SRi restoration project

[Envoy CDX]

we're all a bit bonkers, just some more than others

I'd sign up to that moto

[chrisash86]

Are u after a Sri hatch or saloon to use as a shell?

[Telegram Sam]

Hatch. I thought previously that the two were interchangeable - since then corrected by more informed advice on the forum.

[chrisash86]

I have a 93 Sri hatch that's currently the off the road .

[Telegram Sam]

If only I'd known 1 week ago ...

Is is permanently off the road / are you "breaking" it / what condition / where are you based etc?

The reason being that I'm hoping that the solution I have arrived at will prove to be the answer (that the LS shell is common) but at the end of the day there might be a piece or two missing!!

[chrisash86]

It's been off the road since last year mate, the body is solid as engine has only done 102,000 my intention is to get it sorted and back on the road but may sell it if the right offer comes along. I'm in Lancashire pal

[Robsey]

we're all a bit bonkers, just some more than others

I'd sign up to that moto

All part of being a Cavalier owner...
why else would people spend thousands of pounds on restoring an 80's or 90's car that will never be worth the money spent on it.

Add my name to the bonkers list.

[chrisash86]

Couldn't think of another car I would prefer to drive

[Ads]

we're all a bit bonkers, just some more than others

I'd sign up to that moto

All part of being a Cavalier owner...
why else would people spend thousands of pounds on restoring an 80's or 90's car that will never be worth the money spent on it.

Add my name to the bonkers list.

prices of all cavaliers are on the up, I seen good cav turbos exchanging hands for 6k plus, and the prices will only go up the rarer these cars get.

[Telegram Sam]

I try to use the following justification for bonkers-ness
Spend £ x grand on a second hand Mondeo (which no doubt needs attention) >>> £ ??? annual depreciation
Spend £ same amount on restoring a Cavalier >>> £ ??? annual depreciation
Even allowing for higher maintenance costs for the Cavalier (which should not be ginormous if the job is done well), then the Mondeo depreciation should far outweigh the Cav's.
I managed to convince myself that this argument had legs (but it helps if you live in the North East )

[James McGrath]

we're all a bit bonkers, just some more than others

I'd sign up to that moto

I wouldn't have it any other way.

The thought of being normal frankly scares me.

[Telegram Sam]

as does trying to explain the syndrome to the bank manager in charge of my dwindling finances

[Telegram Sam]

It's been off the road since last year mate, the body is solid as engine has only done 102,000 my intention is to get it sorted and back on the road but may sell it if the right offer comes along. I'm in Lancashire pal

Far better to get it back on the road than to break it but if in the end you do decide it's not worth it pls let me know cos I might be able to offer a good home to one or other part!

[Telegram Sam]

Latest is that the N-reg 56 K mile shell that I eBayed appears to be in sufficiently good nick to make acid dipping / media blasting possibly superfluous. The bad news is that I won't know for definite for 2 months.

[humbucker]

The bad news is that I won't know for definite for 2 months.

Eh?

[humbucker]

You're right about the 'bonkers' approach to these cars, especially if you're keeping yours for the long term. As you say, spend (for argument's sake) £5k on a decent, newish car, or spend the same improving/refreshing an older car. If you're keeping either for a while, then depreciation isn't a concern, and you might end up maintaining/improving the value of the older car as the newer one reduces in value. Okay, you might not claw back your spend (depending on the model you've decided to splash out on), but the depreciation on the newer car will probably equate to the same loss, unless you buy shrewdly and get the newer car for a knockdown price.

[humbucker]

Also, you can include the 'hobby factor' in all of this. By that, I mean there are some who would spend the same money (albeit in smaller bursts) in the pub or on fags or buying plates with pictures of the royal family plastered across them etc. In that respect, the impact of your spend is diminished because it is a necessary evil of your chosen interest.

Besides, you can't drift on a plate.

[Telegram Sam]

Thanks for putting my thought processes into a logical sequence of words of one syllable. In addition there comes into play the devil (you think) you know angle.

2 months: Mike Bonello in whom I am putting my trust now has the N-reg LSi and appears to be quite impressed with the condition of the shell. But his program of other work means that I will have to join the queue for c. 2 months till he can start work on the SRi. Which would tie in nicely with when the next MOT is due (and the car would most likely have to come off the road anyway).

[Telegram Sam]

If you "marry up" a shell from a donor car to the remaining components (engine, suspension etc) from the original, what determines the ID / reg number of what results? The DVLA sent me a booklet on restoration but to me it doesn't address precisely this situation nor contain the answer.

[Robsey]

There are a few trains of thought on this -

If you are using a used donor shell, and you declare it to the dvla, chances are you will either use the donor id or get a completely new age related registration number.

If it had been a brand new shell bought directly from Vauxhall, then you would probably retain your old registration number.

If the body shell is of a different specification (hatch to saloon or vice versa) or from standard shell to gsi, then you would probably need an IVA test and get a "Q" plate...
I believe they are still being issued, and not just for class 3 mobility scooters.

This is my interpretation... I could be wrong.

[Telegram Sam]

"If you are using a used donor shell" - I am
" and you declare it to the dvla" - am I under an obligation to do so?
" either use the donor id or get a completely new age related registration number." There will inevitably be a discrepancy between the "age" of the shell and the "age" of the engine etc, and the mileages shown by the respective speedos, depending on which one I would decide to keep!
I suppose such questions are commonplace in the car restoration world.

[Robsey]

I presume it is a better idea to declare it to your insurance.

DVLA wise - a lot of people do not bother.
Depends how helpful your local office is.

A point in question.
I tried to inform the DVLA of a change of engine from a 1994 C18NZ to a 1993 C20NE.
I had a receipt for the engine complete with donor reg and engine number - and it did not change the taxation group either.
(Pre 2001 Engine above 1500cc displacement).

Note that I said tried... My local DVLA office at Trafford Park Manchester threw all the paperwork back at me.
This is despite me having an e-mail (also provided with my paperwork) from their head office saying that there would be no problem.

Suffice to say - DVLA still believe that I have a C18NZ fitted, but my C20NE is ALWAYS declared to the insurance.

As far as I am concerned - I have informed my local DVLA office, and so have not broken any laws or committed fraud.

[Telegram Sam]

I thought it would be a good idea to keep Adrian Flux informed from the very early stages if for no other reason than that I'm hoping for an increase in agreed value rather than a ginormous increase in premium from them

DVLA is likely to be a different matter based on experience to date and their guidelines. It might be that having flagged up my intentions, pursuing the matter further would just be digging a hole since there is no change of "spec" intended. Just a huge variation in mileage depending on the speedo used, and age depending on how it is measured ..

There's something coming up on the horizon with Catch 22 on it.

[Telegram Sam]

Besides, you can't drift on a plate.

???

[4-wheel drift???]

[Telegram Sam]

Has anyone ever had experience of / able to provide advice tips etc on taking legal action against a supplier (in this case, of a "service")?