Well i have just picked up this little beauty. An N-reg Corsa GSi with an X16XEL engine and in good condition. Got big plans for this...hopefully to be done in time for PVS '08 and the huge trip through Europe that will follow straight after
Engine is a recent rebuild that has had the head replaced with the wrong head bolts, so when its cold it sounds like an ill lawnmower. Once warm it runs fine! :lol:
Plans are, to get a C20ne/seh in it, and run on R1 carbs. Am getting Janspeed to make me up a stainless custom manifold to mate the Corsa system to the Engine exhaust set-up.
Tidy up the exterior, theres a few knocks that need sorting, but nothing major. Then get slant panel and front cross-member ground back, etched and painted.
I am changing the suspension set-up from coilovers to Bilstein shocks and spax 50mm springs and have got some Pro-Race 1.2's to put on it in the end, will be getting Compomotives for the winter. :look:
Interior will need to be played with, but again i have some big ideas. I will be putting a black carpet, door cards and Sport seats or RST Recaro's (if i can find a set of the recaro's)
Some pics of the R1 carbs i have to go on it!
As the car came with various parts that i dont want/need, i started stripping it down.
First off, was the suspension. Spax RSX coilovers to be replaced with Bilstein B8 dampers and Spax SSX 50mm springs.
Was goin well until i took one of the front coilovers off. I went to put the new shock and spring on and of course there was no spring seat on the top mount. :| So i have had to just leave the front c'overs on and change the rears until the ordered parts come in from vauxhall
Oh...and i took the front ARB off it as well! :P
Spax off...
And Bilstein on
...
How she now sits...
Next i cracked on with taking the harnesses and one of the seats out (need drivers seat to move it to and from in front of the garage).
That was it really, all i could do for the day.
Wed 13th Feb
Well i had a couple of little jobs to do today. Still waiting on the spring seats from vauxhall so had to find other things.
I decided to take the opportunity to wirebrush and paint the drums with black hammerite.
Once the paint was dry, i thought i'd see how the bk end looked with the Pro Race's on.
Hoping that after a week or so of use, that back end will drop, but also realised that there isnt an interior or anything, so it will sit slightly lower once its on the road.
Was made up to see that you can see the Bilsteins through the wheel...so i'm able to show off the quality suspension system! :P
Apart from that i took the front bumper off, and gave the inside a quick brush!
Once darkness fell i concentated on repairing one of my alloys that an ARB bracket on the car im driving gauged a 'diamond cut' ridge into them when i had them on it for a week
It's on the inside rim so you cant see it but thought i'd sort it to protect it anyways, so i managed to repaint it gloss black and re-laquer it and is all protected and looking ok now.
Feb 14th and 15th
Well last two days off work so i HAD to get everything done. The jobs remaining for these 2 days were to take the front coilovers off and get the parts that i was expecting from vauxhall to complete the new suspension set-up.
Thursday - So...up the front end went on axle stands and i cracked on with getting the coilovers off...which didnt take long, although cracking the two bottom bolts free was a bugger, it all came off pretty easy!
So, once they'd gone, i decided to sort the brakes whilst i waited on the suspension parts. As is a common problem, the bolt for the brake discs was goosed...so i just drilled the head off it and off it all came!
And the pleasant discovery that the car has got braided brake hoses, which will save me some money!
The bad news arrived about half 1 when i rang vauxhall and they told me it was gonna be friday morning b4 the parts were in now. Annoying as the car was on axle on my mates drive with his dads car in the garage behind. Logistical problems were to be worked around but was still a pain.
How thursday ended:
Friday Well i went absolutely steaming into it today...out before 9 to get cracking. Day started well, with vauxhall ringing me at quarter past 9 telling me my parts were in. So down i trundled to get em. When i got there, i found that i had missed a part i needed on the order!
So went round the corner to a scrappy and managed to buy 2 front set-ups off a sport for £30. Then back home to try and take em apart for the spring seat.
Once i started to try taking them apart, the nut on the top would not budge. Adam-D attempted it and still nothing, managed to break a socket and hurt hands without getting anywhere as it was really rusted on!
I was all but ready to quit on it for the day
but decided to take them to a welding and bodywork shop around corner where the owner kindly cracked the nut loose wit his air gun!
back in buisness!
Got them bk, compressed the sping and shouted victory abuse at it! :lol:
Sat the standards alongside the Bilsteins, ever amazed by the huge size of the B8's piston!
So...undersealed the turrets, and prepped them for the new shocks and springs.
Built up the new shock and spring unit, with the help of my ever present and highly useful girlfriend! :look: Having a second pair of hands is always useful, and she was able put the top nut on whilst i pushed down on the top mount assembly to compress the spring just enough.
Was extremely pleased to see it all finally together.
At this point my phone ran out of power so i couldnt get anymore photos...however i will get pics and put em in here asap.
Once the suspension was on i changed over the callipers, putting a 2litre set-up on with red-dot pads and 6 Groove Discs.
With the wheel off now, it looks the dogs danglies. Red-dot, Bilstien and spax.
I ended the day, and the week happy that i'd done everything i wanted to do!
