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Interior Installation

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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. The upholstered panels were sourced from BugeyeGuys.com. With the exception of the center panel over the gearbox cover, we had to remove vinyl, trim the plywood and re-glue the vinyl to obtain a proper panel fit.The door sill panels and the rear quarter panels required the most adjustment. The image below, although in black, not red, illustrates the components that come with the BugeyeGuys upholstered panel kit. Panels numbered 3,4,7 and 8 as stated required quite a bit of trimming.

BugeyeGuys upholstered Panel kit

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 footwells we had to do some trimming to get a nice fit to the bristleflex 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 bristleflex. 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

Following the installation of the front panels we turned our attention to the installation of the carpet. A number of vendors sell carpet kits for the Bugeye. We ordered sample material from several before deciding to go with the kit provided by Prestige Autotrim Products LTD. in the U.K. Their kit provides vinyl binding on most carpet pieces and where jute pads are used under the carpet they are sewn to the carpet. We opted for the high end carpet called Premium Feintuft Velour. We were pleased with the fit, color and carpet quality. Their kit DOES NOT include carpeting for the trunk or boot space in the car.

The first task was to glue the small carpet sections that cover the chassis cross bars in front of the seats.

Carpet glued to chassis box rails

We then moved to the rear of the car. We ordered a trunk kit from Moss Motors. Their kit includes an Armacord floor mat and the two heavy cardboard side panels. We didn’t need the side panels but we could not find a vendor who sold the Hardura floor mat alone. We wanted Hardura, rather than carpet, because we believed that it would hold up better – particularly with a spare tire resting on it. The Hardura material does have a shallow jute backing. The leading front edge of the mat was glued to the floor. The hole for the fuel filler pipe was enlarged and the chalk marks locating the floor staples for the spare tire straps were cut. The mat proved to be a near perfect fit and did not require trimming. Installation of the mat is shown in the video associated with this post.

Trunk Floor Mat

Next we glued several of the rear carpet pieces in place. Carpet pieces #1 and #2 were glued first, followed by pieces #3 and #4. Carpet section #5 has a 2″ piece of vinyl along its top edge that is glued to the floor. All of this is shown in the video. We will add some floor snaps to the carpet sections #5 and #6 to keep them in position. The two pieces of carpet that cover the gearbox cover or tunnel will also be held in place with snaps.

Rear carpet installation

We then returned to fitting the upholstered door sill panels and the rear quarter panels. Again, details of this procedure are best described in the video. The rear quarter panels fit too tightly around the tube for the soft top frame, so those holes needed to be enlarged. As best we can tell, both quarter panels are also too short and consequently did not butt up against the sill panels. A half inch gap was left between the two panels. So, we decided to make our own door sill panels and included a raised portion to permit a nice fit between the quarter panel and the sill panel. In the image below, the section of the panel to the right of the blue line was added.

Modified door sill panel

We ordered a product called cowl board, which is a waterproof fiberboard material, from Automotive Interiors and Accessories. Just to add a little stiffness and additional waterproofing, we painted the material with POR-15 before glueing on the new vinyl. The vinyl was purchased from Geoff Chrysler at Rightway Heritage Trim and while it is not a perfect match to the vinyl used on the panels purchased from Bugeyeguys, it is damn close.

The photo below shows how the sill panel and the rear quarter panel now fit. Much, much better! The panels will look better once screwed into place.

Quarter Panel and Sill Panel Fit

As can be seen in the photo above, there is a door seal that is part rubber and part fabric that serves as a trim finisher as well as a weather seal for the interior. The fabric portion of the seal has “U” shaped steel-braided  “jaws” that grab the door sill lip to fit tightly in place.  The quality of available door seals has diminished over the years. In many cases the steel “jaws” have been replaced with aluminum that is not effective in gripping the door lip. Martin MacGregor, owner of MacGregor British Car Parts, has sold a product called Bristleflex that maintains the steel grip and has a beautiful fabric finish. We think we may have purchased the last set of seals in the color red that he has manufactured and he is currently ((as of October 2024) attempting to sell his business. 

At the front of the car the Bristleflex terminates behind the aluminum cowl trim with an aluminum “P” clip.

Bristleflex “P” clip attachment behind the Cowl Trim

Front Bristleflex Installation

 

At the rear, the Bristleflex door seal terminates behind the rear quarter panel. We installed the Bristleflex and secured both ends before the sill panel and rear quarter panel were attached with screws. This was done to ensure a tight meeting of the bristle flex with the edge of the panels.

Door sill panel and rear quarter panel installed

Rear Quarter Panel Installed

The last panels to cut, upholster and install were the boot side panels. We again painted the panels with POR 15 to enhance water protection and to add stiffness to the board. Each of these panels are mounted with two #6 sheet metal screws with trim cup washers. The courtesy lights we reinstalled in the panels and both were them mounted to the car.

Boot trim panels

Boot trim panel with courtesy lamp installed

Installing the carpet snaps in the car and carpet was our next step in the completion of the interior. The snap consists of three pieces, the fastening ring with three tabs, the female side of the snap and the male side of the snap as seen in the photo below:

Carpet Snap installation

Installing the snaps was complicated because we already had dynamat and aluminum heat insulation in the car. We cut away and removed the insulation where the snaps were located and we added couple of savers behind the male end of the snaps.

Insulation removal

This is what the finished product looks like:

Carpet Snaps Installed

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/1028961169/ae3206c6d1?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

3:53 – Outside footbox panels installed

5:46 – Carpet installation begins

7:10 – Boot mat installed

8:49 – Rear bulkhead carpet installed

10:19 – Rear Wheel Arch carpet 

10:47 – Rear carpet installed

11:15 – Door sill panels

14:28 – Rear Quarter Panels

15:27 – Bristleflex installation

17:37 – Door Striker Installation

18:16 – Door Sill and rear quarter panel final installation

19:28 – Boot Trim panels

20:36 – Installing carpet snaps

26:36 – Adjusting the door seal to fit the soft top frame

 

Interior Removal

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This will be a gradual process, but we did begin the removal of the interior components. Most of the interior will be replaced with new parts, but we will save everything until the new pieces are installed near the end of this project.

The first action taken was to remove the shoulder harness mounting points for both seats. We will probably replace these with retractable belts when we are at that point in the rebuild.

Shoulder Harness Removal

Shoulder Harnesses

At :13 in the video Episode Twenty-Two summary the soft top frame stowage bracket is removed. Each bracket is held in place with three self-tapping sheet metal screws.

Soft Top Frame Stowage Bracket in Place

Soft Top Frame Stowage Bracket

Next was the removal of the rear shelf carpet and its securing snaps. The process begins at the 1:00 minute mark in the video.

Rear Shelf Carpet

At 1:25 minutes into the video, the rear upholstered quarter panels and hardura covered wheel wells are removed.

Quarter Panel and Wheel Cover removal

Because the hardura wheel covers are glued in place, they left quite a mess when removed. We will need to try some adhesive removal to clean the surfaces.

Hardura Residue at Wheel Wells

We discovered that the covers were originally red. A previous owner had dyed or painted them black.

Hardura Covers removed

Although not removed at this point, it was noted that the wiring harness to the rear of the car is routed through a hole in the frame that is covered by the rear quarter panel.

Wiring Harness Behind rear Quarter Panel

 

At 4:24 into the video, the RH side seat, seat rails and carpet are removed. Each seat rail is secured to the floor with two bolts into captive nuts.

RH seat, seat rail and carpet removal

There is a wooden packer piece between the carpet and the floor for each seat rail.

Wood Packing Pieces at the Seat Rails

The upholstered panel under the RH door was then removed. It was held in place with four self tapping oval head screws with cupped trim washers.

Upholstered Panel Under the RH Door

Episode Twenty-Two summarizes the removal of the interior components highlighted above. https://vimeo.com/770800213/f36ec43100

RH Side Front Kick Panel  and Carpet – On November 17, while working on the final installation of the fuel delivery system it became necessary to remove the RH side front kick panel and front carpet. The kick panel was held in place by three self-tapping oval head chrome screws with cup washers and the two slotted screws that hold the door check strap in place. Once the fasteners were removed the kick panel was lifted out of the car exposing the wiring harness that is routed to the rear of the car.

The carpet was held in place with two floor snaps at the top of the carpet.

Video Episode Twenty-four summarizes the removal of these components:https://vimeo.com/773034332/b4bf5c4504

RH front kick panel

RH Side Front Carpet

 

 

Assorted Interior Modifications

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Original Interior

The original interior was medium red with black piping using leather and matching “leathercloth” vinyl. Carpet was also red and black armacord finished the boot interior. An adjustable plastic 16 1/2” steering wheel was standard.

Interior Modifications

Upholstery and Carpet

The interior finish materials were supplied by Heritage Trim. http://www.heritagetrim.com/. While somewhat expensive and not particularly fast on delivery, they provide a premium product with top grade materials. As the images show, I decided on black leather upholstery with red piping. Although I would have preferred a brighter red material for the piping, I was quite pleased with Heritage Trim.

Heritage also supplied the carpet, and while a material very close to the original is available, I decided to go with Wilton Wool which is a softer cut pile and to my view a more elegant look.

Heritage Interior

Heritage Interior

 Steering Wheel

The Steering Wheel was replaced with a Moto-Lita wheel made of mahogany wood. It is ordered with a complimentary hub so that the original control head (trafficator) and horn button may be used.

Moto Lita Wheel

Moto Lita Wheel

 Fiberglass Gearbox Cover

Using a Toyota five speed gearbox required relocating the hole for the shifter in the gearbox cover from the original side mount to a center location. A fiberglass cover is available from http://www.britishcarspecialists.com/. The fiberglass cover is lighter, cooler as it does not conduct the heat like the original metal cover, and was easy to modify. I covered the gearbox cover with Dynamat Extreme and an additional layer of aluminum duct insulation to keep things cool.

Fiberglass Gearbox Cover

Fiberglass Gearbox Cover

Interior Insulation

Anyone who has ever driven a stock Healey knows that the interior, particularly in the footwells, can get quite toasty but the combination of sealing firewall holes and installing modern insulation materials can virtually do away with the cockpit heat. I used Dynamat Extreme in the Bloody Beast and then installed a layer of aluminum backed foam duct insulation used in home HVAC systems on top of the Dynamat. All gaps between the pieces of insulation were covered with aluminum tape.

Dynamat Extreme

Dynamat Extreme

Interior Insulation

Aluminum Interior Insulation

Tilted Driver’s Seat

Big Healeys have reasonable legroom for those of us who are over six feet tall, but the designed seating arrangement places the driver very close to the steering wheel. One way to improve on the situation is to add spacers of varying lengths to the studs on the seat rails. The effect is to create a slight rearward tilt to the seat that then permits a little more arm extension for driving. I just picked up the extensions at the local hardware store.

Tilt Seat

Tilted Seat

Cup Holder

While I do not permit any beverages in the Bloody Beast other than water, the good ol’ American cup holder is a convenient accessory to the Healey interior. I borrowed the idea from Roger Conte – Ausmhly rfc_2002@sbcglobal.net. I used a Volkswagen Jetta cup holder #1J0 858 601D and mounted it under the parcel tray. Works like a charm and virtually hidden when not in use. This link will navigate you to the detail page on the cup holder: https://valvechatter.com/?p=3487

Cup Holder Empty

Cup Holder Empty

Alloy Pedal Covers

Just to dress up the pedals a bit and to provide an improved pedal surface, I installed alloy covers on the original pedals. My brake and clutch pedal covers were custom made and a gift from buddy Mick Nordquist, while the accelerator pedal came from Denis Welch Motorsport http://www.bighealey.co.uk/content/wider-accelerator-pedal.

Alloy Pedal Covers

Alloy Pedal Covers

Arm Rest/ Console

The padded arm rest provided as original equipment in the MK1 interior, while attractive in appearance, was pretty useless in that it was too low for one to actually rest an arm on the pad while driving. I decided to use the cushion as supplied by Heritage Trim to fabricate the top of a box or console to be installed on the gearbox/propshaft tunnel.

I began to form my idea for the console by fitting a cardboard shoebox to what I considered to be ideal dimensions, and then built a wooden box to provide some storage along with a fully functional arm rest. I encountered the need for lots of weird angles, but eventually got it all worked out and was very pleased with the outcome. After hinging the top, I covered the box in the wilton wool carpet and created something that appears original to the untrained eye. I could have permanently mounted the box to the tunnel but chose not to do so. This allows me to reposition the arm rest as desired.

Console Installed

Console Installed

Console Box

Console Box

Console Box

Console Box

Console Interior

Console Interior

Console Box

Console Box

Console Lid

Console Lid

Console Installed

Console Installed

Rear Luggage/Parcel Shelf

MKIII owners have a nice luggage shelf behind the front seats if they need more storage space, but MKI owners didn’t have that convenience. Inspired by my upcoming cross-country trip, I decided to bold my own. The shelf is completely removable, but alas, unlike the BJ8 owner, I cannot just fold my up and out of the way. In my case, I either travel with it, or without it. This is the link to assembly directions and more images: https://valvechatter.com/?p=3508

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage Shelf

Luggage/Parcel Shelf Image 6

Luggage/Parcel Shelf Image 6

Spare Tire Cover

While not technically the “interior,” I wanted to dress up the boot for appearance purposes nut also to protect clothes or other objects place in the boot that would have been exposed to a spare tire. I had a local upholstery shop sew a cover for me. I then cut a slot in the rear for the hold-down strap and I was in business. It makes for a much cleaner look in the boot.

Spare Tire Cover

Spare Tire Cover

Chapter 54 Restoration Assembly, Week Twenty-Four 5/28/2007

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After the LH side rail was carpeted I installed the carpet piece for the driver’s side footbox toeboard. This was the most difficult piece to glue in to the car because it is a little harder to get to (as in standing on your head!) and because it is one piece for two panels. It also incorporates the vertical panel by the gearbox surround. After several iterations of fitting I was pleased with the result and glued it in place. Then on to the RH side.

RH footbox carpet

Next came the two pieces of carpet that are glued to the vertical kickboard bulkhead behind the front seats and the rear seat surround. With some minor trimming they fit nicely. I then glued the two small pieces to the LH and RH side of the rear of the car where the soft top and its frame rests when folded down.

RH rear panel carpet

LH rear panel carpet

Rear seat carpet

The hardware for the rear vertical upholstered panel was then mounted to the car and the panel was dropped into its position.

Rear seats

 The RH side rail carpet was glued to the rail as per the left side installation.

Heritage Upholstery and Trim provides a piece of vinyl (as per original) to cover the RH kickboard panel as it is an “open” piece. I wasn’t pleased with its appearance so I cut a piece of extra carpet I had to cover the opening and I was very satisfied with the results. It looks much better than the vinyl! I then carefully drilled holes through the LH and RH kickboard panels into the car superstructure and screwed them in place #6 stainless flat head screws with trim rings.

RH Kick Panel

After some trial and error fitting and trimming I put the floorboard carpets in place, cutting the rear most pieces to accommodate the seat rails and their mounting strips. I am going to try using velcro for these pieces rather than snapping them in place since I would have to drill holes in the new floorboards for the snaps. I will see how the velcro works and return to the snaps if my solution is not satisfactory.

The two vinyl covered rear quarter panels were installed next. Four #8 flat head stainless wood screws were used on the vertical rails and two #6 pan head screws were used on each of the top horizontal panels. The front seats were then put in place and tightened. I installed bolt extensions on the fasteners on the driver’s seat seat rails to slightly angle (tilting rearword) the driver’s seat. This proved to offer a better driving position for me.

Assembled interior

Assembled interior 2

I am going to delay fitment of the gearbox extension cover and gearbox cover carpet until I have the engine and gearbox in the car just to be sure I end up with a good fit.

Chapter 53 Restoration Assembly, Week Twenty-Three 5/21/2007

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My plan is to devote the next couple of weeks to getting the interior finished. This required completing the dynamat extreme application and then adding an additional layer of aluminum insulation of the type that is used around home duct work. I taped all the joints with aluminum tape which resulted in a nice looking job. Of course, looks won’t matter – all the insulation will be covered by carpet or panels, but it should result in a quieter and cooler car!

Interior Insulation 7

Interior Insulation 1

Interior Insulation 6

I was eager to get a little carpet into the Bloody Beast so I pulled out my carpet installation instructions from Rich Chrysler and the digital images from Heritage Upholstery and Trim. The two together provided all the help I needed. BT7 Carpet Install Rich Chrysler The carpet was also supplied by Heritage. I used the wilton wool option and was very impressed with the quality. The first piece in was the LH side rail. All the carpet was secured with Weldwood brush on contact cement.

Editor’s note, May 2020: Rich Chrysler’s son, Geoff, has followed in his footsteps. Geoff has his own interior trimming business named Rightway Heritage Trimming. In addition to his trimming business, he also is currently involved in the restoration of his own 1953 BN1. He keeps an on-line Blog with information about his business projects as well as his own restoration. He posted the following information which provides superb guidance on the installation of a BT7 interior. This link will direct you to a pdf file of the post. Geoff Chrysler BT7 Trimming

Interior Insulation 4