Interior Installation

Posted on August 19, 2024 by valv8988

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

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

Assorted Interior Modifications

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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 Box

Console Interior

Console Box

Console Lid

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/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

Cooling/Heater

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

Managing the heat generated by the operating engine, whether in the engine itself, in the engine bay, or in the interior is an issue in the Big Healey. What may not have been an issue in more temperate Great Britain, is a different story in the U.S. Over the years Healey owners have gotten progressively better at managing the heat issues. I made a number of enhancements to The Bloody Beast to help with cooling or at least improved insulation from the heat.

The Original Cooling System

The capacity of the cooling system, excluding the heater, is 21.6 U.S. pints. The original thermostat was 158 degrees.

Cooling System Modifications

Aluminum Radiator

Recoring the original radiator with a more efficient tubing system is one option pursued by many enthusiasts, another is replacement of the original radiator with an aluminum alternative. I chose the replacement route with an alloy radiator sourced from Cape International. In addition to the benefit of improved cooling, the polished aluminum header tank looks great in the engine bay! I painted the core with black radiator paint so that the “X” brace in the front of the car would “disappear” when looking through the grille.

Aluminum Radiator

Air-Intake Deflectors

The Healey has a multi-piece air-intake deflector assembly as original equipment; however, I was not happy with the gap that exists between the assembly shrouds and the radiator. This permitted air to escape around the radiator into the engine bay. The original deflectors are also a bit of a pain to install. I decided to fabricate some deflectors from aluminum stock. After constructing cardboard patterns I had the aluminum bent at a metal working shop. The deflectors are slotted to fit alongside the radiator in the standard radiator mounts to the frame. The image below shows the fitting of the deflectors before the radiator core was painted. As you can see this produced a tight fit around the radiator sides – no air escapes now!

Radiator Baffles

Upper Radiator Shroud

My friend, Mick Nordquist, had an upper shroud made for his Healey radiator to keep the air coming through the grill directed to the radiator rather than escaping over the radiator. He supplied the pattern for me and I had one cut with a plasma cutter from 2mm aluminum plate and installed it with four stainless steel #8 self-tapping screws. In addition to improving cooling, I think it also offers a nice cosmetic improvement.

Radiator Top Shroud

Coolant Recovery System

The original cooling system design provided for no ability to capture coolant whether just an expansion tank or a true pressurized recovery system. Healay owners, particularly if they have filled their radiators to maximum capacity are use to their car’s “burping” in the parking lot after being driven. I purchased my coolant recovery system components from Cape International.

Coolant Recovery System

Six Blade Stainless Steel Fan with Spacer

A number of alternatives to the original fan are available to the Healey owner today. The “Texas Cooler” and the variable pitch stainless steel fans are probably the most popular. I initially decided to go with the stainless fan available from British Car Specialists. However, the fan is pretty noisy so I switched the fan in 2020 for a nylon/plastic asymmetric fan similar to the “Texas Cooler” fan. The new fan was sourced from AH Spares. Time will tell but the new fan seems to keep the engine temperature under control and it is quite a bit quieter than the stainless steel fan.

Stainless Fan

AH Spares Fan

Fan Shroud

The custom air deflectors improved air control on the intake side of the radiator. To help channel the air on the fan side of the radiator and to add a safety component (those stainless fan blades are very sharp!!) I added a two piece shroud also available from British Car Specialists. It did not fit exactly as it would to the stock radiator, but a little tinkering and it fit beautifully. Since it was added after the restoration of the Bloody Beast was completed, I can say that the shroud was definitely responsible for some additional temperature reduction.

Radiator Shroud

Radiator shroud

The Original Heater/Interior Cooling

The original heater was a Smith’s hot water circulating unit, part # 8G9048. It was assisted by a fan blower secured to the right front wheel arch assembly. Fresh air was supplied to the driver’s side of the interior by a 4” paper/metal hose controlled by a fresh air assembly mounted at the front of the car.

Heater/Interior Cooling Modifications

Sealing all of the holes in the firewall is the first thing to be done if one is to keep the heat and fumes out of the interior. A helpful tip someone shared with me was to wait until dark and put a light in the engine bay. This way any holes or leaks can be easily spotted from the interior.

Dynamat Extreme and Aluminum Duct Insualtion

A number of products are on the market to help reflect heat and offer both heat and sound insulation. Dynamat Extreme is certainly on of the most popular. I applied Dynamat Extreme heat reflective and sound insulation material to my interior first. I then applied aluminum duct insulation on top of the Dynamat and under the carpet. All seams were sealed with aluminum tape. These two together have proven to be very effective in keeping the heat out!

Dynamat Extreme

Aluminum Duct Insulation

Modern Heater

For those (rare) occasions when I would choose to have more heat in the interior spaces, I chose to replace the Smith’s Heating unit with a contemporary unit supplied by Cape International. This unit has an internal two speed fan.

Cape International Heater

Fresh Air Supply

The original design of the car provided for some fresh air being delivered to the LH driver’s side of the car. Given that the Cape International Heater has its own fan, that left the original Smith’s blower to be used to blow fresh air into the passenger side of the car. I installed an air intake valve (upside down) just like the one on the LH side of the car, on the RH side, and then wired the blower to provide fresh air on the passenger side when desired. To be honest, I have found this to be useful for some ventilation when one has the hardtop in place, otherwise I am not sure that it was worth the effort! There are more details about this project in the restoration blog.

Ventilation Hose Assembly

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

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

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

Chapter 34 Week One 12/18/2016

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

Even with all the restoration books I have read, and with all the e-mail exchanges, no one prepared me for the fact that I would develop a phobia about touching the car now that it has finally arrived! I am afraid to touch the thing for fear of scratching it!

My plan is to begin with the brake and fuel lines, then move to some of the interior dynamat installation followed by the electrical wiring harness. Along the way I am sure there will be diversions to other bits and pieces. I will try to be disciplined about this process and avoid the temptation to just start attaching pieces to show progress. Although I am confidant that I will succumb to that diversion from time to time!

It seemed entirely appropriate that the very first components to be installed should be the two production identification number plates on the firewall. These were produced by Clarke Spares and Restorations. The original ID plates had to be shared with them before they would produce new plates.

Number plates

I.D. Number Plates

Then I began by chasing the threads on all fixed nuts throughout the car to eliminate primer and paint before securing fasteners. Just that little job took about 2 1/2 hours.

chasing threads

Then it was on to the hydraulic lines. Fuel line first, followed by the brake junction and the brake lines and the line to the clutch master cylinder. Having drilled all the mounting holes after the frame arrived from Martin, this job moved along very quickly.

Fuel line 1

Fuel line 2

brake pipe union

Brake line 2

Brake lines at union

Front brake lines

My first two diversions were the horn brackets and the air intake flange. These were installed next. Then came the firewall rubber grommets, and again this job was made easier because I had pre-fit and numbered these at an earlier stage.

air intake flange

Horn bracket

rubber firewall grommets

I moved on to beginning the process of controlling interior cabin heat and improving sound insulation. Fred Wescoe produced an excellent piece on interior insulation that proved very helpful. Making your Healey Cool Fred Wesco .

Our cars originally used a tar paper product and jute under the carpet for this purpose, but contemporary products provide much improved insulating qualities. On the advice of others I decided to use a product called Dynamat Exteme that has a very sticky adhesive rubber type surface on the underside and a foil surface on the top. After making patterns from butcher paper the individual pieces were easy enough to cut just using scissors. They were then carefully applied and rolled on with a wallpaper seam roller. Aluminum tape was used to seal all of the seams. All of this produces a nice looking appearance that will hopefully keep the heat down in the cockpit.

The installation of the first piece of the dynamat extreme went under the car, below the driver’s seat and above the muffler insulation panel. Then the stock insulation panel was secured using the six studs through the floor.

Dynamat Extreme 1

Muffler Insulation Panel

I then moved on to the interior of the firewall and to the driver’s side footwell. I used an awl to find the holes in the interior floor and to make holes through the dynamat material.

Dynamat Extreme 2

Dynamat Extreme 3

Next I fastened the insulation panels in the engine compartment.

Engine Insualtion panels

Valve Chatter

Tag Archives: Insulation

Interior Installation

Assorted Interior Modifications

Cooling/Heater

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

Chapter 34 Week One 12/18/2016

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