NOW SOLD to John in Ashville, NC! Congratulations John! Wishing you great fun!
Take a close look at this car, because it is about as solid a project car as you will ever see. Don’t let the peeling paint fool you-if you are looking for something fun to rebuild, this is a great candidate because there is virtually no rust.
AN5L 19068 is a 1959 Sprite that was taken from California to Massachusetts in about 1985 and has sat ever since. The clutch pressure plate is broken, and we believe it was this failure that caused the car to be parked in about 1985. Fortunately, it was parked all these years in a heated space, because the car is amazingly well preserved.
We’ve made the car run and drive, by installing all new wheel cylinders on the original drum brakes as well as a master cylinder. The brakes now function well. It shifts into all gears, although the pressure plate is acting up and the clutch is not always fully releasing. I believe one of the clutch fingers is broken. We can change the clutch for the new owner, this is not a difficult job.
The 948 engine looks to be original, but the number plate is missing so I can’t confirm. It is smoking a bit, which may clear up, but I would presume the engine needs a rebuild.
We have too many projects in the works at the moment to take this one on, so we are offering it for sale. What you are buying is a restoration project that is extremely solid and a wonderful starting point. If you want a Bugeye to restore, or to drive and restore, this is a great car!
Below you can see a video tour of the body panels and floors:
The car comes with good sidecurtains and an old white top, as well as a jack as shown in the photos. I believe this was an olde English white car that was repainted once, with the white paint you now see.
The floors are excellent original pans, still with the original drains and sling holes. The rockers are excellent, as is the sheet metal in all the places where Frogeye often rust… not so with this car! Other than the surface rust you see on the exterior, there is virtually no rust on this car. The inner fenders are straight, so it appears this car was never in any accidents.
If you are looking for a project car that won’t take a lifetime, this is a great choice!
