BugEyeGuys – Page 57

Dust Busting

November 18, 2022 by bugeyeguy

This week, we received the photo below of a Bugeye car getting some bodywork done, and much to our dismay, the entire dashboard and beautiful recent wooden steering wheel are still in the car as shown, coated with a special breed of bodyshop dust. Body filter, once sanded and airborne, tends to permeate everything, especially electrical equipment and mechanical Smiths gauges.

Everything can be cleaned, but I worry about the guts of the already finicky horn push, the pull cables that already have more friction than we might like, basically anything that has to move… all this stuff was engineered more than 60 years ago and we’d like to give it all the highest probability of great longevity. Evil permeating dust is not reccomended.

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Can You Drive A Concours Gold Certified Car? (NEW VIDEO)

November 18, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Of course you can! Not only can you drive a concours Bugeye, but you can have quite a bit of fun with one, too! In the short video below, taken down the street from the shop at our local train station, you can see Betty, our Concours gold 1960 Bugeye, going through her paces. This is what it would have looked like to corner with a 100% stock Bugeye on bias ply ply tires in 1960 if you threw her into the turns with gusto; it’s good fun, analog, basic, simple, and very entertaining!

Good Fun With Betty!

Betty is still for sale as of this writing, you can see the full listing by clicking below on her photo!

Fun 1275 1960 Bugeye Driver For Sale!

November 17, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Laura in Florida! Congratulations on taking home our 373rd Bugeye!

This is a Bugeye we call “Curly” (AN5L 32514). This is a great option for anyone looking for a great driver, as we have already sorted out a number of issues and upgraded a number of systems. A great color, with a lot of recent service, makes Curly a great choice for anyone looking for a Bugeye for under $25,000!

Curly came to us after a stay in Wisconsin, and after some mechanical refreshments to help bring it back to life, this great car is now ready for its next home!

In the past few weeks, we have updated many items on Curly in an effort to make it run and drive well. This included installing an aluminum radiator, replacing all the brake and clutch hydraulics, new shocks, new dog bones, and more! Curly now drives well and will be a wonderful cruiser for its next owner!

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Wonderful Restored 1275, Front Disc Brake Bugeye Sprite For Sale

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Tom in California! Congratulations on giving our 374th Bugeye a happy home!

If you are looking for a top-shelf Bugeye that has all the right modifications to keep up with modern traffic, “Kasey” is a great choice! AN5L 46944 is a 1960 Bugeye and she is in exceptional shape. This is a very nice restoration, with great body lines, great paint and a handsome interior. We’ve just gone through and serviced the car to prepare it for the new owner, with new hydraulics and a new electronic fuel pump. We have made the car run beautifully, and with the 1275 engine currently on board, this car drives beautifully with upgraded power!

The transmission is a ribbed case four-speed. HS2 carbs are present, and tuned, fit with K & N lifetime air filters. A high output starter is fit, as is a spin on oil filter and front sway bar. All great options!

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“Socket” To Me! (This Week’s Tech Tip, From Nick)

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Electrical upkeep is a very important component of classic car ownership. After 60 years of dirt, dust, snow, rain, heat, and cold, electrical components, such as light sockets, fuse blocks, and even entire wiring harnesses, deteriorate and become not only non-functional, but also a fire hazard. British cars have a particularly sketchy reputation when it comes to their Lucas electrical systems; mechanics and owners alike either swear by their designs or detest them. I personally believe that if they are maintained properly, the Lucas electrical systems found in a Bugeye are just as reliable as any other. The issue is that most of the time a car comes through our shop, the maintenance has either not been performed at all or was performed incorrectly.

We removed these turn signal sockets from a client’s Bugeye this week. Blue Painter’s tape is NOT a safe insulator for electrical sockets.

A perfect example of this comes from one of our projects this week. I cannot begin to quantify how many times we have seen amateur electrical work performed on Bugeye wiring systems, with some particularly creative solutions being deployed in times past. The work in question in this post revolves around the turn signal sockets in the nose. Due to their loacation low in the bonnet, these sockets are frequently the source of corrosion, which causes them to stop functioning. This is undoubtedly what happened here, as whomever did the work last replaced the sockets with new ones. Unfortunately, as the pictures above and below suggest, they did not do it properly.

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Project Cars Revisited! Two Bugeye Projects To Sink Your Teeth Into!

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

This week I would like to bring back to the forefront two great winter project candidates. Each of these Bugeyes are great starting points! One of these cars is a running, driving car with a 1275 engine that is in need of floor pan repairs, and the other is a completely blank slate which can be transformed into the Sprite of your dreams! Take a look at each car below and give us a call if you are interested!

This Frogeye called “Fuller” (AN5 47899) is a 1960 running and driving project Bugeye. This is a good looking car that was a stalled restoration when we got it, and we got it running so we could find it a new home. The foundation has been laid and Fuller now runs and drives with a new master cylinder and good brakes. The 1275 engine runs strong! Paint is quite good! Read more here!

This is a Bugeye we call “Fritz” (AN5L 32663). Fritz is a rolling project that came to us from Iowa. A restoration was started long ago but didn’t really get off the ground and has sat for some time, waiting for a new lease on life. If you’re looking for a “blank slate” starting point for a Bugeye build, this is the car for you! This past week, we cleaned out the car and made a brand-new walkaround video so you can better understand this project. It has a lot of potential! Read more here!

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