Monthly Archives: November 2024

The Doors

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Prior to installing the doors on the car, we decided to assemble the door trim. Hopefully this is the best route to take. our first step was to install the rubber door liner that we purchased from Bugeyeguys. This liner is heavy and in addition to providing a solid feel when the door is opened and closed, it should afford a certain degree of sound insulation as well. The liner was glued to the door using contact cement. The photo below shows the finished product:

Rubber door liner installed

That is where the factory stopped. However, we have decided to glue carpet to the rubber liner to give a more finished and coordinated appearance.

Glueing the carpet to the rubber door liner

Carpet installed

We then installed the upholstered door pockets. These also came from Bugeyeguys and they are an upgrade over the originals. These pockets simply slide over the door lip (as can be seen in the photo above) and push down into place. Screws are not required to secure the pockets.

Upholstered Door Pocket

Next came the installation of the polished aluminum cockpit molding. Rubber washers sourced from Bugeyeguys are installed under the thumb screws for the side curtain brackets. They minimize any scuffing that might result from taking the side curtains on and off the car.

Polished aluminum cockpit molding

It was then time to install the door latch mechanism to the door. Four pan head #10-32 x 1/2″ stainless machine screws with internal tooth washers are used to mount the latch to the door.

Door Latch Installation

The final step in the completion of the doors is the installation of the upholstered check straps. These fit through a slot in the door and are then secured to the inside of the “A” pillar of the car. The end of the strap has two metal finishing plates.

Door check strap

With the doors assembly complete it was time to install the door hinges to the car’s “A” pillar. There are two hinges per door. The hinges had been stamped with markings to signify whether the hinge was top or bottom and left door or right door. Each hinge uses three pan head 1/4″-28 x 1/2″ screws and internal tooth lock washers to mount to the car.

Unfortunately, after we mounted the four hinges we decided that there was just too much play in each hinge so we pulled them all from the car and sent them to a hinge repair specialist to install new bushings, washers, and pins so they will be as good as new.

Door hinges

Episode Ninety-one of the Bugeye Restoration Videos shows the installation of the various door components and the mounting of the door hinges.

https://vimeo.com/1034610967/b9737f276b?share=copy

0:00 – Rubber door liner installation

0:44 – Carpet door liner installation

0:56 – Upholstered door pocket installation

1:08 – Door check strap installation

1:16 – Aluminum cockpit molding installation

2:04 – Door latch installation

2:43 – Door check strap finishers

3:05 – Door hinges installed

When the restored door hinges are received we will install them and update this post.

 

 

Seating

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The Bugeye seats were the subject of an earlier post in the restoration section: https://valvechatter.com/?p=14315  This post explains our decision process on the type of seat cover we would use and also reviews the refurbishment of the seat frames and backs.

Geoff Chrysler, owner of Rightway Heritage Trim did a beautiful job with the seat upholstery. We could not have been happier with the leather color or his craftsmanship.

MK2 Seat with inserts and horizontal stitch

The seat tracks were originally screwed to the lower seat frame with 1/4″-28 x 5/8″ flat-head screws, but before long in the production cycle the screws and nuts were replaced with rivets. Several of the rivets in the Bugeye seat tracks were loose and resulted in sloppy seat travel. We decided to drill out the rivets and return to the use of screws and nuts to hold the pieces together. We also sent the seat tracks and rails to Jartex in Forth Worth, TX to have the pieces cleaned and zinc plated. They did a very nice job. We are now ready to assemble the components.

As produced at the time, only the driver’s seat had an adjustable slider track. The passenger seat was bolted in place with four brackets to the floor. However, we also have the adjuster for the passenger seat and will be installing it. It is hard to imagine ever adjusting the seats given how little room there is in the Sprite. They will probably be pushed all the way to the rear and then never moved!

We installed three-point retractable shoulder harnesses and seat belts sourced from Bugeyeguys.com. The belts and their installation were covered in an earlier post which includes a video showing the modifications to the chassis to accommodate the fixing points.https://valvechatter.com/?p=14383

This is the finished product:

The Finished Product

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode Ninety covers the installation of the seat tracks, the retractable seat belts and the seats: https://vimeo.com/1032472964/0a8578978f?share=copy

 

Accelerator pedal

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The accelerator pedal in the Bugeye was mounted on the floor board as seen in the illustration below:

Sprite Accelerator Pedal

We have decided to hang the pedal from the shaft rather than mounting it on the floor and we purchased a kit from Speedwell Engineering that has a throttle return spring so that the mechanism is not dependent upon the throttle plate return spring on the carburetor. 

Episode Eighty-nine of the Bugeye Restoration Videos shows the new pedal arrangement installed in the car:

https://vimeo.com/1029000934/d39495fc82?share=copy