Calypso Red GTE

[djshaggeh]

A few people have been asking me to start a project thread for this car so here goes.

I spotted a post on here by Benn (big thank you btw:thumb:) saying someone please buy this GTE. So sure enough I did. I've been after a GTE/GSi for a little while and could never afford one and this one came up cheap so I had to get it.

I went on Friday evening and even missed my radio set which I haven't missed in the 2-3 years. I bought the car and got it home. Saturday morning I woke up and went outside for a closer inspection and to get some pics and here they are if you haven't aready seen them.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00036-1.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00037.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00038.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00039.jpg

MMmmm that exhuast.... :roll:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00042.jpg

Drivers doors a bit rusty, nothing too bad though.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00043.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00045.jpg

I dont know if you can see in the pics, but it has had both the rear arches done. Unfortuantley its not the best job in the world as it hasn't been flatted and filled properly and you can see a couple of scabby bits on both arches.

[WBC]

That would be rust coming back through :(
Good project though fella ;)

[djshaggeh]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00044.jpg

Passenger door is in good nick.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00047.jpg

Battery tray looks ok.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00048.jpg

A patch in the inner wing.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00050.jpg

Engine bay generally isn't too bad, although its been ****ed about with as the injector rail isn't bolted down.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00051.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00052.jpg

Theres a couple of patches of rust in the boot, it hasnt gone through yet. there is also another patch of welding thats been done on the passeger side wheel arch.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00054.jpg

Oil pressure guage and millage doesn't work.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00055.jpg

No bolster wear on the driver or passenger seat :)

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00056.jpg

Rear bench is in pretty good nick although there is a fag burn I noticed today.

[jpga]

awesome gte fella suprised at the seat ?? bit of tlc and that will be extremely sought after .... good work!!!!

[Benn]

That's cool dude, i was linked to it by a friend, oil pressure is from not being pluged in to the sender iirc.

Still quite a clear car and a good bay for 400notes.

[djshaggeh]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00057.jpg

Both the novas together :)

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00058.jpg

This thing was ****ing stupid so I got my hands dirty and got the ****er off. Anyone got a use for it? If not its going in the bin!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00059.jpg

This is a bit more like it! Its a eurosports exhaust off the miami blue nova (Jeremy).

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00060.jpg

When I changed the ehxuast I noticed the lowering spring had relocated itself, so I sorted that out too. The eurosports exhaust stuck out a bit too far as it wasnt designed to fit the powerflow centre section. So today I took it to my mates house (thanks farmer tom) and we whipped it off and chopped down the tailpipe and rewelded it back on retaining the rolled tip. I haven't got any pics coz the missus had my phone.

But then it decided to stall on the way home and wouldn't start back up. Great! So I called out the AA and Jimbob-Mcgrew (taf) and did some fault finding on the side of the road. Turns out the ignition module and the coil have **** themselves, thus not giving any sparky, sparky and making the car not run. I aint no mechanic so I've explained that in lamens terms. Either that or the AA man was bull****ting?

Luckly the car is only 5 mins walk away from my house and my best friend works at the local motor factors so tommorow I'll walk down there and by a new ingnition module and possibly a coil. If it hasn't been stolen.

Enjoy, comments welcome!

[djshaggeh]

oil pressure is from not being pluged in to the sender iirc

Yeah, thats what the prevoius owner said, although I always take anything like that with a pinch of salt til I've seen it with my own eyes.

I did do a few miles today and I'm very thankful it broke down where it did as I was miles from home. Really great fun to drive, not amazingly quick but plenty of fun and I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time.

[Ernie]

i love calypso red ones.
Nice catch mate.

[djshaggeh]

Thanks Ernie, its only down to Benn that I got it though. He better watch himself coz if I ever meet him I'm going to give him a big sloppy kiss and a man hug!

[djshaggeh]

Over the next week I'm going to slap these buggers on and put the astra GTE brakes on from the XE. I would keep it original and stick with the 3 spokes but one of them has a nail in it and I can't really afford to get it repaired and I'll be able to fit the big brakes although I'm told the it has a tigra setup and to be fair it stops pretty quick.

[djshaggeh]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00181.jpg

[Joe Richardson]

Good luck with it mate:thumb:

[auzzy-b]

NICE i think GTE's look well good! and the colour really suits it:thumb:

[djshaggeh]

Thanks for the comments people :)

Hopefully I get it running tommorow and I'll get cracking with with it. I have a friend (yes - dont be so suprized lol) with a very good camera who's going to get a few arty farty shots for me.

[djshaggeh]

Thankfully it hadn't been nicked, so I got off to the local motor factors and got an ignition module (£40 - robbing *******s and that was with discount).

I got back to the car and fitted on the side of the road and drove it back to my house.

I changed the coil too for some old skool one someone gave to me years ago, seems to run a little better.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/53.jpg

Pinched the clear indicators from a mates SR, shhh I haven't told him yet!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/55.jpg

Swapped the calipers for astra GTE items and changed the alloys for the cav slabs. One of the back ones is rubbing so I'll file it back tommorow.

[djshaggeh]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/54.jpg

Exhuast looks alot better too.

[twistysnovagte]

this thread is so teasing me:( mine is just holed up in the bosses yard felling sorry for its-self,but what this thread does actualy do,is everytime it pops up and i see your motor(which imo looks much better already with the slabs on)is gives me inspiration to crack on with mine.
so today i got to front wings rubbed down ready for primer(although im not to keen as there is very slight rust on the insides of them!?!?!,,thinking of getting two from beevers tbh),
anyway few pics of mine atm and in its prime;

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa168/twist6151/DSCF1663.jpg?t=1250533914
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa168/twist6151/DSCF1664.jpg?t=1250533952
how i want her looking again!
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa168/twist6151/DSCF0311.jpg?t=1250534055
hope you dont mind me putting a few pics on your thread,but as i say,yours is now giving me little tingles of how it "used to be":thumb:

[djshaggeh]

Of course not twisty, I'm very difficult to motivate. The only reason I have been motivated is because this car is new to me and the novalty will soon wear off. So i figure get stuff done before that happens!

I've got an XE project thats been sat there for about a year just because I'm lazy lol

[tahir868]

really like the look of this mate..really smart ;)

[Ernie]

will this help ?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/chunny01/GTE/005.jpg
Hummmmm...

[novalovingned]

Cracking colour and it doesnt look in to bad a condition. Please sort that mud flap :)

[djshaggeh]

Looking good there Ernie, although can't stand them alloys (allesios or whatever, yuck)!

Well spotted ned, its been pissing me off too, I had a few comments much the same from friends.

The alloys are scrubbing and its beginning to annoy me. Ive got too options:

Lower it less, the other suspension I have is better but is only 40mm.
Or
Put the 3 spokes back on and change the brakes back to the tigra setup.

I think the car is pinking under heavy load too, so I'm going to put a timing gun on there and cheak it for air leaks at the weekend. Also the oil pressure guage seems to have its only little rave so I'm guessing the spade connector is loose again. Not to forget about the fuel guage that seems to have alzheimers.

Don't you just love novas, they keep you on your toe's?

[djshaggeh]

Right, small update.

I got the car running sweet eventually and changed the shocks from G-Whizz to Apex and its much, much better. I cut back the arches with a grinder because I'm a bodge artist and rust is already coming through. My bosses dad runs a bodyshop so I've got him to get me a price on new arches and a spray.

I put on 2 Goodyear F1s on the front. Got them for £95 brand new :) one of the only perks of being a tyre fitter!

I also broke the XE nova and aquired some twin 40s in the process. I bought a manifold from Lee on here, cheers Lee! I've just been paid so I need a few bits for the 40s like jets and gaskets etc. Before they go on.

I have a new rear splitter thingy on the way for the rear bumper as the previous owner had butchered the one on there to fit his dust bin exhaust.

i'll get some pics up tommorow :) Thanks for reading.

[djshaggeh]

Pics are a bit late, but here they are non the less. Since then I have sprayed the skirts satin black. Just need the bottom of the front and rear bumper sprayed the same colour.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00118.jpg

Before.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00133.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00137.jpg

and the after shots are a little dark, stupid phone! I'll try and get some with the missus camera.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/djshaggeh/DSC00081.jpg

and the webers :)

[twistysnovagte]

i sold my calypso red gte over the weekend!

but your is looking well,although i dont quite agree with the skirts being painted!auto glym bumper care ftw!

looks a clean car though tbh:thumb:

[djshaggeh]

I nearly cried when I saw the for sale thread tbh twisty :(

The car looks clean in the dark ;) as for the skirts I think they look ok, I haven't quite decided yet. I will get some better pics up.