New Parts Available

Hosed

October 18, 2024 by bugeyeguy

The flexible hoses in our braking systems are often overlooked. The original hoses had a herringbone-type pattern and haven’t been manufactured in many years, so we know all those should be discarded. They tend to swell from the inside and can block the smooth flow of brake fluid, or worse, can rupture, and then you’ll lose ALL braking power.

This one is an extreme example of what can happen if you allow your rubber brake hoses to age without replacement. Swelling like this will allow brake pressure to travel TO the brakes, but not FROM them, basically creating a check valve and making your brakes stick.

The hose pictured below had an age issue, and was also badly chafed.

Take a look at your hoses; they should at the very least be from this century! All the current generation of hoses are date stamped, and I would change them if they are more than 8-10 years old.

*Modern rubber brake hoses are stamped with their manufacture date. This one, being 21 years old (and also damaged) means its time for replacement.*

Should you need new brake hoses, we have a full range of hoses available to suit your Bugeye or Spridget’s needs. Click on the photos below to order, or click here for our full catalog!

*Brake hose kit – all Bugeyes/Spridgets with front DRUM brakes* *(rubber hoses)*

*Brake hose kit – all Bugeyes/Spridgets with front DRUM brakes (stainless steel braided hoses)*

*Brake hose kit – all Bugeyes/Spridgets with front DISC brakes (rubber hoses)*

*Brake hose kit – all Bugeyes/Spridgets with front DISC brakes (stainless steel hoses)*

Speedy

October 18, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Axle seals leak often. This is somewhat common with Sprites and Midgets, and they often trash the rear brake shoes, which dramatically reduce braking performance. As you can imagine, oiling your brakes is never a good thing.

This is what we saw when we removed the RR drum on 06. Oily brakes are bad. Oil contaminates the friction surface on the brake shoes and leads to ineffective braking. This is unfortunately incredibly common on Bugeyes. Notice these wet pads. No braking *to be seen here.*

When you change your axle seals, it’s critical to thoroughly check the sealing surface on the rear axle housing. This is the polished face that mates with the inside of the oil seal. If it is scored or gouged, your new seal will be chewed up promptly and you need to start the repair all over again.

*The red arrow points to the worst damage present on the bearing surface, but small score marks are present throughout the area.*

In the case of the axle above, the scoring is horrible. You should be able to see the gouges.

In many cases, these sealing surfaces are corroded or otherwise damaged. That’s where a speedi-sleeve becomes an essential component. This part effectively gives you a new lease on life.

*With the speedi-sleeve installed, Scoring is no longer an issue and the seal has a nice clean surface to contact.*

Above, you can see the new sleeve installed, which will give the seal a clean surface on which to ride. They are easy to install, simply slide the sleeve over the axle housing and rebuild as normal.

Should you need to perform this repair, click the photos below to order the parts you’ll need, or click here for the full catalog!

*“Wet” Rear Brake Shoe Rehab Kit (all Spridgets)*

*Rear Hub Speedi Sleeve (sold individually)(all Spridgets)*

*Rear Axle Brake Retention Screw (short) (sold individually, one per side)*

Radiused

October 18, 2024 by bugeyeguy

We’ve made plenty of posts about radius arms, but once again here’s one that defies all prior worn out pieces. This one is so badly worn that both the front and rear bushings are flopping all over the place, as you should be able to see in the video below.

Because of the design of the rear suspension on Bugeyes and Sprite Mark II’s with quarter-elliptical springs, the radius arm bushings are critical to locate the axle and stop it from clunking on acceleration and deceleration. Once those bushings tear, the rear axle is banging all over the place. This is a critical repair if you want your drivetrain to function properly.

*This radius arm bushing is all used-up. Time for a new arm!*

There are rigid radius arms available that employ Heim joints in lieu of rubber bushings, but we don’t recommend those because we find that they make the rear suspension very jarring under load. While you’ll never have to deal with a failed radius arm bushing again with this setup, you lose a lot of the comfort that the original design provides for your rear end.

Radius arms with heim joints, like the one pictured here, are common among Bugeye owners who use their car on the track, but in normal driving situations, the lack of rubber cushioning in these arms creates a harsh ride that is very unpleasant. We don’t use them for this reason.

Take a look at your bushings by leaning into your rear wheel arches. You will be able to see if the front bushing is cracked and needing replacement.

*This ’58 has a radius arm that perished so severely the entire bushing came out of the radius arm!*

Almost every car that comes through our workshop gets a set of brand new radius arms with new bushings installed, which we sell in our catalog. We also sell the radius arm bushings if you want to change them yourself with a press; in general, however, we recommend simply changing the entire radius arm, as the new ones come with new bushings ready installed as well as a nice paint job.

*The new arm installed and ready to tighten! (Once the car is on the ground, of course.)*

Keep in mind when installing new radius arms that you cannot tighten the fasteners for them with the car in the air. Tightening the radius arm bolts with the wheel off of the ground adds rotational torque to the rubber bushings, cracking them before you’ve even driven a mile and making them susceptible to early failure. Click the photos below for our radius arm-related parts offerings, or click here for our full catalog!

*New radius arm with bushings (sold individually) (Bugeye/Mark II Sprite, Mark I Midget)*

*Radius arm bushings (sold individually)* *(Bugeye/Mark II Sprite, Mark I Midget)*

Bugeye Sprite and Midget engines for sale!

October 11, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Engines for sale!

We have a lot to say about which is the right engine for any Spridget, particularly after driving more than 500 different combinations over the years! Since so many people want to upgrade to 1275 engines, we decided to make three different engines, all with different levels of performance, and all designed to our specifications. The 948 engine is great and works fine. When they wear out, people tend to upgrade to 1275 engines which are exactly the same footprint. Now, when you’re ready for that upgrade, we have completely remanufactured engines to do the job.

*The original 948 Bugeye engine, taken from the original Bugeye brochure!*

For years, we have worked with local machinists to craft great rebuilt engines for our clients. But backlogs at small shops have slowed things down and made availability an issue. So instead, we have partnered with a leading UK-based engine builder who has been crafting engines for classic British sports cars for more than 40 years. Now, we can deliver a plentiful supply of 1275 engines for everyone wanting a bit more power in their Spridget. We stock all of these engines, and each one will be crated and shipped directly to your door after your order is received.

Our stage one engine is a fairly stock 1275 that puts out about 70 HP while our stage three engine puts out about 100 HP. Choose your weapon! These are meticulously crafted balanced power plants designed to be durable and easy to run. All our modifications are rooted in our extensive experience with Sprites. We have added performance with strength to make sure that our upgrades do not compromise durability.

*All of our rebuilt engines will be produced in the factory-correct* *dark green unless a custom color is desired. this engine was painted in blue, and had an aftermarket aluminum valve cover added (not included).*

These are stout engines that are bench run and ready to go right out of the crate. Check the listing out by clicking here to read the detailed specs and order!

These engines will power your Spridget with grace for many years to come!

Dem Bones

September 27, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Checked your dog bones lately?

*A brand new dog bone (left) versus two worn ones (center & right).*

We run the cars through their paces to get them ready to depart, and here’s our car #420, at rest and at speed in preparation of departure for California.

Tate parked in Connecticut, and ready for a long trip to a new home in California!

On “Tate” this week, we had a minor rear end rattle and traced it to a sloppy dog bone joint. The dog bone rubber perishes and the joints can get sloppy. Check out the video below, to see the floppy bone in action! This was a satisfying fix!

If you need your own new bones, click the photo below to order!

*Rear shock “dog bone” connecting link (sold individually)*

Tate gets a makeover, thanks to our new “Bugeye runs better” kit!

September 20, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Tate just got a makeover! We removed the stock carbs and distributor and upgraded the car with the kit shown here.

Every Bugeye and Sprite mk2 needs this kit. Tate was a completely stock bugeye (with H1 stock carbs) and this kit really woke up the car, and made it much more peppy. More air and fuel in, more air out… and consistent, accurate ignition timing and spark was just what the doctor ordered. With this kit, you can transform your 948-powered car into a mover!

Even if you have a later Spridget that already has HS2 carbs, it is a good idea to reset the clock on your carburetors with this kit. Most of the carbs we see in the field are pretty worn and/or mismatched, so new carbs can really make a difference. Give us a call if you have any questions, or click here to build your own “Bugeye runs better” kit today!