I bought my first Bugeye “Gumby” in 1978. That car (that stated it all) is a 59 Sprite, so it was an interesting coincidence that our new building happens to also be #59. Thus, we needed a “59″ T shirt, and here it is… to commemorate Gumby and the (near) completion of our new Bugeye world headquarters.

Our one year anniversary in this building is now just 10 days away (July 10). It has
been a year of renovations, sprinkler system upgrades and weatherproofing. Let’s celebrate our progress with this new all cotton T! We’ve weathered most of our renovations, so why not a weathered Sprite boot logo on the chest, a slightly beat up Bugeyeguy logo on one sleeve and a #59 racing roundel on the other.  Vintage, just like most of us!

CLICK HERE TO BUY A MENS SHIRT (AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU MAY NEED FOR YOUR BUGEYE)

CLICK HERE TO BUY A LADIES SHIRT

I got a call this week from a client with a screaming tach drive. This is a chronic problem with Bugeyes, the mechanical tach is a complicated system that has to be set up just right, otherwise pieces break. Cables bind. Tachometers get dusty and jumpy, and reproduction tach drives are notorious for heating up and imploding. Reproduction generators don’t always interface properly with tach drives. It’s a chain that can be finicky and tough to maintain. So here’s a great solution that fixes a multitude of problems once and for all… this alternator kit with electric tachometer fixes everything once and for all.

Charging is also more reliable with the alternator—the regulator in the alternator is more reliable than the original, and the bearings in the alternator last longer. Most Sprites don’t need an alternator for increased output, although that is a fringe benefit (and the headlights won’t dim at idle as they do with the generator). The real reason for doing all this is that the mechanics are much more reliable, the interfaces easier to maintain, and the overall reliability is greater. This is a set-up that we feel a lot more comfortable sending out into the world on all our cars, with the best results!

Included in the full kit is a correct Mark 1 tach with modern electronic guts hidden inside. You simply follow the wiring instructions and hook it to the coil. This is a relatively easy upgrade and fun for anyone who is handy. Or bring the whole kit to any car repair shop and they should be able to put the whole thing in pretty quickly. You’ll need to send us your mechanical tach as a core, so we can rebuild it for the next client. Built into the price is a $200 core charge, and if your tach is cosmetically in good condition, we return the full amount. If it is marginal, you might get less than the full core charge returned so we can pay to have your tach restored for the next client. You must convert your car to negative ground for this to work. Please also note if you have a high beam indicator or an ignition indicator on your tachometer and order accordingly. FYI from the factory Bugeye’s came with the Red ignition indicator but we often find the gauges have been swapped with later gauges that are the opposite configuration.

This kit is a great way to eliminate a lot of the common Bugeye headaches, so you can enjoy your car with greater reliability.

You can see the alternator kit available by clicking here.

You can see the electronic converted tach by clicking here or a brand new electronic tachometer by clicking here.

We headed to British by the Sea last weekend, which unfortunately had a light turn-out because of an ominous forecast. This is a wonderful annual show each June put on by the CT MG club. The Greenwich Concours always falls on the same weekend, but we did that event last year with our concours yellow Bugeye, and instead headed to the MG club show this year, with the silver blown and injected Bugeye. (I wish we could all work together and come up with a schedule that doesn’t force classic car lovers to choose one event or the other!)

The fuel injection in our engine bay attracted a ton of attention so it was tough to leave even though I could see the thunderstorms growing on my smart phone’s radar screen. I finally left at about 2PM and ran headlong into heavy rain 45 minutes later. The drops were pelting my forehead (the chopped windscreen worked great otherwise) and I felt a bit like I was waterskiing in the rain. So I ducked into a highway rest area under the awning and waited it out. We watched wave after wave of heavy rain pass from our dry re-fueling island. If you look closely, you’ll see some eyes peering out from under the hard tonneau. Bodhi appreciated the dog house afforded by this accessory!

After an hour of blocking pump #14, we were off, again to my garage where we thoroughly dried the car. The interior stayed quite dry since we were able to keep moving at a good rate of speed once the rain began. One important tip-if your Bugeye gets wet, even after a wash, raise the nose so the panel under the grill can drain, otherwise pools of water will surely start to rust your car!