This week, a Bugeye came to us for a flip nose conversion. Once the car was put onto our lift for the first time, some crossmember damage revealed itself that also needed to be addressed.

This is one of the more extreme examples of what using a floor jack in the wrong place can do to a Bugeye crossmember. The entire botom sheet of steel is missing, and the rest of the crossmember that is left behind is a mangled mess of bent and torn sheet metal that poses a real risk to the structural integrity of the entire front of the car.

Our fabricator Kenny was able to straighten it all out and welded in a new bottom support (we add these to complete crossmembers also for added protection and it is available in our parts catalog, click here to order), and now it’s better than new. But this repair offers us a great opportunity to talk about best practices for jacking up your car.

You can use any kind of floor jack that will fit under the car to jack it up off the floor (if you don’t have a lift, of course); we utilize a low-profile one for ease of fitting under some lower Bugeyes, but you can use whatever style suits you best. What is more important is where on your Bugeye you place the jack when lifting. You NEVER want to use the central crossmember in the front of the car to jack it up, as this area is hollow and not strong enough to withstand the entire weight of the front end balancing on the jack (unless you weld in our plate, of course). You want to place your jack underneath the frame rails on either side of the crossmember; the car is strongest here, and the jack will not damage these areas.

Similarly, in the rear of the car, you want to place the jack underneath the spring plates, NOT anywhere on the floor or rocker panels, as a jack can dent those areas and cause a mess. Placing the jack in the center of the rear axle housing is also a good place to lift the car from with a floor jack. Just make sure you chock your front wheels when picking up the rear end, as there’s nothing to prevent the car from rolling forward when it’s on the jack!

Adhering to these practices when lifting your Bugeye will keep the bottom of your Sprite dent-free, and will also keep you safe!

We’ve been asked many times the proper way to shift… how, when, how often… and so, here is a pair of videos, part two of our series in “How to Shift your Bugeye Sprite” to help anyone who has been curious! Enjoy the ride, featuring “Solo,” our sweet Bugeye we have currently for sale!

Part 1 (above) is an overview of the multiple different ways to downshift, while part 2 (below) focuses on the art of double clutching.

You can see the Spridget transmissions we sell in the links below. But no matter what British classic car is in your stable, we can fix your transmission so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

And don’t forget the cardinal rule… be kind to your gearbox and it will reward you for generations!