Project freeze my insignia 4x4 off 2018

evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
fuel tank cover got painted so not to rust like the last one
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star silver
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all the rear subframe parts came back from the powdercoaters
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car is now stood under cover till ive the time to get the whole floor pan done
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the work on the 2nd 4x4 has been keeping me busy :) build thread for that one coming soon
 

evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
after pinching the 20" wheels for the other 4x4 i found a 2nd set of vx line 20" going cheap and only 3mile up the road
went and fetched the most of them were curbed and tyres were all odd
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after getting the tyres pulled off i found one buckled and cracked
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just one crack did the same procedure as the the other set thats been on the other car for a while now and done quite a few mile and the crack has not returned.
drill the end
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cut the crack open to get all the gunk out so its all nice and clean for welding
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new tyres came falken azenis fk510 245/35/20
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on with the welding found the reason for it cracking bit of crap in the alloy it wouldn't weld had to drill it thru a then fill it up
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thats better
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flapy pad to make it all tidy
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inside tidied up
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sent them off for powdercoating and what a job they did like brand new again
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had to order one more centre cap as the wheels only came with 3
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
bit of an update with this one
bought a shot blaster and went to work
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the dog looked it over 1st lol
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blaster making it easy work
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some overspray from painting a minidigger took ages to get it off
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grit every where
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all the loose stuff gone and rest removed
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had chosen to go with a raptor body colour smooth finish on the under side so used the raptor anti corrosion epoxy primer this also save a few steps of using etch primer and adhesion promoter as it does both in one step
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full under side covered
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the raptor mixed at 3:1 with 10% paint and 20% thinners to fire it thru a spray gun
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nice finish out the gun
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metallic particles came thru as well as the colour
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g3 clay bar mitt removing loads more over spray from the mini digger
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tryed to fit the fuel tank but the have supplyed me with 2wd straps so its on hold till i get the right ones
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new heat shields and plastic retainers fitted
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jet washed the chassis rails out wth drain cleaning attachment to wash out the grit once its dry i will wax oil the inside of the rails
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
so the tank straps
heres the difference between 2wd and 4x4
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after a few days with an order from the factory the new ones turned up
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back in feb i bought a used a20nft head for porting couldn't complain purchased for £90 so bit of a bonus with a stock head used coming in at around £450 :confused: but there were issues lol
dirty
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listed as perfect working order but what about them 2 bent valves YO lol
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bit of a clean up
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almost like new
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one day i will get round to fitting larger valves double springs and some cams :)
 

evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
so i have finally got round to doing some work on this insignia
new tank straps painted in epoxy and black gloss 2k paint
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after borrowing the cam sprockets for another car the new ones went on and the lid put back on
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exterior still needs cleaning
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interior has held up well for being stood for the past 18 months
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wiped the dust off the tank cover and installed the tank back on the car
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not an easy task when you have gained a few pounds and trying not to scratch the new paint lol
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fuel filler pipe was rusty
it was needle scaled then treated with rust remover acid
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having never used the rust remover before i was a bit dubious
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within minutes it had pulled the rust off
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leaving a nice clean grey metal to paint to
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2 coats of epoxy primer to seal it up
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next up was the prop shaft
it was sanded with a 320grit on the 6" da
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painted over with rust remover
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cleaned and dried off then coated with the same epoxy primer
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2k black gloss on both the prop and fuel filler pipe
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at least with the painted finish in the future if need be it can be sanded and painted to bring it to a new finish again
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better than new well until i get the new boot for the end
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even the rubber coupler and stainless clips were cleaned
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few jobs to do im waiting on new rear hubs and disc back plates to come
ive got to replace 2 studs on the wheel well to hold the heat shields then start to clean up the haldex unit and fit the bushes to the subframe
 

evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
Been and stocked up on stainless bolts thought it would be silly to put the old rusty ones back in now
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Refitted the covers to the filler pipe and fitted it back to the car weathers bad so not much else getting done today
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
With the tank now fitted I washed the fuel lines thru with new fuel in the tank glad I did there was some rubbish in the pipe work
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It also had its 1st run upto temperature in 19months after priming the oil and a few cranks it sprung into life again its surprising how quiet it was with no center section and silencers fitted
Did have a vid but it's to large to upload to the forum so some screen shots :)
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
some more done
rear crash bar cleaned and painted
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new front wheel arch trim i pinched the orignal for the other 4x4
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prop wrapped up till its needed
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acid dipped the nuts for the crash bar
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and now to put some paint on the subframe where the powder coaters missed
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then on to fitting the new bushings quite technical on getting them in the right place
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a mate lent me a tool for pulling them in its going to be something i purchase in the future great tool
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anti roll bar fitted and the bushes for the haldex
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wiped all the overspary off the brake pipes with thinners refitted all the clips and the new level sensor with stainless bolts
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wiring clip fitted and hand brake cable wiped over and clipped in place
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cleaned behind the lights and refitted them crash bar back on and gave the boot lid a polish and wax
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next job paint and fit the bushes to the upper arms
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had to skip fitting the subframe the lower arms need to be fitted 1st as the bolts wont go in with it on the car

more soon :)
 

evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
few more steps of progress and new parts arriving
the car was covered in overspray so ive been at it agian with the clay mitt and got more off
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in this image you can see the left side has the over spray and the right is clean
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wheels are ready to go on
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rust remover on the wish bones
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covering the missed spot with epoxy primer
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2k gloss black
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new bolts 6 for the rear hubs and 4 of the off set bolts for the upper arms
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into the box of many new parts they go
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new gm wheel bearings and back plates
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the rear bushing in the hub bracket are unavailable to buy individually so had 2 brand new brackets supplyed from germany new bushes included
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the bolts,hubs,brackets and back plates combined
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new discs and stainless bolts
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the rear calipers (bit of a mess) heres why you never use hamerite it looks shat lol
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stripped all parts from the calipers during clean up
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the rubbers were washed in boiling water with fairy liquid. After soaking for 30mins the paint that was on them all came off and the dirt came off in the 2nd 3rd wash
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bit cleaner
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clean and dry and ready to go again
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new discs and pads for the front 337mm discs and pads to suit the police spec twin pot calipers
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conventlly i had a 2nd set of police spec calipers ready to go on this car
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in need of a clean up
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lower wishbone bushes are made in 2 halfs ive bought some heavy duty clamps to make them round for installation
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right heres what about 3 hours of cleaning does to calipers
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special type of flappy pad just for alloy made a nice job of the finish
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removed the casting marks from the top edges so when there on the car its more smooth
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ear plugs and energy drink can bottoms
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epoxy primer
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left to dry hope to get them in silver soon
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
some more work done over the last few days and some real progress on the whole

rear caliper brackets shot blasted
after and before
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masked up ready for paint
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calipers went to star silver and clear 2k lacquer
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cleaned up the sliders and applied cold galvanising paint
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all clean and ready for the rebuild
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some time later
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called up HEL performance as i was unable to find a line kit to suit the setup i have or will have
had to custom order the pipes the pipes listed for the insignia vxr were 370mm long the vxr use the same setup as the 2.0t 4x4 im sure ithe 2.0t 4x4 came 1st lol but when measuring the rear pipes on both cars they were 430mm long
the fronts listed for the ""sri"" were 515mm with m10x1.5 banjo so the front were off the shelf parts altho i will be using the twin pot police/bi turbo spec front calipers that still use the 515mm front pipes
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the kit came after a days wait they were kind enough to supply me with 8 bolts just in case 4 of each m10x1 and m10x1.5 and as a bonus new pipe retaining clips in stainless i had almost bought new gm ones
ordered at the same time stainless bleed nipples
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on with fitting the new bushes to the upper and lower arms there a split type so had to make a tool to get them round for pushing in
dads idea with me adding a few shells to make it the right size
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this one was a b*****d but its in
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all ready to go back on the subframe
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subframe pieced back together so it can be refitted to the car the lower and front upper arms need to be installed 1st as you cant get the bolts in after its fitted anti roll bar kept the lower arms up
not sure if i can get the haldex in after but we shall see
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back on the car loosely
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new hub bracket,hub,disc shield ,spring,disc fitted
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caliper back on and there's no doubting the new hel pipe is the same as the original
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next up the haldex unit lets see if we cant get it looking a bit fresher than the rusty CV's
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
new solvent degreaser for the wash tank
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new belt sander to help with the cleaning of rusty bits
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cleaning of the haldex unit
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into the wash tank
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primer
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aluminium paint
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and a coat of laquer
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and then on to cleaning up the drive shafts
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after getting all the rust of and down to clean bear metal the outer cv was painted with epoxy primer
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knocked the cv off and stripped to clean out the grease
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all parts in the wash tank
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painted with alu look paint and laquer
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washed out the inner cv ready but had to buy the grese special its not moly due to being tripod
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cv rebuilding
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acid
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same alu paint and lacquer
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gloss black on the shaft
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much improved
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other shaft prepped
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painted some of the bits on the haldex black so its not just all the same colour underneath the car
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mounts and the hydraulic pump in gloss black and the prop shaft hub
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polished the controller cover then gave it a coat of laquer
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hydraulic lines for the Elsd clutch painted to stop any more corrosion
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black as the final colour
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haldex unit bolted back in
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nice and clean looking now
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caliper handbrake levers shot blasted and painted black
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next up the shocks sanded and acid wash
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
big update and work covered over the holiday period :)
pictures in order to continue on from the last post

shocker covers cleaned up
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2k paint on the shock body
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had to order the grease for the inner CV joints
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hand brake levers back on the calipers
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fixed the broken wheel speed sensor
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coming together now
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other side to
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after cleaning the outer cv on the drivers side i found the cage cracked must of missed getting it off with the hammer
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warming up the waxoil
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all the cavities done that i could get to
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bungs back in and bracket for the arch liner riveted back on
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looking something like
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new GKN cv from germany :confused:
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lick of paint
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rebuilt and ready to go back on
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diff oil changed
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and finally wheels on and back on the ground
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needs a good clean
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went at the overspray on the roof and drivers side with the clay mitt
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stock on stainless bits and bobs E clips for the hand brake cables and nuts with inbuilt washers for the caliper levers
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the 2 side by side
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front boot was split on the prop shaft and a replacement was £64
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fixed it for the time being with a £6 rubber cv boot
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
The Exhaust..
after looking for a stainless solution of an exhaust system i had chosen to make my own with the bought ones available coming in at £600-900 and looked like they were put together blindfolded

the parts...
2x 10"x12" center exit side entry back boxs
2m of 2.5" tube
1m of 3" tube
2m of 3" tube
45* and 90* 2.5" mandrel bends 2 of each
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nad something ive never done before PIE cuts
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mocking up the step in the pipe
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hanger made from 1/2 stainless bar
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the angle and shape of the back boxs look to be a pain
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making the Y connection
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size of the entrance had to be adjusted to suit the 3" main pipe to the 2.5" bends
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thats the hard bit over with lol
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purging the pipes with argon while welding made the backs of the welds nice and clean
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test fit
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had to weld on a new stud for the heat shields bit of a patch repair on the raptor
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new heat shields and plastic clips fitted
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hangers made and bent for the rear boxs
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measured up and tacked in place
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looks like there may even be enough pipe for the front pipe altho i will have to buy a sports cat and get a flange made
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welded the 2m length to the rear section and test fitted again
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mocking up and test fitting the connection to the rer boxs
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other side the same
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nice and tidy looking :)
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so far the above parts have cost me £255 this pic is of a reputable firms £900 version for a vxr....
yeah i'll stick with mine :)
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
Good work Carl.
the vxr one looks worse than the 3" one i had made by a "reputable" company. It fell apart quick and no warranty :(
well its taken me a few days to get it all sorted but its made the way i wanted it to be and not just bung and fit for £900 i would want something like i have made but gold plated :)

went and got some bits for the tig welder wanted to try the conversion tip with the larger shroud was hoping to get a pyrex cup but they didnt stock them the dronco metal polishing pads are great
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the back end of the pipes after the axle i wanted polished so when its seen from the rear it looks good
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purging with argon works great
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back boxs went on
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2 of the rubbers for the boxs have separated from the metal but there a right silly price for the 2 rubbers in the frame
found a pic of the astra j vxr rear rubber on cs webpage and the part number on the rubber matches the insignias so ive ordered one powerflex replacement to see if it fits
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v band installed at the front
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the hanger bars needs some fine adjustment with a lump hammer after welding
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well it fits just need to decide on tail pipes
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evocarlos

Stupid Bollocks
Staff
so where was i lol
new powerflex rubbers for the exhaust
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cut some 2.5" for the tail pipes
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borrowed the tips from the police car
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washed all the tar off with thinners and then buffed the tips
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rear section complete
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had to make and adapter to connect the new to old
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more rubbers came in the post
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bumper refitted and new number plate on
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new mud flaps fitted
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swapped the grills back over
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went for an mot a passed
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started on cleaning up the paint work
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intermittent AFL fault narrowed down to a relay in the fuse box
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inside had a wipe down vac and new mats
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last batch of new parts from my local parts
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new sports cat from demon tweeks only one they had that was 200cell was 2.5"
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soon fixed that lol
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time to clean up the 337mm twinpot calipers
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phenolic pistons
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seized slider
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after and before the shot blast cabinet
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disc shield to suit the 337mm discs
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padded the main surface flat then primed with epoxy
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both prepared the same
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all the gubbins washed and clean read for reuse so i thought
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same star silver and clear lacquer as the rears
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new hel lines and stainless nipple
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had a problem with one of the pistons getting damaged so bought 2 new metal ones
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all ready to go on with new trw pads and clips
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new back plates from the factory
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2 new wheel bearings
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had some flanges made for the cat pipe
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the after math of the boot clip comming off on the way to the mot lol
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previous owners super glued the vxr trims on upside down took ages to razor blade it down flat
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padded the area with 1000,2000,3000,4000
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new pad and new bottle of g3
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buffed and trim fitted the right way up no super glue! lol
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did move on to the bonnet only got the rest of the car to do in g3
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