1988 Mk2 Cavalier 1.8GLi

[sleag40]

Brake lines went in this afternoon, I had to paint the front lines as the green coating had been damaged.



All clipped in on the bulkhead.



The same out back.



Then given a good spaffing of wax to protect them.



Should hopefully be fuel lines next.

[sleag40]

Fuel pipes not arrived yet, so cavity waxing today.



Plenty of wax dripped out of the drain points! I'll check to make sure coverage is good with my endoscope once all the excess has dropped out.

I dug out the new door aperture vents now that the waxing of the inner arches is done.



And chucked them on.



Before I finished the session, I put the rear bumper on for a look.



It does let the side down a little as expected - I may try a textured paint to spruce them up a bit.

[skodacious]

I love the the rear valance under the bumper is so shiny that it looks like it is primer when it is actually reflecting the floor 😁

[VW]

Everything you have done on this is nothing short of amazing.
With that in mind, I think painting the bumpers may be a mistake.
I'm only going by the fact I've never seen it done and them not look painted and I've seen too many peel.

It may well be possible to do a perfect job, and if you can, ignore the above.
But everything else is just how it should be (or better).
I think i rather have slightly faded original plastic finish than textured paint.

Or, you may prove me wrong and change my mind on the viability of painting bumpers black!

Edit, I zoomed in and I don't think it even looks bad as is. Maybe in real life it looks worse?

[neil79]

Gtechniq C4 is amazing on plastics. Might be worth a go before trying to paint them. It appears to be expensive for what is a very small bottle but it goes on at nano thickness so lasts for a very long time.

[sleag40]

Sept 25, 2021 20:38:27 GMT VW said:

Everything you have done on this is nothing short of amazing.
With that in mind, I think painting the bumpers may be a mistake.
I'm only going by the fact I've never seen it done and them not look painted and I've seen too many peel.

It may well be possible to do a perfect job, and if you can, ignore the above.
But everything else is just how it should be (or better).
I think i rather have slightly faded original plastic finish than textured paint.

Or, you may prove me wrong and change my mind on the viability of painting bumpers black!

Edit, I zoomed in and I don't think it even looks bad as is. Maybe in real life it looks worse?

Thank you kindly. There are paint products specifically for this kind of job - a friend has used such stuff on his bumpers and it looks sweet. I can't remember what the product is called, but it's a very fine textured semi matt paint that can be tinted to whatever colour you need. So long as the preparation is good, theres no reason why it would peel - all cars have painted plastic bumpers these days after all. At the end of the day though, it's a bit of a faff, so other options need to be explored first.

Sept 26, 2021 0:44:49 GMT neil79 said:

Gtechniq C4 is amazing on plastics. Might be worth a go before trying to paint them. It appears to be expensive for what is a very small bottle but it goes on at nano thickness so lasts for a very long time.

Thanks for the suggestion- they're not really faded, they're just sporting a few scuffs and nicks that will irritate me when the rest of the car looks half decent. I may have found a new pair - just need to scrape some pennies together!

[VW]

Sept 26, 2021 7:39:40 GMT sleag40 said:

Sept 25, 2021 20:38:27 GMT VW said:

Everything you have done on this is nothing short of amazing.
With that in mind, I think painting the bumpers may be a mistake.
I'm only going by the fact I've never seen it done and them not look painted and I've seen too many peel.

It may well be possible to do a perfect job, and if you can, ignore the above.
But everything else is just how it should be (or better).
I think i rather have slightly faded original plastic finish than textured paint.

Or, you may prove me wrong and change my mind on the viability of painting bumpers black!

Edit, I zoomed in and I don't think it even looks bad as is. Maybe in real life it looks worse?

Thank you kindly. There are paint products specifically for this kind of job - a friend has used such stuff on his bumpers and it looks sweet. I can't remember what the product is called, but it's a very fine textured semi matt paint that can be tinted to whatever colour you need. So long as the preparation is good, theres no reason why it would peel - all cars have painted plastic bumpers these days after all. At the end of the day though, it's a bit of a faff, so other options need to be explored first.

Sept 26, 2021 0:44:49 GMT neil79 said:

Gtechniq C4 is amazing on plastics. Might be worth a go before trying to paint them. It appears to be expensive for what is a very small bottle but it goes on at nano thickness so lasts for a very long time.

Thanks for the suggestion- they're not really faded, they're just sporting a few scuffs and nicks that will irritate me when the rest of the car looks half decent. I may have found a new pair - just need to scrape some pennies together!

Ok, sounds like a viable option then.
Maybe see if you can get some that isn't SUPER black, as I assume these were a very dark grey originaly?

[victorbox]

What can be achieved painting bumpers here on a GSi3000 detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=240668&page=14

[sleag40]

Sept 26, 2021 18:25:51 GMT victorbox said:

What can be achieved painting bumpers here on a GSi3000 detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=240668&page=14

Thats the stuff - cheers victorbox!

[sleag40]

Chassis legs and bulkhead structures cavity waxed today. I'm unable to grab images from my endoscope to post, so have a couple of pics of the side trims going back on instead.

I was worried that the clips wouldn't fit properly as there is a fair amount of paint on there, but they went on a treat.



Rubbing strips went back on with similar ease.



Hopefully fuel lines next. (again)

[sleag40]

Still no fuel pipes, so got on with putting the rear running gear back in. The built up beam was slid under the car on a piece of carpet.



The body of the car was at a height that allowed the mounting points to be shuffled into position without lifting the heavy assembly off the deck.



A bit of jiggery pokery with a couple of trolley jacks saw the springs and shocks in position. I'll leave tightening the beam bolts until it's been sat on its wheels for a while.



I'll fit the handbrake cables and adjust them up next, then I can button up the drums and get it sat on some wheels.

[shielsy68]

tasty tasty very very tasty

[VW]

I walked past a back street garage today who were wagging up a mk2 cav cabriolet.

Fancy another? 😂

Funnily enough, I think I've only ever seen 2 mk2 cavalier cabriolets and they were both in Sheffield.

We're they factory or a conversion?

Yours just keeps looking better.

[victorbox]

Cavalier Mk2 Convertible History: www.cavalierandchevetteclub.co.uk/cavalier%20mk2%20convertible.htm

[VW]

Sept 29, 2021 5:39:00 GMT victorbox said:

Cavalier Mk2 Convertible History: www.cavalierandchevetteclub.co.uk/cavalier%20mk2%20convertible.htm

Thanks.

First one I saw was white, like in that promo, yesterday's one was silver.
They are a little awkward looking aren't they.

[grifterkid]

This is looking beyond marvellous!!!!

Seeing these updates is just pure joy personified...

Keep on keeping on!

[victorbox]

I don't know what your day job is, but your work here on the Mk1 & 2 Cavs is so good you should do it full time!

[sleag40]

A short session today, the hand brake cables were fitted and adjusted up. A pair of 6N Polo wheels were then fitted to enable the removal of the axle stands.



Once all the fuel lines are installed, and the rear suspension is waxed, the back end can be dropped onto the deck. The "front end" phase can then begin.

[sleag40]

This has stalled a little at present, one of the fuel hoses is on back order (two weeks) and one of them is the wrong size.



All the fuel filler stuff has been cleaned up ready for when the necessary stuff arrives.



I still need to stone chip and wax the inside of the front wings, so at least I've got something to be getting on with in the mean time.

[VW]

Sept 28, 2021 21:16:15 GMT VW said:

I walked past a back street garage today who were wagging up a mk2 cav cabriolet.

Fancy another? 😂

Funnily enough, I think I've only ever seen 2 mk2 cavalier cabriolets and they were both in Sheffield.

We're they factory or a conversion?

Yours just keeps looking better.

Got a pic of this vert the other day, put it in the spotted thread if anyone's interested.