BugEyeGuys – Page 5

Resealed

November 1, 2024 by bugeyeguy

While Greg’s Bugeye weekend racer is getting its bodywork done by Kenny (you can learn more about that here), we are also resealing its engine this week. You can see the rear seal upgrade kit going on in the photo below. This is a great upgrade if you have a major leak out the back of your engine.

We also took the opportunity to replace the worn-out timing chain with a new double-row setup. This will “reset the clock” on this vital timing component. Notice the sharpness of the teeth on the left (worn) gear and the more uniform shape on the new gear on the right. You should also be able to see the wide “U” profile on the worn gear and a proper unworn “U” on the new one.

With new teeth, new sump gasket and a new rear main seal kit, Greg’s Bugeye will be ready for the next generation!

If you’d like to do some of the repairs and upgrades we are doing to Greg’s engine this week, click on the links below or click here for our complete catalog!

*Oil pan sump gasket kit (available with cork or upgraded neoprene end seals)*

Rocker Shocker

November 1, 2024 by bugeyeguy

We see a lot of broken stuff. And it seems like each week, we see something new.

This week, for example, I noticed the cotter pin on the rocker shaft on Alexander’s 1275 engine was perilously close to walking out. (His car is here from Florida for a bunch of sorting and upgrades). One leg of the cotter pin appears to have already found its way into the sump, with the entire pin (and washers) were about ready to leap out.

This engine ran very strong and had a lot of upgrades with speed and power in mind. However, some of the execution left a lot to be desired. The cotter pin was a clue that more might be amiss… with the valve cover off to adjust the valves, we could see that there were other big issues, in fact, the rocker arms were wandering all over town.

The video below illustrates a worrysome wobble.

This much play in the rocker is a very bad thing and dramatically diminishes whatever precision valve operation might have once been present. A wobbly rocker will cause this contact pad to wear unevenly and ruin the valve, or even bend a push rod. A catastrophic engine failure might even follow.

So what caused this rocker to be so wobbly?

*Shown above is a new forged rocker arm with the correct soft metal bushing*, *used on later 1275 engines. The earlier engines used a stamped designed rocker arm.*. *We sell new rocker shafts in our catalog which are used for both types of rocker arms, click here to order!*

Ordinarily, a rocker arm on a Bugeye (or any Spridget) uses a soft metal bushing inside that rides on a harder rocker shaft, allowing for smooth operation. The photo above is an example of a rocker arm with the correct bushing inside.

*The rocker arms on this engine had needle roller bearings installed. This created a wear issue.*

However, whomever built this particular engine decided to use a needle roller bearing in place of the soft bushing. With the correct bronze bushing, the bushing is a much softer material than the rocker shaft, meaning the bushing takes on the brunt of the wear. With a needle bearing, the rollers are also hardened, meaning there is no longer a wear item. The result is an incredible amount of damage being done to the rocker shaft, as you can see in the photos below. You can even see the pattern left behind by the needles in the bearing on one of the areas!

A hardened rocker shaft might have helped resist the hardened needles, but we much prefer the unhardened shaft with the bronze bushings. That way, the shaft is sacrificial and the bronze bushings tend to last a good long time.

We do not know why the previous engine builder on this car decided to use needle roller bearings instead of the correct bushings. Perhaps he thought the needle bearings were more robust than the proper bushing and were thus better for high performance applications. Either way, changing the rocker assembly to a good one with the proper bushings installed will ensure this valve train operates at peak efficiency for many miles to come!

Bugeye Sprite Weekend racer revival (Video)

October 25, 2024 by bugeyeguy

We’ve all heard stories of the Bugeye daily driver that shed its windshield for weekend races… here’s one of those cars in action circa 1964. We are charged with reviving this special car with its particularly rich history.

Greg’s Bugeye was raced hard on weekends and then used to commute during the week. As such, it has some much needed repairs as we work to get the car back on the road. We mounted the car on the rotisserie to repair the floors and rockers, as you can see unfolding in the pictures here.

[Read more…]

Transformation abounds

October 25, 2024 by bugeyeguy

This is a Bugeye engine bay in need of completion (before). In the second picture, you can see what we did to bring this great car back to life.

The O’days have loved this car for generations, and it’s time to get her back to “active” status after a lengthy hibernation. Now, she runs and drives beautifully!

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I always add oil, do I still need to change it?

October 25, 2024 by bugeyeguy

Yes!

Take the photo below as an example. This is an engine that did not get sufficient oil changes. You can see sludge and water that has lived in this pan for too long. It’s a great reminder that you should change the oil on your classic car at least once per year (and more frequently if you exceed 3000 miles per year). We’ve had more than a few folks suggest that oil changes weren’t needed since they add so many quarts of new oil routinely throughout the year (one quart at a time).

We took the pan off this 1098 engine to reseal it and add a rear main seal kit. We were surprised to see evidence of a history of insufficient oil changes. We published this to hopefully help remind the community that oil changes matter. We use Valvoline VR1 20w-50 non-synthetic racing oil, which has zinc additive in it to aid with properly lubricating the internal parts on these old engines.

[Read more…]

Car Number 06

October 18, 2024 by bugeyeguy

We have a car in our shop this week that we picked up from the client in Arizona. 06 was a recent acquisition he made from an Internet classified. The client chose us to restore the car because he wanted it done right, quite an honor since he is about 2500 miles away (more and more, we are picking up cars thousands of miles away to sort them in our shop). It’s a nice-looking car and like so many aging British Sports cars, it needs a lot.

The car didn’t run reliably when it arrived and the clutch was making lots of noise…. the client opted to do a five speed upgrade since the engine has to come out anyway so we can address the clutch. On the way to our five speed conversion for the customer, we found many other unexpected and sorely needed repairs, all of which are good learning opportunities we share in the many posts below. Welcome to the 06 series, a grouping of posts about broken things on this particular car. If you were here on a shop tour, I would say, “take a look at this, never seen one like it!” The posts below are the next best thing, a tour for you via your digital device of a series of old car mechanical restoration opportunities.

We hope these posts will help you keep your car in tip top shape and if you need any of the parts discussed, you’ll find them all (and more) in our parts catalog!

Enjoy!

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