Volvo 240, Jimny, Corsa: Ever heard of a Toyota Paseo?
- Thread starter lbpomg95
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- A field in England
The Combo; Interior Refinements
I've been making a few more adjustments to the valeting van lately. The first (and possibly my favourite) modification was a new metal gear shift knob, made by a company called Richbrook, specifically to fit Vauxhall cars. Fitting it was so simple even I didn't have any issues!
To me, it looks and feels much nicer. I also bought a tiny little hat from Etsi to keep it warm in winter
Next on the list was more sound insulation to make the cross-country journeys a little more tolerable, and some carpet to improve the look. I started by stripping all the ply boarding to be greeted by a nasty mess.
Next I stripped all the plastic trim and cleaned the mess. The result was a stark contrast!
Next I filled all the gaps in the chassis with Dacron to deaden some of the tyre roar.
Next I cleaned and replaced the plastic trims.
Next was the part that would make the biggest difference. The plywood floor had a lot of ingrained dirt and a small amount of mould, so I gave it a quick belt-sand before putting a layer of self-adhesive foam on to add a small amount of cushioning to the floor.
Next I covered the floor panels with 4-way stretch carpet. They looked much better!
Unfortunately I then ran out of carpet, so I had to put everything back together. Still, the van looked much more professional than before.
For comparison, here's a photo of how it used to look (while I still had a generator at least...)
The van is certainly quieter. Though I must admit the difference wasn't as big as I expected. Still, anything's an improvement on what it was.
The Corsa; Chav Mods!
I've been driving the Corsa a little more lately, and I've been enjoying it very much! As much as I love the Volvo, it's not a car you can throw down a country lane. I mean, you can, but you'll fall out of the seat. Weighing in at around 900kg or less, the Corsa is a great car to drive in the corners. Over the last few months, I've been making a few more changes to tart it up, and strip yet more weight.
The first mod was the smallest, so no photos, but as you may have seen previously, I have no stereo, just a blanking panel. Well, I still have door speakers, so I recently removed them, and shoved some cushion stuffing in their place for a tiny bit of soundproofing. That saved me two kilograms. Golly.
I also took out the full size spare wheel to save more weight, replacing it with some of that crap tyre gunk and more sound insulation. I never go far, and in 8 years I've never had a puncture on the Corsa, so I'm taking the risk!
Next I did the holy grail of basic bro mods. A de-wiper kit.
I also recently found a very rare set of rear lights which have a Morette style to them. They're also lighter than the standard units, so the weight reduction has gone even further!
You either love them or hate them. I love 'em!
I've been making a few more adjustments to the valeting van lately. The first (and possibly my favourite) modification was a new metal gear shift knob, made by a company called Richbrook, specifically to fit Vauxhall cars. Fitting it was so simple even I didn't have any issues!
To me, it looks and feels much nicer. I also bought a tiny little hat from Etsi to keep it warm in winter
Next on the list was more sound insulation to make the cross-country journeys a little more tolerable, and some carpet to improve the look. I started by stripping all the ply boarding to be greeted by a nasty mess.
Next I stripped all the plastic trim and cleaned the mess. The result was a stark contrast!
Next I filled all the gaps in the chassis with Dacron to deaden some of the tyre roar.
Next I cleaned and replaced the plastic trims.
Next was the part that would make the biggest difference. The plywood floor had a lot of ingrained dirt and a small amount of mould, so I gave it a quick belt-sand before putting a layer of self-adhesive foam on to add a small amount of cushioning to the floor.
Next I covered the floor panels with 4-way stretch carpet. They looked much better!
Unfortunately I then ran out of carpet, so I had to put everything back together. Still, the van looked much more professional than before.
For comparison, here's a photo of how it used to look (while I still had a generator at least...)
The van is certainly quieter. Though I must admit the difference wasn't as big as I expected. Still, anything's an improvement on what it was.
The Corsa; Chav Mods!
I've been driving the Corsa a little more lately, and I've been enjoying it very much! As much as I love the Volvo, it's not a car you can throw down a country lane. I mean, you can, but you'll fall out of the seat. Weighing in at around 900kg or less, the Corsa is a great car to drive in the corners. Over the last few months, I've been making a few more changes to tart it up, and strip yet more weight.
The first mod was the smallest, so no photos, but as you may have seen previously, I have no stereo, just a blanking panel. Well, I still have door speakers, so I recently removed them, and shoved some cushion stuffing in their place for a tiny bit of soundproofing. That saved me two kilograms. Golly.
I also took out the full size spare wheel to save more weight, replacing it with some of that crap tyre gunk and more sound insulation. I never go far, and in 8 years I've never had a puncture on the Corsa, so I'm taking the risk!
Next I did the holy grail of basic bro mods. A de-wiper kit.
I also recently found a very rare set of rear lights which have a Morette style to them. They're also lighter than the standard units, so the weight reduction has gone even further!
You either love them or hate them. I love 'em!
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- 1,934
- A field in England
The 206
So, it's been a while. After cleaning the interior and re-fitting the seats, I had a few finishing touches. The front wheel hub had disintegrated, so that needed replacing, along with a wishbone and all four tyres, after which the car was serviced and MOT'd. I then finished cleaning the car ready for sale, starting with the steering wheel.
I also bought a set of beige mats to match the seats...
Next, it was time to clean the exterior, starting with a quick once-over of the engine bay.
I then did the usual on the body; wheels, wash, tar removal, clay decontamination, dry, machine polish, tyres and plastics. I also put a spare chrome trim on the exhaust tip and replaced the split rear wiper blade.
Finally the car was ready to sell!
In the end I sold the car for £875 for a profit of roughly £200. Nothing to write home about but it's been fun to turn this car around.
So, it's been a while. After cleaning the interior and re-fitting the seats, I had a few finishing touches. The front wheel hub had disintegrated, so that needed replacing, along with a wishbone and all four tyres, after which the car was serviced and MOT'd. I then finished cleaning the car ready for sale, starting with the steering wheel.
I also bought a set of beige mats to match the seats...
Next, it was time to clean the exterior, starting with a quick once-over of the engine bay.
I then did the usual on the body; wheels, wash, tar removal, clay decontamination, dry, machine polish, tyres and plastics. I also put a spare chrome trim on the exhaust tip and replaced the split rear wiper blade.
Finally the car was ready to sell!
In the end I sold the car for £875 for a profit of roughly £200. Nothing to write home about but it's been fun to turn this car around.
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Corsa
So the Corsa's been ignored, and frankly is still being ignored. But, at some point I got bored of the SXi wheels it used to have, and they're oddly heavy for what they are. So I found some BBS 473 wheels from some hateful old Golf convertible for a very reasonable £150. They were pretty dirty but overall decent condition. So I gave them a decent wash...
I then got the Toyo T1-R tyres from my old wheels swapped onto these and fitted them.
The new wheels are noticeably lighter than the old ones, though that doesn't really affect the driving experience at all. Still, I'm very pleased with how they look!
So the Corsa's been ignored, and frankly is still being ignored. But, at some point I got bored of the SXi wheels it used to have, and they're oddly heavy for what they are. So I found some BBS 473 wheels from some hateful old Golf convertible for a very reasonable £150. They were pretty dirty but overall decent condition. So I gave them a decent wash...
I then got the Toyo T1-R tyres from my old wheels swapped onto these and fitted them.
The new wheels are noticeably lighter than the old ones, though that doesn't really affect the driving experience at all. Still, I'm very pleased with how they look!
- 1,934
- A field in England
Corsa Number 5
So I've gone and bought a new project car, and it's another Corsa! This time it has a twist! Actually, it has two;
1. It's an automatic
2. It's been modified!
Yes, a modified automatic Corsa. So naturally there's a story, but first some pictures...
So, details. It's a 2003 model with a belt driven (manual models are all chain driven) 1.4 litre petrol, mated to a torque converter. It's got 82,000 miles and some small battle scars. The story, then. The previous owner was a woman in her 40's. Her husband bought this car for her as a runaround. He's a petrolhead. She isn't. He likes modified cars. She doesn't. He modified it anyway. He did a few. Those wheels, for example, are from an Astra. The tyres are too big so the speedo is slightly wrong. He also tried to debadge the car, and got bored. So, it's actually a Vaux. Then there's the mirrors...
These are Hagus mirrors, found on the SRi model. They're noticeably smaller than standard, and the wife hated them. The husband also fitted some Richbrook door pins.
And then there's the elephant in the room; the exhaust.
This was a Christmas present. The wife did not want this or ask for this, and hubby bought this instead of an actual present. I guess we should admire his persistence. But wait! It gets better! He also fitted a straight-pipe midsection! So, only one silencer! She was livid, and has hated this car ever since. Fast forward to today, and the car is now mine, and the husband is now an ex.
The plan is to return this to standard and, depending on whether Katherine likes how it drives, it'll either replace the Clio or be sold for profit.
So I've gone and bought a new project car, and it's another Corsa! This time it has a twist! Actually, it has two;
1. It's an automatic
2. It's been modified!
Yes, a modified automatic Corsa. So naturally there's a story, but first some pictures...
So, details. It's a 2003 model with a belt driven (manual models are all chain driven) 1.4 litre petrol, mated to a torque converter. It's got 82,000 miles and some small battle scars. The story, then. The previous owner was a woman in her 40's. Her husband bought this car for her as a runaround. He's a petrolhead. She isn't. He likes modified cars. She doesn't. He modified it anyway. He did a few. Those wheels, for example, are from an Astra. The tyres are too big so the speedo is slightly wrong. He also tried to debadge the car, and got bored. So, it's actually a Vaux. Then there's the mirrors...
These are Hagus mirrors, found on the SRi model. They're noticeably smaller than standard, and the wife hated them. The husband also fitted some Richbrook door pins.
And then there's the elephant in the room; the exhaust.
This was a Christmas present. The wife did not want this or ask for this, and hubby bought this instead of an actual present. I guess we should admire his persistence. But wait! It gets better! He also fitted a straight-pipe midsection! So, only one silencer! She was livid, and has hated this car ever since. Fast forward to today, and the car is now mine, and the husband is now an ex.
The plan is to return this to standard and, depending on whether Katherine likes how it drives, it'll either replace the Clio or be sold for profit.
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- 1,934
- A field in England
I did sort of have to take it for a drive this week and I'll be honest; I love it! I mean, it's ridiculous, and hilarious. It sounds almost like a CVT, it's that slushy.
And yes, from her description, the ex sounds like a complete tool. Apparently the thing that ended the relationship was when he bought a £10,000 Triumph motorcycle behind her back.
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- 5,069
- Panama City, FL
Like the pickup trucks all the rednecks drive around here. Lifted (more at the front, of course,) wide and large wheels on spacers, and loud exhaust. Waaaaaaaa-huuuuuuu-hnnnnnnnn at every light. Almost no RPM change except when it shifts. It's even worse when it's a diesel!
I can't think of anything automotive that's more vile than listening to a crummy automatic with a loud exhaust. (Well, Iprobably can, but not for the purposes of this subject!)
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- 1,934
- A field in England
I dunno, there's definitely some comedy value in hearing a hatchback with a torque converter and a straight pipe
From personal experience the worst thing I've ever heard was a V6 diesel. I've never heard an engine that literally sounded like it wanted to die before until I drove an Audi Q5 3.0TDi and a Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6. It actually sounds depressed when you rev it!
- 23,927
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
I'm amazed he managed to change so much yet it still appears, at least to most casual observers, like it's totally standard. It's like a 'sleeper' without any of the benefitsYeah something like that. I think he was so desperate for her to get into modified cars that he just modded her car and pretended she wouldn't mind
- 1,934
- A field in England
Yeah it's funny that isn't it? It does look fairly untouched if you're not familiar with them. Until the engine is started at leastI'm amazed he managed to change so much yet it still appears, at least to most casual observers, like it's totally standard. It's like a 'sleeper' without any of the benefits
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Corsa Automatic
So, some progress has been made on the Corsa. So far I've only done some cleaning, but the interior has scrubbed up quite well after a simple vacuum clean. I removed the passenger seat to make my life easier...
I then removed the rear seat bench to clean underneath. Surprisingly there wasn't actually much dirt underneath.
I didn't have time to remove the driver's seat, so cleaned it as is.
I have yet to tackle the plastics or the seats, and the carpets could do with a shampoo, but the interior has generally come up very nicely for an hour's work.
Next on the list will be replacing the exhaust, and cleaning the engine.
So, some progress has been made on the Corsa. So far I've only done some cleaning, but the interior has scrubbed up quite well after a simple vacuum clean. I removed the passenger seat to make my life easier...
I then removed the rear seat bench to clean underneath. Surprisingly there wasn't actually much dirt underneath.
I didn't have time to remove the driver's seat, so cleaned it as is.
I have yet to tackle the plastics or the seats, and the carpets could do with a shampoo, but the interior has generally come up very nicely for an hour's work.
Next on the list will be replacing the exhaust, and cleaning the engine.
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Auto
So, I was wrong! Next on the list was the mirrors! As previously mentioned, the previous owner fitted Hagus mirrors from an SRi.
Very smart, but useless. This being an automatic, it's safe to assume the standard mirrors would be preferred. As I had the original mirrors from my dark blue Corsa, I decided to fit them. Removal is easy. I had to pull off the interior trim and undo 3 torx bolts, and disconnect the tweeter speaker and the electric mirror adjustment.
With the mirror off, I had to get a side-by-side photo to show the difference. Size matters, after all.
After a quick clean behind where the mirror sits, I fitted my old standard mirrors. They don't look half bad!
The only issue now is that this car came with electric adjustable mirrors, and the poverty spec mirrors from my Corsa are manual. Finding electric mirrors on eBay works out a little pricey for my liking, so I'll have to find the interior trim pieces which have the manual mirror adjustment (which is the smart way of saying the plastic bits with knobs on).
So, I was wrong! Next on the list was the mirrors! As previously mentioned, the previous owner fitted Hagus mirrors from an SRi.
Very smart, but useless. This being an automatic, it's safe to assume the standard mirrors would be preferred. As I had the original mirrors from my dark blue Corsa, I decided to fit them. Removal is easy. I had to pull off the interior trim and undo 3 torx bolts, and disconnect the tweeter speaker and the electric mirror adjustment.
With the mirror off, I had to get a side-by-side photo to show the difference. Size matters, after all.
After a quick clean behind where the mirror sits, I fitted my old standard mirrors. They don't look half bad!
The only issue now is that this car came with electric adjustable mirrors, and the poverty spec mirrors from my Corsa are manual. Finding electric mirrors on eBay works out a little pricey for my liking, so I'll have to find the interior trim pieces which have the manual mirror adjustment (which is the smart way of saying the plastic bits with knobs on).
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Auto
So I jacked the car up and attempted to remove the exhaust, which had welded itself on over time. Naturally I failed, so my mechanic popped the car on his lift and got the exhaust off. The plan is to sell it, and hopefully it'll pay for the replacement. With the exhaust off I decided to break out the Autosol and polish it...
Well worth the time spent! Almost a shame to be getting rid of it now!
So I jacked the car up and attempted to remove the exhaust, which had welded itself on over time. Naturally I failed, so my mechanic popped the car on his lift and got the exhaust off. The plan is to sell it, and hopefully it'll pay for the replacement. With the exhaust off I decided to break out the Autosol and polish it...
Well worth the time spent! Almost a shame to be getting rid of it now!
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Van
So, the van has had some attention over the last few months to improve it for the long journeys we do across the country. Previously, I started to insulate and carpet the back to get rid of some of the tyre roar. More recently, I tackled the seats, which although in good condition, ruin your will to live after 2 hours.
I had been on the search for some more supportive replacements, and after a few months, found these at a reasonable price...
These are Recaro items from an early 2000's Vauxhall Astra GSi. There were also full leather variants which I didn't want. Knowing they took some modifying to fit, I attempted the passenger seat first. With the old seat out, I lifted up the carpet and cleaned the 11 years of dirt underneath...
The seat was a nightmare to fit in the end. With context I would have tried to find seats from a Tigra, which are a direct fit.
Admittedly, the seat did look fantastic once in. With a weekend free, I then got the driver's seat swapped.
The seat was pretty grimy, so naturally I cleaned the stains out.
I then rewarded the van with a jolly good clean...
I also bought a gimmicky little bit of tat from Etsy. The new Richbrook metal gear knob can get very cold on chilly days, so I bought what basically amounts to a tiny hat.
Finally, with some rare free time, I washed the van.
You may have noticed the bumper grills are missing - they fell out, because GM build quality. I'll soon be fitting new ones.
So, the van has had some attention over the last few months to improve it for the long journeys we do across the country. Previously, I started to insulate and carpet the back to get rid of some of the tyre roar. More recently, I tackled the seats, which although in good condition, ruin your will to live after 2 hours.
I had been on the search for some more supportive replacements, and after a few months, found these at a reasonable price...
These are Recaro items from an early 2000's Vauxhall Astra GSi. There were also full leather variants which I didn't want. Knowing they took some modifying to fit, I attempted the passenger seat first. With the old seat out, I lifted up the carpet and cleaned the 11 years of dirt underneath...
The seat was a nightmare to fit in the end. With context I would have tried to find seats from a Tigra, which are a direct fit.
Admittedly, the seat did look fantastic once in. With a weekend free, I then got the driver's seat swapped.
The seat was pretty grimy, so naturally I cleaned the stains out.
I then rewarded the van with a jolly good clean...
I also bought a gimmicky little bit of tat from Etsy. The new Richbrook metal gear knob can get very cold on chilly days, so I bought what basically amounts to a tiny hat.
Finally, with some rare free time, I washed the van.
You may have noticed the bumper grills are missing - they fell out, because GM build quality. I'll soon be fitting new ones.
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Auto (Also Known as Elf)
So, the Automatic has been given a name. Since the last three digits on the number plate are 'EJF', we've decided to call the car Elf, and today I changed Elf's wheels. Coming from an Astra, they were too big and had to go. The three or so people who follow this thread may remember the old wheels from my Corsa. They were still kicking around, so I fished them out! They were looking a touch unloved...
So, I grabbed a bucket, a brush and some alloy wheel cleaner and gave them a very low-effort clean, followed by a quick spruce-up with my new mini rotary polisher and some Meguiar's compound.
The result is nowhere near perfect, but from more than a foot away the alloys looked perfectly good considering it's been five years since being painted black. I then fitted the cheap-brand tyres that came with my BBS 473's (on my 1 litre Corsa), balanced them and set to work swapping them onto Elf. I also managed to do all of this by myself without any help for a change, which was particularly satisfying!
You can clearly see how much more room inside the arches Elf's new wheels have. I'd be surprised if the old wheels didn't rub the arches over large bumps. In case you're wondering - it is lower at the rear; there's currently a pile of spare parts in the back weighing the rear end down. Either way, I think the car looks much better on the new wheels!
With the old wheels off, I gave them a quick clean to hopefully sell on.
So, the Automatic has been given a name. Since the last three digits on the number plate are 'EJF', we've decided to call the car Elf, and today I changed Elf's wheels. Coming from an Astra, they were too big and had to go. The three or so people who follow this thread may remember the old wheels from my Corsa. They were still kicking around, so I fished them out! They were looking a touch unloved...
So, I grabbed a bucket, a brush and some alloy wheel cleaner and gave them a very low-effort clean, followed by a quick spruce-up with my new mini rotary polisher and some Meguiar's compound.
The result is nowhere near perfect, but from more than a foot away the alloys looked perfectly good considering it's been five years since being painted black. I then fitted the cheap-brand tyres that came with my BBS 473's (on my 1 litre Corsa), balanced them and set to work swapping them onto Elf. I also managed to do all of this by myself without any help for a change, which was particularly satisfying!
You can clearly see how much more room inside the arches Elf's new wheels have. I'd be surprised if the old wheels didn't rub the arches over large bumps. In case you're wondering - it is lower at the rear; there's currently a pile of spare parts in the back weighing the rear end down. Either way, I think the car looks much better on the new wheels!
With the old wheels off, I gave them a quick clean to hopefully sell on.
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- 1,934
- A field in England
The Combo
September 2021
At the tail end of the Summer, I found some time to carry on with carpeting the van out. I removed both of the side sheets of ply, stuck on a layer of thin self-adhesive foam, and wrapped them in carpet. I didn't get photos along the way since it's fairly self-explanatory, but the van looked much more professional with the sides done. I was tempted to insulate behind the ply lining with dodomat, but I was trying to avoid adding too much unnecessary weight, so settled for stuffing more dacron foam wherever I could.
The last piece of the puzzle was the sliding door trim, which took a bit more finesse thanks to the small recessed part where the door handle sits. Two extra holes also had to be cut at the bottom for the mounting screws.
Refitting took a bit of manhandling, especially with the ply panel above, not to mention all of the carpeting adding a bit of width to the panels, so the plastic fasteners fit even more snug. Once in however, it looked very nice.
Last on the list was to tackle a very common issue with the Vauxhall Combo; condensation. The inside of the roof gets completely sodden with water on a chilly morning, so I had to figure out some sort of roof insulation. I went with thick self-adhesive foam pads, which were impossible to cut straight, so it looks a bit tatty, but at some point I'll make up some kind of roof lining to go over it.
With that done, my little NVH crusade is just about done. It's still by no means a quiet vehicle to travel in, but it's certainly an improvement on what it was, and it looks much, much better to boot. The seats have also helped a little as well, though they are a little hard on longer journeys. The old workhorse is really coming along nicely now.
September 2021
At the tail end of the Summer, I found some time to carry on with carpeting the van out. I removed both of the side sheets of ply, stuck on a layer of thin self-adhesive foam, and wrapped them in carpet. I didn't get photos along the way since it's fairly self-explanatory, but the van looked much more professional with the sides done. I was tempted to insulate behind the ply lining with dodomat, but I was trying to avoid adding too much unnecessary weight, so settled for stuffing more dacron foam wherever I could.
The last piece of the puzzle was the sliding door trim, which took a bit more finesse thanks to the small recessed part where the door handle sits. Two extra holes also had to be cut at the bottom for the mounting screws.
Refitting took a bit of manhandling, especially with the ply panel above, not to mention all of the carpeting adding a bit of width to the panels, so the plastic fasteners fit even more snug. Once in however, it looked very nice.
Last on the list was to tackle a very common issue with the Vauxhall Combo; condensation. The inside of the roof gets completely sodden with water on a chilly morning, so I had to figure out some sort of roof insulation. I went with thick self-adhesive foam pads, which were impossible to cut straight, so it looks a bit tatty, but at some point I'll make up some kind of roof lining to go over it.
With that done, my little NVH crusade is just about done. It's still by no means a quiet vehicle to travel in, but it's certainly an improvement on what it was, and it looks much, much better to boot. The seats have also helped a little as well, though they are a little hard on longer journeys. The old workhorse is really coming along nicely now.
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Corsa Automatic
The Exhaust
You may remember that I removed the stainless steel ASBO pipe from my project Corsa and polished it recently.
Well, I advertised it on Facebook, and managed to score £90 for it! A standard cat-back system cost me £60 on Ebay, which turned out to be slightly wrong. Turns out manuals and automatics have a different oil sump, so the exhaust is different underneath it. Thankfully the old section underneath the sump was still there, so Shaun managed to cut and shut the new system onto that. I must admit, I don't very much care for the flaccid penis look the exhaust exit seem to emulate, so I may cut the bend off and shove a chrome tip on.
Most recently I also did some cleaning under the bonnet. It was fairly grubby, so I put some effort in. I first rinsed the engine bay, coated all of it in 'GUNK' engine degreaser and Bilthamber Surfex HD and attacked it with an assortment of brushes to agitate all the grime. After another rinse, I coated the plastics in a water-based plastic dressing while still wet, and dried the lot with an old microfibre towel. I cleaned the engine cover separately and also removed the throttle body to give it a clean out (though I forgot to get photos of that).
It's by no means perfect, but it's a lot more presentable. Katherine took it out for a test drive with all this done. Against the Clio, the comparison is a trade-off;
-The Corsa's EPAS has no feel or resistance. It's very easy to steer but doesn't inspire confidence at first. The Clio is hydraulic (seems to only be an option for automatics and Renaultsports, standard models had EPAS), which has much more feel and weight, though it does self-centre quite violently. One point to the Clio.
-The Clio is more comfy, hands down. It's not even a competition. The Corsa is perfectly acceptable when you compare it to what people drove decades ago, but the Clio is miles ahead.
-The Corsa doesn't roll as much, which is helped by the lower seating position. You sit on top of the Clio by comparison, and boy does it lean.
-The Clio's wing mirrors are hopeless. Elf's big ears certainly help.
-The Corsa's slushy American style torque converter trumps the Clio's. You have no idea what gear you're in, and that's a good thing. The Clio does not shift smoothly, even with a torque converter.
-Looks. The Corsa just looks better.
-Ease of maintenance. The Corsa easily wins here. The engine bay is much bigger, and the biggest trump card is the timing belt, which doesn't run the water pump (that runs on the auxiliary belt). That means changing the timing belt is cheap! On the other hand, the Clio's belt runs the water pump, and thanks to limited space, it takes twice as long to change. That's around £150 in labour depending on where you go, plus the added cost of the water pump. It's also worth noting that the Clio has had its share of electrical gremlins, and common faults include misfires, complete wiring failure of the rear lights, and it's only a matter of time until the head gasket fails. Most of the Corsa's common faults relate to the chain-driven manual gearbox models.
-Lastly, safety. It's a bit of a grey area, but if you've ever spent any time on Clio forums or facebook groups, you'll be shocked how many get written off. Granted, teenage drivers play a part, but they all oversteer. The back end just goes without warning. The Corsa by comparison is more stable, and when you drive the two cars, it feels it.
So, a trade-off. Katherine did not like the Corsa's steering, but preferred the mirrors and the flatter ride. Reliability played a part, too, so she's decided to take the Corsa on! So, we'll be selling the Clio!
In other news, I sold the Astra wheels. So, the running total expenditure;
-I paid £700 for the car.
-I sold the exhaust for £90, and paid £60 for the replacement, along with £15 for fitting, bringing the total to £685.
-The Astra wheels sold for £110! Meanwhile, the black wheels and tyres that went on were technically free.
With that, my total expenditure is £575. The car is paying itself back!
The Exhaust
You may remember that I removed the stainless steel ASBO pipe from my project Corsa and polished it recently.
Well, I advertised it on Facebook, and managed to score £90 for it! A standard cat-back system cost me £60 on Ebay, which turned out to be slightly wrong. Turns out manuals and automatics have a different oil sump, so the exhaust is different underneath it. Thankfully the old section underneath the sump was still there, so Shaun managed to cut and shut the new system onto that. I must admit, I don't very much care for the flaccid penis look the exhaust exit seem to emulate, so I may cut the bend off and shove a chrome tip on.
Most recently I also did some cleaning under the bonnet. It was fairly grubby, so I put some effort in. I first rinsed the engine bay, coated all of it in 'GUNK' engine degreaser and Bilthamber Surfex HD and attacked it with an assortment of brushes to agitate all the grime. After another rinse, I coated the plastics in a water-based plastic dressing while still wet, and dried the lot with an old microfibre towel. I cleaned the engine cover separately and also removed the throttle body to give it a clean out (though I forgot to get photos of that).
It's by no means perfect, but it's a lot more presentable. Katherine took it out for a test drive with all this done. Against the Clio, the comparison is a trade-off;
-The Corsa's EPAS has no feel or resistance. It's very easy to steer but doesn't inspire confidence at first. The Clio is hydraulic (seems to only be an option for automatics and Renaultsports, standard models had EPAS), which has much more feel and weight, though it does self-centre quite violently. One point to the Clio.
-The Clio is more comfy, hands down. It's not even a competition. The Corsa is perfectly acceptable when you compare it to what people drove decades ago, but the Clio is miles ahead.
-The Corsa doesn't roll as much, which is helped by the lower seating position. You sit on top of the Clio by comparison, and boy does it lean.
-The Clio's wing mirrors are hopeless. Elf's big ears certainly help.
-The Corsa's slushy American style torque converter trumps the Clio's. You have no idea what gear you're in, and that's a good thing. The Clio does not shift smoothly, even with a torque converter.
-Looks. The Corsa just looks better.
-Ease of maintenance. The Corsa easily wins here. The engine bay is much bigger, and the biggest trump card is the timing belt, which doesn't run the water pump (that runs on the auxiliary belt). That means changing the timing belt is cheap! On the other hand, the Clio's belt runs the water pump, and thanks to limited space, it takes twice as long to change. That's around £150 in labour depending on where you go, plus the added cost of the water pump. It's also worth noting that the Clio has had its share of electrical gremlins, and common faults include misfires, complete wiring failure of the rear lights, and it's only a matter of time until the head gasket fails. Most of the Corsa's common faults relate to the chain-driven manual gearbox models.
-Lastly, safety. It's a bit of a grey area, but if you've ever spent any time on Clio forums or facebook groups, you'll be shocked how many get written off. Granted, teenage drivers play a part, but they all oversteer. The back end just goes without warning. The Corsa by comparison is more stable, and when you drive the two cars, it feels it.
So, a trade-off. Katherine did not like the Corsa's steering, but preferred the mirrors and the flatter ride. Reliability played a part, too, so she's decided to take the Corsa on! So, we'll be selling the Clio!
In other news, I sold the Astra wheels. So, the running total expenditure;
-I paid £700 for the car.
-I sold the exhaust for £90, and paid £60 for the replacement, along with £15 for fitting, bringing the total to £685.
-The Astra wheels sold for £110! Meanwhile, the black wheels and tyres that went on were technically free.
With that, my total expenditure is £575. The car is paying itself back!
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Clio
Time to go!
A few weeks ago, Katherine tried the Corsa Automatic, and agreed to take it on. Probably more for my sake than hers. That means the Clio finally has to go! So, I had to clean it, MOT it and advertise it.
The MOT certainly had my stomach in my throat. We expected no issues, since Shaun had already looked around underneath and found everything in excellent condition. However, what we didn't expect was the emissions test failure. Turns out the catalytic converter was borderline, and it took a fair few attempts to pass. Trust the Clio to troll us with one last parting gift! Anyway, after that, it was plain sailing, and the car has a fresh ticket with advisory notices on two tyres with slight perishing. I got the oil and filter changed at the same time and then set about preparing the car.
I started with a bloody good hoover. After two years with us, the car wasn't exactly filthy, but was definitely in need of a clean.
I then moved on to the engine bay. I did a fairly simple job, rinsing the engine, coating it in degreaser, agitating with brushes and rinsing again. I applied some plastic shine and dried it with an old towel.
Then it was onto the exterior, which after a year without being washed, certainly needed some attention. Before I could even wash it, I had to rinse out all the panel gaps, spray some all purpose cleaner in, and agitate with a brush before rinsing again. I then washed it, treated it with tar remover, ran over it with a clay towel and gave it a quick machine polish and also tried to polish up the headlights. Here's the before and after.
Once all finished, the Clio proved to have stood up to the test of time fairly well, though it clearly hasn't had a difficult life compared to some Clios I've tackled.
All cleaned up, the car was up for sale for £1400. It's a little high for the age of the car, sure, but the auto gearbox certainly drives prices up, and you'd struggle to find another this spotless at the same price. I must admit I won't miss the car, not one bit. Any MkII Clio that isn't a 2.0 RS or a V6 is simply a means to an end, and even then it's not a very good one. We found a Clio that was better maintained than most, and it still proved more problematic than the Vauxhalls that my family has owned over the years; cars that have a reputation for falling apart when you look at them funny.
Selling it took a little while in the end. I had one viewing, they went away and never got back in touch, I had a few offers of £1000 which I declined, and one offer of £700 which I politely told to sod off. In the end a local guy looked at the car as a first car for his daughter. He asked about the cambelt and I was honest and told him I have no idea if it's been done, and we agreed on £1200 so he can budget getting that replaced, which was more than fair enough. £1200 was my target all along
As it stands, until I get the Corsa serviced, replacing the Clio with it makes us about £600 better off! Can't say no to that!
Time to go!
A few weeks ago, Katherine tried the Corsa Automatic, and agreed to take it on. Probably more for my sake than hers. That means the Clio finally has to go! So, I had to clean it, MOT it and advertise it.
The MOT certainly had my stomach in my throat. We expected no issues, since Shaun had already looked around underneath and found everything in excellent condition. However, what we didn't expect was the emissions test failure. Turns out the catalytic converter was borderline, and it took a fair few attempts to pass. Trust the Clio to troll us with one last parting gift! Anyway, after that, it was plain sailing, and the car has a fresh ticket with advisory notices on two tyres with slight perishing. I got the oil and filter changed at the same time and then set about preparing the car.
I started with a bloody good hoover. After two years with us, the car wasn't exactly filthy, but was definitely in need of a clean.
I then moved on to the engine bay. I did a fairly simple job, rinsing the engine, coating it in degreaser, agitating with brushes and rinsing again. I applied some plastic shine and dried it with an old towel.
Then it was onto the exterior, which after a year without being washed, certainly needed some attention. Before I could even wash it, I had to rinse out all the panel gaps, spray some all purpose cleaner in, and agitate with a brush before rinsing again. I then washed it, treated it with tar remover, ran over it with a clay towel and gave it a quick machine polish and also tried to polish up the headlights. Here's the before and after.
Once all finished, the Clio proved to have stood up to the test of time fairly well, though it clearly hasn't had a difficult life compared to some Clios I've tackled.
All cleaned up, the car was up for sale for £1400. It's a little high for the age of the car, sure, but the auto gearbox certainly drives prices up, and you'd struggle to find another this spotless at the same price. I must admit I won't miss the car, not one bit. Any MkII Clio that isn't a 2.0 RS or a V6 is simply a means to an end, and even then it's not a very good one. We found a Clio that was better maintained than most, and it still proved more problematic than the Vauxhalls that my family has owned over the years; cars that have a reputation for falling apart when you look at them funny.
Selling it took a little while in the end. I had one viewing, they went away and never got back in touch, I had a few offers of £1000 which I declined, and one offer of £700 which I politely told to sod off. In the end a local guy looked at the car as a first car for his daughter. He asked about the cambelt and I was honest and told him I have no idea if it's been done, and we agreed on £1200 so he can budget getting that replaced, which was more than fair enough. £1200 was my target all along
As it stands, until I get the Corsa serviced, replacing the Clio with it makes us about £600 better off! Can't say no to that!
- 5,069
- Panama City, FL
See, I won't buy a car that's had the engine bay scrubbed. I have no way of knowing what's hiding under there. Similarly, I won't buy a car with brand new tires on it.
I accept that the engine bay gets dirty. I need to see how dirty! Is there fresh wet oil all over the place, or just dust and dirt? And there tires will tell you everything you need to know about how hard it's been run, and whether the suspension is in good form or not.
I do appreciate a clean body with a clean interior, though!!
I accept that the engine bay gets dirty. I need to see how dirty! Is there fresh wet oil all over the place, or just dust and dirt? And there tires will tell you everything you need to know about how hard it's been run, and whether the suspension is in good form or not.
I do appreciate a clean body with a clean interior, though!!
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- 1,934
- A field in England
The Corsa
A Year of Neglect
My Corsa is crap. I am under no illusions that in every measurable way, it is an atrocious car. Without rear seats or a big engine to weight up the springs, the ride will kill you. It's noisy. The lacquer peel has made it look like a chronic eczema patient. It's 0-60 time has been measured since single-celled organisms ruled the world and it still hasn't got there yet. Even the fuel economy of 50mpg average leaves something to be desired in a 3-cylinder hatchback that weighs less than 850kg.
But, I adore the little heap. It's my first car! I've had it since 2013. Driving it puts a smile on my face, because at 55mph on a twisty A-road, it feels like you're doing 100mph. So, I can't bear to get rid of it. Besides, you couldn't pay someone to take it away.
Anyway, it's generally been well-looked-after, serviced yearly, and anything that needed doing, got done, as you can see looking back through this thread. However, when I last went to Shaun to have the bumper realigned (I'll show photos in a bit, they're not very good), he found one of the rear springs was broken. They were 40mm lowering springs, but they hadn't done much at the rear since it was all stripped out, so I decided it was finally time to go down the route of coilovers.
Coilovers
The thing that had always put me off coilovers was the sheer amount of choice, and variation in price. It was impossible to know where to start, and everywhere I asked I rarely got informative answers. I wanted to get a set with adjustable shocks, figuring that I could set them to their softest setting to compensate the lack of weight, while still keeping the ride height low. I also wanted a set that wasn't going to fall apart in a year or two, so I was leaning away from the cheaper options like JOM or Prosport.
I'd heard good things about Spax from a few people, and their RSX coilover set had adjustable shocks, so I bit the bullet and paid the £650 or so for the set. It arrived, and looked very smart indeed, with shocks finished in yellow, and springs in red. I booked it in with Shaun, and his new employee got the old Amax springs and Bilstein B4 shocks off. I only got photos of the rear as I had to disappear off to do some odds and sods.
Behind all the mud, the Bilstein shocks were still in very good condition, so I figured I'd keep the rears as spares for Elf (the automatic Corsa). The fronts meanwhile, will go on the Combo at a later date. The new coilover set fitted easy enough, and looked very smart once on. I know the rear axle looks terrible; it's still quite solid, I will get it grit blasted at some point.
Once all fitted, I was very excited to try these fancy, expensive new bits.
Arising problems
I took it out for a drive, only to find it felt terrible. I went back to Shaun, and we realised that his employee forgot to adjust the shocks (he didn't know how as it turned out). We found they were at setting 2/4, with 1 being hardest and 4 being softest. We cranked all four corners to the softest setting and I tried it again. The ride was still unbelievably harsh, particularly at the rear. The worst part was the clattering. It was so loud I genuinely didn't feel safe pushing the car any faster than your average pensioner would hustle their Peugeot 2008 down the road.
We couldn't figure out what on earth caused the noise until the next time I visited, a few weeks later, when Shaun jumped in the boot while I drove. He held onto the tops of the shocks where they bolt through the inner wheel arch and found they were the cause of all the noise and harshness.
I had a load of spare rubber bungs and washers from my original shocks, as well as the Bilstein B4 items, so we tried fitting a few combinations of them to see if it was some sort of metal on metal contact. Convinced that the shock absorber couldn't possibly hit anything external, we tried it again, and found no improvement at all. I was quite honestly a little dejected at the idea of spending all this money to make the car objectively worse. Because this had all happened over several bookings, I no longer had the luxury of sending the kit back within 14 days, plus I'd already paid the labour to fit it all.
Anyway, since we knew it was the rear shock absorbers causing the bulk of my issues, we tried re-fitting the Bilstein shocks on the back. The car was transformed. Still by no means comfortable, but all the clattering was gone, and the rear end was so much more compliant. On the Spax rear shocks, it genuinely felt like the rear wheels weren't touching the ground over some of the harsher bumps.
Anyway, text wedge over. Here's how the Corsa looked on the old lowering springs, and with the sagging front bumper. Note the panel gap under the headlight.
And here's how it sits on the new coilovers.
As you can see, the poor thing was in dire need of a damn good clean, after over a year without being washed. The first thing I did was spray some Surfex HD in all the panel gaps and agitate with a detailing brush. Then, the lower portions of the body were soaked in TFR, the car was rinsed, given a thorough wash with lots of elbow grease, rinsed again, treated with tar remover, rinsed, decontaminated with a clay towel, and rinsed again, before being dried. Since the paintwork's quite far gone, I didn't bother polishing, though I did break out my SPTA mini polisher to clean up the headlights, which definitely needed attention.
I also had a quick go at some of the paintwork where the lacquer had peeled off. I managed to bring a decent shine back into the small patch I polished. Note how dull it is on the left compared to the right as the reflection of the tree across the road is cut off.
Anyway, once the car was all done, it looked a lot more presentable.
It was great fun bringing the Corsa back up to a decent standard, and I think I shall be spending a bit more time on it in the coming months. Probably.
A Year of Neglect
My Corsa is crap. I am under no illusions that in every measurable way, it is an atrocious car. Without rear seats or a big engine to weight up the springs, the ride will kill you. It's noisy. The lacquer peel has made it look like a chronic eczema patient. It's 0-60 time has been measured since single-celled organisms ruled the world and it still hasn't got there yet. Even the fuel economy of 50mpg average leaves something to be desired in a 3-cylinder hatchback that weighs less than 850kg.
But, I adore the little heap. It's my first car! I've had it since 2013. Driving it puts a smile on my face, because at 55mph on a twisty A-road, it feels like you're doing 100mph. So, I can't bear to get rid of it. Besides, you couldn't pay someone to take it away.
Anyway, it's generally been well-looked-after, serviced yearly, and anything that needed doing, got done, as you can see looking back through this thread. However, when I last went to Shaun to have the bumper realigned (I'll show photos in a bit, they're not very good), he found one of the rear springs was broken. They were 40mm lowering springs, but they hadn't done much at the rear since it was all stripped out, so I decided it was finally time to go down the route of coilovers.
Coilovers
The thing that had always put me off coilovers was the sheer amount of choice, and variation in price. It was impossible to know where to start, and everywhere I asked I rarely got informative answers. I wanted to get a set with adjustable shocks, figuring that I could set them to their softest setting to compensate the lack of weight, while still keeping the ride height low. I also wanted a set that wasn't going to fall apart in a year or two, so I was leaning away from the cheaper options like JOM or Prosport.
I'd heard good things about Spax from a few people, and their RSX coilover set had adjustable shocks, so I bit the bullet and paid the £650 or so for the set. It arrived, and looked very smart indeed, with shocks finished in yellow, and springs in red. I booked it in with Shaun, and his new employee got the old Amax springs and Bilstein B4 shocks off. I only got photos of the rear as I had to disappear off to do some odds and sods.
Behind all the mud, the Bilstein shocks were still in very good condition, so I figured I'd keep the rears as spares for Elf (the automatic Corsa). The fronts meanwhile, will go on the Combo at a later date. The new coilover set fitted easy enough, and looked very smart once on. I know the rear axle looks terrible; it's still quite solid, I will get it grit blasted at some point.
Once all fitted, I was very excited to try these fancy, expensive new bits.
Arising problems
I took it out for a drive, only to find it felt terrible. I went back to Shaun, and we realised that his employee forgot to adjust the shocks (he didn't know how as it turned out). We found they were at setting 2/4, with 1 being hardest and 4 being softest. We cranked all four corners to the softest setting and I tried it again. The ride was still unbelievably harsh, particularly at the rear. The worst part was the clattering. It was so loud I genuinely didn't feel safe pushing the car any faster than your average pensioner would hustle their Peugeot 2008 down the road.
We couldn't figure out what on earth caused the noise until the next time I visited, a few weeks later, when Shaun jumped in the boot while I drove. He held onto the tops of the shocks where they bolt through the inner wheel arch and found they were the cause of all the noise and harshness.
I had a load of spare rubber bungs and washers from my original shocks, as well as the Bilstein B4 items, so we tried fitting a few combinations of them to see if it was some sort of metal on metal contact. Convinced that the shock absorber couldn't possibly hit anything external, we tried it again, and found no improvement at all. I was quite honestly a little dejected at the idea of spending all this money to make the car objectively worse. Because this had all happened over several bookings, I no longer had the luxury of sending the kit back within 14 days, plus I'd already paid the labour to fit it all.
Anyway, since we knew it was the rear shock absorbers causing the bulk of my issues, we tried re-fitting the Bilstein shocks on the back. The car was transformed. Still by no means comfortable, but all the clattering was gone, and the rear end was so much more compliant. On the Spax rear shocks, it genuinely felt like the rear wheels weren't touching the ground over some of the harsher bumps.
Anyway, text wedge over. Here's how the Corsa looked on the old lowering springs, and with the sagging front bumper. Note the panel gap under the headlight.
And here's how it sits on the new coilovers.
As you can see, the poor thing was in dire need of a damn good clean, after over a year without being washed. The first thing I did was spray some Surfex HD in all the panel gaps and agitate with a detailing brush. Then, the lower portions of the body were soaked in TFR, the car was rinsed, given a thorough wash with lots of elbow grease, rinsed again, treated with tar remover, rinsed, decontaminated with a clay towel, and rinsed again, before being dried. Since the paintwork's quite far gone, I didn't bother polishing, though I did break out my SPTA mini polisher to clean up the headlights, which definitely needed attention.
I also had a quick go at some of the paintwork where the lacquer had peeled off. I managed to bring a decent shine back into the small patch I polished. Note how dull it is on the left compared to the right as the reflection of the tree across the road is cut off.
Anyway, once the car was all done, it looked a lot more presentable.
It was great fun bringing the Corsa back up to a decent standard, and I think I shall be spending a bit more time on it in the coming months. Probably.
- 1,934
- A field in England
There is no misuse. The front suspension is indeed coilovers. As mentioned, I only had time to photograph the rear, which can't have coilovers fitted. So, an adjustable shock and spring is what you get on the rear of these cars with a coilover kit.My only criticism is the misuse of the term "coilover." You have separate springs and shocks. A coilover is a unit where the spring is attached coaxially to the shock, operating on the same mounts and bushings:
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Van
Chavved!
Over the last few months, I've been planning a few changes to the Combo which, for one reason or another, got delayed. Recently, I finally got one ticked off the list. I lowered it! With a Combo, it's easier said than done, mainly because finding the right springs can be a bit of a nightmare, particularly in the case of the rears.
There's conflicting information on Corsa and Combo pages on just what goes low and what doesn't, but the general consensus is that Astra G rear springs all fit. Hatchback springs slam the rear end but keep the soft ride, Estate springs lower a little bit, or apparently not at all in some cases, and Bertone springs get some kind of middle ground. Figuring that I never carry much weight, I gave the hatchback springs a punt. For the cost of £20, why not?
The front was a simpler affair, because it's exactly the same as a Corsa. You may also remember that I recently had Spax coilovers fitted to the Corsa, and I had the old Bilstein B4 shocks and 40mm lowering springs for the front end.
First, I cleaned up the spring and shock, and then ordered new suspension top mounts, since the originals had worn out, causing a loud grinding noise during compressions. I also ordered a coilover sock to try and preserve the springs.
So, I took the Combo to Shaun's and he got to work. It was a very simple job, seeing as we were literally replacing one shock assembly with another. The contrast was stark between the two.
While all this was being done, the track rod ends also needed replacing, which only took a few extra minutes,
Whilst Shaun was getting all that done, I replaced the oil pressure switch, which is a common fault I had been meaning to get around to.
We then got the van on the floor, which looked hilarious. We had to check the tracking before anything else, but once that was done, I could take the van outside and appreciate my life's choices. Here's the before...
And here's how the mule looks now...
Naturally, I was not expecting the van to be that low. Admittedly, it looks the absolute business, and it's pure luck how level it sits front to rear. I also never fully appreciated the weight difference between petrol and turbodiesel engines until seeing this spring compressed so low on the van, compared to how the Corsa used to sit.
My first thought was "bloody hell, can I even drive it?!" Naturally the first thing to do was test drive it. The industrial estate where Shaun's unit is situated is rife with potholes and oversized speed bumps, so I figured they would be a good test. Amazingly, I didn't bottom out once, which was reassuring. The ride also wasn't too negatively affected. The grinding noise was also gone, too. Unfortunately, I did have to remove the coilover socks due to rubbing, so we'll try fitting them differently at a later date. I've decided to live with it a while and see how the van behaves in day-to-day life. The most notable thing is the rear is still very soft, while the front is quite firm. I guess the upshot of that is the front end feels flat and darty while the rear being so soft means it stays planted and stable. Speed bumps are odd, though. The front end reacts and the rear doesn't, which is quite funny.
Either way, it looks very cool in my childish eyes.
Chavved!
Over the last few months, I've been planning a few changes to the Combo which, for one reason or another, got delayed. Recently, I finally got one ticked off the list. I lowered it! With a Combo, it's easier said than done, mainly because finding the right springs can be a bit of a nightmare, particularly in the case of the rears.
There's conflicting information on Corsa and Combo pages on just what goes low and what doesn't, but the general consensus is that Astra G rear springs all fit. Hatchback springs slam the rear end but keep the soft ride, Estate springs lower a little bit, or apparently not at all in some cases, and Bertone springs get some kind of middle ground. Figuring that I never carry much weight, I gave the hatchback springs a punt. For the cost of £20, why not?
The front was a simpler affair, because it's exactly the same as a Corsa. You may also remember that I recently had Spax coilovers fitted to the Corsa, and I had the old Bilstein B4 shocks and 40mm lowering springs for the front end.
First, I cleaned up the spring and shock, and then ordered new suspension top mounts, since the originals had worn out, causing a loud grinding noise during compressions. I also ordered a coilover sock to try and preserve the springs.
So, I took the Combo to Shaun's and he got to work. It was a very simple job, seeing as we were literally replacing one shock assembly with another. The contrast was stark between the two.
While all this was being done, the track rod ends also needed replacing, which only took a few extra minutes,
Whilst Shaun was getting all that done, I replaced the oil pressure switch, which is a common fault I had been meaning to get around to.
We then got the van on the floor, which looked hilarious. We had to check the tracking before anything else, but once that was done, I could take the van outside and appreciate my life's choices. Here's the before...
And here's how the mule looks now...
Naturally, I was not expecting the van to be that low. Admittedly, it looks the absolute business, and it's pure luck how level it sits front to rear. I also never fully appreciated the weight difference between petrol and turbodiesel engines until seeing this spring compressed so low on the van, compared to how the Corsa used to sit.
My first thought was "bloody hell, can I even drive it?!" Naturally the first thing to do was test drive it. The industrial estate where Shaun's unit is situated is rife with potholes and oversized speed bumps, so I figured they would be a good test. Amazingly, I didn't bottom out once, which was reassuring. The ride also wasn't too negatively affected. The grinding noise was also gone, too. Unfortunately, I did have to remove the coilover socks due to rubbing, so we'll try fitting them differently at a later date. I've decided to live with it a while and see how the van behaves in day-to-day life. The most notable thing is the rear is still very soft, while the front is quite firm. I guess the upshot of that is the front end feels flat and darty while the rear being so soft means it stays planted and stable. Speed bumps are odd, though. The front end reacts and the rear doesn't, which is quite funny.
Either way, it looks very cool in my childish eyes.
- 1,934
- A field in England
The Combo
December 2021
We had another visit to Sidmouth arranged, to see Katherine's mother, so the van had to be prepared once again. I've decided that this is the last time we'll use the mule for this trip, as there's only so much you can do to a van to make it work on a 290 mile journey. Next time we go, we will hopefully be using the Corsa automatic, Elf.
So, firstly, I had to empty the van. Ironically this is the first time I've had the chance to get a decent photo of the carpeting I did earlier in the year. It is a little dusty, but I'm saving cleaning it for a future project.
Outside, meanwhile, I cleaned and waxed the windows, mirrors, wipers and front lights so they'd hopefully stay clearer for the journey. I also pumped the tyre up to 40psi to help with fuel economy on the A14, M25 and A303, and glued the bumper grill back in to hopefully help with aerodynamics a little, and perhaps block a tiny bit of air getting to the radiator. I also had to replace the glow plugs, thanks to a warning light that came on a week before leaving. The rest of the van is naturally filthy, and again, it's being left that way until a future project comes along.
The journey itself was as uncomfortable as you can imagine driving at 70 in a metal box with a tractor engine turning 3000rpm would be. Surprisingly it still achieved exactly 50mpg, which is great considering the 3 degrees Celsius temperature, the revs it was turning and the fact that aerodynamics isn't exactly on its side.
Sidmouth was good. Beautiful place. It's just a shock to the system going somewhere so crowded when you're used to living in Suffolk, which is basically a wide open field with about 12 houses dotted about in it. We left at 9pm on Monday, and I made sure to get a couple of photos on the well-lit promenade before we left the town. They're not great photos but they'll do!
We finally got home at a little before 3am Tuesday (we made one stop just before the M25), unloaded the van, and went straight to sleep. Never been so glad to get into our crap old bed!
December 2021
We had another visit to Sidmouth arranged, to see Katherine's mother, so the van had to be prepared once again. I've decided that this is the last time we'll use the mule for this trip, as there's only so much you can do to a van to make it work on a 290 mile journey. Next time we go, we will hopefully be using the Corsa automatic, Elf.
So, firstly, I had to empty the van. Ironically this is the first time I've had the chance to get a decent photo of the carpeting I did earlier in the year. It is a little dusty, but I'm saving cleaning it for a future project.
Outside, meanwhile, I cleaned and waxed the windows, mirrors, wipers and front lights so they'd hopefully stay clearer for the journey. I also pumped the tyre up to 40psi to help with fuel economy on the A14, M25 and A303, and glued the bumper grill back in to hopefully help with aerodynamics a little, and perhaps block a tiny bit of air getting to the radiator. I also had to replace the glow plugs, thanks to a warning light that came on a week before leaving. The rest of the van is naturally filthy, and again, it's being left that way until a future project comes along.
The journey itself was as uncomfortable as you can imagine driving at 70 in a metal box with a tractor engine turning 3000rpm would be. Surprisingly it still achieved exactly 50mpg, which is great considering the 3 degrees Celsius temperature, the revs it was turning and the fact that aerodynamics isn't exactly on its side.
Sidmouth was good. Beautiful place. It's just a shock to the system going somewhere so crowded when you're used to living in Suffolk, which is basically a wide open field with about 12 houses dotted about in it. We left at 9pm on Monday, and I made sure to get a couple of photos on the well-lit promenade before we left the town. They're not great photos but they'll do!
We finally got home at a little before 3am Tuesday (we made one stop just before the M25), unloaded the van, and went straight to sleep. Never been so glad to get into our crap old bed!
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