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Bugeye Sprite.

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DRH

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After banging my knuckles for about 3 hours dealing with the BE starter, I got to thinking....Does anybody know of anyone in the whole wide world who ever changed a BE starter alone while broken down on the road. I mean crawling around there in the gravel with nothing but your traveling tool kit in hand. Heck, I was in my shop with lots of tools and had to do the darndest things and chase down dropped nuts and washers and wrenches. I pulled the heater air line--the oil filter. Got 3-4 cuts on my left hand alone. Blood everywhere. It made me think--Has anyone ever done this on the road?, and, if so, My hat is off to those many?--those few? that have. Don
 
If any of my Sprites wouldn't start when I was away from home, I usually found a few "volunteers" to help push start me. :laugh:

In a few circumstances, I was able to push the car and jump in to pop-start it without any help.

I always tried to park my old Bugeye on a hill for that reason. :wink:
 
I haven't changed one while on the road, but like you I swapped one out in my garage. I would definitely only swap one on the road if I had to. :eeek:

It sure was nice when I was done and my BE started right up!
 
I have changed many. No prob easy to do.
 
One more reason to get the gear reduction starter when I do the Rivergate conversion
 
I don't think I have ever crawled underneath. All doable from the top in about 15 minutes, on the side of a snowy road. 8 minutes in a racecar.
 
jlaird said:
I have changed many. No prob easy to do.
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Well, uh yeah, but they don't call ya "Bugeye Jack" fer nothin'! :thumbsup:

it wouldn't surprise me in your younger days if you hand cranked it with only the lace from your combat boot wrapped around the pulley. :jester:
 
I bought my cousin's very well used '59 bugeye as my first car in high school in 1967. When the starter wouldn't work, I learned how to turn the Bendix using the drive nut on the front of the starter. And when that didn't work, a starter from a Nash Metropolitan ( that later donated an axle shaft for a snapped one) took its place. That bugeye, which had to be the Model T of sportscars, taught me the courage to do my own repairs. I'm no mechanical/engineering genius, but darn, that car taught me a lot.
 
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