Cavalier mk2 - another blue giffermobile.

[Essex V6]

And my own SRi purchased this week 😬

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

An old hippy I used to know owned a Mk2 estate in that flat almost-slate blue they came in.  In fact, it was very nearly the Varicose Vein of Cobbler's granny's old Fiesta.  

 

 

China blue.

 

A most fitting name! Weybridge beige, Foundry red etc etc.

[Austin-Rover]

This is total Vauxhall porn, need a Mk2 Cav estate in my life.

 

It could be your lucky day - I have one I want to sell!

[4wheeledstool]

The man Keith at VauxhallGreenParts came to the rescue again. His last 4 GL wheel trims are heading my way.

[AnthonyG]

Wow - 1996 wants its DIY Cavalier bodywork repairs back. I expect there will be evidence of a period Daily Express in amongst all that wob.

 

Lovely colour, looking forward to seeing this get the 4wheeledstool care.

 

The dark blue dashboard takes me back, a friend had an A plate metallic green estate in the mid 1990s. The interior was also in green, and I mean it was GREEN. Seats, door trims, dash, just about every part bar the headlining...

 

GM certainly knew how to do colour co-ordination back then!

[Guest Hooli]

It's showing 36k - I reckon if it was 136k it would be in a far worse state, particularly the interior. I don't have the MOT history to hand, but I think it's only done 14-5k since 2006.

 

 

My dad had one that turned 100k while towing our caravan, it was fucked by then. I'd be amazed if yours had a mileage starting with '1'

[Uncle Jimmy]

It could be your lucky day - I have one I want to sell!

Get some piccies up then!

[warren t claim]

I had a mk2 that had Vauxhall cast into the alloy wheels. Quite remarkable as that would of made them a UK only option.

[Austin-Rover]

Get some piccies up then!

 

Not wanting to hi-jack someone else's thread - I'll put the link to the last advert here > http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/vauxhall/cavalier/194789

 

I'm open to offers and start the ball rolling at £1,500

 

 

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

^ Now THAT'S a stunner. Glwts.

[4wheeledstool]

Four of these arrived today -

 

 

Containing four of these -

 

 

I don't think I've ever bought wheel trims before, should be a decent improvement on these -

 

[Bren]

On the subject of plug leads they are practically a service item - sometimes I fitted a new set annually.

[4wheeledstool]

New plug leads and dissy cap now fitted - instant starting now happens, and the stutter at 2000rpm under load has gone too.

The cap that was on the car was a Mk3 one, these have a different style of connection to the mk2 one - probably wasn't helping matters.

[4wheeledstool]

Been checking this over for its MOT this afternoon, a tester I know will cast his eye over it tomorrow up on his two poster. Couldn't resist throwing one of the new trims on for a look.

 

 

Hopefully when all four trims finally go on, the rest of the car will be just as fresh.

[Spottedlaurel]

I thought the Cavalier looked great on those trims, well done for getting a set.

 

Possibly inspired by seeing a set on display in the window of a local Vauxhall dealer's parts department, I used to daydream about having them fitted to a Chevette. The car was white and there'd have been a lot of colour-coding going on, as was the fashion at the time, with maybe some red/yellow/grey graphics as per the sports/competition cars of the time. As I never ended up owning a Chevette this idea never became reality.....

[Timewaster]

Those trims are indeed correct for the model and year.

I binned a set off my E reg 1.6 GL in 1992 in favour of some Astra trims because 19yrs old.

What i remember most about that car is the tyre valve caps that were everywhere.

In the ashtrays, in the boot, under the seats... I think the old giffer previous owner either put a new set on every time he pumped the tyres up or used to hang around the airline picking them up off the floor. It was JRG too.

[4wheeledstool]

Had a good look underneath this before it goes in for an MOT.

 

 

Underseal has been applied to the inner sills relatively recently, but it's rusting underneath it.

 

 

 

The inside of the rear valance has been undersealed, most likely at the same time as the inner sills - it too is slowly festering away.

 

 

 

All this will eventually be stripped back to the metal, and any necessary repairs done before re sealing properly. A bit of use over the Summer shouldn't do much harm.

 

The spare wheel well has a bit of surface rust, but no crispy bits yet!

 

 

I need to do a small temporary repair to the drivers side rear wheel arch for the MOT, so I whipped the bumper off for ease of access. The comedy arch "repairs" were done without removing the bumper - it took a couple of minutes to remove!

 

 

 

 

It looks a lot better with the bumper on.

[danthecapriman]

That arch 'repair' is terrible! Fancy not taking the bumper off!

I suppose at least if rust is showing through the underseal it must mean there's steel under it instead of filler and crap.

[vulgalour]

That or iron filings mixed into the filler.  I haven't seen a set of those Mk2 trims since, well, probably whenever the Mk2 came out with them on.  Doesn't look too shabby underneath, here's hoping the filler and underseal is an overly generous repair on a minor problem.

[richbraith]

Wow - 1996 wants its DIY Cavalier bodywork repairs back. I expect there will be evidence of a period Daily Express in amongst all that wob.

 

Lovely colour, looking forward to seeing this get the 4wheeledstool care.

 

The dark blue dashboard takes me back, a friend had an A plate metallic green estate in the mid 1990s. The interior was also in green, and I mean it was GREEN. Seats, door trims, dash, just about every part bar the headlining...

 

GM certainly knew how to do colour co-ordination back then!

My gold 1983 CD had brown velour, with a brown dash and even brown rubber mats.  Wear cords and Hush Puppies and your bottom half could just disappear.

[Guest Hooli]

That or iron filings mixed into the filler.  I haven't seen a set of those Mk2 trims since, well, probably whenever the Mk2 came out with them on.  Doesn't look too shabby underneath, here's hoping the filler and underseal is an overly generous repair on a minor problem.

Or the chicken wire rotting...

[AnthonyG]

Most of the underneath doesn't look too bad at all   . That valance repair though - Lord my eyes!

 

Surely the bumpers aren't that difficult to remove?

 

Btw, are the black sections next to the mud flaps in the second and third last pictures actually part of the wheelarch repair panels (assuming there are repair panels underneath all that wob)?

[4wheeledstool]

Most of the underneath doesn't look too bad at all   . That valance repair though - Lord my eyes!

 

Surely the bumpers aren't that difficult to remove?

 

Btw, are the black sections next to the mud flaps in the second and third last pictures actually part of the wheelarch repair panels (assuming there are repair panels underneath all that wob)?

Removing the bumper involves unplugging the number plate light, undoing two 13mm nuts inside the boot, then sliding it off - probably the easiest I've ever seen!

Those black bits you mention are indeed unpainted parts of the repair panel. It's all a bit shonky!

[4wheeledstool]

Possibly not as shonky as the Cortina in Bollox's spot!

[4wheeledstool]

A few pieces have arrived to smarten up the poxy rear end.

 

 

Got a couple of the vents that go into the rear door shuts too - the ones on the car have been besmirched with paint during the "repairs" to the rear arches.

 

 

Spotted this engine bay warning sticker on eGay for a couple of queenheadz - it'll finish off the underbonnet area nicely. Eventually.

 

[paulscavalier]

Great thread look forward to seeing progress.

[Fabergé Greggs]

This is all well and good but I'm still waiting for an explaination as to how you change the clutch without removing the gearbox

 

Srsly though, great work!

[Burnside]

Great job on the parts haul so far.  Look forward to seeing this project progress and nice to see a old Cav getting saved. 

 

If I can get my MK3 Cav to look half as good as your MK1 Cav does I'll be happy! 

[4wheeledstool]

This is all well and good but I'm still waiting for an explaination as to how you change the clutch without removing the gearbox

Srsly though, great work!

Oops! I forgot about that - pictorial evidence will hopefully be presented soon!

 

Thanks to Mrs Stool's Polo shitting it's auxillary belt tensioner and alternator pulley on Friday, I didn't get to spend a whole day playing with this today.

I did, however, have just enough time to fit this leather gearstick gaiter.

 

 

As you can see, I've not yet done any kind of cleaning in here yet - it looks especially minging in here with the camera flash!

[4wheeledstool]

I borrowed a shrinker/stretcher and a MIG set to do a temporary repair to the drivers side rear arch. Well impressed with the shrinker/stretcher - it enabled me to make a double curved arch lip from a flat piece of metal in no time. Not so impressed with the welder though - I couldn't adjust the power finely enough to weld to the turned in bits of the arch nicely. I got there in the end, the picture shows the scene just after blowing holes in the thinner turned in bits.

 

 

Just waiting on a mate with traders insurance to take it for an MOT now, hopefully it'll be done in the next couple of weeks so I can insure and tax it for April 1st.

 

 

With 4 other cars requiring tax at the end of this month, April is gonna be a poor one!