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I feel a restoration coming on...

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drooartz

drooartz

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So why would someone take a (usually) running car and pull it off the road? Well, in the last few weeks I keep coming up against all the little bits on the Tunebug that are getting old and close to their dying day. It occurred to me that maybe I should just take the plunge and do the restoration once and for all. The body is good, with just a few small rust areas to be dealt with. That shouldn't be too hard, or too expensive if I need to farm it out.

I figure I'll start getting some estimates from local folks for the work I can't do, and also work on improving my garage space with a better work bench and clearer storage. Looks like the gigs are picking up again, so there should be a decent supply of the most needed lubricant to any restoration (cash).

I'm always open to suggestions or other thoughts from folks who've done this before. I'm hoping that with some good planning and realistic financial expectations, I can make this a good, fun, and cost-efective project. I don't expect to make back money spent on a restoration, but it's at least nice to plan to spend that hobby money smartly.
 
I've beeen planning to get into my old bugeye in the heat of this summer. The sc mtr will be done then(I hope), so I've got several things planned. I've been thinking about going with a vw rabbit diesel radiator, just to make sure the cooling is good. The trailing links to the rear axle need replaced and I think using rod ends might be the way to go. Also, a new paint job. I have beeen making a list to try not to forget anything, but I am enjoying driving it during the early summer. So, I guess that with a little plannig to get ready for when you do get into the bug, you'll be ready. I think I forgot, stock up on the ales.
 
IMHO-- drive it into the ground before restoring.

I have been following your posts, and the problems you are having seem pretty minor, though frustrating I am sure.

You have just about got it sorted out, and it would be a shame to tear it all down, when you could be driving it.

Wait until you HAVE to restore it.

Again, just my $.02.
 
got my midget in january, planned to be driving it in march,
its now June and im just about ready to put the motor back in after the gearbox rebuild ; )
then brakes, shocks, and a windshield!
i MIGHT get to enjoy it this summer, but watch out, next year ill be sportin a very cool ride for sure! ..haha..
get ur wire brushes, shop towels, paint and hand cleaner and get started Droo! ; ) ..
oh, and where can i hear this band of urs online?
im at www.zimmyjim.com , ...zzimmy
 
I too have been following your post - and totally understand some of the frustrations (having lived some of them myself).

I bought my Bugeye about a year and a half ago - it came home on a tow dolly with most of the extraneous parts in boxes... The car was in the process of a "restore" and the owner either ran out of money or interest - so he sold it.

I, in my infinite wisdom, put it all back together and started driving it. Since the purchase I have replaced; plugs, points, distributor, water pump, fuel pump, all the hoses, radius arm bushing, gas tank flushed & lined, head removed and valves redone (see previous about gas tank... should have done it first), new to me carbs, and the list goes on... I have put a grand total of about 650 miles (most of that mileage in the last six months)... No regrets!

I will keep it on the road, and slowly get everything that needs to be done, done in due course.

I gotta say it would be great to have a really nice Bugeye with all the dependability that a major "restore" would give me, but... I bought it because I always wanted to have a Bugeye to drive around in, and that's what I'm going to do...
Just my thoughts...
cd
 
I agree with Morris and Cd..Drive it and learn it. Have fun with it. Join a club. The BE here has been in the family since 1968 and has evolved to its present level slowly as the cubic dollars to invest have come slowly. But I suspect there is not much that could happen barring a accident that could go wrong and really stump my efforts to get it back on the road.
 
Do whatever makes you happy, but I'd be inclined to fight through the bugs and driver her some before committing to a restoration.

And hey, you never know, but after driving her for a while you might change priorities or the restoration priorities.

Plus you don't want to miss summer and fall.

Just think of all the things that WON'T be giving you trouble now that you've worked through them!
 
Drew, I am 90% done on my ground up bugeye restoration...and while it has been a tremendous experience and the car is coming out quite nicely, just know that it will take more time and cost more than any planning ("realistic" or not) you can do.

Unless you are doing this full time--which I don't believe any of us are doing with the possible exception of jlaird /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif--it is tough to move the project along as fast as you want it to move.

Also, you WILL become very attached to the car/project and want everything done right (which equals more $$ and more time)

Nevertheless, it has been an amazing 9 month experience so far for me. I wouldn't trade it.

Mustafa
 
One more thing.

If you are still considering the 1275 swap. Go ahead and buy one, and start building it while the car is still on the road. That way, once you get ready to tear everything down, that part will be ready to pop in, plus, you won't feel rushed to finish it because you are eager to get on the road.

I did not follow this advice, rushed through my engine rebuild, and live in constant fear that I will regret it one day.
 
Hay, this is not full time. It's too hot. I just try to make a bit of progress every day.
 
Drew,

I assume you're soliciting opinions, so here's mine...

Drive it! You got rid of the TR4 because you were looking for a decent car you could enjoy driving, and not one that you had to restore. I really don't think your Bugeye has any serious issues... just minor stuff that we all deal with from time to time. As you gain more knowledge of the car, it will all seem much less overwhelming. Your car is much too nice to take off the road at this point.

Just keep posting here and asking questions.
 
Thanks all for the thoughts and experiences. I must admit that after a day of space, I'm less pushing for the full on restoration. I think I was just disappointed that I was going to miss the show. My friends in the local club haven't seen the car yet, but they've all heard about it, and this was my chance to show it off. I'm more ready now to get back to the "rolling/driving restoration" plan and tackle the bits as they fail.

Might have to start keeping my eyes open for a good deal on a 1275, though. I like the idea of getting it built as I drive the old engine. A swap could probably be done easily in a weekend, if everything was ready.
 
[ QUOTE ]
oh, and where can I hear this band of urs online?

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't, yet. I've been to busy working on the Tunebug to update the site. A bit is up at my site (in my sig), and my other band has a somewhat site at https://www.mumblypeg.com. I've got lots of updates to do, once I get a few minutes!

Need to take some time to check out your stuff too, zimmy. Weather's been too nice to be in on the computer, or even down in my studio.
 
just replace the parts u KNOW are gonna tear up...mostly moving parts and electronics, then do the rest at ur leisure.......thats my plan anyhow! ; ) ...zzimmmmy
 
Have done a few cars over the years. Like Jack, tore them completly down, and rebuilt everything. The last car took me 2 1/2 years. This time I decied to enjoy driveing the car as I go. Now this car had a major rebuild in 1992 so it was not in to bad of shape, but it had not been driven for 5 or 6 years. The first thing it got was a good tune up and check all the saftey stuff.

The first winter I installed a Datsun 5 sp ( Trans and clutch were going bad ) . Went through and checked , corrected and up dated all the wiring. Enjoyed and drove it through the next summer.

Last winter replace or rebuilt everything on the brake system. Replaced the seat covers,carpets, and spruced up the interor. New top and side curtons. I am enjoying it again this summer.

Next winter it will be a complete rebuild on the Suspension system. Also Prep for and paint the exterior. Then I will enjoy driving it for the next few years without any major rebuilds.

Never again will I Completely disasemble a car unless I have a car to drive and have fun with.

I do enjoy the work rebuilding a car but I enjoy driving more..

Carl
 
I started the first resto on mine winter '99 and into spring '00. Drove it a little over a year when a woman in a pick up truck backed up without looking back and wiped out my front end. All I really needed was a left front fender and the hood repaired, but I got the whole front end ie. both fenders and the hood. Then...while those were off I got to looking at some things and decided well, while that is apart I'll do this. More parts came off, then as long as I was doing that, I could do this, and so on and so forth until there were no more parts to take off with a wrench. Yes, it has given me the opportunity to clean up and paint every part and I found some things I overlooked the first time around, it was Nov. '01 when I sarted taking it apart and it still looks like the photo here. Not all that time has been solid work, almost a year was working too much overtime and no time for anything else, then for almost two years it sat in a friend's garage where I moved it to during an unsuccessful divorce, now it's back home and hope to have it back up and running before the first snowfall.
 

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Mustafa, any pictures of your restoration progress and lessons learned?

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I just recently put some pice online. It (the site...or the car really) is not where I want to it be just yet--this is my first time doing this, but I guess it doesn't hurt to share now.

www.mustafasoylemez.com

Sorry for the slow upload time on the pics--can someone tell me what "size" the pics should be to have good upload speeds yet have good quality images?

Mustafa
 
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