Bug Eye Mechanic/Resto advice

[oconnor]

Hey all,

The Family bought my pops a 59 bug eye sprite thats a little rough around the edges. Its all stock... but needs help from every angle. Who's a good shop that would be able to tackle the restoration as well as have experience with basic performance upgrades on these things in the Bay area, or with in 4 or so hours of the bay area.

Dad no longer wrenches, and my job has me working 6 days a week. He doesn't want to cut corners and wants to have it done really nice. (Its the car he had as a kid, and this is a bit of a bucket list item for him)

[tmsmith]

Jon Becker can do the mechanical and he has a body & paint shop next door to him.

[oconnor]

Oh yeah... i forgot about him. Down the street from me as well.

[oconnor]

Met with him. A good guy as ever. (I think thats who my dad will go with) But first he wants to run by Huffaker and some guy on 24th and peralta or Mandela Parkway in Oakland. Anyone know who that is?

[tmsmith]

Bay Bridge Motors on Mandella Parkway. We took our son's 2003 S to them. Great guys to work with.

[Pooper]

As mentioned:

Joe Huffaker is good, but it depends on how much you want to do and spend.
Jon Becker can do almost everything and know where to get parts as needed. He has plenty of freinds, including Mike Cummings who used to race HP Sprites.
Jacque Andre at Bay Bridge Motors is also a good shop.
Don Racine of Mini Mania can be a good source for parts for the Bugeye.
Depending on the condition and what's there, you have plenty of options on performance upgrades. I would assume you have a 998cc series A engine. roller rockers, cam, head work (port & polish), upgrade the oil pump to a 1275 pump, the SU's can be tweaked and the intake ports and manifold polished, lightened flywheel and 1275 clutch,
brakes, brakes, brakes!!!!Front disc brakes, dual master cylinder, steel braided brake hoses,
exhaust header, high output coil, and upgraded distributor.

If you are not going to coil-over shocks, then consider heavier oil in the stock shocks, sway bars (front & rear). Nylon bushings for the A-arms, oil cooler, and a good fuel pump.

That's a start

[olddad]

If the engine is original to the car, keep it.

Rebuilding the head to handle unleaded gas is a must, and nobody can see that mod.  Also, the '59 948 engine had 7/8 inch exhaust valves that burned often, so replace with 1 inch exhaust valves while doing the hardseats.

Keep the gear drive tach and the generator with the tach drive gearbox on the back end.  I have a new little gear box for one somewhere if I can find it.