Getting the engine and gearbox into the car was a big step in the restoration process, but there is still much to be done to get the engine ready to start and the car on the road.

In advance of the engine installation, we put together a check list of items associated with the engine/gearbox that needed to be accomplished. The list is in no particular order. As we completed items we gave ourselves a check mark and it was fun to see the checks start to add up as we got things done.

✅Remove Bonnet – struts and hinges.take the strut off first. before removing the bonnet hinges disconnect the Deutsch connector and the spade connector at the horn.

✅Jack Stands – place the car on jack stands.

✅Engine Hoist Leveler – Remove rocker cover and install leveler on engine.

✅Engine Mounts – Move rubber buffer from engine stand to the car mount.

✅Starter – Attach the power cable to the starter that will connect to the starter switch later in the process.

✅Battery Ground cable to firewall – disconnect during engine install.

✅Engine fan –  install six blade fan and spacer. Install fan belt and check tension.

✅Crossbar protector – put the custom-made sheet metal protector over the steering rack crossbar to avoid damaging the paint.

✅Remove fluids –  from engine, radiator and transmission –

✅Timing marks – make sure these are visible on the pulley before installing the engine.

✅Driveshaft Prop – Grease the yoke and the transmission splines.

✅Slave cylinder – check threads of the two mounting bolts, should be metric. The threads of the push rod extend beyond the arm by approximately one half inch (6-8 threads showing). The excess on the spacing shim goes to the front of the engine. Find the slightly shortened Allen key for the new cap screws.

✅Engine Mounts – Install the left-hand engine mount onto the chassis and leave it loose. Install the right hand engine mount onto the engine and leave it loose.

✅Header – Set the exhaust header in place so that it will be positioned to install once the engine is in place.

✅Engine/transmission install with engine hoist – Check to see if the heater plenum will require modification. Before the assembly is all the way home push the driveshaft yoke into the rear of the transmission.

✅Transmission mount – install the ⅜” – 24 x 3 ½” bolts through the chassis and into the mount and tighten. Next, tighten the front engine mounts.

✅Now center the transmission in the rear mount and tighten the transmission pad mounts.

✅Install the bolts in the sides of the rear mounts from the inside of the car with the self locking nuts inside the tunnel. It may be helpful to tape the nuts in the wrench to make starting the threads easier.

✅Radiator – It is a little tricky to install. It works best to begin with the upper right (passenger side of the car) mounting point first, then the lower right, followed by the upper left mount and finally the lower left mount. 

✅Radiator hoses – connect and clamp

✅Overflow coolant tank – determine right place for the overflow tank drain line and install a fitting in hose. Connect the radiator overflow to the tank.

✅Alternator – connect the wiring for the alternator.

✅Vacuum pipe – connect the vacuum hose from the distributor to the carburetor.

✅Starter – attach the power cable from the starter to the starter switch.

✅Ignition Coil – attach the wiring to the coil and distributor. Connect the high tension line from the distributor.

✅Oil pressure gauge pipe/hose – connect to engine.

✅Water temperature gauge – connect capillary tube two cylinder head.

✅Heater hose from cylinder head water valve to heater – uses two 10-22 mm jubilee hose clips

✅Heater hose from heater box to copper pipe – 

✅Rocker Cover – install the rocker cover.

✅Breather hose – connect the hoses and clamp

✅Driveshaft – connect and tighten bolts/nuts.

✅Refill fluids in engine, radiator and transmission – transmission requires 2 ¼ pints of Redline MT-90.

✅Remote clutch bleeder valve – connect the remote bleeder stainless steel flexible hose to the bracket on the left side of the heater box.

✅Clutch – Bleed the clutch master and then the slave cylinder. To eliminate all air, the slave cylinder piston should be held in the fully retracted position while bleeding. Do this by running out the adjustable push rod until it is pushing firmly on the clutch fork. Keep the master cylinder reservoir topped up while slowly and gently pumping the clutch size cylinder Into operating position. A power bleeder works well here.

Adjust the push rod length to give some free travel at the clutch pedal. Assure clutch is releasing fully while the vehicle is still up on jack stands. Confirm free play assuring that you can move the clutch operating lever away from the clutch slave cylinder push rod. Finger pressure against the lever should be able to move it against the pressure of the spring inside the Bell housing. Generally 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of free play measured at the fork will be adequate. Be aware that the clutch pressure plate can be over traveled. If the clutch releases when the pedal is partway down, but then seems to reengage at full pedal down. It is being over traveled. Add free play until this condition disappears.

https://youtu.be/k11eIyfErMY?si=YUO94N5qavN61VFl

Battery ground cable to firewall – reattach.

✅Ground Strap – Attach engine to frame

✅Electric Radiator “Pusher” Fan – see Moss Motors site for directions: https://mossmotors.com/media/instructions/231-658.pdf

✅Intake and Exhaust Manifolds with gasket 

✅Carburetor –  install heat shield, phenolic spacer, gaskets, choke and accelerator cable. Connect fuel hose from pipe to carb. Connect the float bowl overflow hose. Connect the breather hose from the timing chain cover canister to the carb. Connect vacuum hose to distributor. Put ATF in the carb piston. 

K&N Air Cleaner – Install and spray with special oil.

✅Exhaust system – install, exhaust header, exhaust pipes, and muffler.

AFR gauge – connect gauge to the O2 sensor and power.

Gasoline – partially fill fuel tank with gasoline.

Start engine!

Our first step was to install the ground strap that connects the chassis to the engine/gearbox. The strap we used was sourced from Moss Motors. We actually connected the strap to the starter motor bolt that secures the starter to the engine backplate as it is important to have a strong ground connection for the electrical draw of the starter. As with most things in this post, the details are in the Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-three.

Ground Strap from chassis to Engine

Our next item was to install the starter motor power cable from the battery post of the starter switch to the starter motor terminal.

We then installed the oil pressure gauge pipe and hose from the gauge to the fitting on the right side of the engine block. Originally this arrangement was just copper pipe but we used a copper fitting and hose supplied by Bugeyeguys. Copper, when it gets old, also becomes brittle and can be subject to breaking and leaking. The rubber hose used in the kit helps to absorb vibration.

Oil Pressure Gauge Pipe and hose fitting kit

Oil Pressure Pipe and Hose

Next, we connected the distributor to the coil wiring. Red wire to the positive terminal on the coil (it is marked) and the black wire to the negative terminal.

Distributor to Coil Wiring

The capillary cable from the water temperature/oil pressure gauge was then connected through several clamps on the right hand engine bay valance to the cylinder head. We believe that fitting to be a 5/8″-18 thread.

Capillary Tube to Cylinder Head

The alternator wiring was then connected. The large red 8AWG wire from the starter switch is connected to one of the large terminals on the alternator. The smaller 18 gauge brown/yellow wire connects the charging warning light in the alternator to the small spade terminal on the alternator.

Alternator Wiring Connections

The heater hose from the water valve on the cylinder head was then installed and connected to the heater box matrix. This hose is pre-bent and in our case was sourced from Bugeyeguys.

Heater hose from water valve

We then moved to the clutch slave cylinder and the installation of the remote bleeder kit purchased from Rivergate Restorations. We did need to add an extra “spacer” fitting (circled in red below) at the master cylinder so that braided hose would clear the edge of the “Sebring” foot box.

Modified Clutch Fitting Assembly

The slave cylinder mounted easy enough but the upper bolt is a real pain to get to once the gearbox is in the car. We used cap screws to make the job a bit easier. A cut-off (shortened) Allen key does the trick.

We fabricated a little bracket to hold the remote bleeder and used the two LH heater box mounting screws to hold it in place. In doing so, we avoided having to make any extra holes in the chassis.

Clutch Remote Bleeder Mounting Bracket

I installed a stainless bleeder valve in the fitting that Rivergate supplied. That was wrong and it leaked! We went back to the two-piece bleeder that Rivergate had supplied and everything was fine. We were able to successfully bleed the clutch system and we had no leaks. Again, this is detailed in the accompanying video.

Correct Bleeder Assembly for Remote Clutch Bleeder

We then mounted the radiator and the 10″ electric fan to the car. This also involved completing the wiring to the fan from the toggle switch below the dashboard. Instructions for wiring and mounting the fan are provided by Moss Motors. Contrary to what we typically see, the black wire from the fan is for power and the blue wire is for ground. Hayden Fan Instructions

The radiator mounts with four 1/4″ hex bolts. It is definitely easier to mount he RH side of the radiator first as seen in the video.

Radiator and Electric Fan Installation

It was then time to mount the gasket and the intake manifold and header to the cylinder head. We also added a new polished stainless steel carb heat shield. The order or sequence of the gaskets between the intake, the heat shield, the phenolic spacer block, the carb and the air cleaner is important. The K&N air filter will be added later after initial tuning of the engine. Lastly, the HIF44 carb was added.

Intake Manifold, Header and HIF44 Installed

We made some stainless steel brackets sourced from McMaster-Carr and added a nut-sert fitting in each to hold the stainless clamps used to support the heater pipe. The original intake manifold had cast fitting for the heater pipe mounting but hose were forfeited with the new Maniflow intake.

Heater Pipe Installed

We then connected the fuel delivery hose, the carb float bowl overflow hose, the breather hose from the timing cover canister, and the vacuum hose from the carb to the distributor.

Hose connections to the HIF44 Carb

HIF 44 Carburetor (RH Side)

We added a little heat protection to the fuel delivery hose with a heat shield wrap from Techflex Thermoshield https://www.cabletiesandmore.com/thermashield-t6-wrap and secured it with four stainless steel zip ties.

Thermotec Hose Covering and Stainless Zip-ties

The coolant recovery tank we had selected did not have an overflow port. We added one by drilling a hole in the top side of the tank with an “R” drill bit. We then tapped the hole with a 1/8″-27 NPT tap and thread in a straight brass fitting and painted it black. We used some clear silicone (opaque) tubing from the radiator to the tank so that we could visually inspect coolant flow and we used some black silicone hose for the overflow.

Coolant Tank Hoses

Next, it was time to put fluids into the Bugeye!

Fluids into the Bugeye

We then installed the wiring for the AFR gauge from the interior to the oxygen sensor. We will only be using the AFR gauge for tuning and therefore it does not require a permanent wiring routing nor a placement of the gauge on or below the the dash.

Details on the forgoing are shown in this video: Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Three.

https://vimeo.com/1088106527/9f6138ea7f?share=copy

The following content is included:

0:00 – Engine ground strap to chassis

1:44 – Starter cable 

2:12 – Oil pressure gauge pipe

2:31 – Distributor and coil wiring

2:46 – Water temperature capillary tube

3:27 – Alternator, wiring connections

4:26 – Heater hose from water valve to heater box

4:44 – Clutch slave cylinder, remote bleeder

5:53 – Clutch bleeding

6:07 – Clutch slave cylinder

7:00 – Radiator

7:50 – Radiator hoses

7:53 – Electrical radiator fan installation

8:40 – Radiator fan wiring

9:50 – Intake manifold and header with gasket

11:05 – HIF44 carburetor

12:25 – Stainless steel carburetor heat shield

12:40 – Copper heater pipe and hose

13:25 – Breather hose from timing chain cover canister to carb

13:50 – Fuel delivery hose and float bowl overflow hose

15:30 – Techflex fuel hose insulation

16:23 – Vacuum hose from carburetor to distributor

16:40 -Coolant recovery tank relief port installation

18:45 – Fluids into the car for the radiator, engine, differential, and gearbox

20:38 – Temporary wiring for the AFR gauge