Around the shop – Page 24

Dreaded Whitworth oil leak virus mutation

January 13, 2023 by bugeyeguy

With great concern, we announce that new data from the Center for Oil Leak Control in Washington, DC has alerted all restoration shops that the Castrol-19 virus has mutated into a new variant that can penetrate steel! Please be aware and use caution when handling your Spridget; make sure to wear rubber gloves when approaching your garage floor, or otherwise stay six feet away of any new puddles that form!

Today’s post is actually about an engine we have in our shop this week that had oil leaking directly through the steel oil pan (at least at first glance). We sometimes feel like we are fighting a war in our building, to stop leaks and fix broken things, (and it sometimes feels overwhelming), like when a resealed engine with a new sump gasket still leaks, but instead of leaking past a gasket, it’s leaking oil right through the steel.

“Fix my oil leaks,” demand customers!

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What engine is in my Sprite?

January 13, 2023 by bugeyeguy

We had a customer ask us this week how to identify which engine they had in their Bugeye (so they could order the right parts for their car). I thought this was a good idea for a tech post this week, in case you are having similar doubts about the identity of the heart of your Spridget!

Do you know how to tell which A-Series engine lives in your Bugeye (or other Spridget)?

Of course, from the factory, all Bugeyes came with 948cc power plants. However, for any number of reasons, ranging from a desire to increase power to the availability of replacement engines, 1098cc and 1275cc engines are frequently found in Bugeyes today. All three of these engines have the same footprint, so any Spridget can have any of these three engines. In 1975, the 1500 engine came along, (and was also used in the Spitfire) and this engine has different mounts, and exhaust is on the other side, etc., so any engine from 1958- late 1974 is the same size package. 1975 and later 1500s are not.

This is an example of an engine ID tag, taken from a 948 engine. 9C=948

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More than you need to know about A pillar blisters

January 6, 2023 by bugeyeguy

We’ve been working on A pillar patches this week, and it’s pretty interesting, particularly since this is a common area of concern on all Sprites and many other classic British cars, as well. All too often, these cars are beautiful, but you’ll find some blisters in the A pillar area, which can ruin an otherwise show-quality car.

An A pillar looking like this has ruined many beautiful Bugeyes.

Water enters the A pillar cavity (that’s the rectangular pillar directly in front of the door hinges) through the windshield post mounting holes. You can see in our photos below that the front windshield mounting threaded hole is a direct link to the cavity where we often see rust blisters on Sprites. Once the water runs down that hole it gets trapped with no drainage and can sometimes rust the top of the rocker panel as well.

The front screw holes for the windshield stanchions, visible at the top of this photo, open up directly into the structure of where the doors mount. If left unchecked, moisture and debris can find its way into these cavities and wreak havoc on the metal, creating a mess like this.

In general, this is nothing more than a nuisance and not a particularly structurally consequential issue, because the rust is usually contained to the small A pillar lower portion. The first patch that you see below is a simple repair of a very small rectangular area where we cut out the rusted area, treated the metal to prevent further rust, and then welded in a small patch. It’s one of the easiest rust repairs you can ever take-on… it’s very satisfying and manageable, and blisters such as these are not usually indicative of larger rust problems throughout the car– it’s usually a localized problem.

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How to keep your rear end from making funny Noises

January 6, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Radius arms are a never-ending challenge in the world of quarter-elliptical Sprite Mark I and II’s. The bushings fail and fail regularly, and if you think that rigid steel heim joint radius arms are a better idea, you’ll find that they diminish ride quality and shake your teeth more than you’d probably like. Heim joints are really only appropriate for track cars, or people under 30.

Click! This is a noise you don’t want coming from your radius arms.

As a result, we are constantly working on the rubber bushings on these things to try and attain at least the slightest bit of comfort for the driver. And we change these bushings often, because the rubbers tear all the time, and if you lower the car with them too tight after you’ve installed new ones, they’ll tear all over again.

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Lost Motion

January 6, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Brakes are the most important safety system to keep in tip-top shape on your Bugeye. Oftentimes, this means replacing all of the hydraulic components in the system, ensuring that the master cylinder, wheel cylinders, calipers, hoses, and lines are all functional and leak-free. Other times, pads, shoes, rotors and drums are worn and need replacement. While all of these components are all critical elements to a critical system, there is a part of the system that is sometimes overlooked… the pedal to master cylinder interface. Here, wear creates lost motion and this diminishes the fun (and braking performance).

No one wants a sloppy pedal.

Years of pulling have made the clevis pin loose in its mooring-note the oval hole.

A new push rod fork and clevis pin show how tight this connection should actually be.

The push rod fork (and its companion part, the clevis pin) are not pieces the average classic British car owner realizes are as important as they are. The push rod fork and clevis pin represent the sole mechanical link between the driver and the braking system. If it fails, you have a runaway Bugeye. Failures are unlikely, but no one should have to live with a floppy pedal.

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2022 in Bugeye photos!

December 30, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Happy New Year!!! We wish you a wonderful 2023! Per our tradition, here’s a brief recap of the year in Bugeyes (& all things British)!

We had an amazing 12 months and served a lot of customers with significant restorations and adoptions. We’ve now placed 375 Bugeyes and we are delighted to have helped so many people realize their dream of ownership of a wonderfully sorted classic British Sportscar. We also restored, improved and/or modified dozens of additional British cars this year, ranging from a Daimler Dart to a classic Mini. We’re very excited and optimistic about what’s to come in 2023!

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