That pegboard idea was much more brilliant than it was given credit for. The value of that many datum points is a big deal when doing a chassis blend or build.
Now, if someone could point me in the direction of metal pegboard?
That pegboard idea was much more brilliant than it was given credit for. The value of that many datum points is a big deal when doing a chassis blend or build.
Now, if someone could point me in the direction of metal pegboard?
This build is amazing and now im on C-list looking at projects.
In the early spring of 2015, I did some body work on and off weather permitting. Some pieces of the car would require serious reconstruction.
I also spent a great deal of time sanding two coats of very crusty paint.
For the chassis, despite the long storage, everything was still in pretty good shape. Here I am doing some flat-towing experiments and working out a front receiver for a removable tow bar. Tracking was very good and stable.
Front section back on the chassis to check the fit of the front receiver.
I am just loving this build.
This build is epic.
I LOVE that you keep including your daughter in the build process (at least the photos) What does she think about the car ?
Love the chronology with your daughter as the calibration point.
Whats under the blue tarp on the back deck?
NOHOME wrote: ...Whats under the blue tarp on the back deck?
The '61 Purple Beach Buggy.
IndyJoe wrote: This build is epic. I LOVE that you keep including your daughter in the build process (at least the photos) What does she think about the car ?
She really likes the Berkeley and it's the only car that we've had for here entire life, so somewhat attached to it. She's been involved in a lot of the smaller stuff on the Berkeley, since most of the major mechanical work was done before she could help a lot. The Beach Buggy on the other hand is the car she really loves (and considers to be alive). She was older when we got that and has worked on it with me since day one. It's also more fun for her because it has seats for the whole family and room for her bike.
I already know that I'll never be able to sell the Beach Buggy.
Berkeley AND a purple beach buggy? You win the internet!
This. Is. Tremendous. Awesome project, awesome storytelling.
By late spring 2015, the body was coming together well. This picture is a little blurry, but I have the whole body with doors overturned in the basement. The original car had quite a lot of aluminum structure behind the fiberglass. I tried to keep as much of it as possible, while opening it up to fit on the dwarf chassis. It kind of reminds me of the plastic body that snaps onto an RC car chassis.
It is also worth noting here that the entire Berkeley body mounts to the original floor pan on a single plane, which makes it really easy to mount to anything else. The rocker panels and lower sections of the front and rear are cut from the original floor pan.
Wiring was also a big task for late spring. My goal was to keep the chassis completely drive-able without the body, so I made sure to separate the body and chassis electrical systems. I also incorporated 'trailer' light control of the rear lights for flat towing.
Here is a picture of part of the front wiring loom. All of the harnesses are home made.
The dwarf care wiring was a hacked up mess, so I also started over on the chassis.
One of about a million test fits during this time, as I try to finalize all the body mounts.
You can see how the front section sits right on top of the dwarf cowl. I even kept all the dwarf car instrumentation tucked just beneath the Berkeley dash.
By late July 2015, I had done about as much body work as I could stand. I wasn't building it to be a show car, just something that I could drive, have fun, and not worry about. I'd finished the final body mounts on the chassis, painted most of the interior section black, and did a couple final test fits of all the body panels.
Good enough I say and time for paint.
Nice thing about a Berkeley body is that they are very light and easy to transport.
I brought the body over to a friend's house to paint. He painted, while I reworked the electrical system on his recently refreshed Model T speedster (background). It was perfect weather to be outside, work on cars, and drink a couple of beers.
It was the first time I had ever seen the Berkeley one color, and all the body work I had been worried about turned out just fine.
The doors look great. Are they single plane or did you have to put some crown in them?
NOHOME wrote: The doors look great. Are they single plane or did you have to put some crown in them?
Single plane only. Very simple shape.
Got the body back from paint. Toward the middle of August, I had a chance to start putting things together. The front looks great sitting on the trailer and I got a lot of looks towing it home.
With the rear section on, I got motivated to finish the rest of the chassis electrical system.
With the rear wheel off, it is difficult to tell which part is Berkeley and which part is dwarf. I'm really happy with the way everything is fitting.
Fit on the front is also looking good. The Berkeley was Dwarf were seemingly made for each other.
A couple more late nights and we're up and running.
That's looks like soooooo much fun.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy !
That's Outstanding ! I can't wait to see the finished product, and your driving impressions. 
By late August of 2015, I had things pretty well bolted together and to be honest, I wasn't completely happy with the look. I knew I needed to do something about the wheels, but once it was all put together they really looked out of place. It still looked like a dirt track car, and I was going for 1950's GP car.
Browsing the internet gave me some ideas. I was stuck with a 14 or 15 inch wheels to clear both the brakes and the body work, so I didn't have a lot of room to play with. The extra long studs and over-sized lug nuts would also make many aftermarket wheels difficult to mount. Wire wheels would be period correct, but anything I could afford would end up looking cheap (and probably wrong on this car).
I eventually settled on the right look and most of the British racing cars of the era also used similar wheels.
In the end, I just modified my existing wheels to imitate the late 50's Jag wheels. I think they fit in well with the car and look period correct.
I also found some replacement hinges for the hood. I used chrome-plated brass marine hatch hinges. They worked well and brightened up the body a little without looking out of place on a race car.
Beautiful work!
How are the doors attached to the body? Are they removable?
Do the fenders rub with that wheel/tire combo?
Woody wrote: Beautiful work! How are the doors attached to the body? Are they removable?
Removable but don't open. Each has two aluminum tubes the run the length of the door. I pass threaded rod through these and into the front and rear body work. This way, I can still remove the front and rear sections without too much work.
MrJoshua wrote: Do the fenders rub with that wheel/tire combo?
Somewhat. The worst place for me is turning through the little ditch at the end of my driveway. I have a lot of adjustment left on my coil-overs, so I'm still trying to find the right balance between ride height and clearance. The wheels/tires are too big for the body, but so far I'm not ready to cut out more fiberglass and add flares.
TheDoctor wrote: add flares.
You said it now you have to do it!! Very cool
Maybe you can find a set of these cheap and mock them up. If they don't fit the bill you could always resell them easily.
crankwalk wrote: 240Z fiberglass flares Maybe you can find a set of these cheap and mock them up. If they don't fit the bill you could always resell them easily.
Might not be a bad idea for this summer. Usually the problem I run into is EVERYTHING is too big for this car, so it's hard to find something off the shelf that fits.
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