Bugsy got an oil change today and seems quite happy. We discussed dieselling
the list for last few days. While I was under the hood I pulled all 4 of
Bugsy's plugs and found they were a nice light tan. No extra deposits, soot or
oil buildup. Again running anything less than Sunoco 94 will have Bugsy
continue to want to run and run for a few seconds. No big deal as 4th gear and
the clutch are always available.
On another topic Brad mentioned rear axle steering and how to cure. Bugsy has
seemed a little more twitchy than usual particularly on the Xway at high speed.
Last week on an exit ramp I eased off the gas and the car wanted to go a
completely different direction and it seemed like the rear end was pushing in
the direction it wanted to go.
I jacked up the rear end and discovered that all of the U Bolts connecting to
the springs weren't completely tight. Not loose but not completely tight. Each
of the nuts took at least 3 complete turns before they were snugged down tight.
I went through all of the spring mounts and shock bolts and found that all
could use an extra tweak or two.
Now it's been probably 3 years since I replaced the front spring boxes on
Bugsy. The DS Spring box had been reassembled by a DPO with the wrong size
bolts. As a result the axle was walking around back there and had even worn a
3/4" V shaped groove in the Spring Mount bolt holes as the whole axle moved
around back there. It made for some really interesting handling on right hand
turns. Now I had everything really tight several years ago but things loosened
up.
Part of my Spring Maintenance Routine from here on out will be to make sure
all of the suspension bolts, both front and rear, are checked for proper torque
at least once per year. I'm sure others on this list need to check suspension
nuts and bolts and will find things aren't as tight as they once were either.
I didn't have a chance to drive Bugsy after tightening everything up. Will be
curious in the AM to see how he drives.
A little low on damper fluid in the carbs. As I recall ATF Fluid correct? Any
recommeded type? How full to fill the dashpots?
Thanks to all.
Jim Gruber
Bugsy '68 Sprite (future Bugeye in disguise)
Cincinnati, OH
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