Looking to purchase first LR

[LRMAN]

Well I looked at a '69 IIa bugeye last night. It appears to be in great(restored) condition. It has a new steel frame(not galvanzied). It also had some extra holes in the inner wings(in front of the breakfast) and on top of the wings.

It was not yet road worthy as it needed gas pedal linkage adjustments. So I will return to drive it some time next week. It was raining so I was not able to craw underneath to check suspension, leaks, etc.

I have a couple of questions:
- What do you do with all the extra holes that are no longer being used? I thought about adding the diamond plate wing protectors but do no know how authentic this accessory is. One of the holes is from an antenna on the side of the rear quarter.

- How big a deal is it to have a galvanized frame? It is new and painted and I plan to register the truck as a low milleage driver. Garage kept and taken out on nice days.

- What do you think the holes on the inner wings were used for? There are about 6 on each side symetrical between the two sides.

The other thing I am wrestling with is value. The asking price is $10k obo. It comes with a new soft top but no hard top.

The guy who has done most of the work has a great reputation(according to some here) and he seems like he will stand behind his work.

BTW, the ad can be seen here: http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/sh...ht=bugeye+sale

Thanks for your expertise.
Tim

[thixon]

If it helps at all, I've bought parts from the seller. He was very honest, and great to deal with.

[TedW]

Tim, as you know the coast o' Maine is hard on cars, but if you Waxoyl the frame you will be fine. I bought my IIA in '91 and Waxoyled it a few times early on - the last time was around '96. Just yearly touch-ups now. The frame has held up just fine, and I drive it year-round.

The key is to Waxoyl INSIDE the frame as well as outside. I've tried lots of rustproofing products and IMO Waxoyl from our hosts is best.

If you're feeling flush and want to avoid the mess you could bring it to the place on Stroudwater Street that used to be a Ziebart dealer. They will do it up with the same stuff as Ziebart (acording to my conversation with the owner) and you can bring it in for free touch-ups every year.

[LRMAN]

Thanks for the info Ted. I am a DIY guy and rarely take anything to dealers/mechanics. Luckily I have an awesome Audi mechanic for all the computerized crap they put in cars these days.

I understand coating the inside of the frame. I have had many Triumph frames apart and seen how it starts. It is usually too late once you start seeing rust on the outside.

[TSR53]

Yes, Waxoyl works great. Not just for insides of frames - works on anything exposed to the elements. I just mounted a class III hitch to my Westfalia campmobile and sprayed 120-4 over all the exposed bolts and nuts. Also hit the Thule bike rack in spots too. One of the videos on the Waxoyl site is of my Audi S6 getting the pre-clean and treatment.

[adkrover]

I know nothing about the seller but noticed that in the list of new and repaired items he never mentions the little things like the engine, gearbox or diffs. What's the history and current status of those?

[Jeff Aronson]

I just want to note that I know Pete Grasso as an avid Land Rover enthusiast.

Remember that the breakfast is steel so holes in the inner fender wells will lead to rust eventually. Do plug those holes and Waxoyl inside there, too. Holes in the outer fenders don't mean much because the fenders are alloy, not steel.

I'd ask Pete how "new" is the non-galvanized frame - new to any Rover or new to that particular truck? And the Bugeye is "rare" only because of its interim nature, not because of a genuine value to its rarity.

Good luck with your decision.

Jeff

[LRMAN]

Jeff, see the photo. Is this part(red arrow) steel or aluminum? The holes have been painted since drilled. Also, I used to have a TR8 that I restored a few years back. Fun cars and related to Rover with that 3.5 Buick V8.

Also, excuse my confusion with part names. I thought the breakfast was just the sheet metal that the grill attaches to.

Not sure what degree of new(frame) I should be looking for but the car has not been driven since it was installed(within the last 12 months I think). Previous owner bought it when in TN. And new to any Rover is what I got from Pete.

Engine, tranny, diffs:
I am told by Pete that all are tight. I do plan to drive in all gears and check for leaks. Engine is relatively clean. New ignition, single barrel weber with stock air cleaner. Based on what he and others have told me, he stands behind his word which means a lot.

[TedW]

Tim: That panel is aluminum.

[LRMAN]

Thanks Ted. Any idea what accessory may have been installed there? I cannot begin to imagine.

[scott]

Thanks Ted. Any idea what accessory may have been installed there? I cannot begin to imagine.

if the holes line up with the laterial bolts on the breakfast, then maybe those wings were once used on a rove that had an eng conversion. i've seen where breakfst were moved forward to make room for bigger motors

[greenmeanie]

I've seen a picture where someone add driving lights mounted on the wing panel in that location. The overall effect was to place them where the headlights would be on the earlier trucks.

[LRMAN]

All good possibilities. I am working from memory but I think there are 6 on each side spanning the panel both horizontally and vertically. Could be a combination of both ideas. I will look at where the breakfast mounting holes line up. I do not think driving lights because they were all so far apart. Driving lights, I would imagine, would likely have 2 holes close to each other.

And I gotta ask: Where does the term breakfast come from?

[TedW]

They might also be the bolt holes for jerry can holders. You can put a jerry can on each side of the breakfast, snug against thise side panels. Just a wild a$$ guess on my part.

[TedW]

And I gotta ask: Where does the term breakfast come from?

I heard it has something to do with the old style grill looking like 2 eggs and a slice o' toast. Or something like that. This is definitely a question for Les.

Les?

Les?