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Cavcraft 2021: More Italian slow shite.


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Today has been mostly collecting the Astra from the MOT place, cleaning it inside (the dust was unreal)...

 

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Polishing it again...

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Pictures flatter it a bit, it really needs another wash, another one or two polishes, then a good waxing. The driver's mirror needs replacing (looks shit) and I'll try and get a new number plate and dealer sticker for the back, as they are both still current at my local dealer, I think, which is where this car came from. Next stop is 'Chipsaway' doing the bumper scuffs, which was about £250+vat I think they said. Still need to take the wheel trims off and clean them properly and probably a few other piddly things too.

The T25 thing had a long MOT according to the previous owner, like a knob I didn't check and when I went to tax it, it seems it had expired a couple of months ago. Fair play to the seller, he picked it back up yesterday, took it to a fussy MOT place and it passed today. He also took the lowering springs off it as I'd asked and fitted standard ones. Think I preferred it lowered now! Will try 65  profile tyres (running 55s now) to make them a little bigger I think...

 

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...looks like a clean enough t25 from the pics; if the 1.9d 'engine conversion' has a lucas pump, is likely from a 90s '6N' polo, or a skoda fabia originally- AEF code usually for the polo variant; with 1y's being in thin on the ground these days or buying a donor car in haste as it 'has a 1.9D' in it - some folk end up fitting the AEF to upgrade the stock 1.6d; the 1.9D in polos n the old skoda fabias leans forward its a bit less straight forward than the golf/vento 1y to retrofit to a t25, but some folk get it to fit even with the auxiliary belts differences between the AEF n 1Y, but from memory if theres a 'dummy powersteering pump' (lines blocked off from it) - if the t25 doesnt  have p/s - only a few late ones did; its a polo derived AEF - the belt system on them has to incorporate a p/s pump in polo form; folk fitting them to a t25 just fill the p/s pump innards with grease/atf seal it up n treat it as a belt idler - which can burst the nose seal in use... I forget all the details but it should be all on the club8090 wiki on how to fit an AEF...

...yon astra polshed up nice BTW

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It looks baller like that up on its springs with small wheels. Are there some wide steels you can use off a van or something, same satin black and with wide but small-ish sidewall tyres? Overall rolling diameter the same as those, but makes it more purposeful looking, beach capable, hints of A-Team van but not too baja. If you know where I’m going. 

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Had a T4 that I modded with A6 alloys, Gaz shocks and shorter springs  Subaru WRX seats and a gear lever extension, but by God did it like to rust! 1.9 non diesel but it went ok 55 mpg on a run  at 65mph.

Then got a T5 which I did a bit more to-Range Rover alloys, side window, rear seats, rear area lined with carpet, chipped ECU etc.,but grew to hate it. Electrical issues, not great to drive as very noisy.

Now, in true AS fashion I have a Vivaro, which in all honesty is better than the T5.  And a third of the price of the T5. I now need to sell the Vivaro, which I know I will miss.

I do like the Transporter though Billy-something like that is ideal for France and Spain with their blanket 50 mph limits on D roads.

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He's offered me the standard wheels/tyres back as a swap for the Granada ones, but might try them (Granny alloys) on bigger tyres first. In other dull, repetitive news I had another go at the Astra today.  Washed it again, polished it twice (the second of the two today with some fancy Meguiars stuff) then waxed it. WD40 on a  rag on the trims, then when that'd dried, I used veg oil which worked really well. Still more to do, but the polishing is about as good as I'll ever get it manually tbh, and don't want to buff it again. In the very bright light at certain angles you can still just about see some slightly less red bits, but more localised hand polishing might help. Took the front wheel trims off to clean them (sods law, one fell of the wheelie bin I was resting it on and scuffed it slightly) but tyres need doing again.

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Yes, there's no looking past the fact that those rank wheels let the whole thing down, aestheically and probably performance/ride as well.

It would immediately benefit from some standard VW van steelies.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-TRANSPORTER-T25-T3-SET-OF-4-WHEELS-WITH-TYRES-STEEL-RIMS-14-BREAKING/233335166250?hash=item3653dc152a:g:KYAAAOSw6Olc0YIE

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Before booking the chips away people. Try a couple of bodyshops.  Some mobile company's are mover expensive than traditional bodyshops. 

Having seen a few horrible mobile paint repair jobs that have cost alot of money its worth trying elsewhere first. That's not to say they are all like this. 

One example was 

A good friend had to repaint a wing for a customer after the smart repair guy hadn't bothered to clear over the base coat. He had just mopped the base untill it was semi glossy.

 

 

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Got a new mirror for the Astra (£22.00!) and painted it fairly badly, but can overcome that. New dealer plate (didn't match the front which was  a bit annoying) then got even more OCD cleaning it. Have new filters (the air filter was still very clean really) and oil for it, but due to things it'll be a bit before I can service it with these items. Dealer didn't have any rear window stickers, which is a shame but might try and get some (and proper number plate fonts) made up.

 

Mate helped open the dodgy garage door, so got the Lambretta and one of my cycles out to be used until garage door repaired. Took my mate home in the T25 after having dropped his Vespa off in the Transit, then came home and went for a short blast on Italy's finest two wheel steed. Something very therapeutic about buzzing round on it, generally just not caring about much. If only there were no worries on the horizon, though.

 

Did about 5 miles in the VW van, those gears are ridiculous and will take some getting used to. A bit like Vectra indicators, they seem to be more useable if you don't think about it. Reverse is still stupid mind you, even after having to learnt to push the gear leave down, not pull it up when attempting to go backwards. You can see why all the scenesters plod round at 50mph, it seems fairly happy at that speed and the stupidly large steering wheel isn't so bad on the straight roads. 

 

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