Stretch the LWB Bugeye is getting new side curtains. Problem is they have to be completely custom. The car that will wear them is one of two known LWB Bugeyes we built, and so the doors are five inches longer. Thus, the stock side curtains won’t fit.
[Read more…] about Side curtain scoopAnother day, another worn front end on a Spridget. This post is a not so gentle reminder to go out and grease those zirk fittings on your Spridget front end, to help keep your kingpins from wearing out.
There is a sweet spot for modified Sprites, that makes for improved performance in every category without breaking other components. Sure, you can put in 200 HP, but then you’ll need to address the strength of the rear end, and other components.
[Read more…] about Supercharged, five speed walk around tour & video!
The 948 Sprite engine is a delightful little powerplant, and it works just fine for noodling around country roads, or for running up to the grocery store, or for taking the long way home. But it was designed in an era where there was no such thing as a 500 horsepower new car that you could buy from the local car dealer. It was designed when the everyday bloke had some free time, and didn’t have to rush home to check his instagram account. It was designed during a moment in history when 46 horsepower worked just fine.
[Read more…] about Keeping up with the Joneses
With supply chain issues and pandemic closures, it sometimes feels like the world is broken right now. But we had a jump on everyone else… British classic car world was broken long before the pandemic arrived. Our day is spent with broken things, and our job is to figure out efficient ways to keep everything moving forward nonetheless.
[Read more…] about Broken things scoreboard
You might not have looked an original bias ply tire for a stock Bugeye Sprite recently, but they were thin. And slippery.
They didn’t put much stress on the original caged ball bearings that came on the Bugeye Sprite, no matter how hard you drove ‘em, because the tire was the weak link and slid before the forces exceeded the design limitations of the original wheel bearing.
Fast forward to the modern bug eyed driver (like me) who is ripping around turns flat out with 165 series (wider than stock) tires with maximum adhesion and soft radial rubber and you’ll begin to understand why this post might be particularly important for you. These modern tapered wheel bearings are significantly stronger and a superior design which will help your hubs manage the bearing stress you are regularly dishing out. That’s why on just about every car that comes to our building gets these tapered wheel bearings as shown. It’s a really smart thing to do for your car.
Over the years we’ve had one caged bearing lock-up on one car (fortunately at a slow speed) but for my money I think this is one of the best upgrades any Sprite owner can do. These will fit every Spridget from 1958 through 1980. Click here to get yours today and give your bearings a break!
