Elio Type Vehicle Resurection --- AKA the BEX

[JEBar]

I am happy it retains 90% "off the shelf" components, especially the telescopic steering shaft that allows for the steering wheel to be adjusted, that was a big win.

indeed it is

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX

To have brakes, first you got to fit some on ...

From the donor car, nothing special, though they are of decent size (and vented) relative to the BEX's weight. Not a bad thing because the 2 fronts will do most of the braking.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ....

Finally found a brake pipe guy in the next city over who supplies lots of the local parts shops with various lengths of brake pipes, from 6" through to 10'. Very well made, and has the lengths I need in my local parts shop, but I had to find him first then find out where they were sold in my city..

Once again it's not about just finding and fitting a part, it's about finding suppliers where required

[JEBar]

​

Per Mark BEX ....
Finally found a brake pipe guy in the next city over who supplies lots of the local parts shops with various lengths of brake pipes, from 6" through to 10'. Very well made, and has the lengths I need in my local parts shop, but I had to find him first then find out where they were sold in my city..

Once again it's not about just finding and fitting a part, it's about finding suppliers where required

in response to the above I asked Mark ... "good to hear you found a good brake pipe guy .... what's a brake pipe ? ?"



to which Mark answered ..... "It's what the rest of the World calls hydraulic brake lines, because we are lazy​
Steel pipes, and rubber pipes for the connections to the wheels to allow them to move when the suspension to move up and down.

[Cofisher]

I'm guessing a brake line to fit.

[JEBar]

he's using as many parts as possible from vehicles already in production .... I can see how that might not be easy for the configuration of his reverse trike .... apparently he's found a source for good hosese in an town near where he lives and is working on getting them to produce hoses when he gets his trike into production

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX .....

Braking News!

I got the pipes done today, most were too long, the longest one too short, but that's what I had to take for the moment, will get them sized properly of course when i make some cars. They are really well made by the way, strong tube nuts and really nice flares, and I don't mean 1970s jeans.

Long ones I simply coiled, yellow arrows, an old rally car or off road racer trick anyway to allow movement into the pipes to stop cracking.

Bit messy looking, but it's just the pre-production prototype, will clean them up and make them look nice on the real cars of course. By the way, not copper, copper coated. Copper pipes are illegal in most countries, crack too easily.

Tomorrow put some fluid in, bleed them up and see what's seized up from sitting for so long. No biggy, brakes are very simple things.

[Cofisher]

I'm getting kick out of his terminology. Pipes! Lol

[JEBar]

I'm getting kick out of his terminology. Pipes! Lol

understood .... I had to ask him to translate that one ....

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ....

I don't know if the front caliper seals are sticking or the rear slave cylinder is leaking or other issues from sitting around for a bit, sometimes not, and good sign, they weren't dry, insides wet with fluid still, but I can mention I now have excellent pedal pressure just from mere gravity bleeding, not even pump bleeding or pressure bleeding. That's always a good sign.

There was some expected flex in the firewall, simply fixed with the appropriate stabiliser tube to the pedal box, arrowed, nothing more than 3/4" tube with the ends squashed