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Off to paint!

As I continue to reassemble the Bugeye I run into more things that make me question some of the parts. The nuts and bolts on the front and rear suspension were all replaced with grade 8 if for no other reason than to make me happy. The LADs around the cockpit are being replaced as well and the ones I got from Moss are taller than the originals...does it make any difference as to function?
Thanks, Rut
 

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Big difference, Rut. The short one you show is for a Tenax fastener and the other one [taller] is for the "lift the dot" fastener's. If you are going to use your old top and/or tonneau you will want to get them right. I've personally always preferred the Tenax.

Kurt.
 
Kurt,
Thanks, I'll look at my top and tonneau and see what they have and match them up. It's amazing how many little things get missed on reassembly even with all the pre dissassembly pictures. I bounce from one part of the assembly to another and lose focus, but it keeps me happy when I see an area of the car near completion.
Rut
 
I haven't updated my Bugeye progress lately, but things are going well. I'm trying to track down a few parts I didn't know were missing when I took the car apart and I tend to jump around a bit based on what shows up from fedex/ups that day. My fuel gauge came back from Nisonger looking as good as the rest of the instruments (thanks Ray!) and I'm test fitting the interior and gluing in carpet, securing bits and pieces, and wrestling with the Hardura wheel well covers.
Rut
 

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Looks really good, Rut. Boy, I wish I was anywhere even close to where you are with Penny.

Glad you're making progress, though!
 
Very nice Rut! Looking forward to doing that someday to my car.
 
Looking good Rut! Did you go on with your Sebring pedal box or with a stock master?
Paul
 
I took our 3000 (they also have our BE for some mechanical that I gave up on) into a good local shop about 20 months ago with a rough target number of 15 grand (Canadian) for paint; we're over $45 now, and I'm not complaining - I'd hoped to get away with less than $ 30, but when they peeled the fenders off, we decided to buy new ones, and thank goodness that their metal man is an artist as there's been a lot of work and not a lot of filler to make them fit.
The shop is also great in that they're happy to have owners wander by - the owners particularly have to do a fair bit of hand holding as not all of their clients have spent hours trying to salvage fine thread fittings (for example) and have trouble understanding where all the time/hours/dollars have gone.
Body work is a real trust item, and this shop feels that they're better off having us turkeys owners wandering through thier premises reasonably often so that there are no surprises, and the owner both understands what is going on and can provide input.
I fully agree with the 'be positive' comment above. I've got a couple of engineering degrees and worked for decades in the pipeline industry - and recognition was a heck of a lot more important than salary for me over the years. Appreciate (and try to understand) the effort involved.
Currently I've lucked and have two seasonally unemployed (Alberta ain't quite like Alabama) motorcycle mechanics making progress on some of my other projects, and they've been to this shop to be introduced, and have made several trips on their own as they're assembling our second BE (bought in 1972, stored ever since, now just a painted/restored body tub), and being able to see one really helps.
Respect & communication gives you the best results, whether you're dealing with marriage and your life partner, or the body guys. And enough philosophy for the evening! And congrats on this major step! Doug
 
Looks gorgeous, Rut. You do nice work.

Kurt.
 
Looking good Rut! Did you go on with your Sebring pedal box or with a stock master?
Paul
Paul,
I decided to send my original MC to Sierra to be rebuilt and sleeved for disc brakes...I really like the original look and think this is the best route for me. I have the 'Sebring' pedal box safely stored in case I decide the original MC performance is lacking.
Rut
 
Looks gorgeous, Rut. You do nice work.

Kurt.
Kurt,
Thanks for your kind comments! I spend a lot of time fitting and refitting everything before I actually install anything...it's like a puzzle to me and I like to see how each part goes together before installation. The carpet is held in with snaps or trim screws except on the cross brace and inner footwell for easy removal and I will do the same on the Hardura. While I really like originality I am 'improving' certain aspects of the car using more durable/modern materials such as tinted bedliner on the underside, in the tunnel, and on the floors after primer and paint. Grade 8 hardware is used on just about everything that has any stress vs the 56 year old stuff and some ss hardware in places where I never want to see rust again!
Rut
 
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