My project cars thread. Maestro fettling

[JMotor]

Not much of an update. 

Last weekend I took ill. So no car work got done. The rest did me some good. 

But it didn't do the bank balance any favours though.

 

That is a boot spoiler from an Altezza Qualitat. A special edition model. Mostly a styling and interior job. 

The kit is a bit how ya goin' for me. But I do like that boot spoiler. It's a subtle looking one. 

Didn't want a carbon copy of all the other IS200/Altezzas you see on the web. Same TRD Sports kits, same rear spoilers even the SAME TRD stickers on the rear doors! 

Naw. I want OE plus with period correct parts! Something like what a person in Japan would do. 

Then saw the same seller had something else too. 

That is the correct year (or possible first model year) brochure for my Altezza. So had to have that too! 

So stoked to get this. Above is what my car would of looked like when it was sold by the Toyota Netz dealer in Japan. 

Also covers the AS200 Altezza, which became the Lexus IS200 here. With a BASE model that had wheel trims! 

[JMotor]

I did a thing. 

Fitted another hanger to the Nexia. Typical cheap parts, as the last one just rusted and broke. So did the right thing and fitted another cheap hanger. The back box will rot out before that breaks again.

I've also pulled the gearbox out of the Corsa. I wanted the g'bag back as it came from a 1600 engine I've got sat. 

Got a wee plan cooking up for a replacement 'box. Involves much fuckery with swapping gear clusters and playing with gear sets. 

If it works, then it'll be interesting to see how it goes afterwards. 

Oh!

Would you believe it! JDM spec cars sometimes use different wiring than UKDM shit....

Case in point. The Altezza's radio commited die. So I'll wang in a single din head unit. Easy, got an IS200 face plate and wiring adapter for that plug and play goodness. Same platform right!? Should be easy as. 

Well turns out the standard plugs are completely different....

Fack! Why do I have to learn that assumption is the mother of all fuck ups on a regular basis. 

So to the people of AS. Have you come across the same style plugs on their JayDeeeeM whip. So I can stand a chance of finding an adaptor. I'm no choppin' it about to get a ISO plug on just yet. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 minutes ago, JMotor said:

I'm sure the radio out my Dad's Carlos Sainz Celica had the same connections. The radio cassette is up my Gran's loft still. If we dig it back out I'll have a look at the connections for you.

So maybe worth seeing if it's the same as 1990s Toyotas like Celicas, Starlets, Corollas etc perhaps?

[JMotor]

Thanks.

Might of figured it out now. From what I've read, they have an amp in behind the glovebox. I've got to take that out and plug another adapter in that goes to a ISO plugs. Just means i've got to stick my coupon in and look. 

So, assumption got me good again 😆.

[JMotor]

Picked some jobs off on the Corsa. 

Began with this new tool. You'll see what it's for in this post. 

Took out the gearbox. As I had used the one I got with a 1.6 8v I had stashed on the 1800 swap. Wanted said 'box back.

As the gearbag will go back on said 1600 and eventually into the Nova. 

Que, an eBay purchased gearbox. From a 2000 Tigra A 1.4 with a supposed 45k on it. This is an F17 C374 (Close ratio with a 3.74 final drive). But I had to change the speedo drive as it's an electrical pick up style. Needed a mechanical gear type. So said tool slots into the toothed cap you see on the diff area. 

Tada! One diff out pick ups swapped. This picture was taken before I realised I had the blessed thing upside down.

These gearboxes are great as they are very easy to take apart. Providing the casing isn't smashed to shit you can swap gear clusters and diffs without actually taking the thing out. Early ones allowed you to swap clutches without even taking the gearbox out.

A very service friendly item. Served GM very well. Late 70's to about the 2010's that design lasted for. 

Had great plans for making a hybrid of clusters and a shorter final drive. However I didn't have the time to be dicking about trying to set the preload on the taper bearings the diff uses. 

Kept it simple. Marked a point on the diff cap to the casing to help set the bearings back to their original setting. 

Will bugger about with the gearbox destined for the Nova, as there is play in the diff. I also plan doing a cluster swap on it too for a close ratio set. 

Last picture is me getting suspension and running gear back on after me and a pal got the replacement 'box in. Hopefully the next update is me cracking on with making the car driveable again....

Well I like to kid myself sometimes 😆. 

[Split_Pin]

Glad you are cracking on with this man, super work as always.

[JMotor]

11 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Glad you are cracking on with this man, super work as always.

Thanks!

It would be a waste if I gave up now. Spent a fair bit of effort on it already.

This year I hope to have it up and running, with serious thoughts towards getting it painted.

[JMotor]

So. 

Corsa has fuel lines and gear linkage engaging all gears. Will attempt making it run today. 

Fuel and gearbox oil to do and put a battery on charge. If everything is back as it should be. It'll start no bother. 

Finally got the correct adapter for bypassing the amp on the Altezza. 

That converts the Toyota plug to standard ISO connectors. End result is tunes in the car now. 

[JMotor]

No picture update. 

Got couple of jobs done on the Corsa. It was pretty much a busted flush today. 

Both batteries I had were dead. A previous bodge on the fuel pump wire needed rebodged as nae power to the pump. 

But as a final boot tae the baws. Find the feed aff the fuel pump is leaking. Pipe is fucked. Tank out job to replace that pipe. Tidy 🙄 . 

Here, could be worse. Plus I'll be able to do a better job of Gravitexin the arse end. 

Joys of projects and the problems it throws up. 

[JMotor]

Small update on the Corsa.

Dropped the fuel tank, then a repeat of the front end. Scrub the rusty bits, rust treat and primer slapped about. Seams sealed with Tiger seal style goop. 

Got some bed liner/Raptor in spray tins to coat over it all. 

Used MIPA stuff. Was cheaper than the UPOL gear. But still a decent brand. Got a fairly good finish out of it. I'm not going for a perfect finish mind. Just good enough to keep everything protected. 

Learned awfully quickly the tins don't last long. So will get more ordered next week to finish the job. 

Got a replacement set of fuel pipes that go to the fuel pump. Found the reason for the leak I had. Rubber sections were badly perished. 

Nexia is getting looked at too. But I might do another post about that. 

[JMotor]

Nexia update. 

This thing has always had a very slow water leak. 

Could I find it. Could I heck! Kept topping up the coolant anyway. Doing basic fluid checks regularly can make a difference. 

So checked all the usual suspects. Rad had a small leak as reported earlier. 

Took the lower dash out, just to check the heater matrix. 

This was a doddle compared to doing the matrix on the 306 I had. That was pain and suffering. Whole dash out job on that. 

Matrix was leak free. Phew! 

Getting an eBay pressure tester helped massively. 

Whipped the spark plugs out too, just in case there was any dampness on the pistons. Just in case the head gasket was gone. All dry. Yes, it's not an ideal way of checking a borked gasket. 

It was a really weird leak, as there was no drops of coolant on the floor at all. Until today. While checking any potential leak spots again. I clocked a tiny drip from the passenger side. Ah Ha!! 

Whipped the expansion tank out and found a small split in the locating peg/thingy.

I'll head back to eBay for a new tank. Yes it took a while to find, but I wanted to eliminate all possible areas first. 

[JMotor]

Oh! 

A new tank is quite cheap and available too. Yesti! 

[JMotor]

Nexia has been laid up for a wee while.

Thanks to the coolant tank. 

That'll be a RHD (with ABS) specific one you see. 

One off eBay is a LHD (with ABS) tank. 

Doesn't fit due to the heater motor. Oh bother. 

Thanks to a suggestion from the FB Nexia and Espero page. It's getting mounted here. Well that's a rough mock up. 

This is actually mounted.

 

Not pretty, but it works. I did try to plastic weld the old tank. I wasn't happy with it. So gotta make do with what ya got to hand. 

 

 

[JMotor]

We're oot! 

My god it was minging from being sat inside. 

Snow foam the whole lot! 

[Split_Pin]

What's that engine based on? Twin cam but a dizzy signals c16xe, would that be about right?

[JMotor]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

What's that engine based on? Twin cam but a dizzy signals c16xe, would that be about right?

Without sounding too nerdy lol. 

The cylinder head is all Daewoos work. It's very japanese inspired, like the dizzy is just to distribute the sparks with a ignition amp/cam sensor built in. 

Quite a punchy little engine. 90bhp from a 1.5. 

Shares not a lot with the EcoTec small blocks.

Bottom end is all similar to GM family 1 small block. 

You get some crazy dudes boosting them. I'm assuming it's on a built bottom end. 

Trying to find out what power it put out and it's used for drag racing in Columbia. 

[Split_Pin]

Forgot those were a 1.5, I was getting confused with the bigger X20SED in the Leganza.

[JMotor]

On 4/13/2023 at 6:09 PM, Split_Pin said:

Forgot those were a 1.5, I was getting confused with the bigger X20SED in the Leganza.

Another good engine imo. 

Folk rag on the later 2.0's, find that unfair really. 

*Wasn't sure if I should continue the thread I started or just update progress here*

I did buy the Cavvy that has been in a few Autoshiters hands. 

Will be doing a few jobs on it to make it more mine and improve upon a decent base. 

Like for example. The steering wheel. 

Those plastic wheels really don't wear well at all. Hate that polished jobby look! 

Perfect time to dive into my parts stash of Vauxhall shite. 

Leather steering wheel from a scrapped MK3 Astra Sport. Near mint condition too. 

Takes a minute to swap over. In the end result is worth it. 

She maybe an LS, but I'll get her to near GLS trim at this rate! 😂 

[Split_Pin]

The wheel on mine is shiny like that too but it feels nice and small compared to the Saab and 75. 

[JMotor]

Chipped away at the Corsa again. 

Amazed at the back panel, really thought it was going to be kippered. 

This was the biggest area of rot. 

Cut out ready for some fresh metal. Just cut some patches off a sheet of steel I have. Didn't need to be fancy. 

All done and ground down. Didn't need to do that, but not a bad habit to have. 

Rest I'll worry about when the bodywork is getting done. Couple of areas to paint and then put the fuel tank back in. Got replacement fuel hoses bought and fitted on. 

[JMotor]

Small fleet update. 

Altezza - Getting the coilovers fitted. Lost the heed at the front drop links. So took the grinder to them. Was a time years ago I'd of fucked on with taking them off carefully. Not now. Will be tweaking the ride height once it's all done. Not into slamming cars, just want to sit a little nicer on the 18's.

Nexia - Is getting picked up next week. A previous owner wanted it back. So more than happy to sell back to them. Que doing the niggles on the car. Usual thing I do to stuff I sell. Dunno why I didn't bother sooner. 

Cavalier - Now full time daily. I remember reading the clutch wasnae great. This is very true. So eBay hunting for the cheapest one I can find. Still love driving it and it's an old Vauxhall. It'll have issues. Trick is to get the least amount you can 😂. 

I like the Mini steels too. But I wanted to make the car more mine. I like how these look lowered and on 17's. Had something in mind, after seeing a Cavalier on @Split_Pin's thread confirmed I made the right choice. 

Corsa D SRi 17's. They are going away to be refinished. Think a nice silver would suit the Roija Red car. These are also easy and cheap to replace if one gets damaged. Most old school alloys are surprisingly dear now. 

Nova - Still sat. But that was the intention. I want to tackle it at a later date. 

Corsa - I'll get back on with it again just shortly. Still some areas to seam seal and raptor. Then build it back up and make run. 

[Split_Pin]

I thought my old TD looked minted on those D alloys, nice choice!

[JMotor]

More nonsense and progress. 

Altezza. 

Yeah, that'll do. So far after a short drive I can conclude BC racing coilovers are worth the coin. Still rides really nice, with giving me the look I want. Needs a alignment now. 

Nexia. 

SELT AN AWA. New owner was happy. Car behaved itself. Happily it's getting the bodywork done. 

Chavvy Cavvy. 

Damn! That colour just hits different in the sun! Parked with a pals V70. He's also a closet Shiter. Mentioned him before as he has the Fabia Estate and an LDV Convoy. If peeps want, I can post a bit more about them? 

Did a thing too. 17 inch alloys came back refurbished. 

Another friend was having a few sets of his wheels redone. Made sense to chuck mine in too. Enough of metallic flake for that OE finish. 

Back working on the Corsa this weekend. Setting my ambitions high for today. It WILL be running today. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, JMotor said:

He's also a closet Shiter. Mentioned him before as he has the Fabia Estate and an LDV Convoy. If peeps want, I can post a bit more about them? 

Tell Ryan he was to join like. He'd fit in well.

[JMotor]

16 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Tell Ryan he was to join like. He'd fit in well.

Tried. 

I must bully him a bit again to do so! 😂 

[JMotor]

Not much happening on the car front. 

Last weekend I got a tracker fitted on the 'Tezza. 

While that was happening, I gave the car a hoover and trial fitted the spoiler. 

Suits it I thought? 

 

Must get it and other bits of bodywork done. Looks crap with the clear coat missing in places. 

Ah! Almost forgot. The Corsa, started up and ran perfect. Took robbing the battery out of the Cavalier to get it going. Turns out all my spare batteries are fooked. Bugger!

[Matty]

5 hours ago, JMotor said:

Not much happening on the car front. 

Last weekend I got a tracker fitted on the 'Tezza. 

While that was happening, I gave the car a hoover and trial fitted the spoiler. 

Suits it I thought? 

 

Must get it and other bits of bodywork done. Looks crap with the clear coat missing in places. 

Ah! Almost forgot. The Corsa, started up and ran perfect. Took robbing the battery out of the Cavalier to get it going. Turns out all my spare batteries are fooked. Bugger!

Yep keep that spoiler. Suits it 👌 

[JMotor]

Thanks man 😎. 

Yeah it's definitely staying. Will be great to see it the same colour as the car. 

 

[JMotor]

Spent today fannying about in the shed. 

Sorry Gerry @GMcDbut the cherry bomb had to go. I got the stock system on, a pal had a standard hatch tailbox sat in his stock pile. Strangly enjoying the car more now it's quite a bit quieter now.

I'll maybe ruin that a later date 😂. 

Altezza had the coilovers adjusted again. As I had fitted some roll centre adjusters. 

They put the suspension arms back to where they should be after "slamming it" and take the pressure off the lower balljoints. Used Garage D ones as they are proven and that's a fair chunk of alloy for it to sit into.

Unfortunately there is a side effect... 

It lowers the car by another inch! As it raises the hub knuckle up. No good that! 

No picture, but I screwed the coilovers up a good bit and got the car sitting even. 

Just to have it tracked and tax it. Then the Cavalier can come in after. 

I'm doing the job it's needed for a while. The clutch! Got a NOS £50 eBay job. 

[GMcD]

Superb.  I couldn't resist the temptation to relive my youth for a bit. Standard exhaust is definitely the way to go though!