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Apr 11, 2013 18:44:43 GMT
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nice wafty 80's luxo barge! glad thats gone to a good home Wafty is a good description, definitely one of the most comfortable cars I've travelled in. Brilliant stuff Mr Carter. I can just picture you in this wafting around the badlands of Wakefield! As it is, it's dead cool. Modifications sounds dead cool (especially after our little chat the other day) and basically whatever you do or don't do with it, it'll be cool. Very cool. First and foremost...ENJOY! Something I know you will. ;D Haha, it's Wakefield Vice. Having a car that I truly enjoy owning is something I've missed and the dream of owning something as rare as this is something that I was starting to think would never happen. It's a good feeling. That's the one. Hopefully it'll be at a few more Limes meets this year as I'm not a million miles away. It's almost a Opel Commodore 2,5S. All the same but bumpers, grill, dash and rear panel trim. Everything else is plug and play, drivetrain, engine, exhaust, axles, interior (Berlina in this case), wheels (Senator/Monza will also fit) etc. The Commodore C has become rare in Germany, there are a lot of parts available though. eBay.de has already been perused for parts, I must admit I didn't realise how high a price these were commanding in Germany right now, quite a desirable car from what I can make out.
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Apr 11, 2013 22:22:13 GMT
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eBay.de has already been perused for parts, I must admit I didn't realise how high a price these were commanding in Germany right now, quite a desirable car from what I can make out. EBay is a really good source. Have a look for parts of Rekord E for tin and interior parts and Senator A and Monza A for tech bits, they'll fit up to 3,0E spec. Commodore C are the continental Viceroy when it comes to popularity, typical giffer or upmarket Rekord buyers short of money to a Senator but in need of a cheap 6-pot. I've always liked these cars just because the difference to a Rekord and for their front end. And their ancient boat anchor 6 cyl does really sound nicely!
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Apr 15, 2013 22:37:50 GMT
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Well, this weekend saw the Viceroy head out for its first public outing to a small classic meet at the South Yorkshire Transport in Rotherham. Although being far from the best condition car in attendance the old girl still attracted some attention which was nice to see, did highlight the fact there's plenty of work to do to get it looking its best though. After the meet I went on a little drive around the Yorkshire countryside ending up in the town of Holmfirth. For those who don't know, Holmfirth is the home of Last of the Summer Wine and in turn has become something of a local tourist attraction. Well, I'm happy to admit that I'm a lifelong fan of Summer Wine so moving nearby is quite cool for me and has become a semi-regular haunt. Well it is now also the location of possibly the coolest thing that's happened to me since taking ownership of the car. As I was driving through I had to pause for traffic just outside where the famous Sid's (Ivy's) Cafe is located and out of the corner my eye I caught a total stranger taking a photo of the car. Not really that much of big deal, until you take in to consideration that I grew up watching seventies British sitcoms and dreaming of owning a classic car, so for the two to come together like that really was a bit of a moment. I hope that for whoever it was that took that photo the final result looked like something that could have easily jumped out of an episode and was a cool thing for them too. Fast forward to today and despite being locked in the house all day thanks to my Girlfriend repeating her trick of taking my keys to work with her I managed to catch the last few minutes of the sun this evening and make a start on restoring the paintwork. The products I'm using are above, however, I would make a terrible advertisement photographer so I'll list them anyway. After asking on Facebook what to use I was advised by VIP to avoid T-Cut and invest in a decent compound product instead. In the end I went for Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, not that cheap but it comes with a good reputation and on the first signs it appears that it's reputation is well deserved. The compound is being used to bring the car back from the terracotta colour it's become and more like the vibrant red it should be as well as rid it if the cloudy oxidation it's acquired over the years. Along with the Compound, I'm also using Auto Glym's Super Resin Polish to bring some shine back, I'm sure you're all familiar with Auto Glym so that choice should be an obvious one. Now, I'm not usually one for polishing and detailing and if the car had a cool patina, it would be staying that way, but I must admit that I'm really happy with the early results so far. This shot should show you that even with the few minutes work I put in today, there's already been a dramatic improvement and it would appear that the paint work is definitely salvageable. A long way to go yet and even the bits that have been done are going to need another few goings over so I will update again once the car is looking a little bit better all over.
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Last Edit: Apr 15, 2013 22:39:57 GMT by WillCarter
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,834
Club RR Member Number: 174
Member is Online
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1981 Vauxhall Viceroy stealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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Apr 15, 2013 22:56:17 GMT
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I've got a big leccy polisher somewhere you'd just need to buy a new head for it. It's a proper variable speed angle grinder style jobby.
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Apr 15, 2013 22:57:56 GMT
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I've got a big leccy polisher somewhere you'd just need to buy a new head for it. It's a proper variable speed angle grinder style jobby. That would help no end, cheers Matt.
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This is amazing. I hope to see it at some point, possibly at an Oil Can meet since you know Dave.
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Oh yes Will, let loose with the big polisher on that thing. It's already looking so much better
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Club Retro Rides Member
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I need to buff the hell out of my Toledo to get a shine back but I will follow your lead and purchase those products... Red is so frappin' hard to keep lustrous on old motors...!!!
May I just say your Viceroy is nothing short of stunning! I do like the old Griffin barges and the rarity of yours will set jaws dropping wherever you venture...
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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Apr 16, 2013 12:05:05 GMT
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This is amazing. I hope to see it at some point, possibly at an Oil Can meet since you know Dave. The Viceroy is definitely going to be familiar sight around the Yorkshire shows and meets. Oh yes Will, let loose with the big polisher on that thing. It's already looking so much better I'm going to give it a go over by hand all over first then get the proper polisher on it once that's done. I have no access to electrickery where it's parked though so I'm going to have to nick someone else's, that means the more I can do by hand, the better. I need to buff the hell out of my Toledo to get a shine back but I will follow your lead and purchase those products... Red is so frappin' hard to keep lustrous on old motors...!!! May I just say your Viceroy is nothing short of stunning! I do like the old Griffin barges and the rarity of yours will set jaws dropping wherever you venture... Thanks very much, I love all the positive comments this is receiving. I agree, in terms of giving myself a task I couldn't have picked a worse colour, red cars seem to get such a hard time if they're neglected. Fingers crossed it will look better soon though. You'll have to put up some pics of the Toledo once it's been treated to some restoration.
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stefan
Posted a lot
If it isn't broken fix it till it is
Posts: 1,598
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Apr 16, 2013 20:27:27 GMT
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It is a great car, always started and worked when ever I wanted to go some were in it.
Glad it has gone to someone who will love it, It was the only manual Vicerory that I was able to find, the rest were all auto.
I just found that I was not using it much when I had finished Big Brat
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POWER IS EVERYTHING WITHOUT CONTROL
1985 Honda jazz 1997 Saab 93 convertible 2010 transit 280
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Apr 16, 2013 21:07:40 GMT
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It is a great car, always started and worked when ever I wanted to go some were in it. Glad it has gone to someone who will love it, It was the only manual Vicerory that I was able to find, the rest were all auto. I just found that I was not using it much when I had finished Big Brat I definitely love it Stefan and you've done a great job in preserving it. Myself and Dave were both surprised that it was a manual, it seems to be a car that's made to be an auto. There's one on eBay right now (they're like buses) which is a 'facelift' and that one is an auto.
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Last Edit: Apr 16, 2013 21:08:03 GMT by WillCarter
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,834
Club RR Member Number: 174
Member is Online
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1981 Vauxhall Viceroy stealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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The problem with doing it by hand is if you borrow my polisher the bits you do with it will look brighter.
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VIP
South East
Posts: 8,293
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Apr 17, 2013 11:41:40 GMT
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Will, the next time you venture Bahn-bound, I'll gladly machine polish the old boat in return for sustenance in the form of sausage rolls, hummus, Dr Pepper and millionaire shortbread bites.
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Apr 17, 2013 11:48:53 GMT
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Will, the next time you venture Bahn-bound, I'll gladly machine polish the old boat in return for sustenance in the form of sausage rolls, hummus, Dr Pepper and millionaire shortbread bites. You've got yourself a deal.
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Apr 24, 2013 21:58:37 GMT
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I like that car a lot! German Commodores were typical OAP cars and rare high spec 2,5E (Berlina) ones were often equipped with a 3-speed auto. Low spec came as 2,5S and the majority were manual. This is why I wonder about the scarceness of manual Viceroys.
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1981 Vauxhall Viceroy Robinxr4i
@robinxr4i
Club Retro Rides Member 143
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Will you have totally excelled yourself, this is a stunning purchase. Can't wait to see you put some little touches on it!
Plus I must admit I hate you a little, as my love for big old Vauxhalls has become a bit of an obsession recently, and now I more than slightly envious.
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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Apr 25, 2013 11:01:08 GMT
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I like that car a lot! German Commodores were typical OAP cars and rare high spec 2,5E (Berlina) ones were often equipped with a 3-speed auto. Low spec came as 2,5S and the majority were manual. This is why I wonder about the scarceness of manual Viceroys. Believe it or not, one of the three (including mine) currently on the road went unsold on eBay last night, however it was an '82 Auto, which meant some tiny updates such as slightly different mirrors and interior trim. Will you have totally excelled yourself, this is a stunning purchase. Can't wait to see you put some little touches on it! Plus I must admit I hate you a little, as my love for big old Vauxhalls has become a bit of an obsession recently, and now I more than slightly envious. Haha, thanks mate, I do love it and it gets plenty of attention when it's out and about (admittedly mainly from OAPs) but you're more than welcome to come out for a ride in it next time I see you. It's not exactly quick off of the mark, but when you're sat in it, you kinda don't want it to be anyway, it's hard to explain. It's definitely going to be a case of little touches and smartening up the grotty bits, I keep thinking about going all out on it, air-ride, different paintjob etc, but I think I would regret it in the long run.
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Colonelk
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,740
Club RR Member Number: 83
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1981 Vauxhall Viceroy Colonelk
@colonelk
Club Retro Rides Member 83
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Apr 25, 2013 12:18:41 GMT
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You have to come down the barn for ALL THE THINGS
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Apr 25, 2013 12:28:17 GMT
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You have to come down the barn for ALL THE THINGS A barn visit is definitely reasonably imminent.
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Aug 19, 2013 11:38:07 GMT
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Update: Passed MOT with flying colours thanks to StealthStylz, did 720+ miles pretty much straight out of the MOT Centre with absolutely no issues while in stifling heat and chock-a-block traffic. During that time she was packed up with myself and my girlfriend and all of our gear for a weekend away and accommodated all of that with ease. Made it to the Gathering after a few days down at the South Coast with the TAB crew after negotiating motorways, traffic jams, steep hills and rush hour traffic. She has led convoys, been a home, a bed for the odd power nap and has done it all while keeping us in perfect comfort. She raised a smile or two and gained some much appreciated compliments on the campsite and the show field and as usual kept people confused about what she actually is. It is safe to say that this car is my automotive soulmate... Oh, and she got treated to some spangly new alloys to replace her grotty steels thanks to ColonElk too.
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