white SRI XE

[let_nova]

Well here goes. picked this up a couple of months ago very cheap with the intention of using it as a toy while the LEt is getting rebuilt... but as plans go thats gone right out the window and the car will be used for the girlfriend to learn in (refuses to drive the astra ) so the plans are to fit 2 new doors and 2 arch repair panels and get it MOT'd. when the car was bought it was supposed to have a compression problem but whan i got it home, started it there was nothing wrong with it. so a liitle more running etc and it started running on 3 cylinders with no compression on cylinder 1 also the timing was a tooth out on the exhaust cam.

few pics as it stands




just a genral tidy up needed and the engine sorted

so yesterday and today i set about stripping the head




getting head stripped down


cleaning valves ready to seat again



the block was checked but the was no visible signs of damage etc so the head was checked and it seams the valves on pot 1 were not very well seated so as from this moment i am seating all the valves again
then fit a whole new gasket set.

more to come.

[let_nova]

anothere couple of hours today after work to finish lapping in the valves on the head. quite happy how well the valves cleaned up, also going to clean the exhaust ports as they are full of carbon.

valves all lapped in



after that i started removing the stem seals as i will be fitting new ones.




all removed ready for the head to get all cleaned out.


also got 2 rear arch repair panels today so thats maybe a job for next week.

[Graeme]

Should be a nice car with a lot of tlc

[let_nova]

today involved de coking the head.... crap job, came up well though. 2 new valves on order from autovaux. just cant wait to get it back together.
Then after that i will get my pal at the garage to weld on the rear arches as his skills are far superior to mine

[Southie]

Looks a tidy motor you got your lass. Take your time on it though as she'll soon get peed off with you taking ages and want another motor, then you can xe it

What's her insurance going to be on it with it being a 1.4i?

[let_nova]

it is an XE thats the first job before mot is to reg it as a 2ltr. her insurance for the XE is £400 fully comp a year.

[Southie]

Bloody hell are you dating a granny Cheap quote that mate.

For some reason "stupidly" I thought it was still a 1.4, me numb.

Is it going to be up to the standards of the LET though

[let_nova]

. will be evetually. got a few things ordred for it. keepeng it looking as it is apart from slabs. will let her pick. prob be MO's or something like that,. just going to get the engine back together get it running sweet then rip it out to spray bay.

[let_nova]

southie. its not a rotbox. needs arches

[Southie]

took you long enough to notice that

I need rears on mine soon so nothing new then