Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club | Vauxhall Cavalier Dot Com

Hey, just thought I'd post this up as I might get stuff done

The MOT is up on the 31st of may so this is what I can think of that needs done:

New springs and shocks fitted at the front
Welding done : patch behind the tow bar and jacking points are going spongy.
Water leak in the boot (lol I know lazyness/not necessary)
Need to change hids to standard bulbs
Timing belt needs done
Panel under headlights, I've got it but needs sprayed dunno if I should do it myself or let a shop do it.

After the mot once she has passed:

Angel eyes
front of the car polybushed
new retractable aerial

I'd love to get her resprayed (same colour), I love detailing but with all the dents/scratches/lacquer peel it's put me off and I think the last time she was washed is when the garage fitted my clutch over 1500 miles ago lol >.<


Also it makes me think am I going mental spending this amount on an old car? really the rear arches are pretty bad but I can't help wanting to fix her. It really feels like once one thing is fixed something else goes wrong even my gf tries her hardest to tell me I'm wasting time and money.

Here are some pics of the bad bits:

















Just a wee note, I had a problem with my vec b remote locking it stopped working and the key wouldn't unlock a door so I changed the vec b locking ecu over with a "new" one and it works fine, now I just need to swap over my flip key guts

Cheers, Martin.

end of day its your love so you should spend what you want on it

me i would treat arches be4 they not saveabile then full respray in same couler as they getting rare in that green/blue couler, you going couler coded handel route ?

new wheels as well ?

Look at it this way, if you spend £1500 on it making it tidy, you will have a tidy reliable car. If you spend the same money on something else you won't necessarily be better off. The overall running costs of a cav are generally really low compared to some more modern cars, so it's a good investment in my opinion.

Martin_TD wrote:

You been washing that panel with seawater?

You should listen to your girlfriend i think. Spending 1500 on it is crazy.

TurboDan wrote:You should listen to your girlfriend i think. Spending 1500 on it is crazy.

If it's enough to make it solid, depends on the rest of the structure.

I say fair play to you for doing the work on the car.

£1500 isn't much if it's spread out over time. I've probably spent close to that on my auto over the 4 years so far and I don't regret it. If it keeps it going after all these years, then credit where it's due.

Most of the repairs are cosmetic anyway, as long as the major mechanical side of things is ok, I say why not.

The alloys probably just need a good scrub and polish and they'll stand out great. It's your project so make the most of it dude.

TurboDan wrote:You should listen to your girlfriend i think. Spending 1500 on it is crazy.

Girls are ten-a-penny, cav's are getting rare now

I agree with Dan, My Nautilus Cav was in really good condition for it's age. I ended up stripping it and scrapping the shell as nobody would pay £700 for it with Leather interior, 17's etc etc.

Spend the money chap! It will serve you as lot better than a lot of this modern rubbish! If you were doing it up to sell then it wouldnt be sensible to spend that sort of money but if you are keeping it then what is there to lose?

Sounds like you have some of the parts anyway so you are half way there!

I know its his car and he can do whatever makes him happy etc.. and i fully understand that and agree. I have spent plenty of money on crap over the years believe me!

BUT

I do know that if the outside of the car looks as bad as that then underneath won't be great either and so think about it before you start...

Kevwaggy wrote:You been washing that panel with seawater?

To the cars defence that panel under the lights wasn't too bad, my dad (years ago) decided to put fibreglass over the front of it and paint it (you'll see it under the grille) and I think the fibreglass just held water and corroded it even further.

The car gets welding done each year I've had it for it's mot and I've found a better welder (before I was interested in cars the guy that done the welding was cheap and I was on a min wage job) Hopefully I'll be able to get all the welding done and underseal it while hes got it on ramps.

I won't be selling the car, even if it was in as good nick as some of the cars on here.

I love cav slabs and I've got 4 left to refurb one was done myself lol.

- Wait... who mentioned £1500? wasn't me... I wish I had that in the bank...

TurboDan wrote:You should listen to your girlfriend i think. Spending 1500 on it is crazy.

TurboDan wrote:I know its his car and he can do whatever makes him happy etc.. and i fully understand that and agree. I have spent plenty of money on crap over the years believe me!

BUT

I do know that if the outside of the car looks as bad as that then underneath won't be great either and so think about it before you start...

I agree, the underside should be checked, really all depends how well its been protected over the years because that is where the money goes for repairs.



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Just a wee update in the right direction.

I've got the Cav booked in for Tuesday 24th to get the timing belt done and hopefully get it in for welding later in the week. This will be the first year she'll be getting work done prior to the MOT lol.

Martin.

Martin_TD wrote:Just a wee update in the right direction.

I've got the Cav booked in for Tuesday 24th to get the timing belt done and hopefully get it in for welding later in the week. This will be the first year she'll be getting work done prior to the MOT lol.

Martin.

Nice one Martin, hope it all goes well for you.

as most people say mate if you love your motor you will do what you can to keep then. i just put mine through a mot and even though the body is fairly clean and rust free the underneath is rotten so i am paying out to get a complete new floor and sill.

going on the body condition and the fact it needs welding each year......I would cut your losses, you can get a real nice, clean, solid cavalier for £1500. save the cash and buy a better one.

V6power wrote:going on the body condition and the fact it needs welding each year......I would cut your losses, you can get a real nice, clean, solid cavalier for £1500. save the cash and buy a better one.

I hope after this year it won't need welding for a while, but we'll see what it costs to get it done first.

Got these faults cleared today with opcom:



Not really sure what they are but the air bag light that's been on for years is finally off

good luck mate all fails you could buy the cavalier gsi on gumtree thats going cheap

Ach, shes lasted this long and my dad tried to run her into the ground and neglected her so it shouldn't be too hard to look after her

Plus, she can't fail I need a car

Cav went in to get the timing belt done today, got a phone call about 3pm expecting to go pick it up but no, it was to tell me there was an oil leak behind the timing belt and he suspected the cam shaft/crank shaft oil seal? not sure which one but the part will take three days to get here and is 22 quid from vauxhall, not too happy and I'm left without a car for another 3/4 days

Martin_TD wrote:Cav went in to get the timing belt done today, got a phone call about 3pm expecting to go pick it up but no, it was to tell me there was an oil leak behind the timing belt and he suspected the cam shaft/crank shaft oil seal? not sure which one but the part will take three days to get here and is 22 quid from vauxhall, not too happy and I'm left without a car for another 3/4 days

Better done while it's in bits though matey, only one lot of labour charge.

planetc wrote:Better done while it's in bits though matey, only one lot of labour charge.

Yeah, I'd have to agree but still a PITA. Atleast it'll be sorted for going to Tamsworth next week

After dropping the car off on Tuesday morning, the seal arrived today from Vauxhall and I'll be getting it back later on

It's been a bit of a nightmare without a car and I hoped to have also had springs and shocks fitted this week for going away on Sunday but I doubt that'll be happening. I keep putting the handbrake/gear stick gaiters off for some reason, they've been off for months now... I guess I can do that and give her a clean over the weekend.

Next week will be: springs, shocks and welding.

Martin.

Just got a phone call from the garage, the wrong part has been shipped and it'll be Monday before the new part arrives. F*** sake.