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You've gotta love this one.A 1973 Midget that has been in storage for 20 years. One bid already for $500. The storage guys are now selling it, and some of their priceless gems include: 1) It runs but obviously will need a tune up. As it that's all it will need! 2) We did not drive the car and there is no fluid in the hydraulic clutch, but we were told the transmission, and brakes are OK. So please explain how you verified these bits were OK. 3) The only rust is where I am pointing in the photos,... MORE
Hi Colin, Must have been a "Running when parked" type of car! Just dust off the spark plugs get a battery jump and you can drive it home with the parking brake! I've done that before!!!!! Later, Paul A "Paul Asgeirsson" 14990... MORE
To quote my friend Norm - it's either a feast of a famine So here's a Mk II Sprite fitted with small block Chev Corvette engine. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=3D1&item=3D4547 154080&category=3D6023 The eBay description reads: 1962 Austin Healey Sprite MKII. (Great restoration project) Hotrod convertible/Roadster. California car, clean body, blue metallic, The mileage on odometer reads 40,136 but is not the original odometer, exac t unknown. Equipped with rebuilt 1972 Corvette V8 Chevy small block 350, 4 bolt main. Engine has crane cam with roller rockers, 4 barrel Holly 650 double pumper dual feed carburetor with Edelbrock 4 barrel intake manifold. Comes... MORE
A UK gallon is 4.546 litres whereas the US is 3.785 litres. My understanding of the situation is that the US gallon is the old british wine measure and is 4/5 UK gallon. Both gallons have 4 quarts, as both have 8 pints although a british pint has 20 fluid ounces as opposed to the US having 16 fluid ounces. Just to make it worse the US fluid ounce is about 4% larger than the UK fluid ounce. Somewhere back in history the whole mess arose and ultimately everyone is likely to go metric as most except the US... MORE
There's an odd noise I can't identify coming from the back of the bugeye when the car is moving. Almost sounds like a muffled bag of tools bouncing around. It doesn't sound exactly metallic, but if you were ruling out sounds, you'd be left thinking that metal is responsible for the sound. It's not a click, grind, whine, rattle. Maybe a bit clunk-ish with a blanket thrown over it. It's repetitive... maybe 1-2 per second. My instinct says driveshaft related. Maybe u-joint? Or some slop somewhere? On to the stupid question you've all been waiting for... I want to... MORE
Could be your speedo or tach is not accurate. 5000 rpm should be nearly 75 mph. Suspension and steering are okay if in good condition, although a BE sharing the road with 18 wheelers is going to get blown around, and can be scary. The drum brakes are not up to interstate speed, and most have replaced them with discs. If you really do want to run at interstate speeds, an upgrade to 1275cc and 3.9 or 3.7 diff, or Datsun 5-speed will do the job. "joe blxfstz" 14866... MORE
Doug....not to butt in, but.... the Frog was made back in '58 for basically British roads/speed conditions back then... same for our conditions here in the states when traffic moved more slowly "back when". Of course, the upgraded 1098's and 1275's did better over here speed-wise. And "over there" later on as well as the British developed their limited access highways as well. However.....upgrade same with front disc brakes, anti-sway bar, wider wheel s and modern (larger tires) and it becomes a nicely stable platform at high er limited access highway speeds, easily handled by a 1275/Datsun 5 speed/3.7... MORE
Michael- I've been trying to figure out how the "Guys" drive these things at anything above 60-65mph...my poor little 948 w/ stock tranny and 4.22 RE is well above 5krpm at 65 and the suspension and brakes at that speed leave me w/ little/no confidence. I do, however, get a kick out of driving it around town but the big SUV's scare the S#%T out of me! Addictive little vixon.... Doug in SC.. dpecchenino@... 14864... MORE
I just replaced my BE seats and foam kits from Victoria British. Blue on Blue Bugeye standard. Woops, just means last August. I don't know what their price is now!! The kit went on pretty well for an novice upholstery guy. the best way to get excellent gass millage is to lie about it!!!! Gas story - I drove from Corvallis, OR to LaGrande, OR a distance of 350 miles. Wanting adventure I stayed off the freeway I5/I84 and crossed the mountains over to Prineville. I filled up in Prinville and As I was leaving town I checked my... MORE
Hmmm...apparently, I got lucky, The PO installed a "shaft/bearing" on the accelerator rod so the pedal rests upon the moveable bearing... Cap'n Bob Smooothly accelerating Frog "Robert E. Shlafer" 14798... MORE
You really take tools, parts and towbar with your LBC when you travel? You don't get to work on my car.......... (HHH) 15 MPG is pretty bad, need a tune up? I have driven my BE from Vancouver, BC to Ensenada, BC ( Mexico ) , never took so much as a screwdriver and got 47 MPG. My Mother used to regularly get 54 in hers. BTW, your brake pipe is off and on my desk, I will get it posted soon. It is "as bent" originally and you get the OE " British Undercoating " too! BC******************** "British... MORE
Thanks everyone for the gas pedal mounting ideas. Phil Nase http://home.ptd.net/~nase "Phil Nase" 14784... MORE
On Target with the C&B, Clutch and Brake pedal. I used it that way for ~37 years. The pedal pad matches the others and does not slip. Also doesn't go between the toes when you drive w/o Shoes. Steve "Stephen P. Mers" 14774... MORE
I welded a pad the same size as the C&B, then glued on a pedal pad. Set the height where it fit me. Gave me ~2" more legroom on the go pedal side. Good luckSteve "Stephen P. Mers" 14764... MORE
Larry- You didn't like the angle of the brake pedal so you just removed it? You removed the gas pedal I assume (?) and left the bare gas throttle rod.... Doug in Santa Clara dpecchenino@... 14772... MORE
Hi Doug The stock pedal is too vertical for my taste so yes, I removed it and just use the bare rod. Larry "Larry & Sandi Miller" 14773... MORE
Larry send me your email address and I can send you a pic or two of my brake line. nase@... Phil Nase http://home.ptd.net/~nase "Phil Nase" 14753... MORE
My Bugeye has newer replacement floorpans with the deeper depression under the pedals. The PO just mounted the gas pedal at an angle by bolting one bolt to the flat surface and one bolt to the angled part. I have it out while replacing carpets and I want to remedy this. Has anyone fitted a later gas pedal that just hangs rather than using the organ style. Phil Nase http://home.ptd.net/~nase "Phil Nase" 14751... MORE
Hello all; Just looking for some expert opinions. I purchased a 59 bugeye about 5 years ago from a neighbour who was downsizing with the intentions of doing what I had to in order to get it on the road. Prior to me buying the car it came off the road and sat in the neighbours garage for 12+ years. When I bought it I gassed it up, checked the fluids and started it with the first turn of the key. 3- 4 minutes later, the gas tank and water pump started leaking so I shut it off and... MORE
Thanks Phil but I already have a picture from Bob Webb (Thanks Bob). The question now becomes does anyone have a right front brake line they don't need? While trying to route it on the other side of the shock I %^*&$#&* the %^&*( line :-( It was one from the set that VB sells and they bend way to easy. The set overall is pretty good except for the right rear section. It is about 5" too long so you have to put an extra bend in it. Larry "Larry & Sandi Miller" 14755... MORE
Does anybody have a picture of the way that the brake pipe from the union to the right front brake is routed? How about a description of the route if no one has a picture? I need to see where it goes before I start bending. It looks like it goes around the back of the shock but the pipe I have does not look to be long enough for that. I'm using one of the kits as sold by Moss and VB. "Larry & Sandi Miller" 14748... MORE
Hello bugeye gang! I'm a rookie here. I have a 1961 bugeye race car. I purchased the car from an older gentleman in Kansas last August. It came with two extra engines and trannys.It's rustfree equipped with a rollbar and racing suspension. Lot's of race parts. I just bought a master cylinder on e-bay today and that's all it needs to be race ready. Unfortunately last November I was involved in a head-on collision in Ireland with a government offical and broke both hips and 26 other fractures. The doctor doesn't think I will be able to get into... MORE
ineffectual being brass/bronze and part of the gears so they work somewhat slowly needing an accurate speed syncroing ie double clutching. The rib cage Mk2 and up are stainless steel rings and mostly work. Better than the smooth case. They still need a deft hand and foot to manage the down change smoothly!!! What you describe sounds like normal to me. My BE has reacted like that since 1972 (1275, disk Br., and rib cage.) My previous one 61 mk1 948, drums, smoothcase, worked the same only worse!! Mk1 smooth case usually doesnt easily fit a 1100 up due... MORE
"On early crs with a steering rack grease nipple, inject SAE 90 hypoid gear oil with 10 strokes of a grease gun," "Clymer Sprite & MG Midger 1958-1979 Shop Manual,"page 17. And since ther rest of the car uses multipurpose grease, which is semi solid, I find the best way to keep the two seperate is to have seperate grease guns. The steering rack grease nipple is at the bottom of the car, with the nipple accesable only from the top which I find is not practial to just dump 90 weight in the general direction of the zert... MORE
Michael- I installed my interior a few months ago and contact cemented down some carpet pad then the carpet. I then put the wood strips on the driver side followed by the seat frame. On the passenger side I bolted the seat frame to the carpet. No noticeable height difference between the seats.... I'm not sure if this is as original but I'm happy w/ the results as it does a good job of reducing engine noise. Doug dpecchenino@... 14613... MORE
