Bloody hell mate! I had never even heard of the Bricklin until I saw it on a movie earlier tonight (thinking it was a DeLorean, haha), but then I checked out this forum, having always been a fan of '70s exotics, and just reading about the mods you made to that car made me salivate.
I SO want your modded Bricklin, man!
I'd have to have at least 17" rims on there though!
If you have any pics, please email 'em over to me!
Cheers.
Sami
(new Bricklin aficionado)
remember_sami@yahoo.co.uk.
At the age of 23 and living in Nova Scotia my friends father was in senior management at a Bank that was closing out the bricklin plant. He asked (as a joke) if I wanted to buy one that was in the plant lot. I freaked, but more to the point had the $8,800. CND funds, went to the plant and bought a white one with a 351 windsor under the hood. I drove that car every where and finally from Nova Scotia to the Superbowl in Pasadena California. Never had a single problem with the car (excluding the hydraulic doors). Not big on performance, but a look that many would kill for. I sold it in Vancouver Canada four years after the purchase for $15,000.CND even. The buyer gave me a sack of cash, no questions asked. Best car I ever owned and I am talking about 55 creampuffs. By the way I now drive a 2003 convertible, silver vette. Very nice, but it ain't no Bricky. It holds a place in my heart!
When I picked up my new Pontiac Trans Am in August '79 I noticed an orange Bricklin for sale at the dealership-Condie Pontiac-Buick in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The Bricklin's gull-wing doors were an unbelievably bad fit.
At their upper edges the door panels stuck out about a half inch proud of the surrounding bodywork.
It looked shoddily built. Judging by these reviews it would have taken a lot of effort to fix it up to an acceptable standard. I admire the people who have expended the time, effort and money to do that, but such a car was not for me.
Incidentally, if you roll it over on its roof, how do you get out?
#1 Don't ever "mod" classic cars. These are supposed to be like time machiens not your local teenager with a fartcan on their crappy honda. #2 Bricklins from 1974 have the AMC 360 in them, which is in FACT a much better engine then the Ford 351. That's all I am gonna say.
Hey Greg From AZ, obviously you have no idea about Bricklins because you said that swapping in a 4bbl carb would be a good idea. Hello? Bricklins already have a 4bbl carb, so I don't know what you are driving, but its not a Bricklin.
Stop by http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?club=mbo/thecar.htm for the specifications of both the 1974 (4 barrel AMC 360) and 1975 (2 barrel Ford 351w).
As for my comments:
I was a teenager when the Bricklin was built and there were two in the family since 1976. I've known these cars for a long time (30 years).
Yes - the car has flaws. Heavy, costly (at the time), leaky, poor fit & finish, etc. True, true.
Was it the fastest thing on the road at the time (in its class)? The 1974 model compared favorably to the same year Corvette (I believe it was the 7/1974 issue of Car & Driver). The 1975 model year took a sizable hit in horsepower and did not, but the performance is still not bad.
Did I kick a lot of butt with a 1975 in the mid to late 70s? Yep!
Could it be made to go faster? You bet! Many owners have done it. Plenty of options for either the AMC 360 OR the Ford 351w.
Do I care? Not in the least - this car is all 'WOW'. You'll be the cause of neck injury wherever you go as folks do double-takes. They built just about 2,900 of these cars - you just don't see them and when you do it attracts attention like no other car you've seen.
I just bought a 75 SV1, and its beautiful, all original... but the outside has cracks in the acrylic paint or whatever they used. Spide like webs. How does one restore the outside of a bricklin to looking new since it was made differently then other cars.
Thanks
P.
Sorry P.
But if the car you bought has spiderweb cracking it's impossible to fix, other than priming and painting the whole car or buying new panels (if it's isolated). In the past some used a wax this latex in it. As you can see the acrylic doesn't like this much. If it's the larger cracks usually found on the roof, door and A pillers, it is possible to to grind them out with a dremel and fill. This at best is a short fix and over a year or so you will see them reappearing...
Good Luck
BB.
Hey Guys Just thought we'd make comment on the Bricklin, but first of all who are we LOL. We are called the Bricklin Boyz of Canada and have owned 27 Bricklin in 5 short years as well as have done countless frame off restorations for others as well. For tech info one could easily visit Bricklin. org (google search)
Here some of our thoughts on the Bricklin. A person made comment about the longevity of this car. Here is the scoop. Officially 2855 where totally completed by the Bricklin co. The vin numbers do go a little higher than 3000 but they were either finished on the assembly line by a by out team called Byers Chrysler Ohio or they where put together by individuals that bought part during the bankrupcy. Between the clubs data and our own there are over 1800 Bricklin known to be in existance today (30 years later) with more and more showing up every day.Don't know of any production automobile that can say that approx 2/3 of their 30 year old cars still exist today.
As for performance, we have had many clients report their top speed in the area of 130+ mph one guy even tracked himself with the GPS at 141mph with a stock Bricklin. Do they kick butt LOL I'll take on a vintage stock vette any day.We also have a newspaper clipping of a guy that was caught on radar in a Bricklin at 240kph thus approx 144mph!!
Do they draw attention, well let's just put it this way, I had to contact the police department one day and tell them to back off as we got stopped 5 times on the same day by the local police on false pretenses. They simply wanted to check out the car.
We have been followed often by other muscle cars new and old so that they can see the car. To the point we stopped in at a local Ford dealership just to have aprox 40 mechanics come out and check the Bricklin out.It got so bad that management got on the PA system and called in the mechanics to report back to their bays hahaha Now how many stock collector car owners can say that!!
Not to mention the attention every time we take them out we are overwhelmed by public that come running up to us.Often time the partner and I will take a couple out at the same time .We have driven into the market where they have tons of restaurant patios just to have their clients stand up from their seats and gawk.The one patio I swear over half of them stood up as we waited for the lights to change. Yes it is a thrill to have pedestrians point at us in our Bricklin and many shout out the name "BRICKLIN!!"
Have owned many a sports cars in my life but not one I do repeat not one has even approached 20% of the attention our Bricklins get.
Great cars with a few little flaws that can be overlooked.Some do leak some do get spider webbing but then again so did the Corvettes way back when.
Easy to work with as the partner and I are a prime example of this as neither of us knew pitelly sqwat about cars as we where both pencil pusher all out lives but here we are today 5 years later doing complete frame off restorations and not to mantion renowned across Canada and the USA as well as overseas for our knowledge in Bricklins Beacause of our recognition and quality of our Bricklin work we know fetch the highest bucks on reasales of stock Bricklins.So if we can totally restore a Bricklin so can the average layman.
Should you ever want to buy a yesteryear's auto look into it, but if you are the type that doesn't like to draw attention nor have the time to say hello to the plentitude of curious out there stay away from the Bricklin!!
Do not overlook the Bricklin the next time your thinking of buying a classic.we still have 6 Bricklin in our coral at this time and will be puchasing more to restore.
The Bricklin a sports car totally years ahead of it's time that still today turns heads and is totally undervalued by all standards.
Rick and Shawn
Bricklinboyz@rogers.com.
Hi ho bricklin, yeah, i love these cars even though it cost our government at the time some 25 million dollars. I work in the building where the bricklin was manufactured in saint John NB. I feel lucky about that.We've found the odd sticker on the post beam that was supposed to be stuck under the hood and even found what looked to be a door mold that was used to make the gull winged doors. Its all long gone now, but everyday I look at the big garage door out front of our plant and can almost see with a pigment of my imagination a brand new shiny bricklin driving down the cement ramp.This was a unique car which was way ahead of its time, and if I could afford one id sure be hunting one down right now. Every car has its design flaws especially when theyre first made. Its too bad malcolm bricklin didn't get more money from the government to carry on his dream, but at least we've got a few cars left to remember it by. I think if bricklin had a chance,it could have turned out good and continued to do so.
I have a 1975sv1 Bricklin vin #2835 bought in 1981 and been stored till 2005
Installed a air kit to replace the factory set up and everthing now works fine with the doors.
The next project is to adjust them so they don't leak???
A
ANYONE HAVE A STEP BY STEP MANUAL?
I have been driving it around the city for the last 2 summers and I can say I have never had a car that draws that much attention.
Anyone out there that can help with the leakey door problem would be appreciated Dave 902-456-5825 dmhall1@hotmail.com.
Yep, The Bricklin Boyz are right on.
As to the leaky door problem. I suggest a visit to the Bricklin Tech forums at www.bricklin.org
Love it, love it.
Gerry (Vin #2905, '76, 351W, 120MPH ++)
You gotta give credit to Malcolm Bricklin he started a car factory with nothing, put all he could in this car...With all the money he had to start,he did a very hot car for the money he had, lets see you do this today... Car looks great and Canadian put the heart and soul to get this out..just imagine today how the car would be... I lift my hat to Malcolm and Herb and factory employees for building a legend the Bricklin sv1.. Put a Bricklin in a car show today and see how much people check her out..compared to others...all cars are beauty-full..and have falts... Eric Berube.vin 1733
I remember seeing my first Bricklin about 1976 (safety orange) in Central Calif. In Oct. 2007 I got into an argument with a friend who thought it was an AMC vehicle. A week later I bought one. And yep, nobody seems to know what it is, so I give them a history lesson. Yes it has flaws; noisy, drafty, leaky, but undeniably cool. My stock 351 still puts you back in the seat at 70mph and jumps up to 110 with still more pedal. It's a sports car, so deal with it.
Bob S. # 1529.
I met Malcolm Bricklin at UNB Fredericton, NB back in 1974. He had a clay 1/3 model of the car with him and was doing a talk on the car and production. I was quite excited by the concept and it was like looking at a space capsule to an 18 yr old kid.
I've never bought one, but did drive one in Calgary a few yrs back. Reminded me of a big 240, a car I did own (the second car I owned, the first being a 1968 MGB when I was at Dalhousie U in Halifax). I was at an A and W drive in a couple of months back in Dartmouth, NS and 2 Bricks showed up out of over 1000 vehicles that attended. They certainly did attract a lot of attention!
I hear Malcolm is going to be importing Chinese cars into NA soon, the Chery, I believe. Never give up the business! What has he been up to between 1976- 2006?
Peter Hyslop, Halifax, NS.