Red detail ftw.
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Melv's C18XE Corsa Merit
- Thread starter melv
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2005
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- Location
- C:\Uk\Chester_North West
plain centre caps IMO
Fixed the speedo drive on Saturday then gave up putting it back together as a) the rear mount wouldnt line up for me to put the bolt through and b) it started ****ing rain.
Finally got an evening where it wasn't ****ing down so with Ivan levering and me tapping the bolt the mount is now lined up and all is back together.
Took it out a run to test the speedo. It works but over reads by a wee bit compared to shatnav. Guess that's normal though.
Changed back to steel wheels again as I'm going to refurb the GTE alloys.
Finally got an evening where it wasn't ****ing down so with Ivan levering and me tapping the bolt the mount is now lined up and all is back together.
Took it out a run to test the speedo. It works but over reads by a wee bit compared to shatnav. Guess that's normal though.
Changed back to steel wheels again as I'm going to refurb the GTE alloys.
Halfway through rubbing down the GTE wheels but it's just came on a quick shower of rain. I've six of them at the moment so I just picked the best of them to give a light sand / key and get a blast of silver on the faces.
Will end up removing them again over winter to give the insides a rub and Hammerite. No bugger sees the inside so Hammerite will do
Will end up removing them again over winter to give the insides a rub and Hammerite. No bugger sees the inside so Hammerite will do
Realised that I have not updated this in ages. Here goes
12.08.11
Got the tyres stripped off the GTE rims today ready for a quick spruce up.
Lost a fecking wheel trim too. Typical. 1100miles to Billing and back yet I loose it on the way to Aberdeen lmao Might have been while doing silly leptons on the way into work.............
14.08.11
Halfway through rubbing down the GTE wheels but it's just came on a quick shower of rain. I've six of them at the moment so I just picked the best of them to give a light sand / key and get a blast of silver on the faces.
Will end up removing them again over winter to give the insides a rub and Hammerite. No bugger sees the inside so Hammerite will do lmao
****ing thing has started to go pink again
I do have this page bookmarked though
18.02.12
It is still alive. No MOT or Tax though.
Needs;
A patch in the spare wheel well as another drain plug has rotted out.
Erm that's it.
Before Crail (15th April) I want to I want to;
Get either the GTE wheels fitted or 15" sport steels with 195 45 15 tyres
Fit the XE poundage springs to the bilstein shocks I have here and fit them up front. Should save it being so bouncy.
Fit the Cobra subframes I bought and eventually get my Cobra seats fitted
Get at least a couple hundred miles on it as a lame attempt at a post winter shakedown
today
A couple of pics of the parts to fit.
The new electricals are TPS, Fan switch and temp sensor IIRC.
Billies will need a clean up, the keech PI springs removed then the XE poundage springs fitted.
12.08.11
Got the tyres stripped off the GTE rims today ready for a quick spruce up.
Lost a fecking wheel trim too. Typical. 1100miles to Billing and back yet I loose it on the way to Aberdeen lmao Might have been while doing silly leptons on the way into work.............
14.08.11
Halfway through rubbing down the GTE wheels but it's just came on a quick shower of rain. I've six of them at the moment so I just picked the best of them to give a light sand / key and get a blast of silver on the faces.
Will end up removing them again over winter to give the insides a rub and Hammerite. No bugger sees the inside so Hammerite will do lmao
****ing thing has started to go pink again
I do have this page bookmarked though 18.02.12
It is still alive. No MOT or Tax though.
Needs;
A patch in the spare wheel well as another drain plug has rotted out.
Erm that's it.
Before Crail (15th April) I want to I want to;
Get either the GTE wheels fitted or 15" sport steels with 195 45 15 tyres
Fit the XE poundage springs to the bilstein shocks I have here and fit them up front. Should save it being so bouncy.
Fit the Cobra subframes I bought and eventually get my Cobra seats fitted
Get at least a couple hundred miles on it as a lame attempt at a post winter shakedown
today
A couple of pics of the parts to fit.
The new electricals are TPS, Fan switch and temp sensor IIRC.
Billies will need a clean up, the keech PI springs removed then the XE poundage springs fitted.
Tell me about it. I'm dying to get back out in it and to get it on the rollers.
Today
Corsa MOT - Passed. 2 advisories - "Slightly corroded rear brake pipes"
Corsa Tax - Bought (grudgingly)
Corsa coilivers - Removed. XE poundage springs and Bilstein shocks fitted.
Just need some dry weather to go out and give it a shakedown pre Crail. The front tyres dont seem to like wet roads so it spings quite a bit.
Had a 50p / 5p moment though on the way into work though…….
MOT was booked into a place just across from work.
About 15 minutes from work I'm about 1000yds from a roundabout at about 80ish I noticed that the traffic fuzz were behind me. I pulled into the slow lane and backed off a bit.
They stayed in the fast lane and were right beside me at the roundabout. They went right round the roundabout and headed back the other way.!
Bearing in mind that I had no MOT, no tax and that I was over the speed limit for a bit while they were behind me I’d say that was pretty darn lucky lol
Corsa MOT - Passed. 2 advisories - "Slightly corroded rear brake pipes"
Corsa Tax - Bought (grudgingly)
Corsa coilivers - Removed. XE poundage springs and Bilstein shocks fitted.
Just need some dry weather to go out and give it a shakedown pre Crail. The front tyres dont seem to like wet roads so it spings quite a bit.
Had a 50p / 5p moment though on the way into work though…….
MOT was booked into a place just across from work.
About 15 minutes from work I'm about 1000yds from a roundabout at about 80ish I noticed that the traffic fuzz were behind me. I pulled into the slow lane and backed off a bit.
They stayed in the fast lane and were right beside me at the roundabout. They went right round the roundabout and headed back the other way.!
Bearing in mind that I had no MOT, no tax and that I was over the speed limit for a bit while they were behind me I’d say that was pretty darn lucky lol
Bit more work done last night. Will add pics later on.
I installed a secondary fan last year as a backup / piece of mind when the car is being used on the quarter mile. It had stopped working for some reason. Turns out that the inline fuse that we added had snapped at the spades (if you know what I mean) and the relay was faulty. Changed both of those and it works again. I also made up a plastic bracket for the relay and mounted it neatly to the bulkhead behind the battery.
While the bumper and crash bar were off I changed the driver side headlight with one from a scrappy as I noticed that the glass was starting to seperate from the unit itself. Might turn the old headlight unit into some form of cold air feed or I might just leave it sitting in the garage along with great intentions.
Also changed the temp sensor with a new one.
Tonights task will be changing the wiper linkage and possibly stripping down a few engine ancilarys ready to lower the engine from it's mounts and beat the chassis leg with a hammer. Damn alternator pully
I installed a secondary fan last year as a backup / piece of mind when the car is being used on the quarter mile. It had stopped working for some reason. Turns out that the inline fuse that we added had snapped at the spades (if you know what I mean) and the relay was faulty. Changed both of those and it works again. I also made up a plastic bracket for the relay and mounted it neatly to the bulkhead behind the battery.
While the bumper and crash bar were off I changed the driver side headlight with one from a scrappy as I noticed that the glass was starting to seperate from the unit itself. Might turn the old headlight unit into some form of cold air feed or I might just leave it sitting in the garage along with great intentions.
Also changed the temp sensor with a new one.
Tonights task will be changing the wiper linkage and possibly stripping down a few engine ancilarys ready to lower the engine from it's mounts and beat the chassis leg with a hammer. Damn alternator pully
Despite some last minute issues and also some broken and blown fuses on the day I had a cracking time at Crail today. Eventually managed to get the Corsa down to a 15.815 second quarter too.
At 6am, just away to leave
About 5 miles from home
At Crail with the sport steels on.
Excuse the **** pics. I was way too busy either staying warm or on the strip.
My wins (sorry Rick)
................
RICK PATON (36) 2.5 V6 Mk3 Astra..........16.086@89.8 mph
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.031@87.2 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.413@85.4 mph
P BORN (125) - 1.6 Astra mk4........18.318@75.5 mph
..........
RICK PATON (36) 2.5 V6 Mk3 Astra..........16.507@90 mph
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.375@84.6 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.012@86.9 mph
DANIEL CAMERON (40) PUG 106..........16.527@85.1 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........15.815@88.8 mph
DANIEL CAMERON (40) PUG 106..........16.747@85.6 mph
More on the issues at a later date. I'm too fecking tired
**************************************************
Today
One of the local lads up here runs a standard 1.6 16v GTI engine in a base spec 106. He's running 15.2second quarters so the Corsa is going on a weight loss programme. Lighter wheels (less rotational mass), remove radio and speakers (I never listened to it once on the way to and from Crail), remove glove box and it's contents (apart from the screw driver, bits and tie wraps) door pockets will get launched, some brackets may get removed and a hole saw may make an appearance for use in areas that dont affect the safety of the car in the event of falling off the road, Seats will be removed and Cobra seats fitted, etc, etc. You get the idea.
On the note of lighter wheels I'm going to see which of my wheels are the lightest between GTE 14", Sport 15" Steels and the 15" irmscher twin spokes. I'm not keen on going for super lightweight comps etc so I will have to go with the resources I have.
Now that it's had some hard use there are some issues that have been highlighted.
1) Engine fan isn't working - As a temporary measure it was wired up to a switch just 8hrs before leaving for Crail.
2) Heater isn't working - it's ****ing cold inside the Corsa, it gums up easily in the rain and the heater would help getting some of the heat out of the engine. Maybe it's the Matrix or the routing of the pipes. This will need to be investigated.
3) Then engine seems to be running hot. Even with the fan on it was still sitting in the red following a 1/4 run and waiting in the queue for another run. Proper flush and point 2 may help.
4) The fuel tank leaks when full. I've not been under it to see if it's the seam or the filler neck but given the price of fuel I'd rather be burning it via the engine that ****ing it onto the ground.
5) Another drain plug in the spare wheel well is showign signs of rusing out. Get the welder out.
6) Some of the underseal applied to the welding for the 2011 MOT has chipped off. Wire wheel and more underseal needed.
7) Springs in the wiper arms are shot. The wipers thamselves work fine, they just dont hit the screen and clear it at 69mph+
8) There is bound to be more that I've not thought of
9) I'm sure more will turn up once 1-6 are investigated.
So realistically that's a fuel tank, a new / 2nd hand matrix, some engine temp sensors, some wiper arms from the scrappy and some welding. Thankfully that doesn't work out to be a big outlay. Need to keep this one cheap and cheerful as my money priorities are not the Corsa at present.
At 6am, just away to leave
About 5 miles from home
At Crail with the sport steels on.
Excuse the **** pics. I was way too busy either staying warm or on the strip.
My wins (sorry Rick)
................
RICK PATON (36) 2.5 V6 Mk3 Astra..........16.086@89.8 mph
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.031@87.2 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.413@85.4 mph
P BORN (125) - 1.6 Astra mk4........18.318@75.5 mph
..........
RICK PATON (36) 2.5 V6 Mk3 Astra..........16.507@90 mph
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.375@84.6 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........16.012@86.9 mph
DANIEL CAMERON (40) PUG 106..........16.527@85.1 mph
..........
MARTIN LAWSON (4)..........15.815@88.8 mph
DANIEL CAMERON (40) PUG 106..........16.747@85.6 mph
More on the issues at a later date. I'm too fecking tired
**************************************************
Today
One of the local lads up here runs a standard 1.6 16v GTI engine in a base spec 106. He's running 15.2second quarters so the Corsa is going on a weight loss programme. Lighter wheels (less rotational mass), remove radio and speakers (I never listened to it once on the way to and from Crail), remove glove box and it's contents (apart from the screw driver, bits and tie wraps) door pockets will get launched, some brackets may get removed and a hole saw may make an appearance for use in areas that dont affect the safety of the car in the event of falling off the road, Seats will be removed and Cobra seats fitted, etc, etc. You get the idea.
On the note of lighter wheels I'm going to see which of my wheels are the lightest between GTE 14", Sport 15" Steels and the 15" irmscher twin spokes. I'm not keen on going for super lightweight comps etc so I will have to go with the resources I have.
Now that it's had some hard use there are some issues that have been highlighted.
1) Engine fan isn't working - As a temporary measure it was wired up to a switch just 8hrs before leaving for Crail.
2) Heater isn't working - it's ****ing cold inside the Corsa, it gums up easily in the rain and the heater would help getting some of the heat out of the engine. Maybe it's the Matrix or the routing of the pipes. This will need to be investigated.
3) Then engine seems to be running hot. Even with the fan on it was still sitting in the red following a 1/4 run and waiting in the queue for another run. Proper flush and point 2 may help.
4) The fuel tank leaks when full. I've not been under it to see if it's the seam or the filler neck but given the price of fuel I'd rather be burning it via the engine that ****ing it onto the ground.
5) Another drain plug in the spare wheel well is showign signs of rusing out. Get the welder out.
6) Some of the underseal applied to the welding for the 2011 MOT has chipped off. Wire wheel and more underseal needed.
7) Springs in the wiper arms are shot. The wipers thamselves work fine, they just dont hit the screen and clear it at 69mph+
8) There is bound to be more that I've not thought of
9) I'm sure more will turn up once 1-6 are investigated.
So realistically that's a fuel tank, a new / 2nd hand matrix, some engine temp sensors, some wiper arms from the scrappy and some welding. Thankfully that doesn't work out to be a big outlay. Need to keep this one cheap and cheerful as my money priorities are not the Corsa at present.
Last edited:
Oh and for anyone interested the alternator pully hitting the chassis leg has been cured.
The remedy - 1 x 5lb lump hammer, 1/2 an old 106 Torsion bar, 1 x Ivan
Worked a treat although using black hammerite instead of red hammerite was "rough" according to Ivan. I've some red hammerite at home to sort that though.
The remedy - 1 x 5lb lump hammer, 1/2 an old 106 Torsion bar, 1 x Ivan
Worked a treat although using black hammerite instead of red hammerite was "rough" according to Ivan. I've some red hammerite at home to sort that though.
Joycey
South Central Co-Ordinator
If in doubt give it a clout lol 
good times there, plans should give a nice improvement too
Changed the fuel tank at the weekend
Exhaust off. No I didn't clean it while it was off, it's only going to get dirty again.
Disconnect the pump stuff
2 x 13mm nuts and the tank straps are undone.
3 clips and the hoses are off.
A bit of awkwardness lying on my back then trying to manoeuvre a tank with 20L of fuel out then
Add one new tank, painted with a good coating of Hammerite silver.
Swap over all the clips.
Spray glue on the padding.
Refitting is a reversal of removal.
Heater matrix also purchased but it's not here yet.
Exhaust off. No I didn't clean it while it was off, it's only going to get dirty again.
Disconnect the pump stuff
2 x 13mm nuts and the tank straps are undone.
3 clips and the hoses are off.
A bit of awkwardness lying on my back then trying to manoeuvre a tank with 20L of fuel out then
Add one new tank, painted with a good coating of Hammerite silver.
Swap over all the clips.
Spray glue on the padding.
Refitting is a reversal of removal.
Heater matrix also purchased but it's not here yet.
Today was a productive day.
Went to the scrappy around 1 to investigate the routings of coolant pipes on some of the Corsa's there. After undoing batteries and getting various bits and pieces out of the way on 2 seperate Corsa's (a 1.2 16v and a 1.4 SPi 8v) I found that none of them were the same as the C18XE coolant pipework :lmao:
Found a X20XEV Mk3 Astra sport estate which looked slightly similar bar one extra hose. I started stripping away at some of the engine to get access to the 2 pipes coming off the matrix and had them.
Came home, slung them on the Corsa, had to do a little cutting and shutting then took it for a spin.
I have heating people! On one of the hottest weeks of the year so far which is bloody pointless :lmao: but I have heating!!
So that I remember
Driver heater matrix to head (under coil pack)
Passenger heater matrix to the outlet on the straight piece of the plastic water pipe that goes round the back of the block
Underside of coolant bottle to the outlet on the corner of the plastic water pipe that goes round the back of the block
Drivers side of coolant bottle to beside the thermostat
Passenger side of coolant bottle to passenger side top of radiator
Went to the scrappy around 1 to investigate the routings of coolant pipes on some of the Corsa's there. After undoing batteries and getting various bits and pieces out of the way on 2 seperate Corsa's (a 1.2 16v and a 1.4 SPi 8v) I found that none of them were the same as the C18XE coolant pipework :lmao:
Found a X20XEV Mk3 Astra sport estate which looked slightly similar bar one extra hose. I started stripping away at some of the engine to get access to the 2 pipes coming off the matrix and had them.
Came home, slung them on the Corsa, had to do a little cutting and shutting then took it for a spin.
I have heating people! On one of the hottest weeks of the year so far which is bloody pointless :lmao: but I have heating!!
So that I remember
Driver heater matrix to head (under coil pack)
Passenger heater matrix to the outlet on the straight piece of the plastic water pipe that goes round the back of the block
Underside of coolant bottle to the outlet on the corner of the plastic water pipe that goes round the back of the block
Drivers side of coolant bottle to beside the thermostat
Passenger side of coolant bottle to passenger side top of radiator
Last edited:
Driver side of coolant bottle to throttle body? Pass side to rad?
On the C18XE it's driver side to beside the thermostat and passenger to rad.
Touch wood I've found all the slight drips now from the pipes I changed over to fix the heater matrix. The bit of cardboard I put under the Corsa is dry anyway.
Went totally against the grain tonight............
Washed the Corsa and started getting going with the G3. Tailgate, roof and bonnet have had G3, Auto Glym polish and then Collinite way.
No half and half pics or any of that bufty spec UV lamps here though. Just two pics.
First to show the colour of the red
The second to show the reflection
Only the bumpers and sides to be done tomorrow then add more coats of way to the front in an attempt to save so many bugs sticking :lmao:
Bloody hate all this polishing crap but my god it looks better when red.
Touch wood I've found all the slight drips now from the pipes I changed over to fix the heater matrix. The bit of cardboard I put under the Corsa is dry anyway.
Went totally against the grain tonight............
Washed the Corsa and started getting going with the G3. Tailgate, roof and bonnet have had G3, Auto Glym polish and then Collinite way.
No half and half pics or any of that bufty spec UV lamps here though. Just two pics.
First to show the colour of the red
The second to show the reflection
Only the bumpers and sides to be done tomorrow then add more coats of way to the front in an attempt to save so many bugs sticking :lmao:
Bloody hate all this polishing crap but my god it looks better when red.