gbtr6 Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I’m going to try to create a WIP for 5his ‘59 Bugeye. My wife just got a Bugeye, a ‘59, last April. It’s in great shape, a California car originally all its life. We bought it from the second owner. It’s Old English White, and we’re doin* a red and gray interior. I’m using the Gunze Sprite Mk 1, and I got the transkit from Retromini. It’s a gem of a kit in its own. I’ll need to watch a tutorial on hinges as I opened the doors and bonnet. This is an ambitious project for me. I’ll need to remember to take pictures and post on here. Here goes. Opened the doors and bonnet. Cut the interior panels to go in the doors. That’s it for now. Lucky for me I have a 1:1 version to refer to. Perry 3
iBorg Posted January 23 Posted January 23 I'll be watching this. Can you share a link for the transkit?
gbtr6 Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 Sure Mike. Here you go. It’s a nice kit. https://www.ebay.com/itm/267112776272?itmmeta=01JJ8EHCESRWWEXZZACQ5P3AYY&hash=item3e31298250:g:WOcAAOSwIIxkfF1L Perry
Pierre Rivard Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Opening doors and bonnet, that is ambitious for anybody and should be a fun challenge. I look forward to your updates Perry. I am in full learning mode!
gbtr6 Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 Thanks Mike and Pierre. I’m not sure you could learn anything from me Pierre. The first problem I face is making “bulkheads” on the body and the doors. They aren’t very large or deep. The transkit I am using has a bit of a bulkhead on the front of the opening. Trouble is, it’s solid. Maybe I can reverse the hinge, make the loop on the door and the “fingers” into the bulkhead. See the pictures and offer suggestions please. Perry 1
Old Nasty Posted January 24 Posted January 24 My uncle used to race one of these back in the day with mixed success. He called it his "butt ugly".
gbtr6 Posted January 24 Author Posted January 24 Thanks guys. My wife thinks it has a cute face, and it’s smiling. I’ve decided to put the hinges in the resin bulkhead. Seems easiest. Perry
gbtr6 Posted January 29 Author Posted January 29 Little update. Made door highs and opened up an area for them. I think it will work OK. Lots more to do. Perry 3
Dave B Posted January 30 Posted January 30 (edited) This is a great little car and you're lucky to have one in the family, the model is nice too!! Good luck with your transkit. build, should be fun. Dave B Edited January 30 by Dave B typo
Bainford Posted January 30 Posted January 30 Oh, fun! I love me some bug eye. This looks like a great project. Does your wife let you drive hers?
gbtr6 Posted January 31 Author Posted January 31 Yep, I do get to drive it. Sometimes I’ll take it instead of my TR6. It’s a real blast to drive. Perry 1
Technics Posted February 1 Posted February 1 Lovely subject and progress so far. Inspiring to watch the scratch building / hinges.
gbtr6 Posted February 2 Author Posted February 2 Have to get back to this one. Progress is a bit slow. But I want to keep going. I’ve never done hinges or as detailed a kit. Perry
Dave Ambrose Posted February 2 Posted February 2 This is great! Bug-eyes have a special place in my household. There's a Midget in the garage. Those inner door sections are steel stampings, and the outer skins are folded around them. 2 or 3 mil plastic should suffice for your build.
gbtr6 Posted February 11 Author Posted February 11 Small update, haven’t worked on it lately. Been restoring a Harman Kardon 330 B receiver. A little tedious. I did get some very small magnets to hold the doors. Can’t wait to use them. Perry
gbtr6 Posted February 12 Author Posted February 12 I do have some turntables to put with it. A couple of Phillips 312’s. Need to fix them a bit too. A reel to reel deck also. Perry
Justin Porter Posted February 12 Posted February 12 Really a fun project. Mini Retro is one of my favorite guys in the aftermarket right now. He just announced a MkII Sprite/Midget kit that will pair nicely with the Bugeye transkit.
gbtr6 Posted February 14 Author Posted February 14 Worked on the doors and hinges again. Need to build the inner doors. Starting on the dash. Need to scratch build a left hand drive dash. Magnets installed on body for bonnet. Will start on the engine in the transkit too. Perry 1
gbtr6 Posted February 17 Author Posted February 17 Tackling the dash a bit. Got some new holes drilled, and the steering wheel boss moved. More holes than needed, I think this will work. Some holes will be plugged and I’ll need gauge bezels. Built up the interior of one door also. Adde a bit of square strip around the inside for the metal panel to sit on and cut the pocket off the rest of the door inner piece. There is a matt that lines the door skin insides. I’ll use masking tape for that. Perry
gbtr6 Posted February 18 Author Posted February 18 A little more work on the dash. Need gauge bezels and gauge faces. Pics of the real one. Perry
Pierre Rivard Posted February 18 Posted February 18 The way you have made these doors functional and with a perfect fit is superb. Dashboards are fun to make and a key visual element on a roadster. Very interesting build to follow.
gbtr6 Posted February 19 Author Posted February 19 Thanks Pierre. It helps to be able to go out to the garage and check my work. I agonized over the dash as I thought I’d have to scratch build one. Then, hit on the idea to just modify the existing one. Lots easier. My first attempt at doors too. Lucky I guess. I retired last March. Maybe taking more time to do things helps too. Perry
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