This thread was written for another site with the intention of copying and pasting it on here, but as the other site isn't an astra one please forgive me if some it it sounds basic!
Thought I would start a lil project thread for me motor.
She is an 03 plate Astra 1.8 Sri which I have had for just over 2 and a half years.
This is what she looked liked near standard (apart from the rear lights and lettering).
It took me ages to get around to taking the chavvy style wrinting off accross the boot lid. I finally got round to doing it, then was going to fit a coupe chrome strip along the bottom of the boot lid, bud decided against it due to a change in plans. This is what the ass looked like (and still does, but not for much longer.....
:
You maybe able to see the reverse parking sensors that I fitted after I hit a hidden wall while reversing :@
I did have a 5" screen mounted into the sat nav centre console for a while, but decided to take that out and go back to the good old MFD, however, I'm now working on fitting a 7" widescreen into it although it's taking a while and needs alot of butchering, fibreglassing, boddy filling, you get the idea. Here is some pics of the old 5" screen along with the painted console The DVD player was mounted into the glovebox at the time.
I've recently had fitted some 40mm lowering springs (they only lowered her 20mm though as the SRi already sits 20mm lower then standard). I then nicked my mates police spec sump guard as well as something hit the ground hard when I went over a speed hump in the local Halfords car park. No piccies of the sump guard but here is the difference in the front spring sizes:
A very common mod for the Astra G is to de-restrict the airbox, fit a performance panel filter and a air intake from a Vectra C. I de-restricted teh airbox and fitted the k&n panel filter within a couple of months of owning her, and had the Veccy C intake sitting in my garage for ages. I then stumbled accross a Dbilas intake, which is absolutely massive, so that soon went on:
I fitted some INXX bonnet lifters to my car, but being chrome, it ment that you could see them when the bonnet was shut, so they got sprayed Sapphire Black (same colour as the car), which also has the added benifit of them not rusting anymore!
No piccies yet I'm afraid
I did buy some Innoparts plasma dials to fit, but they never got fitted and were then sold for a nice profit
No piccies of them either
I did the dial LEDs soon after I got the car, I've still got them in but will be changed shortly for a full on LED conversion, when I decide on the LED colours
My planned audio setup is a full on boot build. I'm planning on having 1 amp and sub on one side, another amp and 4 crossovers on the other side, but due to the cost (I wanna get MB quart Q series components front and rear) this project is taking a fair old while. Also, as I want to maximise the boot space while still keeping it light weight, I'm making most of the install out of fibre glass. I've already got the sides moulded and now need to add the layers onto them to build up the strength. I'm also going to be kitting it out with a Kicker 12" L7 Solo Baric sub, Fision Jonah Lomu 2500W mono block amp, and a Fusion Jonah Lomu 4 channel amp. I'll also be upgrading my current Alpine head unit to go with it. These are the amps that are currently sitting in my wardrobe:
While I'm doing this, I decided that I wanted the SRi-T front bumper. They only made 500 of the SRi-T models so the bumpers seem to be rarer then rocking horse poo. Anyway, here is the bumper sitting in my garage:
I was also going to fit the SRi-T rear splitter, and managed to source one, however, something else came up so that splitter was sold to make way for the new rear end. More details to follow, and should hopefully be fitted within the next month or so.
As I seem to be handy with a spray can, I decided to try doing proper spraying, so I managed to get a 50 litre air compressor, 3 paint guns, 1 steam gun, a air gun with impact sockets and a air ratchet for £80. Best thing is that it is all hardly used! So this morning I went to the local paint supplier shop and got all the stuff I need, it cost £144 but it's a price worth paying for it
Ain't got piccies of my new equipment yet
I've also fitted some carbon look dial surrounds which look good, well I think they do any way:
I was originally planning on getting my car from the 123bhp standard to around 200bhp, but the cost involved and the amount the car would need to be revved to make it driveable soon put that idea in the bin. Instead, I've decided to get a Z20LET (the engine from the Astra GSi 2 litre turbo) dropped in, then get it running stage 3.5 straight away on switchable boost. Due to the costs involved, that will be somethime next year, as the upgrades alone will cost more then the conversion itself! I'll also get it running the M32 VXR gearbox with a LSD. However, in getting ready for the conversion I upgraded my front brakes to the GSi ones, but fitted drilled and grooved discs with EBC greenstuff pads. The rears will be the same shortly now that my new Torx sockets have arrived. The current brakes are front - 308mm and rear - 264mm. Due to another change of plans they will be upgraded to the VXR brakes before the conversion which will make the fronts 322mm and the rears 278mm. Or they will goto a 4 or 6 pot conversion, not sure yet though. This is a piccie of my current front brakes. The retaining spring is back in and the calipers are painted the same lime green as the green stuff pads:
I've just got myself a set of the 17" SRi-T wheels which I'm picking up shortly. However, before I fit them I will be refurbing the wheels then wrapping them in some nice rubber. I'm not 100% sure what colour the wheels will be yet, but I'm thinking a dark colour
I also managed to fit a set of 8000k HIDs, which look a great ice blue colour
So a lil summary of my current mods:
bonnet lifters
Dbilas air intake
k&n panel filer
de-restricted airbox
8000k HIDs
40mm lowering springs
sump guard
308mm front brake conversion
drilled and grooved front and rear discs fitted with EBC Greenstuff pads
debadged
tinted (rear blacked out) rear lights
parking sensors
Alpine head unit
Infinity Referance 6.5" components
carbon effect dial surroud
lime green calipers fronts and rear
Things to come:
Z20LET conversion taken upto phase 3.5 with M32 VXR gearbox
VXR or 4-6 pot brakes front and rear
goodridge brake hoses
full interior retrim
boot build finished
new body kit fitted
new wheels fitted
colour coded bump strips and side skirts
front mud flaps fitted
coilovers fitted
I'm sure that there is a couple of things that I've missed, but here is how she is looking now:
