Here’s a video for anyone interested in learning the basics of Bugeye operation. We made this one for the new owners of “Morrie,” (a great Iris blue Bugeye we just sent to new owners in Michigan, to replace a Bugeye that (sadly) burned to the ground in the massive fire in Paradise California in 2018).
Of course the video also works for anyone new to Bugeyes.
Congratulations Amy, we hope you enjoy your new Sprite!
For the past few months, we have been reviving this green radical Bugeye beast for the new owner. This is perhaps the most powerful Bugeye we have ever had in our building, and certainly the widest. The car is not for sale, although it might be in the future. But while it’s here, we thought we would share some pix and video, as well as the specs of this Bugeye variant.
The car has been sitting for roughly the last 15 years, so, as is common, we had to drain the fuel, change the fuel pump, clean the injectors, rebuild the calipers and replace all the stuck hydraulic components. We changed the front tires since they were cracked and not holding air. We had hoped that the monstrous rear tires would still provide some grip even though they are old (at least to test drive the car) but, as it turns out, the rear tires are so old and dried-out that my test drives were like driving on ice. There is so much power that the old tires just can’t hook up, even when warm. So new rear tires are on the way.
The car is a beast, with tons of power and will certainly be even more fun to drive once we get the new tires mounted! Come for a test drive in the video below:
If you are wondering about it’s components:
It was built as an autocross/track car & it was a contender for the national SCCA E Modified title. Equipped with a 250 horsepower Mazda 13B Bridgeported Rotary engine, & a Saenz Racing 5-speed transmission. Has a fiberglass tilt 1 piece front clip with nice flares + an integral air dam + the “BugEye” headlights shaved off. It has a Halon Fire-X system, Fuel cell with a Cobra filler neck that is centered on the rear deck (similar to how it would be located on a Shelby Cobra), Electromotive Tech II engine management & ignition system, Haltech programmable fuel injection, power steering with a narrowed Corvette steering rack, adjustable coil-over suspension with Fox adjustable racing shocks on the front & Koni coil-over shocks on the rear, 5-link rear suspension with Watts-linkage, 4-wheel disc brakes, JFZ 4-piston front brake calipers, Tilton pedals & master cylinders, braided stainless hoses. 13×10 & 13×12 alloy wheels.
Above you can see the video tour of the car we posted a few weeks ago. Notice the immense exhaust channel in the passenger seat area-it’s a true one seater. The car has two large mufflers and it is still pretty loud!
There is little in life more satisfying than removing a 948 manifold and exhaust system in favor of a relatively massive header and larger center exhaust pipe. Breathing is good. And even if this improvement adds just 3 or 4 horsepower to your little 948 engine, it just feels so good to do this, you may want to give it a try.
In the case of the photos below, you can see the 948 engine in our Bugeye “Mikki,” which we are upgrading before it departs for a new life in Ohio with new a new dad (Rob).
Above is the stock set up. You can see the tiny original exhaust pipe mated to the manifold. That joint between the two is a chronic problem (always leaking) and this is another benefit of fitting the header you see below. You can also see how much more gracefully the gases will flow out of your engine once the header is fit as shown below.
This car is also got larger HS2 new carbs as part of the package of upgrades we’ll do to this car before it leaves our shop. This is an awesome upgrade, as the new carbs are not worn out like most SUs out there in the world, and they are also larger than the stock H1s. So here we will put more fuel in, and more gas out. We cap that off with K&N air filters, so that all this breathing happens unobstructed.
This is our Spridget sculpture of the week!
Another day, another leak. Such is our life.
All the fluids on classic British cars seem to be quite comfortable departing the vehicle. Our job is to interrupt this covert operation, and at times it feels like an ongoing war. These. Cars. Leak. Everything. And we spend a lot of time trying to fix that. It isn’t always easy.
The video below is about fuel tank leaks. These are often caused by inferior cork sender gaskets. You can buy our improved sender gaskets by clicking here!
But there is more to the story… you might have a cracked neck on your original fuel tank… and if so, our complete pressure tested and sealed fuel tank is an excellent choice, which you can find by clicking here. If your tank is crusty, you will want a new tank anyway, so you don’t clog your fuel filter, kill your fuel pump, and/or otherwise shut off fuel flow to the carbs. We throw out lots of sealed and coated tanks… we have found that those sealants often delaminate and do more harm than good, clogging and gumming up the works.
And lastly, don’t forget to make sure you have a metal sender float. Senders generally come new with plastic floats from most suppliers, and these are a joke, because ethanol eats them for lunch, and if your gauge always reads empty, it’s often because your sender float is full of fuel and has gone on a one way trip to the bottom of your fuel tank, and taken your fuel gauge sender with it (hence the empty reading). Make sure to order the metal float we sell in our catalog, or a new sender pre-built with a metal float) by clicking here.
Indian summer top-down Bugeye nights are that much sweeter with powerful headlights. Last night was just such a night, and out testing “Willis,” I was happy to capture the power of our new LED H4 headlight combo. This is our brightest yet, and with the low amperage draw of LEDs, no add-on relays are required.
Modern cars have become firestorms of light, and these bulbs are the best thing we have found to compete in the modern world.
Thus we have a plug and play headlight and bulb combo that is super bright and easy to use. If you want this kind of brightness when your high beams are lit, click here to order a set for your Sprite (or any other British classic that uses 7 inch headlight bulbs).
Below you can see these bulbs mounted in “Willis,” where you can see the nifty Cibie-style lens. The LED light is white hot and modern-looking on the road at night. The lens is vintage looking and nostalgic by day! It is nearly impossible to see the LED bulb inside when the lights are off… only when lit do these come alive!
Actually, this is the residue from the carbs on Andrew’s ’74 Midget, in this week for a five speed conversion.
It never ceases to amaze me how much crud gets into the float bowls of SU carbs, even with a filter installed. It seems that most float bowls have a bunch of silt at their low point, just waiting to be stirred up and to clog your needle and seat. If your carbs are prone to overflow, the silt you see in the pan could be the culprit. Now would be a good time to check inside your float bowls and make sure they are clean.
This picture also shows several other potential problem areas… notice the early plastic floats made before ethanol existed. Just like with plastic fuel sender floats, these plastic carburetor floats are subject to ethanol induced failure which will cause them to sink and also cause your carburetors to overflow. The solution is to use the nitrile floats (that we sell in our catalog) which you can find by clicking here (these are available for H1 and HS2 carbs)
In the photo, you can also see throttle butterflies that are equipped with emission control bypass springs. These were designed to reduce the amount of unburned fuel entering your tail pipe when the throttle is closed while the car is decelerating. You can see how someone soldered them shut, but they still leave a large wart in your carburetor throat, which can’t be fast. We put on new flat butterflies, which you can also find in our catalog by clicking here.
And lastly, I’ve been harping on Viton-tipped needles and seats for the carb float and these seem essential for increased reliability. Overall routine maintenance should include a check of your float chamber to make sure it doesn’t harbor the same quantity of rust particles you can see in this silver tray.
And most importantly you need a good clean fuel tank… it seems that a large percentage of the problems we encounter every day can be traced back to a fuel tank that is shedding rust (or even a previously coated fuel tank that is shedding its coating) and contaminating the float bowls, thereby diminishing reliability.
