busmansholiday Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Lidl do a decent metal paint (cheaper and better than Hamerite) in a choice of colours. That and use a small foam roller and nobody* will be able to spot it's not a 15 grand spray job. * well not from the otherside of the Lidl car park anyway. puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davocano Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 This BARN FIND single-headlamper went through Historics auction in July last year; final price for its new owner was £2128. 1970 Vauxhall Cresta by davocano, on Flickr 1970 Vauxhall Cresta by davocano, on Flickr eddyramrod, adw1977, mk2_craig and 12 others 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Matt black and flames? This car is local, but I haven't seen it move for a few years. Shares a garden with some FB Vauxhalls. Joey spud, danthecapriman, 500tops and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthecapriman Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Great to see this getting some attention. I think the PC Cresta has to be one of my all time favourite cars, they are exactly what a big saloon car should look like. The styling is absolutely perfect imho! It’s a great mix of a British car and US style, without being over done. I will own one, one day. eddyramrod, Amishtat, puddlethumper and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownnova Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Great thread!! Will read more twelvety thousand/10 puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 Popped down the garage this morning and the gearbox is out. The parts needed are bought and I shall pick them up on Monday from Aylesbury. He's got a lot of bits for all the Crestas including a one owner PA that's been sat in a garage for forty years. £4500 or best offer. Looks pretty solid. Nearly had one as my first wheels in 72 but I was £20 short on the £60 he wanted so got a Mk 2 Consul instead. ? Amishtat, Stevebrookman and Burnside 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 3 hours ago, davocano said: This BARN FIND single-headlamper went through Historics auction in July last year; final price for its new owner was £2128. For such a big car, just look at the width of the tyres..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooSavvy Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 12 hours ago, Amishtat said: That had a home brewed conversion using a single SU from a Rover 3-litre and absolutely went like fuck, there's no other way to describe it. My IMP (875cc overbored to 930cc.. 'a la' Put a Sunbeam in you Life) got a MiNi SU cobbled on, with a scaffy 90° Elbow, and that was.. Err.. Quicker too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 6 hours ago, puddlethumper said: That looks bloody good so I looked it up. I did like the fact it was ideal for waste skips. Ha ha. Sounds about right. Not sure if I want it looking as good as yours. I'm after the "not giving too much of a shit" look. Dacrylate say its fast drying but you reckon it's slow. I iz a bit confuzzed, which is not unusual. It's fast for a brush-on type paint, slow compared to rattle cans. The working time on the Dacrylate is just about right in my experience, except the pillar box red I was using which seemed to dry just a little faster than I'd like. The black was a joy to work with, drying time, working time, final finish, was all really nice. Don't want as nice a finish as the Polo? Use less coats, don't do any wet sanding between coats. puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 I'd forgotten all about this so it's great to see it getting some love. Fear not, the Viscount is not extinct as Vauxhall Heritage have one and here's another I spotted last year: ROJ 522G - 1969 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr mk2_craig, Dick Longbridge, vulgalour and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 1 hour ago, quicksilver said: I'd forgotten all about this so it's great to see it getting some love. Fear not, the Viscount is not extinct as Vauxhall Heritage have one and here's another I spotted last year: ROJ 522G - 1969 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr They do look good in black with all the chrome I must admit but I can't afford a finish like that. Woe is me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 5 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said: For such a big car, just look at the width of the tyres..... Agreed. They don't fill the arches up enough. Wider allys came with mine and I'm going to put them on. Anything with chrome bumpers and nice wheels looks good to me even with a bad paint job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 I'm undecided what grill to put on. I have a Cresta and a Viscount one. The Viscount one has the logo on it. Choices, choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 14 minutes ago, puddlethumper said: Agreed. They don't fill the arches up enough. Wider allys came with mine and I'm going to put them on. Nowadays, even shopping shite seems to have wider wheels than those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amishtat Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Rover P5 Rostyles fit and fill the arches nicely Skizzer and Stevebrookman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 7 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said: For such a big car, just look at the width of the tyres..... All the better for squealing around corners pretending you're being pursued by Bodie and Doyle or Regan and Carter. eddyramrod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 18 hours ago, quicksilver said: I'd forgotten all about this so it's great to see it getting some love. Fear not, the Viscount is not extinct as Vauxhall Heritage have one and here's another I spotted last year: ROJ 522G - 1969 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr I know the owner of this from Faceache and forgot it was a Viscount. Looks stunning. Mine is never going to look as nice. There's a cresta group on FB at ROJ522G and friends. eddyramrod and Burnside 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 I was just about to say the same! That Viscount is getting looked after, it's highly cherished. puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Owner says it's good from a distance but really needs a respray as it's cracked a fair bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaseracer Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Aren't we all... ? puddlethumper, Twiggy and adw1977 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 23 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said: For such a big car, just look at the width of the tyres..... One of the features of the Viscount at launch was wide (5” !) wheels with high speed 7.00 x14 tubeless tyres, I think Crestas got 5.90 x14. I remember my dad fitting radials to his Viscount and raved about how much better it handled, no idea what size though. Probably 185 x14s, I do remember they were more difficult to paint with tyre black because the sidewalks had too much writing on them,I can smell that tyre paint now, 45 years later! Stevebrookman and Joey spud 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosty Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Yeeeah, paint it black. Maybe add red wheels or a scallop or something. puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 A few more PC pics for inspiration. Vauxhall Heritage's Viscount. Currently untaxed but that's hopefully just an administrative issue, AAH 120J - 1970 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Cresta or Viscount? YCH 803H - 1969 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Similar choice of wheels on this one. What are they from? FGF 463J - 1970 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr And this one is brilliant, preserved in proper 1980s banger condition BOU 230K - 1971 Vauxhall Cresta Deluxe by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Angrydicky, vulgalour, chaseracer and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 4 minutes ago, quicksilver said: A few more PC pics for inspiration. Vauxhall Heritage's Viscount. Currently untaxed but that's hopefully just an administrative issue, AAH 120J - 1970 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Cresta or Viscount? YCH 803H - 1969 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Similar choice of wheels on this one. What are they from? FGF 463J - 1970 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr And this one is brilliant, preserved in proper 1980s banger condition BOU 230K - 1971 Vauxhall Cresta Deluxe by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Jensen Interceptor, you see them on Rovers as well. Jeep Grand Cherokee wheels also fit. So presumably Rovers, Westminsters etc and also weirdly Ford P100s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 11 minutes ago, quicksilver said: A few more PC pics for inspiration. Vauxhall Heritage's Viscount. Currently untaxed but that's hopefully just an administrative issue, AAH 120J - 1970 Vauxhall Viscount by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Cresta or Viscount? YCH 803H - 1969 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr Similar choice of wheels on this one. What are they from? FGF 463J - 1970 Vauxhall Cresta by Adam Floyd, on Flickr And this one is brilliant, preserved in proper 1980s banger condition BOU 230K - 1971 Vauxhall Cresta Deluxe by Adam Floyd, on Flickr I think it was only the Viscount that had the Vinyl roof although I could be wrong. Anyone know what these are off ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Those look like Minilites to me, or copies thereof. Despite the name the company made them in lots of sizes during the aftermarket alloy wheel boom of the 1970s - I have seen pics of Mk1 Capris wearing them. puddlethumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somewhatfoolish Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 If you have an agricultural engineers or farm supplies local to you they will keep decent enamel for Farmer Giles to daub onto tractors, etc, which will go on well with a roller and give a decent gloss from 10 paces. tapir, chaseracer, puddlethumper and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 This should really go in the grumpy thread. I went off down to Aylesbury this morning to pick up a manual conversion. At this point I would like to stress that I am a carpenter not a mechanic. Had a chat with the seller who seemed to know about Crestas, Viscounts and Ventoras and who owned two PA's and two PC's and had a garage with loads of parts. Didn't see the garage as he had the box etc at his house. Got back to my mates garage who, after checking things, said none of it fits. WHAT ????? For fucks sake. Lost a days earnings + diesel + £250 for the box etc. And got nowhere. Bollox ! The flywheel didn't fit my engine nor did the bell housing because where the starter fits was on the opposite side, The clutch plate had a different spline size and so on. Disaster. At this point I feel I need to tell you a bit about my mechanic mate. What he doesn't know about welding, fabricating, engine swaps etc you could probably write on a stamp. This is why I've waited two years for him to work on mine , without hassling him every week because that just pushes you down the waiting list. For example, he's stuck a 2.5 something in a milk float, pic later, a 1970 HB Viva that's going to have a, get this, a Camaro v8 chucked in it. Well, after finding nothing fitted on mine he said he knew of a diesel, yeah I know a bit, erm, sacrilegious? complete engine and gearbox that he could easily work with for £500. The diesel will do better mpg than 18 mpg, taking it easy, with the 3.3, and mine is a right mash up anyway. I've got to ring the wrong bits guy and tell him it's no good and hopefully get the right bits or go with a diesel. I don't know what to do really. I love the sound of the straight six, but. Anyway a few pics of his stuff. I think he has been a shiter for his whole life and he's only 36. GrumpiusMaximus, Dick Longbridge, Amishtat and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Stick with the 3.3 & two speed Powerglide for the true Cresta / Viscount experience. Win, win, win! Stevebrookman, Dick Longbridge, eddyramrod and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 A derv would not suit the car. Stick with the lazy fireball six. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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