Mk3 GSI Restore

2.2DTIdarryl · 10-08-2007, 18:46

Here is my MK3 GSI astra which i intend to restore over the corse of this year. (hopefully)

got it for £900 and the engine seem to be pretty solid. wish i could say the same for the body work.

il show you...

as you can see around the fuel cap is bubbleing. the cap dnt even close properly
the rear archies are in a similar condition

the paint has realy faded, hard to see from the pics but trust me..

it now has a window as these were taken a week ago.

the front bumper is a mess. the toe cover is missing , he says he has it and will post i to be but i dnt hold my hopes up. lol

ok so good points are... it starts(when the batts not dead,lol)
interior is in good nick. usual ware on drivers seat.
it has a MOT... woohoo

bad points...
body work. 2 rear archies. found a massive hole behind the side skirt today.
paint work. been using loads of stuff and it seems to be working. problem is the wasps seem to like the smell of it.

electrics. dash lights dnt work. front fog dnt work. ETC simbol wnt come on the dash.
the exhaust makes a horrible rassp when accelerating, back box is sitting sideways. lol. fixed that today. theres lots of noise from under the car like the exhaust is blowing. need to rip it off and have a look.

apart from that im glad to have it. oh yeh still no V5. sent the letter and £25 to DVLA last week so see what happens now.

A2! · 10-08-2007, 18:48

Nice one mate! Will be a superb motor when your finished!!!!!!

2.2DTIdarryl · 10-08-2007, 18:55

Cheers A2. i think it should be IF I FINISH. lol

need alot of work. worried about attacking the archies. wanted to avoid getting the replaced. cost to much. there not quite rotten right through so might think about filling them.

ive no clue about the electrics of cars so that will be the killer.

A2! · 10-08-2007, 19:05

The electrics shouldn't be a problem mate, the bulbs are always blowing! Its nice to see someone restoring rather than breaking a gsi! Just keep working away at it! It will be worth it in the end. Trust me lol!

2.2DTIdarryl · 10-08-2007, 19:15

lol yeh i know the feeling

here the hle i found. this is the worst bit but the rot runs from the front right wheel the the back one. never seen one that bad before. anyone recon its jst a case of welding it

also got some wee kool bits. pil cap curtisy of kev_cav and badge from ebay.

show n shine · 10-08-2007, 19:27

i love those standard astra gsi rims.

ultra-vaux · 10-08-2007, 22:33

I had a J Plate GSi a couple of years back. Make sure you take the rear bumper off and check out the panels behind that, mine crumbled to bits after I took the bumper off.

The ETC failure may be due to the fact that someone has removed the traction control ECU. It lives under a raised cover beside the passenger seat.......mine was missing hence I got no TC light!

The front fogs are prone to water ingress so you'll probably find that the fogs won't work because they've been drowned in water, by the looks of the offside one, its had it.

Best of luck though, I really miss mine (got broken in the end ) :-(

2.2DTIdarryl · 11-08-2007, 07:34

would never even thought to check if theres anthing missing.

ive been under the car and all looks well apaty from the pics of the holes. its pissing sown with rain today so dnt know how much il get done.

anyone selling a foglight, true enough it has had it and wnt turn on.

2.2DTIdarryl · 11-08-2007, 12:43

took it for a run today. not he most exciting run ive ever been on. quite noisey fron under the car. on idle the engine heats up quite fast till about jst over half way then fan kicks in. is this normal. my friends dnt go above 1/4 even if hes kicking the arse out it. lol

put the door card back on after hoovering all the broken glass out from inside the door.
fixed mirrors. now on straight

...
found out that the rear window wiper isnt working or the scoochers.

.

power delivery is intresting. the guy i got it from said it was running rich and wouldnt idle for long. he got it fixed but still not convinced that it was done right.

recon the cluch will need done as well.(sigh) guess payday cant come soon enough

astraderv · 11-08-2007, 15:24

It's sure going to be a labour of love mate...

My first GSi (also a J plate) was in a similar state.. as above, check behind the rear bumper, it'll not be good.
I scrapped mine but always wished I'd sorted it out.

Astra GSi's will become more desireable in years to come when most of them have been broken. Yours especially so as it's an early redtop phase-1 car.

Stick with it!

Dave Dempsey · 11-08-2007, 15:54

Nice project there. Word of advice is to pull back your rear 1/4 panel cards and get a look at the inner archs, pound to a penny they will be funked if theres rot like that around the fuel cap.

astraderv · 11-08-2007, 16:22

PS- that front fog... if it's not cracked, take it apart, clean it out and seal it back up. They're expensive and getting hard to find! Just not working due to the bulb.

2.2DTIdarryl · 11-08-2007, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by astraderv

PS- that front fog... if it's not cracked, take it apart, clean it out and seal it back up. They're expensive and getting hard to find! Just not working due to the bulb.

hmmm never thought of that. its not cracked so il defo do that.

il need to wait till another day off to check the inner arch, i recon il get them replaced and resprayed.

2.2DTIdarryl · 12-08-2007, 19:31

ok due to lack of funds at the mo spent some time getting the paintwork back to life.

before...

after 2 hours of love...

ran out of time due to it raining. managed to get front bumper done, drivers side and wing mirrors.

payday on thursday. wonder what to buy first.

2.2DTIdarryl · 13-08-2007, 17:50

anyone know of any good websites for ordering body pannels for a mk3 gsi. cheers

slappycarp · 13-08-2007, 18:39

keep going mate,
your get there my one was the same colour and it too had a few rust bits here and there :-(
but its all worth it in the end!
mine had the same problems too and it was the brake sensors that went funny and oil check always came on but its not un common for them say,
i ve now got a s plater mk3 and love it to bits : - )

2.2DTIdarryl · 13-08-2007, 19:18

hehe kool. il be putting it in on friday to get a straight through made and keep the standard backbox.

slappycarp · 13-08-2007, 19:24

well done bud!!!
ya know its all worth it : - )

astraderv · 13-08-2007, 20:06

As for replacement panels, you can get anything you need from companies like Hadrian etc. However, the Mk3 is (luckily) still recent enough to have decent, late rust-free examples in the scrappies.

For example, those box sections at the back under the bumper- it would probably be easier to chop good, complete sections out of a scrapper, then weld the lot in. Would look decent/original too if you took your time.

2.2DTIdarryl · 13-08-2007, 20:15

well im afraid i cant weld

. lol. was looking jst to replace them. never dnt a restore before.

have friend that are macanics but none that weld. crap

A2! · 13-08-2007, 20:18

Looking soooooo much better already mate!!!

2.2DTIdarryl · 13-08-2007, 20:29

cheers man. cant wait till the real work starts

slappycarp · 13-08-2007, 22:30

wish i was nearly mate i am a welder as engineer by trade : - )
luckily mine don t need any yet,lol

corsa_kat · 14-08-2007, 10:15

lookin good

2.2DTIdarryl · 14-08-2007, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by slappycarp

wish i was nearly mate i am a welder as engineer by trade : - )
luckily mine don t need any yet,lol

lol me to mate. id even buy u a pint for the troubles