Skizzer’s Vauxhall 2300S: cool again

[andy18s]

16v Lotus head should drop onto the Vauxhall block with little effort

Indeed,when the Chevette HS started its career it was with the Lotus head untill Vauxhall had built enough of their own 16v heads....

[Skizzer]

MOT man he say YES

 

 

In fact he say very nice car.

[mercrocker]

Well, he is not wrong....

[wuvvum]

Indeed, it is a very nice car.  In fact if it had a fifth gear I reckon it'd be close to perfect.

[Angrydicky]

Congratulations! Hope you get some decent use out of it this year - it's a very original old bus and turns a lot of heads.

[junkyarddog]

The very last of the FE vx490's were fitted with a 5 speed gearbox.

Probably impossible to find one though.

[mercrocker]

Was that the Getrag box?   Were they noticeably up-geared or just close-ratio?   I knew they existed but like you say - probably impossible to find!

[Skizzer]

The very last of the FE vx490's were fitted with a 5 speed gearbox.

Probably impossible to find one though.

Aha, but we have a more-speed gearbox already - an overdrive box out of a Ventora. It’s sitting in the back of my shed.

 

I took the car home for a good* wash then celebrated the fresh MOT with a drive into Mumbles to pick up Kirsten, who had walked down to the butcher’s and the greengrocer’s and the pet shop because we live in the 1970s.

 

It then repaid all this love by blowing its condenser again and misfiring like a bastard. Sigh.

 

I wonder if there’s some resistor out or something that is making it burn through condensers?

 

 

 

*a good wash by my standards, which are very low. Did use two buckets though.

[mercrocker]

Faulty coil or coil connection can blow condensers in my experience.   I tend to fit electronic to old chod now and smack the condenser with a hammer to avoid the mistake of ever trusting it again.

[chaseracer]

*a good wash by my standards, which are very low. Did use two buckets though.

 

Still a wrong'un... 

[junkyarddog]

Was that the Getrag box?   Were they noticeably up-geared or just close-ratio?   I knew they existed but like you say - probably impossible to find!

Yes a Getrag box,dog leg first too IIRC.

[barrett]

Faulty coil or coil connection can blow condensers in my experience. I tend to fit electronic to old chod now and smack the condenser with a hammer to avoid the mistake of ever trusting it again.

I don't understand electrics at even the most basic level, but I did hear an old VSCC chap saying you should never change just a coil, or just a condenser, but always change both at the same time, which seems like good advice which I try and follow although, touch wood, I haven't had any ignition-related woes on an old car for a while now.

 

Also, an engineer friend used to test every condenser he bought and apparently something like six out of every ten are duff out of the box (regardless of cost or manufacturer) so he now simply makes his own, which also seems quite sensible if you really want to be sure

[Squire_Dawson]

Looks a bobby dazzler. May you have many reliable miles from it. For my own part, I don't view condensors and ignition coils as service parts at all, as they should last indefinitely given a little attention from time to time, I just make sure I use old stuff. Same with points, though obviously they do wear out and require replacement.

The rubbish being sold as new replacement parts is really terrible. Is the correct coil fitted and all connections at the coil and the condensor including mountings clean and tight?

[Skizzer]

The rubbish being sold as new replacement parts is really terrible. Is the correct coil fitted and all connections at the coil and the condensor including mountings clean and tight?

New coil and condenser now ordered - but with a slightly heavy heart as the new coil may well be equally/more unreliable, as you say.

 

I cleaned up all the connections but the condenser isn’t mounted well because I need to fabricate a new bracket for it, which I haven’t done yet. I was going to do this yesterday but weathergeddon meant I was a day late getting home from London, so it’s cable tied in place #sheepish look#. I agree that won’t help.

 

Hopefully a bit of twiddling next weekend will have it up and about again.

 

 

All credit for the loveliness of the car goes to AngryDicky, by the way

[Royale80]

Lovely motor Skizz!

 

Uncle had a brand new VX 2300-think it was NBO 244P. Lovely when new-wings started to fall off after a few years.

 

Steve

[Felly Magic]

I've seen this old beast and I'd lick it, yes it's a Vauxhall I like, it's proper bo al tell thee

[Felly Magic]

In a soggy Roy's Town a few years back. 

 

 

 

[junkyarddog]

A thing to remember with these cars is the fact the coils ballast resistor is actually part of the wiring loom.

It's not unheard of for them to breakdown and cause a misfire and rough running too.

[Asimo]

Uugh - ballast resistors!

A cheapskate bodge by car makers to get away with fitting a too-small battery.

[wuvvum]

/\ Maybe true, but it means that I can start my 3-litre Volvo 164 off my spare 063 battery, so works for me...

[Squire_Dawson]

If it is ballast ignition this complicates matters. Not by much, but it means having the right parts is even more critical.

[Skizzer]

It is indeed a ballache resistance system. The Lotus is as well, and I suspect that’s what’s ailing that too.

[sutty2006]

I do love these motors very much so

[Datsuncog]

Massive horn for FE Trancontinentals... and this one looks pretty special.

 

I nearly bought one in 1997 for £100 (2300 Victor, supposedly an ex-Guinness family car) but it genuinely had all the structural integrity of a wet cardboard box... I mean, back me up guys - you shouldn't be able to stick your fingers straight through the wings, right?

[RoadworkUK]

Very lovely.

 

I was collected from Colchester General at age 24hrs in one of these that was still old enough to wear a Victor badge. I remember spending weekend afternoons watching my Dad welding pieces of Gold Block tobacco tin into the front wings.

 

My Grandad had a gold Victor estate at the same time, which he used as a van for his painting and decorating business. God, the '80s were awesome.

[danthecapriman]

Massive horn for FE Trancontinentals... and this one looks pretty special.

I nearly bought one in 1997 for £100 (2300 Victor, supposedly an ex-Guinness family car) but it genuinely had all the structural integrity of a wet cardboard box... I mean, back me up guys - you shouldn't be able to stick your fingers straight through the wings, right?

When a car looks as good as one of these I think you’ll find issues like that are in fact entirely acceptable!

 

 

Looking good Skizzer, great news on the MOT.

[trigger]

I still love this car, I'm pleased to see your enjoying it again.

[Skizzer]

Shiny new coil and condenser arrived in the post so I fitted both today.

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

And now the bastard won’t fire up at all, at least not properly.

 

I ran out of time to troubleshoot it this evening. Will investigate some more tomorrow. First things to check are the connection to the king lead (yes I did plug it in after I took the second photo) and the battery which might be a bit low.

 

Pretty disappointed - I fabricated a lovely bracket for the condenser and cleaned up all the contacts and everything.

[danthecapriman]

Try putting the old condenser back on. I bet that’s the problem, fresh out the box and already duff. This is what was causing no end of shit on the Mercury.

[Skizzer]

Try putting the old condenser back on. I bet that’s the problem, fresh out the box and already duff. This is what was causing no end of shit on the Mercury.

 

 

Will do if a new king lead and battery charge don’t fix it, and the old coil. Kept both, for that reason.

 

 

The king lead is missng in the second picture.Ben

  

(yes I did plug it in after I took the second photo)

I’m dumb, but I’m not that dumb.