BugEyeGuys

AN5L 501 is off to Greenwich!

June 2, 2023 by bugeyeguy

It’s Concours season! We have the pleasure of displaying 501 this weekend at the Greenwich Concours on Saturday. I’ll be driving 501 to Greenwich this weekend, which is a roughly 100-mile round trip. I may also be able to bring the car to British By the Sea in Waterford, Connecticut on Sunday. Come say hello!

I’ll have driving notes next week, and share the experience of driving what is arguably one of the most valuable Bugeyes in the world on Interstate 95 for a few hours.

In the meantime, we also made a new page that chronicles the history of 501 and its Concours journey!

Click here to check out our 501 information page, or click on the NEW “501” tab on our homepage!

The shortest distance between two points

June 2, 2023 by bugeyeguy

Bugeye tachometers (and their drivelines) often break. (So does any mechanically driven tachometer on any old British car). This continues to be one of the more annoying recurring problems that we end up having to sort. This week, we had a failure in the field from one of our customers and I thought we would use this as a teaching opportunity so that we can all try to make these kooky systems work more effectively in the future.

We haven’t seen this car (just photos), but there are a number of causes that could be at play here, because you have a chain of springs and sprockets trying to translate information from the generator all the way to the tachometer, and if any piece in that chain is not up to code, you can have a failure such as what you see pictured here. This particular tach drive exploded (which doesn’t happen often) but we have a few thoughts as to why this occurred. Note that it was operational in the field for almost eight months (since October of 2022) and had about 200 miles before it exploded.

Here’s a different and noisy tach drive we disassembled that was found to be completely devoid of grease!

The first thing that can fail is the tach drive itself. Often these are not well-lubricated, especially if it is an older unit that has been installed for a long time. It’s a good idea to take yours apart and fill it with red grease. It’s very easy to do; most tach drive gearboxes (except for early cars) have two small fasteners holding the two halves of the box together, and separate easily so you can pack the box with grease. This should be a part of your routine maintenance schedule. It’s recommended that you should do this once every five years or so. But I don’t think that’s related to why this particular drive failed, as it was a brand new gearbox that was only about eight months old.

Although the noisy tach drive above only needed some red grease to fix its ailments, the subject of this week’s post had a much more catastrophic failure.

The bigger issue seems to be with the interface between the cable and drive . You need to make sure that the cable doesn’t protrude too deeply into the tach gear box because when you tighten the knurled ring, you’ll be putting great deal of force on that inner Cable.

On occasion, usually due to over-tightening, the square center of the tachometer cable can bind in the tach drive (or in the gauge) and cause premature failure.

This force can bend the cable end and cause it to make a concentric arc with each revolution, which adds stress to the system; if the NTSB was at the scene of this failure, I would guess their findings would suggest an overtightened knurled ring on a cable the protruded too far into the tach drive. We suspect over tightening because we see a damage on the knurled ring, perhaps from (over) tightening with large channel pliers.

These marks appear to be from a pliers, likely used to overtighten the cable to the tach drive and create extra stress on the union.

Similar markings on the brass nut would indicate similar over-tightening at the generator.

It’s also important to inspect the interface between the tach drive and the generator. We also need to make sure that this junction does not protrude excessively into the generator, and also that the two units mate neatly. Sometimes you need a spacer to support the tach drive in the generator, so it’s worth looking at this mating point.

In the case of this particular tach drive explosion, you can also see a nick on the brass nut, indicating that it was also tightened aggressively, perhaps too aggressively. That can become a problem when there is a void between the tach drive inner spindle and the end of the tach drive inside the generator. Here’s where it’s sometimes helpful to add a spacer, to support the tach drive more effectively.

A properly-configured tach drive setup is key to ensure smooth operation! Make sure tach drive is parallel to back of generator.

One other important issue is that the tachometer itself can get gummed up. When this occurs, more torque is required in order to drive their mechanism effectively. If that’s the case, it will stress the cable that is unable to turn the gummy tachometer, and this too can contribute to undue stress on the system, which could lead to an explosion of a tach drive, but more often will lead to the failure of a tach cable. So it’s best to remove your tachometer from the dashboard and actuator to see if it is excessively stiff; you can use the end of an old tachometer cable mounted in a drill to check this. Spin it counterclockwise to see if the gauge is gummy or binding. It might be easier to do this with your fingertips with the nipple rather than to use a drill where you can’t actually feel if the gauge is extra stiff.

So when diagnosing a non-functioning, poorly-functioning, or exploded tachometer circuit, it’s helpful to understand the system as a whole. Of course, we offer electronic tachometers should you want to eliminate the mechanical link altogether, or if you prefer, you can send us your gummed-up old tachometer to be rebuilt, a service we are happy to provide for you! Call or email for details.

Click the photos below to get the tachometer components you need to get your rev counter back up and running, or click here for our complete catalog!

Electronic Tachometer – Bugeye thru 1967

Tachometer Drive Gearbox – 948 generator

Rebuilt Mechanical Tachometer – thru 1961

Generator/Alternator with dummy regulator – for negative-ground Bugeyes with tach drive

New generator – 948 cars with tach drive

Fender Mender

June 2, 2023 by bugeyeguy

The lower rear quarter is a common rust area on Frogeyes. Over the years, we’ve seen our share of blistered panels in this portion of the car. In some instances, the damage is extreme, but it’s not always as difficult as you might think to repair this area. We sell a patch panel for this purpose, which you can see by clicking here. With the car shown, only a portion of that panel was needed, so we just use what is needed from the patch panel, and it is different with each job.

Prior to the repair, blistering and cancerous rust were visible both on the outer quarter but also its support structure.

If you follow the sequence of the photos, you can see the blistered area prior to the repair and then the rusted material that we cut away.

Here’s a photo of the rusted piece on the bench, which we use to match the paint color, once the repair is complete.

Here you can see the patch we fabricated for the inner skin of this area, hand-formed by our lead fabricator Kenny.

Then, after welding in the inner patch, the outer patch panel is tack welded in, and then a complete bead of welding all the way across the seam is laid down, which is then ground down flat.

Finally, a very thin coat of body filler is applied so that we can sand the repaired area into a perfect compound curve.

Next week, the primer goes on and then the final red spray is blended into the existing quarter panel.

If you need a fender patch panel, click the photo above to get one!

The design of this rear section is not ideal; moisture gets trapped at the bottom of the fender in this area and leads to the blisters and rust that you see in this post, but now that it’s been removed and repaired and resealed inside, this Sprite should enjoy another 50 years without perforation!

Best Of The Best 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite For Sale! Reduced to $45,995

June 1, 2023 by bugeyeguy

We’ll be exhibiting our concours gold Bugeye 501 this week at the Greenwich Concours du Sport, and so this car below, “Betty,” merits another mention. Betty car was shown at the same event a few years ago, and is ready for you to take to any Concours in your neighborhood where it can go bumper to bumper with the best. It’s an exceptional restoration and another already judged gold-level concours Bugeye. If want to take a concours Bugeye to, for example, the Stowe Vermont British Invasion Concours this September, for example, Betty is your girl!

Many people claim that their classic car is restored to “concours” condition… but this is rarely verified. Sure, that new high dollar restoration looks great, but is it accurate? And does it all work?

Betty overlooks the Thimble Islands (our backyard), Branford, CT

“Betty” (AN5L 25014) is just such a verified Bugeye, with certificates to prove it! Betty was scrutinized by a team of four independent judges, who poured over the car for over two full hours and inspected every nut and bolt. Their conclusion? They awarded this car Gold level concours certification, the highest honor available for any Austin Healey.

[Read more…]

“Angus” 1960 bad boy Bugeye Sprite for sale!

May 26, 2023 by bugeyeguy

This is a passion project from a great customer of ours in the Boston. Angus put a lot of passion into this car and an impressive parts list. The car could use paint, but it also is highly usable as it is… check out the list of upgrades and if you want a modified super sprite in a plain vanilla wrapper, and give us a call!

ENGINE:

1275 Engine (came with car when purchased)
new engine seals (front and back),
new double timing chain,
New Valves and top end rebuild,
new engine paint,
new water pump
new thermostat
Aluminum Radiator (all new plumbing)
petronix ignition
sport coil
new plug wires
spin off oil filter
K&N Air Filters

DRIVETRAIN:

5 speed gearbox conversion (performed by Bugeyeguys)
Shortened gear shift lever with 5 Speed round shift knob

EXHAUST:

Maniflow UK headers
Maniflow Bugeye Guy dual exhaust

SUSPENSION/BRAKES:

Disc brake Conversion (came with car when purchased)
front sway bar
lowering kit

WHEELS:

Knock off Minilite style wheels (Painted Black) including spare
newer tires on all 5 wheels (2019)

ELECTRICAL/ GAUGES :

Completely new wiring harness
Sebring style stem driving lights
Lucas PL700 Repro Tri Bar Headlights
Rebuilt tachometer
new combo gauge

FUEL SYSTEM:

solid state fuel pump
new gas tank
new fuel sender
le mans style flip top gas lid

INTERIOR:

new carpet kit
New interior panel kit
bugeyeguy premium door pockets
bugeyguy correct door liners
new interior knobs
rebuilt seats upholstery and foam
moto lita wood steering wheel

EXTERIOR:

Bugeyeguy Chopped windshield currently installed
Full original windshield assembly with new glass and rubber assembled by you
Front flip bonnet conversion (leather hold down straps)
all new rubber all around car
2 Fender Mounted Talbot side view mirrors

WEATHER “PROTECTION”:

Factory Hard top (purchased from you) with all new rubber installed
Short Tonneau
older soft top and complete bow (freshly painted)
new door weatherstripping
rebuilt side curtains
Bugeye side curtain Wallet
indoor car cover

1959 sleeper Sprite for Sale!

May 26, 2023 by bugeyeguy

We are pleased to be able to have “Mooney” (AN5L 17816) available once again! Mooney is a Bugeye we sold last spring and added more than $12k in upgrades, all of which were installed for the prior owner just one year ago! He has moved to a new location and couldn’t bring the car, so we were happy to buy it back, to pass it on to a new owner. The car has a massive list of upgrades, all done in our shop just a year ago, and this one is a delight to drive. Don’t be fooled by the exterior (It’s weathered and can use a paint job). But if you like cars with patina, here’s an opportunity to buy a ton of already-installed upgrades at a dramatically depreciated rate.

We invested a lot of hours into the revival of this car, which came to us initially after a long hibernation. We completely rewired the car; we also put in all new brake lines (hard and soft lines) and hard lines for the fuel system, and changed all the hydraulic parts. We restored the dashboard (removed, welded shut extra holes, filled and recovered the dashboard) and installed an upgraded GPS speedometer and electronic tachometer. We also fit a new ignition switch and locking guillotine and we changed the dip switch harness and the headlight harness. Everything now works as it should.

We fit a brand new premium tonneau and top, and we used premium new hydraulic parts throughout the car. We also put in all new piping for the oil pressure gauge, a new panel light switch, choke cable and original fuel gauge and a new combo gauge as well. There’s also a brand new aluminum radiator and all new water hoses, a new starter cable, a new water pump as well as a solid-state voltage regulator. Also a brand new premium fuel tank, sender with metal float and fuel pump. The battery is new, as are the cables. We further upgraded the car with rebuilt carburetors, a new brake light switch, new front shocks and radius arms.

Upon its return to Bugeyeguys World Headquarters earlier this month, we added new seats with all new parts, new premium foams and frames and new covers. The seats alone were a massive investment.

We also added new air filters and a Moto-lita steering wheel!

It’s a really big list for such a small car, and in the drive video below, you should be able to see that it’s really a blast to drive. It brakes and stops well, tracks well, and anyone can drive this car anywhere. New tires are in order. These have plenty of tread, but they’re a bit old.

Give a call if you’d like to talk further… if you’re into sleepers, and you want to keep your upfront cost down, this is a great Bugeye to enjoy this summer! $21,995.

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