Volvo 240 Resto, Modified Vauxhalls & Suzuki Jimny
Discussion
The Volvo
July 2020
A lot happened over 2019 in my personal life! It started off as the worst year of my life, and thanks to meeting my other half, it ended as the best! The Volvo kind of took a back seat for a while but I did a few things here and there. One small issue I'd had since owning the car was the driver's mat had a hole in it. By luck I found a replacement!
Next, I resprayed another part under the bonnet. This time, it was the bracket holding in the airbox. Originally, it had a brass finish, which was long gone.
November 2020
The 240 naturally sits high at the front, so I decided to get some lowering springs for the front.
Me and Shaun struggled a little bit, just because of the sheer weight of the suspension leg. The Volvo 240 has a straight-up beefy shock absorber.
So, here's some photos from a previous motor show...
And here's now it looks now!
It's possibly one of my favourite modifications so far. It barely affected the ride, but it looks so much better now. Around this time I also removed the front seats to clean underneath.
As some of the carpet had been pulled up, I also realigned it while I cleaned.
And with that, we are all up to date on the 240! Over the last year all I've done is drive and enjoy it. I also tested the fuel economy out of curiosity and managed 35mpg! I've used it for work a couple of times too.
So, from now on I'll be taking you through the Corsa and Combo, along with my other projects.
July 2020
A lot happened over 2019 in my personal life! It started off as the worst year of my life, and thanks to meeting my other half, it ended as the best! The Volvo kind of took a back seat for a while but I did a few things here and there. One small issue I'd had since owning the car was the driver's mat had a hole in it. By luck I found a replacement!
Next, I resprayed another part under the bonnet. This time, it was the bracket holding in the airbox. Originally, it had a brass finish, which was long gone.
November 2020
The 240 naturally sits high at the front, so I decided to get some lowering springs for the front.
Me and Shaun struggled a little bit, just because of the sheer weight of the suspension leg. The Volvo 240 has a straight-up beefy shock absorber.
So, here's some photos from a previous motor show...
And here's now it looks now!
It's possibly one of my favourite modifications so far. It barely affected the ride, but it looks so much better now. Around this time I also removed the front seats to clean underneath.
As some of the carpet had been pulled up, I also realigned it while I cleaned.
And with that, we are all up to date on the 240! Over the last year all I've done is drive and enjoy it. I also tested the fuel economy out of curiosity and managed 35mpg! I've used it for work a couple of times too.
So, from now on I'll be taking you through the Corsa and Combo, along with my other projects.
The Corsa
2013-2016
So, my first car. I'll warn you now, it's a heap of crap, and compared to everything else on this forum, it's as boring as they come. But, I love it. I've slowly ruined it over the last 8 years, and the earliest photo I have is actually a cropped photo of the 240...
The first mod was a birthday present from my Dad that he helped me fit; chavvy halo headlights.
In 2014 the exhaust fell off, and rather than replacing it with a standard item, I had a local company custom build a stainless steel cat-back system with a square tip. I think it looks the absolute business when it's all polished up...
While still working at my old job in 2016 I upgraded from the standard 14 inch steelies to 15 inch alloys from a higher trim level. I had them powder coated in gloss black and fitted some Toyo Proxes T1-R tyres.
At this time I was also using the Corsa as a van to ferry parts around for the Volvo, so I stripped out the back seats and got carried away, so the trim went too, shedding somewhere around 40-50kg.
I ended up keeping the car like this because it got an extra 5mpg, and the underpowered little 3 cylinder didn't struggle quite so much with the reduced weight. The condition of your spine comes second when you drive this car!
Like I mentioned, it's a terrible car in every measurable way, but I just love it. It's one of those cases where you can't put a price on sentimental attachment.
2013-2016
So, my first car. I'll warn you now, it's a heap of crap, and compared to everything else on this forum, it's as boring as they come. But, I love it. I've slowly ruined it over the last 8 years, and the earliest photo I have is actually a cropped photo of the 240...
The first mod was a birthday present from my Dad that he helped me fit; chavvy halo headlights.
In 2014 the exhaust fell off, and rather than replacing it with a standard item, I had a local company custom build a stainless steel cat-back system with a square tip. I think it looks the absolute business when it's all polished up...
While still working at my old job in 2016 I upgraded from the standard 14 inch steelies to 15 inch alloys from a higher trim level. I had them powder coated in gloss black and fitted some Toyo Proxes T1-R tyres.
At this time I was also using the Corsa as a van to ferry parts around for the Volvo, so I stripped out the back seats and got carried away, so the trim went too, shedding somewhere around 40-50kg.
I ended up keeping the car like this because it got an extra 5mpg, and the underpowered little 3 cylinder didn't struggle quite so much with the reduced weight. The condition of your spine comes second when you drive this car!
Like I mentioned, it's a terrible car in every measurable way, but I just love it. It's one of those cases where you can't put a price on sentimental attachment.
The Corsa
2017
So, as previously mentioned I went self-employed in 2017, and for a while I had more free time than with my previous job. The next project on my list was to replace the front seats. I had found some seats from a higher trim level with nicer side bolstering. These ones.
The seats were quite messy, so cleaned them up, sanded down the rails and painted them. The cat helped as you can see.
Once in, the seat was a welcome change against the original.
Unfortunately early in the year I slightly murdered a small deer (couldn't have missed the dozy bugger) so my original bumper was busted.
I managed to find a black bumper from a limited edition with a front splitter which I'll eventually get colour-matched.
2018
This year, the Corsa needed a decent amount of work. The rear drums were warped, so I got some replacements and sprayed them black.
You'll also notice the new lowering springs, because I have no taste. I also replaced the driveshafts, front wishbones and the front discs and pads.
The car was only dropped by 40mm, which basically compensated for the lack of weight.
Towards the end of the year, I also got the roof resprayed, as it was the worst part of the car.
2017
So, as previously mentioned I went self-employed in 2017, and for a while I had more free time than with my previous job. The next project on my list was to replace the front seats. I had found some seats from a higher trim level with nicer side bolstering. These ones.
The seats were quite messy, so cleaned them up, sanded down the rails and painted them. The cat helped as you can see.
Once in, the seat was a welcome change against the original.
Unfortunately early in the year I slightly murdered a small deer (couldn't have missed the dozy bugger) so my original bumper was busted.
I managed to find a black bumper from a limited edition with a front splitter which I'll eventually get colour-matched.
2018
This year, the Corsa needed a decent amount of work. The rear drums were warped, so I got some replacements and sprayed them black.
You'll also notice the new lowering springs, because I have no taste. I also replaced the driveshafts, front wishbones and the front discs and pads.
The car was only dropped by 40mm, which basically compensated for the lack of weight.
Towards the end of the year, I also got the roof resprayed, as it was the worst part of the car.
The Bearded Tit said:
The Corsa
2017
So, as previously mentioned I went self-employed in 2017, and for a while I had more free time than with my previous job. The next project on my list was to replace the front seats. I had found some seats from a higher trim level with nicer side bolstering. These ones.
I see you have sensibly gone for a de-cat.2017
So, as previously mentioned I went self-employed in 2017, and for a while I had more free time than with my previous job. The next project on my list was to replace the front seats. I had found some seats from a higher trim level with nicer side bolstering. These ones.
The Corsa
2019
A few more bits got done this year, starting with a new steering rack...
Next on the list was to tackle a water leak into the passenger footwell, caused by the rubber seal around the BCM (body control module) cover perishing.
It's fairly common for people to just squirt some tiger seal in, but you can get a new cover for £30, so I opted for that instead.
A more interesting project was the stereo. Or lack of one. The stereo in the car stopped working, so I binned it.
I decided not to replace it because I wanted to make the car feel more like a little track toy (even though it's waaaaaay too slow for that), so I made a blanking plate. I first ordered a double dine fascia panel.
I then ordered a thin sheet of perspex cut to the same dimensions as a double dine stereo, and sanded the corners off so it fit the fascia panel. The fit was so snug I didn't need any glue.
So, with the blanking panel fitted, I needed something to decorate it, as it looked a little plain. What I chose is a long story - originally this car had steel wheels and plastic wheel covers/hub caps. Those covers had little chrome badges in the centre, that were secured with clips. So before throwing those covers away, I took the badges off. Seeing I could use one of them here, I snapped the retaining clips off ready to glue it to the perspex sheet. I stole my dad's "no more nails" adhesive, placed a small dollop on the back of the badge in the centre.
I'm really happy with how this project turned out - wish I'd done it sooner!
2019
A few more bits got done this year, starting with a new steering rack...
Next on the list was to tackle a water leak into the passenger footwell, caused by the rubber seal around the BCM (body control module) cover perishing.
It's fairly common for people to just squirt some tiger seal in, but you can get a new cover for £30, so I opted for that instead.
A more interesting project was the stereo. Or lack of one. The stereo in the car stopped working, so I binned it.
I decided not to replace it because I wanted to make the car feel more like a little track toy (even though it's waaaaaay too slow for that), so I made a blanking plate. I first ordered a double dine fascia panel.
I then ordered a thin sheet of perspex cut to the same dimensions as a double dine stereo, and sanded the corners off so it fit the fascia panel. The fit was so snug I didn't need any glue.
So, with the blanking panel fitted, I needed something to decorate it, as it looked a little plain. What I chose is a long story - originally this car had steel wheels and plastic wheel covers/hub caps. Those covers had little chrome badges in the centre, that were secured with clips. So before throwing those covers away, I took the badges off. Seeing I could use one of them here, I snapped the retaining clips off ready to glue it to the perspex sheet. I stole my dad's "no more nails" adhesive, placed a small dollop on the back of the badge in the centre.
I'm really happy with how this project turned out - wish I'd done it sooner!
The Corsa
2020
It goes without saying the Corsa is a loud car. Especially inside. So, I decided to try and improve some of that road noise without necessarily adding too much weight back in, mainly targeting the tyre roar. I bought an eight metre reel of van insulation from Amazon and proceeded to shove it in all the gaps in the chassis.
It made a hell of a difference. The car is by no means civilised, but it's much better than it was. Next on my list was something I've always wanted to do; rally mirrors. The standard mirrors on a Corsa are massive.
These are great for young drivers because of the added visibility, but style takes a bit of a hit. I found some cheap ABS plastic mirrors on eBay. Fitting was very simple, and once on, they looked very impractical.
I absolutely love how they look, even though they're useless. I'll call it a win!
2020
It goes without saying the Corsa is a loud car. Especially inside. So, I decided to try and improve some of that road noise without necessarily adding too much weight back in, mainly targeting the tyre roar. I bought an eight metre reel of van insulation from Amazon and proceeded to shove it in all the gaps in the chassis.
It made a hell of a difference. The car is by no means civilised, but it's much better than it was. Next on my list was something I've always wanted to do; rally mirrors. The standard mirrors on a Corsa are massive.
These are great for young drivers because of the added visibility, but style takes a bit of a hit. I found some cheap ABS plastic mirrors on eBay. Fitting was very simple, and once on, they looked very impractical.
I absolutely love how they look, even though they're useless. I'll call it a win!
The Corsa
2021
One of the first mods I did this year was a Kill All Wipers kit, because the Corsa is a chav car.
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!
They're definitely a marmite kind of style, but I love them.
Over the last few months I had started to get bored of the SXi wheels that were on the car. They were also weirdly heavy for 15 inch alloys. So, I found some BBS 473 wheels from some hateful old Golf 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!
Most recently, I've decided to put the plastic trim back inside the car. All the sound insulation is still in the chassis gaps, but now I've added more behind the plastic panels too. The car will remain a 2-seater though!
So, now we're up to date on the Corsa, I'll be going through my work van in the coming posts!
2021
One of the first mods I did this year was a Kill All Wipers kit, because the Corsa is a chav car.
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!
They're definitely a marmite kind of style, but I love them.
Over the last few months I had started to get bored of the SXi wheels that were on the car. They were also weirdly heavy for 15 inch alloys. So, I found some BBS 473 wheels from some hateful old Golf 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!
Most recently, I've decided to put the plastic trim back inside the car. All the sound insulation is still in the chassis gaps, but now I've added more behind the plastic panels too. The car will remain a 2-seater though!
So, now we're up to date on the Corsa, I'll be going through my work van in the coming posts!
The Combo
2017
So, as previously mentioned when talking about the Volvo, I used to work for a car delaership from 2015-2017, and it was hell on earth! In January 2017 I finally managed to find a new job, so I handed in my notice, being sure to point as many customers elsewhere as possible in my last four weeks! The new job was a valeting position at a local Ford dealership, and I managed to last a whopping four weeks. They treated the other valeter about the same as you'd treat a housefly in your dinner.
So, what next? I wanted to work with cars, but working in a dealer just didn't work for me. After some thought and a few weeks off, I decided on going self employed, valeting cars. Naturally I needed a van. I decided to go with a small van since it'd be easier to drive in the countryside. I had a few choices;
The Ford Transit Connect was immediately ruled out because of rust issues.
The VW Caddy was too expensive for not enough of a benefit.
Working for a Peugeot dealer very quickly ruled out any Peugeot or Citroen product.
That pretty much left me with a Vauxhall Combo. Having owned a Corsa for a while, I had no issue with that! After a few weeks of searching, the best one I could find had a 1.3 Fiat diesel engine. The more reliable 1.7 Isuzu lump seems to go hand in hand with dents and faded paintwork. Anyway, here it is!
It had done 70,000 miles, and the bodywork was in very good condition. I did have a few teething issues with it, though. The dealership did a frankly crap job of cleaning it. I didn't mind, me being me, but if I were someone who wasn't literally cleaning cars for work I'd have been disappointed. Also, the interior light was completely missing. The first thing I did was go to Shaun the mechanic to check it over, because I don't trust dealerships. It was just as well, because one of the rear springs was broken. I didn't bother taking it back to the dealer because the spring cost me £15.
The next thing I did was clean it, inside and out, including the engine bay.
I also bought some floor mats...
Throughout the rest of 2017, it was really just a case of building up my business and saving money before I really went down the route of modifying the van. Thankfully, the van was clearly looked after, and never really let me down, and so far still hasn't! Here's a bonus shot...
2017
So, as previously mentioned when talking about the Volvo, I used to work for a car delaership from 2015-2017, and it was hell on earth! In January 2017 I finally managed to find a new job, so I handed in my notice, being sure to point as many customers elsewhere as possible in my last four weeks! The new job was a valeting position at a local Ford dealership, and I managed to last a whopping four weeks. They treated the other valeter about the same as you'd treat a housefly in your dinner.
So, what next? I wanted to work with cars, but working in a dealer just didn't work for me. After some thought and a few weeks off, I decided on going self employed, valeting cars. Naturally I needed a van. I decided to go with a small van since it'd be easier to drive in the countryside. I had a few choices;
The Ford Transit Connect was immediately ruled out because of rust issues.
The VW Caddy was too expensive for not enough of a benefit.
Working for a Peugeot dealer very quickly ruled out any Peugeot or Citroen product.
That pretty much left me with a Vauxhall Combo. Having owned a Corsa for a while, I had no issue with that! After a few weeks of searching, the best one I could find had a 1.3 Fiat diesel engine. The more reliable 1.7 Isuzu lump seems to go hand in hand with dents and faded paintwork. Anyway, here it is!
It had done 70,000 miles, and the bodywork was in very good condition. I did have a few teething issues with it, though. The dealership did a frankly crap job of cleaning it. I didn't mind, me being me, but if I were someone who wasn't literally cleaning cars for work I'd have been disappointed. Also, the interior light was completely missing. The first thing I did was go to Shaun the mechanic to check it over, because I don't trust dealerships. It was just as well, because one of the rear springs was broken. I didn't bother taking it back to the dealer because the spring cost me £15.
The next thing I did was clean it, inside and out, including the engine bay.
I also bought some floor mats...
Throughout the rest of 2017, it was really just a case of building up my business and saving money before I really went down the route of modifying the van. Thankfully, the van was clearly looked after, and never really let me down, and so far still hasn't! Here's a bonus shot...
Edited by The Bearded Tit on Tuesday 14th September 21:55
The Combo
2018
So, after a year with the van, the only issues I had were a couple more broken coil springs. Other than that, the wheel covers decided to fall off.
I finally decided to modify the van, starting with the wheels. The question was what wheels to go for. A local drug addict who had been banned from driving ended up breaking his run-down limited edition Corsa, which had some rare-ish 9-spoke alloys. I offered him £40 for them and somehow he agreed! So I got the wheels to Shaun's, got the tyres off (and binned them), and cleaned all the years of brake dust off.
I booked them in with the same company who powder coated the wheels for the Corsa and the 240. With hindsight they did a considerably worse job on these wheels, but they did look smart when they came back...
I also bought new tyres for the alloys, and in a moment of poor taste, painted the writing on the sidewall...
While the wheels were being swapped, a rear shock absorber also needed changing.
I also fitted a subtle chrome tailpipe finisher from Amazon.
Once the wheels were on, I was ecstatic with the result!
As for the tyres, I couldn't really pick up on any difference in handling, but they were a little quieter at least.
2018
So, after a year with the van, the only issues I had were a couple more broken coil springs. Other than that, the wheel covers decided to fall off.
I finally decided to modify the van, starting with the wheels. The question was what wheels to go for. A local drug addict who had been banned from driving ended up breaking his run-down limited edition Corsa, which had some rare-ish 9-spoke alloys. I offered him £40 for them and somehow he agreed! So I got the wheels to Shaun's, got the tyres off (and binned them), and cleaned all the years of brake dust off.
I booked them in with the same company who powder coated the wheels for the Corsa and the 240. With hindsight they did a considerably worse job on these wheels, but they did look smart when they came back...
I also bought new tyres for the alloys, and in a moment of poor taste, painted the writing on the sidewall...
While the wheels were being swapped, a rear shock absorber also needed changing.
I also fitted a subtle chrome tailpipe finisher from Amazon.
Once the wheels were on, I was ecstatic with the result!
As for the tyres, I couldn't really pick up on any difference in handling, but they were a little quieter at least.
Project No.1
As 2018 progressed, my father was considering changing his car. He had a 2009 Corsa D. It had been a decent little car, but nothing more. He was considering a Corsa E, which was exactly the same damn car. However, I managed to tempt him into a Suzuki Swift.
It's an SZ-L, which means it has black wheels, a spoiler and a sat-nav. It's a little 4-cylinder 1.2 with 90bhp. It's a really revvy little car, and very fun to drive. Very cheap to run as well!
So, the old Corsa had to go. Usually, most people trade their car in with the dealership, which with a 10-year-old hatchback isn't the best way to go. The dealer offered my Dad a paltry £800, so I persuaded him to keep hold of the Corsa for a week while I cleaned and advertised it. So, the project began. I started on the interior, emptying the entire car and cleaning everything.
To help the car sell, I found a set of fitted mats cheap from Amazon, which really finished the interior off nicely.
Next, I tackled the engine bay.
Next I washed the car, treating the lower portions with tar remover and following up with a hand-polish.
I then finished up with the door shuts and a quick tart-up of the interior plastics.
Considering the abuse my Dad hurled at it during its years with us, it really cleaned up well. They're pretty robust little cars. Within a couple of hours of advertising it, a young lady messaged to arrange viewing. She turned up a few days later with her boyfriend, who was a bit of a tyre kicker. Typical 18-year-old on a mechanics apprenticeship who thinks they know it all. I guess that's a phase most of us go through.
Either way, the car ended up selling for £1900, which was a hell of an improvement on the £800 trade-in offer!
As 2018 progressed, my father was considering changing his car. He had a 2009 Corsa D. It had been a decent little car, but nothing more. He was considering a Corsa E, which was exactly the same damn car. However, I managed to tempt him into a Suzuki Swift.
It's an SZ-L, which means it has black wheels, a spoiler and a sat-nav. It's a little 4-cylinder 1.2 with 90bhp. It's a really revvy little car, and very fun to drive. Very cheap to run as well!
So, the old Corsa had to go. Usually, most people trade their car in with the dealership, which with a 10-year-old hatchback isn't the best way to go. The dealer offered my Dad a paltry £800, so I persuaded him to keep hold of the Corsa for a week while I cleaned and advertised it. So, the project began. I started on the interior, emptying the entire car and cleaning everything.
To help the car sell, I found a set of fitted mats cheap from Amazon, which really finished the interior off nicely.
Next, I tackled the engine bay.
Next I washed the car, treating the lower portions with tar remover and following up with a hand-polish.
I then finished up with the door shuts and a quick tart-up of the interior plastics.
Considering the abuse my Dad hurled at it during its years with us, it really cleaned up well. They're pretty robust little cars. Within a couple of hours of advertising it, a young lady messaged to arrange viewing. She turned up a few days later with her boyfriend, who was a bit of a tyre kicker. Typical 18-year-old on a mechanics apprenticeship who thinks they know it all. I guess that's a phase most of us go through.
Either way, the car ended up selling for £1900, which was a hell of an improvement on the £800 trade-in offer!
Project No.2
As previously mentioned, I cleaned up my Dad's old Corsa in June 2018 to sell it, and really enjoyed myself. As the year went on, I was starting to feel like something was missing in life. Things had become... empty. I needed something to occupy myself; a distraction. I started looking for a project car to breathe some life back into and sell on. I found this.
It's a 2001 Corsa SXi with about 120,000 miles. I bought it for £350 in a mess. It had rust on the sills and vibration through the steering, but the timing chain had been replaced, which is one of the most awkward common issues in a Corsa. The outside was a bit tatty and the interior had seen better days.
I started by cleaning the interior and binning the old seats. I also bought a cheap set of mats to make it look a little nicer.
Next, I replaced the beaten-up old seats with the originals from my 1 litre Corsa.
I then cleaned the interior plastics.
Next on the list was a full service...
Shaun patched up the sills and inner rear arch for me next. It's by no means a pretty job, but it's structural and cost effective.
While it was on the lift, I did a few small jobs to improve the look of the car. I sanded the exhaust tip first.
Next was the rubber lip on the front bumper. It's in two pieces and one had fallen off. I secured it from behind with a cable tie.
With the welding done, I replaced an anti-roll bar link rod and Shaun tightened up all the bolts on the steering rack which had been left loose by a previous mechanic for some reason.
With that, everything was finished, so it was time to clean the engine bay and exterior.
With that, the car was all done!
My total spend on the car ended at £650. I got very lucky, selling it for £950 for a healthy little profit.
As previously mentioned, I cleaned up my Dad's old Corsa in June 2018 to sell it, and really enjoyed myself. As the year went on, I was starting to feel like something was missing in life. Things had become... empty. I needed something to occupy myself; a distraction. I started looking for a project car to breathe some life back into and sell on. I found this.
It's a 2001 Corsa SXi with about 120,000 miles. I bought it for £350 in a mess. It had rust on the sills and vibration through the steering, but the timing chain had been replaced, which is one of the most awkward common issues in a Corsa. The outside was a bit tatty and the interior had seen better days.
I started by cleaning the interior and binning the old seats. I also bought a cheap set of mats to make it look a little nicer.
Next, I replaced the beaten-up old seats with the originals from my 1 litre Corsa.
I then cleaned the interior plastics.
Next on the list was a full service...
Shaun patched up the sills and inner rear arch for me next. It's by no means a pretty job, but it's structural and cost effective.
While it was on the lift, I did a few small jobs to improve the look of the car. I sanded the exhaust tip first.
Next was the rubber lip on the front bumper. It's in two pieces and one had fallen off. I secured it from behind with a cable tie.
With the welding done, I replaced an anti-roll bar link rod and Shaun tightened up all the bolts on the steering rack which had been left loose by a previous mechanic for some reason.
With that, everything was finished, so it was time to clean the engine bay and exterior.
With that, the car was all done!
My total spend on the car ended at £650. I got very lucky, selling it for £950 for a healthy little profit.
Project No.3
After selling the blue Corsa, I almost immediately found another local on Facebook. My empty feeling was becoming full-on depression by this point so despite it being borderline scrap, I took a risk on it, desperate for a distraction.
This one was a 1.4 with half-leather seats, projector headlights and a leather steering wheel. The interior had been cleaned by the local car wash... badly.
The first thing I did was remove all the tat, as well as the broken armrest, and clean up the interior.
I also found the engine had an oil leak. Luckily on chain-driven Corsas, it's almost always the oil pressure switch, which costs about £7.
At this point the car ended up being sat for a few months as work got busier for both me and Shaun. Eventually he had enough time to do the remaining mechanical jobs and I found some time to finish it off with a good clean all around. I started with a suspension top mounts, which almost always rust. I also cleaned up the engine bay. I had also given it a full service around this time.
Finally, the car had its long-awaited wash.
In the end, the car scrubbed up fairly well, though the rip in the driver's seat and various bumper-scuffs hurt my chances of a sale. In the end I only made a profit of about £100 on it. With hindsight, I probably shouldn't have bothered. Still, it was a decent distraction at the time.
After selling the blue Corsa, I almost immediately found another local on Facebook. My empty feeling was becoming full-on depression by this point so despite it being borderline scrap, I took a risk on it, desperate for a distraction.
This one was a 1.4 with half-leather seats, projector headlights and a leather steering wheel. The interior had been cleaned by the local car wash... badly.
The first thing I did was remove all the tat, as well as the broken armrest, and clean up the interior.
I also found the engine had an oil leak. Luckily on chain-driven Corsas, it's almost always the oil pressure switch, which costs about £7.
At this point the car ended up being sat for a few months as work got busier for both me and Shaun. Eventually he had enough time to do the remaining mechanical jobs and I found some time to finish it off with a good clean all around. I started with a suspension top mounts, which almost always rust. I also cleaned up the engine bay. I had also given it a full service around this time.
Finally, the car had its long-awaited wash.
In the end, the car scrubbed up fairly well, though the rip in the driver's seat and various bumper-scuffs hurt my chances of a sale. In the end I only made a profit of about £100 on it. With hindsight, I probably shouldn't have bothered. Still, it was a decent distraction at the time.
Bobberoo said:
Loving reading your journey, sorry to hear about your depression, it's a difficult subject to talk about for a lot of people, from the sounds of it you're dealing with it.
The cars look really good after you've done your thing, excellent work!!!
Many thanks. I met my other half in June 2019 and it made all the difference. I'd say I'm cured now The cars look really good after you've done your thing, excellent work!!!
The Combo
2019 Part 1
Work was going well heading into 2019, while my mental state was getting worse. I didn't get anything done to the van until April, after its MOT. There was an advisory item for a blow in the silencer, so I decided to go cheap. A replacement was about £45. So because I'm a chav, I decided to remove the standard silencer for a laugh.
I then took the van for a drive and found it barely any different. So, I spent £20 on a metre length of stainless steel pipe, shoved it on the back and got Shaun to weld the old hangers on. The job wasn't pretty (my fault, the pipe I ordered was slightly big in diameter) but It worked! Shaun also sprayed some alloy wheel paint on the welds to give a bit of rust protection.
I later put on a shiny exhaust tip to tart it up a little.
Driving it felt no different. No boost in power, no drop in economy, and the noise was subtle, as mentioned before.
I also did some engine cleaning at the time.
2019 Part 1
Work was going well heading into 2019, while my mental state was getting worse. I didn't get anything done to the van until April, after its MOT. There was an advisory item for a blow in the silencer, so I decided to go cheap. A replacement was about £45. So because I'm a chav, I decided to remove the standard silencer for a laugh.
I then took the van for a drive and found it barely any different. So, I spent £20 on a metre length of stainless steel pipe, shoved it on the back and got Shaun to weld the old hangers on. The job wasn't pretty (my fault, the pipe I ordered was slightly big in diameter) but It worked! Shaun also sprayed some alloy wheel paint on the welds to give a bit of rust protection.
I later put on a shiny exhaust tip to tart it up a little.
Driving it felt no different. No boost in power, no drop in economy, and the noise was subtle, as mentioned before.
I also did some engine cleaning at the time.
Usget said:
I know it was a million years ago, but what did you use to sort the silver trim out on the Corsa? It looks great, and I have some bits of trim in the Boxster which need a similar approach...
If you mean the silver trim around the heater vents on the blue Corsa, Autosmart Tardis is great stuff. Perfect for tar spots and getting rid of glue. Also works well for oil stains.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff