My Little 1.8LSi

[thomas]

I am very guilty of "improper jacking".
Both of mine are completely flattened.

It is the cost of replacing mine that keeps it off the road.
I would use the car tomorrow if I thought I could get an mot with crushed and now rusted outer reinforcers.
I suspect that they are within 30cm of load-bearing members, suspension parts or other mot critical areas.

As for yours...
A quick clean, slosh of rust treatment and then whatever underseal or painting that you chose.

Especially if you only plan to keep it for 12 months.

That might have been a bit rash, not sure now have come a long way with it so far.
It's pining for the motorways, but there aren't any around for miles so it's hardly ever used. A lot depends too on the prospects of the Viva, which are uncertain, the Cavalier is the more together, the Viva is more like a kit of parts, it is do-able but they're competing for attention and funds.

If these reinforcers or whatever they're called are available, I'd probably like to get my hands on a left, as its condition is unknown, and right hand one, just to see if it's do-able with carpets and stuff largely still in place, and see what shape it should be, how it's attached etc., even if they're not going to be fitted imminently.

The bits in the boot I think could be made-up --the far cheaper option, than using pieces of a (rare and pricey, no doubt) complete boot floor.

[Robsey]

The reinforcers are available, but I would remove the seats, carpets and sound deadening if you wish to weld without burning any of them.

Also - I whole heartedly recommend unplugging the battery, engine ecu and the airbag (crash) module behind hand brake under the centre console.

None of the electronic modules fare well if still connecting during welding.

The reinforcers are from klokkerholme
Part numbers are -
5076781 for left side
5076782 for right side.

Typical price is about £75 per side plus delivery and all that guff.

[thomas]

£75.00 each! I had the notion in my mind of them being something like £20 maybe. £23 sounded right, had a nice ring to it.

Need to have a further root about this bit, a few flakes of rust were fished out of there.

This was one of the bits I noted had received very little of the Dinitrol coating in 2019, some on it but not inside it through the holes.
What there was is gone, as it's likely in the grit-blast firing line from the front wheel.

Need to get the current work seen through then prioritise whatever is the most pressing/potentially terminal.

Wish I'd never stuck my head underneath and clocked again this forgotten bit.

I've never tried getting the Cavalier up on ramps, suspect the front bumper would foul.

[cavalier1990]

I've replaced one of these on my LS and both on the diplomat, you can obviously do a sort of bodge job by cutting out the lower section and patching a new section on it where it gets all mashed with jacking and rust starts.

For the temp repair I made to the driver side on you can see this about half way down this page:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=15094&start=125

For the full replacement I done on the N/S you can see the pics interspersed through this page:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=15094&start=75

I tried to drill out as much of the spot welding as I could and removed any weak/crusty metal around it and replaced that first. Just one of those jobs if you want it looking good and no water leaks etc. full replacement is the only option in my opinion. Can be a bit tricky trying to seal up bits of metal behind the stengthener, as you will be welding directly next to where you sealed up.

Cheers

Andy

[thomas]

Cheers, Andy had another look at those shots in your thread. Yikes!

Might have to do something with these bits. If new reinforcers were to be fitted, think I'd close the big holes in them off, leaving just a small hole or two to get wax in through. For now will just follow Robsey's advice and inspect, spruce them up, protect what's left, if nothing too nasty is found.
Do need to get something into/onto the area of the floor the reinforcer covers/attaches to, which you had to replace, can see surface rust in there --but seen it two years past too and so far have done nothing about it.

Today was a gloriously warm and sunny day, perfect for getting the colour and clear coats on the offside sill. Unfortunately I had already done it earlier in the week, in less than perfect conditions, a bit too cool, in a late afternoon blink of sunshine, on a day that started and ended with the sky heavy with apocalyptic foreboding. Finally got a look at it today, nice other than one run in the laquer, not too troubling, might leave as is or rectify once further hardened, if weather permits.

It really needs a wash.

Not letting today's opportunity go past, cleaned up much dust inside, miscellaneous stuff, pumped more cavity wax into the offside sill, the A-pillar area below the ECU, (hello sunroof drain) connected interior-light switch, refitted the driver's kick panel etc., most of which took less time than it's taking to itemise them here, and tackled satisfactorily a little chip/scab on the nearside rear arch, that was letting that/the side down.

Have a scabby stonechip or two on the underside of the tail of the offside front wing, to treat, I should have done it with the sill, but didn't want to extend the job to a larger area until I'd got the bits already in hand finished. Nothing elaborate planned, scrape, sand, Jenolite, Kurust, sand again to remove the latex-like residue of the Kurust, some more strong phosphoric acid, clean, squirt some paint at it. This same bit but on the other, the near-side, was done last year I think and still looks good. It is thoroughly clean and dry below at present so hope to get some of the stripped of underseal areas that are accessible wire-brushed, treated with Kurust in an atomiser spray and then spray or brush lashings of black goo upon them, if gravity and weather allow.

Still deliberating on the bits in the boot, might be possible to get these welded this year, or the holed, offside anyhow, the nearside a bit more awkward and still unknown, having the thick anti-drum pad, but condition likely similarly distressed going by the underside of it.

[thomas]

Nipped out and took some photos of these bits as they look now, raw, they're not flattering, but I hope only on account of flash effects.
Just because there are photographs though, it doesn't mean it actually ever happened!

Have some overspray it looks like on the side of the driver's seat base cushion. Think the greenish stuff on the door-seal is not overspray but the ghastly green colour-magic polish applied a long while ago, which stains everything it touches. Some cleaning up to do, but all is good.

[Robsey]

Just because there are photographs though, it doesn't mean it actually ever happened!

But we know a man of your esteemed caliber would not lie.

Looking better already.

[thomas]

These bits behind the rear wheels got a rough scrape, wire-brush, brush with Jenolite gel, clean with spirit-wipe, then zinc primer can-sprayed, and a spray with underseal. The small holes made at the outermost edge on the offside got a little bit of thumb-sized glass-fibre mat stuck on like an elastoplast, on the inside of the boot-floor, to seal them up, before the above mentioned coatings were applied below. Both sides were better and more solid than thought given their appearance, the extent of it is minimal. It is top of the list for welding, but can wait till early next year.

It's slowly creeping towards 60K miles, most new Cavs did that annually in their first few years, easy.

Top-Tips:
Wear goggles to avoid all sorts on crap in your eyes, seriously do.

plus tough, snug, hopefully acid-resistant work-gloves,

a hat to keep it out your hair, if any

and tuck stuff in to keep it out of more intimate places ...



The reinforcer bits at the front are pronounced sound, around them and the floor behind, inside them. Over the next few days/weeks, these'll get a more thorough scrub up, treated and new coatings applied too. Car is match fit and presentable for its test this year already, which isn't due for a couple of months yet. So the pressure is off, just need to further prepare it for the coming winter, clean it, T-cut the 'washed in' periphery of the newly painted bits, and polish it, enjoy.

Got the bike freshly-MoT'd today, clean sheet all round. Still running on the old barrels/pistons, didn't get them changed, might still change them this year yet, but am a bit unwilling to tear down a running, usable bike, who knows what could go wrong, but the performance is below par, both lungs (it's a parallel twin) about 110psi, min spec. is about 114, should be way up to say 150-180psi. Air-cooled, 23 years old, used and abused, just under 70K miles, not surprising, it's normal wear and tear.

[ilovedmymantas]

You're doing a good job of keeping on top of it, i'm envious

Have you noticed the lack of boiler-suited home mechanics?
I don't know if this is because it's not cool or, as I suspect, because there hasn't been a decent manufacturing industry offering apprenticeships since the 70's so it's not been normalised

[thomas]

You're doing a good job of keeping on top of it, i'm envious

Have you noticed the lack of boiler-suited home mechanics?
I don't know if this is because it's not cool or, as I suspect, because there hasn't been a decent manufacturing industry offering apprenticeships since the 70's so it's not been normalised

Apprenticeships: YOPs YTS's and whatever succeeded them took their place. Exploitation, cheap, i.e. free labour, limitless supply of fresh expendable human cattle, with no interest in any structured training aspect.

The next generation are all snowflakes, likely to burst into tears if they have to put their (toys) phones down or a trigger word or bawdy joke collides with their lifelong PC/Cultural-Marxist indoctrination. Leftist in all but that that matters: economic inequality. They've just learned to worship and to emulate those they think are their maisters in hope of crumbs from their table. Decadence, last stage of Empire's and the narrative of lies it stands on's collapse.

Manufacturing was allowed to become a plaything of speculators, who discarded and trashed it mortally for better returns on money invested abroad, with no fuss about H&S, paying living wages, pensions, liabilities, shop-floor anarchy, mutually inept and corrupt management and union hierarchies, and so on. Later property investment, predominantly abroad again, and a rentier's income for a new bigger parasite class. We were all out of our windfall of domestic raw materials too, then pissed away the oil as well, dumped it cheap onto a glutted 1980s market in economic-cold-war shenanigans.

We're pirates. Looters now, had to steal from then on, and the easy-pickings are gone. Too many of us and of them. Throw in a bloated public-sector full of people doing things doing they shouldn't, we shouldn't be doing so much of, if at all. Then there's divide and rule stoked till we're atomised individuals with no common interests, no unity of thought or action, belief or identity, isolated, submissive and biddable, willing to follow any fool's cry unto folly, 'twas ever thus, nothing's changed.

Back on topic.

I wasn't nearly brutal enough with these bits in the boot. I could have hit them with twisted-wire-knotted twirly-things, mini-angle-grinder, big angle-grinder, flap discs etc., a Powerfile probably best for access there. These are temporary measures, hopelessly inadequate as a long-term solution. Don't want to make it worse till ready to fix properly. Didn't really slather much underbody gunk on these bits either, as it'll all have to be scraped/cleaned off again and some part cut out. Likely a section of steel both sides, running from rear of the inner wheelarch tub, to the back panel (incorporating the drainpipe exits) and along the lower quarter-panel; about 5 inches wide to join with the rest of the floor, close to, or above/on and joined to the longditudinal member there.

[Robsey]

I read that a fair few times. Digesting it line by line.

Sadly very true of the feeble narrow minded attitudes and trends of those who got us to where we are now.

Leaving us, the last vestages of humanity capable of independent thought and practical ability to 'tolerate, hand-feed, and wipe the arse" of those that now have to be carried like bunches of soggy lettuce leaves, over-indulged and deluged in the gloop of trend-laden political correctness, tolerance and acceptance.

Ironicly the same people who themselves are unable to tolerate or accept anything outside of their own perceived, contorted, and ill-educated narrow-minded beliefs.

United Kingdom and Great Britain are indeed mis-nomers for a country ravaged by politics and conformity.
As you say, we are no longer united, and there is nothing great about it.

Not as eloquant as your posts, but hopefully an acceptable response.
---------------------------

Now then back to the topic - again!

That ever present - "I will do it properly next year".
Similar to you, having multiple vehicles in various stages of disrepair or deconstruction can leave you juggling, trying to plan which to fix and what is required.

Dare I say it?
I have considered selling the Cavalier a fair few times for the sake of the reinforcers.

The campervan is clearly a 'Forth Bridge' too far.
Then there is the wife's CB500S that she will never ride again (and hasn't been ridden for 15 years)...
and our poor Vectra that continues to plod on despite being 'overdue' a timing belt change and a dual mass flywheel that makes it's noisy presence known whenever the car is cold.

All would be easily sorted with a modest lottery win, but hey ho.

[thomas]

I've drowned the reinforcers in underbody seal, fingers-crossed never need to deal with them, just treat as an annual chore and keep them covered. Covered myself in the stuff too, a shirt and jumper separately ruined and then transfer from my trousers to the seat. Aargh!

Need to tackle stuff while it's warm, might still flat the lacquer run on the o/s sill and give it all another coat of base and clear. It's acrylic though, and it gets more chip-prone, the thicker it gets.

The bike still must wait. I have barrels/pistons to swap, head and carbs to service, but as it's so warm going to repaint the fork legs, silver, they're blue and it looks daft as the bike is no longer blue, it's black, again.

A little bit of rust bubbling up on the driver's door has been there and annoyed me since first getting this car. Left any longer, it'll be holed.
All the other doors have speckling in the same places, but much less serious, as can be just seen on the rear offside door in the second picture.
I don't recall any problems with these bits, on my last Cavalier, never had cause to remove the weatherstrips either.

On removing the outer weatherstrip, found another rusty bit up at the other end by the door-mirror, fixed that first before tackling the bit I set out to do.
Think the weatherstrips are the cause, they just rip right through the paint to the metal on installation. Think I'll ease it back on with some waxoyl once painted and cured. Car's dash thermometer was reading 35.5degC, it probably went higher still.

[thomas]

Got this bit painted around mid-day, with doubts about conditions.
It was a lot cooler, threat of rain, and likely heavy at that, after a thundery night.

Went for it, a calculated risk, but has to be seen through to a conclusion, once started.
Somehow it held off, it still does.

A quick flat of primer and removed a lot of it outside the repair area, back to original but now dull paint below.
Would really have liked a darker shade of grey primer for this colour, but made do, built some extra coats of base.

Quite pleased to have got this bit done. It seems cosmetic I know, but marred the looks up close.
A lot easier to fix now than later requiring a full door strip-out to repair or change a doorskin or four.

Paint is dry enough by now to relax.
Won't cut the offspray back for a week or so, or less if it gets anything like as hot as recent days again.
Might still have to (prematurely) loosely fit the outer weatherstrip, if the inevitable downpour comes.

Anyone else seen, or dealt with these bits rusting?

Having a little breather, a rest, and taking stock. That's about it for now apart from a good clean, cut and polish, needed.

And still to fit the better petrol-flap.

And refit the door-trim, which has always been loose and rattly, screws all missing along the bottom, if I can somehow get the clips to stick to the back.

And refit the pesky rubber-strips, along the insides of the doors, on the sills, but with the frontmost and one other rivet missing on one side.

[Mk3alan]

Nice one! I've always had to do paint outside and sometimes you have to take a gamble luckily for you it paid off. If it looks like rain I would stick small bits of waterproof tape over any holes where trim is to be fitted and allow paint to cure properly.

Alan

[thomas]

Cheers, Matt, Robsey, Andy, Alan for the replies. Still dry, have some wide masking tape could stick over from glass, hanging over the door, should do, will probably get the weatherstrip back on tomorrow, as need to use car, but still no rush. It'll be the last part to do with the door.


In 100 years the motor-industry has not yet come up with a door-trim clip or fastening method that will endure for five minutes, and not break or chew-up on removal.

SCENE 1: (The soft-play area at GM's think-tank HQ, pan-pipes playing)

Designer1 (new guy, a bit green, an ideas man, a dazzling future in some other field): Why don't we just stick little plastic bits to the hardboard, with, like, glue, that'll work won't it?

Designer2 (old-hand): Only if we can get them fitted, out of the factory, and off our hands before they fall off.

Accountant (from under a beanbag) : Using wallpaper-paste could save half-a-cent on every 3000 cars, or we could use spit, as we do with the headlinings and A-pillar trims, it would cost even less, [TAPS CALCULATOR] would cost nothing.

Designer1: Recycled, environmentally-friendly, sustainable spit, of course.

Accountant (muffled): Oh yes, we all must do our bit to save ...

Chief (interrupting): It's a winner. Huge bonuses all round.

At various times this afternoon, I had decided I would just not have any driver's door-trim, I didn't need it, it's a luxury I, most can do without. It's no hardship, the door can be pulled closed with a piece of washing-line. Ice-scrapers, chocolate and stuff, could then be kept inside the door itself.

Had cavity-waxed inside the door, stuck the plastic-sheet with contact adhesive, was all-go to offer the door-trim up. Then superglue failure, attaching the clips to which the clips attach (what an arrangement), eventually have three in place with epoxy-resin, and another two or maybe three missing, which if they were ever there, were never there in my ownership, but there are still marks from two more, I guess, along the top.



On the plus side I did find a sponge, the car-washing kind, inside the door. I wonder if the previous-owner was or is still in a quandary, was driven mad, wondering just where that sponge went to, that day, one minute it was there, and the next not.

Or might have used it to stop it rattling.

Anyhow for the first time in almost three years, I will have a firmly attached non-rattling driver's door-trim, by nightfall, or dawn tomorrow, soon I'm sure, screws all present along the bottom and everything, clips clipped to door clipped to clips glued to trim. I shall always remember this or that day.

[thomas]

Today was The Day, the door-trim is fitted. 3 clips holding fast (3 more than it had before), 3 screws along the bottom (3 more than it had before, too), plus the 3 for the big grab-handle bit, and the funky-bendy, sticky-outy screwed on clip towards the lower outside edge, is tenacious.

Weatherstrip back on too, was out at 7am in the rain fitting it, masked it all around with the slot open, and brushed waxoyl into the cleaned and dry strip. Half-washed it, just the glass and upper-body/roof.

All is ship-shape and tickety boo, and it wafts along silently, rattle-free.




Not sure about the colour match, looks darker, less sparkly, have compounded and t-cut the offspray, and washed the whole car, in pouring rain, yesterday. Fitted the petrol-flap today, and it doesn't look a great match either, but neither was the scratched and glued one that was coming off.

[Mk3alan]

Sounds like a good result!

Alan

[3cav3]

Looks an awesome colour match, I never seem to get good results unless I spray full panels.

[thomas]

Not much happening Cav wise, hit 60K miles today. Done only 808 miles in the last year, test-to-test.

[chrisp]

"Then superglue failure, attaching the clips to which the clips attach (what an arrangement), eventually have three in place with epoxy-resin, and another two or maybe three missing, which if they were ever there, were never there in my ownership, but there are still marks from two more, I guess, along the top."
Ahh...superglue failure. Why is it that superglue is excellent at sticking your fingers together semi-permanently, but fails at pretty much all other sticking jobs? Like the OP, I often need to resort to 2 part epoxy after a joint that looks to be well glued with superglue, raises your hopes as it stays stuck for half an hour or so, and then fails?

[Robsey]

Super-glue crystalises with age.
Hence why it fails.

With regards to bonding skin - that was what super-glue was invented for. Or so I believe.
Quick body repairs during the Vietnam war....
(Or did I just make that up?).

[cavalier1990]

Super-glue crystalises with age.
Hence why it fails.

With regards to bonding skin - that was what super-glue was invented for. Or so I believe.
Quick body repairs during the Vietnam war....
(Or did I just make that up?).

I'd heard that one too Robsey, used as a chemical handcuff in Vietnam, whether that's true I don't know.

Regarding the rust at the top of the door, quite common on most cars of age, and it's right that it's mainly caused by the reverse lock clips that hold it onto the top lip of the door, which scratches all the paint off, that and the water held in place by the seal itself is a recipe for rust.

Those clips, on the back & top especially, of door trim are also famous for coming off when you pull at the trim to remove it. I use a pair of those trim clip removers that slides in to the clip then open out 2 jaws as you squeeze the handles, pretty good things to have. The clip at the back and bottom of the door card is also one many don't know about, you just push the clip in and pull the corner of the trim out and it should release.

[thomas]

I think the superglue from the first attempt helped a bit in making a firm surface of the otherwise fibrous material for the epoxy then to stick to. It's holding well and not rattling, can have the sounds louder now without the speaker vibrating the door-trim.

I noticed when cleaning the insides of the windows today that the little trim/filler strip, below, was sticking up at the rear end, and of course did pull at it and it had so little hold pulled it off with no effort, so glued it back down. Other side seemed still firmly attached. Better to have discovered it than have it blown off and away, lost. Underside is ridged and appears to be just pressed into a strip of rubbery adhesive bead.

[cavalier1990]

Had tape over that little plasticy trim on mine as I susepcted it was letting in water somewhere under it, I think it may have come off and it was rusty underneath maybe. When these cars get to this age that's when all the plastic/sealants starts really fading/crumbling/shrinking, all the good things that come with age!

My headlining is due to fall off anytime soon, so I may just wait till then, save me taking it off

[chrisp]

I think that little plastic trim piece at the rear of the roof just covers the roof to rear quarter panel weld, so there should be no leak through it, unless it's rusted through of course.
The rest of the roof to side panel welded joint is hidden behind the tops of the doors.
This has always seemed to me to be a better construction method than a lot of modern cars where the entire roof to side panel weld is exposed down both sides of the roof and is covered the entire length with a plastic filler.