John Steczkowski writes \
\Must be rough having to work on that Lotus (lust)....
I'll let you know when I get to it. Busy, busy, busy.
\It has carpet
Definitely not original.
\the seats look like they *could* be original. Should they be
\leather? I'm not sure what these are.
Although the MGB had leather in the old days, I am pretty sure that Bugeyes
were always vinyl or "leatherette", whatever the hell that is made of.
\That's what this is. ( 948cc )
May be the original motor. There is no way to tell. "Numbers Match" is a
foreign concept to Bugeyes/Spridgets. There was no rhyme or reason to the
numbers, whichever engine was next off the lorry went in the car. And they
never kept track of the numbers. The engine and tranny numbers are engraved on
the plate in my Europa, and my numbers match.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>Typo Phil, you forgot to say Nyaahhh-nyahhhh<<
\I don't think it has an aftermarket spin on cooler. Does it have a filter at
\all?
The standard oil filter is a cartridge type, messy to change. I do not know if
the standard spin-on mount from the late 1275s will bolt to a 948, but it will
bolt to any 1275, I am told. Look for it on the right side of the engine
between the motor mount and the distributor, sort of under the generator.
there is an external oil line that runs back from the oil filter mount to the
block. The oil cooler may be tapped in here, or there may be an adaptor plate
on the oil filter mount somehow.
\This has spoke rims.
Certainly not original.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Whoops, hold it ! Yes, wire wheels
WERE available on the Bugeye, as the Le Mans option, if
my memory serves me correct. Also included an oil
cooler and a different rear-end ratio I believe. I'm
sure that this car has been retrofitted, as a Le Mans
Bugeye would command much more $$ than that.<<
The wire wheels are probably the stock 4-inch wheels
from a Spridget. Either the wire-wheel (Rudge-style center lock) or disk-wheel
(four 3/8" bolts on a 4" circle) hubs can be used on a Spridget or Bugeye. In
the front, the brake disk and the hub it bolts to are both different, so if you
order new rotors, you need to specify "for wire wheels". The calipers and
spindles are the same, and the actual disk surfaces wind up in the same place
in the caliper. BTW, if the ball bearings are loose, you have to toss them.
You can replace tham with adjustable roller bearings, though.
Check out the rear axle. Wire-wheel and disk-wheel axle housings are not the
same. The wire-wheel axle housing is about an inch longer overall. The right
way to put wires on a Bugeye is to use the whole axle housing from a WIRE-WHEEL
Mark II Sprite or Mark I Midget These are the only Spridgets which use
1/4-elliptic springs like the Bugeye. If you use the original Bugeye housing,
he wheel track will be an inch too wide and the halfshafts will be too short
(by about 1/2 inch) to reach all the way into the diff. I have seen this done
on street machines, but I would always worry about stripping the splines on the
halfshafts or in the diff.
\ I might have to go test drive it. Even my wife likes it, and that's saying
\ something.
If I may be allowed a sexist observation, women seem to like Bugeyes and
Spridgets because they are cute. My favorite kind of woman comes to love them
for their true brutal nature. The kind of woman who gags when forced to drive
a slushbox.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans Street, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676
h (612) 224-3105, w (612) 298-5324 phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov or uiucuxc!pwcs!phile
"The workingman's GT-40" - Colin Chapman
--
Login name: phile In real life: Philip J Ethier
Phone: 298-5324
>>addendum courtesy of dstone@sc9.intel.com, driver of
Bugeyes, luster of Loti .......<<
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