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Mar 29, 2017 11:22:15 GMT
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Seeing pictures like this make me grateful that I have a 1960's car rather than an 80's car made from thin metal.
You have a long road ahead of you it will be hard work but worth it when done.
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Mar 29, 2017 21:05:44 GMT
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today i took the fluids out of the engine and started stripping the loom off. aim to get it up on the rotisserie by the weekend because, excuse my french, fffuk scrabbling around on the floor fixing this sht.
in the process i found my brand new from vauxhall in 2008 SFI to airflow meter rubber doughnut completely crumbling, then the air cleaner to airflow meter hose fell apart as i undid the hose clips.
then i just zoned out for 15 minutes, staring at the engine going round every single nut, bolt, painted surface, rubber component, union, fitting, noticing they are all absolutely hanging and end of life after what amounts to about 8000 miles and 8 years. then after that just contemplating the point of my existence at all!
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tony28
Part of things
Posts: 34
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Mar 29, 2017 22:52:07 GMT
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That is some impressive rot, I was lucky the inner sill was mostly ok on mine just the rear stiffening section was rotten. Looking forward to the metal work fab to come.  |
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Damn, so sorry to see the Astra having deteriorated like that. I think I would have sat and stared at it too (might have sworn at it once or twice also)
Knowing you, you'll work some metal magic and have it sound once again.
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mattiwagon
Part of things
Just got a work truck
Posts: 445 
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Mar 30, 2017 18:29:48 GMT
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Good luck chap, make it solid for us 🍺😄👍
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Last Edit: Mar 30, 2017 18:30:19 GMT by mattiwagon: Fat fingers
If they cant be nice f**k em!
84 low t25 panel 1.9td beige and rust combo
97 Goped Bigfoot G260RC with clutch conversion
97 Impreza turbo 2000 builders wagon 76k sold
04 Fabia vRs 50mpg pocket rocket
04 battered T5 pickup in blue!
Chainsaws lotsa Chainsaws
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Mar 30, 2017 20:34:54 GMT
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That is some impressive rot, I was lucky the inner sill was mostly ok on mine just the rear stiffening section was rotten. Looking forward to the metal work fab to come. jsut refreshing my memory on your project thread (on the club forum) some good anatomy pictures on yours  don't often get to see what it should look like inside the sills  |
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on thursday i did a couple of hours unplumbing and unwiring the engine  few random shots of decay. sayonara my "new" genuine GM top mounts.  all the alloy parts are blooming  starting at lunch today i stripped the front suspension on both sides  lining up for the engine lift  i dropped the engine down onto a pallet then used the engine crane to lift the car over the engine like wheel barrow. don't be deceived by this picture, the engine weight isnt on the exhaust manifold, theres a bunch of pine blocks, wedges and planks under various areas, the sump, gearbox, engine mounts.  state of play right now. i will bolt on the rotisserie hardware on tomorrow, then use the engine crane to lift each end up.  |
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Last Edit: Apr 1, 2017 19:19:35 GMT by darrenh
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when you open the drivers door there's a thunk noise and the striker is half inch out of alignment  i better weld the sill when the car is upside down  |
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Last Edit: Apr 2, 2017 19:16:54 GMT by darrenh
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tony28
Part of things
Posts: 34
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Amazing how much the body will flex when it's missing some vital structural sections, at least the door will help you get it lined up before repairing the sill. How much of the inner sill do you need to replace?
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Amazing how much the body will flex when it's missing some vital structural sections, at least the door will help you get it lined up before repairing the sill. How much of the inner sill do you need to replace? pretty much front to back. got some other ideas too like adding a full length second inner sill (like the italian built bertone versions) which might help un-astra the handling |
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Amazing how much the body will flex when it's missing some vital structural sections, at least the door will help you get it lined up before repairing the sill. How much of the inner sill do you need to replace? pretty much front to back. got some other ideas too like adding a full length second inner sill (like the italian built bertone versions) which might help un-astra the handling Unastra the handling i have a mk3 so know exactly what you mean. Glad to see it's getting sorted though, can't remember the last time i saw a GATE let alone a 16v. |
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tony28
Part of things
Posts: 34
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pretty much front to back. got some other ideas too like adding a full length second inner sill (like the italian built bertone versions) which might help un-astra the handling Unastra the handling i have a mk3 so know exactly what you mean. Glad to see it's getting sorted though, can't remember the last time i saw a GATE let alone a 16v. Are you thinking of adding some box section or tubing along the length of the inner sill? That should help reduce some flex, I also remember seeing some other chassis mods on rally cars that might be worth doing while you have it on the spit. Will look stock still but will definitely make it handle better. |
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Unastra the handling i have a mk3 so know exactly what you mean. Glad to see it's getting sorted though, can't remember the last time i saw a GATE let alone a 16v. Are you thinking of adding some box section or tubing along the length of the inner sill? That should help reduce some flex, I also remember seeing some other chassis mods on rally cars that might be worth doing while you have it on the spit. Will look stock still but will definitely make it handle better. right you are on the box/tubing, i only have a plan in my head so far and the materials to do it, but loosely based on what "BenH" did on the astra forum. if it were the track day car the roll cage would supersede most of its usefulness, but as this is stealth road going car i think its worth it. yeah will also add some of the FISA chassis /suspension mods |
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i got some updates! spent most of today cutting further and further into the car trying to find some silver metal, rather than the brown type.  yuck! this is the jacking point, it used to be a sandwich of 2mm steel at the back, 1.2 mm steel that is the inner sill, then 2mm steel reinforcement. i can swing this back and fourth by hand, eek.  sliced the whole lot off, but kept it for reference when fabricating new bits.  then i huffed and puffed the 8 foot by 4 foot sheet of 2mm steel from the front of the garage, drew out a new plan for jacking point, cut it out, then "folded" it in the vice. basically bashing the angles with a club hammer and bolster chisel over the jaws. i don't have a folder   buzzed that onto the inner inner inner inner inner inner innermost inner sill (which is actually the chassis rail and beam mount)  next will be a strip of 1.2 or 1.6mm steel the entire length of the car to make a new inner sill, this is just a metre ruler to demonstrate. then i will have to fold some strips to 90 degrees to replace the floor pan to inner sill.  this is the 1.6mm U channel i intend to weld into the sill cavity. the top flanges of the U channel will be plug welded to the top of the chassis rail (where the carpet trim screws into) and also be bracketed to the jacking points, welded to the C pillar skin, the seat cross member, and also the A pillar jacking point.   this picture just shows where the top flanges of the U channel will plug weld from the cabin side. the screw holes you can see are where the carpet plastic edge trim fixes. bigger hole is where the front seat belt anchor bar pokes through  |
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,329
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Wow. Just read the entire thread, and realised I posted on page one back in 2012! I owned my rusty old Cav GSi at the time, which I've since sold, and has been restored by the currently owner, fortunately.
Scary to see how much yours has crumbled in a relatively short space of time, but great that you're going for gold now. After reading a LOT of threads on welding, fabrication and restoration on various forums, the key ingredient seems to be De-Ox rust converter, decent zinc weld-thru primer on any surfaces due to be welded, and then a quality rust preventative waxoyl type product (Bilt Hamber is excellent iirc). I wonder if a lot of your rot could have been stemmed if this had been done?
On an aside, great work on the driveway! I could really do with doing the same on ours, but am nervous about making a mess of it, or it costing way more than planned if I don't get material quantities something like it.
Keep up the great work!
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melle
South West
It'll come out in the wash.
Posts: 2,010
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I'm not sure if you're brave or just crazy putting so much work into a mundane Astra, but you surely don't lack dedication! Keep up the good work!
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www.saabv4.com'70 Saab 96 V4 "The Devil's Own V4" '77 Saab 95 V4 van conversion project '88 Saab 900i 8V
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,617
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Glad to see it getting caring attention again. 'Mundane' cars will invariably have far more importance to more people, yet survival rates are usually shockingly low since they are taken for granted until it is too late, & can often make them harder to fix & source parts for since there's more love than money involved.
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After reading a LOT of threads on welding, fabrication and restoration on various forums, the key ingredient seems to be De-Ox rust converter, decent zinc weld-thru primer on any surfaces due to be welded, and then a quality rust preventative waxoyl type product (Bilt Hamber is excellent iirc). I wonder if a lot of your rot could have been stemmed if this had been done? thanks for the comments absolutely agree on the preventative measures. my biggest mistake out of my whole ownership was not letting the body shop replace the sills, mainly because they were replaced a year before i bought it, a little bit of ignorance and denial maybe, and it was a bit before i could weld, or be brave enough to get this far into a shell ! I'm not sure if you're brave or just crazy putting so much work into a mundane Astra, but you surely don't lack dedication! Keep up the good work! oi! this is the flagship sports model i have you know! i take it on the chin though, i know what you mean, not much love for the kadett in terms of hot hatch history, way down the pecking order in terms of desirability. people tripping over themselves to buy a "mundane" mk3 escort for 10k+ though, because it has RS in the name, weird isnt it ! more of a contemporary of the 1.8 mk2 gte though Glad to see it getting caring attention again. 'Mundane' cars will invariably have far more importance to more people, yet survival rates are usually shockingly low since they are taken for granted until it is too late, & can often make them harder to fix & source parts for since there's more love than money involved. astras are definitely bottom of the heap in terms of appreciation and prices (well maybe 1 above an uno turbo ) how many left say there are just over 500 gte 16v left now, out of tens of thousands that were made. rarity doesnt equal desirable though, that i know all about |
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Last Edit: Apr 9, 2017 8:12:50 GMT by darrenh
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earlier on i welded a new strip of 1.4mm to replace the entire inner sill, 53 inches in one go !! (gaaw matron)  penetration from the backside. (smirk)  plug welded it to the new jacking point  then i man handled some more 2mm steel to make a new "thingy", not sure what this is actually for, maybe a trolly jack point, rather than the roadside scissor jack point ?  then plug welded that to the inner sill (and indirectly the chassis rail above) can see here i also added the little scissor jack notch (if youve never used the scissor jack in the boot it has a little lug to locate in that notch)  not much else to report, but i did do this video of the opposite inner sill just to show you the extent of the rot. now, baring in mind this had an MOT that expired only 3 years ago ! |
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Love it.
Always fancied a black one.
Should have bought one when decent ones were £500.
I did all my 2mm chassis sections with a bolster in the vice. I left the jaws open an inch or two then used the bolster and a club hammer to beat the folds in between the open jaws.
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don't often get to see what it should look like inside the sills 
i better weld the sill when the car is upside down 
