1979 vauxhall chevette 2 door saloon z20let - Corsa Sport - for Vauxhall and Opel Corsa B, Corsa C and Corsa D

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jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

11th Mar 16 at 21:20

hi lads

the first parts of this thread might not make to much sense because ive copied it from the other forum that its on. hope you enjoy

hi all

thought I would start doin a blog on my chevette project.

my plans are to fix the bit of rust the car has and the put a c25xe in. once in and running properly I will start to build a supercharged x30xe for it.

heres a few pictures of the car when I went to see it.

]

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loved the car as soon as I saw it. a chevette is the first ever Vauxhall I went in as kid and wanted one ever since.

ive done the usual thing with corsas as a young lad. my last corsa was a genuine gsi wit a v6 in so know the engine fairly well

so got the car home and started to look at the rust that was the left. the last owner had already started to do work on the car so there isn't much at all. mainly the boot floor.

doesn't look to bad to me at all and will be easily fixed.

so got car upto my lock up and started work on it. never realised how easy the car was to work on. had the engine out within 35 mins.

also got a fair few spares from the previous owner

then set about seing what the v6 looked like in the engine bay and what would need to be modified and to start fabricating some mounts

going to start making mounts at the weekend when I can borrow my mates welder. so decided to mount the gearbox to the engine.

still unsure to what clutch and flywheel I will be using but quiet away from that yet. also unsure as to how to go about the rear gearbox mount but hoping that Leigh with the orange chevette will be helping with a few pics.

the plan was to use a Manta A axle but have now found out that its not going to be strong enough to deal with the power I want to run through it so will be picking up a 4HA axle on the way home from billing in a couple of weeks. been speaking to Alex Darcy with the blue kadette and hes given me some good tips and ideas on how to mount the axle cheaply and easily. will also be running a corsa b servo aswel to make room for the exhaust manifold on the left bank.

well that's all for now. will keep this updated as much as I can. thanks for looking ;D

thanks everyone for all the comments

hsrwannabe thanks for that. im still really new to the rear wheel drive part of things but do have a few of my own ideas that may or not work to mount the rear axle but time will tell.

the reason I want to do the v6 is because I just love the sound. when I had it in my corsa it was amazin. a really smooth engine and then when you give it some it dosent hang around. can only imagine what its going to sound like and be like with the charger on top of that.

been up and done some more on the old girl today. been trying to remove the bolts for the subframe on the passanger side all week. never had bolts so tight and then slipped with the socket and rounded them both off. managed to get them with a nut extractor and a hell of a lot of heat but got there in the end.

the bolts that caused all the problems >

ive cut some bits of plate already ready to make the engine mounts tomorrow. hoping to have the engine atleast mounted to the subframe by end of the weekend

so set about removing the old engine mount rubbers from the old engine. not as easy as I first thought lol. im going to b using omega v6 doughnuts. originally I was hoping to be able to get away with using omega mounts but due to the left side mount being offset for the starter motor its not going to work which is y im making my own.

offered the engine up and taken some measurements so hoping to have it sat on subframe tomorrow.

ive removed the sump off the engine and im not to concerned about making that fit. had quiet a few people say to me that im going to get stuck with it but due to it bein mild steel my fabricator friend say he will make me what ever I need to get it so not that worried.

thanks for looking and all comments welcome ^-^

managed to get up and do some more on the car

me mate dropped his welder off for me so I could get on with making the mounts.

so drilled the plates to mount to the engine and the sub frame

set about sitting the engine in position roughly where I thought it needed to be with the measurements ive taken so fingers crossed all will be ok.

tacked into position

welded them up properly and put abit of support in and gave them a coat of paint so they look the part

put the back on the subframe and lowered the engine down to them. fastened them on and removed engine hoist

then I threw the heads back on with the inlet just to make sure ive got my measurements right for the height.

every looks good and the top of the inlet sits the same height as what the top of the inlet from the old engine sat on the subframe so my measurements were right

then put the gearbox on to make sure I had got it in the right position for the rear gearbox mount. its 1/4" off were I wanted it but im pretty happy with its. should all still line up properly

put the pick up pipe back on to make sure I have enough room to make the sump and looks like I will have to extend the pick up pipe by about an inch but more than enough room for the sump ;D

well that all for now. next is to cut the tunnel out. not looking forward to that at all

thanks for looking

well little bit of an update 8)

set about trying to get the engine sat abit lower. lowered the steering rack by 3/4". i was talking to a lad in germany and this is what he did for his kadette and said he had no [roblem with bump steer or anything so went with this idea. also scolloped the subframe abit for the steering coupling. unfortunately no pictures of that lol.

so got my engine mounts welded together properyl and sprayed up so they look the part

both mounts have now been slotted aswel.

engine sat alot lower now so put it all together and fitted the gearbox ready to make the gearbox mount

all sat about right so made the gearbox mount

so engine and gearbox sit nicely with loads of clearence. didnt even have to cut the tunnel. just had to hit the tunnel with a lump hammer anit and do some shaving off the gearbox ^-^

once i was happy with all that i took it all back out and set about making the pick up pipe. needed it to be as close to the bearing plate as possible to clear the subframe and make way for the sump.

happy with how it was all tacked together i took it work and tig welded it all together and cleaned it up.

certainly looks the part ;D

so now waiting for my fabricator mate to be free so he can help me out witht he sump as he makes them for rally cars so ths should be easy for him.

also ground off all the unwanted brackets off the 4ha axle. wat a pain in the buttox lol

only bits of big fabrication work left to do now is mounting the rear axle and making the sump. still got some rust to be fixed but nothing major. also stripped all the interior and dashboard out. have abit of an idea that i want to do with the dash but not sure it will work but will definitely be different

ben buying a few bits for it aswel.

ported and polished heads with new valves, guides and tappets, metal rocker covers and some 'G' cams

new swirl pot i got for a bargain

wiring loom without a single wire cut which is hard tocome by nowadays

spare engine bought just for the sensors on it. once again a bargain ;D

been speaking to a GAZ representative and will be ordering a complete set of coilovers for it when im ready. will be running corsa b rears on the front with 225lb springs and golf mk1 rears on the rear with 100lb springs on them. wont be getting them thought until im ready for them as there going to be £420 so will have to put abit of overtime in :'(

thats about all for now. still on track to get it on the road before xmas. not so much the body work but on the road with MOT.

thanks for looking

I was absolutely cothered in grinding dust. Had an outline of my safety glasses lol

Really can't wait to get out in it. Been up and done a little bit on her tonight

Fitted all the subframe with to the engine whikenon then stand to get a measurement to start cutting and modifying the sump. Hoping to get it done by the end of the week. Well fingers crossed anyway

Picture of the sump that I've cut so far

Another of it fitted to engine with the subframe on just to make sure everything is going to clear

That's it for today

Had another couple of hours on the old girl tonight. Made a good start on the sump

Made a few more pieces up and made sure everything still cleared the sun frame and the steering rack.

All looks ok. I'll only be tacking it together. My fabricator will be tog welding it all properly for me. Not that I can't do it but he's a million times better than me ;D

Got the day off tomorrow so will hopefully get the full thing tacked up and taken to him. Be glad to be done with the engine work now as it's taken a lot longer than I thought

Few more updates on the old girl.

Got the sump all tacked up and sent off to me mate for welding. Looks a lot bigger in the pictures than it actually is.

Fitted to the engine

Now that the engine is all finished I set about removing the old axle and prop. Alot easier than I thought it was going to be

This whole set up is for sale if anyone is after one.

Also picked up this for a bargain price

Jag powerlok diff. I was originally after a 3:31 ratio. This one is a 3.54:1 but not really bothered for the price I got it for.

Now starting to gather all the stuff to mount the rear axle. All seems to be coming together now :zoom:

been a long time since I updated this. havnt really done a lot on the chevette due to having to clear the space out were the car was being stored :-\

plans for the car have now changed. after all the work of getting the engine mounted and making the sump and pickup pipe. not sure how this will go down because not a lot of people like the engine im going to be using ^-^ its going to have a z20let engine in it. not every ones cup of tea. ive been buying a few parts for it as I go but because its an even rearer conversion than the v6 its hard to get the info so a lot of this is just going to be making it up as I go along ;D. the worst part is going to be the wiring but I have a friend who nos a lot about this and seems to think he will be able to get it to work. if not then it will be going standlone. im planning on building the engine to take 500bhp. ambitious I know but something ive always wanted to do.

anyway heres a few pics of what ive been buying

z20let engine

holset hx35 turbo (its massive ^-^)

retro power rwd sump (although there Is debate as to whether this will fit or not)

rwd engine mounts

getrag 265 gearbox (hard to come by)

the gearbox isn't a straight forward fit. I will be buying a type 9 to xe bellhousing and modifying that seing as no one does an adaptor off the shelf.

will keep this updated and hopefully get back to working on it. ive got all the 4ha axle modified and ready to go on so that will be first thing to do.

thanks for looking guys :cog:

not a massive update but got my axle offered up to make sure everything lined up. not really many pictures of it being made as I was abit pushed for time

all welded up ready to go on

ready to go on

blurry picture but all on

these are front coilovers that I will be running. they are AVO corsa b rears. offered up and only modification needed is to drill mounting hole to 12mm

rears are apexi mk1 golf rears

once the car is up and running properly I will invest in some decent suspensions

next is to get all the holes for the mounting points on the rear axle drilled out to 12mm to match the rod ends then get the spacers made up

really starting to get motivation for the car again now which is always good ;D

Got the subframe back together today. Jus need to get it mounted on car them get it moved to its new home then I can start to work on it again

will hopefully get axle mounted next weekend and finally see it on wheels again.

finally got the car on its wheels for the first time in a year. the rear axle needs lining up properly but will be coming off again soon to have the powerlok diff fitted so not to bothered about it at moment.

pic of ladder bars on rear axle. cant really see very well but you get the idea

prepared the engine to go in. removed the standard sump and balancer shafts. had to drill out the holes on the manta sump to 8mm aswel.

fitted my r28 box just to get it sat in place for now.

the engine is in, well sort of. its sat on the cross member. nee to take it back out and modify the thermostat housing on the back of the block or it wont sit far enough back.

bought a type 9 to XE bellhousing so I can modify it to fit my getrag 265 gearbox in. hopefully more soon :cog:

hi all

finally starting to get some good progress done on the old girl. took the engine back out because I wasn't happy with how it sat. took the omega gearbox out and finally got my getrag 265 mounted to the engine for a test fit. I am going to have to cut the tunnel out a bit to get it to fit in due to it being quiet a tall box. also bought some wheels for the old girl and managed to get the suspension somewhere near where it wants to be. although it will still need tweaking and the rear axle still needs setting up but still progress is progress

so a few pics

gearbox adaptor plate and clutch slave cylinder mount that will be turned down once I work out which one I'm using (upside down I know)

all back in

picture of turbo at the side of the engine............its abit big ha

a few with it back on its wheels with ride height set

think I will probably end up going abit lower all round. more to come

Not done much on the car the past few weeks with having the little ones birthday and family birthdays. I have how ever managed to buy a fair few parts

I've cut the top of the tunnel off to make room for the top of the gearbox and new selector

needs a bit of persuasion with a hammer but will for nice.

Picture of a few of the parts I need to get round to fitting

hopefully some decent updates will be coming quick and fast but that's all for now :cog:

Came home to more car parts today

rear brake caliper brackets, adjustable fuel pressure regulator and lift pump.

suppose I best start fitting all these parts ;D

so instead of fitting all the new parts and then buying more.............I've bought more. not vry exciting but is very much needed

DTA S40PRO ecu

also started to fit the front discs. just got to finish the spacers tomorrow and then ill get them all on. there's quiet a big difference

more update to follow this weekend hopefully

[Edited on 11-03-2016 by jaysc20xe]

[Edited on 11-03-2016 by jaysc20xe]

[Edited on 13-03-2016 by jaysc20xe]

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

11th Mar 16 at 21:22

not sure why the pictures aren't working properly

anyway hope u enjoy

Generation

Member

Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline

11th Mar 16 at 21:29

Fuck clicking on every single link

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

11th Mar 16 at 21:40

quote:
Originally posted by Generation
Fuck clicking on every single link

don't no why its done it. never used to.

Darryl H

Organiser: South Central
Premium Member

Registered: 19th Nov 09
Location: Camberley Drives: Porsche 944
User status: Offline

11th Mar 16 at 21:51

Change [img width=800 height=450] to [img]

|My Corsa|SC|My Instagram|

Nic Barnes

Member

Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 08:04

Absolutely wicked

sxibeast

Member

Registered: 6th Aug 03
Location: Milton Keynes
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 10:32

Nice! What make are the black wheels?

Shame you're not going down the V6 route still

3CorsaMeal

Member

Registered: 11th Apr 02
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 11:02

Way cool.

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 22:48

quote:
Originally posted by Nic Barnes
Absolutely wicked

cheers Nic

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 22:49

quote:
Originally posted by sxibeast
Nice! What make are the black wheels?

Shame you're not going down the V6 route still

the wheels are compomotive CF's I think. I still have the v6 and the mounts and everything so could possibly go in another chevette/kadette. i have a spare axle aswel so wouldn't be to hard to do

[Edited on 12-03-2016 by jaysc20xe]

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 22:50

quote:
Originally posted by 3CorsaMeal
Way cool.

cheers bud

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

12th Mar 16 at 22:57

little bit more progress on the old girl. trying to keep myself motivated and not think about how much there is to do before billing.

got the radiator and intercooler mounted fastened together ready to make some mounts to fit it onto the car. few pictures of how I did it

its 1" aluminium round bar that's drilled and tapped 6mm and then welded to the intercooler. then made 4 'L' brackets and welded them to the manta b radiator

then mounted it all together

then set about getting the new brake discs fitted

making the spacers

opened the centre out to 73mm to go over the hub and put a 4x92 PCD on for the fastenings

all built up

one side mounted

other side

even splashed out on brembo brake pads

picture with the wheel back on

will keep you all updated as I go on :cog:

[Edited on 12-03-2016 by jaysc20xe]

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

14th Mar 16 at 15:19

Cheers for the comments lads.

Got the rear brake calipers mounted this morning.

Picture of laser cut brackets

mounted to the caliper

Then mounted to the axle

other side

wheels back on. Enough clearence there. Could even go down a wheel size if I wanted

Through the engine back in to start making the gearbox mount

also bought another present for the old girl

That's all for now. More to follow in next few days hopefully

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

21st Mar 16 at 20:18

managed to borrow an exhaust manifold off a friend to see how I can make mine and how it will line up. the manifold is for a c20let so dosnt fit but will give me an idea of where I need to be. I keep forgetting how big the turbo actually is.

hopefully ill be able to get this done in the next week.

few pictures for clearance

with the turbo mounted to it

that's all for now

jaysc20xe

Member

Registered: 5th Feb 08
Location: cleck/leeds
User status: Offline

2nd Apr 16 at 17:37

little update

managed to finally get my gearbox mount made. probably a bit heavy duty for what its doing but can never be to careful

also bought my own exhaust manifold. it will do for now but will definitely be looking to make my own in the future

that's all for now

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