New Parts Available

More about your Butt

March 21, 2025 by bugeyeguy

Seat bases matter.

Spridget suspension was not designed for modern customer comfort demands. It was fine when we were 18, but oh, how we have aged. Now, we need as much seat cushion comfort as possible.

We have the pillow for you. It’s firm. It’s dense. You sit in it, not on it, so you feel like you are at one with the seat. This is not like sitting on top of a teetering marshmallow. It’s just right. And it makes your ride significantly more comfortable. Learn more about our high-density seat padding kit by clicking the photo below.

Over the years, we have built perhaps hundreds of seats. And we have taken apart hundreds of seats as well. In general, the fleet of foam out in the world is pretty wounded. Flat, weathered, mouse infested, sagging and generally not very supportive. Next to new supple tires, a new seat foam is the next best way to improve your ride. Make it more plush. Your butt will thank you.

And, by the way, if you are above six feet, you need to give up a bit of plush so you can sink deeper into the seat base, those lowering your head a bit in the cockpit, which is helpful for taller drivers. This allows you to get a bit lower and to help you better see through the windscreen. This foam isn’t quite as comfortable but is still more comfortable than the old shoes that are probably currently inside your seat bases. Yuo can learn more about that kit by clicking the photo below.

We’re excited to now offer these two foam options, so you can be more comfortable, and best fit your Spridget!

Lit-up

March 21, 2025 by bugeyeguy

With each passing year, my eyes have more trouble operating at night. Simultaneously, the attention span of most drivers seems to be fading (perhaps at an even faster rate).

As such, we need brighter lights. For relaxed night driving. And for safety.

We have lots of LED solutions for modern white hot light. Yes, vintage bulbs had a more yellow hue, but modern priorities have shifted. Bright is good, regardless of color.

I encourage you (as I have all 400 plus Bugeye buyers we have served) to leave your headlights on full time to serve as daytime running lights for extra daytime visibility. And if you have simple sealed beam bulbs in your classic car, now would be a good time to upgrade.

You have some choices… we sell beautiful Cibie reproduction H4 lenses with removable bulbs that can accommodate LEDs too. You can see those by clicking the photo below.

*Our H4 Headlight conversion is a wonderful addition to any Bugeye (or any British classic). Available with Halogen or LED bulbs!*

We also have a great tri-bar option. These have an added feature of an additional bulb in the bottom of the lens that can be used a nifty supplemental turn signal in your headlight. Check out the video of that feature below. (Shown in a VW Bug but this is how it would also look when wired-up to your Bugeye turn signals)

And lastly, you should have an LED kit to dramatically brighten your brake lights and tail lights. We sell this kit here, and it can dramatically improve your rearward visibility as well. And you get brighter turn signals as well with our LED kit, which is another safety benefit. These lighting upgrades are inexpensive safety upgrades-we all need to do whatever we can to make sure we can be seen!

Click the photos below for more information on our lighting products, or click here for our full catalog!

*LED tail light and turn signal kit, negative ground cars*

Getting ahead

March 14, 2025 by bugeyeguy

We’ve built a lot of cross-country cars that have departed our shop for a long voyage, and one of the biggest liabilities we face is the possibility of a head gasket failure. See the gasket below… this one came in on a poorly running Bugeye but looks like many we have seen before.

We’ve learned from experience that the union between cylinders two and three is a very thin strip of gasket material. I don’t care who told you that the fat head gasket they give you was superior, but if it’s only one layer, you really need to upgrading to a tri level gasket to make your head gasket bulletproof. For an extra 80 or so bucks, it buys a lot of peace of mind. Get one, other than a small up front investment, there is no downside. You’ll sleep better at night.

We’re building a tri metal gasket into every 1275 engine we build… It may be overkill, but it reduces stress. We have seen a lot of head gasket failures. We’ve never had a tri-layer gasket fail, so this is an important reliability upgrade to keep your car on the road! Click on the photo below to learn more and to order one today!

*Multi-layer steel (MLS) heavy-duty head gasket (1275 engines)*

Big Healey Wheelie

March 14, 2025 by bugeyeguy

We’ve got three Austin Healey 3000s in our shop this week, all undergoing interesting and delightful restoration of finicky long-term annoyances. Thus, I was prompted to make a post that showcases this work because I know there are other big Healey owners out there looking for someone who can help them finally sort out challenges with their cars.

We’re here to help… we’d love for you to give us a call if you would like us to pick up your Austin Healey 3000 and bring it to our shop for restoration. We have openings in the coming months so call for an appointment. We are, with undying tenacity, ironing out niggling problems and making these cars as wonderful as the Bugeyes (and everything else) we have been building for years.

In the video above, you can see the new five speed Tremec kit we’re offering for big Healeys. We will be happy to install one of these in your car! If you’re done trying to get your stubborn overdrive to work consistently, this is a really smart upgrade, and we’ve just installed one in the BJ7 that you see in the photo below. That car was jumping out of third gear, so rather than rebuild the original gearbox, the client opted for go for a new Tremec five speed. We’d love to install this conversion for you!

This week we also installed a really cool Bluetooth stereo in a different big Healey… this one a BJ8. This stereo system is a wonderful innovation, because it’s hidden and requires no modifications that are in sight. Notice the modern head unit in the photo above… these never look right in cars of our vintage, so we much prefer the hidden bluetooth option you see in the car below.

You can mount the speakers and Bluetooth receiver on the bulkhead and operate the whole system from your phone. So, if you’d like to hear some music while you’re on your next long trip or ride to the beach, this is and non-invasive way to do so using your telephone and your playlist as your music library. It’s a delightful add-on for any classic car. This fits Bugeyes, big Healeys, and any other sports car. This unit can also handle additional rear speakers if you want to add them. In the case of the big Healey we show here, we’ve only used front speakers… check it out and get yours by clicking here!

We will be adding more big Healey parts to our catalog of offerings in the coming weeks! Call if you’d like your Healey (big or small) upgraded!

Lift the dot

January 31, 2025 by bugeyeguy

We have mounted more than 100 Sprite tonneaus in our shop over the years, and you would think we had seen it all… yet we keep discovering new configurations of the wrong top and tonneau hardware on the cars the come through our building. Here’s a new video about the latest variant.

Lift dot fittings on the yellow car are hard to unfasten when they are under lateral tension, and that is one reason why twist fittings are used; they are more cooperative when fastening the tonneau on the B pillar of your car.

*This car has the incorrect lift-the-dot studs installed on the rear deck, which are difficult to undo under lateral tension.*

*This car showcases the correct arrangement for the rear deck of a Bugeye, two Tenax fittings (left and center) and a “Common Sense” twist fitting (right).*

Regardless of your Bugeye’s rear deck arrangement, we have all the hardware in our parts catalog to make your unique setup work. Hopefully this video and photos will help you get your car right if you are working on a restoration; if you need to locate new hardware, we have templates available to help you get their location correct! Click the photos below for more info on tonneau hardware or click here for our full catalog!

*Long tonneau/soft top deck fitting kit, MALE (fitted to body of car)*

*Long tonneau fitting kit, FEMALE (fitted directly to tonneau)*

*Chrome top/tonneau rear bar retainer (two required)*

*Top/tonneau rear deck fitting template (Bugeye only)*

*Dashboard tonneau fitting template (Bugeye only)*

Put a new engine in your Sprite or Midget!

January 24, 2025 by bugeyeguy

If your 948 engine is getting tired or you just want to upgrade your Spridget, check out our newly reconditioned complete 1275 engines! They’re bench-run, pretested and ready to go! Each engine is guaranteed for 12 months or 12,000 miles against catastrophic failure.

These engines have the exact footprint of the original 948 Sprite engine, so no modifications to the car are necessary. This is a turn-key upgrade! We’ll gladly crate and ship your new engine to your door, or we’ll be happy to pick up your car and swap your engine here.

Three flavors are in stock… the mostly stock engine shown in photos here, a fast road 90 HP 1275 engine with a few more performance mods… and a super sport 1330 CC 100 HP powerplant for maximum power and fun!

New power for your Spridget is now easily available. Engines are in stock in our Connecticut facility!

All the specs are listed on our parts page, so click the photo below to read more!

*Complete rebuilt pre-tested/bench run 1275 engines from the Engine Experts at Bugeyeguys*

If you’re upgrading your Sprite/Midget from a 948 to one of our 1275 engines, you will also need to upgrade the transmission to one compatible with a 1275. We have several options available to suit your needs! Click each option below to learn more, or click here for our full parts catalog!