Hello all - new member, but the end of my beloved Cavvy?
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:59 pm
Hello everyone, another new member here, and I'm looking for some words of comfort and advice as to whether to restore, sorn or scrap.... It's heartening to see several new members have signed up of late and that cavvys are still being bought and sold even though the last ones left the production line 20 odd years ago.
I've rarely checked into this forum and have only just singed up which I think must be a testement to the design and build quality of Cavaliers along with their reliability and ease of repairs. I've been driving them since 1988 when my folks replaced their old Cortina, bought my first Mk3 in 1992 (an F reg 1600 L) when I was a just a lad of 24(!) with 100,000 on the clock (ex rep-mobile) which I ran till 1998 and 220,000 on the clock. When looking for a replacement a local second-hand dealer had a 3 year old (95/N - one of the last ever built!), ex-lease, in CDx trim with the X20XEV, again with 100,000 on the clock, and it has been mine for the past 17 years. I ran it as my main (only) car until 2006 (again, something like 220,000 clock) and since then I have used it as a knock-about, run-about, dump-running, dog-walking type of car. It's now at 260,000 miles and runs sweet, having had a re-furb head and gasket about 4 years ago - I couldn't quite face the thought of scrapping it then. Apart from a few batteries, 2 water pumps, an alternator, a few cam/crank sensors, a rusty petrol tank and the head gasket it has been truly faithful.
Anyway, after several years of friendly and sympathetic MOT's, this year I got the slow head shake and the sorry look from the tester. I had fitted new rear springs/shocks/bushes a few weeks earlier (solid subframe suspension) as these were very doubtful last year and I had been alarmed just how much rust there was in the area and on the rear chassis legs.
Basically the upper spring seats and mounting area are shot, but also the subframe mounting points on one side - in fact one edge of one of the "inverted "U's " which hold the subframe in place has let go on one edge as its mount has crumbled.
The car also needs other work - the downpipe has started to split where its goes into the flexi-joint, the front wishbone rubbers/bushes are poor (I have a new pair of wishbones ready to fit), there is some rust around the front subframe mounts, and one of the CV boots has seen better days.
I love the car to bits, and it has pretty much proved to be more reliable than the two cars which I have replaced it with (firstly a Saab, then a Volvo) and I would be heartbroken to scrap it. I'm mechanically minded (it's pretty much all home maintained) and of an age where I'm able to spend a bit of money to get it restored as long as it is done well, and then keep as an "middle age boys-toy", "early retirement project" or just an example of how well built cars used to be.
At the moment it's an old banger, but will cavaliers become classics in another few years? Is it worth doing anything with? As my MOT man said, if I wanted a Cavalier as a classic in a few years to come, a rusty 260,000 mile one is not the place to start from! At the moment it is sitting in the yard of the MOT station (the MOT has now expired so I would need to scrounge a trailer to recover it) and apart from keeping it on the side of the drive, I have nowhere to store it medium/long term for a "future" restoration. So, do I scrap, restore, or SORN and store?
Having read through a lot of posts on this forum I note one member in Oldham is reagrded as an expert in welding the spring seats but that the chassis rails and subframe mounts are a bit of a challenge. A trailer trip from here in Hampshire to Manchester would not be out of the question for my beloved Cavvy, but are there other options?
Any other ideas? All comments welcome.
Thanks for listening to my sad tale ;o)
I've rarely checked into this forum and have only just singed up which I think must be a testement to the design and build quality of Cavaliers along with their reliability and ease of repairs. I've been driving them since 1988 when my folks replaced their old Cortina, bought my first Mk3 in 1992 (an F reg 1600 L) when I was a just a lad of 24(!) with 100,000 on the clock (ex rep-mobile) which I ran till 1998 and 220,000 on the clock. When looking for a replacement a local second-hand dealer had a 3 year old (95/N - one of the last ever built!), ex-lease, in CDx trim with the X20XEV, again with 100,000 on the clock, and it has been mine for the past 17 years. I ran it as my main (only) car until 2006 (again, something like 220,000 clock) and since then I have used it as a knock-about, run-about, dump-running, dog-walking type of car. It's now at 260,000 miles and runs sweet, having had a re-furb head and gasket about 4 years ago - I couldn't quite face the thought of scrapping it then. Apart from a few batteries, 2 water pumps, an alternator, a few cam/crank sensors, a rusty petrol tank and the head gasket it has been truly faithful.
Anyway, after several years of friendly and sympathetic MOT's, this year I got the slow head shake and the sorry look from the tester. I had fitted new rear springs/shocks/bushes a few weeks earlier (solid subframe suspension) as these were very doubtful last year and I had been alarmed just how much rust there was in the area and on the rear chassis legs.
Basically the upper spring seats and mounting area are shot, but also the subframe mounting points on one side - in fact one edge of one of the "inverted "U's " which hold the subframe in place has let go on one edge as its mount has crumbled.
The car also needs other work - the downpipe has started to split where its goes into the flexi-joint, the front wishbone rubbers/bushes are poor (I have a new pair of wishbones ready to fit), there is some rust around the front subframe mounts, and one of the CV boots has seen better days.
I love the car to bits, and it has pretty much proved to be more reliable than the two cars which I have replaced it with (firstly a Saab, then a Volvo) and I would be heartbroken to scrap it. I'm mechanically minded (it's pretty much all home maintained) and of an age where I'm able to spend a bit of money to get it restored as long as it is done well, and then keep as an "middle age boys-toy", "early retirement project" or just an example of how well built cars used to be.
At the moment it's an old banger, but will cavaliers become classics in another few years? Is it worth doing anything with? As my MOT man said, if I wanted a Cavalier as a classic in a few years to come, a rusty 260,000 mile one is not the place to start from! At the moment it is sitting in the yard of the MOT station (the MOT has now expired so I would need to scrounge a trailer to recover it) and apart from keeping it on the side of the drive, I have nowhere to store it medium/long term for a "future" restoration. So, do I scrap, restore, or SORN and store?
Having read through a lot of posts on this forum I note one member in Oldham is reagrded as an expert in welding the spring seats but that the chassis rails and subframe mounts are a bit of a challenge. A trailer trip from here in Hampshire to Manchester would not be out of the question for my beloved Cavvy, but are there other options?
Any other ideas? All comments welcome.
Thanks for listening to my sad tale ;o)