Restoring a Bugeye Sprite while converting it back from race car to street car.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how we installed the refinished dashboard in our 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite project car.
Whether you want to build a hot street car, restore a car to show-ready condition or–in our case–both, the Austin-Healey Sprite is an ideal choice.
While some might say we spent too much time and money restoring a lowly Austin-Healey Sprite, we're confident we now own one of the finest Bugeye Sprites in the world.
If, like us, you get frequent rain, a tonneau cover for your roadster is a wise investment. Here's how we installed one on our Austin-Healey Sprite project car.
After just a few small tweaks, our Bugeye Sprite project car was ready to hit the road–and attend its first big outing.
While our Sprite likely won't be seeing any track time, we still wanted to give it an alignment that will maximize its performance on the street.
A supercharged engine means our Sprite would need an exhaust upgrade so it doesn't restrict power. Luckily, the simple stock system makes that easy.
Now that our Sprite is running an electric fuel pump and a larger, single SU carb, we installed an inline fuel pressure regulator to prevent future fuel pressure issues.
To improve safety in the event of a brake failure, we upgraded our Sprite from a single master cylinder to a later, dual master cylinder setup.
What good is a windshield if you can't see out of it? Follow along as we restore the windshield of our 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite project car.
With the seat frames repaired, we could now install the seats for our Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite.
As great as our Sprite's freshly primed seat frames are, they were missing important parts: the studs that create the pivot point so the seats can hinge forward.
The stock interior in an Austin-Healey Sprite is pretty spartan. Our early Bugeye, however, deserves better.
Since we were upgrading the rest of the car, why not improve the interior, too? We knew we could do better than the rubber floor mats originally fitted to our …
Since our Sprite wasn't designed with a five-speed in mind, we needed to modify the interior to ensure we had the room to shift into fifth gear.
A quieter cockpit doesn't have to be expensive. We upgraded our Sprite for just $100.
Since a steering wheel is one of the things you touch most in a car, why not spend a little more and get something that looks and feels right?
Although we originally bought a vintage supercharger for our Bugeye Sprite, we decided to save ourselves time and effort and opt for a supercharger kit from Moss Motors.
Since our Sprite will be making more horsepower than stock, we figured that an oil cooler is a wise investment–but where to mount it?
Although our Sprite's engine install was completed with little issue, we didn't have that same luck when installing the cooling system.
With the engine and transmission mated, it's time to install the entire drivetrain into our Bugeye Sprite.
Here's how we fitted our Bugeye Sprite project with a new throttle pedal.
Looking to add more gears behind an A-series engine? Why not attach a five-speed transmission from a later Datsun?
How we were able to easily install new brake lines in our Bugeye Sprite project car with help from Classic Tube.
What's the best way to mount a battery in a Bugeye Sprite? Here's how we mounted ours.
We install an MSD 6AL into our Bugeye Sprite project car to ensure a consistent, powerful spark.
Come see several Classic Motorsports project cars at our first-ever Classic Motorsports Amelia Island Kickoff Presented by Sunoco–including our 1960 Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite.
Since we are adding a number of electrical components to our Sprite, we'd need something with capacity for more than the two fuses the car originally came with.
In our continued efforts to improve our Bugeye Sprite's operability and performance, we opted to upgrade from a period-correct generator to a more modern alternator.
How we restored the original headlights and taillights on our Bugeye Sprite project car to like-new condition.
Our Bugeye Sprite needed exhaust. So how did we get it to the shop?
Adding an electric fuel pump to our supercharged Sprite.
Here are the steps we took to install the wiring harness in our Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite project car.
The unique properties of a Bugeye Sprite's wiring harness make it somewhat easier to work on.
Here's how to fix up those beehive lamps used on Triumphs, Lotus, Austin-Healeys and more.
When it comes to switches and cables, don't settle for ratty old ones or cheaply made reproductions. Here's how to easily restore yours to like-new condition.
How to best attach vinyl to a Sprite's dash, clips or glue?
How we turned our sedentary Sprite into a true rolling chassis.
It's almost time to install the drivetrain into our Bugeye Sprite–but first, we fit some heat insulation in the tunnel and firewall area.
Thankfully–with some media blasting and fresh paint–we were able to reuse our Bugeye Sprite's original fuel tank.
Whether or not a Bugeye Sprite actually needs a Panhard bar, here's how to fit one with a handy kit from The Winner's Circle.
Our Bugeye Sprite didn't leave the factory with a front anti-roll bar, so we add one to better prevent oversteer.
The rear end of the Sprite is rebuilt, so, naturally, it's time to turn our attention forward.
In following with our Sprite's reassembly plan, we're starting first with fitting the rear end.
Just as you would during disassembly, reassembling a project car requires a proper plan of attack.
Have a lot of holes in that sheet metal to fill? Why not fill welding?
The last step in painting our Bugeye Sprite? Wet sanding and buffing the paint to a glass-smooth finish.
After all the bodywork, it was finally time to apply the basecoat and the clearcoat.
The last critical steps before our Sprite could head to the paint booth.
Making sure the face of our Bugeye is ready for a close-up/
Guess what? There were lots of holes that shouldn't be there under the hood of our Sprite, too.
Restoration tip: Good bodywork isn't cheap or quick.
To give us more access to the engine in our Sprite, we order and fit a kit that lets the hood flip up and forward.
The worst time to figure out your trim doesn't fit? After spending hours painting the body.
A change in shop ownership had us scrambling to find a new body shop.
Has this project become economically unviable? Yes. Does that mean we're going to give up? No.
We're working on a 1960 Bugeye Sprite, but this guide should help you replace the floor pan in virtually any classic car.
Before we could finish the install of a new rear quarter panel, we'd need to fix the hole cut by a previous owner to fit a roll bar.
Can you really just glue on a new quarter panel?
With the differential put back together, we could assemble all the parts that make up our Sprite's rear brakes and suspension.
Have a differential to install? Here's how we fitted a limited-slip to our Bugeye Sprite project.
Small problem: Our Bugeye Sprite needs a limited-slip differential. Bigger problem: There aren't any commercially available. Luckily, we know a guy.
The key to a lower Bugeye Sprite? Angling the springs using a wedge.
Intimidated about the thought of rebuilding a steering rack yourself? Don't be. Here's how to do it.
How to rebuild a brake caliper–plus adding upgrading the pads to handle spirited driving.
Since adding power without improving handling would negate any potential gains, it's time to upgrade our Sprite's front suspension.
Here's how we plan to have our Bugeye Sprite's bite match its bark.
A car's performance is only as good as the parts that connect it to the road, so we asked the experts what the best setup is.
We know we want the widest tire and wheel package available for our Sprite, but we didn't know what that package looked like.
Our Bugeye race car came with a lot of extra parts in many boxes, so we needed help to figure out what was worth keeping and what wasn't.
In addition to media blasting our Sprite's body, we also have the suspension and a number of other parts treated as well.
Striped and cleaned, the next step for our Bugeye Sprite was media blasting.
Yes, there really is a right way and wrong way to order parts for your project.
Project car plan in place, it was time to strip down our Bugeye Sprite.
Formulating how we will turn this tired race machine into a hot street car.
Storied history? Championship-winning racer? We'd have to take a deeper dive to figure out what we actually bought.
How we acquired one of our latest projects, a 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite.
All the parts are off of the Sprite, but this is how do we keep them all organized.
One of the best ways we ensure the condition of a project? We media-blast any and all components.
One of the most important restoration steps? Disassembly.
