Doing the unthinkable buying an Unmentionable. Gen me up.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Here's a Viva PRODGEKT in Peterboghorror:

 

http://ww0.copart.co.uk/c2/homeSearch.html?_eventId=getLot&execution=e3s1&lotId=35964304&returnPage=SEARCH_RESULTS

[155V6]

I'd go for the Viva because,

 

1,there's a couple of young lads round here in a 2-door HC with Revolution alloys which is much cooler than the normal teenager's car

 

2,the 1.8 Marina I had in the '80s was the worst car I've ever owned,been in,or even seen.Horrible,hateful thing   

[Squire_Dawson]

Thanks all for the tips. I had no idea about dodgy distributors and ignition circuits. The reason I fancy a Viva is that I wouldn't get attached to it come the time to sell it on. I'd probably want to keep a Marina/Ital.

 

Whatever happens, you lot will hear about it first over the next few months.

[lisbon_road]

Do bear in mind that fully electronic ignition is a cure all for the woes, and many other cars of the era had rubbish ignition systems.  Fords often seemed to be as bad, though I always felt that the Lucas systems fitted to BMC/BL cars were actually better.

 

Some late Vivas had Bosch distributors which were OK I think. 

[Joey spud]

The distributors were driven off the end of the oil pump shaft via an offset slot machined in to its shaft that the dizzy slipped in to.

 

What happened was because the slot was offset the narrower shoulder was weak so would snap off allowing the dizzy shaft about 60 degrees of slack which knocked the timing all over the place.

 

Chevette engines had a modified oil pump with the slot now machined in the centre and a modified dizzy with a matching drive which cured this.

[lisbon_road]

Two issues here.  Rubbish points and timing due to the bearings wearing out in distributors, which electronic ignition fixes, certainly the optical types do.  And the distributor shaft failure which electronic ignition doesn't fix - at all so my comment was wrong really.

 

Sorry if I sound a bit picky but the central slot came out in about '74, and thus applies to many HC Vivas as well as all Chevettes.  And also being picky, sure it helped but it didn't cure the problem completely.  You'd generally find that if there was a failure, the gear on the camshaft was damaged which started off the problem.  They'd get fixed with a new oil pump and a new distributor and if the camshaft wasn't changed as well, it would all happen again.

 

But don't panic.  Lots of cars did this sort of stuff then.  My grandfather had a Ford Anglia that sheared its distributor drive the day after the guarantee ran out. 

[Joey spud]

No problem please pick away..

 

I started out as a trainee at a vaux dealer and remember stripping engines to replace the oil pumps on these as the mechanic could make a bit of bonus if he had a 'boy' helping him.don't recall ever changing a cam shaft though,maybe there was a cost issue involved.

It must have been a bit of a shock for an unsuppecting owner who thought he just needed points and condenser to then be hit with an big engine strip down quote.

 

Yes the AC Delco dizzy wore out very quickly compared to the much later bosch ones.

[lisbon_road]

Interesting to hear your view Joey.  I remember when our 75 HC had the classic failure well away from home and we had to have it repaired in the main dealer in Norwich. I remember my father asking the mechanics to check the camshaft and afterwards being far from convinced that they had, and it failed again, very quickly.

 

Perhaps anyone considering buying one of these now should rest assured, yes they're total shite, but everything was back then.  You just have to believe us

[tooSavvy]

 

^^^ just to give a hint of it looking sortof like that......

 

Anyone know who has the one which parks outside 'Screwfix', Team Valley.... fairly often

 

It looks JUST DINKY MODEL sized next to Pugs and other moderns.....

 

A neighbour over the road, in the 80's, was a lumberjack and helmed a 'Magnum II' 2300, on Rostyles, up and down to Kielder everyday (from Chester-le-st.) with a boot full of Husqvarna woodie-axes.

 

He truly wore the pants off it.... it didn't break [as such] but the rear locations for the axle 'ring pulled' out of the boot floor  

 

 

TS

[AnthonyG]

A Viva HC is a nicer car to drive than a Marina (imho) but Marinas will be easier to find and spares (particularly mechanical stuff) much easier to find. Viva spares are EBay/auto jumble but anything the Marina shared with the Minor or MGB is available off the shelf.

 

An Avenger is a nicer riding and handling car than either but are just as hard to find as the Vauxhalls.

 

A Chevette is an option I'd consider, just as simple as the Viva, but a bit more civilised and easier to find as they were made up to 84. Also you have choice (if you can find these versions all for sale) of 2dr/4dr saloon, and 2dr hatch and estate. A better handler than the Viva as well. Tax free Chevettes must be upon us soon, they were launched in early 75 I think.

 

The Opel Kadett it was based on was out in mid '73 and versions were made of this platform ("the T car") all around the 1970s/80s GM Empire.

 

Search Google images for Holden Gemini/Buick by Opel/Pontiac Acadian/Daewoo Maepsy for some hot badge-engineered Chevette action!

[Squire_Dawson]

I think they are suffering from Scene Tax. It's hard to find anything like this for under a bag these days. It was only a few years ago when you couldn't even give shite like this away. Anyway, I will keep looking.