Bugeye Restoration

Bugeye Salad Dressing

October 28, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Oil changes are very important. A few weeks ago, we shared with you some serious sludge in a Sprite oil filter canister, filled with gunk perhaps because the filter had never been cleaned. (More on that adventure here.) But classic car hydraulic system maintenance is perhaps even more critical, and this week, we have a great example of why this needs your attention, perhaps more attention than even your regular engine oil changes.

This is not what you want to see…roughly one inch of water in this bottle, on top of dirty fluid, is what came out of one car when we installed fresh fluid.

Classic car hydraulic systems are seldom sealed and usually vented to the atmosphere. This lets air in, and moisture too. Over time, that moisture will make a real mess of your brake and clutch hydraulics.

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Bugeye Sheet Metal Shenanigans!

October 28, 2022 by bugeyeguy

The triangular section of a Sprite inboard of the front tires is a trap for dirt and debris. There is a weep hole in this section, but these are often clogged. Because they trap dirt and debris over time, and that debris holds moisture, these sections of the body often rust. We made this post as a reminder that you should check to make sure yours is clean, and that the weep hole is clear, to protect the integrity of your Sprite’s body.

This section of the inner fender (left) is open to the elements and catches all matter of road debris. There is a drain hole at the bottom of this panel (right) to aid in keeping water out, but this clogs. Make sure to check yours!

On one of the cars we are preparing for paint, we had to fix this area because it had rotted away and previously been repaired elsewhere with body filler. You can see this old repair in the photos below.

While this panel looked okay on the surface (left), an ugly combination of corrosion and bad repairs (above) lurked below a think layer of body filler. This discovery is what initiated this repair.

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Stunning White 1960 Bugeye With Many Upgrades For Sale! Driving Video!

October 20, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Gerard in Florida! Bugeye #367 is off to the Sunshine State!

Meet “Delores” (AN5L 30460), a stunningly-restored 1960 Bugeye. Delores has been to our shop multiple times before, and each time has received extensive attention and upgrades. The car was last owned by a family in New Jersey, where it has spent the last year, and it is now ready for its next home!

When Delores first came to us in 2017, it was a well-sorted, authentically-restored Bugeye, and the owner at that time wanted several upgrades done before they took delivery. This included three-point inertia seat belts, new minilite wheels and tires, a wood steering wheel, no-drill windshield post mirrors, new tapered front wheel bearings, a rebuilt smooth case transmission, and much, much more! These items are all still present on this iteration of Delores and still look great. When Delores’ latest owner purchased the car in late 2021, they wished to take it to the next level. We installed a front flip-nose kit, aluminum radiator, exhaust header, rebuilt HS2 carburetors with new K&N lifetime air filters, a 6-blade radiator fan, and more!

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100,000 Mile Oil Change!

October 7, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Proper routine maintenance is a critical part of British car ownership. An important aspect to this is regular oil changes. Over the years, we’ve been asked by a number of Bugeye owners about whether they actually need to change their oil because so much leaks out and burns up! The answer to that question is yes, it is important to change your oil at regular service intervals, and there is a very clear reason why, even if it burns a quart every week. You can see that reason here in these photos.

Inside this oil filter housing bowl is a mountain of sludge and debris.

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501 & Gumby Return Victorious!

September 23, 2022 by bugeyeguy

We did it!

This past week, I attended the National Austin-Healey Club Enclave in Pennsylvania. I decided to bring two Bugeyes that could not possibly be more polar opposite from each other. Car 501 was there to be judged as a concours vehicle, undergoing 4 hours of relentless judging from a panel of 4 experts with the goal of attaining gold medal certification. Gumby was brought to show at the popular vote show in downtown Stroudsburg. Much to my delight, we left the Poconos with both cars receiving the highest possible awards!

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Adding Fuel To The Fire

September 16, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Most Bugeyes came with the Carburetor setup you see here, with overflow pipes protruding from the float bowl. But what did car 501 have?

It’s crunch time here at Bugeyeguys! We have been spending our last week before the National Austin-Healey Club Enclave appearance ironing out the final details to get AN5L 501 ready to judge. This past weekend, we had a couple of unbiased third party observers mock judge car 501 and tell us some areas they thought we could improve. (More on that here.) However, there was one area that has been a real point of contention (and sometimes confusion) between the mock judges, our lead project mechanic Terry, our lead project researcher Nick, and myself. That area was the carburetor bowl vents.

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