Here are some photos. There are a few more wires to connect before I can say the wiring is 100%, and many holes to fill with temporary grommets. And much testing and adjusting before making the trip to Lake of the Ozarks at the end of June. Wish me luck!

The last time the Ugly Bug was on the road was 1974! It’s out and running again. It is amazing how much quicker the car is than the Midget that donated the drive train.

I’m planning on driving the car to Missouri (400+ miles one way) at the end of June so I have a lot of work to do. During the initial shake down I had to correct some rubbing at the rear drums and the steering was stiff (forgot to grease one side). But overall I think it seems OK.

Here is what is left to do:

Add a leaf back to each spring (the car is too soft/low in the rear).
Get the electronic speedo working and calibrated.
Connect the cruise throttle cable (will need to fabricate a bracket).
Temporarily mount the cruise switch.
Install wipers.
Install washer system.
Put some snaps on my temporary carpet to keep it from sliding up under my feet.
Adjust headlights (might go ahead and install new sealed beam halogens)
Recenter the steering wheel.
Bleed brakes again for good measure.
Rebuild side curtains.
Patch up a temporary top (since the one I ordered most likely won’t arrive in time)
Recalibrate fuel sender.
Install spare tire and jack/toolkit.
Lower front spring pans by about 3/16″
…and tie up any other loose ends I may find.

wow! I need to get busy.

Still no pictures. I’ve been doing some small things to get the car ready for the road. The big thing was the wiring. But it was only about a 5-hour job. I made the harness in-situ since it is a pretty simple car. The fuse panels and most relays are contained under the dash. I did add a 4-hazard circuit and cruise control. I will most likely be adding some other circuits later so I have not completely tidied the harness under the dash yet.

I was the windscreen on, but it does not seal to the body correctly. I made some temporary interior panels out of scrap vinyl from my midget refurbishment, and I have some other carpet and flooring materials made. It is a bit of patch work, but it keeps with the “Ugly Bug” theme. Pictures soon…

really

It has been a few days since I posted. However, I had to finish moving the laundry room and put new shelves in the pantry. I’m anxious to get started on the wiring of the car so that I can get the drive train and interior installed. Remember, this is just going to be a “beater” car that I use to sort out all of the components. After I get it assembled and performing to my satisfaction I’ll disassemble i and properly finish the bodywork. In the meantime, since I have all the temporary patches welded in place I decided to squirt it with some semi-flat black paint. I did very limited prep. I hit the places with surface rust with a wire wheel, and ran a sander over the rest. The results… truly awful. But it does offer it a little more protection and keeps me from gagging every time I looked at the John Deere Green.

So, here is the score.
Metal patches to ensure structural integrity: done
Beat the major dents out to the panels: done
Spray with temporary paint: done
Brakes and Brake Plumbing: Almost done (install hoses and pads)
Front suspension/steering: Done except for the sway bar and rebuilt front shocks.
Dash stripped and painted and gauges installed: done (except for the dual gauge)
Drive train: will be donated from midget
Gas tank and radiator: ready to be installed
Wheels tires: will be borrowed from the midget
Windscreen: cleaned an ready to be installed
Wiring harness: Most components on hand and schematic drafted
Seats: One old seat “patched” the other has yet to be done
Interior Panels and seats: I’m not sure it will have any
Rear suspension/differential: Done
Wipers: relocated to passenger side (needs cleaning tests and reinstall)
Heater: Not sure it will have one anytime soon.
Weather gear: Ordered, sidescreens waiting a rebuild.

and I’m sure there is more, but I think I’m about to turn the corner on this project. Pictures soon.

I didn’t get a chance to work on the Ugly Bug Sprite today. Instead I finished moving the laundry room from the kitchen to the master bath suite. However, when I was finishing the wiring for the washer and dryer my mind was wondering over to my preferred wiring project… the Sprite. So I decided to write about my wiring plan.

I had three options:

1. Use a stock sprite harness and add circuits as needed
2. Use a universal kit and adapt it to the sprite
3. Create a custom harness from scratch

I decided that I would go with option 3 because so many of the universal kits were better suited for traditional American cars with switches on the column and fuse box by the driver’s left knee. I decide to use a generic centech fuse panel and wire salvaged from several late model MGB/Midgets and of course some new wire. The system will include relays for the headlights, horn, and electric fan.

Other notable deviations from the stock bugeye electrical system include in the plan are the following:

1. Telemetric White face gauges (electronic speedo)
2. Cruise control (Rostra servo unit)
3. Boot light
4. Electric fuel pump
5. Electric Fan
6. Other things as they occur to me

The cruise control unit will be mounted behind the speedo and tach. The fuse panel will be located behind the radio location (there will be no radio in the Sprite). I’m making an attempt to declutter the engine bay and hide as much of the wire as possible.

Of course… this is all subject to change. Questions or suggestions?