Project: Mexico Red Cavalier SRi

[Nova_Tek]

Yes I know, it's not a Nova but I know for sure that there are a fair few Cavalier lovers here on PNG and I know what some of you may be thinking... another project before finishing the Nova?

Well this project is a bit different... it's my dad's 1989 MK3 Cavalier SRi 2.0 8v (SEH) in Mexico Red. It has been a daily runner for the past 20 years but has been off the road in the last few months to get it's mechanicals sorted.

The time has come for it to get it's bodywork sorted. Looking past the oxidised paint, the panles (all original GM panels from the factory) are actually rust free bar a couple 5 pence piece sized bubbled paint on one of the doors and a few car park dings (which tbh most have happaned in the last year). Of course, no Cavalier would be a Cavalier without the rusty crusty rear arches, what do you expect for 180k miles?

The slightly more serious work will be on the floor. There are a few holes and crusty areas around the floor and one of the chassis legs has just started to show small areas of corrosion so they'll be addressed before it gets past the point of recovery.

The aim of the project will be to completely sort out all the rust on the body and underneath, fully paint the exterior, replace vinyls, underseal the underside.

It will be repainted in original Mexico Red.

I'll stop typing and show some pics of it. Some of you have probably seen a few photo's I've uploaded previously, but they were a good few years back when the car was looking a lot fresher. It's looking a bit tired now but can't wait for it to be revitalised.

(Ignore the wheels they were spares we had while the Fan blades (the one fitted is the spare) were being refurbed)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4281/1002126i.jpg

All straight down the front
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/169/1002138t.jpg

All straight round the booty
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2261/1002125k.jpg

Driver side rear arch looking shot
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/4897/1002127tb.jpg

And the passenger side rear arch, with a hole into the boot (those are speed holes lol)
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9911/1002128e.jpg

Straight down the sides. Bit of a ding on the front wing and a scrape under the indicator but no rust!
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/4466/1002129f.jpg

Ahhh, now here's some excitement :eek: (passenger footwell)
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2517/1002130p.jpg

Bit more...
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5468/1002131h.jpg

And some more under the padding
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/7372/1002132lf.jpg

Driver footwell. Will be tackled when the sound deadening has been removed.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/8348/1002133lr.jpg

Stripped out interior bar driver seat and dash
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/6990/1002136ys.jpg

Rusticles on the rear passenger floor.
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/8417/1002134d.jpg

Inside the boot, passenger side, rear arch (speed holes)
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9663/1002135p.jpg

[Nova_Tek]

A few pics from when the Fan Blades were being refurbed.

A few coats of primer
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3638/29032010082.jpg

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/5135/29032010083.jpg

In the oven after paint and laquer
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/33/29032010084.jpg

The Cav will be picked up by one of the lads at the bodyshop (same shop that did the Nova).

No real time frame has been set but I guess that we'll be discussing this tomorrow.

:thumb:

[General Baxter]

bin it lol

[JaysNova]

I had a white mk3 SRi xe with fanblades and loved it! There good cars hope it turns out good mate. Are you keepin it the same colour??

[Nova_Tek]

bin it lol

How dare you speak in that way of a Cavalier lol

Binning it was a consideration when my dad saw the rust on the floor but the chap at the bodyshop said it was easily saveable and he's restored and taxed a lot worse lol


I had a white mk3 SRi xe with fanblades and loved it! There good cars hope it turns out good mate. Are you keepin it the same colour??

Yes mate, it's staying Mexico Red, will look lush with fresh paint on it... originality is the key ;)

[Smiffy1203]

nice bit of rust there :/

[shed-on-wheels]

looking good dude cant wait to see this will it be another show stoper like the nova?

[Nova_Tek]

nice bit of rust there :/

I'll sure miss it though ;)


looking good dude cant wait to see this will it be another show stoper like the nova?

Hopefully so matey. This will be finished much quicker though, as mechanicals are all done, engine is running sweet, new shocks all round, exhaust is practically new, replacement front seats and door cards ready to go in, wheels re-frubed and new tyres. It just needs new decals you see on the exterior and a new grey carpet. All those will go in after paint.

It's gonna be special.

[Derick-Sport]

love this thread already!!!!

[shed-on-wheels]

^+1 on that derick and your plans sound good tek keep it up and dont loose faith in the nova!!

[Nova_Tek]

love this thread already!!!!

You need rep ;)


^+1 on that derick and your plans sound good tek keep it up and dont loose faith in the nova!!

Cheers fella, the plans are simple but will be effective. There aren't many of these early SRi loons about so keeping it as close to how it left the factory will make it stand out.

I see how much attention my brothers Nova SR when out and about so this should see the same respect :)

I'm not loosing faith in the Nova, just need to take some time off work to get that one sorted.

[Pancho]

you do know it should have steelies and trims as its a pre facelift sri, only the post 1992 facelifts had fanblades. use to work on these when they were new....

[Nova_Tek]

Yes I know, those are in the garage with the trims but the Fan Blades were left over from my bros 16v SRi and it suited the 8v so they stayed on. If the car ever goes to shows then the trims may go back on but as a road car we'll stick with the alloys.

[Spudly]

Oooh looks like you have the floor looms for heated seats there ya jammy git, switch loom will be up the middle of the dash around the heat/stereo area:thumb:

Cant beat a good cav SRi, although i muchly prefer the 16v ones (XE ftw:p)


lol

[nova_niek]

nice bit of rust there :/
You can say that again! Looks like you have your work cut out for you. :eek:

Our Seat Ibiza daily has much less rust than that but failed MoT last week nonetheless... Bollocks!

Good luck!
Niek

P.S. Mexico Red is the way forward! Yeehaa! :thumb::thumb::thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Oooh looks like you have the floor looms for heated seats there ya jammy git, switch loom will be up the middle of the dash around the heat/stereo area:thumb:

Cant beat a good cav SRi, although i muchly prefer the 16v ones (XE ftw:p)


lol

Yeah, got the wiring for the seats, shame the seats aren't heated. Never seen any Grey cloth Cav seats heated. I busted my balls to get the same grey cloth seats replaced, so finding them in heated guise would be a right ballache.

Think the loom is present around there as I was once looking for the trip computer loom plug but never found it (but did come acorss something else).


You can say that again! Looks like you have your work cut out for you. :eek:

Our Seat Ibiza daily has much less rust than that but failed MoT last week nonetheless... Bollocks!

Good luck!
Niek

P.S. Mexico Red is the way forward! Yeehaa! :thumb::thumb::thumb:

Mexico Red FTW indeed :)

I recently had a look underneath and didn't notice any of the stuff that I saw inside the cabin (apart from the obvious holes). Problem with the Cav is that it leaked from the heater matrix for quite a while before we notcied it and the padding around the front footwell was damp and there is a tiny leak in the boot right where the rear arch is so it was rusting from inside and out. It'll be a case of fix the rust and get it all sealed up.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

A small update - the car is still with us and hasn't gone off to the bodyshop as the lads have had a few insurance jobs to sort out on priority. Should be off in the next few days.

In the mean time I've been looking for bits that will be needed and come across one of the decals that will be removed. Vauxhall don't stock any of the decals on the Cav but I got this on ebay the other day, original GM still in it's packaging unopened :d

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3599/09032011506.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6418/09032011505.jpg

:)

[Derick-Sport]

sweet dude. be amazing when its back from the bodyshop, id love another cav sri but my insurance wouldnt!

cheeky pic whore of my old one :)

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg315/kendal-dean/Image057.jpg

[Nova_Tek]

Looks good mate. Looks like you got the facelift bumpers on it.

[NOV4_SPORT]

Looking good, like the new name for rusty holes lol, speed holes lol.

iain

[Derick-Sport]

Looks good mate. Looks like you got the facelift bumpers on it.


it was a facelift nreg, ecotec :roll:

[shed-on-wheels]

looks like your still on it then fella keep it up :)

[Nova_Tek]

Won another vital part for the resto on eBay today which is NLS at Vaux and rare as hens teeth. Will be posting up pics when I get them.

[shed-on-wheels]

cool get some ics up dude lol

[maddogdaz666]

giz a clue then!

[Nova_Tek]

No new pics to add yet, need to wait till things start to take some and he bits I got off eBay will probably arrive late next week, probably.

Clue is decal but won't say what one (tbh anyone with good cav knowledge knows what decals there are on them and figure it out like that lol )

[maddogdaz666]

ok, ive had cav's but only 1 sri and 4 gsi's,

[Nova_Tek]

You'll find out soon. Some people may thing 'meh' but I busted my plums trying to find/design them, so finding and winning the bid was very exciting lol

[shed-on-wheels]

sri 130 decals?

[Nova Baz]

i would say that as well^

[Nova_Tek]

Good guess, along the right lines but the 'SRI130' aren't actually on the Cav Mk3.

[shed-on-wheels]

nope they are on the mk2 i just clicked on

[Nova_Tek]

^ Exactly mate.

You'll see when I get the pics :p

[brainsnova]

I bet the seal on the blower motor was letting water in

[Nova_Tek]

I've haven't checked yet but cheers for that dude. I shall have a look see :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Oh well... looks like my excitement was premature. Got an email the other day saying the bits were gonna be posted and now another one saying that they've 'lost' the items :mad:

Looks like I've now gotta go back to Plan A and give my designs to a signwriter to get them done. And there's me looking forward to getting genuine GM ones that are rare as rocking horse poo :(

[shed-on-wheels]

ohh god so now can i here what they are lol sri ones i bet

[pie]

they had the sri 130 n the sri ones at spare's day fella

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mmoGRCK2cf8ng8qa5EXbWXA/140.jpg

[Nova_Tek]

ohh god so now can i here what they are lol sri ones i bet

lol


they had the sri 130 n the sri ones at spare's day fella

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mmoGRCK2cf8ng8qa5EXbWXA/140.jpg

It's not them ones dude, even rarerer lol

It's this one
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/369/1001910m.jpg

Have only ever found one set of these and the were on eBay. Doubt I'll find them for a while.

[Derick-Sport]

get them made up by that picture, perfect size

[Nova_Tek]

I've already put that pic through photoshop and made it into a vector image ready for a signwriter but was pleased to find a genuine decal.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Grabbed another bargain off eBay. I decided to get these bits as I'm pretty much getting what I can lay my hands on as these particalr bits are thin on the ground.

These aren't genuine but a good copy. The 'SRI' decal won't be used as it's not the correct one but I'm going to get that particular one made up.

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/6154/1002142e.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7651/1002143y.jpg

There's been a bit of a delay in the car being picked up due to 2 customers that haven't picked up their cars :mad: . And as the lads have only a small garage they have been unable to come get it as there's no where safe to park it.

Shouldn't be too long now lol At least it's given me time to get a hold of some rare bits and the weather has imroved drying any moisture.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

A small but important pivotal update... the lads come and picked up the Cav today :d The game has begun lol

Will be popping over to the garage to have a detailed chat with the lads as to what we needs done.

Should get some snaps too :)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

I got in from work and decided to do some odd bits for my Nova but saw a couple bits that I could do for the Cav at the same time.

As the first thing you'll see when you look at the Cav is the face of it, I decided the headlamp wipers needed attention. I actually love these wipers on the early Cavs. They give the front end that extra bit of detail which just makes it that bit more aggresive.

This is how they came off, reasonable condition considering thy're 22 years old (excuse the bad pic):
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/5629/25042011535.jpg

Gave them a good rub down with 240grit and 600grit wet and dry and got them to this stage
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/7849/25042011537.jpg

Gave them a wipe, and a couple coats of primer, let thet dry, rubbed it down, gave a nother wipe with some spirits and applied a good three coats of satin black.

This is how they came out, yumm:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/9043/25042011538.jpg

After popping to Vauxhall to ask about a few bits I made my way to the lads at the garage. They've just started working on the Cav so should see some progression soon, can't wait.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Now that the bank holidays are finally over everyone can get back to work finishing things lol

Made a quick trip to the lads at the bodyshop to see what was what. Good news is that they've started doing some work on the Cav.

Here's a few snaps (phone camera so not the best quality):
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/2649/imag01450.jpg

Body mouldings on the bumper on the way to be taken off, a lot of the front end removed.

Shot of the rear. The Cav has been hit in the rear at lease three times so naturally it's not exactly dead straight. Got a bit of a kink on the left corner under the left hand lights. Some corrosion around the lip of the boot mought, where the rubber sits on.
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/8123/imag0146r.jpg

But more of the impact from all the previous hits have made a bit more of a dent on the driver side
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/1021/imag0147g.jpg

All the door mouldings (bump strips) will be coming off as a couple of them have started anyway but I'll have to look for some new door mouldings as they may not fit back dead straight. Wonder if Vauxhall stil do 'em?

I'm looking forward to some more progress soon :)

[craig green]

That actually looks pretty straight & strong for having had 3 rear end whacks! Some chain & a pr of mole grips should pull that seam 90% back out.

Nice project, keep at it.

[Nova_Tek]

Yeah it's done well, the lads will be pulling it back out :)

Just hope I can find new door strips.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Made use of a bit of time to get a couple things sorted for the Cav. Good thing about this project is that pretty much everything is ready, here and waiting to go in, unlike my Nova project which is pretty much like doing it from scratch.

One of the things that needed a bit of attention was the speaker grilles for the rear shelf. Sitting in view of sunlight hadn't done much good so it was in need bringing back to life.

Here's how it looked, the foam under the grille totally shot
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/9092/1002263b.jpg

Taking them apart was a breeze. This was the state of the plastic, all dry, stained and discoloured
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1688/1002253r.jpg

Gave the plastic a good going over with PVC polishing cream (slightly abrasive) and then a wash with detergent which left it like this
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/2184/1002256w.jpg

Next was the foam. I had some thin yellow foam in the garage but it was obviously the wrong colour, so I whipped out the black spray, cut it roughly into shape and down to size, then gave it a few coats on both sides. Great thing was that it dries instantly.

Before
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7610/1002257e.jpg

After.
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/7721/1002258l.jpg

I then masked up the grille surround so I could coat the middle with spray glue to stick the foam on.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/1284/1002259a.jpg

Once done, I refitted the metal grille after a good clean and hey presto...
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/4084/1002260k.jpg

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/631/1002262w.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/8049/1002264o.jpg

Two clean and new looking speaker grilles for when these bad boys get put back in :d

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/2731/1002265v.jpg

17cm Sony components, good power and very good low end frequency compared to the original items. Give a good all-round sound together with the door speakers and uprated tweeters in the dash. No need for a sub to be honest so the car looks even more un-messed with ;)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Continuing where I left off yesterday.

The rear shelf needed a couple more things sorted before it was totally done. The foam around the shelf slots and some of the padding for the shelf itself was worn out so they were on the list.

Here's how it looked
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5628/1002266t.jpg

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2206/1002267zg.jpg

^ You can see the black foam has crumbled over the years and the padding along the edges isn't all there. The foam pads in the middle were put in by me as the above speakers move more and occasionally touched the speaker grille.

Used the same technique as I did for the grilles, cut two strips of foam roughly into shape and size, lightly dusted them black, spray glued the shelf and stuck them on. I also added some extra strips around the outer edges of the shelf so that it wouldn't rattle.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5184/1002268dc.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5401/1002269un.jpg

A view from the topside
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/1492/1002270x.jpg

I then put the grilles back in
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2402/1002271jm.jpg

Didn't have time to pop to the bodyshop but hope to do so tomorrow, if I'm lucky there'll be some progress :)

:thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Had a bit of spare time again so I wanted to get done what I started last week. Nothing major but would've looked out of place if not done.
The headlamp wiper rests and the wiper blade holders were all in a crap state.

Here's how they were:
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/6042/1002280m.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/452/1002281b.jpg

The usual rubbing down with 400grit wet and dry, and a clean with hot soapy water got them to this stage:
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4145/1002282vk.jpg

Then a few generous coats of black plastic bumper spray (as it's more resistant to flexing) for the wiper rests, and satin black for the blade holders
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/9239/1002283cm.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6990/1002284k.jpg

then left to dry...

...done... now they match the wiper arms :)
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2196/1002285vf.jpg

All that's really left to do (that I can currently think of) is to clean up all the interior plastic: kick panels, sill panels, centre console, rear quarter glass trim etc. Just wondering what to use as the trim is quite textured and a sponge won't be very useful. I don't wanna use a scouring pad as it'll mess up the plastic.

Anyone recommed anything from experience?

[brainsnova]

I used to use a nail brush to clean the plastics.

[Nova_Tek]

Nail brush? :eek:

Do you know how long that'll take? lol

Will try and use the jet wash with some detergent see if that shifts it :)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Had a short shift at work today so there was some time to do some work. Gave a go at cleaning the inner trim. The dirty ones were the sill panels which were absolutely filthy.

Here's how they looked:
http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/6896/1002292.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6131/1002293k.jpg

Used the pressure water together with spong and detergent. It took a while but the result was pretty good. Here they are while they were drying
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/4991/1002294cp.jpg

Need to pop down and hopefully see some progress at the garage

[Balley]

your attention to detail is amazing!

[Nova_Tek]

Thank you sir!

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

So many things to sort out, so little time!

Some good news though... the chap which was selling the door decals (which he had lost and therefore I couldn't get them) contacted me the other day and said... "I found them" :d

A nice chap too, he said that he'd send them to me and when I got them I could pay him.

Well here they are:
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9380/1002313d.jpg

Can't be many left in the world now as Vauxhall can't get them from anywhere. Need to get some copies made up for future need.

Haven't had a chance to visit the shop yet either and I'm working all the way through to the end of the weekend as well. Looks like beginning of next week.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Well it's been a while... popped to the bodyshop (hadn't visited for a while) and saw the Cav outside. Won't go into huge detail, I'll just let the pictures explain it all :)

Big dent on front n/s wing being prepared for the slide hammer treatment
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7092/imag0163f.jpg

Couple car park dings ground back and filled in
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1451/imag0162jj.jpg

Few more car park dings filled in lol
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8058/imag0161to.jpg

Dent on the rear o/s wing which I've never even noticed before
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3120/imag0165p.jpg

Chuffed for two reasons: 1) that it has now officially started and 2) that the camera on my new phone is actually good (HTC Sensation) lol

Problem with resto's is that they always get put aside when urgent time limited insurance jobs or work vehicles come in. Funny thing is that since the cav has gone in the lads have had increased business... shiuold really ask for commission lol

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

It has been quite a while since the previous update. I was on holiday for a while lol but so was the bodyshop so things had slowed down quite a bit. I visited 10 days ago but sort of forgot to post up the pics (kinda concentrating on work/Nova project).

Today however I visited again so it'll be a good update... well deserved after the long gap!

How it looked last week, passenger side side skirt removed, more filler in places that needed it and a new wheel arch fitted to passenger rear (stupidly forgot to take a picture of that lol)
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3120/imag0165p.jpg

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6645/imag0339x.jpg

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8919/imag0338qv.jpg

Surprised that there was no rust at all on the sill. Was waiting for it to just flake to bits :)

Preoccupied with work and my project. I didn't have time to visit closely after the above visit to get pics of the other side. But today this is what I saw
http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/5895/imag0378d.jpg

New passenger rear arch
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2570/imag0379m.jpg

B & C Pillar vinyl removed. Will be replaced with black paint.
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/9726/imag0366j.jpg

Buckle on door pillar pulled out
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/1899/imag0381e.jpg

Golf ball sized dent on wing pulled out
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8733/imag0382h.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/311/imag03701o.jpg

Hole in roof skin welded (used to be a car phone aerial back in the 90's)
http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/7175/imag0368b.jpg

Back end needed a bit of filler as it was smacked on it's huge ass 3 times in it's life (all by women... ahem!)
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5093/imag0375x.jpg

...

[Nova_Tek]

...

Spoiler removed to uncover a GL bootlid lol
http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/4759/imag0374s.jpg

Spoiler getting some filler action
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/9223/imag0377bx.jpg

Driver side
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/9603/imag0372t.jpg

New driver side rear arch
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7754/imag0371ze.jpg

The sill on the driver side wasn't as great as the passenger sill. Bit of rust, well a hole, under the skirt. Will be getting cut out and plated over
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8996/imag0376u.jpg

The floor is next up, all the rusty places cut out and welded some welding needed in the boot and a couple other places. The B & C pillars will be getting painted in black and so will the door handles. The bodyshop also checked that the colour 71L - Mexico Red is still available, furthermore in water base. Good news is that they can get the colour.

Still need to source a light grey carpet, a new bonnet badge and the 'VAUXHALL' decal for the spoiler.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Popped to the bodyshop again seeing as I had a bit of free time. When I arrived the Cav was in getting a DA for the final bodywork prep before it goes into paint, most likely Wednesday.

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/1570/imag0385l.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/9238/imag0387v.jpg

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/706/imag0386s.jpg

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2610/imag0388r.jpg

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/4974/imag0390j.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4017/imag0389b.jpg

There's still a bit of re-seam welding needed on the rear floor and the footwells to be sealed with a thick sealant to stop any future corrosion happening. The boot will be stone chipped inside and then painted in body colour. The underfloor and arches will be stone chipped and sealed. Door pillars will be gloss finish black in place of vinyl (bit of rust occurred in places as water got under the vinyl). Handles, boot grab, skirts and bumper trim will be satin black (as per usual) with the centre of the bumper trim being body coloured (as it was from factory).

All there is to do now is wait :) ...

[boss]

nice to see a cav gettin saved a miss mine need to get it back on the road

[Nova_Tek]

Thanks fella, there is a genuine lack of early Cav's on the road. Most I see now-a-days are either late Cav's and 98% are the lesser models so they look rather dated and un-special (no disrespect to any Cav owners).

[Vlietje]

Nice project, originality is deffo the key! Have some + rep back! :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Thanks Viletje :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Made a visit to the bodyshop again today as it was my day off. The Cav wasn't in the booth as there were a few more little holes that were found and therefore needed sorting. Just a case of waiting for the paint to turn up from the supplier and it should get it's colours beginning of the week.

Boot floor primered
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/5820/imag0392d.jpg

Re-seamed/welded driver side rear floor
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8508/imag0394q.jpg

Same for the passenger rear floor
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1592/imag0395i.jpg

Passenger front footwell sorted and sealed
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6236/imag0393os.jpg

While I was there I had a peek into the doors to see what state they were in, a lesson learnt from the Nova. They are spotless! Just need a clean due to dust of course but some waxoyl one the car comes back will keep them clean.

Managed to get some pics too

Passenger front door
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/844/imag0397a.jpg

Passenger rear door
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2127/imag0396ks.jpg

Driver rear door
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3667/imag0398wk.jpg

Didn't get a shot of the driver door as the window was all the way down and obscuring the shot.

Both the door handles on the driver side have snapped springs. Found an old handle in the garage and removed the spring from it. I just need one more so the door handles spring back into position.

Cannot wait to get the Cav back home to be put back together :)

[Nova_Tek]

...

Forgot to mention that we also picked these up the other day

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/8498/0000168b.jpg

19" flat blade wipers for £6.50 each!

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Had a bit of spare time so I popped to you know where. I saw the Cav lurking behind a 530d in the shop with it's shut lines, underside of the boot lid and boot floor painted in brand new Mexico Red. Boy does it look LUSH!

The chap at the bodyshop actually commented 'You know what?... this colour is lovely!' He was asking us if we 'were sure' that we wanted it the same colour. I said "of course mate' and now he knows why :)

I'm not gonna post any pictures up as I didn't have my camera with me and my phone was on low battery but it's gonna look sweet, you'll just have to wait when it's got some paint on it to see what it looks like.

I also popped to Vauxhall the other day and ordered a new bonnet badge and asked about the rubber door strips. Guess what?... NLS. Gonna need a miracle to find a new set. Also need to try source the rubber aerial grommet that fixes to the passenger rear wing for the electrical aerial to sit in.

That is all for now.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Bit of a surprise... my bro took a few pics on his iPhone, which I didn't know about. So here is a glimpse as to what the colour will look like (bearing in mind what you see in the pic's hasn't been flatted or polished)... enjoy!

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4053/1f9a3c9fa2cf4e948a2e090.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7128/imag0402e.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6590/0df5794cdcd2ac6ae6dfdea.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7522/imag0403l.jpg

http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/8130/imag0404e.jpg

Now I really cannot wait for it to get it's colour on!

[pie]

looks great buddy :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

I know, never thought I'd be starring/drooling at the underside of the boot lid or shut line lol

[pie]

lol cant wait to see the overall look of it buddy

[boss]

need more pics my mate has got a 5 door nova in the same colour we just painted the engine bay nd that looks mint its a nice colour wen its fresh

[Nova_Tek]

More pics will be taken soon as it should be going to paint in a matter of days

[Connor]

Same colour as my nova :) Although mines a tad faded compared lol

[Nova_Tek]

This one was more pink than red. Can hardly remember the paint looking that lush. Would only get half that good with 3 hours worth of polishing.

[Connor]

Exactly why im leaving mine pink lol, cba

[Nova_Tek]

lol

Gonna make sure this gets polished and more-so waxed as often as poss so it stays like this. In saying that, with it being water based and needing a lacquer clear coat it shouldn't fade like the old finish. And bearing in mind that the chaps are using PPG paints/tints which is Lamborghini's exclusive supplier, it should last well if it's looked after, which it will be of course!

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Day off... so made my way down to pick up a few things from Vauxhall which they got in for me. Some were for the Nova and were just your usual service parts but one of the items was this little bad boy

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5413/1002778g.jpg

Now I know what some of you Cavalier experts are going to say... "that's the wrong badge". I know and I'm sorry! But in my defence the correct part number was ordered but due to there being none in stock this was the next one. So on EPC it mentioned 'NLS - USE Part No 90487452'. For those that don't know, the correct one for this year Cav would be a smaller Griffin with Vauxhall written underneath. Either way it will look nice. If I ever find one brand new then I'll swap it but for now this will stay.

After sorting out a few other unrelated things I made my way down to the bodyshop where I was confronted with this:

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/3375/1002770l.jpg

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/6982/1002771y.jpg

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/7532/1002772p.jpg

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/7577/1002773u.jpg

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8158/1002769z.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7075/1002774j.jpg

It's got it's paint and one of the chaps had just started flatting it down to get a final mop/polish. I didn't catch him start the polishing stage, which I was gutted coz only then do you start to get a glimpse of how the paint will look when properly finished.

What's left - rear bumper, spoiler and door mirrors in Mexico Red, underside to be sealed and protected together with arches, then the painting of the black bumper trim and door handles. Door pillars in black also (as they were but paint instead of vinyl). We're still contemplating whether to go matt black for the pillar paint or go a gloss. The reasoning behind gloss pillars is the fact it can be looked after easier than matt.

Should be out of there and back home by Friday!

[Bean,]

looking great mate. Cant wait to see it finished.

[Nova_Tek]

Won't be long now dude :)

[NOV4_SPORT]

Looking good buddy, have a blob of the green stuff:thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Appreciated NOV4_SPORT :thumb:

[boss]

update lol

[Nova_Tek]

??

[pie]

this in going to be the bollocks when its done :)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

After a bit of breakfast I popped to the body shop to hand in one of the door handles which had a broken spring. Managed to find a spring that was suitable (infact exactly right) and fitted it on. One of the lads was busy mopping the Cavalier when I got there.

Here are some more tease shots :lol:

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5472/1002780ni.jpg

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/841/1002781e.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8603/1002784y.jpg

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6206/1002782a.jpg

Mirror, mirror on the wall...
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3627/1002783t.jpg

Made a start on the bonnet
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9647/1002787o.jpg

Then after some lunch, we went around/rang local tyre fitters to get some prices on some new rubber and also prices on getting the two tyres we already had fitted. Some fitters wouldn't fit tyres that weren't purchased from them and most charged around £15 just to fit them. The cheapest we found was budget brands like Arrowspeed, Wanli and the like starting from £55 and up to £120 for brands like Good Year, Michelin. I was amazed at how much tyres have gone up in price. Back about 5 years ago we got 4 new tyres from a place - BF Goodrich Tourer G 195/60/15 all in for £94. So we went back to that place and found the equivalent BF Goodrich tyres (G-Grip) in the same size but £68 each. After a quick search on the net, I found out that the G-Grips were highly rated and had better wet & dry grip than the equiv. Michelin Energy Savers and Good Years. We then asked if they fit our own tyres and for how much. Answer was 'Yes, we'll fit them' and the price was £8.40 all in :o :mrgreen: That was a done deal.

After £157 we had 2x BF Goodrich G-Grip + 2x BF Goodrich Tourer G's - balanced with sticky weights, new valves, inflated with Nitrogen... RESULT!

Took them down to the body shop

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/74/imag0407y.jpg

Will be popping down to the garage tomorrow to get a few things done myself while the lads finish up on the Cav. Bought some water proof cloth tape which a few of the forward area looms need as the old fabric wrap has completely disintegrated. That needs to be done before the headlamps and things get done just to save time and reduce chance of damaging the new paint.

[Balley]

That look sexual.. I want it!

[Nova_Tek]

You can't have it! :p

[pie]

looking sweet :)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Not had much of a chance to update the thread in recent days due to work. I have had a few things arrive in the past week which should all add up to make the Cav look FRESH!

Some nice new crystal clear side repeaters complete with rubber seals and orange bulbs.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6703/1002798x.jpg

We still have some mint orange repeaters incase we want the car to return to a more factory state for what-ever reason but I just think that with the clear repeaters it cleans up the look of the car seeing as the front indicators are also clear.

Brand new left and right front indicator lenses. We had a spare which we replaced as one had cracked but due to the different ages of the lenses one looks slightly darker than the other. So to even things out I got two new ones to make sure they match.
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2811/1002794ca.jpg

GSi smoked rear cluster for driver side as the current one had a slight crack which got bigger and will eventually just fall off. Can't have that!
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/115/1002795v.jpg

Again, we have the original unsmoked lenses that were fitted to it from factory, the GSi items being darker/redish tinted suit the car so much more. But if the car needs to return to factory they're available.

This next bit I got just so I could use the rubber/plastic mount (bit that plugs into the rear wing) as the old one was cracked and letting in water. the whole thing cost £6 and comes with a new earth, new antenna cable and plastic mount. So it will be used to help freshen up the electric one we have.
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4671/1002796pn.jpg

Also got some wiper refill rubber blades to fit on to the headlamp wipers. Got a good 2 feet or so of it for £4, cut them down to size and fitted them on.

And finally I got a light grey carpet and under dash cover for the driver side (Thanks to a chap on cavmk3oc.com) Couldn't get pics of the carpet as it was too big to take a picture of in the room :lol:
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5679/1002797s.jpg

As far as I know the Cav should be ready for tomorrow. If it is then I should be able to make a start on getting stuff fitted but that's weather permitting. It'll probably take a good few days to get everything back in properly and give the inside a good clean. cannot wait though!

[Vlietje]

Looking good mate. Mirror finish ftw!!

[Nova_Tek]

Certainly ;)

[shed-on-wheels]

looking good buddy bin a long time since ive seen this but well done :)

[Nova_Tek]

Appreciated fella :thumb:

[shed-on-wheels]

any time dude

[Linch]

Good work, Last cav I had the back end fell out, always remember we had them when I was younger too

[NOV4_SPORT]

Wow that is a deep shine on the paint buddy.

[Nova_Tek]

Good work, Last cav I had the back end fell out, always remember we had them when I was younger too

lol yeah you do need to check for rust underneath


Wow that is a deep shine on the paint buddy.

Looks gorgeous don't it?

[shed-on-wheels]

shes a little beaut fella

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Bit of an update, some from today and some from last week when we picked up the car, but didn't have much time to do anything/post on here.

So, yes, we got the car back... hooraaah!

The day it came back I managed to get things like the padding, carpet, rear seats, rear shelf and rear quarter interior trim sorted. I also managed to clean up the insides of the passenger doors so I could get some waxoyl in there.

Seeing as I was off today, once I had the important stuff sorted I was able to put in the driver seat, get the CD changer wires fed down the inner sills into the boot, fitted the rear wing aerial mount, removed the glove box to re-route the wires round properly, sorted the dodgy central locking wire which had come off the plug, put back the sill trim and footwell trim, cut out and replaced the side repeater wires as they were a bit too corroded, fitted the new side repeaters and put the rear head rests back in.

I then decided to get a couple bits in the bay sorted seeing as it wasn't going to rain and now was my chance.

Quick shot of before
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9343/1002799c.jpg

And after a bit of messing around
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1961/1002800k.jpg

Spot the difference!

Managed to clean up and spray the manifold with very high temp. paint and let it dry. I then, as best I could, cleaned up the rocker cover and head and gave that a coat with very high temp. paint aluminum finish. A few little areas could do with the same treatment but it was dark and getting a bit too cold to be doing this, so I called it a day.

Left to do - passenger seat, driver side doors to be cleaned and waxoyl'd, fit the rest of the dash and centre console, wire up the oil & volt gauges, fit the rear wheel well trim/carpets and other boot trim, fit headlamps washer/wipers, re-paint the wiper arms and fit the new blades, fit door cards and that's about it. Only issue I have is that I've seemed to have misplaced a few of the nuts and bolts that hold the rest of the interior trim in place. Soon as I find it then it'll be sorted... hopefully tomorrow.

[Dougie_SRi]

Really like this, my old SRi 130 was Mexico Red - a very under-rated and rare colour.

[Nova_Tek]

Cheers Dougie, the colour is gorgeous I know. I really do think that the shape of the Cav really does allow the colour to suit it. Sometimes colours only work on certain cars and not others.

Like the gold on the Nova looks good on it but I can't imagine the Cav in White Gold.

It's almost done, interior almost sorted and it does look mint, may have to get it in TV magazine, it would really finish off the project :)

[NOV4_SPORT]

Looking good mate, quite a transformation mate.

[Nova_Tek]

Cheers man, I'll be taking pictures of the outside once it's totally done.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Not done anything since the last update except for try look for missing bits that have seemed to have vanished and scour the web for new parts.

The little sealable bag with the passenger seat bolts and centre console nuts have gone missing, so I've put it down on Thursday's to-do list: 13mm x M8 bolts x4 and an assortment of nuts.

I did however find these little beauties on ebay
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4383/1002802vc.jpg

Window winder retaining clips x 10 (should come in handy for the Nova too) :lol:

I also need some plastic twist lock clips for the dash under trays and a few plastic screw type clips for the boot panel and the padding behind the dash. All minor stuff but I don't wanna hear rattling trim... it's a pet hate!

Once these have been sorted it will mean the Cavalier is done!

[pie]

any more update's on this mr tek ? :)

[Nova_Tek]

I have done a bit of work on it in the past couple weeks Mr. Pie but I've not taken any pics of it. The interior is now in and it's looking mint. I was going to take a few pictures but haven't got round.

We were just actually discussing arranging for the water pump to be changed, exhaust checked and a MOT for it etc only a moment ago :) Will soon have a proper update to post.

It'll probably be on the road at the end of the month (dads b'day ;))

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

It's been a while...

The Cav is almost on it's way to be back on the road and enjoyed.

Since the last post, the interior has been fitted back, carpet shampooed together with the seats and fitted a genuine new GM coolant temp sensor (gauge).

All that there is left to do is fit a new water pump with a cam belt:
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1197/1003047r.jpg

^ £23 for a genuine GM pump - thank you vauxhall-car-parts. No plastic impeller on this one!

Fix a blowy exhaust and do a MOT.

This'll prob be done by the next week... would be a good time too as it's the old mans birthday. Speaking of birthday, I had to get these as a gift so the interior can have that finishing touch.

Gear stick and handbrake gaiters
http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/127/1003048q.jpg
Leather does smell gooood :)

Will get a few shots of the interior when it's all sorted as I'm yet to put any pics up of it.

[pie]

:thumb:

nice to hear it's almost finished tek :)

be nice to see some pics :)

[Nova_Tek]

You will... soon ;)

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

Been spending bits of my spare time finalising the Cav. I managed to find the missing bag of nuts/bolts/washers/clips etc.

I've pretty much put back most of the interior bar the passenger dash footwell cover as I don't have enough clips.

As yesterday was a very sunny day I managed to do some final finishing touches. The wiper arms were in a right state. All flakey, corroded and not black anymore. So that was on the list.

As they came off
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/6655/1003069l.jpg

A lot of rubbing down and cleaning
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6291/1003071k.jpg

Few coats of red primer
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7059/1003073o.jpg

A good rub down then many coats of satin black (just remembered that I didn't take pictures of the finished article lol)

As they were drying in the sun, I had a peek under the scuttle cover and gave the whole area a good clean, removed the wiper linkages, gave them a clean and lubing up with some grease. I found the wiper motor was loose and is what probably caused the bit of rough running when the wipers were engaged. So, somehow, I squeezed my hand and a spanner in there and tightened up the screws.

I then set about trying to tackle the leaky boot. Always gets some water either side, directly behind the light clusters. It could either be it leaking down from the rear screen or the clusters them selves. There is a bit of corrosion just under where the glass would be [inside the boot]. I took the easier route and removed the clusters. I decided to give the mating faces a bead of clean silicon sealer to totally make them water tight. There is rain on the cards tomorrow so we'll see the outcome.

Fitted the leather gear & handbrake gaitors as well. Took a shot of the interior, excuse the absent window winder :)
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/8914/1003074z.jpg

Just really waiting for my dad to have a clear schedule in order for the Cav to get it's pump and belt fitted and get an MOT.

[Jack]

Where did the gaitors come from? Could do with some new ones for mine as they're getting a bit tatty.

I got a td water pump from VCP too. Also a bargain!

[Nova_Tek]

ebay dude! They also have suede ones too for a few quid more ;)

I'l try get a link...

[Nova_Tek]

Here you go Jack

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-CAVALIER-GEAR-HANDBRAKE-GAITERS-BLACK-LEATHER-/350519196838?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3ACavalier&hash=item519c927ca6#ht_968wt_1167

Fitting is fairly easy. Remove the old gaitor off the plastic gear surround and staple the new one on. Needs a bit of fettling to get it perfect. The handbrake one is harder as the plastic casing is thicker and harder for a stapler to go through.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

It's been a busy week.

The Cav got it's MOT on Thursday afternoon and it's tax too. So it is officially on the road! Woooo!

It's been having a few things done. Fitted the sill plates, a new O/S engine mount was put in on tuesday and tomorrow it's booked in to get some new gaskets/clamps/springs/bolts for the exhaust as they've rusted away and it's now blowing at the join. We're also awaiting news from a friend to see if we can pop into his garage and borrow his 4 post to lift it up and clean/underseal areas that were missed.

The Cav is under classic insurance so will need to send photos to get an agreed value. Gave it a wash yesterday and went over it with some AutoGlym Super Resin and then sealed it with Extra Gloss Protection applied with microfibre cloth. Polishing new and clean paint is so easy... love it!

Had to take some pics:

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/5263/dsc02896u.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1061/dsc02897o.jpg

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/7104/dsc02895e.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4928/dsc02901o.jpg

The SR got a wash and a polish too :d

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/337/dsc02898s.jpg

Only thing left really is to find these damn door strips.

So that's it I guess... the actual restoration is done (bar the door strips). I'll still be keeping the thread probably by turning it into a WIP and any small improvments that we do to it.

:thumb:

[brainsnova]

The paintwork looks amazing , nice job :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Cheers Brains... it's lovely. A joy to polish :)

[pie]

looking good mr tek :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Cheers Pie.

[Nova_Tek]

UPDATE

I have been spending much time and my priceplan minutes ringing around and trying to find out where I can find bits for the Cav that are almost non-existant.

After spending about 7 - 10 days doing the above I managed to find these brand new GM packed and pretty much the last known ones left.

Hoping to get them fitted in the next week.
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/5536/1003143s.jpg

Rear doors protective moulding
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/5880/1003142d.jpg

Front doors protective moulding
http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1592/1003144.jpg

All for under £100 posted. Just a case of cleaning the cav bodywork to make sure it sticks down properly. One of the strips has very slight creasing of the metal strips so I'll need to fettle it to sit totally straight (only drawback of the moulding is the damn metal backing).

[Jack]

Thats possibly the shiniest and reddest red Vauxhall I've ever seen lol

[Nova_Tek]

Thanks Jack :thumb:

Shiney Mexico Red = GOOD!

[TonySR]

Did this ever get finished?

[nova_niek]

Shiney Mexico Red = GOOD!

Yes. Very, very true. :thumb: