Category Archives: Bugeye Restoration

Fuel Pumps, Fuel and Brake Pipes and License Plate

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The Bugeye began life with a 948 cc four cylinder motor that had a mechanical fuel pump mounted to the engine block. We converted to an electronic SU negative ground 12 volt fuel pump years ago and it was mounted in the engine bay. Then we mounted the pump in the rear of the car as outlined in an earlier post: https://valvechatter.com/?p=13599

SU electronic fuel pump negative earth

The SU pump was sourced from AH Spares in the UK. After acquiring the Michigan body shell we decided to modify the fuel delivery system yet again to incorporate a redundant electronic pump to have a ready back up in the case of a pump failure. The back up pump was sourced from Pegasus Racing and it is a Facet Cylindrical pump rated at 2.75-4 psi.

Facet Cylindrical 2.75-4 PSI Negative earth electronic fuel pump

The two pumps are installed in series and will be wired with a toggle switch permitting the selection of either pump or no pump at all – an effective theft deterrent. Nut serts (1/4″-20) were installed in the rear bulkhead to serve as mounting points for the rubber isolators, also purchased from Pegasus, that fit between the bulkhead and the pumps. 

A new stainless steel pre-bent fuel pipe was purchased from Summit Racing, modified to accommodate the new pump setup and installed in the car.

The Cunifer (nickel/copper alloy) brake pipes were completed and trial fitted to the car. In a few places this required cutting pipe and making bubble flares on the end of the pipe. Bubble flares are similar to but not the same a double flares.

Lastly, nut serts were installed in the existing holes in the back of the body for the license plate and the plate was also fir to the car.

All of these actions are shown in detail in Bugeye Restoration Video Fifty-one: https://vimeo.com/884536057/11e607b366?ts=0&share=copy

 

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The New Body Shell Arrives

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It took about five months from the time we first learned about the Bugeye body shell in Michigan until we finally got the car delivered to our home in Florida! The travel arrangements got a little complicated but the important thing is that the we now have the car in the garage to begin work. The delivery could not have happened without the assistance of best friend Gregor Henricks who lives in Davison, NC. Thank you, Gregor!

This short Bugeye Restoration Video Forty-eight provides a little coverage of the delivery of the car to Florida:  https://vimeo.com/874909698/b7163d46c5?ts=0&share=copy

After some time away from home to attend family events in Virginia, we were able to complete a visual inspection of the “new” shell. It looks remarkably good and we are quite pleased with the purchase. However, we are a little puzzled at one aspect of the car. The gearbox cover is missing the mounting holes for the gearbox mount. The reinforcement metal is there but the holes on either side are missing. The inspection hole for filling the Sprite gearbox is also missing. This is not an issue as we are using a Datsun 210 five speed and would not find the access hole useful anyway. We will have to figure out how to properly measure and drill the two gearbox mount holes. Upon consulting with a few knowledgeable contributors to the Austin-Healey Experience Sprite Forum, we are thinking that the gearbox cover may have been replaced with a later 1500 MG Midget cover? That cover would be structurally the same but without the holes we are missing. More research will be done.

The following Bugeye Restoration Video Forty-nine doesn’t include any restoration work. It is simply a “walk-around” inspection of the shell: https://vimeo.com/873995797/369cff0121?share=copy

Now the fun begins!

Preparing for Engine Start

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As has been stated previously, our plan is to start the engine and getting it running reasonably well before we put it back in the car. We were experiencing an oil leak from the front of the engine and suspected the timing chain cover or the crank seal, so we decided to pull the cover and replace both the gasket and seal. While we were at it we freshened up the paint and upon reinstalling the cover we used a custom reinforcement plate for the cover that serves to spread the load evenly to create a better gasket seal. 

One has to remove the water pump fan pulley to loosen and remove the fan belt. Alternatively, the same could be accomplished with slacking off the alternator but in our case the water pump pulley was easy. The tab on the crank bolt tab washer was bent back and an impact driver was used to loosen the bolt. After the bolt and washer were removed the pulley slipped right off. 

The 1275 “A” series engine originally came with a crank pulley but at some point in time that pulley was replaced with an harmonic balancer that is commonly sold by the major parts vendors. The balancer has a rubber component that helps with vibration and it is, obviously, balanced. Evidence of the balancing is clear in the drilling of the balancer face. The harmonic balancer is deeper than the original pulley which results in the tab washer not having any purchase or key to retain it. To compensate, there is a flat on the balancer face that permits the punching downward of the washer face to create a flat to prevent rotation.  This is demonstrated in the accompanying video.

A combination of 5/16″-24 and 1/4″-28 hex bolts with lock washers is used to fasten the timing cover to the engine.

Timing Chain Cover Mounting Bolts

The video also shows the “massaging” of the bolt holes in the face of the timing chain cover to ensure a flat surface before mounting to the engine. A steel flat edge is used to determine that a flat face is realized. The old crank shaft seal was removed and a new seal was installed with the open “spring-side” of the seal toward the engine. A light smear of oil on the seal was all that was required and it was tapped into place with a piece of wood and light hammering. The face of the engine was carefully cleaned with a razor blade and brake cleaner.

The oil slinger was never removed but if it is in your case, it should be reinstalled properly. There is an “F” stamped in the face of the slinger and it faces “front” toward the radiator – away from the engine.

The gasket was then secured to the cover with Gasgacinch and a black RTV was lightly used on the face of the gasket to the engine. A couple of the upper short bolts were then loosely mounted and the cover was lightly pressed against the engine face. Before tightening the cover the pulley was reinstalled on the crank shaft and the cover was adjusted a bit to ensure that it was centered.

The timingchain cover reinforcement plate sourced from John Howell at Britcarfixes https://www.britcarfixes.com was then installed. This is a very nice high-quality product with very complete instructions.

Britcarfixes Reinforcement Plate

We found it easiest to put a little grease on the bolt spacers to hold them to the face of the cover and we could then easily hold the plate in place and insert the mounting bolts. Our ignition timing pointer was used in place of the bolt supplied by John. After wiggling the cover again to make sure it was centered on the crank shaft, each of the bolts was tightened by hand and the torqued to 8-10 ft. lbs.

The harmonic balancer tab washer was then reinstalled and the crank bolt was finger-tightened to the crank. The tab washer was then wiggled a bit to ensure that it was centered on the lip of the bolt and the bolt was then tightened to 70 ft. lbs. To do so, we removed the starter and slid a pry bar between some teeth in the ring gear of the flywheel. This held the crank in place while we tighten to the 70 lbs.

Holding the flywheel to prevent crankshaft turning

 

We then used a punch and hammer to press down the washer along the harmonic balancer flat (pointed out in the video) and then used a chisel to bend part of the washer up against a flat on the bolt to keep everything in place. Finally, we reinstalled the water pump fan pulley, the fan belt, the radiator and its hoses and the electric fan.

The following Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-seven shows the process involved in replacing the timing chain cover gasket and crank seal:

https://vimeo.com/867751162/aeb5d81346?ts=0&share=copy

Moving on to Fueling and Ignition

Next we moved on to some other aspects of preparing the engine for starting. To use the single HIF 44 carburetor we obviously had to change the intake manifold and that was sourced from Maniflow in the U.K. https://maniflow.co.uk/index.php?view=category&category=162

This particular manifold must be used to lower the carb thus preventing it from conflicting with the Sprite bonnet when closed. After receiving the manifold, we sent it to Jet-Hot Coating https://www.jet-hot.com/thermal-barrier  to receive their classic ceramic finish and it looks amazing!

Maniflow 1 3/4″ Intake Manifold Jet-Hot Coated

Just to see how things will look we installed the new intake, the tired exhaust headers (that will get the Jet-Hot treatment eventually), as well as the carb heat shield, gaskets and spacer. These will be featured in a future video that will be included in this post once we receive the carb from the U.K. As shown in the photos below, the sequencing order of the gaskets, spacer, and heat shield is incorrect but will be changed before the carb is mounted. The proper sequencing beginning at the manifold is gasket, phenolic spacer, gasket, heat shield, gasket, carb.

New Intake Assembly Mounted

New Intake Assembly Mounted

Until a little later…..

 

Building an Engine Starting Stand

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In this video we build an engine starting stand. We decided to do this because we will be changing the pair of HS2 SU carbs currently on the car for a single SU HIF 44 carb. This obviously means that a change in the intake manifold is also required. The new manifold was sourced from Maniflow in England, but is not shown in the video because at the time the video was made the intake was being coated by Jet-Hot. We will also be switching from the 25D Lucas distributor to an electronic unit that is yet to arrive.  

Another big motivator for going ahead with the engine stand is that the engine and gearbox are already out of the car, so easy-peasy!

There is also a leak from the timing chain cover that will need to be fixed and this way we will be able to run the engine to determine if we resolved the problem. If a second attempt is required, it will be much easier to fix while the engine is out of the car.

While final tuning needs to be done when the engine is under load, the engine run-in stand will allow us easy access for initial tuning. After constructing the stand from wood we then added the components necessary to start and run the engine. The ignition switch, starter button and starter solenoid from a Big Healey were utilized in the build. An analog engine analyzer was incorporated to primarily provide a tachometer function when testing and tuning the engine. A pair of Harbor Freight moving dollies were used to enable wheeling the new stand around the garage. The exhaust including the muffler will be attached when it is time to start the completed engine.

This view of the stand shows the installation of the radiator and an electric cooling fan. For test purposes the engine-driven mechanical fan is removed. Since the heater is not part of this system, a 1/2″ section of heater hose is used to connect the water valve and the return pipe.

Radiator and fan on engine stand

This view shows “Mission Control.” The panel includes the engine analyzer/tachometer, the keyed ignition switch, starter switch, charging warning light, the water temperature and oil pressure gauge, and toggle switches for the radiator electric fan and the electric fuel pump.

Mission Control

In this view most of the components required to start the engine are visible: the battery, starter solenoid, fuse panel, ground bus bar, fuel pump and hose, ignition coil and distributor are all visible.

Engine Starting Components

The intake manifold, the new carburetor, and the exhaust still need to be added.

Intake, Carb and Exhaust to be Added

 

This is our wiring schematic. All of the electrical circuits have been checked but anyone interested in building a similar plan should develop their own wiring plan. This worked for us, but may not work for you.

Mission Control

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-six provides a visual summary of the engine stand construction: https://vimeo.com/864520391/1954686c70?ts=0&share=copy

Smiths Heater Refurbishment & Trial Fitting

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In a Bugeye engine bay, the Smiths heater box and blower are quite prominent so it is important that in addition to functioning well, they also look good! This Episode Forty-five video of the Bugeye Restoration shows the refurbishment process. The original plan was to use the heater box that was in the car, but in the end we decided to replace the box with a unit manufactured by Ashley Hinton in the UK. 

The matrix was flushed and checked for leaks and the blower motor was tested. The unit is now ready for installation in the car.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-five: https://vimeo.com/860319039/8d4bcf8c4c?share=copy

Upon initial fitting of the heater box it was quickly evident that the heater box was sitting too low relative to the blower fan unit. In our case we are using a blower unit that was originally in a big Healey, the heater box as previously stated is a new reproduction made by Ashley Hinton and the previous owner installed a new battery shelf so it is difficult to say where the misalignment may have originated. Perhaps a combination of all three!

At any rate, we had some 1/8″ black ABS plastic sheet laying around the garage so we cut three pieces to size and then glued them together with ABS glue. We then used a 1 5/8″ drill hole saw and a saber saw to cut the air circulation hole in the center of the new shim plate. To this we attached 1/2″ closed-cell rubber adhesive-backed insulation and screwed the shim to the bottom of the heater box. We were then able to bring the components into alignment when mounted on the car.

ABS plastic shim

The dashboard heater switch was installed in the dash and connected to the blower fan. once connected to a 12 volt power source we were able to successfully test the switch and blower motor. 

Finally, we installed a 10-32 nut sert into the RH engine bay valance to locate the large “P” clip for the heater/fresh air trunking. 

Bugeye Restoration Video Fifty-two shows the installation of the heater components in the car: https://vimeo.com/884518618/83d80549a4?ts=0&share=copy

 

 

Clean the Old Parts & Buy the New

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Our experience is that we are almost always better off if we can clean and recondition a part rather than buying a new one. While we are fortunate that parts suppliers do an amazingly good job of making parts available for vintage British cars, it is too often the case that new parts have imperfections, are of lesser quality or just don’t fit. This post and its accompanying Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-four covers the process of cleaning and acquiring parts.

This is the link to Episode Forty-four: https://vimeo.com/842617175/d7a040b143?share=copy

The list of items described is provided below.

0:00 – Handbrake

6:28 – Handbrake cable

6:53 – Demister nozzles

7:20 – Heater outlet door vents

8:05 – Steering wheel and column

9:22 – Steering column mounting bracket

9:30 – Steering bracket rubber shims

9:35 – Firewall dust seal for steering column

9:42 – Steering shaft

10:42 – Painted parts

11:43 – Interior rear view mirror

12:08 – Accelerator Pedal modification

12:49 – Demister hoses and elbow fittings

13:16 – Rear Overriders

13:47 – Overrider brackets and braces

15:27 – Painted radiator support brackets

15:35 – Painted fresh air intake flange

15:40 – Bonnet rubber buffers

17:03 – Radiator coolant expansion tank

18:02 – Bonnet grille and retaining cables and brackets

19:28 – Bonnet hold-down bolts

19:50 – Wiper rack assembly

 

Restoration Disruption

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We were plugging away on the new electrical system for the Bugeye (pun intended!) when by chance we happened upon a Facebook listing for the sale of a Bugeye body shell and bonnet that appeared to be in excellent condition. The car was purported to be a rust-free Arizona car and the bodywork, priming and etc. had been completed. Everything was ready for paint. No mechanical restoration had been undertaken – the opposite of our situation. We have most of the mechanical and electrical work done but the bodywork, paint and interior are still ahead of us. Unfortunately, we are in Florida and the car is in Michigan.

Michigan Bonnet

Michigan Chassis

Michigan Rear Shroud

Michigan Underside

To make the proverbial long story a shorter one, the car checked out and we will be purchasing it around mid-June. Because garage space is limited we began with an immediate and total disassembly of the Bugeye to prepare for the arrival of the “new” car. We want to be able to move the old shell and bonnet out of the garage at the same the “new” car arrives.

As of June 1, 2023 everything has been removed from the car except for the front and rear suspension, the steering and the engine. The engine will come out this weekend and then the remaining components will quickly follow suit. A trolley has been built for the new shell so that it will be easy to move around.

The following Bugeye Restoration video episode forty-two covers the disassembly that has occurred since mid-April. In less than thirty minutes, two weeks of work is recorded for help with reassembly later. The list of items covered in the video is very long this time, but to make it easier to find a particular topic without having to sit through the entire video, the index is provided.

https://vimeo.com/832369002/c87fd61c10?share=copy

0:00 – Restoration Disruption explained

1:57 – Exhaust removal

2:23 – Ground Cable from Chassis to Gearbox

2:32 – Rear Propshaft separation

2:39 – Draining Rear Differential, Gearbox and Engine Oils

3:05 – Battery, Battery hold down bracket and battery tray removal

3:15 – Battery cables from positive post to alternator and starter switch

3:33 – Battery ground cable

3:40 – Starter switch

4:01 – Ignition Coil

4:38 – Oil pipe/hose from engine to gauge

4:42 – Oil pressure/water temp gauge and capillary tube

4:58 – Heater hoses

5:05 – Heater Box 

5:38 – Heater/Battery tray

5:44 – I.D. number plate

5:57 – Carburetor and heat shield

6:23 – Throttle Cable

7:09 – Intake manifold and exhaust header

7:30 – Oil Catch can

7:39 – Breather hoses from rocker cover and timing chain cover

7:50 – Loosening engine motor mounts

8:31 – Gearbox mount bolts

8:45 – Gearshift cover, gear shift lever and additional gearbox mount bolts

9:47 – Master cylinders and pedal box

10:13 – Brake pipe from master cylinder to brake pipe union

10:28 – Wipers, Wiper rack, wheel boxes

11:26 – Windscreen washer nozzles

11:40 – LH Radiator support brace

11:52 – Rubber seal between body and bonnet

12:15 – RH pedal box blanking plate

12:25 – Assorted rubber grommets, and blanking screws/bolts

13:30 – Four rubber pads between bonnet and body

13:37 – Two metal block and rubber inner fender buffers

13:44 – Windscreen

14:18 – Exterior mirror 

14:38 – Interior rear view mirror

14:48 – Tonneau lift-a-dot posts (3)

15:20 – Demister vent nozzles

15:52 – Cockpit and door aluminum trim

16:04 – RH Door seal removal

16:25 – RH Door panel, carpet and latch assembly

16:47 – RH gearbox footwell panel

17:00 – RH Demister hose and elbow

17:03 – RH front floor carpet

17:10 – Slave cylinder access rubber bung

17:25 – RH heater vent door

17:33 – RH accelerator pedal assembly blanking bolts/screws

17:52 – LH door panel, seal, carpet and latch assembly

18:12 – LH vinyl panel below door and rubber grommets covering door hinge access

18:23 – LH gearbox footwell panel and carpet

18:36 – LH gearbox oil filler access bung

18:42 – LH heater vent and demister hose and elbow

18:57 – Accelerator pedal assembly

19:09 – LH carpet snaps

19:15 – LH front floor carpet

19:43 – Rear tonneau/Soft top fastener hardware on the rear shell

21:00 – Rear bumper overrider and bracket 

21:28 – Fuel Tank, filler pipe, rubber collar and hard pipe to fuel pump

23:15 – Fuel Pump

23:32 – Fuel pump mounting template

23:58 – “Sprite Flash” emblem for the boot

24:03 –  Spare tire and wheel

24:23 – Handbrake assembly and cable

26:30 – Propshaft Grease zerk access grommet

26:54 – Jacking rubber bung

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty-three shows the removal of the engine/gearbox, the front and rear suspension, rear axle, steering rack and steering column and wheel.

https://vimeo.com/834433124/0ce1f668d0?share=copy 

0:46 – Engine and gearbox removal

4:15 – Rear axle and suspension removal

5:25 – Front suspension and steering rack removal

10:00 – Steering column and wheel removal

11:25 – Fuel pipe removal

11:50 – Parts storage and dolly construction

With two of us in the garage, and using the four post lift as an engine hoist, we were able to pull the engine and gearbox from the car. A simple and pain-free process. Even though both the engine and gearbox had been drained of oil we still had a little spill out when the unit was angled to release it from the car. With the engine and gearbox sitting on a Harbor Freight dolly we were able to set it aside so that attention could be turned to the rear axle and suspension as well as the front suspension and steering.

Rear axle and suspension removed

Front suspension and steering removed

Chassis/shell on the dolly and motor tucked away

We installed some 2x4s between the ramps of the lift and added some plywood giving us the perfect storage platform for all of the Sprite parts. We are now ready for the new chassis from Michigan!

Sprite parts galore

 

Wiper Motor Refurbishment & Intermittent Controller

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Wiper Motor

The wiper motor, as taken from the car, turned out to be pretty dirty and it did not operate.

Wiper Motor

Rotating Arm & Gear

Time for a clean-up

It appears to be the original motor as the casing has a stamped production date of 12/1958, so just before the car came off the assembly line. We disassembled the motor, gave it a good cleaning, lubricating and painting and after hooking it up to a power source we judged it to be operational and good for continued use in the Bugeye!

Video Episode Forty-one details the motor refurbishment process:

https://vimeo.com/822229818/8c4114ef7f?share=copy

The motor is only one speed – slow. The same wiper motor was used in the Big Healey and we decided to add the same intermittent speed controller that my Dad incorporated in  the 3000. It doesn’t make the motor any faster, but it does greatly improve the operation of the wipers in misty conditions.

Intermittent Wiper Control

Ed Esslinger authored an article on a Sunbeam Tiger web site about a kit he put together to provide unlimited variable control of the speed of the Lucas wiper motor. We will probably install the control knob for the variable speed rheostat on the vertical panel that will be created later to fit between the dash and the gearbox tunnel.  The controller electronics will be hid behind the panel. The kit can even be wired to accommodate most state laws that now require your lights to be on when the wipers are functioning! The lights come on automatically. This is the instruction sheet: Wiper Control and a wiring diagram:

Wiper Control Diagram

Wiper Control Diagram

Intermittent Wiper Kit

Intermittent Wiper Kit

The following image illustrates the actual wiring in the Bugeye using the Classic Technologies Relay/Fuse Box:

Actual Wiring Schematic

 

 

Exterior Lighting

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This post covers the restoration and/or replacement of the lighting fixtures of the Bugeye Sprite. The image below taken from the Sprite Service Parts List illustrates the components of the car’s lighting system:

Bugeye Lighting

The Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Forty (link below) covers our restoration efforts. Where parts were perished, such as rubber seals, they were replaced with new items. However, some original parts were cleaned and repainted to continue their service.

Headlight bowl and mounting ring

Light bulbs in the flashers (turn signals) were replaced with LED units. These are much brighter, consume lower amperage, and produce less heat. This requires replacing the flasher relay can with a substitute suited for LEDs. The headlights currently on the car are Wagner sealed beam halogen bulbs and we will continue to use these. The bulbs in the number plate lamp are incandescent units and we will also continue to use these.

The headlight chrome rims are secured to the headlight bowl with a clip and screw as seen below:

Headlight Trim ring securing screw clip

These screws can be a challenge to mount. MGBs used a spring clip instead of the screw clip. We substituted these spring tension clips and hopefully they will work well. We can always go back to the original approach.

With all of the parts refurbished and accumulated we are now ready for installation at a later date.

Restoration Video Episode Forty:

https://vimeo.com/821030670/8c6841c388?share=copy

Episode Forty includes the following content:

0:00 – Headlight assembly

2:50 – Front sidelights/flashers

3:04 – Rear flashers

3:13 – Number plate lamp

3:31 – Rear tail lights

3:46 – New rubber seals, headlight pigtails, plinth seal, dust seals, spire nuts

5:20 – Trim ring spring clips

Bonnet Wiring Harness and Lights Removal

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My car has been modified to convert the bonnet from the original hinge at the rear, opening from the front, to a front hinge opening at the rear. This is a common modification and it does offer much greater and easier access to the engine and other under-bonnet components. I want to be able to quickly and completely remove the bonnet from the car if the need arises and this means that the wiring harness that services the electrical needs of the front of the car must provide for an electrical connector joining the primary system to the bonnet.

The bonnet includes the LH and RH combined side and flasher lights, the LH and RH main beam headlight, and the LH and RH high beam headlight. 

Video Episode Thirty-nine details the removal of the wiring harness and the lights:

https://vimeo.com/817788749/594dff6323

Episode Thirty-nine includes the following content:

0:00 – Removing the bonnet electrics

0:40 – Wiring harness splice with connector

0:50 – Harness routing in the bonnet

1:27 – RH sidelight/flasher removal

2:00 – Headlight components and trim ring fixing

3:00 – Headlight plug to bulb

3:37 – Headlight bucket and seal removal

3:59 – Headlight alignment adjusters

4:58 – Harness routing

5:07 – LH side light and flasher

5:32 – Wiring harness removed