2003 Vauxhall VX220 2.2

svensktoppen

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FK2 CTR
That pin hole right in that spot is standard equipment 😇

You should be able to get it fixed rather than buying a new radiator. Clam off either way.

I take it yours is all alloy already, no plastic end caps?
 

pablo

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pablo
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Clam just off so soon find out.

£200 for a UK made alloy rad and fan that I’ll never have to worry about again. Hinge bolts were loose and one missing so that would explain the slop allowing it to hit the rad
 

pablo

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pablo
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What an absolute curse. Everything rusted.

Have a whole new kit to replace every fastener with stainless steel ones.

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Lee A

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Bangoria
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Accord types k24
Atleast you know now it will be done right if it ever all has to come back off
 

MarkP

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zafira :-(
Love your threads Pablo. Great to see how you get stuck into every car you buy. Kudos to you!
 
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mike150

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Rust........ I hate the stuff

It's why I ended up buying a brand new Elise after seeing so many rusty wishbones! As soon as I got it I spent a day with rust blocker on everything I could find that was mild steel and the car will hardly ever see a wet road and will never, ever see a salted one.

O to live in San Francisco ^o)
 

svensktoppen

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The "new" cars are exactly the same underneath though, just minor tweaks and updates to components. Except the V6 models which appear to be more like a shortened Evora. But even that is really just an elongated Elise under the skin 😇

I think the door handles are original on mine, lol, everything else replaced or refurbished.

Wishbones and rear toe links would be the worst for rust. Not hard to stop though, just clean up and apply protection of your choice. I like POR15.

Then anywhere steel meets aluminium. Again POR15 or similar is your friend to break the galvanic connection. Suspension mounts, brake lines, and yes, radiator mounts, all worth checking.

Then there's a few cheap components like heater matrix and heater controls, headlights, tow bar at the front, etc., that tend to crumble to dust, lol. But they're not essential, and happily cheap anyway.
 

pablo

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pablo
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spraying bolt heads will do naff all anyway, its the back end of the bolt you need. the exposed threads rust and wont unscrew from the clip, pull too hard and the clip starts to eat the fibreglass. Only option is to cut them out with a grinder. Which is fun as the metal heats and the fibreglass starts melting :worried:
 

mike150

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spraying bolt heads will do naff all anyway, its the back end of the bolt you need. the exposed threads rust and wont unscrew from the clip, pull too hard and the clip starts to eat the fibreglass. Only option is to cut them out with a grinder. Which is fun as the metal heats and the fibreglass starts melting :worried:
A Dremel or small air grinder would be easier and it would transfer a lot less heat to the bolt and protect the fibreglass
 

seanmooney

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3,651
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Armagh
I was thinking of doing the alloy rad upgrade so i wouldn't have any issues in the future.

Whats this part?
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svensktoppen

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Those bars turn to dust, especially the mounts top and bottom where they bolt in. Well worth replacing if you have it all out anyway. A nightmare when they go when you actually need it. I know, lol 😇
 

mike150

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It’s mostly flaked paint to be fair I think it will scrub up ok
A good clean anf if it OK, a respray with ZG90 anti rust paint though stones can chip the paint and then rust gets in so a rust protection coat of Acf50 does the job. Alternatively Por15 is as hard as hell and barely chips anyway.
 

pablo

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pablo
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Bit of progress.

Rad now in and plumbed
Fan wired up spliced to oem plug
Had to “modify” the rad shroud to take the thicker alloy rad
Bonnet hinge bolts had to be pressed out of their sleeves which explains why the bonnet was always a mess and wasn’t sitting right and eventually holed the rad. All cleaned up and sleeves chased with a drill bit. Spin freely now and will be greased up.

More pics tomorrow when it’s light. Should get the system bled and the car running again. Going to spend some time on the clam to tidy it up. Fog light brackets are rotting so might remove them and make ducts for the brakes instead.

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svensktoppen

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32,750
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FK2 CTR
Replace or modify as much as you can while in there.

Are the fog lights the same as the optional "driving lights" on the S1? The latter are indespensable if you ever plan to drive in the dark and want to actually see anything 😇

Well, that or just use full beam all the time. Which in fairness is equivalent to parking lights on normal cars 😅

I suppose the VX might be better though as it was designed by an actual car manufacturer, lol.
 
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