 
     |
| Wifey's 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (Page 1/6) |
|
lorennerol
|
MAY 25, 02:06 PM
|
|
|
|
|
davylong86
|
MAY 25, 02:36 PM
|
|
|
That is really a great job of restoration on a cool little car, congrats on a great present for the wife. Nice pics too.
|
|
|
|
Raydar
|
MAY 25, 08:15 PM
|
|
Very cool! Very nice car.
I hope that mrfiero chimes in. He has a Sprite that is damned near a daily driver.
Well... he drove it from Colorado to Huntsville AL for the Fiero Swap Meet one year. 
|
|
|
|
mrfiero
|
MAY 25, 09:18 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by Raydar:
Very cool! Very nice car.
I hope that mrfiero chimes in. He has a Sprite that is damned near a daily driver.
Well... he drove it from Colorado to Huntsville AL for the Fiero Swap Meet one year. |
|
Heh....I commented in another thread that I am no longer the only Fiero & Bugeye owner on PFF. Yes....my Bugeye is in "driver" condition, but I will be tearing it down this summer/fall for a fresh coat of paint & new interior.
My little Sprite has been on many 1000+ mile road trips.....it's a ball to drive!
Sorry to hijack your thread lorennerol, but here's a picture of mine.....as you can see, it is not nearly as nice as yours (but by next year it'll be close!). 
|
|
|
|
lorennerol
|
MAY 25, 09:52 PM
|
|
| quote | | Originally posted by mrfiero:Sorry to hijack your thread lorennerol, but here's a picture of mine.....as you can see, it is not nearly as nice as yours (but by next year it'll be close!). |
|
No apology necessary. The more (Sprites and Fieros), the merrier!
I wasn't at all into Sprites when I hatched this plan to give wifey her car. She liked them "because they look happy" and because her Dad has a long history with them, including racing one for years in SCCA. But the more I drive it, the more I really love its simplicity and the direct connection between the driver and what the car does. No traction control, no stability control, no shift lights, no rev matching, no nag lights, no computers of any kind whatsoever.
And since there's almost no insulation (heat or sound), the auditory experience is completely different, too. It's just a simple, raw, beautiful (and increasingly lost) kind of driving. I never imagined 70HP could be so fun.
|
|
|
|
mrfiero
|
MAY 25, 10:55 PM
|
|
I've loved Bugeye Sprites since I saw my first one when I was in high school in 1986. I came very close to buying one in 1990, but wound up with an '88 Fiero GT instead. The next 16 years were all about the Fiero for me and owning a Bugeye sort of faded away. Then I found this one in 2006 that seemed like a great buy and the timing was right to take the plunge.
Over the years I've broken several axles, burned up 3 clutches and pulled the engine/trans at least 5 times. Like you said, they are such simple cars and they're a completely different experience to drive than anything modern. I also like the double takes from other drivers as they see me zip by them.
Mine has the Datsun 5-speed too, but it also has the A15 engine attached to it, along with twin 38mm Hitachi sidedraft carbs (SU clones) and a NISMO performance head with big valves. Some think that is sacrilegious, but it makes for a pretty quick & fun little car. It's been pretty reliable too (aside from the broken axles), so I have no regrets.
After 9 years of driving, it is showing it's age. It was restored in the late 80's/early 90's, but the paint quality used was pretty bad. I finally have the money to freshen it up, so by this time next year it'll be looking good.
|
|
|
|
lorennerol
|
MAY 25, 11:14 PM
|
|
I look forward to seeing in-progress and completion pics
My father is law is on to his next Sprite restoration. I helped him strip the body when we were in Tucson in April. In less than a hour we pulled the motor, took off the transmission, replaced the clutch, and put the tranny back on. Granted, he's done this many, many times, but I think after an hour trying to do this on my Sky or Fiero I'd still be scratching my head and going for more coffee.
In about seven hours total, the two of us reduced a running car with a bad clutch to a completely stripped tub, ready to go out for media blasting, body work, and paint.
Edit to add: Some people scoff at the Weber side draft on our car, but what I wanted for wifey is a reliable, fun to drive car. To each their own and motivations, and I can appreciate both the bone-stock, concours-aimed crowd with their 948s and 4-speeds, as well as the folks who've done the tube shock conversions and even (gasp!) dared to drop American V-8s in them.[This message has been edited by lorennerol (edited 05-25-2015).]
|
|
|
|
mrfiero
|
MAY 25, 11:32 PM
|
|
I'll definitely start a thread here when the work starts.
BTW.....thanks for posting the pictures of your wife's Bugeye. It'll be good inspiration when I tear mine apart and start spending ungodly amounts of money.
|
|
|
|
mrfiero
|
MAY 25, 11:36 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by lorennerol:
Edit to add: Some people scoff at the Weber side draft on our car, but what I wanted for wifey is a reliable, fun to drive car. To each their own and motivations, and I can appreciate both the bone-stock, concours-aimed crowd with their 948s and 4-speeds, as well as the folks who've done the tube shock conversions and even (gasp!) dared to drop American V-8s in them.
|
|
I posted after you added this. To me the Bugeye is like the Fiero.....it is a fun car to drive and tinker with, but will never be worth a whole lot of money. So who cares if it has a Weber carb or tube shocks (mine does...front & rear). I know most Spridget people don't care, but some are purists through and through and turn their noses up when they hear I have a Datsun engine. If the Bugeye ever becomes a high dollar collectible I still have the 948 & 4-speed to drop back in it, but I don't think that will ever happen.
|
|
|
|
lorennerol
|
MAY 25, 11:55 PM
|
|
While I'm sure there are exceptions, I think that 50 year mark pretty much tells the tale for values. The people for whom they were high school and college dreams are aging out. Or, in the case of the Healeys, some have moved up to the big cars- the 100/6 or 3000. Those started out about $1000 more than a Sprite, but now sell for 3 or 4 times as much. I've seen this happen with some Sky owners- they sold and moved to Corvettes.
I would like something with a V8 or more, but with five cars in a three car garage I've been telling people who've asked, "What's next?": Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.[This message has been edited by lorennerol (edited 05-25-2015).]
|
|
|
|
