Mk1 Cavalier

Haha, I'm sure it won't be like this when it has run for longer, but it would be period correct I suppose haha.

Yeah it'll be fine, I'm not worried. It's been pretty cold in the unit the last few days, so it's all good.

Just as a thought, have you tested the output of the original blower motor?

I'm not saying old cars mist up and are impossible to see out of due to weedy electric motors...

... but if it's all apart and there's a more recent, more powerful option that could replace the OEM part (MX5 blowers FTW? lol) then it could save time / hassle both now (while it's apart) and in operation (when it takes 10 minutes before you can set off to go anywhere) lol

Got a few things sorted the last few days. It was absolutely freezing and our massive Combat gas heater in the unit is a bit dodgy these days, looks like it's from the 70s so I don't like putting it on 😂 being able to see your breath while working indoors isn't particularly fun. Stuck the 5 inside while I was working so I didn't have to defrost the windscreen, think I'll be doing that regularly now, much nicer to get into when I'm done!



It's going to be cool to see both these on the driveway when it's done.

I got a flexi added into the exhaust, and removed the old resonator in the midpipe, I initially left it in but it was deteriorating pretty bad inside and was dropping rust out when it was shaken, so I've binned it off. Perhaps a little louder but honestly not too bad.



As I say it's super cold in there right now, so the condensation in the exhaust from all the test starts I've been doing looks bad, but the engine is perfectly fine. I've raised the midpipe a little, but I'm still not happy with it and will be making a couple more modifications to it to raise it an inch or so. When that's done I just need to weld a hanger onto the backbox and the exhaust system is done.


I've routed the fuel line behind the engine, under the clutch master, and over to the fuel rail side. I removed the unsuitable plastic pipe and quick connect on the rail, and fitted a quick connect - 8mm barb adaptor, and attached conventional 8mm fuel hose to it. The fuel line has been cut to size and I've flared the end. It's all connected up now, and mounted to the top of the chassis rail on a U bracket so the fuel line is nice and secure.



I've checked the routing and the line doesn't rub or come close to touching the body or engine at any point, so I'm happy it's safe. I've also added some insulating hose over the fuel line on the exhaust side. It's far enough away from the exhaust to not be an issue, but just for peace of mind really. The hose clamps in the boot have also been replaced, everything is now secured with decent jubilees, and after another test start there are zero fuel leaks! Very pleased, I was getting sick of getting my gloves saturated with freezing cold fuel constantly 😂


I've also addressed the speedo cable. My mate got the cable driven version off of his mk1 5 he's breaking and gave me it, as the electric version I had was not suitable for the Vauxhall speedo gauge, which is of course cable driven. I cut the plastic gauge end off of the MX-5 cable, and cut the crimped on end off of the Vauxhall cable. I then crimped and bonded the Vauxhall end onto the MX-5 cable, and much to my surprise the MX-5 cable itself is the exact same size square shape as the Vauxhall one was. It slots into the cluster hole perfectly, which is great and saved me a job adapting it.



My Dremel chuck has died and doesn't tighten, so I had to do this cutting extremely carefully with a grinder 😂 it went perfectly and no cable damage caused. This cable is a fair bit shorter than the Vauxhall one was, so I am not going to route it through the passenger side bung as the original did, I'll fully bung that hole off and sort another routing. Hard to test it by spinning the cog by hand as you can't spin it fast enough or for long enough, but the speedo needle does move slightly when operated by hand, so I'm happy it is engaging and will work, though we'll see how far off it reads, this cog is likely a 4.1 or 4.2 ratio version as it's off an early mk1 5. If it's miles out I'll buy a 3.9 ratio cog, or a 3.6 if available to get it closer.


Also got the heater fan all wired up, and it works on the original 2 speed switch. The fan hadn't run in 25 years so it was a bit screamy at first, but after a little spray it loosened up and spins perfectly. Step 1 on the switch is quite slow, and step 2 is really quite fast, so I'm hoping it'll be effective. I'm just in the process of sealing the box up now to route all the air through the vents inside the car. Also welded a couple of little brackets onto the heater box so I can secure it into the car.

I have a "Roadworthy" list, still a fair few things to do, but that's a few of the more time consuming jobs out of the way. This being ready before Christmas is pretty unlikely now, but it's really not going to be long, and I'd rather get it right than rush and bodge the last few important jobs. I'd rather have a good car later than planned, than a bodge job sooner.

Yeah bit by bit I will fully strip and seal everything up, for now I'll just get it on the road, and can do that in sections over time. It'll need more welding for sure, some bits I'm not 100% happy with but aren't bad enough to fail an MOT yet.

Font lip looks good, will really offset the beige as well!

Progress looks good, you're making it look easy (I still think you'll turbo/supercharge it eventually).

Everything looks beige when you get to my age…. Trust me on this.

Regards.
Rich.