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Interesting article. I should try that just to see if the problem goes away. What gaskets should I use? which compound? My engine sonds like the one in the tech tip, it's rebuilt. What do you guys think? Maybe when WINDSOR of San Diego had the engine block shaved they took to much off? This sounds exactly like what is happening to me. Should I try the sollution mentioned in the article and cement two head gaskets together and torque it down and see what she does? I'll try anything before I have to take the engine out and... MORE
I was about to mention Piston Slap, but I see tloutrec beat me to it.....good suggestion!!!!! One area that wasn't covered yet. Did you have anything machined off the top of the engine block? Sometimes the piston will touch the cyl. head if too much material is removed ...Look under "MOSS" tech tips....it gives you better detail info, more so then I can explain. HTH Phil Aurora,Ontario,Canada "bugeyelook" 3958... MORE
Sounds like maybe a case of piston slap. Bore/piston wear of just a few thou can cause a knock, which will be present at idle, and will be worse under low rpm load. It will lessen when the engine is fully warm (because the aluminum pistons will expand and lessen the clearance.) If it goes away completely when the engine is warm, it's nothing to be concerned about at all, and, except for the aesthetics, probably not to worry if it's there warm, provided compression and oil consumption are okay. I had exactly his problem, and was sufficiently concerned... MORE
Gerard and list, I did the plastigauge dry and clean, torqued to 35 lbs. Well, I started her up today with fresh rod bearings and the same knock is there. I guess my problem was not my rod bearings. While the car was running I performed the following to see If I could get an idea as to what was causing the noise: 1) I pulled each spark lead one at a time to see which cylinder might be causing the problem ( this did not make any difference in the knock, therefore I'm ruling out a cylinder and/or... MORE
Chris, The way to find out which are the correct bearings, is to look on the back of your old ones. There will be numbers on the back. If they are standard, they will either be marked with STD or nothing. If they are oversize, they will be stanped .010 or .020, etc, for oversize. Diametrical clearance for 1275 rid bearings is .0010 to .0025, so it seems you are fine, even though on the tight side which is OK for a street car. Did you do a full torque on it dry or did you use oil or... MORE
List, I just put in one new rod bearing to check to see if i have the right ones. They are stock bearings and stock 1275 crank. I used plastigauge and got .0015 clearance ... Is this right? Thank you, Chris A58BugEyE AN5L 4431 "a58bugeye" 3948... MORE
Hi everyone, Well I have this bugeye for sale. I was going to re-do it myself but I really prefer Alfa's and I only have so much time these days. It is a 1960, originally tan color but repainted yellow by original owner. stock mechanically. Spent it's entire life in the california desert. As it sits it's not running because the fuel pump ( electric ) isn't getting power. Left rear brake cylinder leaking. Tach cable disconnected at engine end due to being stripped. A couple of extra electrical switches added over the years. Old aftermarket steering wheel. Has... MORE
Hmmmm...... a fun road car has to have all this stuff? You don't think the cars were fun when they came out of the factory? Doug Ingram Victoria BC 1958 Sprite (AN5L/636) - huge amounts of fun with a 948 engine, smoothcase gearbox, and drum brakes all round. Doug Ingram 3936... MORE
List, Just to let you guys know, I looked at the rod bearings and the were slightly scored. I looked at the middle main and it was in really good shape. The journals on the crank look good too! I did not prime my pump and this engine had been rebuilt about two years ago. My guess is I focked up my rod bearings by not priming the pump! Thank god the mains look good. My new rod bearings are in the mail and I will keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for all of your help. I... MORE
I suppose the most important consideration in buying a bugeye is the condition of the bodywork. Extensive rust or significant accident damage are expensive, and sometimes impossible to repair. Don't be mislead by shiny new paint, it can hide horrors. Many body parts are simply no longer available. Other stuff - mechanical parts, trim parts are readily available and reasonably priced. If you buy a less than perfect car, be sure to make some reasonable allowance for repairs. After all, these cars are 40+ years old, so a mid-priced car will likely need some work. If you decide to... MORE
New button, but I checked it with an ohmeter and no problem with the button. I have connected a test lead to the brass brush and if I touch the parking brake, horn. Touch the steering wheel or column center, nothing. I don't rember any paint on the inside of the steering column, and I grounded the engine to the other side of the steering rack so it should be grounded, the distributor was grounded enough to fry the wire to the points. Bob, Portland, OR "rw97060" 3924... MORE
the clamp bolt assembly at the pinion end is metal to metal, and should ground your steering column. As you have seen, the horn is powered continuously, (on the supply side), and is activated when its earth return is grounded, proving a complete circuit. BTW: i got the car started on monday night, and have been driving it today !!!! still got some cosmetic stuff to do, taking it to the trimmers today for carpeting, but, I HAVE DRIVEN MY BUGEYE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2.5 YEARS!!@@$!@$ more pics and sounds to come!! ;) best regards, Marcus Wilson... MORE
Well List Happy Memorial Day =), I got around to checking out the condition of my rod bearings today. All four rod bearings had a slight scrape as if something medal had been ground to bits. When I ran my finger nail on them I could feel some tiny groovs ( not huge ones but very small ones.) None of the rod bearings SPUN. I inspected the crank journals and they also had some minor imperfections. I inspected the sump and I could see very fine peices of metal flake in the bottom. Last time I checked my valves... MORE
bob, got it about a month ago. it had sat in a body shop for 10 years collecting dust. great body, no sign of rust anywhere. engine turns over and has compression, may overhaul it anyway. several small parts missing but i've found a nearly complete parts car[very rusty] about an hour away. get it next week. also found a '65 ah3000 and a '68 gto in the same garage. gto is a one owner 80,000 mile car with all documentation. made him an offer, will know something this week. i've done a '60 mga and a couple of... MORE
recently purchased an early bugeye. most is there and the body appears to be free of rust. will require complete refurbishing. a variety of parts needed. some parts duplicated so exchange may be possible. 2 engines, 2 transmissions, 2 sets of front and rear suspensions etc. need an uncut dash, top bows, trim around cockpit, and a few other parts. also have a pretty straight bonnet with a small dent. surface rust only. located in kansas "britishally" 3906... MORE
'58-'60 A-H Bugeye Sprite parts." Engine (4) Engines (3) Transmissions (1) Alternator (2) Distributors (2) Starters (1) Master cylinder (2) Sets of SU Carbs (1) Radiator (1) Radiator shroud Wheels, Suspension, Steering (6) Wheels (8) Shocks (8) Drums (4) Springs (2) Drive shafts (2) Rear axles (2) Rear axle shafts (2) Original jacks Body (1) Bugeye grill (1) Pair of Bugeye doors (1) Hardtop (1) Windshield (1) Windshield wiper motor (1) Front bumper and matching posts (1) Pair of rear bumper posts (1) Seat (1) Convertible Cover (1) Torneau Cover Other (1) Dashboard (2) Speedometers (3) Tachometers (2) Fuel... MORE
Never heard back if the front plate was missing, But will assume that it is....There is a front (also back) plate for a 1275 engine (There is a difference???) on ebay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&item=1831305154 Item # 1831305154 Bob, Portland, OR back "rw97060" 3894... MORE
Bob, I will be trailing my car down for the show & race...I have only had it about 6 months and did not want to chance the drive with some unknowns abou t the car but it is in great shape...1275 engine, rebuilt ribbed tranny Disc Brakes, etc...Rt 360 to Danville is a very empty road mostly farm land...Nowhere for parts or AAA... I will be leaving Richmond early Friday about 7-8 am....I have family in Danville...but I will be staying at the Stratford Inn on Riverside Drive (R T 58)...The Tidewater Group are driving down on Friday...Tidewater Associatio... MORE
I'm not sure what could have happened, but of the 3 cranks I recently had reground/polished, two are missing dowel locating pins for the flywheel (1275). I know I didn't remove them and they're not in any of the flywheels I have. The machine shop said they didn't remove them either, but they're missing in any event. If anyone has one or two handy you don't think you'll need, please let me know. Maybe I can get by with one in each. I kinda hate to place a parts order for just those. Gerard Gerard 3869... MORE
This is clearance/tolerance, not size. If the bearings are damaged, checking with Plastigage won't help or tell you anything that won't be obvious visually. You need to mic the crank itself to see if the journal is within spec. If it's not, or if it is scored, it needs to go to the machine shop. If you see grooves or an uneven surface or little scratches you can catch your fingernail in, that's a problem. You can't change the block side shells with the crank in place, only the one in the caps. A waste of time and money... MORE
ED, I did use a stethescope and it sounds like it is coming from the bottom end. =( You in San Diego ED? This morning I redid my valves and they were close to spot on, so this noise is not from the valves. It looks like I might have to flat bed it over to Ian on Rosecrans unless you know of a better british shop in the San Diego Area. Better yet if you would like to come over I'll buy you a coffee and you can ponder on my engine problems too. =) I'm in the... MORE
Almost certainly a water pump or generator. I'll bet on the water pump. Why replace your generator? Not using the tach drive? If so, an alternator would be a better bet. There are lots of "single wire hook up" alternators out there, probably could find one which was essentially bolt on. Still running my original tach drive gen - works fine. "tloutrec" 3806... MORE
List, Today I pulled my plugs and removed the fan belt from the engine and cranked the engine over with the starter. NO GRINDING NOISE!!! =) I'm happy about that. Now, when I spin the dynamo with my hand it does not make a noise in one direction. When I spin it the opposite direction, I believe that I am hearing the brushes (TICK TICK TICK noise). The Belt disk pulley that attaches to the dynamo has about a 1/4 inch of forward and backward play and looks like it could be rubbing the dynamo housing. When I spin... MORE
List, I got big problems here! I went for a cruise today and on my way back home my car quit. I pulled it to the side of the road and tried to restart it. It started but was making a bad noise like belt squeeling or even metal to metal noises. I had oil and temp was fine when this happened. I had to get a flatbed ride home =(. I'm depressed. I have spent a lot of time turning wrenches putting it back together with the rebuilt motor, and now this. I'm guessing there is about 50... MORE
He had belt squealing and the engine started. therefor the engine turns over. Oil (engine) and water (water pump) were normal. Sounds like generator bearings. When I distroyed mine, 30 years ago, I could see the sparks as I drove. I knew that by that time the generator was history. Bob, Portland, OR "rw97060" 3799... MORE
