All Vauxhalls R Shit - They really are... Game over.

[Pillock]

That's looking smashing, just needs to be parked on a gravel driveway with a £4995 price tag in the windscreen.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Those reare arches/sills are giving me wood

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I owned my D plate 1300 mk2 Astra in the late 90's as a uni student. I'd upgraded from a 1600 W plate Jetta in racing beige. Whilst I loved the liveliness of the Jetta, the Astra felt hugely modern in contrast. I loved the seating position and the high dash - the stereo was just in the right place for reaching over, and I reckon the designers got just the right balance of ergonomics and aesthetics.

They still look good today, and seeing one without obvious grot is astounding. One of my brother's good mates has a end of line mk2 GTE which he states he'll ever sell. Gorgeous looking thing.

Personally, I'd lose the towbar, as you initially thought about, and get that little pin dent on the bonnet sorted. Then get it to some shows, as I'd say it deserves to be shown off.

[trigger]

Thanks for the kind words. I did think about that dink on the bonnet as thats the only dent on the whole car but it's double skinned and totally inaccessible with a rod so i think the whole bonnet would need painting.

 

The inside rear of the arches is still like new if you run your fingers behind them. I've transformed a £450 work hack into bloody £700 show car!

[RobT]

Mintola!

 

Do you reckon you'll take it to Billing on the 16/17th July Trig? I'm hoping to go this year for the first time, probably in the Senator.

[trigger]

I hadn't even thought about that, i don't really see it as a show car! It's just my work runabout, I'll see nearer the time but it might be work popping across, i haven't been since my Kadett days!

[RobT]

It only just crossed my mind and I couldn't remember the dates. If they take all sorts then I'll go as the Senator is a bit rough around the edges, but presentable enough.

[oldcars]

That paintwork is first class. See you Sunday when i drop the Shuma off to get the wings painted :)

[schonker]

You've made a great job of them sills.I remember i shunted one of these on the a10 near ely in my old mans C reg cavalier.Sadly the cavalier won!

[cort16]

Thanks for the kind words. I did think about that dink on the bonnet as thats the only dent on the whole car but it's double skinned and totally inaccessible with a rod so i think the whole bonnet would need painting.

 

 

 

There's a dent in the car Ted

 

[RoadworkUK]

I drove a MK2 GT/E the other day.

 

As a result I'm now eyeing your L with fevered jealousy. Might need to get myself checked.

[Braddon81]

I did think about that dink on the bonnet as thats the only dent on the whole car but it's double skinned and totally inaccessible with a rod so i think the whole bonnet would need painting.

 

What a lovely job you've done on this in such a quick time! Just a thought on the dent in the bonnet...could an access hole be drilled behind the front badge to get a dentmans rod to it?

[trigger]

I did that a number of years back on a 306 i owned with the same dent, it used to bug me afterwards as every time i opened the bonnet there was this poxy hole!

 

I've just dropped it off at the garage so hopefully come Wednesday I'll be able to use it!

 

[purplebargeken]

It looks very glossy! This is a good thing.

[trigger]

I've got this back from the garage today, basically the timing was retarded so that's been adjusted, the choke was running too high and for too long so thats been rectified and he had to clean the carb out as it was full of sand, apparently the sand doesn't come from the tank but it comes from the carb casting it self over the years and you have to keep cleaning it out which i never knew.

 

All in all it came to £45 in the end which sounds cheap enough, it goes like a little rocket now too! Money well spent I'd say!

[Felly Magic]

VOCKSORL IN NOT SHIT SHOCKER!!!! You deffo need a caravan now Triggs

[Spottedlaurel]

Good news! £45 sounds a decent price if it's now running well.

 

I'll try and get down with the Sunny for a Twin Test soon.....

[purplebargeken]

Is there any access to the bonnet ding at all? Maybe something inflatable can be inserted and pumped up fnarr fnarr.

 

Such a cracking job done as usual Trig and 45 quid very well spent indeed.

[trigger]

Today i found that all Vauxhalls are indeed, shit... I've bought myself a new Gates cambelt kit and water pump of ebay and this evening my mate came over to help me do this "2 hour" job, fook me, we started at 7 and i only finished a hour ago and it's still not done yet!

 

 

It all came apart easy enough, the cambelt and water pump are both original items so after 25 years and 64000 miles they were well due being changed!

 

 

Sadly this was where it all went down hill, we spent the next 2 hours trying to remove the old water pump! It had welded itself to the block and no matter what we did we couldn't break the seal, ended up with it smashing, nightmare!

 

 

In the end we had to take the pipe of the back and knock it from the back forwards, to make matters even worse we managed to crack the fuel pump whikst trying to remove it!.

 

What a bloody faff, in the end we got it all back together again and all that's left is to top up the water and source a fuel pump tomorrow, i also found that i had a missing wheel bolt on both sides of the front wheels! I can't believe that so I'll have to find those too now!.

 

Mind you it is driving lovely now and it goes like a bloody rocket, here it is on Sunday after i took it for a blast.

 

 

[CortinaDave]

Always thought these astras were a really nice design. Still look quite fresh even now. Yours is a peach.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Ah, the old 8v water pump lottery!!  Some literally fell out when you undid the three bolts, others forced you to spend the rest of your day with hammers, screwdrivers and bleeding knuckles (as you found out!)

Good job though, it's worth it for peace of mind, even though these engines are non-interference.  It's looking stunning Trig!!

[trigger]

Thank you Rusty! It did make me laugh when the HBOL just said it falls out and there we are with chesils and club hammers! It's a poor design though using a aluminium unit on a cast body. I've just ordered a new fuel pump from the local motor factors, £37! That was a expensive mistake.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Is yours the type that tensions the belt by turning the pump?  It's a nice simple design but as soon as the pump's stuck, you've had it!  Later ones had a separate tensioner that makes life easier but it adds another potential failure point 

 

Not just VX, my 106 gave me the same treatment last year!!! -

 

 

 

[trigger]

Mine had the separate tensioner where you pull a pin out to tighten it.

[beko1987]

I spent an hour hammering the water pump out of the meriva last year too. Was a bit skeptical, and had some shit zafira for £200 on my watch list incase it all went pear shape.

 

After about 40 mins something moved and it rained coolant, then eventually it gave way

[oldcars]

£45 for the tune up is a bargain, money well spent there. Great little car really like it.

[purplebargeken]

Going back to that bonnet dent. You could drill matching access holes on each side of the bonnet underneath bit so it looks factory. That would then alleviate any potential stress and get the bump sorted

[trigger]

I'll have a look at some point, at the moment I'm still using the Dolomite for work annoyingly, Mrs T collected the new fuel pump for me yesterday, i managed to fit that after breaking the spacer trying to get it on, topped up with water and started it, perfect, it ran sweetly and got up to temperature.

 

I took it up the road and everything was good until i looked under the car and it was pissing water out everywhere from the water pump area, bollocks.

 

I'm guessing the pump hasn't sealed so it's all got to come back to bits again to try and reseal this pump, mega annoying. When we fitted the cambelt it was slightly too loose so we tapped the pump round a little bit with a screwdriver to put more tension to the belt which worked but i wonder if it damaged the seal?.

 

I'll have to strip it all down again tonight to find out.

[plasticvandan]

I'll have a look at some point, at the moment I'm still using the Dolomite for work which is amazing, 

edited for you

[Guest Lord Sward]

 pissing water out everywhere from the water pump area, bollocks.

 

 

If it ain't broke......