Confessions of a Car-Aholic

I swore I would never buy another car after the thrash we did on that Tornado. The very day after Amelia, I went and looked at a 1959 Bugeye Sprite that a friend told me about. Sadly, it (or at least most of it's pieces), are now in my pole barn waiting restoration.

I've done a bugeye so I have some insight into what you are getting into.

You have done a Sprite, a Mini and you have done the Tornado.

Unless there are some rust or collision challenges. I think the Bugeye will be a walk in the park for you.

Love to know what the inner-mental conversation was that let you to buy this car?

We addicts need our fix from time to time. Fortunately, most of us here have non-lethal addictions!

We all look forward to your treatment reports!

Welding, you missed the welding on your last project.

What's the build plan, leave it stock or upgrade with front disk brakes and 1275 engine and other mods?

1380 swap?

Gary wrote: What's the build plan, leave it stock or upgrade with front disk brakes and 1275 engine and other mods?

We dragged home a crusty '71 Midget last weekend so it can donate the parts for this.

Yes, as Margie said, the Bugeye came with an entire 1973 MG Midget. The Midget isn't that bad but was left out doors. As for welding, Jr02518, if you are talking about the Mini, I did a very, very comprehensive piece on welding a few issues back. If you missed it, give Gary in our office a call. He is the back issue king.

As for the plan and the thought process of why I bought the car... One word: Insanity. Actually, as the prices keep rising on these cars I try to keep a few in my pole barn that I pick up cheap. I have a 1970 Spitfire, a 1972 MGB and now this Bugeye and Midget combo. Total price paid for all three; about $3000. I also picked up a gorgeous Mercedes 220SE Coupe last year with a sunroof and 4-speed. I try to pick stuff that I like and that I think our readers will like. I also try real hard to mix it up with common, core cars of our readers and then one-off stuff, like the Tornado, that nobody has ever heard of. I also try to do cheap cars and not so cheap cars. And I was accused of always modifying the cars, so I have even done a couple of bone stock cars, like the Mini. Honestly, I don't really care what I am building. I just like to tinker in the shop constantly. I like learning about each and every car and I like meeting the people involved with each marque. This approach keeps stories in the magazine and makes me a pretty decent proof reader, as once you restore an entire car, you learn a lot.

And as for the plan for the Bugeye... The body is relatively sound, with some easy to fix rust. Someone butchered in another engine, so some areas around the tunnel with need to be fixed. Since I got all the 1275 bits, and the 948 is pathetically slow, so I think that upgrade is a no-brainer, and helps, not hurts the value. As for the rest of the car, I am tempted to leave it pretty stock. It was originally that pastel, bright green color. I am not sure I can live with that. I was also thinking of making a killer autocross car, that still looks period correct. I am probably a year away from messing with it, as I promised Margie I would get her vintage travel trailer done, when I got the Tornado and Mini done. And of course, I am open to reader input on what to do with any of our project cars.

Tim,

The SCCA is waking up to "vintage auto crossing" and your build could be very timely. Tires, that will fit under the fenders and will work for these types of events will be a challenge.

The world of available 13" tires has gotten very thin, performance tires in these sizes (13x5 inch rims) are gone. Yes, you can find 205/60's, but are you going to open up the rear fenders?

Then you have the rear axle/diff. Why do the axle's break at the splines and that short section get stuck in the pumpkin?

I look forward to this build, it could be the reason I reenter the world of British cars. But one question, why do their gaskets promote leaking?

David

Jr02518,

Good points. For serious autocrossing you will need dedicated tires. For a couple of events a year, the Vredesteins are pretty damned good tires. I have autocrossed on them with surprisingly good results. As for the seals, it might be the machining on the metal parts as much as the seals.

jr02518 wrote: Tim, The SCCA is waking up to "vintage auto crossing" and your build could be very timely. Tires, that will fit under the fenders and will work for these types of events will be a challenge. The world of available 13" tires has gotten very thin, performance tires in these sizes (13x5 inch rims) are gone. Yes, you can find 205/60's, but are you going to open up the rear fenders? Then you have the rear axle/diff. Why do the axle's break at the splines and that short section get stuck in the pumpkin? I look forward to this build, it could be the reason I reenter the world of British cars. But one question, why do their gaskets promote leaking? David

You obviously have played with these cars!

The gaskets leaking tends to be more of a case of the running surface being worn combined with relatively high crankcase pressures. The pressures come from either worn engines or people mucking with the ventilation system. Spedi-Sleeves will fix the surfaces to better than new conditions. Even the silly rear scroll system works if the crankcase is not running at high pressure.

For the rear axle seals, the best thing anyone ever taught me was to use sealed bearings; this actually eliminates the need for rear axle seals. Get them from McMasterCarr rather than MOSS and save $$$.

To me, the real killer has always been the front suspension. Disposable A-arms and king-pin rebuilding gets expensive quick.

Tim, Are you aware of the TV program Flipping RV's which is about restoreing vintage RV's? If not, you should take a look as it can give you some insight on how they are built and ideas for finishing.

Thanks for the tips, and no, actually, as a Triumph guy, I have very little experience with Sprites. And I will check out that RV TV show.