michaelme
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Posts posted by michaelme
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Won a competition online for a professional photo shoot and one free print.
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Pic of the extractors/headers and the new radiator
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Next up, sorting the exhaust.
Picked up these extractors from Crazytim:
After HPC coating they look like this:
Picked up a Hushpower II straight through muffler from Trademe, and a black tip from STA Autoparts, now off to Pitstop in New Lynn to fit.
Fitted it looks like this:
Extractors, to 2” pipe, to muffler, 2” pipe to tip.
Sounds great and drives so much better.
Also, no more poisonous gas inside the car!
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A couple of weeks later she overheats before the Matamata offramp on the way to Meremere.
The overflow neck is missing from the top of the radiator, stuffing the overflow hose through the hole didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. Time for that new radiator.
3 core aluminium Gemini radiator.
Turns out despite most Gemini parts fitting the Chevette fine, the bonnet line of a Chevette is a pinch lower than a Gemini’s, and the g200z sits quite a bit higher than the original 1256.
The radiator sat in fine, but was too high so we had to make up some brackets for it and cut out the bonnet catch for it to fit.
Unfortunately, this also means bonnet pins. Really wasn’t keen on them until I found the Aerocatch flush mounted bonnet pins.
New radiator fitted, goes well and keeps the temp needle down J
Vettie gets home well, time to test the new radiator with a decent distance drive.
Goes spectacularly well with me, wifey and 2x dogs in the car, drives to Bethells and back better than ever before.
Fire her up to get some milk and bread, start backing out of the driveway and SNAP.
There goes the clutch cable. Stoked it happened in the driveway, not on the receptionless west coast beach.
New cable made up, fitted. Back in business.
Next item on the agenda, the strong petrol smell in the cabin.
Moved what looks to be a breather hose for the tank up above the filler cap to try and beat gravity.
Works well enough other than the odd steep hill/driveway where the fuel rolls around in the tank heaps.
Ordered a carb rebuild kit from ‘Straya and the day before it arrives, this happens:
Driving like a dream on the motorway, got off on the Upper Harbour Highway stopped dead at the lights.
Popped the bonnet to find a heck of a lot of petrol flowing out of the carb into the engine bay. Not ideal.
With a bit of help from some helpful strangers, we pushed the car across the highway to the Caltex carpark where I had a fiddle with the idle screw and air/fuel screw, managed to get it to start but couldn’t idle.
Back on the truck to Titirangi, carb kit fitted, carb tuned, driving better than ever.
Petrol smell absent, but no longer masking the exhaust fumes.
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However, a few weeks later, the gremlins started waking up and causing problems.
Driving down the road, all of a sudden SNAP then SQUUEEEELL and the volt gauge drops to about 8.
Manage to get back home to find the alternator bracket snapped.
Got in touch with John the Piazza guy who had one kicking around (the guy has about 30million piazza parts under his house!). Sorted.
Next headache: Coil gives up the ghost at the beach, towed 30mins home, replaced with a cheapy from Repco, running sweet again.
Meanwhile, pickup these sweet Performance Challenger wheels (Globe replicas) from flyingbrick. New rubber on the back and now she sticks to the road like glue.
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Managed to get to Waihi from Auckland for the Leadfoot Preview, stopped once at Drury and again just before Thames, longest drive to date and no problems!
February Galaxy of Cars at Western Springs, parked up with the NZ Vauxhall Owners Club and walked around looking at cars all day. Sun is shining, weather is sweet and the car is running great albeit a bit noisy and fumy.
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Now, off for painting. Looking good in yellow.
A couple bits of chrome missing, but I’ll use the bits I grabbed off Gretchen.
The same brother who got ink for Gretchen also works a s a window tinter so was more than happy to offer to tint the windows.
Painted the window/door pillars satin black which I think looks great with the tints and chrome surround.
CD player, and 4” front speakers fitted, MDF boardscut out for the back side panels and 6x9”s fitted.
Back seat base pulled from Gretchen sprayed with vinyl dye stuff and fitted, looks great and is comfier than sitting on metal.
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Found a dead green wagon (Gretchen) with most of its panels and glass intact for $200.
Pulled all the useful bits off, into storage. Sold the motor and box to someone from OS and swapped what was left of the body for tattoos for my brother – Happy Birthday!
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Hi all,
As of this coming Sunday I will be the proud owner of Vettie for a full year (how time flies!) so I thought it’s about time I make a thread for her.
I owned a burnt orange Chevette wagon back in 2006/7.
Tried to swap the original 1256cc Vauxhall motor and 4 speed gearbox out for a Gemini g161z 1600 + 5Speed, but got as far as the driveshaft and got stuck (student spec finances and stuff-all mechanical know-how didn’t help).
- please excuse the god-awful trispoke wheels, they were the only thing with rubber at the time.
Around the same time I had the opportunity to finish my studies over in Melbourne, so decided to sell up and shift over to ‘Straya for a bit.
Fast forward to 2012 and I’m back in NZ, owned a motorbike, sold a motorbike, missing the fun of an old car and find this for sale:
Already had the Isuzu Piazza g200z 2L + 5 Speed conversion done!
Bought the car from OS/GM-T forum member aninja before he left for ‘Straya (something about these cars push people to the West Island?).
Crazytim got the widened steelies before I bought this, so the car came on some sweet original Rostyle wheels.
A couple of small issues:
- Exhaust stops before the diff
- Small bits of rust
- Still has the tiny Chevette radiator
- Windshield, and side window rubbers leak a bit, so no carpet
- No rear seat base
- No speedo cable.
- No cert.
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I'll be there, hoping my mates starlet will be running/attending too
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OS meets are on thursdays
Meant to say the day before the OS meet.
But yeah, anyone going to the game? I'll be flying down on the Wed morning, to the caketin Wednesday night, hope to catch the OS meet on Thursday then back to Auckland
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Any of you lot heading to the All Whites game in November? It's on Wed 20th, so should be right before the OS meet
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No racing this weekend, or this month for that matter.
Postponed until September 8th.
More time to get those cars running
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So looks like the next race is August 11 (not this Sunday but the following). Anyone from here going?
If all goes to plan I'll be heading down in the Vauxhall for a few runs while my brother smashes everything on his motorbike
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Datsun r100? Can't say I have ever heard of one. Would love to see a picture as google did not supply any images (just Mazda r100's).
ah hang on, might have been a 100a ... cool little thing, looked like someone had squashed a datsun 1200 at both ends
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Good meet
first reliant scimitar I've seen in years!That Datsun r100 was cool too
I got there pretty late but the carpark was probabaly half-full
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I've got me +3 in the chevette. first time it's had more than two people since the exhaust was fitted, the ramp should be a good test for scrapeage
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Reg and wof needed im guesing
Yep. Wof, Rego, helmet and I'm pretty sure a drivers license.
I haven't raced before but this looks pretty good (and cheap)
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I won't be able to make this weekend, but should be a go for the 11th of August.
Would be cool to see some more OS cars there.
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Looks like it is really close to ready.
Should be all go for Sunday
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Anyone interested?
$30 a day, need WOF, Rego and Helmet.
DYO (Dial Your Own Time) so you can go whatever speed your car is comfortable with
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single car shots would be cool
I'm stuffed this weekend but should be pretty easy any other saturday -
no more fuel leak, or exhaust fumes filling the car, this is looking pretty likely
Mike's '79 Vauxhall Chevette Estate - Pics
in Projects and Build Ups
Posted
Fitted an alarm......
Was going to go for a Mongoose, instead opted for Pitbull
This particular model has dual immobilisers
That’s pretty much all the work to do to the car until the wedding is out of the way, then it’ll be looking at getting the windshield/window rubbers replaced, a speedo cable made up (or an adapter for the old Vauxhall cable I have), carpet and a cert.