Belcar - first test drive today!

[piatti]

Still a lot to do, but the rebuild is nearing it's end :-). After assembling all the chassis parts, cable, wiring and interior details, I will have to concentrate on the bodyshell and alu trims the next couple of days. I hope to have the car ready when the snow has gone...

[marcus]

Well done, hope to see a video of it in action soon!

Just out of curiosity, how wide is the seat?

[Peel replica, Steve Fisk]

The seats look good there but if you would like some new ones made it would be a pleasure

[piatti]

Just out of curiosity, how wide is the seat?

140cm, the Belca is for three people!

[richard]

A cosy fit - odd ! I think if you click on the jpeg its the right way up , and bigger

[marcus]

Cheers folks, I remember that photo of 3 across in the Sparrow book, just wondered exactly how wide!

[piatti]

Today, I made the first ride on the street ! This was probably the first Belcar ride for almost 50 years...

Great fun to drive, the steering is very easy and the suspension is like in a 2CV. It's is a really confortable driver only the engine noise is a bit disturbing.
Now, with some new motivation I will have to take care of the bodyshell - cleaning and polishing to make the old color look like new :-)

[steven mandell]

140cm, the Belca is for three people!
[/quote/]
Both politically and possibly legally incorrect.
I wonder how the police would view the inclusion of the big gorilla in the middle.
Is he a swedish giant, or is it that the girls are really tiny?
Either way it seems obviously overloaded, and both demeaning to both sets of parties and incongruous, that the domineering central figure has given up the helm to one of his little chicks.

[steven mandell]

Today, I made the first ride on the street ! This was probably the first Belcar ride for almost 50 years...
Now, with some new motivation I will have to take care of the bodyshell - cleaning and polishing to make the old color look like new :-)

Wonderful that you have conquered the mechanicals, and are striving to save the "paintina".
The difficult part may be deciding where to draw the line between preservation and restoration .

Personally, I would have a hard time polishing the air in the area of front fender where the fiberglass is gone.
I would do my best to blend in a repair there, and possibly try to match some paint into the area below the headlights.

What is your guiding principle re such matters?
Is there any color in the gelcoat?

[piatti]

That's the bible of car preservation

http://www.amazon.com/The-Stewardship-Historically-Important-Automobiles/dp/0988273306

personally, I just work on the various parts until I'm pleased with the result and even more important for me - the whole car has to look right. Others think that all new or changed parts have look new, but thats a difficult discussion and probably more important when talking about Bugattis than Belcars :-)

[steven mandell]

So that means hole, to be, or not to be on the trailing edge of the front fender?