In the age of computer engine management, people seem to have trouble operating the manual choke on their SU carb-equipped Bugeye (or similarly equipped classic car). So we made a detailed video that breaks down the components so choke operation will be come easy to master for all, for generations! Watch below and give us a call for your Bugeye parts needs!
Nick’s Tech Tips: Don’t let broken brakes leave you hosed!
Hydraulics are the number one fault area on British cars, primarily because moisture gets in the fluid and causes problems. The most common repair issue in the hydraulic system is leaking or seized wheel cylinders, master cylinders, and slave cylinders… but there is one issue that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle during maintenance proceedings… rubber hydraulic hoses.
This week, we had a Bugeye up on one of our lifts for a complaint of sticking rear brakes. The car would stop, but the rear brakes would stay applied even after the brake pedal returned. After a few minutes, the rear brakes would release and the cycle would repeat itself. This is a tell-tale sign that your brake hoses need to be replaced. In the below photo, you can see why:
Brake hoses are made of rubber. As with any rubber part exposed to the elements, brake hoses deteriorate over time; standard hydraulic fluid, which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, doesn’t help matters, either. The “fun” part about brake hoses is that they are double-layer hoses, two layers of rubber bonded together. The most common failure point on hoses is not an external rupture and susequent leak; what usually happens is the two layers of rubber separate, the inner layer collapses on itself, and your brake hose turns into a one-way check valve. This allows brake pressure to travel to the brakes and applying them, but not allowing the fluid to travel away from the wheels to allow those brakes to retract. It will feel like your parking brake is stuck on, but in reality, your brake hose is holding the fluid hostage!
[Read more…] about Nick’s Tech Tips: Don’t let broken brakes leave you hosed!Fresh Rubbers!
Before Spring driving season blooms, make sure to give your car a good visual inspection, with a particular focus on your rubber bits. (If you’re looking to get your car ready to drive this spring, and would rather have us run through it and tighten things up, give us a call and we will be happy to give your car the attention it needs… we pick up nationwide).
The examples below came to us from an armada of British cars here in our workshop for driving-season maintenance. For example, inner control arm bushings need to be fresh so that your suspension is good and tight. These were long past their expiration date. If you see cracked rubber flared out around your inner control arm mounts, it’s time to replace!
Here are some motor mounts we removed this week from a Morris Minor, also well past their useful life. Morris Minors and Bugeyes use the same engine mounts, so if yours look like this, make the change!
A lost language
My first car (a ’66 MGB) had two dead six-volt batteries for my entire ownership. I never shut it off or parked it unless I was on a hill, and I pop started my way through high school. Sometimes, I had to walk a bit after parking if my destination was, for example, deep into a very flat flood plain, but it in Southern New England, it never seemed to an issue, and all the pop starting and walking seemed to keep me in fine shape.
Nowadays, we expect a little more from our vehicles, and as the world has evolved, societal pop-starting skills have atrophied. So jump into the nearest vehicle with a clutch pedal, check out the video above, and go practice. You never know when The Prince of Darkness will pay you a visit!
Bugeye fender-top beading properly configured and terminated
The beading on the tops of the Bugeye bodies are sometimes damaged or removed in restoration. Here’s a video about how to restore them to their original configuration. Make sure to get your beading cleaned-up and properly terminated before the paint goes on!
Beading came in a “T” section and plugged into the seams and was brazed in place in the factory that built the original bodies. Some restorers like to cut off the bottom leg of the “T” and attach the flat strip along the seam to recreate the original look. Once installed, make sure to avoid hitting the bead strip with a sander or grinder or you will ruin the original profile of the strip.
Should your beading be missing or damaged on your Bugeye, we offer a full body beading kit that provides enough beading material to do an entire Bugeye, with a little bit left over! Click on the photo below to get yours, or click here to view our full catalog! We can also provide cut sections in case you only need a small strip. Call or email for help!
Bugeye Of The Week! 1380 CC, five-speed, “Cars & Coffee-killing” Bugeye Sprite for sale! Videos!
NOW SOLD to Cliff from New York! Congratulations on taking home Bugeye #383!
This week we have added custom black & red retractable three point seat belts as well as a hand made black tonneau with matching red stitching! Nothing but the best for our latest “Super Sprite!”
We have added a freshly-striped license plate plinthe to the rear of Gray, as well as a blacked-out license plate light housing. Every inch of Gray has been obsessed over in an effort to build the ultimate Super Sprite; we hope you’ll agree! Check out the post below and give us a call if Gray is the car for you!
NEW plinthe with matching stripes installed this week! Read below for more details!
Check out the driving video (above) and walk-around tour (below) of this wonderful automobile and give us a call if you’re interested!
If you have been looking for a one of a kind hot-rodded Bugeye Sprite, this stunner is worth a serious look! “Gray” is a Bugeye modified with many of the upgrades we have proven on my own personal modded Bugeye, “Gumby.” This is a special vehicle for anyone looking for the ultimate super Sprite. We’ve now built close to 500 Sprites, and this one has the benefit of our experience with pushing the envelope far enough to make these cars spectacular, but not so far that we lose the DNA of the original machine. We have also adorned the car with numerous high-end custom cosmetic subtleties. The end result is a special and unique work of art.
