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jlaird
Great Pumpkin
Offline
for those who have not seen it in the Brit Clubs monthly paper.
Pensacola Austin-Healey Club member, Jack Laird, writes:
In 1962, when I was a young Air Force Lieutenant, my wife, Kay and our son arrived in Hawaii. Shortly thereafter we bought our first 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite and it was our only car for the next five years. We took it on family outings, trips to the grocery, and raced it a bit as well. (See YouTube, Hawaii Bugeye) When we were transferred, the Sprite was left in Hawaii. During our next assignment we bought a new 1966 Mustang GT.
Fast forward -- Twenty years to Atlanta GA. We needed a second car so I found and restored our second Bugeye. I drove it all over the East Coast and to work every day through my retirement in 1988. We sold it in 1991 when my wife and I went to Saudi Arabia for eight years.
Fast forward again to 2005 -- Retirement to Niceville Florida. I sold our rather large sailboat and I guess my wife, Kay could tell I was a bit at loose ends. One Niceville day she remarked. “You need something to keep busy”, so I started looking for a third Sprite.
I found our third Bugeye Sprite in Texas. It was a rusting, abused tub that was stuck away in a warehouse for many years and was just waiting for me to find her. The poor little Sprite was found striped except for dash, wheels, and suspension. Even the wheels had to be replaced because they had been modified for racing and damaged beyond repair. Home she came, along with a truckload of parts. Each and every piece was cleaned and painted -- Ready to be installed or replaced.
I sent the tub out to be professionally sand blasted followed by coats of primer with skim coats of filler to make everything very smooth. Many coats of Old English White, clear coat and lots and lots of sanding and polishing followed this. Oh my goodness, you could fall into the body, unbelievable!
I spent about a year and a half restoring her to better than original condition with a few minor updates such as a spin-on-oil filter. I did the work myself with the exception of painting and machining. Every single item that could possibly wear has either been rebuilt or replaced… She is, in effect, a "new old car"!!
We named our third Sprite, “Miss Agatha”, and she has smiled ever since.
Miss Agatha runs great with a top speed of just about 70 MPH and never leaves her garage unless the weather is clear and the streets are dry. In the garage she is always covered and pampered like the lady she is. Miles per gallon are in the high 30s, but we prefer to talk about smiles per mile and she gets lots and lots of huge grins!
Miss Agatha is never quite finished. It seems there is always something else to fiddle with or improve as I find better parts or replace old, tired ones. I expect Miss Agatha will be around the Florida Panhandle as long as I am. She seems to like it here in Niceville at Blue Water Bay.
Pensacola Austin-Healey Club member, Jack Laird, writes:
In 1962, when I was a young Air Force Lieutenant, my wife, Kay and our son arrived in Hawaii. Shortly thereafter we bought our first 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite and it was our only car for the next five years. We took it on family outings, trips to the grocery, and raced it a bit as well. (See YouTube, Hawaii Bugeye) When we were transferred, the Sprite was left in Hawaii. During our next assignment we bought a new 1966 Mustang GT.
Fast forward -- Twenty years to Atlanta GA. We needed a second car so I found and restored our second Bugeye. I drove it all over the East Coast and to work every day through my retirement in 1988. We sold it in 1991 when my wife and I went to Saudi Arabia for eight years.
Fast forward again to 2005 -- Retirement to Niceville Florida. I sold our rather large sailboat and I guess my wife, Kay could tell I was a bit at loose ends. One Niceville day she remarked. “You need something to keep busy”, so I started looking for a third Sprite.
I found our third Bugeye Sprite in Texas. It was a rusting, abused tub that was stuck away in a warehouse for many years and was just waiting for me to find her. The poor little Sprite was found striped except for dash, wheels, and suspension. Even the wheels had to be replaced because they had been modified for racing and damaged beyond repair. Home she came, along with a truckload of parts. Each and every piece was cleaned and painted -- Ready to be installed or replaced.
I sent the tub out to be professionally sand blasted followed by coats of primer with skim coats of filler to make everything very smooth. Many coats of Old English White, clear coat and lots and lots of sanding and polishing followed this. Oh my goodness, you could fall into the body, unbelievable!
I spent about a year and a half restoring her to better than original condition with a few minor updates such as a spin-on-oil filter. I did the work myself with the exception of painting and machining. Every single item that could possibly wear has either been rebuilt or replaced… She is, in effect, a "new old car"!!
We named our third Sprite, “Miss Agatha”, and she has smiled ever since.
Miss Agatha runs great with a top speed of just about 70 MPH and never leaves her garage unless the weather is clear and the streets are dry. In the garage she is always covered and pampered like the lady she is. Miles per gallon are in the high 30s, but we prefer to talk about smiles per mile and she gets lots and lots of huge grins!
Miss Agatha is never quite finished. It seems there is always something else to fiddle with or improve as I find better parts or replace old, tired ones. I expect Miss Agatha will be around the Florida Panhandle as long as I am. She seems to like it here in Niceville at Blue Water Bay.
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