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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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its been a little while since ive put up an update but there is not much to tell as ive been lazy
i came to the conclusion that the lower bulk head is scrap and as mr deadeye has one available shortly i went out and spent a few very angry hours trying to remove it and most of my frustration came from getting the hump as several of the spot welds were not visible anymore and even the ones that were turned out to be a pain in the ass as the draper spot weld cutter didnt quite cut all the way through which in turn resulted in a few carefully selected words.
any way once i got it off i went off on a tangent and started poking holes in one of the sills to see what was actually left and to see where the inner sill panel i have ordered goes. i assumed the inner sill panel would run in the middle of the sill bit the only bit in there is where the jacking point is so i guess it must be the bit on the inside of the car where the floor tray attaches to? i will just have to wait and see
I have had a good look at the chassis rails near the footwell and i thought i was going to have to cut it all out but i thought i would see what happens if i get in there with the shot blaster and if you look at the pics you can see it did a bloody good job of cleaning it up so i think i will only have to cut out and replace the bottom piece.
i received some klokkerholm panels today from callum at retropower although i am awaiting another package as they got separated by yodel but im lucky they turned up at all as i gave callum my old postcode
Im no expert but the panels look great although the drivers side wing reinforcer does not look like its going to fit as well as the passenger side one as you can see in the pics however im sure i can sort it out.
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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Today and yesterday i have mainly been removing the entire floor tray as i came to the conclusion that it would be easier to repair the rust upto the floor tray if it was not there and just as well i did as it was starting to rust in the joints.
Also i removed the drivers side sill and found that it has had sill skins and an arch skin fitted in the past which was a piss poor job at the least as they have just welded them over the top of the original rust and went crazy with the filler!
I think the filler goes most of the way up the rear quarter and i guess i am going to have to try and remove all of it as i am going to be welding onto the original shell which has about 2mm of filler on!
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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Well ive decided that i need to pull my thumb out and sort out the driver arch ive chopped out before touching the chassis leg as i think this will add some strength. So out i go to make up the bits to put it right and after having another good look at it it became apparent that i needed to chop some of the outer skin off the door pillar so 1 step forward 2 steps back again
I cut the outer skin off and sandblasted behind it a quick coat of jelonite then gave it a few coats of zinc weld through primer.
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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I managed to find the piece of the A pillar that i chopped out and welded that back in place and smoothed the welds which i could get to with a 4" grinder. Then went about making a section of the skin which i am going to do in two sections as i don't think i would make a very good job if i tried to do it in one piece as there is quite a curve at the top.
Ive got a bit of fettling to do with it before i weld it in but it looks the right shape and i will now have a lip where it meets the inner wing happy days!
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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today i was hoping that i would get the inner wing together to some extent and started off by making a cardboard template which seemed easy enough so i transferred that on to a sheet of steel and chopped away and all went well. I then thought i would be clever and put a dimple into it like the original one has so i used two sockets that sat inside each other and put them and the sheet i cut into the vice and hey presto i had a result (other than the dimple facing the wrong way).
I then chopped away at the bit near the strut as there was a bit that had been plated and looked shite however this also meant chopping the rest of the ridge that was there and as i want a tidy engine bay i had to find a way with my limited tools to recreate it.
My first attempt was to use 3 solid 8mm lengths of bar and put 2 behind where i wanted the ridge and the other one in front and squash it with the vice which seemed to work but was a right pain in the ass and the ridge it left was to big. Then i just marked a line where i wanted the ridge and placed it on the vice with the jaws open about 10mm and found a thinner solid bar about 6mm and laid it on the line and gave it a good beating with the hammer and it worked a treat!
With that piece welded in i placed the side bit in and tried the reinforcer and found that i need to reshape it as i have a gap of about 25mm at the front of the reinforcer
I also noticed that i need to do the bit under the scuttle where the loom used to go through first so its just as well i didnt get carried away building the side up.
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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Ive tried my best today to make the inner arch up and it didnt quite go to plan as i imaged the join to be a sharp 90 degree bend but it wasnt happening](*,) however im hoping it will be ok so just need to weld it up and hope the wheels dont hit when i put it back together and if they do i will be on the look out for some 10" rims
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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Today i have had the pleasure of meeting the mk1oc mobile panel salseman aka mr deadeye and not only did he deliver the items but they were treated in style and comfort by being wrapped up in a blanket and seated in some nice cream leather seats!
any how here is a few pics of the bits ive received next to the bits they will be replacing.
believe it or not this is the old lower bulk head
If deadeye did not have this i would have been up the creek without a paddle!
we have a valance with corners!!!!
and orp shall have some holes that should actually be there for a change!
I really must pull my finger out and clear the garage and start doing something...
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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windowlicker Astra Addict
Joined: 08 Feb 2012 Posts: 517
Location: north norfolk
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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Ive had a very busy few months doing other stuff and the astra took a back seat to the extent that i have not even been near the internet otherwise i would be spending every waking hour reading about mk1's which aint good for my marriage!
Anyway the last couple of days ive been trying to get back in to the swing of things and noticed that both rear chassis legs have rotted from the inside out to the extent that if you press hard enough they bend!
so ive decided to cut my losses and scrap the shell and will be selling parts to try and recoup some money. This is not a decision ive taken lightly but faced with the fact that orp is more rust than metal its just not a viable option to carry on _________________ orp picture diary
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