1986 Vauxhall Carlton CDi, Daily use of a 37yr old car.

[mk2_craig]

I can't believe how much those Fischer-C Boxes are worth. I found one for a mk3 Fiesta in my garage last year, and was very pleasantly surprised by the ebay bidding war that followed.  The winner even paid, which shouldn't be amazing but was.

[Bren]

I remember buying one for my mk 2 cav.

IIRC I paid around £24 for it in 1992. Brand new genuine Fischer c box.

My mates thought I was a crank.

[sutty2006]

Rear mudflaps are on. Fronts coming maybe tomorrow. They’re Opel ones but I don’t think you’ll mind! 
 

 

[sutty2006]

Opinions please! 
 

 

[uk_senator]

  On 14/03/2023 at 12:16, sutty2006 said:

 

 

Hopefully that’ll be fine. Maybe not. 
 

fitted the radio back in. Now have mw and a tape player, so I can listen to some chooons on the way to mot. 

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Always keep a few of those rockers in the boot, as they do break in half occasionally..  Its the only real reliability issue I had with my myriad of old big Carltons & Senators, other than the odd stuck starter. 

[mk2_craig]

  On 31/03/2023 at 13:41, sutty2006 said:

Opinions please! 
 

 

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Yeah why not. My preference would be for the square one that would have been current in the 1980s though! 

[sutty2006]

  On 31/03/2023 at 14:04, mk2_craig said:

Yeah why not. My preference would be for the square one that would have been current in the 1980s though! 

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Yes, I know what you mean. I have (or did have) a square one somewhere……. But where it is I could take me years to find it 🤣

[Bren]

  On 30/03/2023 at 16:47, sutty2006 said:

Rear mudflaps are on. Fronts coming maybe tomorrow. They’re Opel ones but I don’t think you’ll mind! 
 

 

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The worlds longest rear quarter.

[sutty2006]

I think I forgot to mention this when it went for mot. The emissions were perfect. I only worried when he stuck the probe in. Ooo eerr. And he said, “fuck me a classic that doesn’t need a modern to help it pass!” Haha 

 

 

[Wibble]

  On 31/03/2023 at 13:41, sutty2006 said:

Opinions please! 
 

 

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Snap! (See my thread)

Dad’s A reg Carlton estate company car replaced his Mk5 Cortina and was the first one not to have the AA badge fitted just because the standard fittings weren’t long enough!

[Ghosty]

Not a fan of the AA badge tbh.

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

  On 31/03/2023 at 13:41, sutty2006 said:

Opinions please! 
 

 

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The Carlton looks about 20 years too young for the AA badge. 

[sutty2006]

  On 31/03/2023 at 21:04, Dick Longbridge said:

The Carlton looks about 20 years too young for the AA badge. 

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Yes it’s a 1960s badge, and I don’t think the pins are long enough but there’s always ways around that! Going to look for my square one first. 

[Wibble]

  On 31/03/2023 at 21:25, sutty2006 said:

Yes it’s a 1960s badge, and I don’t think the pins are long enough but there’s always ways around that! Going to look for my square one first. 

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It might not be period correct for a new AA member but the guys driving these cars at the time were not new drivers or members and had worked their way up the chain and taken their badges with them. I reckon it’s fine and remember some old giffers screwing these into plastic bumpers of Sierras etc when old style grilles disappeared.

[ProgRocker]

  On 22/03/2023 at 16:42, sutty2006 said:

and fitted the spare clock. 
 

another job done. Every CDi needs a working clock! 

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Reminds me. I forget which year - 1995 maybe ? A few weeks before Christmas I visited a Vauxhall dealers spares counter to enquire how much a trip computer would cost. IIRC they were an optional extra (I doubt too many Carlton buyers bothered with them). I think I was quoted about £130. I didn't have that kind of cash to be spending on individual presents, was still a teenager. Not to mention the expense and the rigmarole involved in wiring it in. 

Just had a 'eureka' moment. Those blanking plugs: one or two of those must be for the estate model's rear wiper and/or washer.

[sutty2006]

  On 01/04/2023 at 10:01, ProgRocker said:

Reminds me. I forget which year - 1995 maybe ? A few weeks before Christmas I visited a Vauxhall dealers spares counter to enquire how much a trip computer would cost. IIRC they were an optional extra (I doubt too many Carlton buyers bothered with them). I think I was quoted about £130. I didn't have that kind of cash to be spending on individual presents, was still a teenager. Not to mention the expense and the rigmarole involved in wiring it in. 

Just had a 'eureka' moment. Those blanking plugs: one or two of those must be for the estate model's rear wiper and/or washer.

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The only CD model I’ve had with the trip computer was the Opel Rekord I had before, that also had front fogs but no air shockers on the rear. I have a feeling the plug is there for the trip computer because there is a random plug behind all that. 
 

Rear wiper, front fogs, and possibly heated seats were another option but I’m not 100% certain. I’d have to dig out my options leaflet. 

[sutty2006]

This was the red estate I had many years ago. It was near mint, previous owner was a navigator for the handley Page Halifax during ww2 and was notorious for keeping records , every fuel fill up, cost, mpg, etc was all recorded in a little note book. It met its maker when I sold it to an “enthusiast” who ran it into the ground and sold it to a breaker down South wales, it then cropped up on eBay not long after in a field utterly buggered. Shame. 

[woodbine]

  On 15/03/2023 at 21:59, sutty2006 said:

I’m sure @woodbine will be pleased! 

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Bit late with this,  - have been away - but congratulations on the MOT pass. Also glad she drives well after all those years in storage. Didn't doubt the engine, but wondered how autoboxes stood up to being idle so long. Good to see all is well. Do you intend dropping the pan and changing it's filter?

As for the cozy battery cover, I'm afraid that's not a standard fitting on the Carlton. Though it is a GM/Vaux item. Over 20 years ago I was doing a bit of temping between jobs at a company on Portbury Dock that handled the landing of new Tigras and Corsas off the boats from the factory in Spain. Sometimes we also used to store one offs of other Vaux models before they went to dealers. Anyway, Vectras, Omegas, etc had the battery covers which I thought were a good idea for the cooler months. Anyway, one or two of these covers might have, ahem, fallen off one of these cars as the batteries were disconnected for storage.  Somewhow it then ended up in my pocket. That cover on yours was originally fitted to my MK 1, before being put on the MK 2.

Old style AA badge - personally, not my thing. The square one, yes. Had the older style one on my P4, and it looked right at home.  Square lines of Carlton would be better with square badge.

Well done for resurrecting the old bus and improving her.

[sutty2006]

  On 01/04/2023 at 15:40, woodbine said:

Bit late with this,  - have been away - but congratulations on the MOT pass. Also glad she drives well after all those years in storage. Didn't doubt the engine, but wondered how autoboxes stood up to being idle so long. Good to see all is well. Do you intend dropping the pan and changing it's filter?

As for the cozy battery cover, I'm afraid that's not a standard fitting on the Carlton. Though it is a GM/Vaux item. Over 20 years ago I was doing a bit of temping between jobs at a company on Portbury Dock that handled the landing of new Tigras and Corsas off the boats from the factory in Spain. Sometimes we also used to store one offs of other Vaux models before they went to dealers. Anyway, Vectras, Omegas, etc had the battery covers which I thought were a good idea for the cooler months. Anyway, one or two of these covers might have, ahem, fallen off one of these cars as the batteries were disconnected for storage.  Somewhow it then ended up in my pocket. That cover on yours was originally fitted to my MK 1, before being put on the MK 2.

Old style AA badge - personally, not my thing. The square one, yes. Had the older style one on my P4, and it looked right at home.  Square lines of Carlton would be better with square badge.

Well done for resurrecting the old bus and improving her.

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This has to be the quietest CIH I have ever driven. It’s weirdly quiet, so I’m not going to bother adjusting valve clearances just yet. 
 

ahh I see about the battery sock. It’s a shame they weren’t fitted standard, it suits the job perfectly and hides the hideous Halfords stickers! 
 

today is first drive day, I’ve come 10 miles to my dads house to pick him up, we are going out for tea. The auto box works fine, better than I expected for an old car. I will change the box filter, if I can ever find one. It’s hard to find parts for the TH180C box. But the lower gasket will need doing too. 
 

The hunt has begun for a square AA badge.

[woodbine]

  On 01/04/2023 at 16:44, sutty2006 said:

This has to be the quietest CIH I have ever driven. It’s weirdly quiet, so I’m not going to bother adjusting valve clearances just yet. 
 

 

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Always was a really nice smooth drive. As said before, big improvement on the carbed MK1 I had before. I'm a big believer in regular changes for oil and filter as most of my mileage is in town - so about every 4 or 5 thousand miles it gets replaced. The old maxim - oil is cheap, engines are expensive. When I scrapped the MK1 the engine ran perfectly, used no oil and was quiet. Unfortunately galloping tin worm killed it. You know it's time to go when welding patches on patches.

[sutty2006]

  On 01/04/2023 at 23:58, woodbine said:

Always was a really nice smooth drive. As said before, big improvement on the carbed MK1 I had before. I'm a big believer in regular changes for oil and filter as most of my mileage is in town - so about every 4 or 5 thousand miles it gets replaced. The old maxim - oil is cheap, engines are expensive. When I scrapped the MK1 the engine ran perfectly, used no oil and was quiet. Unfortunately galloping tin worm killed it. You know it's time to go when welding patches on patches.

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That sounds familiar. By now my discovery should be scrapped, the amount of patches on patches I’ve welded to keep it on the road haha. 

[sutty2006]

Earning its keep this morning. Early morning car boot sale. Could have brought the Audi estate, but where’s the fun in that? Classics always attract attention to the punters. Which is always good. 
 

 

things to note. Fuel gauge has completely packed in. Now running blind. Have fuel can in boot “just in case”. 
 

interior light also packed in. These are notoriously poor due to the circuit board inside. The rekord had similar problems. And like anything for these cars is hard to find. 

[sutty2006]

Interior light issue might be the door switch on drivers side. It may also be playing tricks on me. 

[sutty2006]

Interior light is working again, maybe magic fixed that one? 
 

Now, the fuel gauge not working is a huge issue to me, because I tend not to count up the miles. So I had a quick look while I had 14 minutes and 35 seconds free. The earth can be problematic, and it doesn’t look that tasty anyway. So that’s got to be rectified. 
 

mmmmm crusty

 

positive looks fine, good clean connection. 
 

the whole section looked crispy, so I made a new one. 

 

and cleaned up the earths on the body and the sender unit.

Terrible photography

 

but anywho, back down on the ground the gauge is slow. This is ignition off

and this is ignition on.

 

so something is working. Think I should put some gasoline in it and check again. 

[sutty2006]

Made it to the gas station and the gauge came up a bit more. Result? Hmmmm I dunno. 
 

 

ok. So I put 20 quid of e10 in…… gotta see if it will cope. All the fuel pipes are compliant now. 
 

but I got home and this is how far it goes. I’m wondering if the fuel that was left in it left a mark on the circuit….

[Fumbler]

  On 02/04/2023 at 14:39, sutty2006 said:

but I got home and this is how far it goes. I’m wondering if the fuel that was left in it left a mark on the circuit….

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Probably. I'd imagine the wiper and track on the sender are pretty shiny and varnished.

[sutty2006]

Front flaps are on 

 

 

[High Jetter]

Fruity!

[sutty2006]

I’ve bit the bullet and ordered this…,

 

as far as I can Google, the Carlton 2.2 used the TH180 auto 3 speed transmission. Possibly also known as the GM180. It’s hard to pin point exactly….. but hey, what’s the worst that can happen. It needs doing, and with my weekend shifts looming close, I’ll need something so do if we have a slow day! 
 

daily use seams to be going well. But I haven’t had much chance to tinker with it recently due to work going on at home. I still need to fix the fuel gauge. It’s working but it’s random. Someone days I have more fuel in than the last, or less, it’s completely random. So I still don’t really know. When it starts registering fuel and spluttering, I’ll worry, and head for the nearest gas station. 

[Matty]

  On 31/03/2023 at 14:05, sutty2006 said:

Yes, I know what you mean. I have (or did have) a square one somewhere……. But where it is I could take me years to find it 🤣

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I've actually got one I don't want if you can't find yours