As the car came out of hibernation a few weeks back, and because I haven’t updated the thread for a little while, I thought I’d upload some recent pics for those that are interested.
There was a day or two during the winter period that I needed to work on the Saab, so ol’ faithful was plonked on the driveway, complete with those black fanblades. I’d actually grown rather fond of them by the time this pic was taken. Stealth FTW!
I toyed with the idea of selling the car a short while later, primarily as a way of releasing funds that could be spent on Turbo #2 (a project that is yet to get off the ground). I’ll admit that I was struggling with the idea of letting the car go, but an interested party made a favourable offer and said that he’d had his eye on the car since spotting it at last year’s Performance Vauxhall Show. He seemed genuine enough, and we struck a deal that we were both happy with.
Turbo #1 (left) squaring up to Turbo #2 (right):
In agreement with the buyer, I did my best to return the car to ‘standard’ in advance of its departure. This meant that I sourced OE hoses to replace the Roose Motorsport items that were living in the engine bay, ditched the Renault Laguna splitter, replaced the Magnecors with brand new standard leads, and the wind deflectors and headlight protectors were ousted. A thorough service, filter renewal, coolant dump and oil flush followed, and there was very little left to suggest that the car was anything other than a stock Cavalier Turbo! Any other missing components were lifted from Turbo #2, who by now was living happily in the new lockup that I had built for it.
New pipework starting to appear:
Astra G battery bag to replace the worn item. It fits perfectly:
Renewal of caravan dehumifier. This adds 20bhp:
I didn’t have a chance to clean the ol’ girl before her prospective new owner arrived, and she’d collected a fair amount of dust while she’d been snoozing in the garage. Furthermore, there was a lot of AG Super Resin Polish residue where I’d hurriedly wiped the car down before storing her away for the winter. Unfortunately, the interested party couldn’t see past the muck, and his image of a gleaming Satin Red PVS superstar was shattered when he was faced with a car in need of a hose down. I wheeled the car back into the garage a few minutes after his arrival. We didn’t even get to the inevitable tyre kicking part of the proceedings. Pfft.
In fairness, the pic above doesn’t really show how filthy she was, but hey ho, all’s well that ends well. The whole sorry experience got me thinking what an idiot I’d been for even considering parting with the car, and Mrs Humbucker is very pleased to see it stay put. Besides, it turned out to be the catalyst that got me out and working on the Cav again, and it has encouraged me to leave the car ‘standard’ while I go to town on Turbo #2. I’d been treating it with kid gloves, not wanting to stray too far from an OE setup, but not really going in any particular direction with a sense of conviction. Now I’m thinking that this will be the car I can hop in and enjoy driving while the modified one ends up being in a permanent state of repair! Besides, OE Cavalier Turbos seem to be worth more than fettled ones if the trade ads are anything to go by hehe! Onwards and upwards!
Stock hoses. Not too shabby. That header tank is annoying me though, and I forgot to put the black plastic cover for the dizzy back on. Next time Gadget, next time...
Next stop was the MOT station, where the car passed with flying colours. Through the glass window in the waiting area I could see the following conversation take place:
“What’s that thing?”
*wanders around to rear of car, but no badges are available to assist*
“Ermm... I think it’s a Cavalier Turbo?!”
“Is it really? They’re four wheel drive you know, and very rare!”
Everyone in the workshop downed tools to crowd around the engine bay and throw in a few of the obligatory “they’re much better than the Vectras that followed” remarks!
With a fresh ticket and six months road tax in the bag, it was time to get ready for PVS 2013; the Cavalier was due to be displayed on the Total Vauxhall stand alongside a stack of recent feature cars. Needless to say, an epic detailing session was in order, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to add a clay bar kit to my arsenal of cleaning products. I wish I’d used one of these sooner, what a difference it made! Dave955 would be proud!
A thorough wash, dry, clay bar session, cutting compound, polish, wax, glass clean, plastics and trim restore were planned, along with a freshen up of the powdercoated wheels which were about to be returned to active duty.
OoooOOOooofffff!
I gave both sides of each wheel a thorough polish. There’s a slight difference between these wheels and the old rims that the car has been using as slippers throughout the winter. Can’t quite put my finger on it though hehe:
Brand new genuine centre caps. Massive amounts of win:
The wheels really sparkle, and thoughts of keeping a black one on each corner have all but vanished. Removal of the rims provided a good opportunity to check over the chassis legs (and any other bits and bobs that are hidden from view). Glad to see that everything is still as solid as a rock under there. No sign of deterioration:
I was two thirds of the way through cleaning the car when disaster struck! Wandering in from the garage to make a cuppa on the afternoon of the day before PVS, I noted water coming through the kitchen ceiling and forming a pool on the floor before me (the bathroom is directly above the kitchen). Mrs Humbucker was in the shower, and the water seemed to be coming through the ceiling rather than down the plughole! Obviously this became our top priority, and the rest of the day was spent clearing up the mess, determining what the problem was and then trying to fix it. Suffice to say, the car didn’t get finished and wasn’t on display at PVS. Bah.
The leak was isolated and repaired, but I was forced to concede that there was no way that I’d get the car sorted in time for the show. Instead, Mrs Humbucker and I arrived at the ‘Pod later that morning in the Saab. I have to say, we had a great time mooching around, checking out everyone’s motors and catching up with faces old and new. It seemed to me to be a much better show than last year and there were certainly many more cars on display. Kudos to anyone who had their pride and joy gleaming in the afternoon sunshine.
Away from the club stands, the car park usually throws up a few good motors. It was difficult to ignore Troy’s superb BTCC rep on the way in...
...and it’s a brave man who arrives at the Performance Vauxhall Show in one of these!
Anyway, unprepared to accept defeat, the polishing cloths picked up where they’d left off and we went out for a spirited drive/some pics a short while later. For those of you that are still with me at this point, then these pics are dedicated to you! Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread!
It didn’t take long for the front end to look like this hehe:
Though you wouldn't believe it.
:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:
