Astra turbo Diary.....Almost 3 years in the making!

[Kev Read]

Ive had a lot of mk2 astra GTEs (15 I think).
This one was supposed to be the last, but between buying it and doing all the work on it I had another two (V6 convertible and another champion)

I just love em!!!

Anyway, After I got one of my turbo convertible featured in REVS I wanted to do one more. A powerful turbo one, with subtle exterior mods, leather and big power. The convertible was very barryboy! apart from the LET I had gone right off it! Ive always wanted a champion so got one the day after I sold the convertible.

I took off the road almost a month later to start turning it in to a LET nutter bast*rd. Well it was only ment to take a few months but I got held up with money problems then got a new job and got a esprit, built a V6 convertible and it just sat in my back garden half painted no engine or anything!!

Towards the end of last year I pulled my finger out. And now its 95% complete! heres a few pics.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/bestpicoftheastra.bmp
It had to go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/Myastrachampion006.jpg
This is my other champion. I have not got any pictures of the one im doing when I first got it. But it looked identical.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/3c00bcdc.jpg
Shortly after I took the engine out and put it in a mate nova I had the engine bay seem welded and painted. This is how it stayed for a long time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/Astragetsengine019.jpg
About a year or so later I had all the engine re-built (LET) and managed to get together all the ingredients I needed to put it in. So I took the day off work and it was starting to come together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/Astragetsengine020.jpg
In at last! The T3 conversion was a b1tch. But it all fits. (just).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/astramarch002.jpg
All running, it was time to paint it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/Image455.jpg
Primer first.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/paintingtheastra007.jpg
Then a lot of flatting and then paint time!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/moochewpoo001.jpg
How it looks today (17/4/2005). And should be finished soon.

Ill get some more pics up soon.

[Ross_Mk2]

That convertable looks a hell of a lot like the one that was smashed up the same day it was brought by Minikab i think the guys name is!!

[Sipo]

Yop Xermon i think it is the same one too. I have seen a few pics of your latest one splattered around dude and i must say that engine bay looks fkin lovely! I love the colour also, a real nice job there!

[astrasteve23]

that is looking very nice kev! never really liked that colour before but i think it looks good on the mk2! how much do you reckon you have spent on it then? are all the little bits you got off of me going on this one yeah?

[REMUS]

If it was the same convertable, what did you use for the wide arch kit on it Kev?

[mbjoyce]

was the paint done by those guys in brentwood you recommended kev?
cheers

[Kev Read]

The paint was done by my mates Dan and Jake (the ones I recommend).

The kit for the convertible was a rieger infinity kit intended for a mk3 astra. Was a complete c*nt to get it to fit.

astrasteve :- you have been a big help with the bits. It seems breakers dont have any thing to do with mk2s any more.

[astrasteve23]

glad i could be of help! all of our local scrappy's crush mk2's after a couple of weeks!

[Kev Read]

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pics are crap due to car being coverd in dust and no sun :mad:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/ba9e5e73.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/344188dc.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/d5d22687.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/FINISHED006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/Kevread/FINISHED007.jpg

[astrasteve23]

kev that looks amazing! not too sure about the look of the bonet vent, other than that i love it! did you put those euro style lights in the quads? are they angle eye? oh yeah get some nexia rear quater vents!

what is the engine spec?

[Kev Read]

Ive been after a set of those nexia qtr vents for ages !!!!!!!!!
Cant find em anywhere!!!

My turbo is not water cooled so I put the vent there to help vent out the hot air. I dont really like it either.

Looks like I will be able to make the meet!! If your going steve could you take a Near/side roof rail with you mate.

[Sipo]

Aye that does look really good Kev dude! Those wheels look evil sat in the back arches, and removing the inner les of the rear spoiler gives an original look too. As for the engine bay .... mint :D

Look forward to seeing it in the flesh at the retro car show or somewhere.

[caul pope]

Finally Kev (fatastraman ;) ) Looks really fine. Some nice touches on it. Is the engine run in yet?

[Kris]

Sorry if this has been mentioned in previous posts but why dont you have an air flow meter or fillter ,how does yours work ?.

[astrasteve23]

Ive been after a set of those nexia qtr vents for ages !!!!!!!!!
Cant find em anywhere!!!

My turbo is not water cooled so I put the vent there to help vent out the hot air. I dont really like it either.

Looks like I will be able to make the meet!! If your going steve could you take a Near/side roof rail with you mate.


LMAO! i removed the roof rails from the scrap GTE and brett said why the **** do you want them for!? yeah ill bring it along if i can find it. i also have some nexia rear quater vents you can buy off of me. ill PM you about them.

[Kev Read]

Cheers for the comments lads!

Ive just started running it in today. Wont idle though? any ideas?

It does have a air flow meter, but its over the other side. The T3s inlet is the other side to a KKK.

[astrasteve23]

idle control valve? im not an expert on turbo's, just a suggestion. my XE wouldn't idle when i got it, it kept revving on its own and sometimes stall. i soaked the i.c.v in petrol for a day and that done the trick. i also had a split hose between the afm and sfi box, that was probably somethin to do with it aswell. check all pipes are ok and done up tight.

[Dazzi-Gsi]

looks good