Re: James' 1993 Cavalier LS
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 9:05 pm
Right, today was the day I picked up the ol' girl from her, what, 3rd round of bodywork repairs?
Anyway, anyone who has seen her up close may have noticed that the wheel arches weren't in the best condition. They have been repaired twice before and not very well either.
Off side:
Near side:
Near side up close:
Also the off side sill was once again in need of attention after another not so great repair in 2012 (page 4 of this thread). It also didn't help that it had been hacked at by its most recent MOT tester.
Well, she's been away for 3 days in the workshop and here are the results:
Off side:
Near side:
Off side sill:
There has also been lots of other small stone chips and rust blisters removed from along the sills and doors.
On top of that, all four shock absorbers were replaced with the gas Monroe parts I posted above.
I initially bought gas shocks as I was really impressed with the way the V6 handled on them.
But after reading up online I was a bit apprehensive about fitting gas shocks to a car which originally had oil ones as standard.
There are lots of stories about how gas shocks will give cars which weren't designed for them as harsh ride or even raise the ride height.
I am thoroughly delighted to say that is not the case with the Cavalier. The ride is much improved over the standard oil dampers and it takes bumps in the road much better than before yet the handling has not been compromised. On the contrary it's much crisper round the corners and there is far less body roll.
In fact I'll go as far to say that I recommend everyone to just ditch the original oil ones and just get gas shocks in the future.
As you can see the ride height is just about perfect, if you are after the OE look that is:
Needs a bit of a clean now as it's covered in dust from the workshop.
Can't think of much else to do on the ol' girl now, apart from the headlining.
I'm just going to hope the good weather holds out and enjoy driving her while I can.
Anyway, anyone who has seen her up close may have noticed that the wheel arches weren't in the best condition. They have been repaired twice before and not very well either.
Off side:
Near side:
Near side up close:
Also the off side sill was once again in need of attention after another not so great repair in 2012 (page 4 of this thread). It also didn't help that it had been hacked at by its most recent MOT tester.
Well, she's been away for 3 days in the workshop and here are the results:
Off side:
Near side:
Off side sill:
There has also been lots of other small stone chips and rust blisters removed from along the sills and doors.
On top of that, all four shock absorbers were replaced with the gas Monroe parts I posted above.
I initially bought gas shocks as I was really impressed with the way the V6 handled on them.
But after reading up online I was a bit apprehensive about fitting gas shocks to a car which originally had oil ones as standard.
There are lots of stories about how gas shocks will give cars which weren't designed for them as harsh ride or even raise the ride height.
I am thoroughly delighted to say that is not the case with the Cavalier. The ride is much improved over the standard oil dampers and it takes bumps in the road much better than before yet the handling has not been compromised. On the contrary it's much crisper round the corners and there is far less body roll.
In fact I'll go as far to say that I recommend everyone to just ditch the original oil ones and just get gas shocks in the future.
As you can see the ride height is just about perfect, if you are after the OE look that is:
Needs a bit of a clean now as it's covered in dust from the workshop.
Can't think of much else to do on the ol' girl now, apart from the headlining.
I'm just going to hope the good weather holds out and enjoy driving her while I can.