The Project Begins

May, 2005 

SO…we are the (very) proud owners of a Bugeye….what do we do now??

First, we pushed “Bugs” into the garage with the front facing out so we would have room to work on him.  The banner picture on the top of the blog is his “toothless” grin!

For Dad’s birthday, I got him a wiring diagram of the car and a Restoration Guide.  I was very interested to know where we heading from here.  I was ready to start working on the engine and getting things hooked up.  Dad knew better – “Father knows best”!  He says, “Well, we first have to get the car cleaned out and dried out, to see what we have and what we need.”  That engineering mind is great – methodical, planning, calculating each step of the project – but can sometimes be QUITE the killjoy!  LOVE YA, DAD!!  🙂

I’d say it needs some cleaning! 

So while I returned home to St. Louis, Dad studied the wiring diagram and the Moss Motors catalog that would be our supplier for the majority of the project.   No work on the car in July as we made our annual  trek to Road America for the Brian Redman International Classic.  This is our weekend, just a boy and his Dad enjoying road racing at its finest – in the hills of the Kettle Morraine of Wisconsin, classic cars from a bygone era mixed with the smell of brats on a grill, scorched rubber and exhaust fumes in the morning!  NOTHING better!! 

Some of my favorites that we see at the BRIC: 

The future of “Bugs”! (Non-race car version though); The Cheetah!; Lotus 19B – BEAUTIFUL!!; Just like old times! Porsche 356 and Lotus Super 7

The annual pilgrimage to RA used to be for the June Sprints.  That is where Dad took me when I was in 6th grade to witness these beautiful old cars.  Back then, and well into the 1990s and early 2000s, the Bugeyes would run in the E-F-G-H Production race.  We started to notice though that the number was dwindling – from 15 to 10, 5, 2 and eventually only 1.  We made an agreement – when the Bugeyes were gone from the Sprints, so were we.  Our run of attending June Sprints ended at 25 consecutive years – quite a run.  Our streak of at least one weekend at RA per year remains intact at 28 and counting as we have switched our allegiances to the BRIC or other vintage car weekends – and haven’t been disappointed as we have seen at least one Bugeye every year!  Our goal is that “Bugs” will be that Bugeye in the years to come!

Personal matters took precendence over the project for the remainder of 2005.  But 2006 brought new challenges and adventures with our new hobby.  Check back soon for more on the restoration!

Happy motoring!

Andy

P.S.  Feel free to leave a comment on anything you see here – or would like to see.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Blessings!!