My South African Astra Saloon

[Kev 180iE]

Got it out of the garage for the first time in a couple of weeks today - gave it a wash and a quick runout to take these:

[Kev 180iE]

Originally Posted by Mr_PandaPaws

Yup I do still have those clear rear lights! Why do you ask?

I'm considering getting a set of the black versions.

Do they have reflectors integrated into them, of will Mr MOT want me to stick some on?

[Rubix_Cube]

Looking top as always

[CoupeUK]

Needs Towing eye cover!!

[RobJenko]

looking very sexy there kev, do like the saloon. front still doesnt look quite right though with the phase1 gsi grill and lights, just doesnt seem to line up right with the bonnet

[Mr_PandaPaws]

If the black versions are the same type as mine, then nope there's no red reflector... although mine have gone through 2x MOT's with them on... but probably best not to chance it... maybe get some with a magnet on the back so you can just remove them!?

Great set of pics... got mine started up... quick battery jump start and she started up first time and sat there purring away... a friend of mine took her up and down the street and I've fallen for her... in a BIG way... pics will follow (on a new thread!)

[Kev 180iE]

Originally Posted by RobJenko

looking very sexy there kev, do like the saloon. front still doesnt look quite right though with the phase1 gsi grill and lights, just doesnt seem to line up right with the bonnet

I'll be getting another Ph2 Grille sometime, probably next year when i intend to do a bit of an exterior makeover on her.

Originally Posted by Mr_PandaPaws

If the black versions are the same type as mine, then nope there's no red reflector... although mine have gone through 2x MOT's with them on... but probably best not to chance it... maybe get some with a magnet on the back so you can just remove them!?

Yeah, that's an idea, or i might just put some reflector on my rear mud flaps that i've got for it.

Originally Posted by Mr_PandaPaws

Great set of pics... got mine started up... quick battery jump start and she started up first time and sat there purring away... a friend of mine took her up and down the street and I've fallen for her... in a BIG way... pics will follow (on a new thread!)

Cool, glad to here it. Look forward to seeing those photos.

[DaveB]

Nice motor, only just seen this thread. I think it'd look so much slicker with the bump strips removed, I think you should try and get the plastic that goes underneath the 'grill' to fill the hole

[Kev 180iE]

the horizontal slats? look again, it's there.

And yeah, it may well look 'slicker' without the bump strips, but then i'd be fretting about getting ding'd everytime i parked it somewhere - and having paid to have the previous dings removed - i'd rather avoid that.

The only issue i have with the rub strips is how they end on the rear doors, they need redoing.

[Kev 180iE]

Right,little bit if an update.

Went to Billing, as many of you will have seen - not much different about the car, but little things like sorting the windscreen wiper judder buy fitting tighter springs made it better for me - especially as it rained.

I also spent a good hour or so cleaning all the overspray off the glass from the respray LAST YEAR! Finally got around to that- it'd been bugging me.

Also fitted some ally wiper/indicator switches and refitted the steering cowling, which made it look less like a work in progress (although it still very much is!)

The biggest plan for billing was going to be fitting some 288mm V6 brakes, but that didn't happen in time, so i did it today, assisted by the increasingly capable Claire...

Before, 256mm...



What's wrong with this picture?


Then Claire reminded me that 2 brake pads are preferable...


Then she got bored of standing around, so decided to start the other side




Finished! 288mm...



So - there's the biggest step forward the car's had since the XE going in, i'm not entirely happy because my eezibleed broke and we had to bleed them manually - the pedal is pretty crappy right now, but i'll bleed them through again when i get a replacement cap for the eezibleed.

Anyway - back to Billing - i saw 2 of the 18's i want for sale on the staurday morning, they wanted £100 for the pair at the time, but then Kev (ithink it was you?) came back to the stand pretty late in the day sunday and told me they'd been halved in price.

Bugger! i thought, i'd run out of cash and the nearest working cash machine was aaaaaaaaaaaages away. So Claire unbolted her purse and lent me the cash (Ta Love!) - Kev drove (coz i'm to lazy to walk all that way with 2 18's, and my car was blocked in on the stand), and we went and got them! (Ta Love!)

So i'm on the lookout for another pair of them, then i'll have them refurbed next year, then go 5 stud and fit them! This does mean that the 17" 5 stud Soft Stars wont make it onto the car, they'll be in forsale thread near you soon.

[Brian Stirrup]

Nice work Kev, Nice help too Clair.....

You could have washed the wheels while you had them off though...

What pads have you gone for? I've got police spec on mine but just like stanard pads they give off way too much dust. I'm thinking of swopping back to Greenstuff, I've used them before and they just dont dirty the wheels as quick.

[Drizz]

Ive got so many plans for this car lol

[Dave Dempsey]

Im curious as to what the saw was for?

[Kev 180iE]

Originally Posted by Brian Stirrup

Nice work Kev, Nice help too Clair.....

You could have washed the wheels while you had them off though...

What pads have you gone for? I've got police spec on mine but just like stanard pads they give off way too much dust. I'm thinking of swopping back to Greenstuff, I've used them before and they just dont dirty the wheels as quick.

Washing wheels? Me? Nah... Done that once this year already!

They're just standard pads i believe, the man @ Vauxhall did say they had 2 different versions, which seeing as they were the same shape i took to mean different compounds = police spec, but they didn't have those in stock, and i'm not not that bothered either way as i'll only be changing them when i manage to get some 308 brackets.

Originally Posted by Drizz

Ive got so many plans for this car lol

lol - apparently, yeah! Although i would like to be informed...

Originally Posted by Dave Dempsey

Im curious as to what the saw was for?

To keep Claire in check!

I needed an extension bar, so sawed off the plastic end of a pole i found in the garden.

Think it used to be a gardening implement of some description. Not anymore it aint!

[Steve_rsa]

Next you'll need the "proper" bootlid with the black insert like this:

[Drizz]

The white one definitely needs tS rims!

[Steve_rsa]

They are rare as hen's teeth and I'd have to drill for 5 stud. Converting to tS hubs is useless here as no-one stocks the disks. The CD mags are quite rare on an Astra - I prefer OEM, aftermarket rims usually look tacky.

Nice car you got there, why did an RSA vehicle end up in Wales of all places? Essen green is such a nice colour.

[Kev 180iE]

Green? Huh?

And yes - a back panel has already been sourced for a convertable that was being broken. Wont be going on yet though.

[Steve_rsa]

That is the factory paint code name. I guess it's kind of olivey

[Kev 180iE]

Originally Posted by Steve_rsa

That is the factory paint code name. I guess it's kind of olivey

Are you talking about mine? or Drizz's old TS?

[daddy cav]

I realy like the mk3 saloon done like TS .
Also the other performance Astra versions .
When you think , all we got was the mk3 Gsi .

[Kev 180iE]

Not updated this in a while, so thought i'd copy/paste from Mk3OC.

20.09.08

Time for a little update, not an exciting one, but it's the best your gonna get today.

Have been working on the car today, fixed the rad fan - i thought it was the switch because i'd been routing around down the back of the center consol to find somewhere for all the cables and loom attached to the back of my HU to go.

Turn out it wasn't that, it was the relay - so after having dismantled the center colsol for almost no reason at all* i went to halfords and got a replacement relay, this one is rated at 30amps, so i've used a 30amp fuse this time, instead of the 15 that was in there before. Job #1 done.

*i did manage to reconnect the drivers side heater vent control cable, so now i have use of that again!

Job #2 was to investigate the intermitant problem with the front passenger window - every now and then it would clunk and bang and refuse to go all the way down. The rear runner had completely come off - the securing bolt at the bottom was absent!

Luckily i had a suitable replacement bolt in my 'jar of bolts n stuff' - not the same as what had originally been there, but it'll do, for now.

While i was in the door i looked into job #3 - the check strap. It's not had 1 since the crash (possibly before) turns out it was there, but it wasn't connected to the A pillar. Again my 'jar of bolts n stuff' came to the rescue, and now the door stays open! Which was handy, because job #4 required much use oif that door!

Job #4 was to finally sort out some radio reception - since i took out the shappy JVC cassette player the iE was fitted with when i bought it, i've not been able to get any radio reception.

So today i fitted a new aerial cable to the electric aerial i had fitted ages ago, and now it works! Just gotta figure out how to store the stations now!

So i routed the cable, in the process finding that the passenger side rear sill trim is broken, so i'll be on the look out for 1 of those now.

I'm well chuffed, i have a 6 CD MP3 multichangers, so have quite a bit of music in the car - but on the occasion i drive to work i do miss listening to Moyles!

Job #5 was to Tigerseal up the rear mount of the SRi (removed during a debacle with the gear linkage), it took nearly a whole tube! It's now curing in the airing cupboard where it'll stay till the weekend before the RR day, hopefully it'll stop the engine rock.

So there it is, not very exciting but i did warn you.

See, Claire and Alex - i can get on and do stuff without supervision!

Today

Progress!

Today i fitted the SRi rear mount i've had sitting in the airing cupboard all week.

Airing cupboard you say? Why the devil would you put it in there?

Coz it's full of tigerseal!

Comparison...




1st impressions are good, gear stick movement has been reduced by 80%. That's in gear movement, under acceleration or when coming off the throttle. I fitted a short shift during the XE transplant, before it snapped it would move more because of the engine rock than you actually had to move it to change gear!

I think a combination of the repeated engine rock, plus an angry gear change are the cause of it snapping, so i'm on a standard 1 for now.

I can't feel an increase in vibrations, but it is happening because i can hear it. The engine now sounds deeper because more of the vibrations are being transmitted through the chasis. It's not too bad though, i can live with it for now till my ICE is up to spec, then it wont matter at all.


Also, this weekend i picked this up...


I wasn't about to let Drizz sell it to anyone else, was i!?!
can't wait to get it painted/fitted - but it'll probably wait till the new year now, along with a few other bits that need painting.