A Berkeley with Bite! (ccrunner)

[ccrunner]

A few posts ago Perry suggested (and linked) some Stainless expanded metal that could serve as the Berk's grille raw material (Thanks Perry )

..I decided to get a small bit of it, and make another attempt at filling the grille void.. I bought 14 gauge, which is a little heavy for this application, but I'm using such a small piece that the weight penalty is not really of issue.

These pics show where things stand with the grille as of early March, 2025.. I think it needs more finesse; I'm thinking of integrating my rare OEM Berkeley emblem that I have into this grille.. I also need to figure out an unobtrusive mounting system.. Stay tuned..

--ccrunner

[ccrunner]

March 2, 2025

A few more pics with the Berkeley emblem at grille center. I really like this look.. The emblem itself is fairly rare, even in Berkeley circles, and I think it just sort of looks like it belongs there @ grille center (the stock location is on the body, up between the grille and leading edge of the hood).

**The last pic is for those of us of a certain age.. Saw this in the Costco parking lot this last weekend.. I've always rooted for the coyote.. poor dude never caught a break

--ccrunner

[JAMADOR]

The grille turned out great!
I'm going the opposite direction on the Midget. 1975+ had an expanded metal grille [which mine still has installed]
But, I scored a cheap Mk3 grille semi-local, just needs some minor repair & it'll replace the exp metal grille. Just have to decide if I want to remove the bumper mounts, or try to make it work with those in place.

Also, the coyote is great, neat way to make light of some damage until repaired.

[ohmite]

Dean,
I’d say the mesh and centered emblem sets the front off perfectly. Nicely done!
Cheers,
Eric

[Shuzo]

Stellar work and great blog. I have many thoughts, but two spring to mind at the moment. What are your thoughts about underbody air management, as in a front air dam and other ideas. The second is did you think of using a two stroke snowmobile engine? The one in mind is an E-TEC from Bombardier, 850cc 165 hp, direct injected. Thanks
jiro

[ccrunner]

Thanks for weighing in guys.. This board has gotten so slow- it's like a ghost town here now

Not much progress on the Berk of late.. I've been very active selling off/ giving away ALL of my motorcycle spares to help make room for the upcoming MGA coupe build.. Plan is to paint the Berk this summer, then blow apart the MGA, which means I'll soon need all of the storage space I can clear for housing MG parts, at least for awhile.

On the Berk front, I've been zipping about in it and just generally goofing off.. I plan to blow it back apart one last time (summer '25) for final bodywork and paint, a bit of interior work, then it should be as close to finished as I plan to take it. Then, ideally, I'll start tearing the MGA down fall of 2025.

**Aside: I plan to give away my 1960 MGA's 1600 engine and 4 speed tranny to someone who can use it; carbs/ intake/ exhaust/ all of it.. It ran when I parked it last summer (2024), but it needs love; it ran, but poorly.. Pickup only, here on the central CA coast (south of Pismo Beach)- I haven't mentioned this anywhere else (because I still need to pull it), but if you can use it, send a PM and we'll coordinate my engine pull with you coming to take it all away..

--ccrunner

[RocCityMsport]

Dean,
It's been a while, but I have to say that the Berk is looking great! It is amazing how the change to the grille made such a difference in the car's appearance. We all see the light at the end of the tunnel! I started my Berkeley project, but I have been apprehensive about posting on this site. Keep up the great work!
Nathan

[ccrunner]

Dean,
It's been a while, but I have to say that the Berk is looking great! It is amazing how the change to the grille made such a difference in the car's appearance. We all see the light at the end of the tunnel! I started my Berkeley project, but I have been apprehensive about posting on this site. Keep up the great work!
Nathan

Thanks for the kind words Nathan.. I, too, am beginning to see this thing winding down.. Even my wife recently said, "It even looks like a car now!"

Please do document your Berk build somewhere Nathan (there are very few Berkeley builds in the US), but your apprehension to post on this board is well founded.. I love the board and the people here, but unless there's a big change, it's dying by degrees.. Sad, because there were a lot of talented builders who have since left.. I'll finish this build here, but the next one gets posted elsewhere..

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

March 23, 2025

Fabbed in a few more mounting tabs to affix the grille to (top photo).. The new, lower tabs in the pic are huge, as I took the pic before I trimmed them down. The idea is to make these mounts as small and as inconspicuous as possible.

--ccrunner

[ccrunner]

March 23, 2025

This Saturday (3-29-25) I'm Driving the Berkeley down to Thousand Oaks, CA (about 130 miles one way) for a regional Bring A Trailer (BaT) event.. In short, they're holding an open house at a museum and I thought I'd go check it out. ..Wanna go? here's the info:

https://bringatrailer.com/2025/03/21/so ... m-and-wob/

To that end, I washed the Berkeley, and I even put dressing on the tires! She's all tarted up now, just waiting for next weekend. I took this opportunity to get a few pics, the last of which shows the grille in place. Don't look too close though, or you'll discover that the grille is zip-tied in place as I didn't get the proper anchors made.. Another day.. always something to do

--ccrunner

[trialsmangasgas]

Nice looking. Now I would like to see a video of it running and going through the gears. Russ

[ccrunner]

March 29, 2025

This past weekend I took a trip down to Thousand Oaks, CA to attend the Bring A Trailer SoCal meetup.. The Berk ran well (nearly 300 miles all told).. Was able to park next to Steve, the guy that bought my Honda N600 several years ago.. We proved to be an odd pair amongst a sea of really nice cars..

--ccrunner

[JAMADOR]

Looking good, too bad the Volvo couldn't make it for the trio

[AGLurker]

@ccrunner

That must have been super fun to park the Berk next to the Honda.

Im happy to see that you are still enjoying the Central Coast life; I hope you can stay thru retirement.
Maybe the next project should be a van you can live in down by the river......

[MangPong]

Hello again.
Sorry to bore you but I've still not had an 'update' notification since last August, despite several times of reporting this pathetic situation to the 'powers that be'... who either have no power or NO interest in maintaining their website.
Back in December i used the August link to reconnect and was able to catch up... but I've just tried again and am only allowed to read the text... but NO images. As you've said many times yourself: "What is the point of that...!"
After every post by you i am given the message: "You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post."
I just celebrated my 81st birthday by teaching myself to MIG weld, to build a scaffold-tower so I can more safely clear my gutters... but I don't have the energy any more to chase LowCost USA.
If they ignore this comment, as the previous ones, and all yours as well, then I fear this might be the last you hear from me here.
However, if you are ever able to find a REAL site to post to please drop me a line at: barryhuahin@gmail.com
Other than that i wish you good fortune, in your life and your builds... which is a part of your life. lol

Best wishes, "MangPong" (Barry)

[ohmite]

Dean,
How cool is that to be able to park next to one of your former projects (N600) and your latest! Of course the weather looks great. Great picture, one for the books. It was so educational and fun following your Honda, Volvo and Berkeley projects. I can’t wait for you to dig into the MGA Coupe .
Cheers,
-Eric