Around the shop

Be sure to leave your gas pedal hanging!

April 11, 2025 by bugeyeguy

Your accelerator pedal is a vital link between your foot and your Bugeye. Without it, you quite literally aren’t going anywhere. And if it fails in use, you might actually find yourself accelerating out of control into whatever lies in front of you!

*An original Bugeye accelerator pedal used this system to connect the throttle rod to your foot; a hinged, long rectangular gas pedal and a ball-an-socket link attached to the rubber on the back of it.*

The original Bugeye accelerator pedal assembly relies on a hard rubber pedal into which a metal rod inserts. When the rubber socket dries out and/or cracks, the actuation rod can come unplugged while you are accelerating. I’ve had the original style pedal disconnect and jam the actuation rod at full throttle, so for your own safety (and the safety of your Bugeye), I would encourage everyone to upgrade to our hanging pedal as soon as possible.

*Over time, the rubber on the pedal holding the pedal link in place cracks and fails, detatching the accelerator pedal while driving and, in some cases, jamming the throttle wide open.*

In the video below, we explain the original Bugeye mechanism and the best way to improve it, our upgraded aluminum accelerator pedal!

We sell these aluminum accelerator pedal upgrades in our parts catalog. Should you also be interested in maintaining originality, we sell new original-style accelerator pedals, (as well as new throttle cables). If you insist on the original design, at least make sure your pedal rubber is supple and will hold onto the rest of the linkage without popping out, a new original pedal will reduce your liabilty.

Click here for our full catalog!

*Bugeyeguys hanging aluminum accelerator pedal kit (all Spridgets)*

*Original-style accelerator pedal with floor-mount hinge (Bugeyes/Spridgets thru 1974)*

Banged-up bumperettes

April 4, 2025 by bugeyeguy

Rear overriders are not just a handsome aesthetic decoration; they represent the only buffer between your Bugeye’s rear deck and every fence, pole, wall, and inattentive Miata . As such, they can take a pretty decent amount of abuse over 60-plus years of guarding your Bugeye’s paintwork.

*This overrider has seen some better days. No doubt it has bumped into a fence post or two in its long lifetime.*

In the photo above, you can see a perfect example of just such a set of rear overriders on a car we currently have in our shop, which appear to be original to the car. Bumps, bruises, and rust are commonplace on original overriders; in order to make your car look its best, you need a new overrider kit, and we have just such a solution in our parts catalog!

*Our complete rear overrider kit includes overything you need to freshen up your Bugeye’s posterior protrusions! Click the photo above to order.*

Our rear overrider replacement kit includes all the components necessary to upgrade your original, dilapidated overriders, or to add overriders to a Bugeye that presently does not have them. All-new overriders with brilliant chrome, new brackets, new inner supports, fresh rubber buffers for the upper brackets, and all new hardware mean you can start fresh with parts that aren’t bent or broken! Click the photo above to order a kit today, or click on the photos below if you wish to order some of the parts separately. You can also click here to view our complete parts catalog!

*Rear bumper overrider (sold individually)*

*Rear overrider lower bracket (Sold individually)*

*Rear overrider upper bracket (sold individually)*

*Rear overrider inner stiffener bracket (sold individually)*

*Rear overrider rubber pad – upper bracket to body (sold individually)*

Bugeye Driving lights

April 4, 2025 by bugeyeguy

If you’re anything like us, you’re always looking for fun ways to dress up your Bugeye and make it stand out from others like it. In the video below, we discuss a popular add-on for Bugeye owners who wish to add a little bit of vintage racing flair to their bonnet: Sebring-style driving lights.

These driving lights are designed to mount to your Bugeye’s bonnet in the recesses outboard of the grill. You need to remove the front bumper if you haven’t already, the lights look best without a bumper. (We can also help you mount them on the bumper if you want to keep your bumper instead.)

You can wire these up in a number of different ways to suit your taste: on Gumby, pictured here, they are wired in tandem with the high beam headlight wiring to create a neat quad-headlight sort of look. Another popular way to wire them is to wire them to their own separate switch. We do this, as well, and hide the switch under the dash, so it doesn’t require butchering your dash to add one. Your choice!

*Our reproduction Sebring-style driving lights are an excellent accessory to add to your Bugeye! Click the photo above to order!*

Click on the photo above to order a set of Sebring-style driving lights today! You can also click here for our complete catalog!

Spridget rear hub club

April 4, 2025 by bugeyeguy

When assembling your Bugeye’s rear drum brakes, one thing you may not realize you need to pay attention to is the orientation of the return springs for the brake shoes. In the video above and the photo below, you can see what can happen when a brake spring is oriented incorrectly.

*The machined groove in this hub (arrow) is not supposed to be there. An improperly-installed spring is the culprit.*

Bugeyes and Spridgets utilize drum brakes on the rear axle for stopping. These drum brakes use springs what help return the shoes away from the drums when the brake pedal isn’t being pressed. These have a specific orientation to them in order to avoid contact with other components in the area. The car on which the hub pictured here was installed had one of the main return springs oriented upside down. This caused it to foul on the hub.

Brake springs are made of a hardened steel. This hardened steel is a harder material than the cast iron in the wheel hub. This means when the two components grind against each other for extended periods of time, the harder of the two parts (the spring) machines a groove in the softer part (the hub). If this had been left like this for much longer, it could have ground even more material away, weakening the hub and creating a potential failure point. The spring, though hardened, also suffered damage during the exchange, and a failed brake return spring can mean your brakes no longer working properly.

*This setup was used originally on Bugeyes. Note the arrows pointing to the locations where steadying springs are required; this is a feature unique to the early rear brakes.*

Using drum brakes from a later Sprite/Midget was an upgrade some owners performed on their Bugeyes. This setup also came standard on Sprites and Midgets from 1964-1980. No steady springs were used with this design.

Next time you have your wheels off, pop off the brake drums and make sure you have everything installed properly, like in the photos above. Also, make sure you have your steady springs installed and intact (if you have early rear brakes, late rear brakes don’t use steady springs) and make sure your axle seals aren’t leaking gear oil into your drums!

We have a complete line of rear brake components, no matter which type of drum brakes you have! Click on the photos below for some of the parts we have available, or click here for our complete catalog!

*Brake drum, all Spridgets (sold individually)*

Tach drive jive

March 28, 2025 by bugeyeguy

Today would be a good day to take apart your tach drive gearbox and lube it. If they get dry and seize, here is a video of what can happen…

In order to prevent your generator from taking flight thanks to this newly-created propeller, simply remove the gearbox from the back of the generator, remove the screws to open the case, and pack it with grease, then reassemble.

*A strong smear of red wheel bearing grease and your gearbox is lubricated for many miles to come!*

If you are too late and find yourself with an inoperable tachometer, we have tach cables and gearboxes for sale in our catalog, as well as an upgraded electronic tachometer to eliminate the mechanical equation! Click the photos below for more information or click here for our complete catalog!

*Tachometer drive gearbox (all Bugeyes/Spridgets with mechanical tachometers)*

*Tachometer cable (all Bugeyes/Spridgets with mechanical tachometers)*

*Electronic tachometer (Bugeye through ’67)*

More about your Butt

March 21, 2025 by bugeyeguy

Seat bases matter.

Spridget suspension was not designed for modern customer comfort demands. It was fine when we were 18, but oh, how we have aged. Now, we need as much seat cushion comfort as possible.

We have the pillow for you. It’s firm. It’s dense. You sit in it, not on it, so you feel like you are at one with the seat. This is not like sitting on top of a teetering marshmallow. It’s just right. And it makes your ride significantly more comfortable. Learn more about our high-density seat padding kit by clicking the photo below.

Over the years, we have built perhaps hundreds of seats. And we have taken apart hundreds of seats as well. In general, the fleet of foam out in the world is pretty wounded. Flat, weathered, mouse infested, sagging and generally not very supportive. Next to new supple tires, a new seat foam is the next best way to improve your ride. Make it more plush. Your butt will thank you.

And, by the way, if you are above six feet, you need to give up a bit of plush so you can sink deeper into the seat base, those lowering your head a bit in the cockpit, which is helpful for taller drivers. This allows you to get a bit lower and to help you better see through the windscreen. This foam isn’t quite as comfortable but is still more comfortable than the old shoes that are probably currently inside your seat bases. Yuo can learn more about that kit by clicking the photo below.

We’re excited to now offer these two foam options, so you can be more comfortable, and best fit your Spridget!