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Richmond VA 1960 Bugeye Bringing Miss Eva back to life.

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Lots going on but not much movement.
Steering Rack is ready to be filled and installed. I am coming up with about 9.4 OZ of 90 Weight.
All the disc brake parts are on hand.
Broke the front wheel hubs down today and removed the bearings.
Need to source some. Car is not going to see a lot of miles so I am thinking of using ball bearings. Any strong feelings towards tapered bearings?
I also had to install 4 studs into one of the front wheel hubs.
I pulled them out of an extra hub that came off a drum brake.
When I look at a Moss Catalog to confirm parts they show one part number for wheel hubs for all engines that were offered.
They show 2 different studs depending on disc vs drum brakes.
The ones I used look just like the ones shown for disc; however, mine came out of a drum application.
Lug nuts are the same size for all models, they just vary in appearance.
I cannot figure out why there would be any if much difference in the lugs offered.


The Answer is because you have the wrong front wheel hubs. (((These are for drum brakes as you can see several posts down.)))
 
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I was able to tap the lugs out by installing a lug nut and giving it a hard hit.
To install them without a press, I used an oversize nut and graded washer to snug them in place.
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Using WD 40, a 1/2" drive and steady pressure it was a 5 minute fix.
 
I have tried to piece together a disc brake front end after getting stiffed on the parts I was promised.
My shop manual is for the early models so I don't have any good diagrams. Pictures on the web are not as good as I would have liked to have had. There are different bolts and brackets that are also needed. There has been a lot of trial and error.
I kept wondering how the disc's would attach to my hubs. Guess what they wouldn't since I had salvaged drum brake hubs. Lots of wasted effort. Thank God I did not install my new tapered bearings as I realized something was not quite right. Add another $100 in additional brake parts (Disc Hubs) and I am good to go finally.
I set the bearing preloads and I am about ready to play with mounting front wheels to see how it looks. A note of caution. Read the instructions several times to really understand the process and it will not be that hard. Make sure you do the dry fit, shim and torque the axle nut before greasing the bearings.
Pictures prior to taking them apart and stripping out the old ball bearings.
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Progress.
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I have new brake dust covers and I have decided not to use them. I see a lot of cars not running them. I think I am not going to generate any real amount of brake dust. The weight savings should add a fraction of a mile per hour on the top end.
One of the best kids book when you have 3 little boys and you are a car addict. This book reminds me of my Bugeye.
(I am the one in the back Little Red; however, Little Gray.)
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Put the covers on, i helps keep water off if you get caught in the rain as well as road grit. They are simple to put on. If you need pics on how to fit them just ask.
 
I’ll try and look tonight.
 
I was able to dry fit the bearings without any issues; however, I think that based on the fact that I cannot get my brake disc centered in the caliper I now have to remove the spacer in the bearing stack and re-shim. This car seems to want to fight at every turn.

hcallaway said:
I have tried to piece together a disc brake front end after getting stiffed on the parts I was promised.
My shop manual is for the early models so I don't have any good diagrams. Pictures on the web are not as good as I would have liked to have had. There are different bolts and brackets that are also needed. There has been a lot of trial and error.
I kept wondering how the disc's would attach to my hubs. Guess what they wouldn't since I had salvaged drum brake hubs. Lots of wasted effort. Thank God I did not install my new tapered bearings as I realized something was not quite right. Add another $100 in additional brake parts (Disc Hubs) and I am good to go finally.
I set the bearing preloads and I am about ready to play with mounting front wheels to see how it looks. A note of caution. Read the instructions several times to really understand the process and it will not be that hard. Make sure you do the dry fit, shim and torque the axle nut before greasing the bearings.
Pictures prior to taking them apart and stripping out the old ball bearings.
3kO6YgM.jpg

Progress.
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Click to expand...
 
The Bugeye progress has slowed as I have been trying to wrap up another lead that was kind of thrown in my lap. 1964 Numbers Matching Plain Jane 2 door Chevy.
My wife is not a 100% on board but she kind of liked it when we arrived from Webster NY to Richmond VA.
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My brother is going to be my partner in crime on this one. It will be interesting to see if we can stay on the same page.
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Why pay for delivery when we can destroy his new Jeep and crash a car that is not insured. I think we saved $450 doing it ourselves.
Over 8 hours each way in good weather. The East Coast Winter Blast was not kind to the middle part of the trip.
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Finally after almost jack knifing into a Sunoco we decided to call it quits for the night after 5 hours of driving. We were about 4 hours from home in good weather when checked into the .5 star Red Carpet Inn.
It was $69.00 tax included. We may have been next door to some working girls. We decided not to ask for a ride to pick up dinner as we did not think our wives would believe our story.
(The Jeep and Trailer were parked and not to be moved.)
We were quick to judge the Red Carpet but the sheets were clean and the shower was hot.
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Leaving at 4AM, 5 Hours of driving and were were back in Richmond. Car is now washed sitting and waiting for an inspection.
 
I feel like I have been moving at a snails pace. Tow steps forward and one back. I have been fighting the drivers side front spindle. I think I have solved the issue as it all points back to the tapered bearings. Worked fine on the passenger side. A giant no go on the other side.
Better news on the motor.
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As soon as the front is completely resolved I can do the brake lines and then drop the motor and transmission.
 
I have a new windshield arriving next week so I decided to prep the old windshield. Removed the old glass and tried to remove the side posts off the windshield frame. I have put penetrating oil on for the last week several times trying to loosen them up. It was a waste and I knew that I needed to drill them out.
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Sucess
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Now the fun part.
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About 6 hours later.
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I took a wire wheel to the side posts. I will now go to wet sand paper heavy grit to smooth to polish.
 
I keep a rough draft on my hours. I include actual work, computer and catalog planning. I am right at about 400 hours on this project. There is little doubt if you had the money it would be well spent to have an expert do the job. I have always felt a real pro could do the work in half the time of my skill level. If I did another Bugeye I know I would drop my labor hours in half and planning/searching in a third. Having hands on is the only to really know if your car has been done correctly.
 
On 9-29-18 almost 8 months ago to the day I started on my front disc brake conversion. Finally I sorted out my spindle problem. In the end the driver spindle was not a problem after I replaced it. (I was sold two right not a right and left so I found another one to install.) It was not fitting as I had expected when the disc caliper was installed the disc would not spin. The disc rotor would not center in the caliper. I had installed tapered bearings and the drivers side installed as they should. Finally after many times of trying to figure out what I had done wrong, it was not me but the shape of the bearing as it faced the spindle. It would not allow the bearing to close the final .250" to go flush against the swivel axle.
Moss offers the following: 125-825
Original size wheel bearings have completely disappeared from the marketplace, leading to the proliferation of inferior replacements that almost fit but cannot be adjusted to remove play in the mounted wheel. To solve this serious problem, these new wheel bearing kits are specially machined for your Sprite or Midget and can be installed with absolute confidence that they will work straight out of the box and provide the proper amount of endplay.
Not cheap at $119.95 each but they fit.
Miss Eva is almost a real roller.
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You will have a little drag.
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I think I will sell the car before taking these apart again.
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Bugeye Windshield Installation

This is the best thread for great advice. I have done a MGB which I think is more complicated; however, the Bugeye has it's issues.
You can do it by yourself but if I did it again I would have an extra set of hands.
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?76984-Bugeye-windshield-glass-installation
From Moss. Out of stock in Virginia so they shipped it from California. I don't see how it could not arrive anyway but perfect. Superior packing.
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This is what I have always used to pull the rubber lip out. Just use plenty of soapy water.
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It is a good idea to do it in the sun.
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Locking strip.
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Body to Windshield Seal

I admire anyone who can pull the seal through the bottom of the aluminum windshield track.
It is not very fast but it is not frustrating.
Slide one side of the rubber into the track.
Then using soapy water and a flat screwdriver the other side can be pushed in place.
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