2003 Vauxhall VX220 2.2

pablo

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pablo
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66,994
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Glengrimley
Given Trackskills was cancelled yesterday myself and @GT_MAXER managed to get an hour at Achadowey. Track isnt as polished as Kirkistown but was brilliant to get a shakedown of the VX before the new Trackskills day on 28th.

Car felt great, box didnt explode and despite the damp was able to give it a good push.

Trying out my new GoPro mount and Im much happier with the footage now compared to the stick on mount for the windscreen.

EDIT: seem to have lost volume on that clip ffs

 
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thefool1983

RMS Regular
Messages
3,161
Location
Belfast
i can say that @pablo has this car well sorted.. i drove it 2-3laps and after 1 lap i was confident. driver to car interaction is great, i could feel every movement in the car and adjust grip levels with steering which was great and throttle input. really made my subaru feel like the front is on ice in corners
Seen in in the flesh at the weekend..
Absolute weapon..
And a lot lower than I expected!!
 

pablo

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pablo
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66,994
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Glengrimley
Wee job done this evening. With the harness bar fitted I can’t fit the speakers so having a radio is pretty much useless. To that end I replaced the radio with a little pocket to hold my phone. I also lost the ciggie lighter so no charging of stuff. And lastly the obd port is way up under the dash and really awkward so I tend to leave the cable plugged in for the usb adapter which leaves a cable lying around the passenger footwell.

so I decided to modify the DIN pocket to have a plug for the obd adapter and a couple of charging ports for good measure.

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pablo

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pablo
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66,994
Location
Glengrimley
pair of aerocatches for the front "bonnet". The bonnet latches in the centre and never sits right at the edges. plus the cable system is a pain in the hole even with the new pull I fitted.

will paint them nardo to take the obvious look off them. on the scout for a second bonnet to chop up, thankfully they arent too dear.

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svensktoppen

RMS Regular
Messages
32,749
Drives
FK2 CTR
What will it be locking to under there? There is just plastic trim there, at least on the Elise?

Nice idea though. The centre latch is ok but not ideal, lol, it's a bit of a process.
 

GT_MAXER

RMS Regular
Messages
3,262
Location
Rasharkin-Co,Antrim
sweet **** you dont hold back. did you do that yourself, cut the bonnet and all? is this how the vx holds is there no actual catch and relase inside car? friday still on? ill be up against it but thankfully got my crap exhaust downpipe welded today to help until i get a brand new exhaust custom made
 

pablo

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pablo
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66,994
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Glengrimley
sweet **** you dont hold back. did you do that yourself, cut the bonnet and all? is this how the vx holds is there no actual catch and relase inside car? friday still on? ill be up against it but thankfully got my crap exhaust downpipe welded today to help until i get a brand new exhaust custom made

thats someone elses car just to illustrate the mounting point Gareth. I havent started mine yet :grinning:
 

svensktoppen

RMS Regular
Messages
32,749
Drives
FK2 CTR
is this how the vx holds is there no actual catch and relase inside car?
The VX may be a little different but basically the same.

There is a central pin and catch at the wind screen end of the "bonnet", and a big central hinge at the front.

The catch is released by cable from the cockpit. The pin is spring loaded, so when the cable is pulled the bonnet is supposed to "pop" free. And then you lift it by hand and prop it up with a length of wood or an iron bar or whatever is at hand, lol :innocent:

Because the big central hinge is so floppy and the cable usually ropy, etc., that rarely works.

The "boot" release is the same basic mechanism and even worse. Usually the cable just snaps and then you have to dig your way in through the wheel arch to release the catch. I have an electric release at the back now, one of the first upgrades I did as the cable snapped almost straight away 😅 It's MUCH better!

It's all fun and games with these cars, Lotus basically did the chassis right and then blagged the rest 😅

Personality! 😎😁
 

pablo

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pablo
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66,994
Location
Glengrimley
strangely the boot release on the VX is absolutely perfect. never a hassle. the front though is a disaster. Original release handle is under the dash in the centre so you basically need to get in the car to open it. Really awkward and prone to breaking. I made a mod to move it to the door hinge which is handier and easier pulled but still not ideal as the door needs to be open to open the bonnet. And because it latches in the centre the side kinda flop free.

Some people do a single aerocatch in the centre in the OE position but that doesnt help the edges much
 

FM155

RMS Regular
Messages
8,651
Drives
Alfa 155
And you were thinking of changing that? Class wee lick of flame there too.
Plenty more fun to be had with that before you are done with it. (y) :cool:
 

pablo

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pablo
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66,994
Location
Glengrimley
So fixed a long running problem with the car at last. I like running a small spacer on the fronts and indeed I have to when running the Astra 16” front wheels which make up my federal rs-r track wheel set. But there has always been some vibration through the steering wheel when running spacers. I only noticed today that the spacer seems to sit perfectly on the hub but there is a tiny chamfer on the hub lip and while the spacer sits square it’s maybe half a mm proud of the disc so when the wheel tightens down it allows the tiniest bit of angle. Took the spacers off and ground a lip on the inner face and bobs yer uncle no more vibration.

over the moon because the fronts are lost in the arches and really suit a spacer.
 
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