1960 Bugeye

Started by MiniDave, May 24, 2018, 04:27:51 PM

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MiniDave

My friend with a growing car collection (2 Minis, a TR4A IRS, the Bug and now a 1929 Model A of all things) brought the Bug over with a list....I had already done some work to it over in his shop in the caves, but I needed to get it on the lift for the next round. On the way over he heard something go ping and had to tie up a bar with a shoelace - turned out to be the connecting rod between the rear brakes that operates the hand brake. He bought this car fresh from an expensive restoration and it has promise but it will need a lot of work to be put right.

On the list for this one:

The doors don't fit right - I already found the issue here - someone only put 3 of the 6 hinge bolts in and used 6mm instead of 1/4-28's. I rethreaded the captive nuts and used the correct bolts and - funny - the doors fit fine now - they even open properly!

Install seatbelts - found a source for 3 pt retractables that are really nicely made. I got them installed then found one of the belts had a slight nick in the webbing, so they went back to the mfr and a new sent are headed my way.

Horn inop -  found the issue here too - again more lousy workmanship - the dash isn't installed correctly so it broke the plastic steering shaft housing that holds the horn contact. New parts are here, but I have to figure out why the dash isn't fitting correctly. Found one end where the nut and bolt didn't even hit the hole in the dash to attach it to the body. Who knows what else I'll find here....

Em brake - had to find a 3/16" clevis pin that fell out of the linkage, that's also on it's way to me.

Install a wiper motor - but first I'll have to source one

Install battery retaining bracket - but first he needs a new battery

Oil leak - fixed, the oil pressure line to the gauge was loose - more poor workmanship

Install fresh air pipe - I'll have to cut it to fit and make a retaining bracket

Turn signal light on dash doesn't light - that's on him, I told him how to wire the signals and he didn't follow my instructions, so I get to redo that

Door seals come loose - some 3M weatherstrip adhesive should sort this.

Connect the breather hose from the valve cover to the aircleaner. all I need here is a fitting, I'm sure I can source that

Check all oil levels - trans, diff etc

Install new headlight trim rings

Fuel gauge inop - found a broken wire in the back - chances are good that's it

Check alignment -  I'll let him do this

1st gear hard to engage when hot - dunno about this, may need a clutch or something in the hydraulics

Check battery and charging system - battery goes dead. Could need a new battery

Turn off heater - I need to show him the little spigot under the hood!  :-)

Sticky headlight switch - maybe just some spray to fix this

Retorque head and adjust valves - he has parts rec'ts that show the engine was rebuilt, so this is just for maintenance sake.

Fine tune carb adjustment - idles too low when warm. I already rebuilt them, and sent them off to Joe Curto to have the shafts rebushed, now it's just final fettling.

Instruments - neither the tach or speedo worked, so he sent them off to Nisonger to get refurbished and I installed them - they both work now.

Not much, eh? It will be a nice car when done, tho with the stock 948 it's not exactly quick!  ::)

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Couple more pics....

The hinges on the left door, you can tell by the heads they're the wrong bolts, not too mention not quite enough of them. The bottom bolt is not even screwed in,

On the right side, there were two correct bolts, but the lower hinge wasn't really attached, two bolts were screwed in a few threads and that was it.

A couple pics of the engine compartment and my nicely rebuilt carbs with new, correct air filters.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Willie_B

Nice looking car.

I had a 61 Bugeye for two years. Balanced 1275, ribcase trans, front discs. Guy I bought it from was an electrical engineer, he had re-wired the whole car using 10 fuses. Very well balanced car that was very fun to drive quick.

MiniDave

Tonight I got the steering column straightened out - literally! the column didn't fit into the horn button surround. Turns out the bracket under the dash wasn't even attached! Got a new column surround installed, shimmed the column to be straight, but couldn't complete the job yet as the horn button won't stay in place. I's held by two little clips that have eaten out the plastic material of the center of the steering wheel - a little JB weld will fix that, then it's done.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniGene

That's a great looking car.  I've always liked those bugeyes. 

Were all these issues surprises or was the car bought knowing it needed the final sorting out you're giving it?

MiniDave

He bought the car with only a cursory lookover, the  guy who put it together is probably the source of most of the "surprises" and  poor workmanship. The car itself seems really solid, no rust issues, fresh paint and interior, engine rebuilt (although he may be in for a trans rebuild, it grunches in second and third pretty badly), new wiring harness and so on. So all the basics seem there - just a matter of putting everything back together correctly.

That's the tough part of course....trying to figure out why something doesn't work and then how to correct it.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Got the horn sorted - the connectors at the horn were trashed so I made new ones, then I had to find the wire under the dash to connect the new horn contact to.....took a while but I finally found it buried up in the harness. I can't get under this dash so I have to use a mirror and man is it hard to get your directions sorted when looking in a mirror! Actually, the hardest thing was to attach the horn contact surround, it's held with three small short screws from the backside of the dash and I spent over an hour trying to find the blind holes in the surround.

I also had to make a shim for under the retaining bracket so the column would sit square in the hole in the surround, otherwise the contact would not meet up with the ring,

Anyway, all I have to do now is put a little JB Weld on the steering wheel so the horn button will stay in place and that's done. The next thing I guess is to get the wiper motor installed and working....going to take some slight modifications as I don't think the motor he bought is actually from a Bugeye, but I think it will work once I get it all figured out.

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#7
While waiting for the JB Weld to cure on the steering wheel, I took a look at the heater/fresh air blower....there is supposed to be a large hose that runs down to the front and meets up with an opening in the grill, this hose is supposed to fit over a nozzle on the fresh air blower. When I took what remained of that nozzle off I found it had been cut off, the blower housing was cracked and broken but the fan itself worked.

Vicky Brits stocks the blower housing - an actual OEM Smith's part no less - so I picked one up and transferred all the bits over, the new one not only looks better but actually fits correctly as the old one had been "modified" and was being held on with black electrical tape, but I still need to either make or find anther nozzle. Fortunately I have a lot of contacts in the Sprite/Midget worlds and Clancy has a couple of Sprite bodies being used as planters at a local nursery and he said I could salvage anything off them I need - a friend who lives near where the bodies are entombed took a pic and sure enough, there's one left on one of the cars, so tomorrow I'll drive up to Lawrence and see if I can recover it...then all I'll need to do is clean and paint it and we're in business. Another job checked off the list.

BTW, not one nut or bolt that I've touched on this car has been tightened properly. Whoever put it together must not have used tools, just their fingertips.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

gr8kornholio

First thought when I saw that pic was the princesses hair dryer from Spaceballs.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

MiniDave

 ;D

Got a little more done tonight - got the cross rod clevis pin on the em brake back together, and the handbrake adjusted.

Got the battery hold down installed - had to go get some longer rods from Autozone.

Fixed the turn signal repeater light on the dash, it was just a bad ground.

Still trying to find a 1 1/2" rubber plug - there's a hole in the right side bulkhead where the steering column would go on a right drive car I need to close off. I'll bet Vicky Brits has it, I just can't find one in any of their catalogs, and now they're closed till Tuesday.

Still waiting for the JB Weld to cure on the steering wheel so I can grind it down to shape and size, it may take two applications to get it where I need it.

The fuel gauge is bad, he's going to send it off to Nisonger to get repaired.

Next I need to install the wiper motor...that will be a challenge as there's nothing there right now. He bought a motor but it's a little different, so I may have to modify it a bit....we'll see. I know I'm going to have to remove the drive cable, the retaining nut is on backwards.

The list is slowly getting whittled away......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

joakwin

wow that thing is bad a$$
D16z6 Automatic, 4 wheel disc brakes, deseamed shell

MiniDave

It's a very clean, very straight Bug, and he loves driving it - which is hilarious to me as he's about 6'5" and his head is a good 3-4" over the top of the windscreen - it's looks almost like a Shriners car when he drives it!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Went to Lawrence to salvage a couple of parts out of a car being used as a planter - I got the nozzle I needed for the fresh air hose and a fuel gauge. Both parts were exactly what I needed for the Bugeye. I had to shorten the nozzle to about half it's length and remove the internal flap and a couple of brackets, then clean it up and give it a shot of good ol' Rusty O Liam.

I'll give it a  couple of days to cure as I have to work tomorrow and Wed.

I bench tested the fuel gauge I took out of the planter and it works, so just to double check I tested the gauge out of the Bug the same way and it doesn't - nice to prove I was right. I installed the new old guage and will send the old one out to Nisonger to get repaired and refurbished, then either swap it out or just keep it in reserve- whichever he decides. It's only a 5 min swap out....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

More Bugeye fun......

The new fuel gauge works!



However, the sending unit does not work, so I had to drain and pull the fuel tank as the sender is on top of the tank. Once I got it out I could see it was a new tank - which is good - but when I got the sending unit out I saw why it didn't work - it's made to go into the side of a tank, not the top! I don't understand how someone can do something like this, but the world is full of people....I'll leave it at that.

I got a new sender from Vicky Brits and installed it, then I made a new wire just because the old one was stiff and brittle and with a little help from Rose guiding the tube into the rubber seal on the rear of the body, it's back in again. ''I also noticed that when they did the body work they sand blasted it, unfortunately they didn't bother to paint the underside of the car - it's still bare metal! I'm negotiating with the owner on how to fix that - I suggested just using brush on POR - but I really don' want to do the job.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

More Bug news......

Got the tank installed - boy was that a challenge - Bugeyes don't have a boot lid, the only way to reach the bolts that hold the tank in was to crawl in thru the interior - in order to do that I had to take the passenger seat back out. But I managed and poured the gas back in, the car started easily and the gauge moved up to just over 3/4. I'm calling that good. The owner will send the original gauge off to Nisonger to be repaired and it's a 5 min swap when it comes back.

Next challenge was the wipers...the car didn't have a wiper motor, and no one sells a new one but he found a refurbished one someplace (for a lot of money too!) and I did the install. I had to shorten the tube that connects the motor to the gearboxes, and pull the inner cable out and put it back 3 times before I got all the components back in the right order. Once in I wired it up and it moved about 10* and blew the fuse. Today I pulled the motor out and bench tested it and it ran fine. what the ?? so back in tonight and it does the exact same thing. Moves about 30* this time and blows the fuse. On a hunch I opened the cover and removed the auto park device.....Bingo - wipers work perfectly. somehow it was shorting out - why it didn't do it on the bench I have no idea, but it works now and he's a happy camper. So am I!



Still have a few chores left but it's getting there! Tomorrow with his permission I'm going to drive it out to a Triumph club meet and picnic - this is a good test as he was reporting issues with shifting into 1st gear when it was fully warmed up, and he claimed it wouldn't start without a jump when warmed up either. The generator is charging properly and the battery shows correct voltage - I don't have a way to load test it but if it does that to me tomorrow he may go get another battery. Could also be a tight freshly built engine, or even a bad starter although it looks like the starter is new. I also noticed it grunched pretty good into 2nd and 3rd, I can check that out a little further too. If it needs a tranny overhaul we'll buy one of the two I already rebuilt and put that in instead - it's a ribcase so it will be a better gearbox anyway. It should have a new clutch but who knows what I'll find......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#15
Yet some more Bugeye stuff.....

Today I drove it across town as a shakedown run and learned a few things.....the brakes are awful, noisy and pull like crazy (4 wheel drums) don't know if the shoes are worn or just way out of adjustment.

There's a terrible knock or clunk in the right rear, I think it's a shock, either loose or a bad one. Makes the car handle weird too, so I'm betting on a shock.

The biggy - it drops a cylinder randomly.....I only just got back from my drive so I haven't checked anything yet while I wait for it to cool down again. I'm thinking it might have a weak fuel pump or possible the floats are set too low. I'll pull the plugs and see what they look like once it cools down, then run compression but I think it will turn out to be fuel related. When it goes from 4 to 3 cylinders it really gets your attention - especially on the highway, for all I know I could have been down to two cylinders at times. When it's hitting on all 4 it feels pretty comfortable at 65 or so.......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Check the rotor and cap for carbon trails as well - could be spark jumping in the cap?


MiniDave

#17
Didn't feel like that, just felt like it dropped the cylinder.....but I will check it anyway before it leaves.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

jeff10049

What a weird problem I'm curious to see what you find the float level sure seems plausible.

I guess it could be a lot of things I think I have only encountered random cylinder drops at cruise speed a few times and it was always something odd like a loose intake valve seat. Of course, that's after checking the obvious.

MiniDave

#19
Pulled the plugs, retorqued the head and adjusted the valves, then ran compression....it wasn't what I expected but I guess it's all right - it's supposed to be a freshly rebuilt engine so it could be that it's just not broken in yet or this could be the low compression version of the engine.....100-120 was all it made.

The plugs were not as I expected either.....in the pic, the second from right in the first pic is not fouled, the ground tab is facing the camera. Now I'm wondering if the fuel pressure is too high?

Still many more things to check - timing, ignition components, fuel pressure, float levels, etc.

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Found out the guy who rebuilt the engine used the 20 over low compression pistons. also, the battery was going dead, so I'll re-run the compression test with the new battery once it's installed.

I also found the fuel pump leaking lightly and fixed that, and I'll put a pressure gauge on it and see what it's putting out - could be as simple as too much pressure.....

I've also seen a bad coil cause this sort of running problems, especially when they get hot...and it was hot yesterday.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#21
Found the clunk and the source of the weird feeling in the back when it went over bumps...the threads on the u-bolts are stripped. Vicky Brits wants $35 ea for new U-bolts!

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Also found a few more "fun" things....for a car that was freshly restored, I sure am finding a lot of poor workmanship....

Besides the loose suspension bolts, I found the wire that supplies the electric fuel pump with no grommet where the wire comes thru the body, just bare sheet metal.

One of the brake adjusters is out of place and left these lovely grooves in the left rear drum. I kept hearing a strange noise on braking, now I know what it is.

Oh, and one of the shock links has no nut holding it on, must be thoroughly rusted in place cause it doesn't move when I drive.....

So, a new set of u-bolts, 4 new drums are on the way and I put a grommet in that hole, along with about 13 others in the front bulkhead that were similarly left bare.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#23
I removed the left rear shock so I could repair the buggered threads on that end link that had no nut - now I know why it had no nut. I had to put it in the 20 ton press to get it out so I could grind the end of the link and get a die over the end.

Once I got it cleaned up I opened the little plug on top to find no oil in there, so I had grabbed a quart of shock oil from VB and topped it off.....the shock immediately felt normal again, so I re-installed it and the link. Now once I get the u-bolts in that should settle the back end down.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Sounds like some pita problems that shouldn't be there to begin with.   Better you than me!