The photos below show some of my design, engineering, and fabrication skills on this 1959 Berkeley. Constructed and modified for my master's thesis, This 1959 Berkeley can reach up to
72 Miles per Gallon on regular pump gasoline with a top speed of approximately 95 mph.
This page is still under construction. Descriptive text and more photos will be added soon!
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| One of my cars was of a monoque body design - the fiberglass body was the frame of the vehicle. The original powerplant was only 18.5 bhp. I performed some modifications to increase the horsepower to over 60 bhp. When you add more horsepower and torque, the fiberglass structure was no longer sufficient. A small inobtrusive chassis was designed to stiffen the body and to compensate for the increase torque. |
I fabricated my chassis design and incorporated the aluminum panels of the original vehicle design... |
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| Even with the original aluminum panels integrated with my new chassis design, you can see that what I fabricated was close to the original design. | Here, my chassis design was incorporated and integrated to the vehicle's belly pan. The rear swing arm suspension and the front differential, axles, and drivetrain were added. |
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| The fiberglass boot was restored and mounted... | Then painted to match the bellypan. |
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The Bonet was restored, primed,
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painted, and incorporated into the vehicle. |
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As you see, the vehicle is very light weight (less than 800 lbs) and street legal. After finishing the electrical system, engine transmission, brakes, etc. This car now is able to achieve 72 miles per gallon. |
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