Cavalier mk2 - another blue giffermobile.

[Timewaster]

I miss velour seats. 

Leather is pish unless it is something like a Jag or Bentley. 

[4wheeledstool]

Door cards were given a good clean yesterday evening,  and went back on this afternoon. 

Membranes fitted first with double sided tape.

Door cards and mirrors back where they came from. 

Front seats still need cleaning before they can be reinstated. 

[Tickman]

This is looking stunning.

Coming together nicely new as well.

[4wheeledstool]

No more seats went back in today, I didn't have much time. Instead, I finally got round to filling the gearbox with oil. Once done, I got it down off the bricks and pieces of wood it's been stood on, and now it sits on the deck. It's been at a raised level for a fair while, and it seems stupidly low down now.

I'll hopefully be cleaning the front seats this week.   

[Matty]

Is @Cavcraft coming to smash a bottle of fizzy wine against it when its done??

[Cavcraft]

5 minutes ago, Matty said:

Is @Cavcraft coming to smash a bottle of fizzy wine against it when its done??

Metaphorically being doing that since the day he started working on it!

[Matty]

Blown away by it tbh 

[dollywobbler]

The end is in sight! By heck this is good.

[stuboy]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:00 PM, 4wheeledstool said:

too think i used cut hole in these to fit rear head rests... years ago

[4wheeledstool]

Drivers' seat went back in first this afternoon.

Obviously the passenger side was next!

I got them reasonably clean using bathroom wipes (to avoid getting them too wet), but when the ambient temperature is considerably higher I'll be wet vacuuming the seats and door cards to finish the cleaning off. The worst of the muck has gone though. 

 

[Timewaster]

This made me wonder about my Cav GL. 

It seems E694FWP last turned a wheel in 2001. 

[Sham]

I love this thread. A normal, every day car that should by rights have been scrapped 20 years ago, cherished and saved by a man with all the skills 

Peak Autoshite.

[Unlucky Alf]

Love the square headrests,  brings back such memories!

 I always had Ford company cars at this time, but my mate worked for a company that had Vauxhalls and so had two or three of these and also one of the new shaped next model. 
 

Having been passenger lots in an D, E, G and H reg cavaliers, watching this thread brought back so many memories of the massive boot even the hatchback had  (full of computer spares my mate carried round with him).
He also had an estate and  I  was always rather envious of the estate as compared to my escort estates, it was much larger, more comfy and had much more space in the back.  I also remember the radio being better in function and audio quality. 
I really love the design of this mark of cavalier, the tail lights/rear end are awesome looking.
Fantastic work, it really is bringing back memories 👍.
 

Thank you. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On 1/15/2022 at 5:16 PM, Unlucky Alf said:

Love the square headrests,  brings back such memories!

That's taken me straight back to 1987 and my mate's father's D plate Cavalier saloon repmobile. My mate and his brother used to wedge their handheld water games in the headrest holes on a long journey! 

I can't find a picture, but it was basically a hand-held version of one of these with little spinning wheels.  Class! 

 

[grogee]

We had about five Astra mk2s in succession, so this period of Vauxhall is very familiar to me. However, Dad always brought the brochure home, and I'd leaf through it ogling at Monzas and Senators, and we'd always get a 1.6L with tweed seats, because Company Car.

I'm so jealous of the VELOOOOOUUUUURRRRR in this I could cry. And - sweet Jesus - is that ELECTRIC front windows? I'm having one of me turns again!

[beko1987]

I never really saw this era of Vauxhall, the few kicking around during my earliest car memories (1995) would have been utter nails and not worth a second glance. It's lovely seeing one this close and looking brand new, their very good looking things! 

My earliest memory was granny's D reg nova 3 door. Remember getting my finger trapped in the rear ashtray lid a few times and my entire hand shut in the boot once

[4wheeledstool]

A little mudflap fettling was done this afternoon.  Emblems and metal bits were removed first.

The rubbery bits were then relieved of many years worth of muck (and bodge overspray!)

These will be receiving a bit of treatment from the paint bloke to restore the shine lost by the deep clean.

The metal bits then got straightened and cleaned back to the point where Hydrate 80 can be applied prior to black paint.

Still looking for the missing emblem.

 

[beko1987]

Get some griffin's printed on some nice white vinyl and apply them as stickers? 

Saying that knowing your parts sourcing history you've probably found some nos ones 😂

Would a clear wrap be beneficial to the car as a whole? Stop the road rash after all your hard work

[4wheeledstool]

On 1/16/2022 at 10:05 PM, beko1987 said:

Get some griffin's printed on some nice white vinyl and apply them as stickers? 

Saying that knowing your parts sourcing history you've probably found some nos ones 😂

Would a clear wrap be beneficial to the car as a whole? Stop the road rash after all your hard work

Ebay came to the rescue last week. 

Not a fan of the vinyl wrap - they don't seem to be as shiny as buffed paint. I'm just planning on being as careful as possible when I get to drive it.

Not had the chance to do anything on this until yesterday,  so got a few small jobs sorted.

A pair of old fashioned tracking gauges were borrowed from a neighbor to enable me to get the wheels pointing in roughly the same direction. 

A new pair of number plates were drilled and flung on.

And the rear view mirror was stuck to the new windscreen, completing the interior. 

No idea when I'll get back at it, but theres no rush, as the general saltiness of the roads means I'll not be driving it any time soon anyway.   

[Matty]

Are you taking commisions yet? 😁

[schonker]

Love this

[greengartside]

On 1/16/2022 at 9:26 PM, 4wheeledstool said:

 

 

Still looking for the missing emblem.

 

Strangely, I had an emblem many years ago! It was on the front of my college folder - I’d taken it off the mud flap of an E-plate Cavalier no less. Sadly don’t know where it is now or else you could have had it FOC.

[4wheeledstool]

Some genuine GM NOS goodness arrived this week. I'd forgotten all about breaking the nearside mirror (nearly six years ago) whilst backing the car into a garage. It's still useable, but the aluminium structure had cracked, and it wobbled slightly as a result. A replacement was sourced, and it was unboxed today.

The rear bumper, although in reasonable condition, did let the car down a little. I treated it to a new genuine GM replacement, and this was swapped over this afternoon. 

No unsightly marks on this one, just need to fit the GL and I badges to finish off the rear end now.

[LoftyvRS]

Oh my days. This thread just keeps giving and giving.

It's the efforts into the "unseen" parts, like mudflap bracketry that really tingle the geeks. Keep it up.

[omegod]

I'm sure you know this already but a "Magic eraser" sponge will bring those sun visors up a treat, I was most surprised at the results when restoring an Omega  

[AnnoyingPentium]

Love these Mk2 Cavs. I still have a 1/43 liftback/hatchback one kicking about somewhere.

[4wheeledstool]

Been busy elsewhere this weekend, but started getting the mudflaps back together. 

No more time for the foreseeable, but should get back on it next weekend.   

[4wheeledstool]

Didn't get a right lot of time for this at the weekend, but managed to make a little more progress. 

The metal parts of the mudflaps got a couple of coats of a rubberised black enamel.

Hopefully this means that it won't all chip off in use. The painted pieces were then reunited with the rubbery bits.

They're now sat on a shelf waiting for me to get the time to fit them.

[Matty]

Just when I think I've seen it all with this job, you restore the mudflaps. Fuckin epic pal 👏

[Wibble]

Brilliant as always! What exactly did you use on the metal bits for the flaps? I could really do with the same for the Senators flaps, looks great.