Classicscrap Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) Now I've had my Sports Hatch for a couple of months I thought I should document some of the work that I've done tl it so far. Back in November last year I took a gamble and bid on a 29,000 mile from new Cavalier Sports Hatch that was listed on Ebay. The car was in Northern Ireland and I live in Hampshire, so it wasn't practical to view before buying. After talking to the owner and doing some further research to reassure myself that everything was above board, I paid the money and waited nervously for the car to arrive. It turned up early one morning on the back of a transporter but unfortunately it wouldn't start so we rolled it off the back of the transporter. When I had time to investigate further I put a gallon of fresh petrol in and, although it still didn't run I found that it would start if I poured some petrol directly into the carb. I took the top off the carb and freed off the needle valve and managed to get the car running. It has been dry stored for at least 10 years so I have had to do a few jobs to get the car running properly such as a recored heater matrix, new points and distributor cap and oil and filter change. The car passed the MOT with no problems in December and I have been doing short trips to be sure that it will be reliable. It has become apparent that it suffers from fuel starvation at higher speeds, which is caused by the filter on the fuel pump from getting clogged up. After cleaning this out it runs fine for a few miles before it cuts out again. I have now decided to remove and clean out the tank properly. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited February 20, 2016 by Classicscrap Resized photos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) New breather pipes made up as old ones are perished. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Tank is basically OK but have started cleaning out and sealing with Frost's tank refurb kit to be on the safe side. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited February 20, 2016 by Classicscrap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Great car, seen it advertised locally....... so thats where it went.... not many cars leave these shores, usually its the other way. Looked a good honest wee car, when advertised... amazing how small it looks beside that bmw. How did you clean out tank? How did you seal it? Be great to see and read more, keep thread updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) Yes, the car is in excellent condition and the mileage appears to be genuine. It was originally registered in Merton, Surrey, so it has almost come back home again. I'm using the POR15 tank restoration kit from Frosts. Not cheap, but certainly worthwhile doing now while it's only got minor surface rust and no leaks. It's still got the cleaner in it at the moment, so I'll update when I've finished. This is what the inside of the tank looked like earlier. While the tank is out I''ve treated the surface rust on the underside with FE123 rust convertor. Before and after photos below. I will be painting it with Epoxy mastic paint. I've not used either before but they came out well in Classics Magazine tests a couple of years ago. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited February 20, 2016 by Classicscrap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 (edited) 12 hours ago, Classicscrap said: I'm using the POR15 tank restoration kit from Frosts. Not cheap, but certainly worthwhile doing now while it's only got minor surface rust and no leaks. It's still got the cleaner in it at the moment, so I'll update when I've finished. This is what the inside of the tank looked like.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Did you take photo, by removing sender? Is this inside the tank looking at the bowl section. It would be great to see more photos, during and after this process. Whats next in the process, photos of each step would be great. Great work on car and tank, Edited February 21, 2016 by brady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted February 21, 2016 Author Share Posted February 21, 2016 Yes this is the bowl section inside the tank, taken through the sender hole. The next stage is using the metal prep solution. The cleaning stage is time consuming as you have to keep moving the tank around to make sure the solution all the inside surfaces. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) It has been a while since I posted on here, but the fuel tank refurb has been completed and the car back on the road for a couple of months now. A couple more pictures below showing 1) the inside of the tank once the metal prep has done it's job. 2) After sealing. This was a long winded process as I had to keep turning the tank every half hour or so to make sure it was all covered. All breather holes were blocked with wire and tap to stop it leaking out. Unfortunately I did not remove the wire before it had fully dried and ended up with permanently blocked breathers! I managed to solve it by heating and straightening each breather pipe and running a drill through. However, when trying to straighten the breather again most of them snapped off. Luckily I was left with just enough pipe left to clamp the new breather hose to. Picture 3 shows the tank after painting with Rustbuster epoxy mastic 121. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The first major run after the tank refurb was to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre open day on 10th April, where the car performed very well. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited June 8, 2016 by Classicscrap Spelling mistakes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumster Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Very nice for an old banger...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 Thanks. Coincidentally, that's what my daughters called it when it broke down on the A3 during February half term ☺ Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robah Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 19 hours ago, Classicscrap said: Thanks. Coincidentally, that's what my daughters called it when it broke down on the A3 during February half term ☺ Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. too ashamed to be photographed next to it when broken down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berlinetta Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Looks great...keep up the good work! Nice to see it being kept standard-spec too! That Chevette Van looks the part with the ladders onboard...havent seen one of those vans in years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 Thanks. There are so few standard ones left that I want to keep this as original as possible, although I have managed to get an original Vauxhall fog lamp kit to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berlinetta Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 23 hours ago, Classicscrap said: Thanks. There are so few standard ones left that I want to keep this as original as possible, although I have managed to get an original Vauxhall fog lamp kit to fit. I plan on keeping my Manta B Coupe (fairly) standard too ....the only changes I'll be making as such are the fitting of ATS alloys (optional when new - already done) and a (round) fog lamp kit (again, optional when new). Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicscrap Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 (edited) Good choice. I've just finished fitting my foglamp kit. I was pleased to find that all the wiring is there and I just had to plug in the relay and the switch to get them working. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited June 11, 2016 by Classicscrap photo added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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