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Sept 6, 2015 21:12:37 GMT
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grifterkid - £40 for a MK2 Cav, what a bargain! I'm guessing that was a few years ago when they were more common? I was given a MK3 saloon GLi about 10 years ago. Just needed a battery. Smoked around in it for ages then scrapped it. Thanks mate, I can't wait to see what it will come up like after I've machine polished it. sal - What springs did you go for in the end? I've seen some PI and some German Ascona C springs. I'm glad 35-40mm rides well with the standard shocks as I was a little concerned. I've noticed the rear end sits a little lower than the front. Does yours do that? I'm struggling to find the 13s anywhere. Matt Hesketh - Thanks mate. There's a 2dr red Mk2 Astra on a driveway near me. It's seriously faded but looks solid. One day I'll knock on the door. So today was a bit more work on the MK2. Randomly the ignition switch has decided to fail today. Which I'm aware is a common fault. However, got it started with my power probe direct to starter solenoid and warmed it up and put it on the ramps ready to drain the oil. Underneath the front is solid, a little grimey but that will clean. So out came the old oil which didn't look too bad but needed changing. Here's a tip, when you have an oil filter that's located in an awkward place. I always make myself a little drain off channel from some old cardboard. Stops oil gathering and spilling all over things. New filter on and filled up with some fresh Mineral oil it was time to do the plugs. They came out nicely. I was surprised to see Bosch Super 4s in there. Massive overkill compared to the NGKs I was putting back in after gapping. Whilst it was running I could hear an air leak coming from under the filter housing. The sound of vacuum sucking. So I removed the air filter housing. On the underside I managed to find out the reason. Brittle vacuum hose all split. The only pipe/hose I had at the unit was some white/transparent vacuum silicon hose. Since it's on the underside and won't be seen I'm ok with it. I'm more concerned at whether it will withstand the heat. I'll monitor it. Then it was time to put the new air filter in. Not had much experience with WIX filters up to now. However this quality looks a bit poor. Compared to the old FRAM one, it looks cheap and half finished. Anyone got much experience with WIX stuff? Whilst I was under the bonnet, I'd been really bothered by this fuel hose. It looks like garden hose pipe or cheap air line. Unfortunately I didn't have any 8mm I/D braided fuel hose so I've ordered some. Whilst we are here at this point under the bonnet. Look at this professional security device! What's lurking under all that insulation tape? Yup that's right. Professional scotch clips spliced in to the original Vauxhall loom. Going to have to pick through all this and reattach all the original loom. Next up was tackling the binding rear brakes. So jacked up the rear and removed the wheels. Just a general build up of brake dust and surface rust meant they were binding. Thoroughly cleaned out of all the dust they looked really good. Wheel cylinders were all good. With the brake drum refitted, I noticed a little play in the wheel bearing. So I removed the dust cap and the split pin and gave the taper bearing a little tweak. All good. Not much of an update and mainly boring servicing stuff. However, thanks for looking and all comments always welcome.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Good progress mate The springs I used were Lesjofors kit 4594616 which should also fit your car. Here they are fitted to my hatch beside a mate's saloon on standard suspension and wheels You can get the kits on eBay but check part number as there are two variations of front springs on mk2 Cavaliers. The garden hose is actually the original fuel pipe fitted to these cars believe it or not. I'll keep my eyes open for a set of 13" steels for you.
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oog
Part of things
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Sept 10, 2015 11:28:11 GMT
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Last Edit: Sept 10, 2015 11:31:40 GMT by oog
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Sept 10, 2015 14:28:22 GMT
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i used Pi springs on mine (with black bilstien B4, the OEM ones) it sat really well and handled nicely.
no denying it was much stiffer though
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Sept 10, 2015 14:41:17 GMT
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Sept 11, 2015 23:32:23 GMT
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sal - Thanks for that pic, your hatch sits right where I'd like mine to be. I've got Lesjofors springs on my MK1 Cavalier and they're ok. I'll give it a go on the Mk2 as well. I'm shocked that the fuel hose was standard, the stuff that was acceptable on cars of this era is crazy. Just wouldn't accept it now. If you wouldn't mind keeping your eyes peeled for steels that would be great. oog - You have PM mate. darrenh - I'll probably leave it on the original shocks for the time being. The 1.6 doesn't warrant anything better really. Just need to lose that body roll. I'm aware of those trims being the originals. There are some for sale on EBay at moment, however it's the wheels I'm struggling to find. So it's time for a very brief update. Firstly I replaced the faulty ignition switch. This is the old one, car started perfectly after replacing. That alarm was really bothering me, so I decided to get it ripped out of the car. To my amazement I could not work out what it did. Didn't seem to do anything other than clutter the area. Here's what was left after removal. Which left me a nice open inner wing that I'll need to clean and tidy. One thing that did amaze me, the alarm seemed to be wired in using 7 strand trailer cabling. Which anyone who knows it, knows that it's quite chunky. This is what someone decided to do to the bulkhead to route the wire through. The plan is to probably drill the hole out slightly oversized and put a decent grommet in there. It amazes me the poor standard of work of some people. Anyway, that's all for today, was just a quick one. Thanks all for your comments and updates to follow soon.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Sept 12, 2015 13:06:52 GMT
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There's a set of 13" steels with good tyres for sale on mk2cav.com Facebook page.
Can't get a link at minute on my phone. Are you on Facebook?
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Sept 12, 2015 15:10:29 GMT
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There's a set of 13" steels with good tyres for sale on mk2cav.com Facebook page. Can't get a link at minute on my phone. Are you on Facebook? No mate I'm not, a link would be great or even a contact detail for the seller please if possible.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Sept 12, 2015 15:26:04 GMT
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No worries. I'll contact the lad and pm you details.
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Sept 12, 2015 15:39:52 GMT
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Pm sent.
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Sept 14, 2015 16:10:36 GMT
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i feel really bad as i took a set of seven 13J steels down the scrap yard a couple months ago.
anyway, my point was not to tell you what you could have won but just to say i'm admin on astra-mk2.com, they were fitted to a million astras too so might be another angle to source them
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Feb 16, 2016 17:12:20 GMT
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Ok time for an update. darrenh - I managed to get hold of some standard 13" steel wheels off of eBay. Cost me about £40 I think. Handy to know about your admin role on that site for the future. Sal - This update is for you as it was your recommendation. So I ordered these after seeing how good Sals' Cavalier looked. Lesjofors 4594616 Spring kit. It's a 40mm drop. So I brought the car in and the strip down began. I knew the fronts would take a little longer to do so I started there. Unfortunately the Mk2 Cavalier has the setup where the shock and spring are all part of the hub. So off it came. Over to the bench and the strut was stripped down for removal of the spring. Due to the low mileage on the car everything was in very good condition. Here you can see the difference in the two front springs. Once the car was all put back together it was just a matter of seeing the difference. Here it is how it looked before Here's how it now looks with the 40mm drop. I actually quite like the look without the hubcaps but here it is either the 14" hubcaps on. I think I'll probably band the 14" steel wheels and restore the 13" for standard use. Thanks for looking and look forward to any comments.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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Feb 16, 2016 18:48:04 GMT
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cool! i have lesjofer springs on my silver GTE (standard height) look pretty good quality tbh, type aproved too
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Feb 16, 2016 20:25:31 GMT
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Yet another mint car in your fleet, superb. I'm really liking the last picture with the 14" wheels and trims. They may not be OE but they don't look out of place at all. That "hole" that has been stabbed through the bulkhead is utter sh1te. What sort of imbecile would do that and think it acceptable? Like you say a redrill and blanking grommet has got to be the way to go. Excellent work as usual, keep us updated. Cheers, Richard.
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Feb 16, 2016 21:47:17 GMT
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Looks great mate and glad you are pleased with the springs. It's just enough of a drop to make the car look so much better. Admittedly I've not done a lot of miles on my springs but they do seem to be of good quality.
What other plans do you have?
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Feb 17, 2016 17:01:10 GMT
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darrenh - Funnily enough I've got Lesjofors on the Mk1 Cavalier as well. So when 'sal' showed me his and sent the part number it was an obvious choice.
mk2polobloke - Thank you buddy. I do like the idea of running the hubcaps over banded steels so that might be an option. That hole was definitely the work of a grade A muppet. I'll definitely re-drill and grommet it.
sal - It's the right height for the car, I couldn't be happier with the ride height and stance. The only other real plans for this one is a cambelt and water pump, a good clean/polish and some banded steels. Thanks for posting up the pic of your car.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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Mar 17, 2016 22:01:47 GMT
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So it's a big day for the Cavalier tomorrow. First MOT for it in my ownership. So today I've replaced the cam belt and water pump that needed doing as I've no idea when it was last done. I also did the fan belt just as it was an unknown to me. I used Gates stuff, can't complain about their quality as its good value stuff. Then I broke out my polishes and gave the old girl a good hand polish. I was really pleased with how she's come out in fairness. The roof could do with a machine polish at a later date. Really pleased with Lesjofers and how the car sits. It drives nicely too and not too bouncy. What do you reckon?
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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Mar 17, 2016 22:11:19 GMT
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Very cool :-)
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sal
Part of things
Mk2 Cavalier CD
Posts: 240
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Mar 18, 2016 13:39:26 GMT
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I wouldn't change a single thing to this car you've got it spot on.
Good luck with mot.
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Last Edit: Mar 18, 2016 13:39:54 GMT by sal
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Mar 18, 2016 19:39:48 GMT
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Jnrdinosaur - Thanks buddy, glad you like it. Sal - Thanks mate, the only thing I'm still considering is changing the wheels. I need to get the 13" originals ready to go back on the car. I'm thinking of a conservative band on the later 14" on the car now. On the subject of the MOT It passed! The inspector was rather impressed with the old girl and also gave me an opportunity to adjust the CO and HC from the gas analyser. Right result.
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Twitter @w0rd5w0rth
1957 Ford Prefect 1965 Austin 1100 4 door 1968 Fiat 500L 1969 Ford Escort Super 1971 Vauxhall Viscount 1974 MGB GT 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier GL 1981 Ford Capri GL 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader 1985 Vauxhall Cavalier L 1987 Austin Maestro City 500 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1L 1988 Volvo 240GL 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth 1991 Fiat 126 BIS 1993 BMW 740i 1997 BMW M3 Evo 1998 Ford Transit Beavertail 2002 MINI Cooper S
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