The Big Healey Ten-Year Renewal Blog – last update 12/10/2020

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If you scroll down to the October 2018 entry to this Blog you can read about the motivation for what I then called the Ten-Year Renewal Project for my 1960 Austin-Healey BT7. True to my history with this car, everything takes longer than expected! While the care and maintenance of a classic car never ends, now in October 2020 I am going to proclaim that the Renewal Project has come to its conclusion.

The good news is that I have accomplished quite a lot and I am pleased to say that the Bloody Beast is running better than it has ever run while in my ownership, and that covers forty-nine years!

This website has a separate entry for all of the major renewal efforts, so one does not have to read through everything in order to obtain more information about a particular project. However, in no particular order, the following is a summary of all that has been accomplished in the past two years:

  • Greased all suspension, steering and handbrake grease zerks.
  • Installed a fresh smear of white lithium grease on door locks, bonnet catch and boot lock.
  • Checked the ground strap in the boot for tightness.
  • Checked tightness of engine mount and shock damper bolts.
  • Checked rubber boots on on suspension ball joints.
  • Checked king pin wear.
  • Replaced fluids in gearbox, engine, hydraulic system, cooling system, rear differential. Replaced the Penrite oil in the steering box and idler with John Deere Corn Head grease to help prevent leaks.
  • Checked all dash lights for functionality.
  • Checked tightness of prop shaft bolts/nuts at both ends of the shaft.
  • Replaced the oil sump gasket with a neoprene gasket from Tom’s Imports and ceramic coated the aluminum sump.
  • Removed the PCV system components and installed an oil catch can system.
  • Replaced my intake manifold, which had two broken mounting ears due to improper installation, with another good, but used unit, sourced from Michael Salter. Jet-Hot coated the manifold before installation.
  • Cleaned and repainted the carburetor heat shield and refreshed the insulation.
  • Replaced the chromed “Austin-Healey” front shroud badge with a new component as the paint had chipped away on mine.
  • Replaced a leaking RH front Armstrong damper with a newly rebuilt unit from World Wide Auto Imports.
  • Replaced ill-fitting rear rally bumper irons with proper irons sourced from AH Spares. The first set had the bumperettes sitting too far from the rear shroud.
  • Had the HD8 SU carburetors rebuilt with delrin bushings installed by Thomas Bryant. Replaced both fuel bowl floats with nitrophyl floats. Added fuel bowl “Kouzies” from Joe Curto to insulate fuel bowls from exhaust heat and prevent vapor lock.
  • Sealed a persistent oil leak at the rear differential drain plug.
  • Adjusted valve clearances to spec. and sealed the cylinder head stud holes to prevent oil leaks.
  • Replaced the plastic (nylon?) breather fitting on the rear axle with a brass unit sold by Land Rover.
  • Replaced the clutch and brake master cylinders. Inspected the clutch slave cylinder and left it in place. Replace fluid and bled the system.
  • Installed a remote clutch slave cylinder bleeder hose from Ol Phartz Parts.
  • Replaced the original fuse panel with a seven fuse/fourteen terminal unit sourced from Charlie Hart.
  • Fabricated and installed a rear main drip tray below the engine backplate/gearbox to catch oil leaks.
  • Replaced the front cylinder block cover gasket to eliminate an oil leak.
  • Replaced the alternator with a “new” rebuilt unit.
  • Replace the Halogen sealed beam headlights with aftermarket Lucas PL 700 headlights.
  • Replaced the original fuel hose delivery system from the hard fuel line to the carbs with a new design and fittings.
  • Added carburetor ram pipes and ITG air filtration socks.
  • Added an electric pusher fan in front of the radiator.
  • Modified the design of the throttle cable routing to the carburetors from the accelerator pedal.
  • New vinyl for the RH door shut face finisher panel side. Will replace the LH side at a later date.
  • Installed new ignition wires, rotor, and distributor cap and checked the ignition timing.
  • Added a bell housing drain hole for oil leaks from the rear main bearing.
  • Replaced the water pump, mounting studs and gasket, fan belt, and upper and lower radiator hoses. Replaced the stainless steel flex fan with an asymmetric yellow plastic (nylon) fan sourced from AH Spares to reduce noise.
  • Replaced the 195 degree thermostat (for Virginia) with a 160 degree sleeved thermostat (for Florida) sourced from British Car Specialists.
  • Washed, clayed, compounded, polished and waxed the car.

A few things yet to do:

  • Replace rubber in wiper arms.
  • Replace bristle flex draught excluders (door seal) – will complete when hardtop is off the car.

October 2018

It has been approximately ten years since I wrapped up (if you ever really complete a restoration of a Healey) the restoration of the Bloody Beast. He has weathered the ten years quite well – better than me, that is for sure! I have taken good care of the Beast and completed periodic maintenance as one should. There have been a few things along the way that have required attention, such as the failure of the brake master cylinder that led to the replacement of both masters and the clutch slave cylinder while I was at it. However, for the most part, it has simply been fluid changes, tire replacements and etc.

I am sad to report that I have not driven the Healey as much as I should have during the time since I finished the restoration. About a month after I completed the restoration work I drove the Bloody Beast 8,000 miles in a cross-country trip from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to California, up the coast to Victoria, BC and then back to Harrisonburg, VA. Between helping my son with his Bugeye, restoring a 1964 Jaguar MK2, and maintaining the 1987 Alfa, a 1969 MB 280SL and the Porsche in addition to the daily drivers there just wasn’t much time to drive! I am ashamed to say that I only put an additional 2,878 miles on the Healey in the ensuing nine-plus years. Driving, however, is the whole point of having a sports car and that is certainly true for an Austin Healey roadster. My son has now taken the Bugeye to his home. I have sold the Jaguar and the Mercedes. I now intend to spend more time driving the Bloody Beast!

After almost ten years I thought it might be healthy to go over the car carefully and examine the condition of components, check tolerances, and replace items that typically wear – even though they might be in operable condition at the moment. I will be making myself a list of items, that will probably not be in any particular order, and I will undertake some of the work as the list is added too over time. I will gradually need to accumulate parts for the work to be done.

For those who read this post, I hope you will contribute through your comments and make suggestions about anything, but particularly about items that should be added to my ten year renewal list. To be clear, an item on the list, an oil change for example, doesn’t mean that it is only to be done every ten years. I will make entries on this post chronologically as items are accomplished. I will keep a ten year renewal checklist as a separate post and add to it as I think about items to address. I will organize this list based on the categories of the Workshop Manual.

So, lets start this project! The most recent actions are listed first: Ten Year Renewal Blog

Lighting

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Sidelights/Flashers and Tail Lights – We had previously switched the incandescent bulbs in the flasher/side lights and tail lights in favor of LEDs. These are much brighter, consume lower amperage, and produce less heat. This requires replacing the flasher relay can with a substitute suited for LEDs. In our case, the LED flasher relay is incorporated in the Classic Technologies Fuse Box.

License Plate Lights – the original light fixture used two small incandescent bulbs.We converted these to LEDs sourced from Moss Motors.

Headlights – We ordered new headlights from The Bus Depot. Their web site states: “Essentially generic knockoffs of the old Cibie Z-beams, these are tested and certified to meet stringent E-Code and TUV standards.  This means better light distribution and visibility than the cheapo knockoffs sold on Ebay, etc. (which are not E-code and often don’t even come with protective boots on the back). These are direct bolt-on replacements for your stock 7″ sealed-beam headlights; just pop them in and you’re ready to go. They also have curved glass similar to how the sealed-beams looked, whereas most other E-codes have flatter glass that is more common in Europe. (The difference does not affect performance and is just a matter of personal taste, if you care at all.) They also feature a special anti-fogging coating on the insides of the lenses.”

Cibie Headlights

Then we needed to find some LED lights to put in the headlight bodies. After some research we decided on these units from Classic Car LEDs. These were very reasonably priced for what appears to be high quality units.

Classic Car LEDs H4 Mini

Classic Car LEDs

Driving Lights – We have considered, but not decided on, installing Lucas driving lights. Since it is a possibility for the future, the wiring harness has incorporated the wiring for the lights should we desire to add them at a later date. This image shows what they look like once installed.

Lucas Driving Lights

 

Steering Installation

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The steering installation story in the Bugeye has been characterized by fits and starts. This often happens in restorations because systems frequently interfere with the installation of other systems. The new steering rack was first discussed in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Thirty-five: https://vimeo.com/810655660/46123c8339?share=copy The steering rack is a new one purchased from AH Spares. Information related to the steering rack begins at the 5:00 minute point of the video.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-seven shows the installation of the steering components of the car.

Bugeye Steering Components

We almost missed the shim that fits between the chassis crossmember and the passenger side of the steering rack bracket, part number 44 in the diagram above. This shim aligns the steering column through the dash at the correct angle. We sourced a new one from AH Spares.

The trickiest part of installing the steering system was the coordination required with the installation of the dash. We installed the column through the firewall and let it hang loose. We then positioned it through the hole in the dash and gradually moved both the column and dash upward and into position on the car. Only then did we begin to connect the various components of the steering system. The horn cone was installed with its three mounting screws, but with plenty of room to move around as the column shifted position. All parts were loosely fitted to ensure that we didn’t have any binding of the parts as they were assembled.

Dash with zip ties to the body and column in position

In our final installation we had already centered the steering rack and had also threaded the new tie rod ends to the proper location to hopefully result in a rough alignment of the wheels permitting us to roll the car around in the garage. We will find out later if we were successful! Of course, we will align the steering professionally when all is done.

The following points are covered in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-seven:

https://vimeo.com/1010637487/a43c135b98?share=copy

0:00 – Steering column bracket, grommet, and bushings

1:56 – Steering column firewall corrugated grommet

2:18 – Stering rack shims

2:49 – Steering column to steering rack locking bolt

3:00 – Steering rack to chassis brackets installed

3:22 – Steering rack to chassis shim

4:12 – Steering rack bracket bolt torque values

4:22 – Coordinating the dash and steering column installation

4:40 – Final steering components installation sequence

6:19 – Horn cone positioned and secured

7:22 – Testing the steering column connection to the rack

8:20 – Connecting the tie rod ends

9:00 – Steering wheel installed

9:30 – Horn test

 

 

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Dash and Custom Wiring Harness – Part 2

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Before installing the dash we wanted to complete the installation of the front courtesy lights as they are not easy to access without the dash, much less with dash in place. We also completed the wiring and testing for the pedal brake switch that can also be seen in the photo below.

LH front courtesy light

We then covered the front aluminum cockpit molding with our red vinyl and installed it on the body. It looks quite handsome.

front cockpit molding vinyl covered

Just to add a touch of bling to our work the chrome rear view mirror went on next. Two chrome oval head #10-32 x 5/8″ machine screws secure the mirror to the captured nuts in the body.

Rear View Mirror

We then added the rear cockpit molding:

Rear cockpit molding

We then installed the LH demister hose to the elbow and nozzle vent. We will be using an AFR gauge to assist with tuning but do not plan to leave it in the car permanently so we ran a red wire from fuse position #19 in our fuse box, through the firewall an into the interior. This wire can be easily removed after we finish tuning.

We then began the actual installation of the dash with all of its wiring, gauges, switches and etc. in place. We had seen a tip on the internet to make this task easier. That is to use large zip ties to support the corners of the dash. This allows easy access from above for mating Deutsch connectors, finishing up with a few loose wires and for running cables through the dash and the firewall. As it turned out, it was a great tip and made the job quite a bit easier than it might have otherwise been.

Dash with zip ties to the body

We could then gradually tighten the zip ties and move the dash closer to the body. Ultimately, we cut the zip ties and inserted the 1/4″-28 – 1″ hex head bolts and tightened each corner.

Care must be taken with three items 1. one must keep an eye on the steering shaft so that it remains free in the column bezel. 2. There are two braces under the dash that secure the dash to the firewall. The braces must be above the lip that they mount to on the firewall before the dash to body bolts go in on the corners, otherwise they are difficult to properly position. This is especially true in our case since the braces serve as the platform for our supplementary switch panel behind the dash. 3. Routing the capillary tube for the water temperature gauge and the copper pipe for the oil pressure must be approached cautiously to avoid damage to either.

The installation of the individual items associated with the dash is covered in the attached video. Once we had the dash in place we began testing all of our circuits. Everything seems to functioning properly! A major achievement in the process toward assembling the Bugeye.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-six:

https://vimeo.com/1006256130/a0a01395e3?share=copy

0:00 – Front courtesy lights connected

0:21 – Brake light wiring

1:11 – Covering and installing the aluminum cockpit molding

2:56 – Rear view mirror installed

3:18 – Rear cockpit molding installed

3:50 – LH demister hose installed

4:00 – Temporary AFR gauge wiring installed

4:22- Dash wiring and installation

8:00 – Zip tying the dash to the car

8:47 – Wiper controller rheostat installed

9:07 – Water temperature & oil pressure gauge & pipes installed

10:00 – Windscreen washer pump hoses and wiring connected

10:19 – Brake wiring connected

10:48 – Started cable installed

11:05 – Heater switch installed & wires connected

11:12 – Choke cable installed

11:24 – RH ground bus bar wiring

11:39 – Dash to body mounting bolts and braces

12:08 – Electrical circuit testing begins

 

 

 

 

Fancy Battery Box and Cables

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We purchased a fiberglass battery box from Tom Colby’s Speedwell Engineering. The box is nicely made and comes with a high quality rubber strap to secure the top to the box. The strap ends connect to the original Bugeye brackets. We had the box painted in Cotswold Blue to match the car.

Fancy Box with Positive Cable

We then made our positive cable that connects to the starter switch and the negative cable that is secured to the firewall. The positive cable is just a modified NAPA red cable and the negative cable is a car stereo cable that is extremely flexible.

Negative Cable

Buseye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-four shows the installation process for the battery box:https://vimeo.com/1002028718/c25503bd0f?share=copy

0:00 – Box installtion

2:13 – Battery cables

Interior Insulation and Panel Install

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We will be using two types of insulation in the Bugeye. Dynamite Extreme will be applied directly to the metal surfaces in the interior. Then an aluminum duct insulation material sourced from Lowes will be applied on top of the Dynamite. Aluminum tape will be used to seal any seams in the materials.

We began this process with the installation of the Dynamite Extreme on the interior of the firewall. This is a little tedious because one first needs to make a template to account for all of the holes in the firewall. The matching holes in the dynamat need to be of a larger diameter than the corresponding firewall holes to account for the rubber grommet that will fit in each hole.

Firewall Dynamite Extreme Template

A small applicator wheel was used to press and smooth the Dynamat material against the metal surface. A Gorilla Glue spray contact cement was used to glue the aluminum insulation to the Dynamat. 

We then began the installation of the Dynamat Extreme and aluminum insulation throughout the interior. The first location was the driveshaft tunnel after we installed the handbrake.

Dynamat Extreme and aluminum insulation on propshaft tunnel

Then we moved to the floorboards in the footbox.

LH footbox insulation

Both sides

We tackled the gearbox tunnel next. It isn’t very large but lots of angles and curves so it took a while to complete.

Gearbox Tunnel with Dynamat and Aluminum Insulation

Gearbox Tunnel with Dynamat and Aluminum Insulation

The next area to address was the box around the gearbox bell housing and the rear of the engine. This consists of three surfaces that are covered with upholstered panels. On these three surfaces we chose to use only Dynamat Extreme and to forgo the aluminum insulation. The concern was that we would not be able to get a tight fit with the intersection of the panels. The stainless steel finishing screws and trim cup washers were supplied by Bugeyeguys.com.

We installed the Dynamat and the upholstered panel on the front central face of the box first.

Center Panel Install

Then we worked on the RH passenger side:

RH Dynamat Install

RH Upholstered Panel Install

The we moved to the LH driver’s side insulation and panel install:

LH driver’s side insulation install

LH driver’s side upholstered panel Install

On both of the outside kick panels in the footboys we had to do some trimming to get a nice fit to the fur flex seal. This involves pulling back the vinyl, trimming the board and re-glueing the vinyl.

Footbox panel modification

This is a photo of the modified panel installed. Very nice abutment to the fur flex. The upper mounting screw is a #10 machine screw mounted to a rivnut that was previously installed.This was done on both sides of the car to prevent a sharp pointed self-tapping screw from protruding into the door cavity.

LH Footbox panel installed

Rivnut for upper mount of the kick panel

Installing the RH kick panel was next. The wiring made this one a bit of a challenge but we got it in place.

RH kickpanel installed

There will be more to add to this post as we continue with the installation of the insulation and finish panels but we are going to go ahead and publish this now and will add more content as progress is made. Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-three covers the work done with the interior insulation and panel installation to this point and it’s content is listed below:

https://vimeo.com/1000378868/cb7b3558a6?share=copy

0:00 – Cleaning floorboards

0:20 – RH side blanking screws

0:39 – Dynamat Extreme installed

1:01 – Aluminum insulation installed

1:30 – Insulation on gearbox tunnel installed

1:35 – Dynamat Extreme insulation on gearbox tunnel

1:52 – Aluminum insulation on gearbox tunnel

2:22 – Engine surround insulation and panel install

 

Custom Wiring Harness Installation – Part One

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We sent our custom made wiring harness to Rhode Island Wiring Services to have the harness covered with a cloth braid using a royal blue double tracer. The cost was $5.25 per foot with an $8.00 machine set-up fee. We were very pleased with the results. Pardon the messy work bench – it gets that way from time to time!

Cloth Braided Wiring Harness

Previous posts cover the creation and circuit testing of the harness:

A new electrical system – https://valvechatter.com/?p=13986

Building and Testing the New Wiring Harness – https://valvechatter.com/?p=14061

JWR Bugeye Wiring Diagrams: https://valvechatter.com/?p=14067

Finally, the time has arrived to install the harness in the car. The first step was to get the end of the harness though the firewall grommet. Not easy with the Deutsch connectors attached, but we got them through.

Harness through the firewall grommet

The next step was to connect the three wires in the harness to the small power supply fuse box. One thirty amp wire feeds the Ignition bank in the fuse box, the other thirty amp wire feeds the accessory bank in the fuse box and the fifteen amp wire feeds the lights bank in the fuse box.

Power supply fuse box

Then it was a matter of connecting the wires to the four banks of fused terminal positions in the Classic Technologies relay/fuse box.

Fuse Box Wiring

We pulled all of the fuses in the two fuse boxes and will add them back one at a time as we test the circuits upon final installation.

fuse installation with ratings

Next, we turned to the group of wires that run to the front of the car along the RH valance. Wiring for the coil, the hydraulic brake switch, the radiator fan, the radiator fan thermostat, the horns and the lights are in this bundle.

Wiring harness on RH Valance

We used stainless steel clips to secure the wires to the valance. A smaller 3/8″ clip will be used to route the capillary tube for the water temperature gauge and sensor.

Stainless steel wiring clips

We made a little bracket to support an 8-pin Deutsch connector at the front of the valance. This connector will mate with an 8-pin bonnet connector to deliver power to the headlights, flashers, running lights and auxiliary driving lights if we decide to mount them.

8 pin Deutsch Connector

We then installed the twin Hella horns and made the wiring connections. This did involve using a four way bullet connector to receive and supply power to both horns. A double spade connector was used to facilitate the wiring connections for the ground wires.

Horns Wiring

Hella horns installed with wiring and custom cover

The next wiring connections to be made were for the wiper motor. Duestch connector “H” is used to connect the wires from the wiper motor to the Wiper Controller mounted behind the dash. The three wires, encased in shrink tubing, come through the firewall. The green wire connects to wiper motor terminal #2 and the green/black wire connects to terminal #1. A black ground wire connects to terminal #3.

Wiper Motor Wiring Connections

The next item to wire was the ignition coil. The yellow/green wire from the harness connects to the (-) terminal of the coil. The white wire from the harness connects to the (+) terminal of the coil.

Ignition Coil Wiring

The heater blower has two black wires from the fan motor. One of those wires is connected to a yellow wire from the harness with a spade connector. The other black wire is ground and is screwed to the chassis.

Heater blower wiring

The hydraulic brake switch is mounted on the RH engine bay valance. A teal green wire and a brown/green wire from the harness connect to the two screw terminals on the switch.

Hydraulic brake switch wiring

The brake pedal brake switch is a custom addition to the Bugeye. Details on the switch and its mounting bracket are highlighted in another post: https://valvechatter.com/?p=14351

Two wires from the harness, a green wire and a dark green/orange wire, come through the grommet in the LH footbox near the dipper switch and connect to the switch at the pedal.

Brake Pedal brake switch wiring

The Dipper switch wiring was completed next. We had a little issue on this because we cut two of the wires a little too short requiring the use of bullet connectors to add length to the wiring to the switch. However, while space was tight, we were able to make all of the necessary connections.

There are three terminals on the dipper switch. A power-in terminal, a low-beam terminal, and a high-beam terminal. One has to look closely to find it but the power-in terminal is marked with an arrow on the switch molding. The blue wire from the harness connects to this terminal via a bullet connector.

The blue/red wire is connected via a bullet connector to a blue/green wire (ran out of blue/red) and then to one of the remaining switch terminals – it doesn’t matter which one.

Three wires connect to the remaining terminal on the switch. The blue/white wire is for high beam operation, the green wire is for the high beam warning light in the speedometer, and the blue/yellow wire is routed to the toggle switch under the dash for the driving lights. These three wires connect together via a four way bullet connector, with one blue/yellow wire then connecting to the terminal on the switch. A bit confusing, but the photo helps.

Dipper switch wiring

The fuel pump wiring connections were then made. The teal/purple wire from the harness was connected to the black wire at the Facet pump with a spade connector, and the white/purple wire from the harness was connected to the SU pump with a spade connector 

Dual fuel pumps wiring connections

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty shows the installation of the front and rear harnesses: https://vimeo.com/998221034/30174c4eea?share=copy

The contents of this episode include the following:

0:00 – Braided wiring harness received

0:30 – Begin wiring harness installation

0:58 – Power distribution fuse box

1:48 – Fuse ratings

1:58 – Wiring to Classic Technologies fuse box

2:33 – Wiring clips on the RH engine bay valance

2:40 – Deutsch connector for wiring the bonnet

3:30 – Wiring connections to the horns

5:08 – Horns wiring cover

5:30 – Hydraulic brake switch wiring connected

5:45 – Ignition coil wiring connections

6:05 – Heater blower wiring connections

6:26 – Alternator wires to be connected later

6:32 – Connector “F” wiring to the RH courtesy lights and brake lights

7:30 – Brake pedal brake switch wiring connections

7:55 – Dipper Switch wiring bracket

8:54 – Brake pedal switch wiring tested

9:02 – Accelerator pedal assembly temporary installation

9:20 – Wiper controller installation

9:30 – RH demister elbow and tubing installation

10:30 – Wiring harness to the rear of the car installed

11:18 – Fuel pumps wiring connections

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wiring to the Bonnet

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The wiring for the lights in the bonnet is routed through the “J” Deutsch connector that is located in the chassis next to the horns. The individual wires are connected to the bonnet harness using bullet connectors. These are seen in the Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Sixty-six

https://vimeo.com/997550566/c57d5ae6dc?share=copy

 

Odds and Ends

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Odds and Ends

This post covers a number of different and varied topics and they are presented in no particular order. 

The Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Seventy-nine covers the full range of items addressed in this post: https://vimeo.com/996056168/94d2be9bab?share=copy

The long list of subjects covered by this video is detailed below:

0:00 – Bonnet rubber buffer installation

0:12 – Firewall rubber grommet installation

0:17 – Jacking point rubber plug

0:24 – RH footbox steering shaft blanking grommet

0:45 – Brake pipes installation completed

2:25 – Power distribution fuse box installation

2:50 – Slave cylinder access rubber plug installation

3:18 – Interior footbox sill rubber plugs installation

3:40 – Windscreen spray jets installation

4:15 – Windscreen washer reservoir and holder installation

4:40 – Windscreen washer hose installation

5:30 – Wiper rack installation

5:48 – Wiper motor installed

6:18 – Firewall aluminum heat insulation installation

6:52 – Anti-rattle rubber pad for wiper rack

8:03 – Wiper motor installed again

9:40 – Fuel filler pipe seal installation

10:28 – Viper ignition coil installation

10:40 – Fan blower and heater box installation

12:59 – RH radiator brace and air duct  installation

13:25 – LH radiator brace installation

13:40 – Demister vents installation

14:18 – Heater vent hinged doors installation

14:47 – Lift-a-dot fastener installation

15:55 – Tenax and turnbuckle fastener installation

18:06 – Self-tapping lift-a-dot fastener installation 

Bits and Bobs

Demister Elbows. We installed a few more items on the car. The demister elbows were a couple of easy items to install.We also installed the demister hose on the RH passenger side of the car just to check fit with the windscreen wiper controller.

Demister elbow

The coolant overflow tank was the next item to mount on the car. It is located on the LH radiator brace. 

Coolant Overflow Tank

We were going to paint the bottle cap a color to signify that the container was for coolant and not a oil catch can, but we found this little sticker to go on the cap that will work just fine.

Coolant cap decal

Then we added the bonnet rubber buffers. These buffers sit on aluminum blocks and are secured to the car with one #10 -32 x 1/2″ machine screws with washers. There is also a steel bushing or spacer inside the rubber buffer to keep it from compressing too much.

Bonnet Rubber Buffers

We then installed our fancy battery box sourced from Speedwell Engineering. A further explanation of the box and the installation process may be seen in a post made under the “Personalizations” category: https://valvechatter.com/?p=14483.

Fancy Box with Positive Cable

It was then time to install the rear license plate body plinth and light. This was a pretty straight forward job with little difficulty with satisfying results. These are the components involved:

Plinth and Lamp

Partial assembly with LED lights:

License Plate Light with LEDs

Final Installation:

Final Installation

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Eighty-five shows the installation process:

https://vimeo.com/1002052489/b28c484815?share=copy

Our next project was the installation of the front cockpit aluminum trim. In our case the trimis not polished or anodized but instead is covered with vinyl matching the interior. We used contact cement to secure the trim piece to the vinyl and mounted the finished product to the body shell with nine oval head #10-32 x 3/4″ machine screws. The two outside screws will ultimately be used along with a “P” clip to secure the bristle flex trim for the doors openings. 

Vinyl Covered Aluminum Cockpit Trim

Sometimes adding a little chrome bling just needs to be done, so we added our chrome rear view mirror purchased from Bugeye guys. It is fastened to the body with two stainless oval head #10-32 x 1/2″ machine screws.

Rear View Mirror Installed

Continuing the theme of attaching more shiny parts to the car, we mounted the rear cockpit molding. We used chrome oval head #10-32 x 3/4″ and 5/8″ to fasten the strip of aluminum to the body. Unlock nuts were used to keep things tight and in place.

Rear cockpit molding

We want to use our AFR gauge to help with initial tuning after we get the car on the road so we added a temporary red wire parallel to the main harness from fuse position #19 in the Classic technologies relay/fuse box. We will pull out the wire once we have the car running the way we like!

Temporary Red Wire for AFR Gauge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear Suspension, Axle and Fuel Tank Install

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The Bugeye’s rear springs as originally configured had 15 leaves. the only commonly available leaf spring for the bugeye now is a 10 leaf “Rally Spec” spring. This spring is stiffer and causes the car body to ride higher. The solution to that issue is to use five or six degree wedges or shims under the spring at the spring perch. Tom Colby of Speedwell Engineering also recommends removing three of the leaves in the Rally Spec spring to give an improved ride. We decided to give Tom’s suggestion a try and details of the modification are included in the Bugeye Restoration Video Sixty-four below. We also installed some stainless steel dust shields at the opening of the spring perch to prevent the area from becoming a dirt trap and rust promoter. After the installation of the rear leaf springs, the rear shock brackets were mounted to the chassis.

https://vimeo.com/989814778/55abef9a4c?share=copy

 

Leaf Springs and Brakes

We are using Bilstein tube shocks in the rear. These were available as a kit from Udo Putzke, but are now offered by Steve Kirby. http://www.fahrspassforhealey.com The kit is fairly easy to install but one does need to be sure to get all of the required spacers in the proper place. The instructions supplied with the kit are not well detailed but they sufficed.Bugey Bilstien shock installation

We then secured the radius arms at their upper mounting point on the chassis.

Before things got crowded, we installed the exhaust hanger that bolts to the rear bulkhead. Two 5/16″ – 24 x 5/8″ hex head bolts with split washers secure the hanger.

We then moved to mounting the rear axle assembly to the chassis. The rear axle assembly was addressed in a previous post: https://valvechatter.com/?p=13569 Several videos referenced in this post describe all that was involved in restoring the axle including a switch to a 3.99 rear differential and the addition of larger rear drum brakes.

Rear Axle assembly

We placed the axle assembly on a floor jack and rolled it under the car and then carefully raised it into position. The axle is linked to the chassis by first connecting the lower mounts of the radius arms. A bushing must be used on the inside of the arm and a special bolt is used to secure the arm to the axle. An extension magnet is helpful in positioning the spacer. Once the radius arms are attached, the axle can be pushed over the eyes of the leaf springs and another special bolt is then used to attach the spring and the axle. That’s it – four bolts attach the axle to the car!

Rear Axle Installed

 

It will need to be adjusted later, but we went ahead an attached the handbrake cable to its fittings mounted on the axle.

Handbrake and Cable

With the axle in place we were then able to mount the fuel tank to the underside of the car. Six 5/16″-24 studs are located on the underside of the car and these line up with six holes on the tank. Once in position flat washers, split washers and hex nuts were put in place to mount the tank. Care must be taken to route the wire (with heat shrink tubing around it) that connects to the fuel tank sender, between the tank and the bottom of the car. The wire then goes through a rubber grommet in the floor to the boot where it will connect with a wire that travels to the fuel gauge. We also added as an extra precaution a black ground wire from one of the screws on the sender body to a ground connection on one of the tank mounting studs.

Fuel Tank Installed

Finally, we attached the fuel pipe from the fuel pump to the fuel tank at the tank, and installed the Goodridge Stainless Steel flexible brake hose linking the rear axle brake pipe union to the brake hard pipe running to the front of the car.

All of these assembly and mounting steps may be viewed in the Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Seventy-five: https://vimeo.com/989702527/e946c7dc29?share=copy

0:00 – Rear shock brackets and tube shocks are installed

1:45 – The LH rear spring dust shield and the U bolt are installed

3:00 – The rear axle is mounted under the car

4:45 – The exhaust hanger is installed

5:37 – The fuel tank is installed

6:50 – the Goodridge stainless steel brake hose is installed

 

Handbrake Installation

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We had previously refurbished the handbrake assembly. This was detailed 24:23 minutes into the Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-two. https://vimeo.com/832369002/c87fd61c10?share=copy..  Further handbrake restoration was highlighted at the very beginning of Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-four. https://vimeo.com/842617175/d7a040b143?share=copy

Before we could actually install the handbrake we applied Dynamat Extreme sound insulation to the propshaft tunnel and then glued aluminum duct insulation to the Dynamat Extreme for added heat insulation. We then glued some red vinyl to the area around the handbrake bracket.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-eight shows the application of the insulation and the mountng of the handbrake assembly to the tunnel. Once the Rear axle is installed we will connect the handbrake cable to the brake cross rods. https://vimeo.com/986085408/43c579f77a?share=copy