I’m on a mission to restore a 1958 Austin Healey Mark 1 Sprite, also known as a Bugeye Sprite. I really appreciate your checking out and supporting my channel.
My videos and other content will be available to members on Patreon first, www.patreon.com/BugeyeBob, with the content becoming available to Members on KZread one week later and to KZread subscribers and the public a few days to a week later. Please have patience, I'm new to this process.
As you will see in the early videos, the car is in pretty bad shape. However, with the “unique” (ugly?) look and design of the Bugeye Sprite, and since so few of them made it to the US, it is important that this Sprite be saved.
Please follow me on this adventure, spread the word, and join as a Patreon member for $5 a month to help defray the costs and move this restoration along faster at www.patreon.com/BugeyeBob.
And remember… It’s a dirty, thankless job… but somebody has to do it.
Thanks, Bugeye Bob…
Пікірлер
Hey Bob, these are a little before my time, I’m surprised the fasteners aren’t British Imperial Standard. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride. Looking forward to the progress 👍
Guess you could say you’re giving your spanners a work out! Talk about shoehorned in🤔
Yes that old oil filter assembly! I don’t know if you’re going all original or some upgrades, but I highly recommend the spin on oil filter assembly (readily available). Much easier to change the oil. 👍
Quick buff with some compound and you're gold. Seriously a big job ahead of you Bob, but certainly doable, I'll watch your progress with interest...
Thanks for watching. Feel free to laugh at the mistakes I make along the way. That's what I do...
Your best bet is to get it barely running, put insurance on it, run it into something, and have the insurance declare it totalled.
I value my life too much to risk running it into something. This is one of those vehicles built back in the day when your body is the "crumple zone."
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne To get my antique sports car fix, I realized they were way to expensive and too much trouble, and switched to spoked wheeled cruiser motorcycles. . Instead of buying an MGTC for 40,000.... I paid $1,900 for a 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit in mint condition with 8,000 miles. 🙂 Really, I just wanted something super pretty, super cheap, super new for a change, lots of chrome, and with spoked wheels Motorcycles, the way to go. You can get a wrench in anywhere, and 50mpg 🙂 less is more
I cant wait to watch the progress Im still working on my 61 bugeye kzread.info/dash/bejne/gYNhtNBpqdO4ic4.htmlsi=5ITUf5SfIThaIxXr
SU = Skinners Union carburetor
THANKS!!! I never came across that in any of the manuals. Maybe I missed it.
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne I always thought it was Swiss Union myself, but I looked it up on Google just before I commented.
Considering the age and existing rust, the bolts came out fairly easy it seems like. I found that to be the case with mine as well. Did you need to use any penetrant solution like WD40?
I started off using PB Blaster but found out I'm allergic to something in it. So I then used WD-40.
Apart from the carbs, it is the same set up as the Morris Minor because it is the same engine. Removing an engine from a Morris Minor follows the same procedure/steps but there is more working space.
Fortunate that this engine was used in so many different vehicles. It is far cheaper to get many replacement parts than I expected.
I just started watching this episode and I hope you drained the gearbox oil!😮
Sort of... but not the way you think...
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne Once you remove the driveshaft there is nothing stopping the oil coming out. I found out the hard way! Quite a mess.
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne obviously that was the special water cooled gearbox model --- lol
If you have not already checked out the Econobox Garage channel I highly suggest it. Ian has just completed a complete restoration on a bugeye . 150+ episodes. It will really save you a lot of time and energy on the learning curve. I’m doing a restoration as well and it has helped me immensely. Good luck with your project.
Hope to see this one come back to life again. Got a 1940 ford pickup i been building on. It had no floors whatsoever so i took square tubing to frame up a floor structure and to mount cab with. Its sitting on a 2003 blazer frame that i had to narrow up just so cab would fit. And it has a 305 SBC In it. Should be a fun ride when finished. It was really to far gone to make original. But as far as a rat rod.i had the frame and enfine laying around and the square tubing. So trying to stay on a very tight budget and use mostly what i have already
Sounds like a cool project you have going. Thanks for watching and commenting.
should have refinished the wheel first before putting on the new tire
Too much more work to do first that would put the new finish at risk of damage. Also, these tires are not road legal for autos. I picked them up cheap at a farm supply store because they are actually trailer tires.
For those who don't know, in its native land (England) it's an Austin Healey "Frog Eye" Sprite.
"Frog Eye" is perhaps more appropriate given the "mouth" on the Sprite. Something about coming across "the pond" that seems to mess up the translation in our "common" language.
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne Just as a little aside, in the 1960s there was a kids' TV show called "Hector's House" with three principal characters, Hector (a dog), Sza-Sza (a cat) and Kiki (a frog 🐸).. There were also still a lot of Sprites around at that time, many of which became referred to as "Kiki" because of that show. I can still remember in 1971-72, my dad rebuilding a frog eye for a young fellow (a Colonel's son) at the army base where my mum worked as the Colonel's secretary. It was a fetching shade of sky blue and rust when it arrived - When it returned home, it was all blue once more, and also named Kiki! 🐸
Can’t wait for the engine rebuild episode! Lookin’ good Bob 👍
Make sure you catch the Teardown episodes. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The trick with that style jack is set it up so that it isn't vertical - the top further from the bodywork. This way the jack becomes upright as you raise making it more stable and avoiding the top denting a panel.
Turned out it was the totally wrong jack for this car.
They were a great little engine. My dad's car in the 60's here in UK was an A35, same engine I believe, we did thousands and thousands of miles in that uncomfortable thing on family holidays, and his weekend 'history tours' Fond memories.
I think this one suffered from "We don't need to do any stinking maintenance." Wait to you see what the engine looks like in a upcoming teardown video.
It’s amazing how simple the engineering was to put these together. Look forward to the next installment 👍
Yup, these were made quick and cheap to bring much needed income into England as they were still recovering from WWII. Many more episodes to come, so thanks for tuning in.
My dad drove three Austin A40's in Canada, from 1955 to 1963. They were B series engines I believe. He said these cars were only good for 25,000 miles, so your little A series engine likely had reached the end of its service life in 1967. It was a whole different era, and British cars especially didn't have a long life. Even back in Britain.
Yup, these were made quick and cheap to bring much needed income into England after the war. Other people I've talked to said pretty much the same thing... 25,000 miles and rebuild the engine, transmission, and gearbox. A couple mentioned that usually the gearbox (transmission) went out just before the engine. Subscribe so you don't miss the teardown on the engine.
That is not the jack that came with the Bugeye. The original is better, but not by much. The rear springs are quarter elliptical. Half elliptical springs were introduced on the square bodied Sprites and Midgets. By the way the quarter elliptical springs are 15 leaf. You are correct about the 10 leaf replacements changing ride height. It causes the rear to ride higher, but they make wedges to shove in the spring box the will bring the rear back down. Having restored a Bugeye from the ground up, boy, do you have your work cut out for you. Not to mention the expense these days. Watching your videos with anticipation though and wishing you luck.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I'm hoping my springs will clean up OK since they seem pretty solid.
@@BugeyeBob-zt6ne Bob, I am on my original springs since the restoration in 2000. A little lithium grease between the leaves goes a long way to a good ride. Of course paint them black first. Taking them apart is a bugger though. Cosmetically do whatever you feel looks good., but the suspension is all about the ride. Terry Horler's book "Original Sprite and Midget" is a great reference guide to originality with many pictures.
Couple of weekends and off you go!
😅I'll just be glad if I have it all done by October 16th of 2028, the 70th anniversary of the car! I've gotten some feedback from people saying they had been working on their cars "for the past 10 years."
I'm sure you already know, but here in the UK we know this as a frog-eye Sprite. Back in the 60's I had the MG Midget, which, unlike the frog-eye, came with a boot (trunk) 🙂
I debated whether to use Frog-eye or Bugeye and sort of flipped a coin. For some reason Bugeye caught on here in the US. Thanks for watching! I wish the Mark 1 Sprites had a trunk in them It would make the upcoming body work a lot easier.
This looks promising Bob, I'll be watching with interest. I found the background music a bit distracting (I'm hearing impaired), maybe you could lower the level a bit when you're speaking?
Thanks for the feedback. Several people mentioned the background music. I figured out how to tweak it so the videos after the first couple of episodes should be better.
I took another look at this jack and it is a "Bilstein AB 1988." It is similar to Mercedes Benz jacks by Bilstein used from 1959-1966. However, I couldn't find and exact match of this jack so far. The question then becomes "Would you trust your Mercedes Benz to a jack like this?" Weird that it seems to fit the Bugeye Sprite almost perfectly. Makes me wonder if this was an aftermarket jack that a dealer or previous owner tossed in just to say the car comes with a jack.
The original jack is like a triangle, but even then you have to block the wheels, a round hole won’t help much
Even though the jack came with the car and was buried deep back in the boot, research suggests that the jack came from a Mercedes Benz from the same era. Even blocking the wheels might not be much help if you have to use this jack on the shoulder of the road. The base of it measures 3 inches (7.62 cm) diameter.
The original Jack is Some kind of a triangle
I've seen 3 different styles of jacks other than this one that all claim to be the "Original Bugeye Sprite" Jack. All of them date from 1960 on and also get listed as "Original MG Midget" jacks. My Sprite is first year (1958) model. This jack so perfectly fits the jacking hole on the car I wouldn't be surprised if it was original to the car, and was quickly done away with exactly because of the problem I highlight in the video. If this jack wasn't original to the car maybe someone can tell us what car it was made for?
I think your sense of humour will come in handy during this minor make over👍
Thanks. Some people miss the humor in my videos.
I love it!
Thanks.
I think I'd put some triangulated brace legs on that jack. A little design and some welding and they could fold up too.
@BugeyeBob-zt6ne 0 seconds ago I've seen 3 different styles of jacks other than this one that all claim to be the "Original Bugeye Sprite" Jack. All of them date from 1960 on and also get listed as "Original MG Midget" jacks. My Sprite is first year (1958) model. This jack so perfectly fits the jacking hole on the car I wouldn't be surprised if it was original to the car, and was quickly done away with exactly because of the problem I highlight in the video. If this jack wasn't original to the car maybe someone can tell us what car it was made for?
Hey ,ill sub you but i couldnt get in or out of a bug now...AND..how many folks out there do you think even know what a bug is ?..i did have a datsun 2000 for awhile...i can say that...now that was a fast car...
Thanks for subscribing. I'm not certain I'll be able to get out of this once I get in. I took a ride on the NOLA Motorsports race course with one of their instructors in his Miata. I had a hell of a time getting in and literally had to roll out onto the ground to get out because I couldn't get my feet back out first. I think the most fun car I ever owned was a Datsun B-210 Hatchback. Wasn't fast, but it sure was quick off the line.
The screw jacks have locating pins to stop it turning, others used square tubing.
It turned out that although this jack came with the car and was buried deep in the boot, research suggests that the jack is from a Mercedes Benz of the same era. As others noted, the original Sprite Mark 1 Jacks (I've seen 3 different versions that claimed to be "original.") all had much more stable bases. The base on this jack is 3" (7.62 cm) in diameter and not the sort of thing I would want to try using on the shoulder of a road. The Sprite itself just has a round tube for the round jack arm rod to go into.
That jack isn't the original jack for a Sprite, but you probably already know that..?
@BugeyeBob-zt6ne I've seen 3 different styles of jacks other than this one that all claim to be the "Original Bugeye Sprite" Jack. All of them date from 1960 on and also get listed as "Original MG Midget" jacks. My Sprite is first year (1958) model. This jack so perfectly fits the jacking hole on the car I wouldn't be surprised if it was original to the car, and was quickly done away with exactly because of the problem I highlight in the video. If this jack wasn't original to the car maybe someone can tell us what car it was made for?
Had a 1960 T-bird that must have had 8 foot long leaf springs in back. A flat tire had you place the jack into a slot on the bumper and raise it almost to the last click on the jack post just to get the tire off the ground. It was a suicide jack - just like this one! Cool video.
A lot of the cars in that era had long bumper jacks that were a pain, and dangerous on anything but very solid ground.
Best of luck carting your hydraulic trolley jack around in a Frogeye Sprite. You probably also want some axle stands, a warning triangle, & perhaps some cones. Even back in 1958, punctures were still quite rare events. They have only really become prevalent with modern low aspect ratio tyres, and poor road maintenance. That jack was meant for an EMERGENCY, which was rare. In 50 years of driving, I think I could count the number of roadside wheel changes on one, or maybe two hands. When you jack the car up, put it in gear, & apply the handbrake. If you're lifting the back end, use chocks under the front wheels, then it should not roll forward or back. Have you SEEN the jacks on modern cars, like M-B, or Ford? Better still, buy a Citroen, with hydro-pneumatic suspension, all you need is a log, rock, or couple of bricks.
Although it came with the car and was buried way in the back of the "boot" it turned out it is most likely a Mercedes Benz jack from the same era based upon researching the brand name and model number on it. My experience with roadside tire changes is that the shoulder was always soft making this style jack even less safe. Even with all the safety precautions that tiny of a base (measures 3" in diameter) on soft ground would still be dangerous.
As long as used as intended it is perfectly fine. When the wheels are chocked the other side and then raised on the jack, there 3 good contact points- always assuming no corrosion in the sills of course. And remember to loosen the nuts before raising it, too many forget the basics.
All great points! Only question is how many people will set the hand brake and chock the front tires? Even doing all that, I think this jack is still dangerous on even slightly soft ground.
I'm looking forward to watching the progress. Bless you for taking this on. Seeing the effort, i think i would have fully 'restored' and painted the rim and put the final road tire on. But, i don't know your planning flow chart 😊. Best of luck!
These tires got put on because I happened to come across them for a very cheap price in a farm supply store of all places... about $75 US for a pair. I thought about completely restoring the rims, but there is so much work to do I know they will get dinged and would have to be repainted at the end of the project so I passed.
That jack scares the you know what out of me, can you imagine with traffic going by😳
Bad enough without traffic...
Be on the.road in no time!
Yup, time is "relative." Fortunately, now that I'm retired, it can just take as long as it takes.
For a moment I thought the car was called Bugeye Bob! Greetings from the UK
I can understand the confusion. I think Bugeyes are the only car I know of that sometimes get a man's nickname. Glad to see someone from the UK is watching!
Bob, you have at least all of the parts intact. Go BOB Go. We British car owners support you. Thanks for posting and brining it back to life. Cheers from Texas
Thanks! I've joined the local "Panhandle British Car Owners" club here in Pensacola FL and gotten some great info from the members here. I've enjoyed almost all my visits to the Lone Star state... All except that one trip to Lubbock from Clovis NM that was in freezing rain that is!
Subscribed😊
Thanks for subscribing!
How is it that your channel is only at 127 subs…? Count me in at 128💪🏼👍🏼
Thanks! I've just started the channel and I'm grateful that I've got this many subscribers already!
thats alot better with the music turned down. oh and check valve stem for leaks . have had them leak there also
I found the setting in my editing software that automatically adjusts to emphasize narration so that helped a lot. As for valve stems leaking, that's a definite check.
You can buff most of that out. A real cream puff. Parked in Davy Jone's Locker since 1967.
"It's just a flesh wound..."😂
Frog eye sprite.
"Frogeye" in UK, "Bugeye" in US
That old gasket material was gnarly! Looking forward to the progress👍
Weird how it can be both hard as a rock in some spots and sticky as glue in others. Thanks for watching!
Hello there Bob! You have quite the project you've taken on. I'm definitely going to follow along. I got my '59 on the road fairly recently after a long rebuild. Perhaps some of my videos will be helpful. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions! Cheers, Ian.
Thanks Ian. I'm going through your videos as I get time. I think I noticed you using engine stands to make a rotisserie. I did this with a 1957 Crestliner boat I restored and plan on doing the same with the Sprite. Only problem I have is so much work needs to be done on the rear of the body I'm going to have to weld up special arms that go in the rear leaf spring mounts for the rear. Got them drawn up, just have so much else to do before I get there. I'll definitely contact you with questions!
Looks like a rottiserie restoration project throughout. Im way to old (and smart!) for that, Does look mostly complete and original. Gotta be a labor of love . Good Luck,,,DUBS
Definitely a rotisserie project. Because the Sprite is so small (11' 2" x 54") I'm going to use the same setup I used in restoring a 14' aluminum boat. A hacked engine stand on each end with outriggers and 30MM tubing to bolt them together lengthwise.
I think you should save the music for montages and time lapses.
Noted. I'm still learning new editing software. Should be better in the future.
Love your channel. Looking forward to more content. Press on regardless.
Thanks for the encouragement!