Renovation “Scope Creep” or While I’m there . . .
By Brian Davis
It’s been about a year and a half since I bought a second Austin-Healey “Bugeye” Sprite on a whim. Another Club member had arranged to look at the Sprite and I went along as a Technical Advisor. After putting a deposit down, he had second thoughts and wondered if I’d be interested. It was a “non-runner”, but from my cursory inspection, I felt like the previously agreed price was reasonable and that it would be a good candidate for restoration.
Fast forward, Scarlet, my 1959 Austin-Healey “Bugeye” Sprite Mk1 spent the next twelve months undergoing extensive mechanical restoration, including: suspension, brakes, carburetors and more. By June of this year, she was running and driving for the first time in 4-years! I was overjoyed. We had spent almost every day together and a bond had been created. Over the next few weeks, we took increasingly longer local “shake-down” trips around town.
It was at this point I discovered two MORE issues! Chronic low oil pressure and a noisy transmission. My original dream of inexpensively turning this “Barn Find” into a reliable British sports car was quickly coming into question. I had fallen in love with this lovable Bugeye Sprite . . . but at what cost?
In my enthusiasm, had I fallen prey to the very common mistake of underestimating the potential problem areas and what it would take to correct them? Had my original restoration “Scope of Work” just expanded beyond my budget and technical know-how? 
My overriding “Scope of Work” goals were to respect the originality of Scarlet, to ensure that she was safe, reliable and as much as possible, do all of the work myself. This was to be a budget-friendly learning project.
My friends all know that I’m a List Maker. My garage door has been lined with erasable white-board material. At each stage of my project, I list what I’m trying to achieve and check off items as they’re completed. This helps me stay focused and on-task. Hopefully this process will serve me well as I move into this next stage of restoration.
My first step was to consult with friends, experts, forums and manuals in search of what was causing my chronic low oil pressure. After eliminating all of the “least invasive” causes, I resigned myself to the fact that most likely the crankshaft and rod bearings were failing. The engine and transmission had to come out.
Ask for help!
One of the BEST parts of belonging to a Car Club is the ability to draw on local member expertise and their willingness to share equipment. Keeping in mind, this is a “Budget-Friendly” build.
If you go on Facebook Marketplace, you can always find a half-dozen engine hoists and stands. The reason is most only pull and rebuild an engine once and then no longer need them. By borrowing specialized tools and equipment, I easily saved $200+ on buying “used” equipment.
I saw on YouTube …
Over the years I’ve tackled many minor and major mechanical jobs on a variety of British cars but I’ve never tackled pulling an engine and then completely tearing it down to it’s bare bones. It was time to become a “YouTube Certified Mechanic”!
In this and most of life, knowledge is one’s greatest asset. I own a variety of factory and 3rd party repair manuals, but there is really no substitute for having a hands-on tutorial.
One word of caution. YouTube expert’s opinions vary just as much as we find in online forums. I needed to watch as many tutorials on my specific task as I could find. THEN I would be knowledgeable enough to choose the best-practice for my skill-level and project.
While I’m there . . .
I’m BIG on taking pictures and recording my step-by-step progress as I tear into new projects. This habit can save me costly mistakes by reinforcing what I’ve learned.
At this stage I also take time to set up a “clean area” table for my bagged & tagged parts, accessories, and large parts. I don’t want to misplace parts and then needlessly have to purchase replacements.
While on this topic . . .This is also a good point to take inventory of parts that I ALREADY have. One of my biggest savings is to use existing parts (gaskets, hardware, chemicals) and components.
When I bought my first Bugeye, the previous owner passed on all of the associated parts. Things like a completely reconditioned head, head and engine gasket sets and other associated bits & bobs. Combined, these will save me $100’s of dollars in machining, parts, and shipping costs.
I should order XYZ, just in case …
Curb that urge to start ordering parts! It’s easy to waste money on unneeded parts that will never be installed or were purchased in excess. It’s OK to open a “Shopping Cart” with your parts supplier, just resist clicking the Order button.
In my build I decided to have a professional machine shop do the final stages of removing the crankshaft and pistons from the short-block. There’s no sense in ordering rings, bearings, etc. until I KNOW what the final clearances will be.
The machine shop’s backlog means that I have plenty of time to use my “Shopping Cart” to add known replacement parts for worn components. This will include items like a worn timing chain and cogs, bushings and lock tabs. “Shop twice . . order once” and you’ll save $100+ in shipping alone.
“I might just as well” OR I should “Upgrade”
This can be one of the biggest pitfalls in any project! Remember my original “Scope of Work”?
“ . . .respect the originality of Scarlet, to ensure that she was safe, reliable and as much as possible, do all of the work myself. This was to be a budget-friendly learning project.”
There are so many “Budget-Busting” latest-technology, performance parts and tools available today. Are those REALLY better? Are they needed?
For my project there have been many examples where significant savings can be had. For example, the simple throw out bearing. Today we have the option of replacing the much disparaged “carbon” disc release bearing in favor of the more modern roller or ball bearing design. Is the modern bearing a better and longer lasting design? Probably. Is it significantly more expensive? For sure. For Scarlet the modern bearing is approximately 10x more expensive! ($170 vs $17).
Dual timing chains, modern rear main seal kits, roller rocker kits, front crank pulley vibration damper, and the list of “Upgrades” goes on and on.
Here’s my personal “Should I Upgrade?” question. Within my Scope of Work am I building a performance car or am I restoring a limited use “week-end” driver? Will adding a $1000 worth of upgrades ever be realized in performance or longevity during it’s 500-1000 miles per year lifetime?
My Conclusion
I don’t want to skimp on quality parts or expert opinions, but I believe I can steer my project car towards success without breaking the bank by avoiding these common mistakes:
- Not defining the Scope of Work, skipping research,
- Not asking for help and researching an existing knowledgebase
- Not taking advantage of parts currently in your garage
