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Polar White and Rust - a restoration epic, can it even be done?


IanMc
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yes wont actually improve the braking as such( once the servo is vacuumed up its reached its potential) but will definately remove any small inlet air leaks .the pipes are usually brittle at this age as they seem to be usually the originals.

so as jess says ,can only make things better.

nice to hear its all up and running and nearly finished

( you do realise it will never actually be finished !   these cars or any for that matter never get actually finished ! a labour of love indeed and that why we do it)

only thing i would do differently is not go for the mot exemption,never understood this move and think it will eventually backfire on all of us proper classic enthusiasts.i think there will be people out there who use the exemption as an excuse for cheap and dangerous motoring.some people know nothing about maintaining a safe car and will never bother doing anything untill something breaks.obviously this wont apply to hundreds of owners like us and in this club but there will be people out there who will take advantage.

all the best mate and happy motoring

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Thanks Buz, but in reality what that really means is that my car was a complete and total basket case when I bought it  :lol:

Looking back, it probably should have gone straight off to the scrap yard the day it arrived at my house...

Anyway, we can all look back and smile now I guess. Thanks again.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi all,

Sorry I have not been around much lately, I've been busy pottering around with other things... In truth, I have also fallen out of love with the car a little bit. That's probably as things have been so busy on it for so long, I probably should have taken more mini breaks between stages, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I think a little break from working on it will probably help my enthusiasm and love to return - time will tell I guess.

With that in mind, I decided to drive it over for one of the last outdoor Archery sessions of the year. He is the old girl when I got back, as the light was fading:

 

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.

 

Take care everyone - say safe, stay well x

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She’s looking stunning Ian, that is the results of your hard work and devotion to the project, this is the time now to sit back and relax a bit, enjoy the other little things in life you we’re missing as a result of your build, but know you have your cavalier coupe there and ready in the garage when you have a few minutes to yourself, go out for a run, polish, small running repairs etc.... that’s when you can really enjoy her knowing that you don’t have a mountain of work to do on her now, you have the best of both worlds now, family and your hobby, Of which now you can spend quality time with, exactly Ian, your small drive to the Archery is what you built it for, to enjoy 👍

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  • 2 months later...

I'm about halfway through reading this and have found it so helpful. I don't want spoilers to see how it turns out but wanted to thank you now. I've just bought a 4 door Cavalier and your pictures have helped answer alot of questions I had and given me alot of ideas and scope for small improvements to my car. Not to mention the avoidance of unneeded purchases.

Thank you. 

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1 hour ago, mepbowles said:

I'm about halfway through reading this and have found it so helpful. I don't want spoilers to see how it turns out but wanted to thank you now. I've just bought a 4 door Cavalier and your pictures have helped answer alot of questions I had and given me alot of ideas and scope for small improvements to my car. Not to mention the avoidance of unneeded purchases.

Thank you. 

It's amazing thread, I actually miss its update 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone, I hope that you have all been keeping safe and well?

Sorry I haven't been posting recently, its been a difficult time - family stuff mostly.

The good news is that our Son has made some remarkable progress over the last few months and continues to make us proud every day. It's now almost inconceivable to think that this time last year he was in hospital...

One of the main reasons for my absence is that he bought himself a little car about 2-3 months back on the assumption that his driving licence would be returned soon.

As it turns out, his Doctor had lost the form/questionnaire the DVLA had sent to him and we lost 3-4 months, when he could have been on the road further rebuilding his confidence and independence. Sadly, nobody thought to say anything to us either, they all just buried their heads in the sand and blamed each other... Grrrrrr.

Anyway, his car was an 07 plate dented Fiesta, which I decided to take on so that he would (hopefully) have something that would make him even more proud when he go back said licence...

As always, bodywork takes ten times longer than you think and a lot of evenings and weekends drifted by, leaving the Cav stalled... But at the end of the day, our Son and his car were the most important things to me. Thankfully, that all turned out fairly well and his licence should be with him soon - fingers crossed!

That has allowed me to turn my attention back to the Cavalier in the last 7-10 days. As I had to store the Cav outside while the Fiesta was in the garage for its bodywork, water has entered the boot and some mould has formed on the contents and the Black stretch liner I fitted a while back. Its all just surface stuff, so should just wipe away with a mild solution of something appropriate.

The question is/was though, how did the water get in though? - I assume that the two main culprites would have been the boot seal and the rear light clusters. Accordingly, I have sealed up the rear lights with some clear silicon and sourced a replacement seal. As you will see the seal isn't an exact match, but I think it will work out fine once fitted later - hopefully lol

The old/original one - as you can see its pretty tatty to say the least:

 

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.

 

And the new one - sourced from an Ebay seller (£16 delivered for a 4 Metre length):

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Old and new profiles compared:

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

 

Oh I nearly forgot, I also swapped over the head unit for one that is a little more 'high tech' - its a Chinese special, with BT, USB, MP3, Aux In etc and still cost less than £20 :lol:

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Take care everyone - stay safe, stay well.

Ian x

 

 

Why are my photos not showing guys? - I have done exactly the same as I have always done?

Edited by IanMc
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Seasons Greetings and a happy new year to you and your family IanMc,

it’s great to hear the news and vast improvement’s your son has made, father and son bonding time over small project’s in the garage is probably the best medicine you can get, certainly a confidence boost and a sense of satisfaction once done 👍

 

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Hi Ian, got the same problem with Imgur. I copy-paste on the photo's "adress of the picture (Image?)" and than it works. Happened since the website update. 

Nice to hear your Son is doing well, keep up the good work.

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https://imgur.com/Z1Q830V

7 minutes ago, H-400 said:

Hi Ian, got the same problem with Imgur. I copy-paste on the photo's "adress of the picture (Image?)" and than it works. Happened since the website update. 

Nice to hear your Son is doing well, keep up the good work.

OK, many thanks Herman - I will try that right now!

Thanks for your best wishes, I hope that you are also recovering and keeping well?

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11 minutes ago, Jessopia74 said:

My old SRB always had a leaky boot, I could never find it 🤯

 

Oops! - oh well, at least it will pass some time sealing things up and fitting the new rubber. If all else fails I will just keep it in the garage and only take it out when its dry  :lol:  :thumbup

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After letting the combined filler/sealer used on the rear light clusters to set overnight (this was the same stuff I used on the headlight glass - see above somewhere), I set about replacing the old boot seal rubber.

I am very happy with the fit and profile  :thumbup

 

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.

 

Plus, I had loads left over for spare...  :lol:

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Have a good day everyone.

Edited by IanMc
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you will find it / cure it ian. there are only 3 places water can get in realy.

boot seal ( most likely)

rear window seal 

around the rear light clusters ( and obviously any other bolt holes like bumper mounts,fog light,number plate lamp,grommet etc. 

my money is on the boot seal thou. if this doesnt solve it then its a case of the suggested tissue placements here and there or if all else fails the final ( and best way ) is to get into the closed boot with a torch and have someone hose it all down on sprinkler jet . a trickle will soon appear !. mine leaked on the lip seal even with a new seal and actually needed some tapping/ bending with a soft mallet near the top corners and also just on the bend above the lights. 

also make sure the part of the bootlid  where the seal actually touches is smooth and flat.

water leaks are a bugger to find but you will !

all the best

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2 hours ago, cam.in.head said:

you will find it / cure it ian. there are only 3 places water can get in realy.

boot seal ( most likely)

rear window seal 

around the rear light clusters ( and obviously any other bolt holes like bumper mounts,fog light,number plate lamp,grommet etc. 

my money is on the boot seal thou. if this doesnt solve it then its a case of the suggested tissue placements here and there or if all else fails the final ( and best way ) is to get into the closed boot with a torch and have someone hose it all down on sprinkler jet . a trickle will soon appear !. mine leaked on the lip seal even with a new seal and actually needed some tapping/ bending with a soft mallet near the top corners and also just on the bend above the lights. 

also make sure the part of the bootlid  where the seal actually touches is smooth and flat.

water leaks are a bugger to find but you will !

all the best

Ah, now that you have given the usual culprits I think you may have just explained my SRB leak. I never thought of rear screen seal and funnily enough I did gave to replace the glass (randomly exploded one very cold morning when I switched on the rear heated screen). 
Thanks 😎

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randomly exploded ! 

 wow .

water leaks are hard to find. at least boot leaks dont cause much distress. you can keep drying it up with boot mat out until you find it. 

front footwell leaks are the worst. ! so many places .( usually front window thou again ) 

all the best to you jess for the new year 

and to you ian 

and to all omoc members 

chris   cam in head 

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If it is any help a Peugeot 405 seal is about an inch longer than manta coupe, maybe 306 for hatch? Very close match.

Ian, can be back parcel shelf area, or rear quarter windows also. Any joints in panels in boot seal area.

Best practice is to strip back, watch and find!

Use windscreen sealer if you want to remove again, ie lights, or use tigerseal, if you want to seal permanently.

 

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