Building a new motor

The plan

A stock Bugeye in top shape is not the fastest car around. The Tunebug was far from top shape, so speed was a real issue. Actually, speed wasn't an issue since there wasn't any! Living in the mountains at 5550' (and up) wasn't helping things at all. The logical solution was to replace the original 948 cc motor with a later 1275 cc motor. Everything bolts right in, and the power increase is roughly double what the car came with originally. Perfect!

After much thought, I decided not to try the build myself, but to spend the bit extra and have a true expert tackle the project. I chose Hap Waldrop of the Acme Speed Shop in South Carolina to do my work. Hap is a well respected builder of race motors for Bugeyes, Midgets, and MGBs. I'm only planning on doing this once, so spending the extra money proved to be an easy decision to make.