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Ascona " Facelift "


hatz
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To post your pictures from photobucket, just left click in the box marked IMG Code (when your mouse pointer hovers over the picture you want to post), the box will then momentarily say copied in it then come to this forum and paste the IMG code in to the thread.

and then when you left click Post on here you should get the pictures as below

AsconaBproject001.jpg

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Edited by robah
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well as you can imagine this car started of life as a 2,0 litre automatic, and as you can see I bought it with no engine fitted so I never got to hear it run, but as many of you guys know its the pull of the opel badge that sucks you. The car was in storage for several

years and the speedo indicates only 23k and as you will see in later pics of how solid this shell really is, I believe this to be genuine. So off I went, car on trailer, engine in boot to breathe new life into this old girl.

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so this is the car back at the garage ready for the BIG strip!

descisions, descisions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yip that front panel has to go, no room on this old girl for previous damage and a poor panel beating job. This is when I first got to meet Drew " what a legend "

Edited by hatz
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ASCONAB005.jpg

It never really took that long to establish that the Ascona was actaully in really good condition apart from the odd bits here and there but in a whole all the lines were good, original wings, albeit the front splitter was well gone, the screen was AWOL, two ATS alloys on one side and rostyles on the other, the bonnet well thats another story! GOD knows what car that came off.... so off being the appropriate word, that had to go aswell.

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automatic!!!! na mate that had to be the first casualty.

by the way, anyone want an autobox before it gets lobbed?

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defo had to put the wings away for safe keeping, has anyone noticed the price of these ££££££££££££££££££££££££££

Edited by hatz
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It has taken such a long time to decide after looking through various pictures and forums of other peoples projects that this old girl needs to be taken out of the silver dress that she has adorned for many years! out with the old, in with the new, it has to be POLAR white!!!! bring it on. So to rid of all traces of the silver ,she has to be prepared to go to sandblast, oh well needs must, so thinking cap back on, the floor has to be sorted out to take a 5 speed box and to be honest I was thinking red top but due to the low mileage I have decided to keep with the CiH but convert to fuel injection ( I couldnt seperate, all the numbers matching, just would be a waste) after all I wanted to keep as original as I could, but the red interior !!!! YIKES, hell ye thats going too.

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the first piece of cutting and welding has begun!

well now that I am in the groove its time to get this party started!!!! lets get this old girl " NAKED "

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As I said! it had to go!!!!!!!

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really cant believe how solid this shell is folks, look at the front legs and inner wings, the only bad bit that I have found on the car is on the rear screen scuttle panel, but before I get carried away I'm going to wait until after the sand blasting to comment

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YUCK !!!!!!!!!

Edited by hatz
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ASCONAB038.jpg

so here it is then, at the seaside, plenty sand but not too much sea or sun I'm afraid

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squidgy bum time! what lies beneath?

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well thats it blasted, time to see what the old girl is really like under all that grime!!!!!!!!!!!

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well I never, what about those legs! thankfully this shell has turned out to be as good as I thought

Edited by hatz
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RESULT, thankfully the only welding that requires attention on the shell is the rear scuttle panel

and the replacing of a new front panel so unfortunately there will be no usual forum remanufacturing,

" sorry folks " but there are still a lot of time to be spent in the paint shop to bring her into the

modern era. " let the games begin "

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just another few pics of this astounding shell, such a joy to look at!

And now into the paint oven to be primed, sadly this is were the car is out of my control as the saying goes " everyman to there own " and I can safetly say that painting, rubbing down, filling,

welding is defo not in my vocabulary.

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looking good at this stage but lets not forget it is only primer, although it is nice to see it all the one colour again.

Edited by hatz
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IMG]http://i1176.photobu.../ASCONAB070.jpg

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well look what has arrived all the way from the windmill country! thanks Andy

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rear scuttle panel being repaired then the welder goes away.

Isnt it amazing how panel beaters and spray painters can see beyond the rest of us, I definately didnt see these repairs coming, thats for sure, but on a good point they did say its normal practice

to make sure the best result possible! " heard it "

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Edited by hatz
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well having decided to leave the car with the pros for a while it gave me time to try to find other parts that I needed to progress with the project, thus being------- doors! what a nightmare, found sevseral needles in the farmers field quicker, but to be fair I have to thank a few of you folk for your help namely Gt4-ade, sorry but you are too far away buddy. So away down the road to the Lakes to visit the trusty Drew or Andy as I know him who managed to locate me a door skin for the n/s/r door and then onto Newcastle to pick up an o/s/r door from a mk1 cavalier from a scrap yard, as for the other two they were repaired in the fabricators in my work, never thought they could do it but what a job, problem solved

ASCONAB068.jpgASCONAB069.jpg

Edited by hatz
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ASCONAB141.jpgASCONAB124.jpgASCONAB133.jpg

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WOW! ITS SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! doesnt this look amazingly clean?

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and there was me thinking that the time was coming, and then more rubbing down!

Edited by hatz
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would be keen to know what products they applied on the underside, looks like two stages, the black and the cream ? what were those? realize they are under seal, more interested in the specific products

awesome. loving the white, mine will look like that soon, all going well, bet your glad you went back to bare shell.

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ASCONAB151.jpg

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ISNT SHE SUPERB???????????

would be keen to know what products they applied on the underside, looks like two stages, the black and the cream ? what were those? realize they are under seal, more interested in the specific products

awesome. loving the white, mine will look like that soon, all going well, bet your glad you went back to bare shell.

They actually painted underside aswell, I will speak with the painter and get the name of the products used, to be fair I was considering getting it dipped into zinc but that was really expensive, really pleased with my decisions and what an out come,

Edited by hatz
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  • 3 weeks later...

Just thought I would put some progress pics of the Ascona for all to see!

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Its that clean in there I'm afraid to lift a spanner!

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What a big jigsaw puzzle this is!

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Now onto my forte! What I do best, bring it on!

This is is a wee stocking filler that Santa Clause brought me care of my lovely wife.

HELL YEH! spax springs and shocks

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Just had to jump the gun and get these fitted, to see what they looked like on. I so hate brake pipes!

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ASCONAB185.jpg

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Decided to stick with the standard rear brakes albeit they are new but couldnt resist going Carlton vented on the front!

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Sorry folks, this is all I got of the engine stripped, was more interested in getting it built that I forgot to take

more pictures!! BUMMER.

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New head cloth being fitted---- leave it to the professionals

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Engine bay all ready to accept the newly refurbished engine.

HOPE I dont scratch anything!!!!!!!

Check out those brake pipes! would you not think that they were originals!!!!

JUST GLOATING ON MY PET HATE!

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Its on route!

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And in!

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Just decided to add a few bits, next thing I know ! looks like its always sat in there!

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I think that I will concentrate on the interior for a while, still some slight wiring concerns

to deal with.

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Needed to change the steering wheel, it so needed it!

Edited by hatz
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Lovely work there and so nice to see a shell prepped ready for dressing again :)

Re sand blasting: It is actually illegal to sand blast with natural sand due to the silicone content, which even with breathing equipment gets into the lungs and causes Silicosis which is fatal and incurable. Im hoping the guys used refined sand with less silica. Sorry to bring this on your thread but its more likely to be read here than if started a topic on it.

once again great work on the car so far and I've always had a liking for asconas over cavaliers (maybe because i saw cavs every day in my youth :)0

Tony

Edited by tony g
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ye Tony, this shell was sandblasted at my work in an actual sand blasting bay were chassis are done everyday

and as for legality! our place is health and safety heaven, nice tip though for others to think about.

cheers Paul

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