Nugget the Corsa - 17/11 Winter Prep

[Cavcraft]

I don't like that front plate, not that that counts for anything obvs.

 

Did you sort the brakes out, by the way?

[vulgalour]

Is it because the front plate no longer has the dealer stamps on it?  Font is the same as the old one, well, apart from the old one being so knackered some of the letters had actually begun to warp out of shape.

 

Was too utterly borked to look at the brakes.  They'll get done.  Low priority as I'm not actually driving the car at the moment on account of having no insurance on it while I try and find an affordable insurer, I'm loathe to pay £530+ for a basic policy with limited mileage as I'm paying less than that for the Xantia on a fairly open ended policy.  Adrian Flux are being front-bottoms and being utterly inflexible about classic or second car policies and want me to set up a whole individual policy for a car that I'm not going to use that much.

 

Probably won't get to sort the brakes out for another week yet either, workshop is going to be full which means less fun tinkering time for me.

[Cavcraft]

The plate just looks sort of cheap accident repair, I think the lack of wording etc on it makes it look shite. Don't forget I find these cars attractive and extol the virtues of diesel Vectras, so my opinion is just a load of old bollocks. 

[hairnet]

The plate just looks sort of cheap accident repair, I think the lack of wording etc on it makes it look shite. Don't forget I find these cars give me teh HORN and i heart the virtues of diesel Vectras, so my opinion is just the one one that matters

 

sorry couldnt help it

[Lord Sterling]

Good work so far. Can't wait to see it with proper wheel trims and radio re-installed. Does it have OEM floor mats?

[vulgalour]

I don't think the floor mat option box was ticked on this particular model.

 

@Cavcraft:  there is text on the plate, but it is very small.  The rear plate is just as bad* and came with the car.  If I'd got bags of history and half the miles I would likely have splashed out on some proper reproduction dealer plates, but I haven't, and it doesn't, so I didn't.

[alf892]

A Corsa is a fine looking machine I reckon

 

But then I think Vectra b estates are pretty too...

[Lord Sterling]

Some cheap tailored mats here:

 

 

Can't find much for the Corsa B that isn't aftermarket tailored.

[overrun]

I love the push in/out tone controls on those original Philips radios.

 

They remind me of when an old mate was driving his mams 2-3 year old at the time, pre-facelift Vectra B LS.

Complete with Traffic Master!

 

I also learned to drive in an n/a 1.5D one of these.

In povvo purple, natch!

[overrun]

C's are good C's are good, veccy C's are good

Nawty, nawty. Verrrry nawty.

[twosmoke300]

Alf , veccy b estates are a good looking car. Esp with the irmisher (sp?) Spoiler

[vulgalour]

Have we tapped into a hitherto undiscovered seam of pure Vauxhall Joy Ore here?

[alf892]

Here goes then.......I feel I can say this within the Group.

 

My name is Alf. I like Vauxhalls.

 

 

Cor..... I feel great now

[HMC]

Great progress so far, shame about those trims not being the right size. I seem to remember some of these coming with painted steels and some natty centre caps. Maybe just the base model?

[vulgalour]

As I understand it, the Merit is the model that had silver steels and those cute little hub caps.  Merit has flat paint only, no rear wiper, I'm not sure if they came with a radio as standard but I expect they didn't and I suspect they didn't have a sunroof option.

[overrun]

Have we tapped into a hitherto undiscovered seam of pure Vauxhall Joy Ore here?

Don't tap too hard. They like to go on the floorpans, beneath the front seats, too.

[lisbon_road]

I have a Mk3 Astra with 13" wheels and would be interested in those wheel trims if you don't want them.  Having said which - why don't they fit? I would have thought that they would fit for sure.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I learnt to drive in one of these, a 1.7d in White. From what I remember it didn't even have a tape deck, just an AM/FM radio.

 

I miss having an unashamedly basic car in my life. There is something special about a car that is just so honest about being merely a car.

[Split_Pin]

Beware, Corsa's are a gateway drug to Vectra ownership.

And astra Mk4s. And other Corsas.

[Split_Pin]

Good progress here. BTW the trims I have are 13 inch, from my old Vegas. That the right size? Got an exhaust back box and a standard scuttle panel kicking around to if you want. No use to me as I changed my exhaust for a fruity one and fitted a tigra scuttle panel.

[vulgalour]

Definitely on 13"s, I know this because the wheel trims I removed are smaller than the Princess wheels which are 14"s.  As long as they're either the difficult to get disc with holes round the edge or the sort-of-three spoke design then they're what I'm after.

 

 

 

 

I'm still hoping the vendor of the wheel trims I got gets back to me so I can just swap them for the set I wanted to buy in the first place.  I don't need the other bits, both back box and scuttle panel are in good nick on this one and would be surplus to requirements.

[Cavcraft]

(Twosmoke: 'Irmscher')

 

 

 

Those 'hole around the edge' ones are indestructible, they must be made out of cockroaches from the Benson and Hedges factory that died of old age or something.

I think our old 1.0 was a Merit, it had opulent and extravagant metallic paintwork though. All these pictures are making me nostalgic now, I think I'll abandon my plan of getting a Street Rover or City Rover, and get a Corsa B instead soon.

[Lacquer Peel]

A bare steel wheel and a mixture of aftermarket hubcaps would be 'right' for one of these.

[junkyarddog]

Here goes then.......I feel I can say this within the Group.

 

My name is Alf. I like Vauxhalls.

Me too,

but only up to 1980ish as after that they are just Opels

[RRT22R]

Tilt AND Slide? That's a luxo-barge right there...

 

 

[Split_Pin]

They are indeed the ones pictured there.

[320touring]

As a motivator to continue your great work on this most unloved of cars..

 

I now do THIS to new cars.

 

Today was my brother's Daimler.

[vulgalour]

Today was my first tentative return to doing work after some hideous week-long illness.  Didn't want to do anything too demanding so turned to Nugget to get some of the smaller jobs sorted.  Can't do anything on paint due to temperature levels and can't get particularly involved on cleaning the engine bay as I'm still a bit wobbly.

 

What I can do is a few smaller jobs in the cabin.  I'd already sewn the new gear gaitor together taking the original as a template and stapled the vinyl back to the plastic frame at the unit so it could be put in place.  To fit, you have to turn the gaitor inside out and sort of fit it upside down... makes sense when you do it.

 

There's a channel on the bottom of the gear knob that the tie wrap sits into.  Pull the tie wrap as tight as it will go and snip off the excess.  This is exactly how the original was fitted and I shan't argue with that.

 

Then pull the whole thing down and clip it into the centre console.  There's a bit of fiddling to make sure the vinyl edges are tucked away.  The gaitor seems to sit very puffed up compared to the old one, probably down to it being brand new.  I imagine with a bit of use it'll sag and stretch a little to look less new.  I know it's the right size as I compared the finished article to the original, but the original had all the stiffness of a twenty year old tee shirt.

 

 

I did give the gear knob a scrub afterwards too, turned out it needed it but looked less dirty when it was sat next to the old gaitor.  With that bit done I turned my attention to repairing the seat bolster.  Used the nearest grey thread I had and stitched the tear closed as tidily as I could.  Ideally, I'd like to replace the seat or cover but for now I just wanted it a bit tidier and less likely to tear further.

 

After comparing the beige clip I got to the originals I decided to go with the grey ones I bought as they best matched what was inside the car.  I think the original trims are a sort of beige but have discoloured with age, the beige sunvisor clips looked far too bright next to the visors and headlining, the grey ones are less offensive.

 

Prized the remains of the tailgate badge out of the handle so I can get a proper match for it, no joy so far.  The badge I had bought was from a later Vauxhall, too big and curved, I really just need the domed bit that sits in the middle.  When I find the right size badge I'll buy it.  Turns out only the very early Corsas have this type of tailgate handle, after a couple of years Vauxhall performed a minor facelift changing the bumpers and the tailgate handle to a very slightly different design.

 

That's it for now.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Ace job on the gear lever gaiter.

[vulgalour]

Cheers  

 

Measured the boot handle badge and found it's 55mm, the same size as any number of brand new domed alloy wheel centre badges.  Problem solved I hope!