Category Archives: Assembly Phase

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Under-car Fuel and Brake pipe Install

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We had previously shaped and fit the under-car fuel and brake pipes so this was an easy one. The fuel pipe is steel and is affixed to the car with two hairpin-type clips into the chassis rail as well as two “P” clips along the chassis rails in the engine bay. We had previously fit two 10-32 nutserts to the chassis for the fastening of the “P” clips. After installation we fit a rubber fuel hose between the SU fuel pump and the fuel pipe. The end of the fuel pipe in the engine bay will need to be reformed once we see how the steering column and engine sit in the car.

The brake pipe is a cunifer alloy line and it runs from the brake pipe union in the engine bay to the fitting on the back of the bulkhead adjacent to the axle. The pipe will eventually attach to a rubber brake hose that connects to the brake union fitting on the rear axle. The brake pipe is affixed to the car with two hairpin-type clips into the chassis rail, and a “P” clip is used under the car where the pipe turns upward into the engine bay. Another final “P” clip secures the pipe to the outside of the RH footwell vertical wall before the pipe curls to the brake pipe union.

All of the clips and fasteners are shown in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Seventy-six. 

https://vimeo.com/985217750/d90983ed4d?share=copy

Front Hub Assemblies Installed

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We had previously built-up the front hub assemblies including the “A” arms, stub axles, king pins, bearings, hubs, rotors, calipers and etc. This process is covered in “Front Hub Assemblies and Brakes” https://valvechatter.com/?p=13792

The “Front hub Assemblies and Brakes” post also includes a video depicting the process.

“Rebuilt Front Suspension Installed in the Car” https://valvechatter.com/?p=13828 is another post made earlier in the restoration process that is helpful to review before installing the front hub assemblies.

Installing these components can be approached two ways. One can assemble everything on the bench and then mount the entire assembly to the chassis as we did. Alternatively, one can mount the “A” arm and the shock absorber to the chassis and then build-out the assembly on the car. This method is the one explained in the owner’s manual.

Choosing the approach we did certainly made it easier to put the various pieces together, but you end up with a pretty heavy unit that can be a bit of a struggle to mount to the chassis. Resting everything on a floor jack helps, but it is still difficult to get the holes and lower fulcrum pins lined up perfectly. At any rate the job is done.

The two plates below show the various parts that are used to comprise the assemblies. Note that the lower fulcrum pins are inserted from the inside of the chassis cavity with the special washers toward the front and rear of the car. The second plate shows the earlier drum brakes while we are using later front disc brakes.

Front Suspension Components

Front Suspension Components 2

 

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Seventy-two shows the process of installing the completed front hub assembly to the chassis. https://vimeo.com/981964234/b1aa7a5a24?share=copy

0:00 – Front suspension hub assembly

1:07 – Installing rubber rebound buffers

1:35 – Cleaning paint from chassis mounting area to “A” arms

2:09 – Poly lubricant on fulcrum pins and bushings

2:44 – Moving the hub assembly into position

3:11 – Fulcrum pins and special washers installed

4:26 – Wood spacer blocks installed

4:56 – Upper fulcrum pin locking bolt into shock

5:50 – Coil spring installation

6:30 – Coil spring installation tool

6:54 – Compressing the coil spring

 

The split pin on the upper fulcrum pin was then installed. All bolts and nuts were checked for tightness with the exception of the lower fulcrum pins and nuts to be tightened when the car is on the ground. A little paint touch up on a few scratches completed the process.

Wiring to the rear of the car

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We completed the wiring harness for the central part of the car and to the bonnet before the Bugeye went for paint. Now that the car is home we are able to finish up the wiring to the rear so that we can send the harness components off to Rhode Island Wiring to have them wrap the harnesses in cloth braid.

Crawling into the inside rear of a Bugeye, or “hole” as I refer to it, is no easy task. It is best handled by a nimble young contortionist – not by a 6′ 1″ seventy-two year old! Wiring the tail lights with brake lights, flashers and side lights, the license plate lamp, the fuel level sender, the fuel pumps and rear courtesy lights required many a trip into the depths of the “hole.”

The rear flashers require the installation of spire nuts to the body. We purchased some new ones and mounted them.

Rear Flashers Spire Nuts

The original Sprite MK I had a mechanical fuel pump but with the onset of later Sprites, and the 1275 engine, the design was modified to incorporate a rear mounted electric pump. In our case, we mounted the SU pump as it would have been secured in the later Sprites, but we also added in series a redundant low-pressure Facet pump with a dash mounted switch enabling the driver to switch between the two pumps as desired. The center position on the switch disconnects power to both pumps providing a form of anti-theft deterrent.

We fit the rear courtesy lights to each of the rear boot trim panels. We purchased the panels from Bugeyeguys.com. They required considerable trimming to fit them to the car, but once achieved we were able to mount the lights and complete the necessary wiring. The panels will eventually be covered in a red vinyl that matches the other interior panels.

Rear Trim Panels and Courtesy Lights

In the rear we resorted to using rubber covered bullet connectors for a number of fittings. This was done because it is hard to reach into the back of the car and if it became necessary to separate wires for one reason or another it is easier to accomplish with the bullet connectors as opposed to the Deutsch connectors. Since weather isn’t an issue in the boot we should not experience any problems with the bullet connectors.

Once we established our wire lengths and connections we pulled the harness out of the car to send off to have them braided in black with the signature baby-blue tracer used in the Sprite. Originally, all of the wires to the rear of the car were bundled in one braided wire package and routed to the rear under the door sill and rear trim panels. Because we added wires to the mix we decided to bundle the wires into two four-wire groups to run in parallel under the panels. Hopefully this will cause the trim panels to protrude less and yield a nicer finished product.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Seventy-one shows the creation and installation of the electrical wiring in the rear of the car for the exterior lights, interior courtesy lights, the fuel pumps, and the fuel sender for the fuel gauge. Fitting of the rear trim panels is also shown.

https://vimeo.com/978445012/5aa017a2ba?share=copy

The following content is found in this video:

0:00 – Wiring for tail lights and flashers

1:24 – Spire nuts for side lights/flashers

1:40 – Wiring the side light/flasher fixtures

2:40 – Chrome trim rings and red beehive glass

3:25 – All rear lights mounted

3:36 – Internal rear lights wiring

4:17 – License plate wiring

5:39 – Dash “F” connector wiring to the rear of the car

6:15 – Bullet connectors for lights wiring

7:54 – Rear courtesy lights and trim panels

12:15 – Fuel pump wiring

14:43 – Facet fuel pump fuel filter

15:00 – Fuel level sender

15:42 – Floor rubber grommet for fuel sender wire

16:00 – Removing wiring to have Rhode Island Wiring braid the harness

16:28 – Taping the wires