Looking for a part and an answer to a "how to"

[Team_Sprite]

Does anybody have an extra “old fashioned” spigot (faucet) type knob for a heater valve they would be willing to part with for a reasonable price, we just want the knob. Also, the early bugeye long handle door latches had some type of clear rubber “sleeve” protecting (from what?) the handle. Any Ideas on how to duplicate it? We thought of the rubber tool dip, but would like something clear.

Thanks in advance.

Brian & the girls
www.teamsprite.com

 

[jlaird]

No clear rubber anything on door handles that I know of, must have been aftermarket.

 

[Whitephrog]

I agree with Jack. The long handles w/o a knob were just metal, no cover. There is a good illustration in Terry Horler's book on page 25. The handles changed to the shorter version with a knob on chasis number AN5-10344(January 1959).

 

[spritenut]

I disagree, my 58 does have the speckled clear plastic coating on it. I too am trying to figure out a way to duplicate it.
It is very similar to old tricycle handle bar grips.
I also have a spare spigot or 2, tell me which style and give me an adress as to where to send it.

 

[jlaird]

Frank, do you supose the plastic stuff was early '58 cars only. I have never seen such and had an orginal '60 in '63 even. My other two have been '59 and had no plastic on the door handles.

 

[Whitephrog]

I stand corrected. Just looked in the "Originality Guide for Restorations and Resistry Inspections" published by the Austin Healey Concours Registry. It say "From chassis AN5/501 thtough AN5/10343 the door handles were covered in a clear dipped plastic coating."

 

[jlaird]

Well I'll be. Guess it was early cars. Think you can get clear dip plastic stuff from a boat supply house or a tool vendor. Think they dip tool handles in it. Maybe even some hardware stores.

 

[Whitephrog]

As I'm about to start a originality restoration on AN5/9382 guess I'll be finding out how to do that.

 

[spritenut]

I'm doing AN5/742. I just asked my brother who is in the boat business about the plastic dip, he said "good luck"
Clear heat shrink might be an option but mine definately has sparkles under the clear. Looka alot like an old toy coating.

 

[Team_Sprite]

The two I saw were both so dirty and colored that the only reason I noticed that was something there, was their slightly larger girth. In each case there was only one left on the car (different sides) so the evidence (dear Dr. Watson) suggested they were OEM. I have now cut one off an early latch and they are a rubbery sleeve.
Good thought on the boat supply house Jack, I'll try that. Any other thoughts?

Tom, In Terry Horler's Sprite book, you can see examples on pgs.30 & 48. They look like the perforated round knobs on old water spigots, rather than the solid round ones the later, or replacement, valves had.

PSS. Coker tire put a bit about us on their blog that was nice, you can link to it off our https://www.teamsprite.com/News.html His daughter has a bugeye pictured there as well.

Brian & and the girls
www.teamsprite.com

 

[Team_Sprite]

<I'm doing AN5/742>
Wow! That's an early one,

Brian & the girls
www.teamsprite.com

 

[jlaird]

Saw Cokers Bugeye. White walls lookied nice on the red car.

I will go with black walls on white car.

 

[Team_Sprite]

Tom,
I may have found a source for the clear coating, a friend with the phone company has a two part mix that produces a good clear goo that hardens to a rubber texture. Can you describe the "speckled" part, and can you think of anything that would duplicate it?

I'll send you some of this stuff if it works.

Brian & the girls
www.teamsprite.com

 

[DrEntropy]

IIRC it was a ~VERY~ fine "glitter" not too densely dispersed. Mebbe a hobby shop?