Bugeye Restoration

1960 Bugeye With Upgrades Galore For Sale! Videos!

September 2, 2022 by bugeyeguy

NOW SOLD to Dan of Washington! Congrats on giving Sherwood (our 362nd sold!) a happy new home!

We have added some very sharp black Minilite wheels to Sherwood for some contrast and to really set it apart from its Bugeye brethren! Check out the new listing below and give us a call if you would like to give Sherwood a new home!

We are pleased to offer “Sherwood,”(AN5L 27613) a top-shelf Bugeye that we have for sale. Sherwood has a lot of custom touches and beautiful accents that make it stand out, even in a Sea Of Bugeyes!

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501 Update & Some Cool Green Cars!

September 2, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Each day we spend with car 501 is another day closer to completion. In preparing this historic Bugeye for the Austin-Healey National Enclave later this month, we have run across multiple cases in which a concours correct part needs to either be fabricated, modified, or is completely unobtainable altogether. Such was the case for the air inlet hose for the heater assembly. However, we have finally been able to find a solution that will meet our needs, and in the process have launched an exciting new product!

501’s engine bay is so close to complete we can almost taste it!

The concours standards call for an inlet hose made of ” thin rubber with a helical spring inside” with a “seam spiraling around it from one end to the other”. The factory original hoses, due to their construction, did not survive the “harsh” conditions of a Bugeye engine bay. In the years since, there have been reproductions on the market but none of them are correct. But we have finally discovered a solution that has the correct look!

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Junk In The Trunk!

August 26, 2022 by bugeyeguy

In the photo above from the original Frogeye brochure, you can see the correct early car boot tray with the spare tire installed.

Welcome to another chapter in our Concours 501 story. We are working out the final details on car 501 (the first production Bugeye) for the September 18 Austin-Healey Club Enclave and National Concours in Pennsylvania. This week, we finished making our proper boot compartment spare tire tray, and we’re excited that this detail is now made right for our special car. We are even more excited to be offering this as our newest product!

The earliest Bugeyes (chassis number AN5L 4684 and prior), had a tray in the boot for the spare tire, not just a flat mat. In the photo below, taken from the factory parts manual, you’ll see what exactly the factory had in mind with this component (16 is trunk tray, and 16A is the later car flat mat).

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Modified 1275 5-Speed 1960 Bugeye Driver For Sale!

August 22, 2022 by bugeyeguy

NOW SOLD TO D.R. in Pensacola, Florida! Congratulations!!! Excellent choice! Car 361 for us!

New this week for your consideration is “Ames” (AN5L 34510). This car is perfect for anyone looking for a modified Bugeye with many of the popular improvements. For example, Ames has a larger 1275 Engine, front disc brakes, a Rivergate five-speed Datsun transmission, Minilite wheels, newer tires, LED brake lights and a front anti-roll bar. The car has a flip forward nose too for better engine access, as well as a nifty concealed bonnet latch.

In Ames, the basic Bugeye has been transformed into a more user-friendly automobile that can do a whole lot more than one of its original counterparts. For example, Ames will go faster and is easier to operate with the fully synchronized five speed Datsun gearbox that gives you overdrive for quieter running. The car will also stop better with these uprated brakes and tires.

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The Perfect Engine Bay!

August 12, 2022 by bugeyeguy

National concours judging is a difficult game that requires meticulous builders. It’s a nerve-racking scavenger hunt, and at times it’s not even all that clear what is needed to win. It’s easy to be dismissive of Concours fanatics as an oddly detail-oriented bunch, who perhaps don’t understand all the benefits of modern improvements.

I am beginning to realize, however, that Concours is not evil. In fact, it has been a real gift for us to take on this project; in sweating these originality details, in spite of any self-proclaimed mastery, we still have to sweat just as much as anyone else. The pursuit of concours gold has allowed us to come back to the very humble beginnings of the Austin Healey Sprite and to appreciate and acknowledge the beautiful simplicity of its design. I’ve said before this a second honeymoon, but I’ll say it again: we’re falling in love with these cars in a whole new way.

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Unchained

August 12, 2022 by bugeyeguy

This week we had a clattery 948 come to visit. It’s somewhat routine for 948s in particular to make a bunch of extra noises (particularly in comparison to 1275s) but this one in particular was a bit outside the norm… So we dug a little further. You can see the video below of the clatter that prompted us to investigate.

If you are new to these cars, valve train clatter is somewhat common. There is some ticking present in the video above, but see if you can hear the louder underlying clatter in the video. This is what prompted us to lift the engine and remove the front timing cover so we could dig deeper.

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