for many a Porsche owner, particularly the guy in front of me (plate TARGAGT), who did not know that I have 4 wheel disc brakes, and later told be he was certain I was going to plow into him :ack: ... Relax Porsche friend! She drives better than she looks :lol: ...truth is we all struggled to get stopped at this surprise stack up.. the guy piloting the 911 behind me thought he was going to hit me too, but we all got stopped fine :cheers:

Fairly uneventful other than that.. Beautiful road, way up high above Santa Barbara, on a mild Saturday morning.. good times.. Eventually we snaked down and back onto the highway, over to the tiny town of Los Osos for a potty break, then down to the end of the organized run at Jalama Beach (just south of Lompoc, CA).

The food line at the burger stand was really slow, so I said my goodbyes to some very, very nice people, hopped back into the Berkeley, and made for home 50 more miles north.. Never a glitch, never a hiccup.. this day went a long way to inspire confidence in this little pile of square tubes, fiberglass, and Honda a go-go :cheers:

**Pic below was very late in the run, and taken to capture the mustard in bloom.. In a bit I'll post up the car issues that cropped up on the drive..

--ccrunner


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Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com


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PostPosted: May 17, 2021, 3:55 pm 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
Chuck.. glad to know you got yours out!! Congrats on the few hundred miles :cheers: .. Sure does make your hearing and heart a bit jumpy during this time of sorting, doesn't it? :lol:

------------------------------------------------

5-15-2021

Issues discovered on the drive..

--Heat/Coolant temp; She never truly overheated, and I never stopped or even slowed, but the system was taxed and I watched the gauge like a hawk. The highest coolant temp I saw was 228 for a brief moment, but then it inched back down.. We were climbing some steep grades (slow-ish/twisty/steep) and it was a chore, but I don't like to see the temps that high.. it would have been a real issue if it were a hot day. A few thoughts to remedy this are to swap in a bigger radiator, wire in a fan switch, cut vents into the front fenders, and try out water wetter. I'm not too worried about this issue, but it does in fact need some attention..

--Drivetrain play; Too much lash in the drivetrain.. maybe it's in the ring and pinion? Maybe sloppy spider gears? Not sure yet, but I'd like to take some of the slop out of the system- as is it's a little too 'buck-bang" for my liking.

--Heat intrusion into the cabin; This is a big issue.. I will need to find a way to really seal the firewall up and keep the heat away from the driver.. as is, it would be miserable on a hot summer day :ack:

--Exhaust is too loud; Sure it's cool to listen to at idle, but at full song 7K on the freeway the cool factor wears off quickly. I will be routing the exhaust to the back of the car via a 3" x 1" bit for rectangle tubing.. if that isn't enough, I'm going to fab up a one-off chambered silencer for this car.. I've got to tame this unpleasantly loud little spit-snarl monster..

--Shift Linkage; I can live with it as-is, but it gets tight as things get hot.. currently it's a morse cable, but I'm thinking of switching it to a direct-linkage/ bellcrank-rod type to free it up a bit.

**a few more pics from the drive.. it's a game! Spot which of these is not like the other? :lol:

--ccrunner


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Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com


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PostPosted: May 17, 2021, 4:52 pm 
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Glad it served you well.
Love that red (993?) whaletail RS :shock:

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PostPosted: May 17, 2021, 7:46 pm 
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Great news! Thank you for the update. I’m really happy that the car worked so well and provided the opportunity to find issues without them being the reason to be off the side of the road immobile. I’m also happy that you got a chance to find some roads you never would have and were in the company of other cool cars :D.

It sounds like you have a winning solution with just a few fixable issues, nice.

Cheers,
Eric

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PostPosted: May 18, 2021, 8:36 am 
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It sounds like an outstanding success. Well done :cheers:

I really hate those blind hills. No telling what you will find on the other side. Glad to read that everyone stopped safely even if they had to clean their car seats afterwards. One ride I was on there were 2 tractors stopped in the middle of a LH turn, right over the peak. They were just having a friendly conversation! Exciting moment! I guess I'm getting old. I now grab the wheel a bit tighter and come off the gas with my foot over the brake pedal just in case. I like having a GPS map to see it the road turns right after the peak too.

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“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766


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PostPosted: May 20, 2021, 2:35 pm 
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> heat intrusion

Adding some heat shields between the exhaust and the cockpit will help a lot. You'll still pick up heat from convection, but it'll block the radiant heat. Often, that's all you need to do.

Rigid foam insulation on the footwell will also help.

Past that, your only real option is to duct cooler outside air to the footwell. Lots of older cars did that; my '65 Chevy truck had vents in the kick panel areas that could be opened. Needed them, too... "the base of the windshield" is considered to be a high pressure area, and that's where most cars take cockpit air... but it's not a high pressure in *all* cars. Pick up some clear vinyl tubing at the hardware store and make a U-tube manometer; one end in the footwell, move the other around the cowl or sides of the car until you find a likely spot.

Marine supply places have boat vents, usually round, that are quite useful. Some have valves or lids so they can be closed off on cooler days. Just because your fingers are freezing doesn't mean your toes need to court frostbite. 3 or 4 inch gate valves from the plumbing supply section will work if you use open vents, and the valves are available with spigots to take ordinary 3 or 4 inch dryer hose.


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PostPosted: May 20, 2021, 3:43 pm 
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I don't think you ever showed the shifter, but it looks like the bend radius would be too sharp between the shifter and tunnel. I used fire sleeve on my shifter cables. It is orange silicone covered fiberglass cloth tubing. If you go that route make sure the sleeve id is bigger than the smallest cable end and ferrule but yeah, a vertical pivot axis bellcrank at the tunnel opening makes sense.

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PostPosted: May 24, 2021, 1:41 pm 
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May 22-23, 2021

I'm going to tackle the cabin heat issue soon, but first up is my effort to tame the noise.

I'm going from 1.75" round to 1"x3" rectangle to allow for maximum ground clearance.. the task is to get the exhaust (and the noise) out to the rear of the car.

It came together pretty easily- just a little tedious to route it around various belly pan bolts that I don't want to cover (particularly the seat mounts that are accessed from the bottom of the car. It ended up being about 7' long.

--ccrunner


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1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com


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PostPosted: May 24, 2021, 1:55 pm 
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May 24, 2021

This pic shows how it came together.. not terribly exciting, but I very much needed to get the exhaust to the rear of the car.. I'm glad I went the rectangle tubing route as it saved me a precious .75" clearance.. as she sits now, the exhaust is jussst over 4" above the road...

I drove it to school this morning (32 miles one way).. The car did great, and the exhaust is noticeably quieter.. It actually has a nice little throaty rumble at idle.

I'm going to drive it this way for a bit and see if I'm done here, but I'm thinking it's most likely I'll end up fabbing a small chamber muffler that will fit up under-body, under the fuel tank area at the very rear of the car. I'd like to shave off yet a few more decibels if reasonably possible..

--ccrunner


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Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com


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