Tony's 89 GTE 16v Resto

[Tony25]

Well the mot has just run out and the tax runs out at the end of this month, so im going to use the opportunity to make a start on the old girl. Just collected the first few bits today, won this boot from ebay at what I think is a bargain price £15, considering its mint. Just the wrong colour lol, also got a new sun roof glass for 50p and lot's of other bits, the seller is a top bloke. Im going back later in the week b4 it goes to the scrappy to cut the complete bulk head out of it and the foot wells.
Well this is the car as it is; it's pretty solid apart from.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/pv.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Fleet.jpg

* Both rear arches need replacing
* Front bumper is missing washer jets, and has a small crack.
* Rear bumper has gone orange :rolleyes:
* Drivers side front foot well has some rust around the drain plug.
* Boot has rusted around the mount for the spoiler. (See replacement)
* Bulk head may need some attention.
* Bulk head sound deadening needs to come off.
* Engine coming out for a good clean and paint, and to give access to the bulk head.
* Sunroof leaks and is seized
* All the front bushes need replacing, or new bottom arms not sure yet.
* And a full repay in vx red :)

Good points

* Both sills are still perfect not quite sure how.
* Both the engine and gearbox or brakes need no work.
* The inner arches are good.

New Boot cost £15

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0121.jpg

Im going to do all the work myself so will post up pics to show progress, going to start with the bulk head.

[Ian T]

Nice.

I look forward to seeing the work as you do it.

Are you going for whole rear quarters, or just the repair panels?

Ian.

[Kris]

are you keeping it as standard as poss

[Tony25]

When I get to the rear arches I will start with the drivers side as that’s the worse one, I have bought two different make repair panels and it's amazing how different they are :confused: If they are both going to take ages to make fit then I will buy a new quarter panel. The passenger side would probably clean up ok as it's only the outer skin lip that’s going but I will separate the two skins then cut along the flat part of the arch and use a small repair section.
The car will look totally standard when finished apart from the wheels and lowered 30mm. Going to add some strength to the bulk head and get a cage to stop the car flexing, then move onto the engine, it will get a minor rebuilt i.e.: rings, hone and crank bearings. Then will save for some throttle bodies.

[Tony K]

(Makes Holmer Simpson type gargling noise) Shiney red one!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/pv.jpg

[Sipo]

Ahh, another project starting, we really do spend too much time and money on these cars :D I look forward to seeing your progress etc, hope it all goes well ;)

[GazJevs84]

how is this project going i must say it looks like a very good example

[Tony25]

Small update, have done some work on the astra,
Engine out
Bulkhead sorted and painted
Engine in
New power steering hoses made and fitted

Then i bought a k plate gsi nova for £150, 3 owners from new fsh 85k, mint engine and interior and no rust on the floor pan turrets even the boot floor!!
BUT lol

Both rear arches where rotten and drivers side door corners rotten.

Before. (Best side!! Had failed mot on sharp metal)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0263.jpg

During.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0268_edited.jpg

With help from this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/rola.jpg

Both sides like this now. (Had to make new inner arches and welded them further up the new pannel, so no more rusty lips)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0275.jpg

[Ian T]

Good work, that looks great.

Much simpler shape on the Nova arches, isn't it? I was thinking that when I was repairing my Astra last year...

Looks to me like you've got the shape just right there.

Ian.

[traffman]

blimey from the top piccies it looks mint.

warning when you rip your car apart its erm unbelievable how these things rust!

[Tony25]

Thanks for the comments, done a few nova's now, and yes they can rust almost all over lol. The arch is not a easy as you would think as it's not flat, it has a slight rounded shape so if you try to over lap the new pannel, you would spend ages with filler trying to keep the same profile. Thats where the rola step thing comes in, just put a step in the pannel then cut the new one to size and lay it on. Only needs the smallest amount of filler then, i butt welded where the bumper bolts are as you can't see it plus you can't step it.

[Defiance]

Hiya,
Nice work on it m8

Curiousity's got me, Where and how much are those rota gizmo's as i use a joggler but they look way faster/easier

Keep up the fight against the rust he he

Many Thanks

Have Fun

Def

[Tony25]

This is the one i bought.

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?productID=8462

With a rachet you can step a pannel in no time.

[Defiance]

Hiya m8,

He he just found that very tool on thet very site ;)

Think i will invest in one also

Cheers

Many Thanks

Ciao

Def

[Tony25]

Had this week of to finally finish the nova and get an MOT, as with all novas I found some more rust while poking around, mainly at the front, front drivers side wing had been filled badly, also o/s front inner mud guard was rotten at the bottom. All welded and painted, just finishing the paint on the drivers side then she’s ready for an mot :bananajump: will post some more pics later today. Once it's out of the garage I can move onto the astra :)

[Tony25]

Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0263.jpg

After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0490.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Nova/DSCN0492.jpg

Astra getting closer to the garage :)

[vauxmad]

now you just gotta get the astras pannels as good. looks some good work there, are you a pro of somethin?????

[Tony25]

Not a pro by any means, taken ages to get all the prep right. Looking forward to cutting the rear quarters of the astra, as there wont be much filler work, which takes all the time up. But the astra also has 17 years of knocks and bumps to get out of the doors which should be fun :)

[Tony25]

Look what arrived today :bananajump: Got to wait till april for the other side though. Just waiting for the sun to make a return then I will get the new grinder out to play :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSC00138.jpg

Yes I am using the astra as a skip lol.

[Gteman]

Damn wish i got myself the full panel. Where and how much was the quarter panel ?

Lol I emptied a black bag full of rubbish out of mine today, gives me room for more :Banane44:

[bigdrifter]

Keen to see it getting done, Novas looking much healthier

[Tony25]

Damn wish i got myself the full panel. Where and how much was the quarter panel ?

Lol I emptied a black bag full of rubbish out of mine today, gives me room for more :Banane44:

Got the panel for 55 plus vat. Should save a few hours titing about with filler.

[GazJevs84]

Got the panel for 55 plus vat. Should save a few hours titing about with filler.

Where from fella need 2 for mine i was gonna get them from www.beeversautopanels.co.uk

Nova looks good fella looks like we will be doing our astra's around about the same time lol when the sun returns lmao

[Ross_Mk2]

Whats the crack with welding on the full rear quarter, is it a much harder job than sill+ arch panel?

[Tony25]

Got the panel from my local hadrian supplyer. Look at Ian T resto for fitting, but it's a case of drilling out the old spot welds then mainly plug weld the new panel on. Easy :hissyfit:

[Tony25]

Right made a start this afternoon, removed the rear bumper, it's rusty but the inner arch is still there which is surprising.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0615.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0616.jpg

Removed the rear part of the side skirt, inner arch still present so i should be able to make good with some small repairs to it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0618.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0619.jpg

Must be my lucky day one of it's previous owners has filled the sills with wax no rust at all apart from the bit which will be cut out anyway. :applause:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0621.jpg

Some come out of the drain hole.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0623.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0622.jpg

Need to decide what to do with the new quarter panel, it's really poor around the light and boot seal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0625.jpg

Should be like this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/DSCN0626.jpg

May drill the spot welds out and keep the original light surround etc.

[Ian T]

I'm impressed at the lack of rust there, wish they all were like that.

I had the same problem with my quarter panel, once it's fitted you can tap that seam down and it'll stay down.

Ian.

[Tony25]

Would save alot of drilling and messing about if it can be used as it is. Ian you got any pics of how yours turned out??

[Brett]

wow thats really straight that, really impressive sills, and under tha back bumper is good - and this is an F plater!!!

your onto a winner there mate, good luck with it!!

[bigdrifter]

Very good base to start with there

[Tony25]

Been a while since an update but I have been busy on the astra and an r5 turbo.

Anyway some pics,

Started to drill out the spot welds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0040.jpg

Managed to drill out the rear lamp surround as i'm not happy with the pressing on the new panel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0041.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0044.jpg

Pleased I decided to replace the whole panel as there is some hidden rust that I wouldn't have seen other wise. On a plus side there is some inner wing still intact which I can use to repair the rest from sheet steel. Front section of the sill looks like new inside too which is handy, will give all the inner wing a good clean up so I can see what needs replacing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0042.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0043.jpg

Noticed that when I removed the panel the door didn't line up after, have to jack the front up a little to bring it back into line, is that normal??

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0045.jpg

What has been delaying my astra progress.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/r5/SP_A00312.jpg

[Ian T]

Nice pics, takes me back to when I did mine, although your inner panels look to be in better condition.

Ian.

[Sipo]

Bloody hell, it looks crazy to see the rear 1/4 off! Great work and a nice looking R5 :)

[Badge_of_merit_automatic]

That looks the same as mine, little bit of grot on the back edge of the inner sill like that. Is the quarter panel really just held on by a bunch of spot welds? It might be easier for me to go this way too instead of farting around with arch repair panels, what do you reckon? Especially so the passenger side as I think it has got a poorly repaired dent on it. You have to take out the bonded side glass though, do you not? Isn't that pricey to replace as you'd need to get a glass firm in to replace it?

[KEV]

Renault 5's are brilliant little cars aren't they. They're just a pain in the ass to own. I love seeing the side off of that astra. It'll look good all cleaned up and repaired. Get some good welding porn pictures up.

[Gteman]

Noticed that when I removed the panel the door didn't line up after, have to jack the front up a little to bring it back into line, is that normal??



When the sill is cut the car tends to sag in the middle.

I used a wooden post on the floor behind the inner sill to spread the load and jacked it up until the door shut nicely then welded everything into place.

HTH

Ps.. nice job I wish I had changed the full quarter

[Tony25]

That looks the same as mine, little bit of grot on the back edge of the inner sill like that. Is the quarter panel really just held on by a bunch of spot welds? It might be easier for me to go this way too instead of farting around with arch repair panels, what do you reckon? Especially so the passenger side as I think it has got a poorly repaired dent on it. You have to take out the bonded side glass though, do you not? Isn't that pricey to replace as you'd need to get a glass firm in to replace it?

Yep lot's of spot welds, rear window isn't bonded in, has three srews. Have done a few arch repairs on novas etc and recon this is more work to start with but hoping it will be quicker to make good and end up looking more factory.

[Jags C20LET]

[QUOTE=Tony25;156959]Yep lot's of spot welds, rear window isn't bonded in, has three srews. QUOTE]


The rear window seal is bonded onto the outside rear quarter though! It has to be really carefully removed, as if it gets kinked, it'll never seal properly again, and let water in .

[Tony25]

[QUOTE=Tony25;156959]Yep lot's of spot welds, rear window isn't bonded in, has three srews. QUOTE]


The rear window seal is bonded onto the outside rear quarter though! It has to be really carefully removed, as if it gets kinked, it'll never seal properly again, and let water in .

True mine was already leaking so wasn't to gentle on it's removal, going to fit a new one.

[mick g]

Hi mate, where did you get your rear quarter panels from?

[Tony25]

Hi mate, where did you get your rear quarter panels from?

My local Hadrian supplier. £55

http://www.carpanels.co.uk/

[Tony25]

Mini update not had any time to work on the astra since the birth of my son, but need to get cracking on it as im going to take car allowance and give back the company car.

Started of by removing the rest of the bottom section of the sill, found the sill strengthener to be pretty rotten.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0105.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0106.jpg

Only really had time to make a repair section for the end part of the sill.
Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0107.jpg

Made a card template, and then cut it out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0108.jpg

New peace welded in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0109.jpg

Then some red oxide to keep the tin worm at bay until it's all sealed up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0111.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0112.jpg

That’s it for now, hoping the weather will be ok tomorrow as I want to finish the strengthener and sort out the rest of the inner arch.

[Tony25]

Only managed an hour on it today, but sorted the sill strengthener, going to take some time off work to get the new wing back on.

Cut out the rot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0113.jpg

New plate ready to weld in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0114.jpg

Should give it some strength.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0116.jpg

More red oxide.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0117.jpg

[Tony25]

Had a spare half an hour, so I thought I would attack my new quarter panel with the spot weld drill bit.

Wasn't happy with the rear lamp surround so of it comes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0119.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0120.jpg

[alex]

You are certainly more brave than me. Wish I had the guts to hack apart my car - it would make sense in the long run!

[Tony25]

Bit more done today, and my inner arch should be here tomorrow.

Before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0118.jpg

New section butt welded in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0129.jpg

Trial fitted new quarter.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0131.jpg

[Tony25]

Welded in the new inner arch today plus drilled lot's of holes in the new quarter ready for plug welding on. The end is near, well for this side anyway lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/SP_A0135.jpg

[GazJevs84]

Getting there fella keep up the good work:grinning-smiley-043

[Opel_KadettGSI]

Looking good there :applause: nice work:thumbsup:

[Dale]

looking good, reading this makes me want to get on with my GTE now!

[Tony25]

I have booked this week of work and the plan is to get the astra road legal ready to move to it's new home.

These are old pics but not put them on the diary, spent ages playing around with the welder to get some good plug welds, found a 5.5 whole and high amps gave the best results.

Window seam.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0824.jpg

Good penetration.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0825.jpg

Does anyone know if you can still get a rear quarter window seal??
Lot's more tomorrow

[Gteman]

Daewoo seem to be the only resort for the quarter window seals if they have any left. There £40ish each.

[Tony25]

Daewoo seem to be the only resort for the quarter window seals if they have any left. There £40ish each.

Ok thanks, more than I thought may try and hammer and dolly mine into shape.

[Tony25]

Right more done today, finished butt welding the c & b pillar, then ground down, put some fuel in and got it running and turned it around, brakes etc still feel good so that's one thing to take of my mot list. :bananajump:
Some of you may have noticed to two white dents in the new panel :grumpy: put the car back in the garage last night and came out to it this morning to find a metal post that has been leaning up against the wall for 5 years, had decided to launch it self into my nice rust and ripple free quarter panel. :hissyfit:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0828.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0827.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0832.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0830.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0827.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0829.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0833.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0834.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0831.jpg

[Tony25]

More done today, some more grinding and some filler, and a quick coat of etch primer to show up any imperfections.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0839.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0840.jpg

C pillar still needs some more work, but not far off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0842.jpg

Please excuse all the rubbish in the car it's been used as a skip since 2005 lol.

Left the filler for today as I don't want to rush it, and did some more welding, a drain plug in the floor was pretty rotten not sure if it's an mot fail but was making it pretty weak.

What I found under the carpet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0843.jpg

Cut back to good metal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0845.jpg

Plate welded in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0847.jpg

More etch primer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0848.jpg


Back in the garage, you can see the extra filler I have put on the c pillar.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0853.jpg

[Tom]

Great progress there Tony, quarter panel looks really good, well done :thumbsup:

Have a question, the sill strengthening box piece that you replaced, is that spot welded to the outer sill or left as it is in the pics ?

[KEV]

Nice repair there mate. Welding porn. Love it:D

[Tony25]

Great progress there Tony, quarter panel looks really good, well done :thumbsup:

Have a question, the sill strengthening box piece that you replaced, is that spot welded to the outer sill or left as it is in the pics ?

It's seam welded to the inner sill at the bottom.

[Tony25]

More progress after working Friday evening till about 10pm the car is now back together. Spent Saturday sorting out a few electrical problems (rear fogs on all the time) adjusting the rear wheel bearings and booked the car in for an mot, but while I was sorting the hand brake I noticed the rear shocks have started to leak. So I had to cancel the mot as I want to get some bilstein shocks and don't have a local supplier, so it's book in for next Saturday at 9am, nearly there :bananajump:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN0860.jpg

ps: anyone know of a good supplier for the shocks??

[Tony25]

Fitted the new rear shocks today so that’s one more thing ticked of the mot list, next on the list is the passenger side head light, aim is a bit high but the adjustment screws are seized great.

[Ian T]

Lovely job Tony, look forward to seeing it in the metal. :)

Nice also to see how other people attempt the same job, as there are so many ways of tackling it.

Ian.

[Tony25]

Thanks Ian looking forward to seeing yours too, will be in primer though as i'm moving house and don't have time or money to paint it yet. You may be able to give me some tips on getting the c piller the correct shape.

[mick g]

Thanks Ian looking forward to seeing yours too, will be in primer though as i'm moving house and don't have time or money to paint it yet. You may be able to give me some tips on getting the c piller the correct shape.
Hope you are going to put some paint on it Tony, it will rust through the primer..

[Tony25]

I have seam sealed all the welds etc, and given it a coat of etch primer but it's garaged all the time and will only be used if it's dry till I have time to paint it, will be prepped again anyway for top coat :thumbsup:
Needs a new quarter window seal too as mine has been of a few times by the looks of it.

[astravanmk2]

It looks well tony its great inspiration for getting the new panels stuck in my van it needs so badly. nice work

[Tony25]

It looks well tony its great inspiration for getting the new panels stuck in my van it needs so badly. nice work

Thanks, I found it hard to get motivated to start ripping it apart but once you start replacing rust with metal it's quite satisfying. You should take advantage of this good weather and get started.

[astravanmk2]

Unfortunately i'll need to pay someone to do it as i am not able through one thing and another, but i'm all fired up to get it into the bodyshop tho

[Tony25]

Right small update, been using the car a lot since it's mot all running well, have a strange starting issue some times but think it's the ignition switch. We are also moving this Thursday so had to empty the shed this weekend, which meant replacing the boot as mine is rotten, so my Astra is now 4 colours red, pink, grey and now white :hissyfit: Are gte boot spoilers worth anything as I now have a spare one??

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSC00029.jpg

[DarrenH]

nicely does it !! might want to get it sprayed sooner rather than later though. i read that primer is hydroscopic, so it might be rusting away under the grey unbeknown to you !

[Tony25]

It's will be painted once we move but when I fitted the new quarter panel all the welds and joins where seam sealed, stone chipped and cavity waxed, I will bare metal the outer skin and re etch prime before I paint it, not got any surface rust yet so maybe etch primer has a bit more protection that normal primer??

[Tony25]

Moved house on Thursday, so will be working on the Astra again, once the garage is sorted and I have painted the floor some paint will go on :bananajump: .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSC00032.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSC00031.jpg

[Brett]

nice randomly placed archway next to the garage there LOL!!

Looks like thats a decent size garage there mate, shuold be able to get some good work done in there weather regardless!!

[Tony25]

nice randomly placed archway next to the garage there LOL!!

Looks like thats a decent size garage there mate, shuold be able to get some good work done in there weather regardless!!

You think that archway is random, there is one on the side of the coal shed facing a brick wall lol.
Garage is much bigger than the old one nice to be able to get out of the car without breathing in.

[DarrenH]

looks quite long too, plenty of scope for steel work bench, BFO record vice and a pillar drill, hells yeah !!

[Brett]

PMSL! mum and dad have got one of those arches in our garden too, again going nowhere!!

[DarrenH]

looks quite long too, plenty of scope for steel work bench, BFO record vice and a pillar drill, hells yeah !!

oh and my tool chest and my camp bed

[Tony25]

Yeah the garage is a blank canvas has no bench/storage at all, pillar drill is on the list of wants as I have a longer drive if I need to use my dads so about time I got my own. Not sure yet what to do about a bench, was going to used some cls and kitchen work top, as for shelves/cupboards not sure.

Tools I need to store / mount

Welder
Grinders
Jigsaw
50L compressor
Drills
Vice
Sanders
Paints
Two engines
Two gearboxes
Welding gas, pub bottle.
Tool chest
Loads more im sure.

[Tony25]

Had the afternoon of work, so I managed to get a few jobs done that I have been meaning to do for ages, first on the list was to change the front calipers as mine had the older slide type, next I wanted to fit my magnex 4-1 manifold and adapted my middle section to mate up to it.

Started of well and removed the old brake setup.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1154.jpg

While removing the brakes I noticed some play in the wishbone, first I thought it was a worn bush but it was actually the main bolt that was loose! That would explain the bad torque steer then :thumbsup: I also welded a washer onto the chassis as the mounting hole was slightly oval. My anti corrosion system seams to be working well, this is oil from when the oil pump gasket went.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1155.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1156.jpg

Once that was sorted I fitted the new brakes and replaced the brake fluid.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1157.jpg

Old and new manifolds, the exhaust rap could be neater but I didn't have time to redo it today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1159.jpg

Manifold on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1160.jpg

Middle section with magnex end piece welded on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/DSCN1161.jpg

Didn't have time to take it for a long run, but it does sound different, will reset the ecu and take it for a test drive tomorrow, not expecting much improvement as the rest of the engine is standard but will find out in October on the rr day.

[DarrenH]

top drawer !!

you know, the calipers you took off are actually those mose commonly found on 8v gte. GMF.

odd ?

[Tony25]

When did they bring out the ate calipers? It deffo a 16v shell has the right tunnel and gear linkage etc. Think it's one of the early 16v's as the engine and car have 87 stamped on a few items.

[Ian T]

The ATE calipers were introduced at the same time as the interior modifications (solid to hoop headrests) etc, right at the beginning of 1989.

My 88F GTE 16v had the early type.

Ian.

[Graham]

Great work there.

My 16v had the early type calipers. Not any more though.

[Tony25]

Been a while since I updated this, not much has happened to the Astra, it's looking sorry for it's self on the drive waiting for some attention, I have how ever sold the GT Turbo to make room for the astra in the garage. Once the weather warms up I will make a start on it, first thing to do is to remove the floor mats that have mold growing on them!!

[Tony25]

Blimey another year past without touching the poor Astra, well I have booked next week off and the plan is to get it MOT'd and taxed and finish as a rolling resto.

Last year has taken its toll after sitting in this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/P1000107.jpg

First problems are rusty brakes and failed master cylinder, so after calling round for a replacement cylinder and being quoted silly money had a look on eBay and found this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/cylinder.jpg

It's NOS the seller wasn't sure what car it was for but had listed the part number which turned out to be the 22.2mm cylinder that I needed, and for £12 plus postage, bargain.
Going to remove the servo and give it a freshen up at the same time, put a charged battery on it and it fired up like it had been used the day before which surprised me as the fuel must be 3 years old now, but I’m going to drain it all out and use it in the mower lol and put fresh filters on the Astra.

Have also renewed my club membership so hoping to save a few quid with the trade club as it needs lot's of service items.

[Tony25]

Got this week off to get the Astra ready for an MOT this Sat.. First full day working on it, replaced offside rear brake pipe due to it bursting while testing the new master cylinder, not to difficult to replace but some of the little clips broke that hold the fuel line and brake line, anyone know if Vauxhall still sell them?
Got some welding to do tomorrow in the passenger front footwell due to some dodgy jacking at some point.

[Tony25]

Decided to paint the tail pipe as the chrome was beyond saving so now has the lotus Carlton look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0276.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0280.jpg

Tomorrow my rear arch panel for the passenger side should turn up so started to have a poke, some of the arch is still solid so hopefully I can save some of the inner, Sill if fine apart front the end which will get chopped out anyway.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0277.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0278.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0281.jpg

Front wing is shot at the bottom though, has any one got this lower section from a rotten wing as the rest of mine is fine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0282.jpg

[Tony25]

Spend the day under the rear of the car today cleaning of surface rust and old under body sealant, what a messy job, managed to get two coats of antirust primer and some red hammerite on, will do the complete floor in stages.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0283.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0284.jpg

Panel supplier ordered a mk3 arch instead of a mk2, hopefully will get the correct one tomorrow.

Started drilling out the remaining spot welds and took some measurements to help line up the new panel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0285.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0286.jpg

[Tony25]

Let down again with a different panel supplier, so no rear arch today :( So sorted out the crusty front passenger foot well, at some point in its life it’s been jacked up on the footwell which probably damaged the factory sealant and caused it to start rusting. What a hateful job removing the sound deadening, revealed some more scabs that will need some attention. Just as well I enjoy welding.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0287.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0288.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0289.jpg

[mark2]

Hi, just looking at your pics Tony, good work, what anti-rust paint are you using by the way? i undersealed all of mine during the winter which was a horrible job, but seeing this has made me think again about it perhaps i should applied some before the underseal, will you put a coat of underseal ontop of this paint? cheers
Mark

[Tony25]

Hi, just looking at your pics Tony, good work, what anti-rust paint are you using by the way? i undersealed all of mine during the winter which was a horrible job, but seeing this has made me think again about it perhaps i should applied some before the underseal, will you put a coat of underseal ontop of this paint? cheers
Mark

On the bare metal I used etch primer, then a couple of coats of industrial primer my dad got it from his work it's used on steel girders etc then a coat of hammerite, not using underseal.

[Tony25]

Another day on the Astra :) Picked up the rear arch repair panel, but it's a poor pressing it should have defined lines around the arch but this one is rounded and towards the rear it looks like it has two folds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0290.jpg

So finished the passenger foot well, cut out some more rot at the front, luckily it's just the footwell not the wishbone mount underneath.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0291.jpg

Also cleaned up the underside which was about an inch think in oil and muck, but the vauxhall underseal was starting to peel off so pleased I cleaned it back.

[Tony25]

Only had an hour on the car today so thought I would have a quick poke, had a couple of scabs on the passenger sill, :doh:

Anyway made a patch using an old nova sill I had.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0292.jpg

Ten pence rust hole but cut right back to good metal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0293.jpg

Butt welded it in so you won’t be able to see the repair.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0294.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0295.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0296.jpg
Etch primed just needs a skim of filler.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0297.jpg


Bit boring but needed to be done, really want to get the arch sorted now so I can make it look less like a shed.

[Pigeonrat]

Damn, I really must learn to weld! Liking the effort here, keep up the good work. Judging by the glovebox/doorcard it's a pre-facelift interior which is interesting, mine's an early '89 which is original but has the facelift. One of the first and yours is one of the last I guess :)

[Tony25]

Yeah the welder has more than paid for it's self, the car has 88 on all the date stamps.

[cthomas443]

I also really enjoy this thread :thumbsup:

[Tony25]

Managed an hour tonight before rain stopped play >:(

Inner sill is fine just some surface rust,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0299.jpg

Got another rear arch from Spankee :beer: which has a much better shape. Started to cut it to shape.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0298.jpg

Once the inner arch is repaired I will butt weld it in which will take a while as i don't want it to warp.

[bowman]

nice work mate... definatley best off putting in the minimum amount of arch you need, rather than the full repair panel, makes blending it in alot easier (learnerd the hard way!)

[Tony25]

Managed an hour tonight so started the repairs to the inner arch, again cut back to strong metal, got the cardboard cad out and made the first patch panel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0303.jpg

Out with the welder again.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0307.jpg

Had these for ages but it's really good, once the car is all welded every nook and cranny is going to get both of these pumped into it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0310.jpg

RC800 applied.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0311.jpg

Really looking forward to getting to the point when I don't have to sweep up my car after working on it..

[Tony25]

Got the arch on today :Banane44:

Did make a school boy error though, didn’t notice the wiring loom behind the panel and slice through a couple of wires, so soldered in some new sections.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0317.jpg

Now well out of harms reach while welding the arch on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0318.jpg

Finished the inner arch repairs then butt welded the outer arch on, this took ages as I was trying hard not to warp it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0321.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0319.jpg

Will fill in the gaps tomorrow, then the fun starts with the filler, hoping it will only need a fine skim.

[Tony25]

Slow progress but getting there, remember why I decided to replace the quarter panel on the driver’s side instead of using the repair panel, I hate all the prep work, fill sand fill sand etc.

Some high build primer, happy with the shape now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0342.jpg

Just the lower corner to finish

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0343.jpg

Some guide coat

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0344.jpg

[slash]

looking good

[Roger]

very nice to see!

[Tony25]

Another year of being sorned :confusion: Another new year’s resolution to get this done, as we really need two cars on the road this year. Opened the garage for the first time in months, time for a good tidy up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/anthony25/Astra/IMAG0590.jpg

Decided I’m going to paint it myself, anyone know of any good 2k paint suppliers? Sticking with the original colour.

[BenH]

Interesting read, lots of nice work you've done on it. It's been off the road since around the same time as mine lol!

I dont know about local paint suppliers to you, but my local one NUagain paint has a ebay store 'hugspaint' I think it is.

[mark2]

Tony you could of thrown an old blanket over it lol the poor thing!

[laney]

hi tony, u could use brown brothers paint suppliers, they are next to ford dealers on widford estate in chelmsford