Proper routine maintenance is a critical part of British car ownership. An important aspect to this is regular oil changes. Over the years, we’ve been asked by a number of Bugeye owners about whether they actually need to change their oil because so much leaks out and burns up! The answer to that question is yes, it is important to change your oil at regular service intervals, and there is a very clear reason why, even if it burns a quart every week. You can see that reason here in these photos.
[Read more…] about 100,000 Mile Oil Change!501 & Gumby Return Victorious!
We did it!
This past week, I attended the National Austin-Healey Club Enclave in Pennsylvania. I decided to bring two Bugeyes that could not possibly be more polar opposite from each other. Car 501 was there to be judged as a concours vehicle, undergoing 4 hours of relentless judging from a panel of 4 experts with the goal of attaining gold medal certification. Gumby was brought to show at the popular vote show in downtown Stroudsburg. Much to my delight, we left the Poconos with both cars receiving the highest possible awards!
[Read more…] about 501 & Gumby Return Victorious!Adding Fuel To The Fire
It’s crunch time here at Bugeyeguys! We have been spending our last week before the National Austin-Healey Club Enclave appearance ironing out the final details to get AN5L 501 ready to judge. This past weekend, we had a couple of unbiased third party observers mock judge car 501 and tell us some areas they thought we could improve. (More on that here.) However, there was one area that has been a real point of contention (and sometimes confusion) between the mock judges, our lead project mechanic Terry, our lead project researcher Nick, and myself. That area was the carburetor bowl vents.
[Read more…] about Adding Fuel To The FireOur Quest For Concours Gold Nears The Finish Line!
The end is near! We are so very close to loading AN5L 501 into a trailer and taking it to the Austin-Healey club national Enclave and concours event in Pennsylvania next week. We have spent the last 66 days completely disassembling the car, rectifying every non-concours detail we could find (and some we didn’t even know existed), and putting it back together. We did all of this in conjunction with our normal business operations, too! It has been two months of research, documentation, meetings, consultations, blood, sweat, and a little frustration to get to where we are today with 501, but we are elated with the final result, and we believe the concours judges will agree that this car is worth concours gold!
[Read more…] about Our Quest For Concours Gold Nears The Finish Line!“Topping” Off Our Concours Quest!
As the deadline approaches for the concours debut of Bugeye #501, we are getting into some of the finer points of accurate national concours preparation. Each trip down the list of requirements reveals a new element or something we may have missed. We are double- and triple-checking every element to ensure maximum accuracy (and points) and also to ensure we have properly returned car 501 to its accurate original state.
This week, we worked on the top and side curtain fit. The car will probably never be out in the rain again, but the kit has to be accurate and has to fit right, as we will be judged on accuracy of the components and also on quality of the fit. None of these ever fit well; in fact, the weatherproofing of a Frogeye was always a bit of a joke. However, this car actually has quite nice fit and finish of its weather components, especially when you consider that the pieces are all quite old!
[Read more…] about “Topping” Off Our Concours Quest!The Right Tools For The Job
Part of the process for the concours judging car 501 will undergo is the scrutinization of bits that the standards refer to as “Loose Equipment”. One of the components of this section of the judging is the tool kit that came with each Frogeye. There are eleven different and unique components present in the tool kits that came with most Frogeyes (the first 42000 or so cars came with the eleven-piece kit. The kit was streamlined after this to a seven-piece kit that eliminated some of the smaller and less helpful bits).
[Read more…] about The Right Tools For The Job