Above you see Bob’s beautiful green Bugeye on the lift and his 948 power plant in the foreground. I continue to be amazed that this little baby engine (and its sisters) did such a good job powering the fleet (and of course, all four of the Bugeyes you see in the background above).
Bob’s 948 engine on the bench is getting a new 1098 head, a rear main seal upgrade, a dual row timing chain upgrade as well as vibration damper. I like to add these upgrades because the single row 948 chains tend to slap a bit as they wear, and contribute to engine clatter. The double row version is of course more durable and less prone to stretch. This is a system with no tensioner, so a good chain is particularly important.
Fitting this conversion requires a minor modification of the two lower bolts that normally hold on the front cover. Notice the two Philips machine screws shown above. Instead of the two original bolts, these screws are required to clear the double row crank pulley and chain. You also have to countersink the holes slightly so the screws don’t protrude excessively. It’s a pretty easy modification, and we use star washers and locktite under the screws for insurance.
We also prefer the vibration damper shown below instead of the original undamped crank pulley that normally comes on 948 and some 1098 engines. The vibration damper helps!
Last but not least is the six blade fan installed to move more air through the radiator. You can feel the extra airflow just standing in front of the car when these bigger fans are fit. Of course an aluminum radiator is great too!
The parts we used for these upgrades are all available in our parts catalog. Click on the links above if you want to order, and feel free to give us a call any time if you have questions about your Sprite restoration!
