75 Bricklin Restomod

Your kind of in a pickle…..caught between a crack and a hole..hahahaha…Just shoot on enough high build primer to fill in the cracks and voids….sand er down and paint…if it works..then your golden..if it doesn’t and cracks up again....then tell everyone that’s look you were going for. ..and if the cracks are pink they will look like veins…..point is get it out and drive it….
 
The Big M said:
Just thinking out loud, but is a full vinyl wrap a viable option to cover the weathered surface?
Click to expand...
The Bricklin experts say wraps have been tried and the really bad cracks will print through a wrap, but I think it is a good option to try

Ultimately the answer seems to be a reproduction gel coat body to eliminate the acrylic UV and thermal crack issue. Then body work/paint is well understood by the Vette people.

I was going to leave it as is, it has grown on me, (so bad that it is good thing like a rat rod), but my wife has let me know I am wrong, so I will be doing something to make it more presentable. Unsure what, but that is quite a bit down the road, lots to do before it ever gets to color
 
wife.JPG
LOL
 
Joe, I think if your gonna DRIVE and ENJOY it, the cracks when they do reappear will be badges of honor!
Just like the stone chips, scratches, and little dents my 20 year old paint job has lots of they will be well earned.
Fred
 
Rear suspension design reality check

So I need some advice from experts

The original rear suspension design is from pre 74 AMC leaf spring

The original design had a torque link as shown, but it seems it got installed in an incorrect location at the "factory"

This caused binding issues and extreme wear on the bushings

So the advice from restoration shops is to delete it

Want to double check this advice

torque-link.jpg


This is what the suggested rear looks like (not mine, I could only wish, this is an LS swap!)

rear-end.jpg


What little I have read is that a panhard or Watts linkage is not needed with leaf springs.

An extra leaf is suggested if more HP is added

I plan to replace all bushings with urethane as well as all new fasteners (existing is rotted and or rusted)

Seem kind of Conestoga wagon to me? Will it be OK?
 
I disagree with the recommendation to omit the "torque rod". It's purpose is to eliminate axle wind-up on hard acceleration. Adding a spring leaf should not be needed if you keep the torque rod. The extra leaf would reduce wind-up but also increase spring rate making the ride harsher. Location of the torque rod from the factory is fine. Urethane bushings will probably last longer, being harder, but will also transmit more noise to the car. If you urethane the torque rod also do the front spring eyes. The rear shackles can star rubber. Also note that the torque rod does a good job of maintaining correct pinion angle under all conditions. This is better for the driveshaft U-joints. And yes, a Panhard rod is not needed. It may seem that leaf springs are "Conestoga" but actually have some benefits as they are somewhat self damping so are not so dependent on shock absorbers.
 
Everything GFaRT said is correct, however, I would say it depends on how you will use the car. If you are just going to putt around and drive normal, I would not see any problem deleting the torque arm. There are literally millions of cars and trucks driving around with just leaf springs. If you like to drive aggressive, and get hard on the throttle and brakes, then the torque arm would be extremely beneficial.
 
Thanks - the Bricklin as shipped was a smog V8 extremely underpowered, and most owners restore to stock, few hot rod to any serious extent, so that sounds right Scotty

It does seem too much to rely on just the leaf spring center pin and U bolts to keep everything lined up, now I am concerned about pinion angle GFaRT!

It would be impossible to create a harsher or more noisy ride in a Brick, so I will try it with the torque rods and urethane bushings first, it is all easy to get to for changes as needed

The front suspension design still is a mystery to me, I have made the front wheel houses removable. I will rebuild it as it was designed first to get a baseline, then if I have time, money and motivation play around with an A arm coil over design
 
JoeC said:
Thanks - the Bricklin as shipped was a smog V8 extremely underpowered, and most owners restore to stock, few hot rod to any serious extent, so that sounds right Scotty

It does seem too much to rely on just the leaf spring center pin and U bolts to keep everything lined up, now I am concerned about pinion angle GFaRT!

It would be impossible to create a harsher or more noisy ride in a Brick, so I will try it with the torque rods and urethane bushings first, it is all easy to get to for changes as needed

The front suspension design still is a mystery to me, I have made the front wheel houses removable. I will rebuild it as it was designed first to get a baseline, then if I have time, money and motivation play around with an A arm coil over design
Click to expand...
I'll just add here that,,,, leafs will be just fine by
themselves!! Imo anyway. I drive my old Comet as hard as anyone on the beauty cures around here with just leafs. I have an old pair of traction bars that do touch the spring on hard acceleration and the 3/8" tire to fender clearance isnt quite enough at times but has nevet been a problem.
You'd have to drive that chassis very hard to get beyond its limits with just leafs in the back. Imo
 
OK, finally able to get back at it. Should have most of the summer to work on it

Found a less rusty birdcage....old enough now to trade money for time...

Off on a road trip to St Louis next week to pick up suspension parts, new goal is to get it to a roller this summer

May have a tour of Holley plant and a visit to see a 700 HP (oh my) LS swapped Bricklin - will post pics if that happens

birdcage.jpg


Played an old Matt Minglewood LP just now that pretty much sums up what I am trying to recapture with this project

Any Capers here?

CHORUS
Feel the wind running through our hair as we ride
Running so fast that not even time can hold us
Young and free we had nothing to hide
Doing all those things that nobody just could not hold us
Me and the boys
Me and the boys
Me and the boys

Cruising in a 57 Dodge
The boys all checking out the noisy rods
Backyard mechanics each and every one
It was greasy work but God it was fun
We got her rolling down the 104
She's working better than she did before
Half a tank and we're on our way
Heading for a week-end holiday


 
Great stuff! On a trip to St John New Brunswick in 2004 I went into the city tourism place and looked for a senior employee to talk to. I asked her where the statue of Malcom Bricklin was. She was not impressed. In a museum in the northern part of the province there is a zero miles Bricklin on display. It was said the doors wouldn’t open so no one bought it.
on a serious note there are a couple kicking around in northern bc if you need leads.
and thanks for the photo essay
 
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