James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

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James McGrath
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Super89 wrote:I just took the black plastic ends off and slid them in. Took just as long as taking the bumper off in the end lol

I believe to take the bumper off you have to first take out the headlights to get to the retaining bolts.
At the moment anything is preferable to this as I have only just refitted the headlights and got the beam alignment just right and don't want to go through that all again. So I might just give that a go...
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by iangsi »

James McGrath wrote:
Super89 wrote:I just took the black plastic ends off and slid them in. Took just as long as taking the bumper off in the end lol

I believe to take the bumper off you have to first take out the headlights to get to the retaining bolts.
At the moment anything is preferable to this as I have only just refitted the headlights and got the beam alignment just right and don't want to go through that all again. So I might just give that a go...
You don't have to touch the headlights to take the bumper off undo 4 bolts in the chassis pulls off.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

iangsi wrote:You don't have to touch the headlights to take the bumper off undo 4 bolts in the chassis pulls off.

Interesting. The Haynes manual has been lying again!

Instructions please. :D


Well I got another little job done today.
One of the rear speakers hasn't been working properly in about a year. It's been making crackling noises, so until now I simply resorted to unplugging it.
The other day however, I treated myself to a few goodies :

After much research, I mean we're talking the best part of an hour here, I decided on a pair of Pioneer TS-E1702i speakers as they had good reviews, decent price to performance ratio and seemed to offer a nice neutral sound stage with no over exaggerated bass:

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I also grabbed a pair of adaptors so I could plug them straight in using the existing connectors and a set of offset screwdrivers. These would be key to getting around the problem of the rear parcel shelf which needlessly covers up two of the screws holding the rear speakers in place.

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Even with the offset screwdrivers it is a bit tricky to get the screws out. I used a spanner to prise the rear parcel shelf up to give me enough room. Mercifully they are quite short, don't have much thread on them and once they are loosened, can be unscrewed by hand.

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Speaker removed:

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Original speakers, well I guess that's the cause of the buzzing noise then!

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Another reason for choosing these speakers is they are adaptable and have plenty of mounting holes. To my amazement they slotted straight in. Normally with these jobs there is at least 4 hours of faffing about but not this time! :D

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I really want to meet the person who designed the rear parcel shelf. I have... something to tell them.

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Adaptors on:

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Marvellous. All six speakers working at long last:

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I have to say, this was one of the easiest and most rewarding jobs I've done in quite a while and thoroughly recommend this method to anyone replacing the rear speakers. Taking the rear parcel shelf off is such a hassle in comparison.

As for the speakers themselves, I couldn't be happier. They have much more accurate sound reproduction than the original speakers while still in keeping with the rest of the system.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Had a morning free today to focus on the cars.

Got the Diplomat booked in for a new clutch on the 4th November.

Also managed to book it in to have the alloys refurbished on the 23th of November at Spit & Polish in Tonbridge. Had a bit of a chat with them and they seemed like really nice chaps and were happy to see a Cavalier again.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by humbucker »

Excellent work, James.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Good stuff James.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Had the clutch replaced today. :D

Have to say it's made a huge difference.
Before the clutch pedal was so heavy it was quite tiring to drive and it's never fun when you get clutch slip when you need to pull away quickly.

It is a little unusual for the pedal not to squeal like a pig on every gear change though!

Have to give a shout out for the lads at HiQ in Maidstone, been there a few times now and they’ve been great so far, good service and they know their way around Cavaliers very well, thoroughly recommended. :thumb
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by humbucker »

James McGrath wrote:It is a little unusual for the pedal not to squeal like a pig on every gear change
Isn't that a factory feature of all '80s and '90s Vauxhalls?!
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

humbucker wrote:Isn't that a factory feature of all '80s and '90s Vauxhalls?!
Indeed. I feel I've been robbed of a prestigious optional extra. :p
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

This update is a little later than I'd hoped but due to the awful weather I've not been able to take any photos.

First a small update:

Up until last month it's original unit was remarkably still working perfectly and I had no problems with it. Then the unthinkable happened; on the way to work around a blind corner, a tree branch had broken and was hanging down over the road. Of course I had the radio on, mast fully extended. There was a car coming on the opposite side of the road, I had no time to stop, so, snap! Broke the mast clean in two. :cry

Oh well, at least they are still available:

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I thought replacing the mast would be harder, but it turned out to be really simple. There are lots of guides on the internet about how to do this so I won't bore you with the details. If anyone does need help with this, just send me a PM.

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The next thing is a bit more exciting. As I had said in a previous post, I had it booked in for the 23rd November (which also just happens to be Doctor Who's anniversary by the way) to have the alloys fully refurbished! :D

After 22 years of long service they were in a bit of a state to say the least, here's the evidence:

NS/R:
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OS/R:
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NS/F:
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OS/F:
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Getting up close and personal wasn't any better either with quite heavy corrosion and lacquer peel:
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With the alloys in this state I always felt that it made the car feel tatty, especially as the wheels are probably it's main distinguishing factor. It also had the rather unfortunate side affect of not being able to maintain tyre pressure for more than a few days which meant I had to adopt a regular ritual of pumping up the tyres every week.

Just 30 hours later with the good chaps at Spit & Polish however, and the results are amazing!

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Personally I'm really happy with the results. It certainly draws your eye away from the rest of the car's tatty paintwork. I think either the balancing was out or there were dents in the alloys before because somehow the car feels a lot smother on the road too. Even better, it's more than a week later and the tyre pressures are still bang on! Just have to be really carful about parking up against any tall curbs form now on.

Still a long way to go with this car and I get the felling that I am now past the point of no return, but I'm felling a dam sight better about it than I was 6 months ago when I was very close to taking a sledge hammer to it in frustration.

Next thing to do is get those chrome strips in the front bumper which I still haven't done and then start thinking about the paintwork and rust. Underneath it's fine, but the wheel arches are getting to the point where they need some attention. On top of that however, the LS needs it's wheel arches re-done and the headlining is beginning to sag at the front so that may well be the next thing I do.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Lowrider Dave »

They look spot on James! I presume blasted and powercoated? I want a set like them for 'Pedro'!
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by vauxhallnutter »

Looking spot on there, really has made a difference. The paintwork doesnt look too bad for a 22 year old car (ive seen plenty worse). I had the same problem with my old saloon rear speakers. I also had another interesting problem in that there was a rattling from the rear of the car, turned out to be the speakers loose in their appetures!
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Thanks guys! :thumb
lowrider dave wrote:They look spot on James! I presume blasted and powercoated? I want a set like them for 'Pedro'!
Yeah they were chemically stripped first then blasted, powdercoated and finally lacquered. Can't believe they did it in so short a time really; dropped it off at 10am Monday, picked it up at 4pm on Tuesday.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by tonyo »

lowrider dave wrote:They look spot on James! I presume blasted and powercoated? I want a set like them for 'Pedro'!
Dave, I know that the mig SC guys use a chap called matthew at Solent Wheel Services. Have a chat with the human 'Pedro', he's got some pictures of the rather impressive job they did with the Monaro wheels.
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Lowrider Dave »

I've used Solent Wheel too Tony. I remember human Pedro telling me about his Monaro wheels which led me to use them. What I meant was I want a set of those alloys for Pedro... :D
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

There are some on eBay at the moment Dave. Quite a long way away but might be worth a look.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Cava ... SwQoFWQiq8
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Yeah, I thought that journey was a 'little' far. I'll see what rates couriers charge but I think I'll keep an eye out for something closer to home!
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Re: Mike and James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

The Diplomat has been having a bit of a rough time of late.

Literally less than a week after I had the alloys refurbished it got a puncture on the front nearside tyre. :wall
Frustratingly I ended up driving around with the spare steel wheel for two weeks before I got two new front tyres.
I opted for some Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance rubber and I'm very happy so far. They seem to offer the same level of grip as the Michelins but are slightly quieter and apparently more fuel efficient.

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After that it was MOT time. I knew the brakes needed some attention so I ordered a few bits from EBC and Genuine Parts search. :D

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Basically a complete set of 4 discs and pads along with OEM rear shoes and a genuine GM fixing kit, marvellous!

While the front pads were still in pretty good shape (they were EBC Ultimax pads fitted about 6 moths ago), both front and rear discs were looking very tired:

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Time to get to work!
Using my handy brake cylinder rewind tool:

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The old and the new:

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All sorted:

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After that it was ready for the big day, or so I thought.
It ended up failing on 3 counts of rust; both sills and a rear spring seat. :(
Unfortunately after the clutch, alloys and brakes the old bank account was looking a bit bare so there was nothing for it other than to wait and take it off the road for a while.

This was doubly unfortunate as it coincided with the CD manual's MOT which didn't go so well either. The car itself was fine. So how can it be bad you ask?
Well, a major downside to owning 4 Cavaliers all taxed, MOT'd and insured is there are allot of dates to remember and in this case, I totally forgot about it until about a week after it had expired! :o
So basically that was off the road as well until I could book an MOT for her.

All this meant that the CD auto and the LS had to be dusted off and rather unhappily put into frontline service in the middle of winter. They both performed their duty admirably in the face of such terrifying unseen adversities such as rain and road dirt and I'm glad to say they both pulled through.

After putting allot of unnecessary miles on the CD auto (it's now done over 45,000 :o ) the CD manual finally had it's MOT which it thankfully passed with flying colours.
By this point the current account was looking healthier and it was the Diplomat's turn once more to get some attention.

A couple of pattern sills and a genuine GM rear spring seat later and she was structurally sound again and had a clean bill of health from the MOT man!
I decided to leave the new sills unpainted for now as I plan to have some major work done later this year to address the sorry state of the rest of the Diplomat's paintwork. Watch this space!

The new spring seat was seam welded all the way round so should see off the rust for a good few years.
The new sills however, look very scruffy at the moment but it's only temporary I promise:

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After that saga, it was time to get back to sorting out a few minor problems.

I inevitably blew out a fog lamp a few weeks ago, probably owing to the fact I always leave them on. :?
Like a true pro, I decided to do this job in the dark!

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It's a bit like breaking into Fort Knox for this job, these bulbs are locked down tight:

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The old bulb sporting an interesting shade of blue:

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Ta da!

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After the success I had reconditioning the LS's electric windows, I decided to do the same thing with the Diplomat's windows which were straining noticeably going up and down:

Just a bit small titbit of info if you ever find yourself struggling to remove these panels; Vauxhall cleverly designed a little notch at the bottom, into which you can fit a flathead screwdriver enabling easy removal:

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I find that a liberal application of grease on this runner seams to do the trick:

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Ever since I got the car it's had this terribly annoying rattily knocking noise coming from the passenger door. It happened everywhere; sooth roads, rough roads, it didn't matter, just a constant, droning, nondescript, knock. Very hard to explain what it sounded like but it was extremely frustrating believe me. I had until now thought it was the door card itself and had attempted to fix the problem with foam pads in the past (see photo above). But yesterday I managed to fix it. :D

As I was lubricating the windows I noticed that the door latch was just catching on the top of the striker as it closed. So as they are adjustable, I thought I'd move the striker down just a tad. This worked perfectly and now the door shuts really easily and there is no need to slam it. Incredibly it turns out this has also fixed the knocking sound. Fantastic! :D

After that major victory it was time for a wash.

Guess what all this was, and no it's not the worlds biggest bird poo:

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Ah, much better!

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Without a doubt, Underground car parks are the most flattering environments for cars, it doesn't look like this in real life.

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Time for some scenic photos, where the car magically becomes dirty again!

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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Nice photos, write up and Cav action! Always nice to get stuff done, glad the Dippy is back on the road.
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

lowrider dave wrote:Nice photos, write up and Cav action! Always nice to get stuff done, glad the Dippy is back on the road.
Thanks. Slowly getting there. I find myself getting more and more attached to it as time goes on.
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by cavalier1990 »

James McGrath wrote:
lowrider dave wrote:Nice photos, write up and Cav action! Always nice to get stuff done, glad the Dippy is back on the road.
Thanks. Slowly getting there. I find myself getting more and more attached to it as time goes on.
Only car I didn't get bored with the cavy, especially the 2.0!
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Well after I started driving it and the novelty factor had warn off I began to really hate it.
About this time last year I was seriously considering taking a sledge hammer to it.

But I've gotten used to it's foibles and adapted my driving style to suit the long lazy gearing.
A bit of money spent in the right places has made it much nicer to drive too.
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Envoy CDX »

I went through those phases with my cav James. Then I ripped the autobox out and stuck a manual in it :) :thumb
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by James McGrath »

Envoy CDX wrote:I went through those phases with my cav James. Then I ripped the autobox out and stuck a manual in it :) :thumb
A conversion to a CR box is not off the cards with this actually, F28 maybe...
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Re: James' 2.0 8v Diplomat

Post by Envoy CDX »

James McGrath wrote:
Envoy CDX wrote:I went through those phases with my cav James. Then I ripped the autobox out and stuck a manual in it :) :thumb
A conversion to a CR box is not off the cards with this actually, F28 maybe...
I considered a F28 6 speed box, but cost vs the benefits would be outweighed.

I have often considered frantenseining a F17/F18 from a Vectra C with cable'd selector and an F18/F20.
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