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Troy's btcc replica gsi

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:59 pm
by btcctroy
finally i have decidied to take my beloved cav of the road to give it some much needed tlc.

hopefully gonna get some areas sorted before i borrow it to go to pvs :thumb

ever since i bought this cav 5 years ago it has rusted in the usual places such as the sills, inner and outer arches, front and rear floor pan, chassis legs, rear struts.

think the bulk head has cracked too. so will be removing the dash at some point for a proper inspection.

i'm quite honest with the condition with my car and tbh and most people would scrap it but thats all to easy.

so this weekend i've cut the drivers outer sill off and removed the interior and carpet.

gonna get the sand blaster out to remove any surface rust

pics to follow

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:18 pm
by Robsey
It will be interesting to watch the progress on this..

I suppose the decision to scrap or repair comes down to five factors: -

1) How much your want to get the car fixed.
2) Whether you can afford the cost of the work / parts
3) Having the time to do this.
4) Having the nowledge and confidence to fulfill such a project
5) Availbility of suitable parts and materials as required.

I would be just as adventurous if time and money were more abundent. :(

As is always said regarding any work...plenty of pictures are a must :thumb

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:50 pm
by btcctroy
pics of this weekends efforts

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:03 pm
by btcctroy
rear floor needs attention probably cut the lot out

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:03 pm
by Envoy CDX
more pics Troy! :D

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:18 pm
by btcctroy
Robsey wrote:It will be interesting to watch the progress on this..

I suppose the decision to scrap or repair comes down to five factors: -

1) How much your want to get the car fixed.
2) Whether you can afford the cost of the work / parts
3) Having the time to do this.
4) Having the nowledge and confidence to fulfill such a project
5) Availbility of suitable parts and materials as required.

I would be just as adventurous if time and money were more abundent. :(

As is always said regarding any work...plenty of pictures are a must :thumb
yes i completly agree

1) How much your want to get the car fixed.
Too attached to get rid lol
2) Whether you can afford the cost of the work / parts
all completed by myself
3) Having the time to do this.
well never enough time thats the problem
4) Having the nowledge and confidence to fulfill such a project
its only steel and its not the first project
5) Availbility of suitable parts and materials as required.
have a genuine sill from vauxhall, floor pan repairs will be fabricated.

i have a good range of tools to make the repairs more professional

mig welder, spot welder
4hp 50ltr air compressor and all the tools you'd ever need lol
have most the gear which helps

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:20 pm
by btcctroy
Envoy CDX wrote:more pics Troy! :D
more tomorrow as long as weather holds out. :thumb

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 1:16 am
by Robsey
Too attached to get rid...

Yep me too! lol - had mine 14 1/2 years and 190,000 miles since I bought it.

Having all the tools sure does make the job 1000 times easier.
Having a covered garage is better still.

At least that inner sill isn't too heavily rotted, and that floor pan section is easily replaced / patched.

Wonder if you'd notice if I just happen to put my rot-box in place of yours!! lol.
Could have mine done then :)

Mine is very sound, just wants the sills doing on both sides.
Bulkhead, boot floor, floor-pan and arches are virtually rot free despite age and mileage :D
Just a scabby back door.

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 1:40 am
by Envoy CDX
Yeah, if I had the tools I would have worked on mine more - just can't afford the outlay.

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 8:23 am
by btcctroy
The outer sill is actually very easy to replace. I think of body work as a jig saw puzzle.

I think anybody who's had welding done should try to avoid plating. Never solves rust just hides it for a few years.

I always cut out rust and replace with new steel or sand blast light surface rust.

Tried most chemicals too they only delay the rust process

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 8:28 am
by Envoy CDX
sriguy wrote:The outer sill is actually very easy to replace. I think of body work as a jig saw puzzle.

I think anybody who's had welding done should try to avoid plating. Never solves rust just hides it for a few years.

I always cut out rust and replace with new steel or sand blast light surface rust.

Tried most chemicals too they only delay the rust process
I agree whole heartedly. Just never had the option to buy welding gear, nor anywhere to work :(

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 9:22 pm
by Robsey
Envoy CDX wrote:Yeah, if I had the tools I would have worked on mine more - just can't afford the outlay.
Aye, same here...but I was lucky enough to have a gasless mig-welder bought for me by the father-in-law three or four years ago.
I did a lot of welding on the mk2 cav, but I just couldn't keep up with the amount of rot that was there.

Lack of sufficient money and time and having to work on an exposed hill-side are my excuses so far, but I am really keen to get some work done over the next 12 months.

Hence my interest in your progress so far.

So keep up the good work, because you are being watched!! lol

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 9:58 pm
by btcctroy
well if you need any help im not far from you i'm in chadderton

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 10:04 pm
by Robsey
Yeah, I know little bits of Chadderton, wife's friend and her brain-out partner live on Westfield Street, just off the bypass!!

If it is any help, Pentagon Vauxhall, are the most helpful dealers I've ever dealt with, especially the parts department off Park Road...great lads!! (and lasses).

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 10:09 pm
by btcctroy
yes i've been in there quite abit over the years. about the most helpful parts department around anyway.

wat model is your cav and year

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 10:22 pm
by Robsey
Mine is a very tired, high-mileage 1994 Cavalier 1.8 LSi with the Multec CFi .

It currently stands at 216,600 miles and has been with us since 5th December 1995, when we got it at 23,000 miles (ex-hire car)

This is my WIP - with very little progress being undertaken.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4069

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 1:02 am
by btcctroy
done a bit more this eve. finished the inner sill and sandblasted it before i cold galv'd it all.

looks far better

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 1:04 am
by btcctroy
the sry state of my car at the moment

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 1:22 am
by Robsey
Not loking sorry at all,

okay, it is missing the light, indicater and wing, but besides that it looks almost immaculate
With all your kit, I'm sure it will all be wipped into shape in no time.

Good work, great pics. :thimb:

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 10:57 am
by btcctroy
Robsey wrote:Not loking sorry at all,

okay, it is missing the light, indicater and wing, but besides that it looks almost immaculate
With all your kit, I'm sure it will all be wipped into shape in no time.

Good work, great pics. :thimb:
Thanks never felt so good doing a job.

I.ve tried to take as many pics as I could, but also ones the might be a use to somebody doing a similar task

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 12:52 am
by Robsey
The fact that it all appears to be going reasonably to plan makes it more pleasureable...

It is the nasty surprises, that make you ask why you bothered.

Looking back through your post,
and
Being an engineer, I understand the use of galvanising to inhibit , retard the spread of the dreaded tin-worm, but I am just wondering how good something like Cold-Galv is.

I've always been quite cynical about most chemical concoctions on the market.

I've used some of the Oxy solve type products from the Eastwood range, but I didn't feel that they did that much for rust prevention.
(The Eastwood range of products are sold by Frost Restoration Products in Rochdale).
And the fuel tank sealer....please don't ask :x

It could just be the way I have used them, but I would think that they should be quite idiot proof if you have read the bottle first...which I always have done.

Also, I thought you would be using weld-thru primer near your seams.

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 2:45 am
by btcctroy
weld through primer generally is high zinc content spray.

its exactly what i'm using. before i actually weld the sill on i'll coat all the areas bar the seams in etch primer.

the por 15 is the best stuff to use on rust. i've had it on my chassis for a long time now its slowed the rust creep, looks nice too

www.rust.co.uk have some good products aswell.

i'm bit of a perfectionist i like my work to look near factory. i spend a lot of time making bits that are just not replaceable.

my welding has improved somewhat over the years but i'm certainly not the neatest. it has good penetration of which being the most important.

i did a bit today but the rain stopped me.

has any1 used old diesel engine oil as a rust inhibitor thinking of spraying it inside my sills after, heard that the high carbon content of the oil make it hard for rust to form, like stainless steel which is mainly carbon

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 3:39 am
by Envoy CDX
I've heard of people using engine oil, but never done it myself. Progress is steady Troy, just tackle it the way you've set out to :)

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:13 pm
by btcctroy
Well today i managed to get a couple more ours in on the cav. finished the inner sill, weldied in the seat beat mount, and completed the centre sill panel.

so started to align new sill panel

Re: Troy's SRI 16V gsi replica W.I.P (rust wipeout time)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:20 pm
by btcctroy
the genuine panel fits so much better than a pattern panel. lines up perfectly