Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

I have a Bradley GT that has been in the family since 1970. It presently has the 2.0 liter Porsche engine. (which is the same as a VW 2.0 liter bus engine)

It is a great car to drive, but needs some serious updates. I wish to find a front end of front wheel drive car. I prefer it to be a 4 cylinder, but something with some zip to it. One main detail that this engine needs to have is where the exhaust comes out. It has to be to the rear of the engine or next to the firewall of the car. Also it needs to have A/C. Since my dad put a hardtop on it, it gets pretty warm in the summer. Not asking to buy from anyone, but to find a make, year, and model. The newer the better. A 6 cylinder would be great, but it would need to be perpendicular to the axle and not parallel like most front wheel drives. The 3.5 from an Intrepid is to wide and the front of the engine would be right behind the front seats.

So if anyone is up on their cars, I'd appreciate the help. Like to get this car back on the road. Lots of fun to drive and gets lots of looks. Sure would be great to use it to go back and forth to the lake........Thanks.......SS

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

Wow- a Bradley GT. I'll bet a lot of the younger folks here don't know what it is. Best description I can give: a kit car that looks like a miniature Corvette.

I'm not great with cars, but would the engine out of a newer VW Golf work?

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

Guess I should have added that I would prefer an American made if possible. If the exhaust is to the rear of the engine, it could be a candidate. I'll try to dig a pic of it and post it. This isn't the typical Bradley with the gullwing doors. It has doors like a regular car would. Just very short ones

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

SS,
what about a mercury marine I/O?

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

If you look towards the foreign market....... The 4 banger celica might be the proper size and front end. Remove the body and stitch it together.

If you want the V-6 the exhaust will give you troubles.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

Bob_VT said:

If you look towards the foreign market....... The 4 banger celica might be the proper size and front end. Remove the body and stitch it together.

If you want the V-6 the exhaust will give you troubles.

Click to expand...

What size engine does that Celica have and what size wheels? I got to make sure that I can keep the right ratio going. Presently it has 15's on it.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

Here is a link to the generations and they all had 15" wheels (or will accept them) The celica had a wide array of motors.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

Replacing the VW/Porsche engine with a water cooled Subaru boxer (4 or 6) is pretty straightforward, SS.

The 4 cam 4 is around 165HP and the 4 cam 6 is more like 230. Big difference from the air cooled, and a lot for that lightweight vehicle.

I suggest the 4, with computer and A/C.

Adapter kits are available.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

I'll have to check that out JB, a friend of mine has an Outback. He picked it up real cheap, it has water leaking into the exhaust. Compression is good, and with a scope, no signs of water in the combustion chamber. He doesn't know much about Subaru's. Maybe I can talk to him on it and check it over. Only problem I see is that its 4wd. I would like to use the suspension and tranny to convert it to automatic. My wife would really love that idea. The car was my mom's. She was a teacher and all the kids just thought it was cool to see her driving that car.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

An adapter plate would bolt the Suby up to a VW auto or. . .are you ready for this?. . .a Porsche Tip-Tronic or 5 speed auto.

Lemme find the literature I have on bolting Suby power into VW drive trains. Their piece de resistance is a Vanagon Camper with a 3.3 litre EFI Suby six and a 5 speed auto. Cruises up mountains at 80. I built two '70s Westfalia campers with Corvair drive trains (Powerslide) that towed my Boston Whaler all over the upper midwest at 70-75 and got 20 mpg doing it. Even the 4 cylinder Suby is stronger than a Corvair 110.

I would be suspicious of FWD suspension and transverse iron engine in a Bradley. That car needs a boxer and torsion bars.

Re: Selecting Front Suspension/Engine Assy

I did a quick search and found a Bradley forum. Lots of neat looking cars and all kinds of info.http://www.bradleygt.com