In a message dated 11/8/02 10:30:54 AM Eastern Standard Time,
steven@newellboys.com writes:
> Nick, your wooden stick probably came from a bugeye. My bastard bugeye
> ('60/'64) had a nice stick to prop up the bonnet, and I'm sure many TR4
> owners picked up this part to give the everyman's sportscar the luxury feel
> that Austin-Healeys were known for.
The Bugeye has a very heavy hood -- it includes the front fenders, the
headlights, the grille, etc. Mine has the stock dual metal slider support
rods, but if even one of them were gone, a broom handle would be a fine
substitute! I have a friend who spent all evening putting a beautifully
finished $1,000 fiberglass hood on his Bugeye and then went for a hard run
sometime after midnight. Sadly, he forgot to latch it and at the crest of a
hill at high speed, the hood caught wind and immediately disappeared,
snapping back over the car onto the road. Of course no hood = no headlights.
Fortunately, the ensuing panic braking didn't do any additional damage.
Interestingly, the Bugeye hood latch mechanism is supposed to have a T-handle
similar to the TR4 trunk handle, but mine is long gone and was replaced with
the round-ended item mentioned earlier -- it's a trunk handle for a Midget.
And what is this "luxury feel that Austin Healeys were known for" of which
you speak? Bugeyes ride like the kitchen table. But, as anyone who's driven
and lived with a Bugeye knows, it's all about the hooliganism!
Chris Eck
59 Bugeye
Triumphless
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