Restoration Disruption

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