Astra mk3 - project/tidy up. (GSi rep)

[MurrayM_]

Good progress murray!

Getting there slowly man!

rocker cover and plug cover came up good eh, nice one, ill check that bonnet the night

Ach not too happy with rocker cover yet but its oraaat!

[MurrayM_]

Alright,

This is what i've been up to the within the last week. Pretty boring update but its all in prep for getting the engine fitted hopefully very soon.

Currently waiting on a few bits I've ordered..

New clutch kit
Cool running thermostat
New header tank

Will need to order GM filters, plugs, oil and gaskets too.

Mainly just been painting and so what this week


Had painted the dipstick holder with high temp paint then gone for a gloss finish final coat (non high temp) re-acted so was taken back to metal and re-paint





Non primed, final product.



Power steering bracket






Gave my 4-1 magnex manifold a couple coats of high temp paint I had left over, Not really needed as i'm heat wrapping it




New brake servo. One onit was leaking, new ones in fine condition though



Also 'new' steering rack as mine although in better condition was f*cked



Spent a couple hours sorting them out






















Also done the power steering pipes and ones on the rack and a couple more brackets but no pictures.

Had an issue with master cylinders, As I'm not having abs I couldn't use the unit I got with the servo. The one I'd had previously was a small block servo/master cylinder? Was different mountings anyway. White astra I bought previously donated the correct one though, in the picture its the middle one.



Was gonna paint master cylinder but it should clean up good, only bits that wouldnt was where it mounts so painted them black. Heres a mock up



After stripping down the inlet I had to replace a couple gaskets so set about doing that!







To realise.. I'd done it wrong

Take 2



Painted





Got it rolling again on Saturday once the rack was fitted, Also removed the skirts. I've got a sprayer coming to see it tomorrow to talk prices and what for respraying the full car.



2 tone but solid






Latest upgrade.. Another gearbox.





F16CR gearbox Already have an F20 that I spent hours degreasing and cleaning, now having to do it all again


Degrease/pressure washing







Getting moneyzzz worth..



Primered



Painted






Once painted I noticed this small hole, I'm assuming not meant to be here? Its beside the drop off pan





Looks perfectly shaped but not sure what script is?

Thats all for now, should hopefully have more to update with soon.

[GSi_Online]

Top job on what your doing. Finished car will be nice with all your time and effort. Hi5.

[Th0m45]

Top work as always Murray

[car_mental]

Looking good Murray. Coming together nicely.

[wudgey_sr]

top work mate looks like it getting there!! will be sweet when its resprayed matey!!

[MurrayM_]

Top job on what your doing. Finished car will be nice with all your time and effort. Hi5.

Thanks man! Hopefully it'll be all worth while

Top work as always Murray

Cheers matey

Looking good Murray. Coming together nicely.

Not fast enough for my liking.. it'll get there though!

top work mate looks like it getting there!! will be sweet when its resprayed matey!!

cheers, yeah having it sprayed will be a big improvement! I've got a quote for spraying and it'll be going ahead however it'll be a few weeks yet, I'm wanting to get it running before I put the wings back on. Respray is last on the list to be honest!


Got a couple wee updates to do when photo bucket starts playing ball.. Nothing great though. Still waiting on my clutch so big hold back, If it doesn't come today then it'll be a boring weekend. Got another set of struts to try though.. thanks cavalier-c20let

[taz c]

Good work looking good, Any more updates ? I was out using the wash bay other day and went to have wee look but she was all wrapped up.

[MurrayM_]

Good work looking good, Any more updates ? I was out using the wash bay other day and went to have wee look but she was all wrapped up.

Yeah just gonna do this weeks progress! awright yeah, that must've been a couple weeks back? When I was changing the rack I couldnt shift the car so had to be left outside so threw a cover over it!

[MurrayM_]

Another week down but heres the most recent updates!

Got all the bits I'd ordered the weekend previously throughout the week, Had ordered the clutch the earliest and was hoping to get it by Wednesday.. it came on Saturday morning

New header tank



Cool running thermostat



Clutch kit






Had noticed the box had a slight hole init beside the drop off pan last Sunday night, Done a wee help thread up here and as suspected it was just a hole where the top at the top of the bolt.. wasn't right threw to the diff Wouldn't have even needed to cover it but I done so anyway with some chemical metal just to look legit, No pictures really. Gearbox has been a ball-ache this week, Between holes, paint not setting, re-actions, fingerprints etc etc.








Fitted the brake servo earlier on in the week, no pictures. Also painted a couple wee brackets and that but I've been forgetting to picture everything.


Was hoping to have the clutch earlier in the week so the engine could have been built up to be dropped in on Friday night however it only turned up on Saturday lunchtime. Went to the local autoparts store once clutch was here to pick up an inlet gasket.. Could've ordered one easy enough and been prepared however I'd assumed they'd have one in stock so never bothered. Assumed wrong.

Didn't want this to hold the weekends plans though

Engine had been stripped down to a small extent

Sump removed - Sorted broken sump bolt

Starter, alternator, inlet, clutch etc.. mainly all for painting.

Will let pictures do the rest.

















Power steering pipes fitted






Engine going in













Didn't really do much over the week at all as I was waiting on parts but played catch up on the weekend.. Had help from rob, Was long hours and a lot of mixed up bits, bobs, bolts etc but managed anyway.

This week should see the engine plummed/wired in and (maybe) running. Will also be ordering heat wrap for manifold, front wheel bearings and maybe a few more goodies this week.

[Andy_mk3_c20xe]

I'd do something like this with my mk3, but its a 5door and going for the sleeper style look with an early 20xe lump in it, should be done soon!! Just had to pretty much rebuild it from bottom upwards!! Just wiring and few bits to do and its there!!

[MurrayM_]

Sounds good, Have you put a project thread up on it? My first mk3 astra I got 2 years ago when I was 17 was a 5door! Had a few GSi goodies and a 2.0 ecotec, heres a pic:

[taz c]

Ye it was a week last Friday bud had merc van in getting bath before mot. Good progress there should be running soon eh

[MurrayM_]

Well thought I'd updated this last Sunday but clearly not..

Anyway,

2 weekends ago the engine was fitted - previous update

Following the engine being fitted I wasn't wanting to hang about getting it started, Went into work on the Monday and decided to take the Tuesday off to get the wiring sorted.

Having never wired in anything before I decided to try get some know-how by reading over how to's on a couple forums. Feeling over confident I was thinking it would be running by the Tuesday night, possibly Wednesday.. infact I was confident enough to even bet a boy at work that it would be running by the Friday It wasn't. Never really got much pictures off this stage.


Tuesday - 19/02/13

Got a local xe round to have a wee glance over as to where things would go. Mine being a coilpack and it being a dizzy meant a couple things were different.



Wiring partly done, This was it in place and connected. Spent the following Wednesday/Thursday/Friday trying to get the head round some loose end wires, connections, earths, starting wiring. Also fitted new spark plugs, oil + filter and thermostat.

Friday - 22/02/13

Finally got dash lights on and had the car turned over for all of 2seconds, then nothing. Done a couple checks, battery, earths but turned out that the starter had gone lazy.



Saturday - sourced another starter to try, made a start heat wrapping manifold.

Sunday - Fitted other temp starter and it was turning over no problem. Happy.


Realized on the Monday after work although I had dash lights, turning over and spark it wasn't priming the fuel pump and I wasn't getting a management light.

Put the management light not being on down to the dials maybe not having the bulb in, however they did.

Switched relay from a local cavalier and still no joy.


Never really had any progress from the Monday onwards, Put it down to wiring but couldn't find the fault. Arranged for a few boys to come check it at the weekend and just waited on that. Got my rear gsi beam and struts shot blasted though..




Friday after work spent another couple hours trying things on the wiring on the astra, Still no priming fuel pump. Cavalier-c20let then had a look and noticed something which explained a lot..



The block connector pictured although connected fine never lined up the correct wires. Soon joined a few up as they should have been and the pump primed - happy.

This was late on Friday night however I wasn't going home until it fired or at least tried to.

No return fuel pipe
Breather pipe
Rad pipes
Idle control unit
Air box
Manifold

However quickly threw on an fuel pipe and second turn she fired, Didn't run it long but it gave plenty motivation. Heres a short video.



Saturday I picked myself up a MK2 SRi 1.8 8v white 3 door (do a reg check if you dont believe me)






A genuine SRi..




This sh*tbox 1.4 single point ex write off rotter will help me out though. Got it for nothing as the owner wanted rid, It had no mot, tax and plenty holes. Also seems to have caught something as all the paint comes off it, however it does drive, is a mobile shed and does actually have some parts of use to me. (tint top wind screen, boot struts, loaaaads of clips etc)

Soldered and shrink wrapped some wiring today, Got more to do but started where needed most as I took out the block connector.



Interior removed + hoovered - big progress, was long overdue.



Also came across this underneath the drivers seat/carpet??




Thats all for now though. Hopefully this week will see some updates, Would like to finish bay and get new legs fitted.

[Cavalier-C20LET]

Ross's multi tool..... lol

Good progress bud. Glad could help you on my short trip home.

[MurrayM_]

Ross's multi tool..... lol

Good progress bud. Glad could help you on my short trip home.

haha, dunno who's it is but no mine anyway.

yeah spot for that, didn't take ya long to find the fault! Hopefully have it running properly this week

[Dell Balallan]

Great update cracking work.

[Cavalier-C20LET]

Are you no using the clutch pressure plate i gave you then?. Need one myself now ive changed to flat fly.

[taz c]

Delighted you got it running good progress there

[wudgey_sr]

cracking work as allways mate!! loving the burnout two lol

[Th0m45]

Good progress Murray! Loving the new mk2 SRi

[MurrayM_]

Great update cracking work.

Cheers!

Are you no using the clutch pressure plate i gave you then?. Need one myself now ive changed to flat fly.

Was gonna use it but just put the new one on in the end! Will have old one in garage somewhere

Delighted you got it running good progress there

haha its running but only just

cracking work as allways mate!! loving the burnout two lol

haha 1.4 8v seems quite hardy, th red one was originally a 14 8v too!

Good progress Murray! Loving the new mk2 SRi

Getting there. She's nice yeah, almost seems worth doing it up.

[GaryVaux]

This cars going to be a cracker once done, great work!