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Sept 24, 2015 10:16:32 GMT
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Bit of a cheat this, but I'm hoping it will provide a little entertainment... I have been meaning to dig these photos out of the loft years ago and put up my earliest documented build thread, there was a lada and a mazda 323 before this one but no photos taken of either. Bear in mind there was very little aftermarket, no internet, no ebay and no forums - but in much the same fashion as today I had to make do with the wrong tools, no money and advice from equally clueless mates.  Cast your mind back (if you can) to the summer of 1990, snap and technotronic are blasting out of the radio cue wavy linesMy first car, a 1200S mk 1 Astra, I passed my test in this one - really wish I still had it It needed a couple of patches on the sill, using some ghetto car ramps a borrowed mig with pub gas got the patches attached, bet the welding was hideous. I'd previously rebuilt the drivers side inner wing with lots of little patches using my arc welder and 1.6mm rods - guess I must have kept blowing holes or discovering more rust as I seem to remember putting on 20+ patches, no picture of this though.  It must have needed and exhaust repair, at some stage I welded on a piece of stainless tube to the tailpipe and knocked it into a square shape to try and replicate the back box on the GSI? mk2 astra  |
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Sept 24, 2015 12:03:33 GMT
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A man with my own take on health and safety, i love it lol
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retrolegends
Club Retro Rides Member
Winging it.....Since 1971.
Posts: 3,719
Club RR Member Number: 94
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Sept 24, 2015 12:13:03 GMT
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Where can I get a set of those axle stands???
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1974 Hillman Avenger 1500DL1992 Volvo 240SE1975 Datsun Cherry 100a flying custard1965 Hillman SuperMinx Rock N Roller1974 Austin Allegrat Mk1 1.3SDL1980 Austin Allegro Mk3 1.3L1982 Austin Allegro Mk3 on banded steels2003 Saab 9-3 Convertible 220bhp TurboNutter1966 Morris Minor 1000 (Doris) 2019 Abarth 595C Turismo (not retro but awesome fun) www.facebook.com/DatsunCherry100a |
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andy-v
Part of things
i like cookies :D
Posts: 358 
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Sept 24, 2015 12:28:46 GMT
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Where can I get a set of those axle stands??? ebay sell em  |
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Sept 24, 2015 12:42:02 GMT
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For some unknown reason I painted the inside of the car with emulsion, probably because it is what was lying around - I had just bought one of those wagner electric spray guns which cost around £12, maybe I did the emulsion to see what it painted like???  Looks like I may have used proper primer - on top of emulsion? on the outside though  I noticed in the background that at this point my parents didn't have a garage, so it will have sat outside like this for a little while.... I distinctly remember sitting in the car at some stage and watching a wasp fly in and disappear down the hole in the centre of the steering column, and then come back out again. It then proceeded to fly in and out with bits of leaves and take them down inside the column, it did this a few times until it's path became mysteriously blocked with a strip of masking tape. It buzzed around for a bit before buzzing off |
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Sept 24, 2015 12:43:51 GMT
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Some time must have passed, because there is a now a garage built at my parents house  And for some reason I've fitted the windows back in so I can mask them off - gawd knows why??? I can only think that I'd seen cars being sprayed and they had always been masked up so that's the way you are supposed to do it???  |
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Sept 24, 2015 13:12:11 GMT
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I distinctly remember sitting in the car at some stage and watching a wasp fly in and disappear down the hole in the centre of the steering column, and then come back out again. It then proceeded to fly in and out with bits of leaves and take them down inside the column, it did this a few times until it's path became mysteriously blocked with a strip of masking tape. It buzzed around for a bit before buzzing off Were you, by any chance partial to the occasional herbal cigarette at this time? |
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Sept 24, 2015 14:34:44 GMT
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no internet in 1990, but there was a PMC advert in just about every magazine except womans own  also lol at 808 state and KLF on the radio |
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Last Edit: Sept 24, 2015 14:36:22 GMT by darrenh
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Sept 24, 2015 14:47:05 GMT
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Were you, by any chance partial to the occasional herbal cigarette at this time? You see how the thread pans out and draw your own conclusions.... Not sure what this photo was supposed to show, maybe the fact I'd bought decent thinners rather than the gunwash I use now  Looks like dad was storing a sack of potatoes in the garage, bet they tasted good after soaking up plenty of overspray. Time to get some paint, there was some stuff called re-paint that was aimed at DIY car work and supposed to be applied with a brush and give great results, I couldn't find any in the local shop so bought 3 litres of tractor enamel. It went on just fine,   yellow, though boy george referred to it as 'gold' |
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Sept 24, 2015 14:48:38 GMT
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Back in the day there was 'Vauxhall Sport', the factory race cars used three coloured stripes, a theme that was carried over to the 'hot' production models similar to the M-sport logo BMW use. The BTCC car  I was intending on doing something similar, but betterer, moar indervidjual.  That hand print left on the wall was wet dust from rubbing down the emulsion, it's still on the wall 25 years later It was sprayed, though I appear to have brush marks, I don't recall any flatting between coats though.  More 'colour coding' - it was all the rage  Even painted the new garage floor for my dad, which was good of me. Note the perfect prep on the front valance, yep no stone left unturned, attention to detail and all that - this wasn't some kind of lash-up bodge job. |
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Sept 24, 2015 21:32:52 GMT
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Masking up for the final stripe  And painted   |
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lightyearman
Part of things
GYJDM - Grimsby based Japanese car club - Find us on Facebook
Posts: 639
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Sept 24, 2015 21:35:38 GMT
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I absolutely love this. Nostalgic, ambitous and a middle finger salute to health and safety haha
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'89 Honda CRX siR Glassroof Flint black fully restored track beasty
'90 Nissan S13 Pignose - pass the mig wire
'86 Mini - matt orange, 13" Wellers, Project 2018
'97 LDV Convoy home built camper/tramper van
'04 Saab 9-5 Aero HOT. Anyone want it?
'91 Honda VFR400 NC30 17,000 km from new
'87 Honda XR80 4 stroke baby crosser
'03 Mini Cooper S - honestly, they are fun...
'15 VW T5.1 LWB daily brick
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,329
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Sept 24, 2015 22:29:16 GMT
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Ah, recognise the username from swdubs - have been enjoying your previous mk2 Golf gti resto and current T4 work. Astra looks very 'period' - early one as well with round headlights. Want.
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Sept 25, 2015 7:28:47 GMT
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this is awesome! brings back happy memories for me - i started in 1993 with a ripspeed catalogue and a red vauxall nova 1.3sr - tinted black rear lights, tsw phoenix 3 spokes and a cherry bomb exhaust held on with a coat hanger
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Sept 25, 2015 8:02:57 GMT
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Ah, recognise the username from swdubs - have been enjoying your previous mk2 Golf gti resto and current T4 work. Astra looks very 'period' - early one as well with round headlights. Want. Yeah I want as well, shame it was cubed at least 10 years ago  We didn't have alloy wheels back in the early 90s, this pre-dates the ubiquitous three spoke TSW. well there were alloys out there, but not very commonplace and certainly not in my budget, cavalier hub caps for me, colour coded of course.  |
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Sept 25, 2015 8:05:20 GMT
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Finally out into the light  She's a looker, no-one did lowering back then  The vauxhall rastra  Bonnet was another arrow straight panel The standard period mods - Goodmans FDSS shelf mounts, fog light as hi level brake light and radio one sticker - obviously the formula shell sunstrip and the four bar highway flasher (anyone remember them?) were yet to be fitted... It stayed like that for about two weeks until there was a bit of a problem with a stone wall on a narrow back lane  Note that with all the colour coding - I forgot the mirrors |
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Sept 25, 2015 9:43:05 GMT
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I just sat here and read this thread from the start and am in a fit of laughter!
Brilliant!
I remember idolising a young guy who lived up the road from my nan when I was a kid, he had a MK2 GTE with a Rattlesnake body kit on it (Escort Cosworth style whale tail on the back, circa Max Power 1992).
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retrolegends
Club Retro Rides Member
Winging it.....Since 1971.
Posts: 3,719
Club RR Member Number: 94
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Sept 25, 2015 15:04:49 GMT
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Haha love it, reminds me of my Escort Mk2 XR1 1/2 I had in the early nineties, 1100 engine with a 1300 gearbox, it was a real ball of fire!
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1974 Hillman Avenger 1500DL1992 Volvo 240SE1975 Datsun Cherry 100a flying custard1965 Hillman SuperMinx Rock N Roller1974 Austin Allegrat Mk1 1.3SDL1980 Austin Allegro Mk3 1.3L1982 Austin Allegro Mk3 on banded steels2003 Saab 9-3 Convertible 220bhp TurboNutter1966 Morris Minor 1000 (Doris) 2019 Abarth 595C Turismo (not retro but awesome fun) www.facebook.com/DatsunCherry100a |
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Sept 25, 2015 21:38:44 GMT
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Keep it coming. This is brilliant!
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Sept 26, 2015 1:01:13 GMT
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Did you consider painting half the front wheel trims yellow?  |
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