We’ve seen quite a few broken windshield stanchions. This one lost its tip, a break likely caused from pushing the car from the windshield frame, or pulling oneself out of the car by the top of the frame.
Remember to be careful with any loads you apply to your Sprite windshield, as the pillars are not available new.
This photo depicts about the ugliest application of a front Bumper I have ever seen. This particular car wears a later sprite Bumper (which has the wrong shape for the front of a Bugeye) on a custom mount and it just looks wrong in every way. Correct front Mark 1 bumpers can look nice when done properly. In this post, I will share some basics about front bumpers on Bugeyes.
“The Egg”
First, a front bumper was optional on Mark 1 Sprites sold in the UK. However, every Bugeye bound for the US of A was shipped with a front bumper. That said, many (if not most) have been removed by now, for reasons I will get into below. Most importantly, there is no law of which I am aware that requires a front bumper on a classic vehicle. I often get that question… people fear that they will not be able to register their Sprite without a front bumper. That has not been an issue on the more than 225 cars we have sent to new homes and new states. Old cars are generally immune from this sort of safety standard (not that a Bugeye bumper provided much safety anyway).
Click “read more” for additional bumper information and pictures… [Read more…] about All about Bugeye Sprite Front bumpers
This picture tells the story of time, and what happens as an immobile Bugeye is slowly digested by other non-mobile, non-British flotsam and jetsam.
Never place anything heavier than a feather on the back deck (or nose) of your Bugeye, as it is easy to flex, rumple and/or crease. When pushing these cars, make sure to push from the outer edges near the seams, or from the bumpers, to support your push without denting the rear deck or nose. It can take a lot of hours to make them smooth and fair during restoration once they get dented. It’s best to avoid the problem in the first place.
This is a car that has sat in one place for about 30 years. It’s now on its way to our shop (without the raised panel doors, baskets, and fluorescent light tube) to be made running and driving again.
Here’s another new product that will help you make your Bugeye better!
Back in the old days when Bugeyes were just cars and not wonderful classics, people seemed to drill into them regularly, without pause or planing. A case in point is the red kellison car shown above, which was quite perforated before we prepared it for new paint. Kenny welded shut no less than 19 errant holes. There were 6 extra holes alone for the license plate mount (now there are two, in the right place). Notice all the ground welds, each shiny patch is a former hole. Sometimes it seems like hole-filling is our number one occupation! Nothing ruins a new restoration quite like extra holes that the restorer neglected to fill.
Our templates saved the day! In fact, with our dash template, rear deck template and back end template (click to order), you can properly locate every hole and return your car to its factory greatness! Below you can see the template at work, which tells you which holes stay and which ones need to be filled.
With this car, we chose to weld shut all the short tonneau lift dot stud holes and convert this one to a long tonneau car. Short tonneaus are great, but given a choice, the long tonneau makes the back deck much cleaner. Notice in the photo below how we filled all the holes along the back cockpit edge for the short tonneau formerly fit on this car. Now we only need the four rear tenax fittings which accommodate both the top and tonneau.
There is no longer any excuse for a vacant hole!
Here’s the first installment of a new series we call Bugeye Basics. In these videos and posts, we will answer the most common questions from new Sprite owners.
Today, we cover the operation of the top bows and top. You can see this detailed in two separate videos below. We’ve added a new category in the right margin called “Bugeye Basics,” so you can find this and other basics posts easily in the future.
In the video, we highlight a few useful products, which you can order at the link below. In particular, every one of these tops is very vulnerable to boot rash, which happens when the clear plastic window gets scratched up from sliding around in your trunk. Our bag ensures your top will look just as good when you take it out as when you put it in.
Check out all of our Bugeye Top product offerings by clicking here.
Here’s a sidecurtain basics video, requested by a few different clients who were putting on their Bugeye windows for the very first time.
If you want to extend your driving season, side curtains are essential. The problem is that most of them have been damaged from a lifetime sliding around the boot. And when you go to use them, the scratches in the windows reduce visibility dramatically, and render them almost useless. So back in the boot they go, never to be used again.
We have the parts so you can give your windows another chance… we sell new plexi in our catalog, and new window sets if yours are missing. And new rubber gaskets too, should those be needed. But most important is a soft pouch, to protect the plexi and ensure scratch free windows, and thus good visibility, and safety for all occupants!
Buy a set of new side curtains by clicking here
Buy a side curtain pouch by clicking here
Click here to head over to the Side Curtain section of our Online Parts Catalog
