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PostPosted: May 23, 2018, 6:27 pm 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
I can picture how this might go. Will you try front steer to get the output flange lower for more pax room? Narrow the N600 suspension jig to work? Looks like the driveshaft will be further toward the pax side than the N600, under the pax seat. Might need cvs instead of ujoints if the angle is too great in the overhead view with a centered diff.

You've absolutely nailed it.. Front steer to stay in front of/clear of the motor, which will be a challenge to fit behind the Berk front axle CL.. The engine height will be dictated by the oil pan/ground clearance, and clearing the hood up top (I will likely need to massage the hood to clear a shortened airbox- an inch is a mile in this car).. I'm going to place the motor first, and let it tell me where the frame rails will go, then I'll let the frame and tire/wheel position dictate the LCAs, and from there, the rest should just fab itself up and jump onto the car with no issues or snags :lol:

The passenger seat is very much an afterthought, although I am trying to keep it a 2-seater in some capacity (it would be much easier to just lose the passenger seat altogether).. At this point, my thought is the passenger will sit a bit higher than the driver, sort of beside and on top of the driveshaft- not at all comfortable, but doable for those that really want a ride.. Foot space on the passenger side will be almost nil, but again, a determined passenger will have a seat if they want it.. The driveshaft angles will in fact be a problem too, but I think I can pull off traditional ujoints on a 2-piece driveshaft..

--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 25, 2018, 11:13 am 
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May 2018 -Tear Down-

So enough shots of scale.. it's tiny, it's dirty, and it's in bad shape.. time to tear it apart and see what I'm really dealing with..

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 11:20 am 
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More...

Like a good archaeological dig, you're bound to find treasure :) ..In this case, a Diet Coke can from 1998 (almost 20 years to the day!) was up under the front aluminum- got to be a story there, as this car has been off the road since 1967.. maybe it served time as a dumpster in the interim?..


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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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 11:30 am 
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A study in minimalism..

As the Rear and Front fiberglass subsections come off, it leaves the flat base of the car, which Berkeley referred to as the "Punt"..

This Punt isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be :D ...Looking at this thin, floppy section, it's amazing to me that it's the foundation for a road-going car.. So light, so flimsy.. Gotta give credit to the engineers; they found enough strength in their design to economically get the job done..

They were a bit ahead of their time though, as the entirety of the car is a 'crumple zone' :shock:

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 11:37 am 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
Stock suspension..

It was slow, dirty work, but I was careful to preserve the stock bits and braces as I pulled them.. They're headed to San Jose, CA so that another Berkeley can get back on the road :cheers:

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 11:46 am 
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Finally into pieces..

It took a few weeks, but the car is now broken down to it's component pieces.. The bits are rough for sure, but there's certainly enough here for me to get started with..

Had to bore big holes into the build table as the Punt has several drain dimples that hang down below the surface..

Finally, the Punt is freed of it's aluminum reinforcement pieces (to be reused later), cleaned, and is up on the build table.. The differential in the pic is from a Toyota Rav4, and is just there for mock-up/ sizing..

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 12:05 pm 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
Wheels..

The stock wheel lug pattern is unique, and my plans won't allow me to use them.. I included them in the pics for comparison with the wheels that I've decided to use.. Because this car is so small, I've decided to stay with relatively small 13" wheels.. I'm not sure yet, but I may have to modify the punt/inner fenders to clear these aftermarket wheels- it will be very close.... I will not be adding flares to this sexy little beast as I'm trying to keep the body stock-looking, so any clearance issues will be dealt with on the inside where you can't see it..

Tires in pic below are 155-70-13 (...stockers at left are 5.30-12 with innertubes)

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 12, 2019, 5:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: May 25, 2018, 12:09 pm 
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Stripping under the hood..

These are just some detail shots of the nose coming apart.. again, had to go slow and careful so as not to ruin the stock bits.. someone somewhere needs them..

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 27, 2018, 4:45 pm 
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If the front steer doesn't work out, another option is to use an early 90s mazda fwd front suspension and brake assemblies with the high mount rear steer rack to clear the driveshaft and matching bolt circles, such as protege, 323, etc. They have a pinch bolt lca with a bolt-on strut. Just machine off the cup on the outer cv for a stub axle. For removal and installation of the nut, make a tool that picks up 2 or 3 wheel studs and is about 2 feet long to rest against the ground when torquing the nut.

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PostPosted: May 27, 2018, 9:55 pm 
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a friend of mine from England had a 1300 cc BMC powered berkley with wade supercharger,

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PostPosted: May 29, 2018, 10:53 am 
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john hennessy wrote:
a friend of mine from England had a 1300 cc BMC powered berkley with wade supercharger,

Jonn- I would love more info on what he did to get the chassis to accept and tolerate that drivetrain! Please post anything you have on it here :cheers:

____________

May 2018

To begin getting a ballpark idea of where the suspension bits will need to go, I lofted a wheel up under each corner to see how it fits and looks.. It doesn't fit, and it looks like it will be a ton of work :lol:


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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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 29, 2018, 11:10 am 
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Late May, 2018

The car is up on the table, and out comes the tape measure to confirm and reconfirm the challenges..

On the N600/VFR project, I struggled to get the motor down to 24" tall to the top of the modded airbox.. with that in mind, in stock form, the most this car body allows is 22.5" at the back of the hood (which quickly slopes down toward the front).. The engine will not fit by at least 1.5 to 2.0"..

To make it fit, I plan to do 2 things.. first is drop the motor through the belly pan about 1.0"-1.5"... at ride height, I'll have about 5" clearance (body to ground); even if I have to hang the oilpan down below the body by an inch or so, the pan will still have 3.5-4.0" of ground clearance.. not ideal, but pretty much necessary to make this work.. (I'll also be running a pretty meaty aluminum skid plate under the oil pan for a bit of insurance)..

Even doing that, I think the airbox will still stick up about an inch too high to clear the stock hood.. To get the needed clearance in a clean, unobtrusive way, I plan to extend the stock hood bulge all the way to the back of the hood (red lines), resulting in a cowl-induction of sorts.. It won't be stock, but unless you own a Berkeley, you probably wouldn't know the difference..

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 29, 2018, 11:36 am 
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Location: Guadalupe, CA
May 26-28, 2018 (Memorial Day Weekend)

I've come to think of the Berk body as a fiberglass 'egg' of sorts.. very fragile, with really nothing in the middle to hold it together (no frame/frame stamping of the traditional sort).. In FWD/25-30hp stock form, the body works well, but there's no way this body would last in 110hp/RWD form, so it needs some sort of frame..

The goal here is to have the frame be as light and strong as possible (under 100 lbs for the frame alone is the goal), while also keeping the appearance in spirit with the stock Berkeley (read: "hide" the frame as much as possible). To accomplish this, the frame will be made of 3 different sizes of square tubing @ .060... 1x1 / .75x.75 / .50x.50...

I've been weighing the various bits of the car as this goes along, and I'm hopeful my 'final' wet curb weight will fall between 950-1000 pounds.. that would have my power-to-weight around 8.5-9.0:1.. should be enough for some grins..

So the steel frame construction begins.. I'm laying in the 'middle' section first, which will eventually be hidden under the stock Berkeley aluminum sheeting..

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 29, 2018, 11:43 am 
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This main center section will be the base from which the front and rear suspension are anchored.. Over time the frame will grow longer and will get tiny little bits of triangulation and cross-bracing for rigidity.. In my mind the Berk is just a big street legal go cart.. Ha!, I just mentioned "big" and Berkeley in the same sentence :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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 29, 2018, 11:51 am 
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BUILD IS IN REAL TIME- 5-29-2018

It's a little tough to envision now, but the eventuality is that walking up to it, this Berkeley will look like all others, until you open the hood and see the frame and engine.. So this center section of steel frame will be covered with the stock Berk aluminum really for asthetics, as the body will be an unstressed member- most of the cars structure and rigidity will now come from it's steel frame..

______

The build is in real time now, and updates will be a bit sporadic as this summer I will bounce between finishing up the 1800, and moving this one along (Oh yeah, and spending time with my family 8) )

--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


Last edited by ccrunner on December 11, 2019, 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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