It’s crunch time here at Bugeyeguys! We have been spending our last week before the National Austin-Healey Club Enclave appearance ironing out the final details to get AN5L 501 ready to judge. This past weekend, we had a couple of unbiased third party observers mock judge car 501 and tell us some areas they thought we could improve. (More on that here.) However, there was one area that has been a real point of contention (and sometimes confusion) between the mock judges, our lead project mechanic Terry, our lead project researcher Nick, and myself. That area was the carburetor bowl vents.
[Read more…] about Adding Fuel To The FireOur Quest For Concours Gold Nears The Finish Line!
The end is near! We are so very close to loading AN5L 501 into a trailer and taking it to the Austin-Healey club national Enclave and concours event in Pennsylvania next week. We have spent the last 66 days completely disassembling the car, rectifying every non-concours detail we could find (and some we didn’t even know existed), and putting it back together. We did all of this in conjunction with our normal business operations, too! It has been two months of research, documentation, meetings, consultations, blood, sweat, and a little frustration to get to where we are today with 501, but we are elated with the final result, and we believe the concours judges will agree that this car is worth concours gold!
[Read more…] about Our Quest For Concours Gold Nears The Finish Line!“Topping” Off Our Concours Quest!
As the deadline approaches for the concours debut of Bugeye #501, we are getting into some of the finer points of accurate national concours preparation. Each trip down the list of requirements reveals a new element or something we may have missed. We are double- and triple-checking every element to ensure maximum accuracy (and points) and also to ensure we have properly returned car 501 to its accurate original state.
This week, we worked on the top and side curtain fit. The car will probably never be out in the rain again, but the kit has to be accurate and has to fit right, as we will be judged on accuracy of the components and also on quality of the fit. None of these ever fit well; in fact, the weatherproofing of a Frogeye was always a bit of a joke. However, this car actually has quite nice fit and finish of its weather components, especially when you consider that the pieces are all quite old!
[Read more…] about “Topping” Off Our Concours Quest!The Right Tools For The Job
Part of the process for the concours judging car 501 will undergo is the scrutinization of bits that the standards refer to as “Loose Equipment”. One of the components of this section of the judging is the tool kit that came with each Frogeye. There are eleven different and unique components present in the tool kits that came with most Frogeyes (the first 42000 or so cars came with the eleven-piece kit. The kit was streamlined after this to a seven-piece kit that eliminated some of the smaller and less helpful bits).
[Read more…] about The Right Tools For The Job501 Update & Some Cool Green Cars!
Each day we spend with car 501 is another day closer to completion. In preparing this historic Bugeye for the Austin-Healey National Enclave later this month, we have run across multiple cases in which a concours correct part needs to either be fabricated, modified, or is completely unobtainable altogether. Such was the case for the air inlet hose for the heater assembly. However, we have finally been able to find a solution that will meet our needs, and in the process have launched an exciting new product!
The concours standards call for an inlet hose made of ” thin rubber with a helical spring inside” with a “seam spiraling around it from one end to the other”. The factory original hoses, due to their construction, did not survive the “harsh” conditions of a Bugeye engine bay. In the years since, there have been reproductions on the market but none of them are correct. But we have finally discovered a solution that has the correct look!
[Read more…] about 501 Update & Some Cool Green Cars!Junk In The Trunk!
Welcome to another chapter in our Concours 501 story. We are working out the final details on car 501 (the first production Bugeye) for the September 18 Austin-Healey Club Enclave and National Concours in Pennsylvania. This week, we finished making our proper boot compartment spare tire tray, and we’re excited that this detail is now made right for our special car. We are even more excited to be offering this as our newest product!
The earliest Bugeyes (chassis number AN5L 4684 and prior), had a tray in the boot for the spare tire, not just a flat mat. In the photo below, taken from the factory parts manual, you’ll see what exactly the factory had in mind with this component (16 is trunk tray, and 16A is the later car flat mat).
[Read more…] about Junk In The Trunk!