Around the shop

A “spokey” situation on an MGA!

March 29, 2024 by bugeyeguy

We received an MGA recently for a mechanical sorting session. The first thing we did was put it on the lift to check for any front end issues. We were shocked to find an obscene amount of play in the front wheels.

Click “read more” to see the video below, where you can see that the play in this front suspension wasn’t due to king pin wear, or bad bushings, or old wheel bearings; rather, it was all because the spokes for the wire wheels are loose, and each wheel is effectively no longer supporting itself. Yikes!

Perhaps the most frightening part is that you really can’t notice loose spokes visually. You have to get the car in the air and wiggle the wheel to know. This is one of the offending wheels, but a visual inspection would not yield any suspicion. *You can try pinging the spokes with your fingernail… sometimes you can hear the spokes playing a different tune if they are loose or broken*.

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Owner-tested, owner-approved!

March 22, 2024 by bugeyeguy

It’s pure bliss for me to be able to test drive a client’s car on a meaningful 60 minute outing because it allows me to confirm that we haven’t missed anything in our restoration process. It also allows me to enjoy the satisfaction of driving a very well sorted classic sports car that can compete in the modern landscape.

I wish there were more business owners who thoroughly tested their products like this… customer service in the world would be at a much higher level if this were the case. Be that as it may, at least in our little world, all of our cars are owner-tested and certified before they go home.

Click “read more” below to see a video tour!

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Battery Tray Decay

March 22, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Battery trays rust. Like death and taxes, this is an inevitability in Spridget world. It’s a popular moisture gathering point and 60-plus years of battery acid exposure, (which is corrosive to metal),makes matters worse.

This one above (on a client car here for restoration) was exceptionally bad, so much so that a battery could no longer safely be installed in this car. As such, we cut it all away and welded in a whole new tray, which is a job most easily done with the engine out of the car.

*Click the photo above to order a new battery tray for your Bugeye today!*

You will find below a series of photographs to show you how we did it; view them by clicking “read more”. If you need a new tray, we would be happy to send you one… or if you prefer, we will pick up your car and bring it here and weld in a new one for you! You can buy one from our parts catalog by clicking here.

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The importance of fuel cap fit

March 8, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Fit and finish of the filler neck on Bugeyes is something we take very seriously. If the neck is too high in the back deck, it can look unsightly and detract from the overall look of the car. If it’s too low? It might look okay, but it can cause your car to shut-off prematurely.

The photo above is a filler cap setup on a Bugeye in our network that quit running before returning home, and when the client went to open the fuel cap, the tank hissed. This means the tank isn’t venting properly, in this case because the filler neck gasket is blocking the underside of the cap. When the cap is hard up against the rubber gasket as shown above, the cap cannot properly vent.

*This is what your filler neck should look like when the fuel cap is attached, with a small gap between the bottom of the cap and the top of the filler neck gasket.*

If your filler neck gasket and fuel cap are touching, you will need to fix it or excessive vacuum in the tank will stop your fuel from flowing to your engine and kill your car. How you fix it depends on what fuel tank you have installed in your Bugeye.

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How to clean the nooks and crannies of your nose

March 8, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Here is an important tip for all Boogeye owners.

The recesses of our noses collect debris and if you don’t blow them out, they will trap moisture and lead to infection. So make sure to keep good nose hygiene!

This is Andrew’s Bugeye, Lawton, here in our shop this week for a 1275 engine upgrade. Before this little Sprite departed our shop for the trip back to Sonoma, California, where the mud is especially sticky we cleaned out the crevices to keep this car rust free. You can see in the picture below that a combination of mud and road grime have accumulated in the corners of the nose, an area that accumulates moisture if obstructed by dirt and unable to drain.

These little clots will trap moisture and start your nose a-rustin. So clean ’em out! Dirt plus moisture equals rust! You could end up with a nose that looks like the one below, with a patch of rust in the bottom!

*If left unattended for too long, the crud that accumulates in your Bugeye’s nose can turn into this!*

A little bit of time with some rags, water, and a toothbrush, and your nose will be allowed to drain properly once more. This is an area that isn’t often attended to under normal conditions; almost every nose we see has some form of booger build-up in it. So be sure to check yours today!

Bugeye Sprite lane positioning

March 1, 2024 by bugeyeguy

I have a great test drive route on my way to the barn (for my ongoing horseback lessons) that allows me an hour of round-trip time with each client’s car before it departs for a new home. It’s a luxury to test each car in a variety of conditions, and to put some miles on the car and catch any punch list items before we load each car on a truck for its new home.

While driving “Bluey” on this route this week, I had some time to ponder the importance of Bugeye lane positioning for overall safety, and it prompted me to shoot a video on the subject. Where you position your car on a two lane road can improve your chances of being seen, and thus improve your safety. On a two lane high-speed road such as the one featured in the video below, understanding this concept can make a big difference.

Of course, you never want to get too close to oncoming traffic, but staying a little higher in your lane up on the crown of the roadway can make you “taller” and also help you to see around the perhaps larger vehicle in front of you, while simultaneously helping oncoming traffic better see your approaching daytime running lights. We hope this video will help keep the fleet safe, and this is actually useful advice for any driver of any vehicle.

The photos above make the distinction between the two lane positions pretty clear. Sticking closer to the center helps you see further and be seen better, while riding the white can make your field of vision shrink significantly.

The difference between even brand new incandescent lights (left) and our LED lights (right) is quite stark. Our kits include all of the LEDs necessary to convert your tail lights, turn signals, and front marker lights, and we have both negative ground and positive ground kits available! We also have LED headlight conversions for superior visibility even at night!

By the way, we strongly recommend upgrading your lights to LEDs, and also getting in the habit of leaving your park/side lights on all the time while driving your Bugeye. They drain very little amperage and can dramatically increase the visibility of your vehicle. Think about a motorcycle driving toward you with no headlights illuminated… it’s far easier to see the headlight coming towards you. Daytime running lights are an important safety tool to help you stay safe.

*Our LED headlight conversions make it so much easier to be seen at night and improve your viewing distance during those nighttime drives!*

Each year, it seems there are more and more distractions for drivers of modern cars, so all of us classic car lovers need to keep practicing safe driving skills to ensure millions of safe miles ahead.

You can purchase LEDs by clicking the photos below, or check out our full catalog by clicking here!

*H4 Headlight conversion with LED bulbs – pair*

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