BugEyeGuys – Page 16

1960 Bugeye Sprite for sale, great driver!

May 31, 2024 by bugeyeguy

NOW SOLD to Phil in CT! Congrats on bringing home Bugeye # 412.

Price reduced! Now $19,995! More than $20,000 in recent work completed! Great value!

Here’s a fun driver for sale with a ton of new work just completed! Meet “Mira” (AN5L 42061), a 1960 Bugeye Sprite (titled as a 1961). This is a nice driver with a stock 948 engine and drum brakes all around. We’ve just completed a very thorough mechanical restoration, so the car has been quite upgraded for the new owner.

Mira had been hibernating during recent years so we adopted the car for a massive refresh prior to sale. The wiring harness was damaged from a prior fault so we removed all of the original wiring and installed a brand-new reproduction wiring harness that looks just like the day the car was new. We took this opportunity to install a number of new electrical parts in addition to the harness, such as a new ignition switch (with our upgraded ignition switch guillotine to secure the switch in the dash), a new starter pull switch, new horn contact ring, horn brush, turn signal switch, wiper switch, dip switch harness, and more!

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Tach drive trouble

May 31, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Spridget tachometers occupy a lot of our time. They break a lot. That’s why we love the electronic tachometer option we sell in our catalog, which you can see below (click photo for more pix in our parts catalog). This electric gauge allows you to dispose of the wonky mechanical drive system.

Most Sprites still have their original mechanical tach drive. We’re constantly discovering new ways that they can break.

In today’s installment of “As the tach turns,” you can see something new, which is a worn generator housing, which resulted in a high level of stress on the tach gearbox which led to its destruction and rendered the tachometer non-operational. I am sharing this with you because it helps all of us be that much smarter about keeping these instruments operational. It’s smart to check your tach gearbox-take it apart and pack it with grease.

*A worn rear generator bushing led to all of this carnage!* *(New, replacement tach gearbox is shown in foreground)*

The symptom, in this case, was a tachometer that worked intermittently. Disassembly of the little tach gearbox attached to the rear of the generator revealed more carnage than we’ve ever seen before. You can see the teeth are worn badly on the drive gears, and that’s why it was full of brass powder. This little gearbox was well on its way to having no gears.

A new generator and tach drive fixed the problem.

*A properly-configured and maintained Bugeye mechanical tachometer system can work almost as well as an electronic tach!*

Please also make sure your tach cable is routed properly in your the engine bay so you don’t add stress and friction to that driveline. If that cable is stressed, your tach will read quite nervously. Click here for a post we have done in the past on the proper routing for your tach cable.

You can buy all the parts you might need in our catalog. This post demonstrates one more reason why we like alternators or Gen/alts, which have better bearings than the original stock generator and charge more efficiently. You can buy all those parts at the links below if you’re interested, or click here for our complete catalog!

*Generator/alternator is a nice upgraded from the stock generator (available for cars with and without cable-driven tachometers)*

*Sprite/Midget alternator conversion kit*

Bugeye Paint stripper

May 31, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Non-silicone brake fluid removes paint beautifully. Ask me how I know!

For the past few months Gumby has had a leaking brake light switch where it attaches to the brake line union on the passenger side under the bonnet. You can see where the brake fluid collected on the little shelf underneath it, and proceeded to munch my beautiful new paint in that area. Arghh!

*The blistered paint and old fluid has been removed and we will re spray this area in green. You can see Gumby’s original red paint left behind*

The solution was to remove the brake light switch from the union and wrap the threads with some Teflon tape to improve the seal and then re-tighten the brake switch. That should stop future leaks.

It’s not so easy to remove the brake light switch, which is why we have a custom tool available to help you do so should you have a similar malady. You can see and purchase that tool below by clicking on the photo.

*We call this tool “The Lifesaver”! This tool will help to keep your brake union steady while you remove your brake light switch. Click on the photo to learn more and to order one today!*

All classic car owners need to regularly check their hydraulic fluid. This is a very important diagnostic action. The first clue that my switch was leaking was the low fluid level in the master cylinder. It was low enough that I soon would have lost my brakes…so please check your hydraulic fluid reservoir frequently.

In fact, people often over-check their engine oil and insufficiently check their hydraulic fluid. Engine oil burns and leaks, but unless you’re down multiple quarts, the car will still run just fine. Brake fluid, however, dramatically impacts stopping and also eats up your paint. So make sure you check your fluid regularly. If your clutch side is low, your slave cylinder is likely leaking, and if your brake side is low, then chances are good your rear wheel cylinders are leaking and simply checking the level is your first diagnostic steps to help you keep your car in tiptop shape. Brake fluid doesn’t evaporate, so if the level drops, you have a leak that needs to be addressed immediately.

*If you loose enough fluid so that you see the little fence inside your reservoir, you have a leak that needs to be addressed before simply refilling the reservoir.*

Before I leave this subject, silicone DOT 5 fluid is a nice solution if you are concerned about paint loss from leaks. The challenge is that you can’t mix it with DOT 3 or 4, so the entire system has to be completely flushed to make that changeover. You have to get rid of every last bit of DOT 3/4 residue or you will get contamination. A DOT 5 switch is really only practical if you are re-doing all your lines and cylinders.

If you find a leak in your hydraulic system, you will need some new hydraulic parts to fix the issue. We have a complete line of brake and clutch hydraulic parts in our catalog! Click the photos below for some examples of parts we have available, or view our full line of brake hydraulic parts here!

*Brake light switch (Screw terminals, Bugeye only)*

*Hard brake line kit (Bugeye, Mark II Sprite/Mark I Midget)*

*Brake master cylinder, 7/8 bore (Bugeyes with four-wheel drum brakes)*

*Clutch slave remote bleeder (948-1275)*

*Improved clutch slave cylinder, stock 7/8″ bore*

Tired

May 24, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Tires for Spridgets generate all kinds of questions and discussions. Everyone has an opinion, so I thought I would share mine, which is based on driving more than 500 of this particular kind of small British car.

Check out the video below… it should help you when you’re ready for new rubber. We sell all these tires choices in our catalog, so call if you need help making a choice.

One more thing: I didn’t mention 14 inch wheels and tires in the video, but occasionally people call and ask for these. I’d recommend against it. You really need the sidewall to cushion the ride on your Spridget, and if you cut down the side wall profile in order to use a 14 inch rim, you’ll find the car rides even firmer than it does with a 13 inch wheel, to the point of being uncomfortable and unusable (for anyone over 21yrs old).

Plush new 13 inch tires are your best bet! We have several different options available to suit your tastes. Clock the photos below to order a set of tires today, or click here for our full catalog!

*155/80R13 radial tires- close to stock width but better ride quality*

*Sportier Sprite radial tires- 165/70R13 (David’s favorite size!)*

*5.20×13 bias ply tires, period-correct replacement tires*

*Dunlop SP Sport Aquajet 165 HR x 13 performance tires*

*Blockley 165R13 performance tires (New!)*

*Wide whitewall radial tires – available in 155&165/13 (call for availablility)*

Nefarious needles

May 24, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Stuck float bowl needles can stop your car from starting.

A carburetor fuel bowl works a lot like a toilet. As the fuel level in the bowl lowers, a float needle lowers along with it, allowing fuel to flow in from the fuel line and fill it back up as the carburetor uses it. Once the fuel level is full, the needle is pushed up into a tapered seat, where it will rest until it needs to allow fuel back in.

*A float needle performing its function properly, lowering in tandem with the float as the fuel level in the bowl drops.*

While not a problem inherent to storage of your Bugeye, long periods of rest can certainly contribute to a stuck float needle or two. What generally happens is a small amount of “gunk” gets on the tip of the float needle (the source of this gunk is unclear but a lot of people connect it to ethanol in today’s fuels) and makes the tip sticky, which makes it hang up in its seat.

*A stuck float needle like shown above shuts the flow of fuel off to the carburetor, essentially plugging the fuel line.* *Notice how the entire needle assembly is stuck upward and not hanging out of it’s seat as in the first picture above*.

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Broken and brittle brake lines

May 17, 2024 by bugeyeguy

The braking system is perhaps the most critical component of your Bugeye to keep in tip-top condition. We may sound like a bit of a broken record about this, but it cannot be overstated how important your brakes are. You can have all of the fun in the world ripping around your neighborhood in your Bugeye, but if you cannot stop adequately, it is a recipe for disaster. This week, we were reminded of the importance of the hard brake lines in the braking equation.

While replacing a master cylinder on a customer’s car earlier this week, the mechanic was tightening the fitting to the brake side of the master, as is routine. However, as they tightened, the end of the line right before the first bend snapped clean off!

*Over time, steel lines become brittle and can snap off easily, like this one did.*

Original metal brake lines on Bugeye Sprites (or even steel replacements from the 70s and 80s) are incredibly susceptible to corrosion and get brittle over time, which can lead to breaks like this one, or worse, blow-outs while driving. Luckily, this happened in such a way that no fluid was spilled and while replacing the line in the shop rather than as a failure while on the road, which could have been catastrophic. Check out the video below for more information on Bugeye brake lines, and on the kit we use to replace them!

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to thoroughly inspect your entire hydraulic system, but to take special care in inspecting the hard hydraulic lines. Should you find corrosion, wear, or unsafe splices in your brake lines (like compression fittings, a BIG no-no in braking systems), it’s time to replace them! Luckily, we have a ready-made solution to make line replacement as easy as possible!

*If you are underneath your car and see one of these on a brake or clutch line… change it. Immediately.* *Compression fittings do not hold up to the pressure a hydraulic system produces under load and can (and likely will) blow out.*

Our brake line tubing kit comes with all of the pre-cut and pre-flared hard lines necessary to replace your entire braking system. Additionally, our kits are made from copper-nickel tubing, which is easier to bend, harder to kink, and most importantly, is corrosion-resistant, meaning rust will not take hold in your brake lines, allowing them to perform as designed for far longer than traditional steel. We also have the copper-nickel line necessary for your clutch slave, as well as a complete line of brake and clutch hydraulic parts to suit your restoration needs. Click the photos below for more information on some of our hydraulic products, or click here to view our full catalog!

*Hard clutch line for 1 inch slaves ONLY (from master cylinder to rubber slave hose)*

*Hard brake pipe kit (Bugeye/ Mark II Sprite) (Clutch line sold separately)*

*Clutch hard line (cars with 7/8″ slaves ONLY)*

*Clutch slave rubber hose (for cars with 1 inch slave ONLY)*

*Hydraulic rehab kit (through ’62, lots of options available to customize, click for more details)*

*Clutch slave remote bleeder (All 948-1275 Spridgets)*

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