Bugeye Conversion

[jlaird]

I had to drill those four bolts out from the bottom. Lots of bits and several days.

 

[JPSmit]

When I totally stripped my BE the first time, everything came apart easily including the spring mounts. The PO had followed the rule he taught me 30 years earlier when I was a punk kid looking over his shoulder while he rebuilt it the first time.

AGT=Always Grease Threads

Every time you assemble a bolt and nut, grease the threads. The next guy will thank you.

Glen Byrns

and get a california car

 

[Hairyone]

1/4 spring removal. Yuk I did that recently on my rusty UK BE.
worth doing but hard work.
Patiance is the key. PB blaster, for a few days, heat, some more PB.
The 2nd side came out OK after this with 2' breaker bar (make sure your socket fits on real well).
Ist side where I wasn't so patient I chewed the bolts up. I had to drill out the two front bolts for about an inch, then I sepperated the spring & drilled out the center bolt for about an inch. Then removed the bottom 3 springs to get the rest out.
I had new springs to fit, which have been fitted now with lashings of waxoil around them & on all threads.
Good luck.
My frog so far.

 

[kcbugeye1275]

I fought the same type of thinking on my BE for yrs. "I want to keep it original", Then I found a 1275, And somehow a 5 speed came my way, only made sense for both to go in at the same time. Somewhere in there I wanted a radio/sterio, so neg ground. With the 1275, needed the disc brakes, and while there, sway bar. What I'm saying, is it will continue, and it is fun. Now about the SC with a motor built for it.....

 

[BuggerAll]

Raplh - I and some of my buddies will be at Carlisle and for sure I'll have at least one set of later axle shafts, the BTA 806 models, for sale at a very reasonable price. Plus some go-fast bits as well. Look for my red BE with the Minator wheels in the show area - Mike M

 

[twas_brillig]

Regards getting the rear spring bolts out: definitely beg/borrow/steal an impact and try it for an extended period of time before using the breaker bar and a snipe. Definitely make sure the socket is a tight and proper fit with both. When you go the breaker bar route, get a buddy with gloves to help hold the socket on the nut and keep it square.

Unsolicited advice: whenever you buy a used car or have a car that has gone to the tire shop, go 'round and break all the wheel nuts loose and re-tighten to factory specs. We had an old BMW 320i that required my 200 pound son jumping on a 5 ft snipe slipped onto a breaker bar and a socket from my impact set to bust one last nut loose (we'd broken an unbreakable Craftsman socket by this point; my el cheapo 1/2" impact wrench wouldn't budget it nor would the borrowed Milwaukee). Same thing a month back: all the wheel nuts came loose and were then properly torqued on a used car we'd just bought, except one and my new 3/4" impact grunted a bunch before being able to break it loose. Not a hope in heck of being able to change a flat out in the boonies, nor would a tow truck be equipped to get it off either - you'd be paying to tow it to a shop.

Doug

 

[Gundy]

I lost a stud on a Land Cruiser to this "love my impact wrench"
tire store fitting.
Additional tip : a little anti-seize is nice to add to the studs
and set the nuts at factory torque settings. Anti-seize is mandatory on sparkplugs IMHO. I once had to use a breaker bar to remove some plugs on a MB with aluminum heads. It was a pretty scary thing to do.
Locktite and anti-seize are handy to keep around. Keeps those things you want to come off, easy off, and those things you don't want vibrating loose, tight.