bugeyeguy – Page 25

Restored 1995 Land Rover Defender TDI five-speed for sale! 70 MPH video!

November 24, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Now sold to Jeremy in Connecticut! Congratulations !

That’s a great value for this restored truck with great features like Ancara headliner, new seats and a highway capable five-speed transmission. Defenders routinely trade for much higher numbers but we have made the price really attractive to make space in our building, so feel free to call if you want a really fun truck!

This is a very cool vehicle we received in trade. It drives wonderfully! Check out the copy below that was written by the restorer, the car was imported from the UK and completely rebuilt just a few years ago by Mad River Imports in Durham NC. It’s a very high quality build, and anyone looking for a tight, restored, Defender will enjoy this ride! The truck is currently registered in CT, and comes with all the paperwork to register it anywhere in the world!

You can read Mad River’s description of the vehicle in italics below:

This is a classic and retro styled 1995 Defender 90, fitted with a 300Tdi diesel engine matched to the R380 5-speed manual gearbox. It’s a right-hand drive, true to form, classic example. This is a perfect cruiser with all the character and charm you need for that ultimate driving experience.

The body is nicely finished in timeless Land Rover Arles blue all over with color coded Wolf steel wheels to match. With bulletproof diesel power for ultimate reliability in the harshest conditions, there’s simply nothing that can beat a Land Rover diesel engine. The aluminum bodywork is light but strong and all those right angles and sharp corners were designed for it to be rugged and tough out in the wildlands. This retro classic is ready to be enjoyed regardless of whether you take it on the streets or get it dirty on the trails. It’s a very quintessential British and iconic Defender 90. Distinct, intimidating, and genuinely rugged, this Defender 90 is the ideal 4×4 to take you on any adventure.

Another great reason to have a RHD Land Rover originally built for a foreign market is what lies under the hood. Diesel power provides the best torque to get you through or over anything (which was never available on US spec vehicles). It’s equipped with one of the best diesels, the robust 300Tdi engine with a R380 5-speed manual transmission, regarded by many in the Land Rover world as their best engine produced, and it has earned a tough-as-nails reputation over the years. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine in this Defender has just 88k original miles and runs very well. Paired with the R380 5-speed manual and 3.54 Rover axles it moves through the gears well and it has no problem keeping up with everyday traffic, around town or on the highway.

Shifting action is light and smooth with the R380 gearbox, the clutch take-up is clean and with power steering and disc brakes all round, it feels competent on or off-road. No other 4×4 vehicle has the pedigree and track record like a Land Rover, a Rover of the Land. Not only was it one of the first, but it also remains the world’s benchmark off-road vehicle, exhilarating to drive, highly reliable, and simplicity to maintain. It provides high performance on-road with the capability to tackle the worst off-road conditions and in nearly every driving environment the world has to offer.

It’s a lovely retro and vintage styling D90, that’s been nicely refurbished inside and out, featuring new gleaming Arles blue paintwork, LED lights, PUMA hood, full Exmoor Trim premium carpet, new door hinges, hardware, bolts, and a lovely Exmoor Trim Lignum wood rim steering wheel.

Inside it’s as simple and minimal as you would expect, with brand new Exmoor Trim carpet, new brown re-upholsted front seats, and it even still has its original Land Rover AM//FM radio. It has a very stylish and new Alcantara headliner fitted.

The cargo bay offers enough room for storage and for extra passengers as well. It comes with traditional Land Rover side-facing bench seats in the rear cargo area with lap belts.

Factory gauges cover the basics and the controls. The control levers manage the 5-speed manual transmission and 2-speed transfer case/hi-low range/diff lock and there’s a center cubby box between the seats. All lights, heater, wipers, and gauges work, as they should. It sits on Land Rover 16” heavy duty Wolf steel wheels wrapped with all new 265/75/16 Ranger Insa Turbo A/T tires and heavy-duty drive flanges, which give it that classic look and heavy-duty styling. The chassis, bulkhead and doorframes all show in great condition. It also comes freshly wax oiled underneath for extra protection against the outside elements. This is a legendary 4×4 that has both style and substance. Overall, this is one stylish, retro, and quintessential British Defender 90 ready to be enjoyed!

The vehicle was serviced in 2021 with new oil and filter, new fuel filter, new air filter, new front heavy duty drive flanges, new fuel tank, and new panhard bushings. Drives beautifully with no issues, ready to enjoy.

Click “read more” below for more photos and give us a call if you’re interested in this special machine!

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Striking 1275-Powered and upgraded 1959 Bugeye Sprite for sale!

November 23, 2023 by bugeyeguy

NOW SOLD to Ian in New York! Congrats on taking home our Bugeye #405.

Ozzy is an incredible Bugeye we brought in last month after spending the past 10 years in the Pacific Northwest, where it was completely restored. Since we got it here, we have done a HUGE number of upgrades intended to make Ozzy into its best form, including all-new hydraulic parts including a new master cylinder, wheel cylinders, and new brake and clutch lines, a new fuel line from front to rear including our solid-state electric fuel pump upgrade, new front tapered wheel bearings, and so much more! This is truly the epitome of what a well-sorted, great driving, great-sounding Bugeye should be! Give us a call if you’d like to make Ozzy your own!

If you like tastefully modified Bugeye Sprites, here’s a wonderful modified Bugeye for sale called “Ozzy.” The car has all the right modifications and is painted in a striking color scheme with broad appeal. This one ticks a lot of boxes! The car shows 3039 miles on the odometer, I am guessing that’s the total mileage put on the car since the restoration about 10 years ago. The car still feels freshly restored.

We owned, upgraded and sold this car in 2013, (around the time that it was restored by another enthusiast) and then sold to a collector in the Northwest, who drove it sporadically during his ten years of stewardship. He sold it back to us in October of this year.

When we received the car this year, we spent 40 hours going-through it… we performed a major service and also made additional upgrades to make Ozzy even better. Ozzy now has all the most desirable performance upgrades, including front disk brakes, sway bar, strong 1275 engine, aluminum radiator K&N lifetime air filters and a performance exhaust, so you have a sweet little package. This is a nice car…. solid, straight, well-finished, rust-free.

Ozzy makes all the right noises-we’ve just installed our twin-tipped muffler, and the sounds great. Seats are nearly new too, with new firm seat base foams and new covers. Ozzy is easy to love. The flip-forward nose makes for easy engine bay access too!

Here’s a list of the service work and modifications we made just this week:
New stainless steel header and exhaust including our twin-tipped muffler (hence the great sound in the video)
New hard brake and clutch lines throughout
New rear wheel cylinders
New rubber brake hoses
New rear wheel bearing on passenger side
New master cylinder
New solid state electronic fuel pump,
New fuel tank pick-up line and rubber fuel lines
New water hoses
New heater valve
New dip switch harness
New rubber oil pressure gauge line
New front tapered wheel bearings
New tank to carbs metal fuel line
New easier to use T handle locking choke assembly

These were the pressing items to make the car better than ever. The car runs and drives wonderfully, as you can see in the driving video below, which we made earlier this week.

As with all these classic cars, there are still some issues that the new owner may choose to have us address. For example, the tachometer and speedo both read too high… this is easy to fix… we sell a GPS speedometer and matching electronic tachometer and that will get the new owner more accurate readings, if so desired.

Also, first gear whine is a bit louder than on the rebuilt ribcase transmissions we sell… (they all whine and I would leave it, synchros are excellent, the car up and down shifts without complaint)… but this could open-up an opportunity to install a five-speed conversion… the car is well-worth investment in a five- speed upgrade. That said, I drove my Bugeye “Gumby” for 20 years with first gear making a lot more noise than this one, so it’s an issue you should know about if you’re thinking about the car, but it’s not something that needs immediate attention. If it bothers the new owner, a five-speed would be a nice opportunity while the car is still in our possession.

The seat belts currently installed are a vintage racing lap-belt variety belt, but I much prefer three point retractable shoulder belts, and we have those in stock in red or black-again, the new owner gets to choose.

The dashboard is perfectly nice, with a handsome fat wood steering wheel that feels right. I would refinish the dashboard and change the dash and dash trim bar covering to red and I would also put on a red tonneau because the silver and red color combination is quite striking and I would like to emphasize those strong colors. These are opportunities that we can address (while the car is here) before it gets shipped to the new owner.

The engine bay is stunning all new hydraulic hard lines, premium aluminum radiator and lots of upgrades. If you’re interested, click “read more” below for the full assortment of photographs and give us a call!

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Sweat the details

November 17, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Colors matter and we take them very seriously. We are delighted to have so many choices in our building to satisfy many color palettes.

We sold our leaf green Bugeye “Flip” today and the new owner wanted a new tonneau. Here are the color options we shared with them while we worked to choose the best-looking option. With whitewall tires in Florida (where the car is headed), a light color was most attractive, and in the end, the client chose tan. They’re all good choices, and our job is to make sure that each client gets the rolling sculpture that they most adore delivered to their driveway.

If you want your own color makeover courtesy of a new tonneau, take a look at our parts catalog here, where you will find quite a few options! If there is a specific color you’re wanting but don’t see it – don’t hesitate to give us a call!

Modified Bugeye Sprite with uprated performance. Check out the NEW AND IMPROVED tire squealing videos!

November 17, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Jim in Massachussetts! Congratulations on Bugeye #402!

This is a AN5L 48202, a modified 1960 Bugeye Sprite we call “Bart.”

If you like the old-school converted race car vibe, this is a great car to consider. The car is totally street legal and very useable on the street, with a bunch of performance upgrades to give it more grunt and better performance. You can drive this car anywhere. You can drive it to the autocross and play for the day. You can drive it to the supermarket. You can enjoy the racing heritage of all Bugeyes, and still go out to dinner in this one. It is modified for performance while maintaining plenty of everyday drivability. The car is built with a nice balance of fun and function.

The engine is an uprated 1275 with a performance cam. The idle is a bit lumpy, but still quite tolerable. When you get on the gas, the improved performance is apparent, and the engine pulls smoothly through the revs. The car has a performance exhaust system with a nice header and minimalist muffler. Bart sounds like a sportscar should. The nearly new Weber downdraft carb powers the car nicely.

Brakes are front disk and a rear drum systems from a later Sprite, with an add-on brake booster to lessen pedal effort. The car stops nicely. A slightly larger from sway bar is also fit for more agressive cornering.

Tires are 185/60×13, wider than stock, afforded by the fender flares. They give you a bigger footprint that further improves braking, acceleration and traction in general. These tires squeal and slide a bit more than I would like, because they are aged-out. New rubber would grip a lot better, and we can change the tires for the new owner if so desired.

The car has a flip-forward fiberglass nose with matching fiberglass flares fit on the original rear steel fenders. Two flush dzus fittings hold down each bonnet wing for a nifty bonnet hold-down system that you can open with a small screwdriver or quarter dollar. Engine access is great and the fiberglass nose is a great weight saving over the steel original!

There are a few minor cosmetic flaws but the car presents very nicely. This is a very cool car, great fun to drive, and it has a period-correct feel. We’ve put in all the correct dashboard components to preserve the heritage. The rib case transmission shifts wonderfully. Check out the videos, click “read more” below for a full compliment of photos, and call if you are interested!

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Spring into action and inspect your Bugeye’s suspension today!

November 17, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Bugeye Sprite rear suspensions are often full of creaks, rattles, and groans that we work diligently to correct in every car that comes into our shop. One common rear suspension ailment is what we refer to as “bachelor lean”, which refers to a Bugeye that has been driven primarily without any passengers, putting stress on only the side of the car where the driver sits and creating a visual list in that direction. While 60-plus years of driving wore the rear leaf springs out on both sides of the Bugeye we had in the shop this week, the driver’s side leaf spring suffered significantly more stress, so much so that it actually broke one of the leaves from its moorings, as the picture below illustrates.

This is far from the worst set of leaf springs we have ever encountered; if you take a look at the picture below, you’ll see a set of springs we removed from a Bugeye receiving a suspension overhaul that had so much rust packed into them that they created a bird-like pattern on the floor upon their removal. This is an unfortunate reality for many sets of original Bugeye leaf springs.

It’s worth checking your leaf springs in your Bugeye and inspect them for signs of these types of failures. There are symptoms of worn springs you can feel while driving also, such as a tendency for the rear axle to bottom out on the bump stops over bumps. If you find yourself in need of new rear leaf springs, or any other rear suspension part, we have a solution!

Our rear leaf spring kits will put the “spring” back in your Bugeye’s step! Click the photo above to order a kit today!

Our rear leaf spring kits utilize heavy-duty quarter-elliptical leaf springs which will reinvigorate any Bugeye’s rear suspension! The heavy-duty rear springs require the use of lowering shims to reset the rear end to its correct rear ride height, which are included with the kit. Either five-degree or six-degree shims can be used (This involves some trial and error, so it may be wise to order both sizes of shim; you can buy the shims separately here) to provide the ideal ride height for your taste!

There are several components in a Bugeye’s rear suspension that will wear out and create the clunks, rattles, and creaks that will drive you insane (and ultimately shorten the life of the components around it!). We offer a full line of Bugeye suspension components; click the photos below for more information or click here for our full catalog!

Rear Shock Link – “Dog Bone” (Sold Individually)

Rear Axle Check Strap (Sold Individually)

Rear Suspension Rubber Bump Stop (Sold Individually)

Beautiful Green 1977 MGB for sale! Chrome bumper conversion!

November 17, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Now sold to Jim in Ohio! Congratulations, Jim!

This car has a nearly new paint job and a lot of new upgrades, like electronic ignition and a nearly new Weber carburetor. The car looks great with the chrome bumpers and performs wonderfully as well!
You could not build a car to this level for this price, so if you want a fun sportscar with lots of nice improvements, take a look!

This 1977 MGB is a great-driving car with multiple upgrades; most notable of these is the chrome bumper conversion and a Weber downdraft carburetor that is set-up nicely and delivering great performance. You should be able to see in the driving video that this car is quick!

This is a striking MGB we are selling for a customer. It is a new restoration, with new paint, interior and top. The car drives great, with plenty of power. Just about everything is new.

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