I did my into post the other day but I wanted to wait till I picked up the car to do this post. It is a '59 and it is going to need a lot of work.




What I would would like to do is put a 215 Buick motor in it with a T5 tranny. I would like to put disc brakes up front and possibly change it to a 5 lug bolt pattern on all 4 corners. I would like to put coilovers on all 4 corners, maybe even try to figure out some sort of air ride set up for it. For the most part I will keep the body stock with the exception of removing emblems and maybe changing some of the lighting. I would also like to run 15" wheels all the way around.

So here are the questions I have to start off with.
1. Can anyone recommend a good manual? I would like something that would show exploded views of the car, especially the chassis.
2. I know I can update to disc brakes using later parts, is there a kit to switch it to a 5 lug pattern? If no kit, has anyone done this that can offer some advice?
3. For putting the 215 in, is there anyone that makes motor mounts to put motor into the car or will I have to fab these up myself? As far as shifter location, what would be the best choice of T5s to use?
4. The body will need repair work and I am sure i will have to replace some mechanical stuff, what is the best source for parts?

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to learning from everyones expertise.

Wow - looks like a great find - and a big project.

I can't answer all your questions... but I'll tell you my first phone call would be to request a FREE catalog from Moss Motors. Their catalog has exploded views of just about every system on the car.

Example:


I've never bought Sprite parts from Moss, but I've bought a lot of MGB parts there. Full disclosure: they're a sponsor of BritishV8. (Their ad investments keep this site free and growing.)


As for body parts... quite a lot of the original tooling still exists. Look for parts labeled "British Motor Heritage" if you want high quality, original sheet metal.

Hey, congrats on the start of your project! It looks almost as rough as mine.

I'm early on in exactly the same project, but mine already had the 215 stuffed in about 30 years ago. You are going to have to make mounts. The ones in mine are very crude angle iron brackets, but they work. The sides of the 215 block are almost even with the frame rails (a little narrower) so it's an easy part.

I have a Muncie M20 gearbox. I thought it would be easier to setup the shifter where I want it with the external linkage.  I don't think this thing will need 5 speeds, though I will probably look for a taller final drive. (I drove it tonight for the first time!)

Any of the Haynes or Chilton type manuals will be helpful.

I've not seen any 5 lug conversions, and I don't know why you'd want to do it. 15" wheels look too big on a Bugeye for my taste.  You'll need to custom machine front hubs for 5 lugs. Expensive. Axles can be made with whatever pattern you like, but again, expensive.

Front disks are a very easy swap. Just buy a complete front suspension from a later car (everything except the springs and upper shocks are required. If you want something more radical, fabrication is required... or money... Huffaker makes a racing brake kit using MGB calipers and Spitfire rotors.

Moss Motors is a great parts source. Ebay is usually pretty good for sprite parts.
Where are you located?

Cheers,
Greg

I am in NW Ohio, I found the car in IN. The 5 lug thing is more for a better selection of wheels. I plan to swap out the rear axle as I plan to get as much power out of the 215 as I can. I have found one place that said they can make me a brake kit. I will also be using a smaller tire to make it look right in the wheel well. My reason for the 5 speed is for the fact that they are easy to find being from a S10 and they are small.

I have 2 catalogs on the way, Moss and Victoria British LTD.

I have noticed that a lot of times the sprite is linked up with the Midget, are most of these parts compatible with each other? I have seen that a lot of the advertisers make stuff for the Midgets but there are not a lot for the sprite.

QuoteI have noticed that a lot of times the sprite is linked up with the Midget, are most of these parts compatible with each other?

Your bugeye is sometimes referred to as a "Mark 1" Sprite. It was produced in the MG factory at Abingdon. After a couple of years of Sprite production, decisions were made to go to a fixed-fender design with a smaller, flatter and cheaper bonnet (hood), and to add a boot (trunk) lid. At the same time, a decision was made to introduce an MG-badged version of the same basic car. The MG version would sell at a slightly higher price. So, a "Mark 2" Sprite is essentially the same car as a "Mark 1" Midget, a "Mark 3" Sprite is similar to a "Mark 2" Midget (etc. There were five generations of Sprite.) The Sprite-badged version of the "Spridget" ceased production in 1971 (i.e. several years after the Healey 3000, in 1967), but the Midget continued in production through 1980.

Here's a quote from a BritishV8 article about the British Motor Heritage:

QuoteMGB fans sometimes forget a few facts about the little "Spridget" models, like that the MG factory at Abingdon had already produced over sixty thousand Spridgets before MGB production started in May 1962. That number includes all 48999 of the Mk.I (aka "bugeye" or "frogeye") Sprites. Their production run lasted from March 31, 1958 through January 1961. The Mk.II Sprite and Mk.I Midget were both launched in 1961. In 21 years and 8 months of production, almost as many Spridgets were built as MGB roadsters. Like the MGB, these little cars featured elegant, modern "unitbody" construction instead of frame-on-body construction.

All that said... your car is a bugeye, and thus it's an earlier year-model car. Lots of things changed in later years. For example the brake system is better in later models, as mentioned earlier in this thread.

You might enjoy this article. Lots of Sprite pics! MG Midget Bodyshells - Being Assembled by British Motor Heritage

It is pretty cool that they can make the old bodies like that, too bad I can't find stuff like the for my old model Ts.

Yesterday I was outside unloading the car of the trailer, it was 14 degrees/7 with the wind chill. It look way too long as something was locked up. When I loaded it I used the winch on my truck and did not notice the rear wheels would not turn. When I wan to unload it, I went to make sure it was in N and I could not get the shifter to move, the clutch pedal went strait to the floor. I had to use the winch to pull it off my trailer, then over to in front of the garage door. Then I winched it by hand a little till I could get it into position to use my truck to push it in to the garage. The only damage was a broken tail light lens. At leas now I can use my jack to lift up the rear to move it where I want it to go.  I am going to disconnect the drive shaft so I can get it to roll easily. I am actually going to be working on it in another building.  

I noticed on mine and others that there is a round hole on the rocker, What is that for?

QuoteWhat is that for?

Jacking point for the jack that originally came with the car - but if I were you I wouldn't plan on using it. A "scissors" jack is less likely to slip.

Thats good, Basically I wanted to make sure I could fill in the hole when I get around to the body work stage.

Hello Jason, welcome to the world of modified Spridgets (Sprites and Midgets sort or run together since they are so much alike)
I'll try a few answers in order, 1. as already mentioned either the Victoria British or Moss catalogs for pretty good exploded views of the car. 2. No 5 lug upgrade that I've ever heard of, most stick with the original 4 on 4" lug pattern if they're not changing the eitire front suspension for something else. 3. Motor mounts, you'll have to fabricate something for yourself, nothing off the shelf. As far as transmission choice, that depends on how far back the motor is installed, but for the V8 my guess is that the S10 T5 shifter location would be better than that of the Camaro type box. 4. Parts, that's really hard to say, depends on what you need. As far as body panels go VB or Moss are about the same as the panels all come from British Motor Heritage anyway. For other items it's worth the time to shop around a bit, you can save some money when things are on sale or from some suppliers. If you have specific needs just post a question and I'm sure one of us will pass on what we know.
As far as the drive line goes, I think that for the money it's hard to beat a narrowed GM 10 bolt differential assembly. Great selection of ratios and posi tracs available at a reasonable price and they aren't too heavy. Most will handle the power of a small V8 quite well and if you want to keep the 4 X4" lug pattern the rear axle from a mid 70s Monza or Vega has the same lug pattern and the brakes clear 13" wheels.

Plus sizing pros & cons:

http://www.britishmotoring.net/Archives/2005_Winter.PDF

Thanks for the link.

While doing my searching on the net, Coker states that the current proper tire for the MK1 Sprite to be a 145R13 with a 22.30" overall diameter. I have found a 155/60R15 to have a 22.32" overall diameter. The 145R13 has a 5.8" cross section while the 155/60R15 has a 6.10" cross section.

The wheels I would like to use come in a 15x5.5 for one style and 15x4.5 or 15x5.5 for the other style. I just need to check the backspacing/offsets to see how they would fit in the fender.

I have not had a lot going on car wise (unemployment does not allow for extra money for car stuff). I would like to find the spindles (uprights) to convert to discs, What years do I need to look for? Do I only need the spindles or do I need other parts as well? Thanks

Best thing to do is find a later (1964 +) Spridget at the Pic & Pay and have them torch off the front suspension for you including the A-arms, then buy a major suspension kit from Moss.  You're going to want to rebuild the front end, anyway, and A-arms tend to get trashed in the trunnion bushing area.  Also grab the master cylinder from the later car and buy a rebuild kit for that as well.  The disc brake cars have a larger bore than the Bugeye.

Our yards up here do not have old stuff. it is all gone so I am stuck with e bay and maybe a nice person on a site like this. That is why I need to know exactly what I need to do the conversion. I do plan on buyer better brakes so I am more concerned with the stock parts needed and what years.

Go here, this will tell you what you'll need:  http://books.google.com/books?id=V3STrysMNjQC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=spridget+big+disc+brake+conversion&source=bl&ots=p5FMXchZkh&sig=2hrNX3P7DYwpDLT94IjL5njw1cc&hl=en&ei=9CIfSrbvItyptgfUqdzsAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#PPA125,M1  By the way, this is a great book, well worth the money if you're into performance improvements

Jason, the front discs from any Sprite or Midget from 1962-1979 will work. There should be a British Car or MG club in your area, I'd try contacting them for parts. Most of them will know of someone who has the parts you need for the conversion. I'd say get the complete spindle assembly and the lower A arms. (You should also check Craigslist in your area. Often you'll see listings dealing with MGs or British cars from a local "dealer" in parts and cars there) They will bolt on to your car. The front brake lines will have to be changed because of the different fittings used, but you would probably be replacing those anyway. The later A arms will also have the correct holes and reinforcements for using a front sway bar which you will want to add to the car anyway. As Rick said, while you're at it get the brake and pedal assembly from the donor car if you can. The master cylinder will be better sized for the disc brakes and the entire assembly should bolt in place of your original pedal box. Don't throw any of the old parts away, the are worth some good bucks for the guys restoring Bugeyes. With a good brake pad such as the EBC greenstuff items you should have reasonable brakes for a street car.
You should be able to fit up to a 13X6" wide wheel with up to a 185 series tire in the wheel arches of your car. Hap at Acme Speed shop http://www.acmespeedshop.com/  has the wheels up to 7" wide but I'd probably stay with a 6" wheel unless you plan to do flares on the car. You'll want to upgrade to 7/16" diameter wheel studs for sure with the V8. Those can be sourced locally or through the Winner's Circle. If you're in doubt about the wheels or offset contact the manufacturer or someone like Hap who has the experience and knows what will work and what won't.
Of course all this is designed to keep the original 4 lug pattern up front and 13" wheels. You can go as wild as you like, but start changing the front suspension bits, hubs, brakes, etc and it gets expensive and time consuming to work out the engineering details. It's been done before, check out the cars in the photo gallery for some of the options already taken.
You will have to change the rear axle for sure, the original axle will not hold up under the torque of a V8 or V6.

sounds to me like this project is way over your head..

To get any engine other than a stock engine or small Jap engine the Bugeye will require Extensive fabrication and engineering, The Bugeye is a unibody car that will require a frame to be made to handle any V6 or V8 engine, If you don't have these skills or know someone who does ..stop now before you end up with a pile of junk in your yard

Brian wrote: "The Bugeye is a unibody car that will require a frame to be made to handle any V6 or V8 engine"

Strengthening and stiffening the unibody bodyshell is recommended, but IMHO adding a "frame" is an inelegant way to do that. I had a great ride with Bill Young in his V6 Midget just last week in Durham at the BritishV8 meet. That car doesn't have a frame, but it does benefit from a nice roll hoop supplemented with a "Petty bar". A Petty bar goes from the main hoop forward and downward to a mounting plate on the passenger-side floorboard. I think Bill's is great! It doesn't get in the way of either the driver or passenger, yet the bar seems to eliminate beaming and scuttle shaking. I don't know the extent of reinforcements under the floor, but a frame wasn't added.

Curtis

Take it from someone who has done these type of things to several Bugeyes ,

I agree  Bills car is very nice and was done well built.....it is a Midget not  a Bugeye, the Bugeye has 1/4 springs and has nothing to support the rear of the springs should you decide to put in full leafs, if you go with a 4 link....you will also need to fab up a mounting stsyem for the coil overs if you go this way, you can't run a Chevy rear end on 1/4 springs and have it work right, not to mention the firewall and frame sections that need to be removed for the engine to even fit are structural and need to be replaced with something

to put a V8 in a Bugeye like Jason is wanting to do...it will require extensive work

I am not saying you could not just stuff a v8 in there and cut all the metal and hack it up and make it run, but I have seen at least 4 of these myself and they were not only ugly and crude they were just unsafe, I had one with an olds 215 in it, they cut the frame and firewall and just welded angle iron for mounts, yes It may have run but...how fun could it have been to drive ?

Everyone wants to use the BOP engine for everything, but it is not right for this application, you will have to cut off a leg in order to drive it, I would think hard about using a 4 cylinder or a V6 and not that old V8

I hate the 215s and will never ever touch one again for anything, it is an antique and was outdated when it was new and more so in the Range Rovers, the Chevy LS is a much much better engine and is actually narrower that the 215,  the one in my friends 1973 240z was dynoed at 350hp to the rear wheels, he paid 3k for the engine and trans from a wreckers and threw a cam and headers on it and that was it !! try to get that from a 215 will cost you 2x that

This site is set up so people can decide if they want to do something based on others who have done the same thing, I just want Jason to know the facts here so he can make an informed decision and get his car running how he wants it, I would hate to see it scrapped because he was over his head , we have done V8s, Rotarys, Toyota engines, and more into Bugeyes, we know what we are talking about when it comes to Bugeyes with engine swaps

I look at cars on this site and others with engine swaps...and see things that really really scare me, I owned a GT6 that had a 302 V8 that was on this site, it came with another car I bought and I got to see first hand how crude and unsafe this thing was

Curtis...just because someone has done it ...does not make it correct , I am so sick of reading stuff on the net from people that just sit in front of a computer and read to get their information, so much of the info on this and other sites is 2nd or 3rd hand and is way distorted, knowing part of the truth is not enough    


just my 2 cents, if I offended anyone by talking bad about the 215..sorry...it is just how I feel

This is how I do things..jap 4 clyinder 170hp, very little cutting...goes like hell

Sorry not into the Jap stuff but what is that out of?  Is yours factory RHD of did you convert it?

Brian,

Very tidy installation.  Looks like a blast!

Rick

First, thanks for the kind words Curtis. There are indeed no extra frame mods in my car except for the center of the crossmember being relocated back 2" for transmission clearance. The stiffness in the chassis comes from the basic Spridget design and any reinforcement added by my roll bar. I was very careful when selecting and mounting my engine that I didn't have to cut or alter the main chassis rails in any way just for that reason, to maintain strength. I have seen the additional reinforcements added by other builders and most did that very professionally losing nothing by perhaps a bit of ground clearance. Brian, I most heartily agree and have said so on many occasions, unless you are an experienced builder and know what to expect as to the drivability of your car a V8 is not a good choice for a Spridget. They just require too much surgery and reinforcement to the car. They've been done before, I even owned one years ago with a 283 Chevy in it, but it wasn't an ideal choice. The foot wells were quite a bit smaller than stock which limited foot room and made the car a bit uncomfortable to drive for any length of time. I'd hate to think of trying to make the 2500 mile run to North Carolina and back as I just did in my car in a V8 powered Midget. Jason, if you're not into the "Jap" stuff as you say then your choices are indeed limited, but Brian has a vailid point. Unless you have a lot of experience and a big ($10K at least) budget you'd be much better off with either a V6 or just building up a 1275 for the car. There's just no way to build one of these on the cheap without having to cut corners that would result in your safety being compromised. If you go with a V8 you would definitely need much better front brakes, that means major suspension mods and custom components which are expensive. The stock suspension and brakes with upgraded pads should be good for some increase in weight and up to around 150 hp, anything more than that and you need upgrades.
I've been involved in hot rodding for over 40 years now and like Brian have seen some poorly built projects and many abandoned mostly because the builder selected the wrong engine for the chassis and the techincal problems overwhelmed them. Stick with something within your experience range and budget for a first build and you have a lot more chance of success.

as Bill said start simple, you can always re build the car later on, I have re done several of my cars over the years and made huge changes sometimes...sometimes small ones, choose what is right for you at the time, look at cost of all parts before you start, get an idea of what you plan to spend and how much work you can actually do yourself, I have a friend that did a Nissan V6 in a Triumph TR6 for his first swap and he did not ever do anything like this before, he does not weld at all, he fabricated wooden and cardboard mounts and had a shop weld them up, but this also costs money..so add this into the final costs

what ever engine you decide ,get the car into a driving project car and then after working the bugs out take it apart and paint/powder coat,ect , by doing this will save you alot of troubles in the long run...trust me on this one

just because you have a 215, that is not a good enough reason to use it, this is the first mistake people make is to use an engine because they have it or can get it cheap or a good one is "my buddy has this engine" I have never done a swap with any engine because I had it, I went out and bought each specific engine after months of research and measurements

also..the S10 T5 will not live long behind a 215 with real HP stock 215 has about 140hp, you will need to get a Camaro V8 trans best is the World Class version and swap the rear housing from an S10 to it, the V8 ones have larger bearings and will hold up alot better, we just did this for a 46 Ford truck to get the shifter in the right spot, worked great !!