Cavalier mk2 - another blue giffermobile.

[Talbot]

On 1/15/2022 at 8:57 AM, Timewaster said:

This made me wonder about my Cav GL. 

It seems E694FWP last turned a wheel in 2001. 

Seems that was the "correct" lifetime for a Cav of that era.  My father bought E557WDT brand new in late 1988, a 2.0i GL MK2 Cav.  I scrapped it in 2001.  It was all-but identical to this thread car, bar being a 2.0i rather than 1.8i.  Unfortunately some very poor repairs to the rear valence and corners done by a bodyshop in the late 90s saw some horrific corrosion by the time it was binned off.

13 years seems like an absurdly short lifetime these days.  That's a 2009 car being rotten as a pear in today's terms.

[4wheeledstool]

Got cracking with a few jobs this afternoon - the new nearside mirror was fitted first. The rear mudflaps were then fitted.

The stormy weather then took out the electricity supply to the farm, ending play for today.

[Tenmil Socket]

14 minutes ago, 4wheeledstool said:

Got cracking with a few jobs this afternoon - the new nearside mirror was fitted first. The rear mudflaps were then fitted.

The stormy weather then took out the electricity supply to the farm, ending play for today.

I don't know why but that pic looks amazing!

[Dick Longbridge]

On 2/15/2022 at 1:15 PM, Talbot said:

Seems that was the "correct" lifetime for a Cav of that era.  My father bought E557WDT brand new in late 1988, a 2.0i GL MK2 Cav.  I scrapped it in 2001.  It was all-but identical to this thread car, bar being a 2.0i rather than 1.8i.  Unfortunately some very poor repairs to the rear valence and corners done by a bodyshop in the late 90s saw some horrific corrosion by the time it was binned off.

13 years seems like an absurdly short lifetime these days.  That's a 2009 car being rotten as a pear in today's terms.

Wasn't the mk2 Cav one of the most rapid contenders to go from prolific numbers to bean tins within a decade or something? Mk2s were pretty much everywhere and then very thin on the ground within a really short window. 

Edit: Thought so. Taken from here:

https://classicsworld.co.uk/news/40-years-of-the-vauxhall-cavalier-mk2/

"The Vauxhall Cavalier and Chevette  club chairman Kevin Bricknall points out that the Mk2 Cavalier has been the country’s sixth most common scrapped car during the last 30 years, meaning that just 1% are now on the road.

27 minutes ago, 4wheeledstool said:

Got cracking with a few jobs this afternoon - the new nearside mirror was fitted first. The rear mudflaps were then fitted.

The stormy weather then took out the electricity supply to the farm, ending play for today.

As mentioned before, GM really need to know about this one when it's done. Squeaky clean!

[4wheeledstool]

Most of my spare time has been eaten up by tidying up the shed. Got rid of a load of junk, rearranged some stuff, and installed a fridge for the summer months.

A few small jobs were attended to on the car now the shed was tidy, first up was fitting some grommets into the sill ends.

The front mudflaps went on next.

The block of wood was used to set them at the same height each side.

The rest of the tailgate badges went on.

Now the back end is finally completed!

The shiny new wheel trims were dug out of storage and the front ones were fitted.

I need to fit the castle nuts and split pins before the rears can go on, then all that's left to do is fettle the exhaust and apply some pinstripes. I've not been able to find any in a flat grey - everything available is in metallic grey/silver which just doesn't look right. 

If anyone can point me in the right direction of some flat grey 4mm/2mm pinstripes I'd be most grateful. 

 

[JMotor]

Those wheel trims just set the car off now. 

Just a thought. Would a local vinyl/sign maker be worth a shout? 

Then it could be cut from the colour of your choice.

[4wheeledstool]

On 2/27/2022 at 7:33 PM, JMotor said:

Those wheel trims just set the car off now. 

Just a thought. Would a local vinyl/sign maker be worth a shout? 

Then it could be cut from the colour of your choice.

Still trying to find someone that can do this. I'll crack it sooner or later.   

The rear wheels/brakes were sorted on Friday. The wheels were stuck on the drums as both had been painted, and this made it a tight fit! It was sorted by removing the paint from the drum spigot and applying copper grease.

One last look at clean rear brakes.

Drums and wheels back on, then bearings adjusted, split pins + dust cover fitted.

Trims on.

Had the offer of a bit of time on a two poster today, so got stuck in to fettling the exhaust.

[4wheeledstool]

Cable ties have been holding the exhaust up since before Christmas. 

Quick look about to make sure nothing has been leaking.

I had to shorten the rearward part of the mid section to allow the back box to fit.

Then the mid section was welded back together as it had been cut to enable shipping. It was now gas tight, so it got a bit of a drive around the yard.

Just the pinstripes left to do now. (Plus putting the front mudflaps back on, as I've found some better fixings for them!)

[Fumbler]

That looks absolutely magnificent!

[Dick Longbridge]

What a fantastic transformation. As I've said before, it surely must now be one of the very best mk2s remaining. So, so clean. 

I still don't feel the love for the spoiler and it's a shame you ditched the dealer plates. However, minor details on an otherwise phenomenal resto though! 

Seriously, have you spoken to Vauxhall? 

[Wibble]

11 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

What a fantastic transformation. As I've said before, it surely must now be one of the very best mk2s remaining. So, so clean. 

I still don't feel the love for the spoiler and it's a shame you ditched the dealer plates. However, minor details on an otherwise phenomenal resto though! 

Seriously, have you spoken to Vauxhall? 

I agree , you must speak to Vauxhall, this is better than new!  Amazing.

[Austin-Rover]

18 hours ago, 4wheeledstool said:

(Plus putting the front mudflaps back on, as I've found some better fixings for them!)

Stunning work all round! 

I'd be interesting in some close-ups of any work you do for attaching front mud flaps. The lack of any lip on the arch has always deterred me to fitting any to the front of ours. 

[timolloyd]

This brings back so many memories of an almost identical brand new LX in our family. Such a great design IMO.

Your work on this is astonishing.

[Andyrew]

I check on this thread fairly often and feel bad that i dont comment. 

Your workmanship is awesome and the finish you acheive is top notch. 

Hat doffed**

[Ghosty]

Utterly stunning. 

Do you still have the old number plates? There are places that can do like for like if you know where to look - for that factory fresh look. Strictly show use naturally

[barrett]

On 3/6/2022 at 10:51 PM, Dick Longbridge said:

Seriously, have you spoken to Vauxhall? 

Vauxhall have binned off most of their 'heritage collection' in the last couple of years, I very much doubt they have any interest inother people's restorations.

Amazing job though, I love this!

[dollywobbler]

6 hours ago, barrett said:

Vauxhall have binned off most of their 'heritage collection' in the last couple of years, I very much doubt they have any interest inother people's restorations.

Amazing job though, I love this!

Sadly true. This Mk2 is a fair bit better than the one in their collection, though I doubt that's been restored. 

I look back at the start date of this thread and struggle to believe it was that long ago. Just goes to prove that if you just keep going, you'll get there. Success is not overnight!

[4wheeledstool]

On 3/6/2022 at 10:51 PM, Dick Longbridge said:

I still don't feel the love for the spoiler and it's a shame you ditched the dealer plates. However, minor details on an otherwise phenomenal resto though! 

Sadly, the plates that were on it are not a matching pair.

Not in particularly good nick, not matching, not put back on.   

21 hours ago, Ghosty said:

Do you still have the old number plates? There are places that can do like for like if you know where to look - for that factory fresh look. Strictly show use naturally

It was originally registered by Vauxhall Motors in Luton. If I can find out what their plates looked like, I'd definitely get some reproduced.

8 hours ago, barrett said:

Vauxhall have binned off most of their 'heritage collection' in the last couple of years, I very much doubt they have any interest inother people's restorations.

I totally agree with you. After all, it's just an old car thats been restored for stylish trips to the shops, and maybe some car show type events. 

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

I look back at the start date of this thread and struggle to believe it was that long ago. Just goes to prove that if you just keep going, you'll get there. Success is not overnight!

Been working on it since October 2018. Since I got made redundant, I've had a lot less time available, so it kinda dragged on a bit. (and to be fair, it was pretty ropey in places) Hopefully, the next one will be a bit quicker! 

[grogee]

If there was any justice you'd be doing this for a living. Fantastic work, I absolutely love the car. 

[omegod]

Fantastic work, puts me in mind of a guy on the blue forum "Tonybmw" I think ,who used to do some incredible work on classic BMW's 

[Dick Longbridge]

36 minutes ago, omegod said:

Fantastic work, puts me in mind of a guy on the blue forum "Tonybmw" I think ,who used to do some incredible work on classic BMW's 

I used to love reading about his welding and fabrication work.

[ProgRocker]

The Cavalier looks splendid @4wheeledstool.  

[lisbon_road]

Very impressed with your attention to detail, your workmanship and your patience.  Especially impressed with your willingness to share the experience on here which helps the rest of us lesser mortals with our simpler projects.  Thanks!

I remember the first time I drove a Mk2 Cavalier.  It was a revelation compared with my old Sierra - and that was a fine car really.  But the Cavalier was more willing and just generally quicker. 

[4wheeledstool]

On 3/7/2022 at 5:04 PM, Austin-Rover said:

Stunning work all round! 

I'd be interesting in some close-ups of any work you do for attaching front mud flaps. The lack of any lip on the arch has always deterred me to fitting any to the front of ours. 

Knocked these up to replicate the ones you get with new mudflaps.

Once painted, and plastic bits fashioned.

After small holes are drilled in the arch liner, the above items are threaded in to sit on the arch lip, and the metal bits of the mudflaps are clamped on by tightening the little bolts. (which have been shortened since the first pic)

[4wheeledstool]

Still waiting for a suitable time slot to get an MOT on this - but in the mean time, a small package arrived from the U.S. of A.

They're the right colour, and almost the correct size, so got some stuck in position. 

Should hopefully be back on the road in a week or so. 

[stuboy]

13 hours ago, 4wheeledstool said:

lovely lovely and lovely

[Talbot]

That absolutely deserves to be taking pride of place in a museum somewhere.  it's better than any MK2 was even from new.

[puddlethumper]

Got to be in with a bloody good chance of a win at FotU I would think. Bloody lovely is that. Wood.

[Sham]

Never thought I'd be jealous of an old Vauxhall.

Well, I'm not really, I'm jealous of the skills that go into making an old Vauxhall look like that.

[4wheeledstool]

Pre MOT checks done this morning - only problem found was one of the washer jets was blocked. Did a couple of miles up and down the farm driveway to scrub the new brakes in a little, they work better already, so hopefully they'll be up to par by the time I've driven it to the test centre. The underside is now sporting some dirt, the minty freshness is already a thing of the past.    It was alas inevitable.  

MOT booked tomorrow......