Need Help?

1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye Roadster Base

1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye Roadster
Do you own this car?
Estimated Mileage
 Miles
Enter current mileage for most
accurate info about this vehicle


Track Your Service Records
Get Recall Alerts
Get Updated Value Estimates on Your Car.

back to question list

Ask The Community


June 17, 2008, 7:19 am

Stephen 
 

Question: how much will it cost to restore my sprite?

we have a 1961 Sprite that needs a full restoration. I would like to know approximately what it would cost before comitting to the project...thanks for your help


January 4, 2009, 7:31 pm

Ryan M
 

It depends on how much restoration you need and how detailed you want to be with it. Use the $2000 rule. A completely rusty body will likely cost you $2000 to have professionally repaired (blasted to bare metal, patches welded in, and primed to prevent further rusting). Of course, if you can weld and fabricate, you will save lots of money, but spend a lot of time. A good (not great) paint job will cost you around $2000 for all of the disassembly, prep work, materials, labor, and reassembly. Again, you can save money here, at the expense of time, by disassembling yourself and doing the prep work (and re-assembly yourself once complete). While the interior is sparse by today's standards, it can still cost a good deal to completely re-do. New carpets (estimate around $300 for a complete set), I find these to be a pain and difficult to make and get to fit and not fall apart, so I'd buy these (you can look for cheaper prices on auction sites or at a local upholsteror). New panels ($350-550 for a new set), here, I'd be tempted to get some thin board like masonite or such at your local home improvement store and cover with contact cement and vinyl from your local store (use the old ones as patterns and make sure you've got the fit right before you try to cover them with the vinyl). Seats, you can get new pads and new covers, and do them yourself (you'll still likely need to sand and paint the frames). This can be a painful process (and I speak from experience). It sucks to get the frames all painted and then scratch them up trying to get the vinyl to fit and get clipped into place. If I had to do this part again, I think I would take the seats to a shop. Think about the cost of the materials and the time you're going to spend and the end result. One of the most visible parts of the interior is the seats and carpet. Again, around $2000 will take care of a professional doing the carpet, panels, and seats. An engine rebuild will cost you around $2000 (did you see that one coming?). I just had a 1275cc redone for a Bugeye. It cost me just over $1500 for a stock rebuild. I figure another $500 will get the radiator dipped, get all new belts and hoses, and cover the things not done with the engine (new water pump, new thermostat, new fan, if I'm lucky, I can get the carbs adjusted within this figure--but not 'rebuilt'). If the electricals, brakes, and fuel system need attention, $2000 will likely cover all new brake components (from pads and shoes, to hoses and lines, to drums and rotors, to wheel cylinders and the master cylinder); a whole new wiring harness (about $300 alone); new fuel lines, pump, and filter (but likely not cover a whole new gas tank which you may find you will need if the car has been sitting a long time--although there are products that will clean, etch, and seal a rusty tank, this will take you a long time and may not solve your problems; I'd opt for a whole new tank if one is available for you car; it may cost a little more, but you won't risk putting rust and varnish through your new lines, filters, carbs, and engine); and installing all of these parts. There are still a few other things to consider like wheels and tires, trim pieces, a top, top bows, gauges, the steering wheel, horns, voltage regulators, suspension and the steering rack, rear end and axles, windshield glass and side curtains, miscellaneous stuff in the engine compartment like the wipers, washer, heater, coil, battery, voltage regulator, bumpers, fuse block, starter, generator, distributor, plugs, plug wires, various grommets and stoppers, and, oh yeah, the transmission. If yours is in good shape, you may want to just replace the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, and slave cylinder (you don't want a rebuilt engine mated to a poor transmission and/or clutch because you will have to remove all of it to fix anything behind the engine). You likely have a 'smoothcase' transmission unless it has been replaced at some point. These are weaker (remember that they were designed to handle the torque of a 43hp engine) and are becoming increasingly harder to find and/or repair. The easiest upgrade is a 'ribcase' transmission from a later car (better/stronger internals, more plentiful and cheaper replacement parts). Cost for a rebuilt transmission is around: smoothcase: $700-900; ribcase: $800-1000; cost for a 5-speed conversion kit: $2500-5000. If you have more specifics about what you plan to do, I could give you a better guess (remember these are guesses based on what I have seen and/or experienced). Best of luck...


0/0 users found this helpful.

 
 



Tips on Servicing

Car Brakes: How Do You Know When to Change Them?

By Zach Bowman For those who suffer a daily commute through heavy traffic, your vehicle's braking system can bring thousands of pounds of metal, plastic and empty Starbucks cups to a stop hundreds of times before you get to work. It goes without saying that these pieces wear out, but they do so slowly, meaning you may not notice they need attention until ...

Read more…