1.5 M test drive really had me laughing out loud!!

[RickB]

I just got back from taking the little red Sprite out for a 1.5 mile test drive.

Even sitting low due to the <span style="font-weight: bold">wood bottom seats</span> and having them bolted to the floor the steering wheel doesn't give me much room.
So I'm out there and there are a few corners and every time I go around one to the right the <span style="font-weight: bold">drivers door opens up</span> and all the while there's <span style="font-weight: bold">oil dripping</span> on my right knee and I discover I must have pulled a <span style="font-weight: bold">wire or two loose</span> under the dash because I've got <span style="font-weight: bold">no signals</span> or anything like that and so I got it out there and there's not a whole lot of throw to that <span style="font-weight: bold">clutch pedal</span> but it works and I can go through all the gears up and down and it runs real smooth but there's this <span style="font-weight: bold">oil drip drip dripping</span> on my right knee and the drivers door <span style="font-weight: bold">just opened</span> again and I haven't put <span style="font-weight: bold">seat belts</span> in it yet and is that a <span style="font-weight: bold">cop behind me</span>???

I was seriously laughing out loud by the time I got it home!!
Yes - there are still a few small adjustments to be made but - <span style="font-weight: bold">WHAT A FUN LITTLE CAR!!!!!!!!</span> :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

[drooartz]

Excellent work! Sounds like a normal drive to me...

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Might be time to tighten the clamp on the oil pressure gauge line. One of those shakedown cruise things you forget.

The first time I started Bugsy and went around the block in was Late December. I needed to replace both choke cable as well as accelerator cable since there was nothing there to begin with. Going from the MOSS catalog I did my best to get linkage connected. Unfortunately I connected the choke cable to the accellerator linkage and vice versa. Somehow got the car started but for the life of me could not figure out why the car at full throttle could not go more than 15-20 mph. Duh!!! It'll all come in time. And yes you've just started to have fun.

 

[RickB]

Gotta say driving a car with no modern amenities at all is refreshing.

Yes, it was a "shakedown" cruise all right.

So there's a clamp on the tube to the oil pressure gauge?
I need to get under the dash with a light and see what I've managed to mess up under there. I know there are more wires hanging than there were before. The PO did put some tape labels on some of the wires, I'll need my reading glasses to find the hidden messages.

I'm thinking that I'll get a smaller steering wheel for driving comfort.
Then have the nice 16" wheel for 'show' and the smaller wheel for fun.
It's easy enough to remove.

 

[Silverghost]

Go through the car very carefully....I think the PO also hid a NOS bottle in there somewhere and it TOO is leaking!!! LOL :laugh:

 

[RickB]

Maybe that's it.
Maybe you've just uncovered what it is about these little cars that keeps us so happy around them! :laugh:

 

[jlaird]

Smiles per mile.

 

[JPSmit]

So there's a clamp on the tube to the oil pressure gauge?
I need to get under the dash with a light and see what I've managed to mess up under there.

NO, you've not tightened the nut on the gauge enough - don't ask me how I know.

At this point, you may want to consider either finding a MOWOG or pulling the seat - but

1. disconnect the harness plug by the steering column to make room
2. there are 2 thumb screws holding the oil pressure gauge bracket in place - undo them
3. loosen the clamps holding the oil pressure tube all the way to the junction by the engine
4. pull the gauge out the front of the dash (watch out for the glass)
5. tighten - start engine and test
6. reassembly is reverse of above

 

[RickB]

Well that's one thing I really like about this car as opposed to my 78 Midget.
I can pull the steering wheel in about 10 seconds and the seat bottom comes out in about 5 seconds giving me room to maneuver under there.
I'm going to pick up a headlamp (the flashlight you wear on your head) today - that will make it even easier.

There's something about an early car, so very simple. Lots of things were so much easier. Ok - the clutch slave isn't one of them, but there are a lot of other things that make up for it. :wink:

 

[drooartz]

There's something about an early car, so very simple.

That's one of the things I like so much about working on the Bugeye -- it's about as simple as a car can get and still be called a car.

 

[jhorton3]

If tightening up the nut to the oil pressure line doesn't work it's probably leaking inside the gauge itself. I ruined a pair of jeans before I figured that out. Luckily I had the oil pressure internals from a gauge where the temp part was ruined and swapped them out.

 

[RickB]

Thanks, I also have a spare oil / water pressure gauge in my parts car.
Hopefully I won't need it.

 

[jhorton3]

Mine was a braided line going straight from the gauge to the oil pressure bit on the engine. I also put some teflon tape on the threads at the gauge to help seal it.

 

[198686d]

Hello & welcome RickB:

Really love that driver door swinging open on a hard right turn. The road seems even closer from that particular vantage point. Motor on.

dave in University City, MO

60 BE
04 MiniCooperS
04 Vespa ET4

 

[RickB]

Really love that driver door swinging open on a hard right turn. The road seems even closer from that particular vantage point. Motor on.

Yes, I noticed that!