bugeyeguy.com

The largest restorer and reseller of Bugeye Sprites in the world


CURRENT INVENTORY IS SHOWN IN THE SMALL PICTURES JUST BELOW THIS TEXT!
(if a car is not pictured here, it has been sold)

What’s your exhaust flavor?

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Manifold unions are forever a problem on Spridgets. 

Today, we had one break, so I felt inspired to make a post about the various configurations and related issues.

Cast iron 948 Manifold that broke when we loosened the clamp

Of the 307 Sprites we have sold, almost all of them have come to us with a leak at the manifold to downpipes union. It’s a bad design, and if your downpipes is at all deformed, it’s really hard to make it work without a leak.

The pipe and manifold have to mate nicely, the clamp simply closes the deal

The best solution to this problem is to do away with the union all together and replace the manifold and down pipe union with a header. We sell a nice one piece header that fits. The two piece headers are easier to install but generally do not fit the cars and hang too low. So this one piece header is what we recommend. (Which you can purchase by clicking here)


In the video below, I dig into the issues we regularly encounter at the manifold-to-down-pipe union.

If you’re interested in an old header, give us a call at 203-208-0980.

1958 Bugeye Sprite driver for Sale!

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NOW SOLD to Thomas in Washington state! Congratulations! Our 308th! This is particularly exciting for us since he will drive this car from our shop home to Washington on his maiden voyage. We love these opportunities to produce the most reliable and drivable Bugeye possible!

Thank you Tom!

This is an early car made in 1958 (AN5L 1593), which Samantha has named “Ducky.” Production started with car 501, so this would be among the first 1000 or so Bugeyes ever made. There aren’t many of those first thousand cars left, so this is a rare car!

Engine is 9CUH 1156, the original 948 engine that came with the car. Carbs are the original H1 that came new with Mark 1 Sprites.

It’s very hard to find a good ’58 car, and this one has lots of potential.

The car presents well. There are a few small paint flaws, but the body is very straight and looks quite nice. The black stripes complement the car nicely. These are vinyl decals and can be peeled off if desired.

Floors were replaced with flat steel panels, and while not perfect, they didn’t diminish the pleasure one bit for the prior owner, who kept the car for the last 11 years.

She comes with a good top and aluminum side curtain cores that will need restoration. No tonneau, but we have those in stock if desired.

There are a few maintenance items needed. We can do all of them for the new owner, if desired. For example, the brake hydraulics will need refreshing. Tires have aged-out and should be replaced. The heater core is missing (but we have new ones if you need heat).

We can upgrade everything for the new owner, or you can do it yourself and we can provide all the parts. We look forward to partnering with the new owner so they can have “Ducky” in whatever form they like.

If you are looking for an early car, this one has an original ’58 nose (smaller radiator shrouding) and tub with the 1958 anomalies, and this is a rare commodity in the Austin Healey universe. Notice also the early and svelte thin windshield still in place, with proper body color matched windshield pillars.

Give a call or email if you are interested in this cool 1958 Bugeye!

“Mr Beardsley,” a very sweet 1959 1275 Bugeye Sprite driver for sale!

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SOLD! Congratulations to Daniel in New Mexico, thank you for purchasing our 307th Bugeye!!

“Mr Beardsley” (AN5L 13681) is a great Bugeye we last sold about four years ago. We were glad to buy it back, because we went through it at that time, and it is is a solid car that drives great with a strong 1275 engine. Four-wheel drum brakes are working nicely, and the engine is well-mated to a strong four-speed rib case transmission that is a delight to use.

We did a head gasket early 2017. It blew between cylinder two and three because someone had installed a 948 head gasket in a 1275 engine. That’s all fixed now, the head was fine and we replaced the gasket. The car has only been driven about 450 miles since then. Current indicated mileage is 19,140.

The radio works. If you prefer, we can remove the radio and put in a vintage AM unit, which would look more nostalgic. Silver wheels are also available if you would prefer that look (but a number of people here fell in love with the red wheels, so we left them on the car). These are original steel wheels on the car, btw.

This car also has a later style 1500 muffler on the back, that runs perpendicular to the car. This is unique and looks a bit ratty, but it works fine and sounds great. If the new owner prefers, we can put in a stock or performance muffler that runs fore and aft, like on most Bugeyes.

The underside is not clean, but it is in excellent shape and very sound. This car is a great driver ready for summer fun!

1959 Bugeye Sprite “Skye” floor pan repair

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This week, we cut out the driver footwell and welded in a new reproduction correct replacement footwell. The result is beautiful, and now this restored car has what it needed all along. It was too nice a restoration to leave that unaddressed.

The picture above shows the floor before we reinstalled the exhaust so you can get a good view. And if your car needs new floor pans, you can buy them by giving us a call at 203-208-0980 (these are not listed on our parts website due to the shipping costs) If you’d rather, let us know if you want us to pick up your car and fix them for you! We pick up and deliver nationwide!

Skye is still for sale, and you can take the car home now that the floor has been repaired! A “Before” picture is below…

If you’re interested in Skye and would like to see more of her, click here.

A Bugeye that leaks more than oil

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This is Gary H’s Bugeye in it’s driveway in Australia! Gary was “moved” to send us this picture of his car and the pile that it left behind in his garage after he read our recent post about frame weep holes. (click here if you missed that post)

Notice the weep holes in the photo above

“Hi David, just a quick email to thank you for alerting me about the chassis holes. Have owned this car since 1972 and rebuilt repaired maintained all these years but didn’t know about the holes which were covered by previous owner in bitumen paint. Can see by the photo the amount of crap I got out once I opened the holes up. Thanks Mate !!! “

Thanks Gary! We wish you many more rust free miles in that great Frogeye!”

Denim is back! 1959 Bugeye Sprite for sale, 5-speed “California car!” Video!

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Now SOLD to Mark and Ruthie in Texas!!! Congratulations! Our 305th!

Denim is a special Bugeye we are delighted to have back in our shop this week! We sold Denim to Bud in California last summer and he used this car for the past six months (about 700 miles) but at 6’5,” while he fit in Denim, he opted to trade it for our silver Beck Speedster, so that he will have a little more room in the that cockpit.

Bud with Denim in Tahoe, summer of 2020
Bud is already driving his new Beck at Laguna Seca (“display laps”)

So we picked-up Denim in California and brought it back to our shop where she is now for sale once again.

This is an expensive car.

If you are thinking this car should be priced like any other cosmetically imperfect Bugeye you would find on the web, then this isn’t the car for you. But if you appreciate original cars that are unrestored, you can appreciate that this is a car that cannot be easily duplicated or replaced and is thus quite valuable.

It’s tricky, because this car is far from “original,” with it’s flip forward nose and five- speed transmission, performance wheels and tires, non-stock seats and more… but I have never seen such an unadulterated Bugeye Bonnet. And the floor pans are strikingly original. And the car is solid everywhere you look. And we have gone through the car, (twice), to prepare it for two different prior owners. It’s a turn-key sleeper with the best performance and reliability upgrades already built-in. It’s not for everyone. But if you are the kind of person who dreams of finding this sort of (modified) survivor, then Denim could be the car for you!

I believe this car has had one respray in the blue color you see here. While some would opt to repaint this car, I would leave it exactly as it sits, and drive it anywhere with confidence. This is technically an unrestored car even though there are multiple modifications.

The car is a rocket. The 1275 engine is very strong and the car has HS4 1.5 inch carbs (instead of 1.25) and thus there is more power than a stock 1275 engine. The delightful (and expensive) Ford five-speed transmission was installed here about 2000 miles ago. This gearbox gives you a fully synchronized first gear as well as an overdrive fifth gear for highway cruising.

This car is really fun to drive, with great power, a great gearbox and a great ride. In fact, Bud recently installed new 175/70 tires, so the grip and ride quality are as good as they come on a Bugeye.

Check out the video drive below!

This Bugeye exudes the purity of a classic sportscar that has never rusted. Below is a photo of an impressive notebook from the door pocket that documents nearly every fuel fill-up since 1992 (current mileage indicated is 87,539). The last owners cared-for and loved this car for the past 28 years.

We’ve installed new rear brake wheel cylinders to freshen the brakes. LED tail, brake, park and turn signals are also present, which provide much brighter lights on all four corners as well as much brighter brake lights. We also installed a very loud compact air horn.

There are lots of receipts that come with this car (see photo gallery). Engine rebuild receipts are also included for the rebuilt 1275 engine at 83,536 miles (about 4000 miles ago). There’s a very nice documentation package, with excellent long-term owner history, and a wonderful patina and style.

This is a true California car. It is the holy grail of classics, dry for life, and fundamentally un-rusted, with the original floor pans and fantastically preserved sheet metal.

We call this car “Denim,” because it evokes the perfect worn (and slightly faded) denim work shirt. There is something very comfortable about it, and that’s how we feel about this car.

Of course it’s not for everyone, weathered and scratched in places, with chrome showing patina too, but if you like this sort of pure California icon, then this car is worth a very close look.

The radiator has been re-cored and fit with a supplemental cooling electric fan. She has K & N lifetime air filters and solid state electric fuel pump too. The car is wonderful to drive. Tight and quick.

The interior features non-standard bucket seats, quite comfortable and a bit more roomy for taller drivers. All the stock gauges suit the car nicely, as does the original steering wheel.

Underneath, you’ll find all the original sheet metal, solid and ready for the next driver. It is very rare to find a car in this condition.

She comes with a nearly new convertible top in one of our padded pouches. A great short tonneau and an original jack are also included. Other upgrades include three point retractable seat belts, power port/phone charger, trickle charger, bigger upgraded dashboard mirror, new rear shocks, top bow storage bag, convertible top storage bag, front sway bar and electronic ignition.

Call or email if you are interested in making Denim yours!

Contact us at David@bugeyeguy.com or call (203)-208-0980 during business hours