Here is the situation. I have had a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite (Bugeye) since
1969. When I bought the car it had over 140,000 miles on it and although the
speedometer never worked while I was actively driving the car, I know that I
put
many thousands of miles on it since. I parked it in 1972 and have never driven
it since. Several other restorations and modifications of other cars have
intervened and now I am thinking about getting back to this car. But I am very
undecided about what to do. The car is presently totally dissasembled and is
down to a bare frame/body shell (with the exception of one rear spring that was
apparently welded in place at some time).
The car was originally from Pennsylvania - which nmeans lots of road salt back
then. So here are the body problems:
- the valence on the bonnet is badly dented (numerous times) and torn
in
places.(needs a new valence)
- both lower front "corners" on the bonnet rusted out before I
originally got the car and were patched with tin and bondo. There is a sizable
inverted 'V' shaped gap where the seam should be when all of the bondo is
removed. One fender is also warped from having the corner pulled in to close
the
gap (needs two new front fenders)
-rocker panel(both inner and outer) on the drivers side is gone (rusted
to a fine filligree) I have a new rocker.
- rocker panel on passenger side was replaced before I bought the car
but was welded on so poorly that it does not line up correctly with other
panels
(could be fiddled with to fit)
- rear fender panel behind the drivers door has a large rust hole and
needs at least a patch plate (I have the replacement patch part.
- the lower edge of the back of both rear fenders is totally rusted out
- the rear fender on the passenger side has a large rust hole above the
wheel opening, a major dent behind the wheel, and a hacked up replacement panel
behind the door. The replacement panel needs to be replaced.
- in general, it needs new fenders
- seam along the very back of the trunk and rear body panel is rusted
out and will need replaced
- drivers floor pan needs replaced, as does the front and rear corner
of
the passenger side floor pan.
- after stripping all the paint I find that there were several repairs
to the cowl and areas behind the passenger seat that were leaded in many years
ago (the car has had at least 4 or 5 paint jobs)
- 1098cc engine (replaced when the 948 put a rod through the engine
side wall). Engine needs to be overbored .030 and new pistons alone cost $200+
(and then it is still a 1098).
- ribcase transmission - will not go into second gear at all -
currently dismantled and trying to identify the problem.
- currently drum brakes all around and original rear dif
Here is my conundrum - what do I do with this?
Options so far.
Under any circumstance, is it worth trying to repair the steel bonnet?
The center section with the headlights is in perfect shape and I guess could be
of value to someone else. With so much repair, would it be better to just buy
an
fiberglass copy of the original bonnet and not repair the steel one?)
I figure that I can buy the needed body panels from England for about
$3,500 and then labor to weld them all on correctly $?) So, for maybe
$6,000-$7,000 and a lot of my time and effort I could have a somewhat restored
Bugeye (which will never be very great because of the patches and bondo and
lead
still on the car). It would be a fair to middlin' car - low on power and low on
resale value. I admit I have grown accustomed to much speedier driving options
in the last 32 years and this seems rather boring. I would probably want to
sell
it.
A second option is to do all of the body work ($$$) and then upgrade to
a 1275 (?$$$) and a five speed Rivergate conversion, front disk brakes, nice
wheels (wire or minilite-like). The car would still lack real vintage value due
to all the repairs, but it would be a little speedier and might have some curb
appeal.
A third option is to replace the engine with another more powerful one
-
Mazda 13B rotary, Toyota twincam, ??? and a five speed transmission. Put a
fiberglass racing bonnet on it with flared fenders. Replace the rear fenders
with full flared fiberglass replacements. Go to 6" or 7" wide wheels all around
and lower profile, wider tires (175/50 or 215/50). There is a yellow Sprite on
PDLJMPR with an Alfa engine that seems like a good model. Either an independent
rear suspension (I have done one of these before) or strengthened axles in the
original dif. Originality is gone, obviously, but the original parts of the car
have been eaten away anyway. The result would be a fun car (significant speed,
possibly autocross) but would require lots of work on my part to carry it all
off.
So colleagues, how go your votes and suggestions?
So far, I am not contemplating selling it since I have had it for so
long. But if I can't find a viable solution, or if the recommendation seems to
be that it is beyond reasonable repair, then I might be willing to part it out.
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