Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club | Vauxhall Cavalier Dot Com

Looking forward to seeing those.
I do like seeing progress being made.

As for the other PostImages thread, that would be a job for Humbucker to organise.

I might as well start with the new clutch, unfortunately no photos.

I've never needed to have a clutch replaced so I was surprised I needed one at only 110k.
The sri did around 150k with no slipping, and that was driven a lot more enthusiastically

I was shown the old clutch plate. It was worn to the rivets and showed uneven wear on the grooved side, around 50% grooves showing, the rest worn flat. I'm surprised it still worked

There's not a lot of info about clutches on the forum but from what I can tell elsewhere a new one needs bedding in.
I've done 50 miles and still have to drive like a grandad with family in the car

I'm not used to the bite being so close to the floor or having to release slowly, it's a bit jerky if I don't.
I'm thinking it will soon be time to disconnect the battery and teach it how to drive properly

I found this pdf useful https://www.jupojostechnika.eu/pdf/tema ... mai_EN.pdf

It mentions judder caused by worn mounts.
I bought three new mountings, all febi, a couple of years ago. Due to a bad garage only the gearbox mount was replaced at the time

I think for peace of mind I'll get the other two done soon, it can't do any harm.

The biting point should not be down on the floor -

Did the garage re-set the clutch pedal height by adjusting up the cable at the gearbox end / bell-housing.

Total clutch pedal travel should be 137mm
(5 1/2").

Judder can be a weak mount as you suggest.
Excess engine movement should be evident by watching the gear lever as you engage and dis-engage the clutch.
If the mount is worn the lever will appear to snatch back and forth.

I've only looked at the clutch pedal and it looks about right height-wise.
I'll see if I can check the measurements at the weekend. I did it for the dying clutch in september so it shouldn't take so long to adjust this time
The sri was close to the floor but I liked that, so much easier for quick changes!

I think the mount probably is worn.
Soon it'll be time for fixing gear lever linkage too, 1st gear is starting to complain.
At least there are no real surprises with an older car, someone's fixed it before you!

Now to the work done.
This will probably be image heavy but at a lower resolution (640x480) to make it speedy for everyone.

My thanks to Michael at extreme plant hire and especially Greig who did the work and supplied the progress photos. I was a photographer a lifetime ago, so credit where it's due

the first shot (although inversed) took me back to the days of building my first pc and playing quake



The visible (sprayed over) rust







That's the first time I've seen the new brake discs since they were fitted, they do seem to work well

The not so visible.











tbc.....

The body looked quite solid overall to start with. A good platform to work on.

The chassis rails and suspension etc look very tidy too.

I am sure it was a pleasure for them to work on.

Robsey wrote:The body looked quite solid overall to start with. A good platform to work on.

The chassis rails and suspension etc look very tidy too.

I am sure it was a pleasure for them to work on.

I think you're right, I'm very happy with what's showing on the pics I've been provided

I tried to post with comments and categorised pics but at the last minute everything vanished

Here's the stripped down version, up to the revival, mainly pics




























neither of us could source an inner sill for that side so a repair was made

Oh eck,
I do hope that it wasn't my forum retro-look tweak that lost everything for you.

I know it shouldn't have, but computers and forums are strange things.

Good pictures though... albeit, strange cut lines on the outer sills.
I would have expected them much higher up inside the door shuts.

Robsey wrote:Oh eck,
I do hope that it wasn't my forum retro-look tweak that lost everything for you.

I know it shouldn't have, but computers and forums are strange things.

Good pictures though... albeit, strange cut lines on the outer sills.
I would have expected them much higher up inside the door shuts.

It was my own fault. I don't like to break the 'flow' (more a trickle ) so usually only save if It's for another night. I should know better by now!

I'm told the metal above was sound and it was done that way to retain the original pins that hold the rubber strip and the full sill would have been fitted if it had the pins.

-I might have done that myself if I was still capable so I can't complain

-----------------------------

The rust was treated with this stuff




If I'd known the front bumper was coming off I'd have supplied the sri one I have that doesn't have a tow ball dent



---------------------------

The rest of the pics..



































I think this is a shot of the fleck...














I'll need to dig out the berry blast now!

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That's the last of them, honest.

Until the next fix

ilovedmymantas wrote:
That's the last of them, honest.

Until the next fix

I look forward to next week's installment.

It does look like a nice tidy job.
And I see what you mean about the lower rubber seal mounting pins.

Berry Blast eh?...
I have some of that. Got it on high recommendations from members here.
I only used it once, ready for VauxFest 2018.
For some reason, my black trims did not look much different after use. Maybe I need to use it more often.

Although, I really ought to wash, wax and polish my car more than once a year

Robsey wrote:Oh eck,
I do hope that it wasn't my forum retro-look tweak that lost everything for you.

I know it shouldn't have, but computers and forums are strange things.

Good pictures though... albeit, strange cut lines on the outer sills.
I would have expected them much higher up inside the door shuts.

I done the same on my dippy, saves the pins for the weatherstrips plus I think easier to hide one straight lip with filler rather than all those bends and twists on the b pillar.

Liking the work

Looks like they did a great job, hopefully will see the old girl lasting for another 25 years.

Thanks for the support

My car only gets washed roughly quarterly. That may increase as I get more paintwork done though

Prettifying is on the back burner for now, as is the mount change.

--------------------------

I've suddenly realised that my car will become a legitimate classic on Saturday Jan 18th, in the morning. I don't do mornings but I'll make an exception in this case

I have advisories from my last mot for brake pipes and they'll have to come first now because I'm strangely compelled to start It's 25th year with clean bill of health, even if it takes 2 mots!

It looks like a fair rake of the brake pipes will need renewing according to the last test.
May as well get the whole lot done, and then you can forget about them for the next ten years.

25 years eh?
Woohoo!!

Although, didn't they move the goal posts? - to 30 years plus to qualify as a "classic" ... or do you mean the 1990 GL?

Robsey wrote:Although, didn't they move the goal posts? - to 30 years plus to qualify as a "classic" ... or do you mean the 1990 GL?

I think the 30 year thing is for road tax exemption.

iangsi wrote:
I think the 30 year thing is for road tax exemption.

We were both wrong -
Just checked - vehicles built before 1st Jan 1979 are able to claim 'classic' status and VED exemption.

The 25yr tag was, in my mind, the gateway age to better insurance with a decent agreed value.( I'm still fuming at my insurer).
Now that I've looked into it, it seems insurance companies have different opinions on what a classic is
Whether it makes a difference or not I'll still be looking around, daft not to!

Alas, the GL is (insert your favourite 'Dead Parrot sketch' quote here)
That was my first cav, sporty engine and 2 electric windows, so many memories

- The head gasket went and was replaced with all the usual cleaning and new parts. It ran 3 miles before dying, same fault

Tip.
If you're ever given a deflection type torque bar (needle & fan gauge) immediately cut off the gauge parts, throw them away, and you're left with a slightly more useful mini breaker bar, for as long as it lasts

Buy the proper torque wrench one, it doesn't strip the block threads

Ah the dreaded car insurance.

A necessary evil, legalised randsome.
A minefield of hidden small print and a lesson in how to wriggle out of a contractual agreement.
Call it what you will.

All you can do is look on comparison sites and then compare the best five to see what is or is not covered.
-----------------------------

As for classic status, there is usually a restriction on annual mileage (2,500 miles?) and it must be stored in a secure location, preferably behind a giant steel bank-vault door with triple-layered electric fence.
------------------------------
More often than not, I here myself being told of places like Footman James who specialised in modified or classic cars.

Alas, my usual insurer is Swinton, although the use of a mobile phone for it's intended purpose, and not as a mobile internet surfing device is much better at keeping the prices down.

Trust me, age of car or driver does not make a huge difference, assuming that you have been driving a few years already.

Thank goodness that I am not starting out now as a new driver with typical premium costs being far more than the value of the car. - normally £1600+ for a new driver in a 1.0 litre punto / corsa / picanto etc.

----------------------------

As for the GL - what a huge shame

I have both types of torque wrench.
And agree whole heartedly that the flexi ones are a tad uninspiring, especially when the needle does not return back to zero.

I suppose thread inserts would be unsuitable for head bolts..

ilovedmymantas wrote:
the first shot (although inversed) took me back to the days of building my first pc and playing quake

[ Image ]

Ahh, Quake. What a classic.
Rather unconventionally, I first played it on the Sega Saturn.
Only ever played Quake III and 4 on the PC and never gotten round to playing Quake II.

Anyway, amazing work you've done here, looks fantastic. Should keep her on the road for many years to come.

Robsey wrote:Ah the dreaded car insurance.

A necessary evil, legalised randsome.
A minefield of hidden small print and a lesson in how to wriggle out of a contractual agreement.
Call it what you will.

All you can do is look on comparison sites and then compare the best five to see what is or is not covered.
-----------------------------

As for classic status, there is usually a restriction on annual mileage (2,500 miles?) and it must be stored in a secure location, preferably behind a giant steel bank-vault door with triple-layered electric fence.
------------------------------
More often than not, I here myself being told of places like Footman James who specialised in modified or classic cars.

Alas, my usual insurer is Swinton, although the use of a mobile phone for it's intended purpose, and not as a mobile internet surfing device is much better at keeping the prices down.

Trust me, age of car or driver does not make a huge difference, assuming that you have been driving a few years already.

It's not due till march so I've got a bit of time to look at options.
The quotes I get are ok ( I go for £0 voluntary excess, protected ncd ) but when they value the car at £600 quid and I'm paying more than half of that, I wonder who's taking the risk.
- I've spent well over £2k this year.
I may have to pay higher premiums to cover all the work done. Insurance money doesn't go far on an old car if the worst happens!

Robsey wrote:Thank goodness that I am not starting out now as a new driver with typical premium costs being far more than the value of the car. - normally £1600+ for a new driver in a 1.0 litre punto / corsa / picanto etc.(

That does seem extreme initially but I suspect most new drivers want a newish car.
Newer car-new driver-more traffic nowadays-bigger risk.

my first cav, a knackered ten year old 70's mk1, 1.6l cost all my spare change for insurance ( struggled a lot then ) cost around £140.
In todays money that's around £403...
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bil ... -1900.html

After 70% 5 years ncd that should come in under £500. Not really a big price difference compared to 30+ years driving

I didn't get my chance to drive until I was 25.
I was on a government project to raise money for defibrillators, and as my serious hobby was photography, they agreed to driving lessons

Those were the best 13 lessons of my life - I wanted it too much to fail

----------------------------

Robsey wrote:As for the GL - what a huge shame

I suppose thread inserts would be unsuitable for head bolts..

I wasn't aware of thread inserts at that time.

It worked out ok though, I bought an sri and loved it.

James McGrath wrote:

ilovedmymantas wrote:
the first shot (although inversed) took me back to the days of building my first pc and playing quake

[ Image ]

Ahh, Quake. What a classic.
Rather unconventionally, I first played it on the Sega Saturn.
Only ever played Quake III and 4 on the PC and never gotten round to playing Quake II.

Anyway, amazing work you've done here, looks fantastic. Should keep her on the road for many years to come.

I still have my original copy of Quake, old school style, In a huge box with a good instruction manual. None of this dlc pish
I may get back to it when my life is less cluttered

Everything went according to plan today

A clean mot for it's 25th anniversary year, right down to the day



For no reason I can think of the emissions are even better than last years

2019

2020


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A front panel & tailgate surround arrived from ebay yesterday...


They're in better condition than mine although the o/s reflector has a crack I hadn't been aware of.


It's hardly noticeable compared to my original panel's n/s damage. It doesn't look like the reflectors can be swapped easily so a little bit of superglue it is then
There's never been an abs badge on my cars so that'll probably have to come off, odd as it sounds, it wouldn't look right to me

The front panel is in much better condition than mine, with only a few stone-chipped rusty bits. Although I would have liked it to have been removed a bit more carefully, you can't have it all

So, hopefully, a bit of breathing space for a while

Great news on the test pass.
Although, according to the mileage, yours is barely 'run-in'.
It's about 17 years since mine had that mileage on it.

Mmmmm new parts.
I love new parts.
Those rear plastic / reflector panels are a pain.
They crack for fun - no apparent rhyme or reason.
You just get up one morning and find hideous cracks in the reflectors.

I assume the front panel will look fine once it is all fitted up.

As for the ABS badge. When I replaced my panel a few years ago, the ABS badge was of the 1995 style.
It looked odd for ages. It is in the more rounded font as used on the Vectra-B.

Make the most of that thought of putting your feet up...
it will never happen.
Cavaliers are far too needy to let you rest.

I noticed from January my shell nitro plus was sporting the E5 label. This was disappointing as I've tried to avoid ethanol at any cost.

Now I'm thinking this might be why my emissions have improved
Buying premium costs me about 50p a gallon more - I like to spoil my engine
I'm still not sure about regular E5, premium saves me on redex!

a couple of weeks ago I put the car in to get the middle and offside engine mounts changed. They were supposed to be done by a local rogue garage 3 years ago. Only the n/s gearbox mount was done

This time I could only get the middle one done, at least at a good garage this time.


Still left to do.

Fit o/s mount, front arb, all rear arb.



While the car was on the ramps I noticed three things.

The nearside backbox was missing its rubber mount.
The lower offside rear rubber spring damper is split.
Worst of all the o/s spring seat was corroded

After cross-referencing 3 or 4 sites for part numbers I managed to buy the rubber parts from Germany. Got both lower and uppers, daft not to
Oddly the site says it doesn't fit my car yet four different parts catalogues says it does. I took the chance...



Just need to get a new plate made and welded now

I often find cross reference charts to be wrong for older cars, with my Bedford the clutch that nearly every site listed was actually the wrong diameter, careful measuring meant I found the right one and as an added bonus it was actually cheaper. I think a lot of problems can also occur if your car was made around the time of a change over. A lot of manfactures seem to use up old stock despite the book saying otherwise.