'75 Kadett Estate UK

[coggers]

Finally took delivery of this today .

Original thread here..

nzgem.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=674

Not really sure what to expect - I only saw the online pics but I have got mountains of spares so thought It'd be an easyish fix ..

So pics from when it was on sale








So I knew it was going to need a front panel - I got one a month ago , just a pattern part but it'll do the job . Needs a grind/prime etc .





So it got delivered earlier tonight up at Psychedilia Central ( or FilthyJohn's place as it's better known.. )

I forgot it was an old 70's Opel and inadvertantly farted 17 feet away from it and erm , the wings promptly fell off - I should have known better really ..




So we had a poke and it's got holes in the usual places so not too much to worry about tbh - nothing I haven't seen before and I was kinda expecting it too



N/S headlamp mounting panels are shot - panels are available but it's a fairly easy bit to make

Other side is no better



This is probably the best bit of the front panel





Bumpers are shot too but I've got new ones .

Bit strange 'cos although the front panel is the correct early one ,somebody has welded over the indicator holes and then welded brackets onto the underside of the bumper to mount the indicators there instead - bizarre .

Nice bit of space in the back though - ideal parts chaser !



Gulf colours anyone ?



So did we attack it with the grinder and fire the welder up ?

Of course not - we make sure the wheels look cool first - it's the rules isn't it ?



Yep they'll do ;D




More/better pics to follow through the week . .

[mikuni]

haha good work mate. well looking forward to seeing progress on this little fella

[77vette]

love the paint.

fix the rust but leave the paint.

im all for mechanical restoration but am down on cosmetic freshen ups

[mikuni]

I fully agree with above. The paint on my car is tidy, which often makes me a bit gutted because its a crap colour and I now, I would probably have prefered to have done it myself in a colour I like. Plus the fact that I have pretty much fu*ked it over the years anyway.

[coggers]

Slight update..



cut the front panel off





and offered up the new one with my spare guards just to have a look like..





Whipped the nsr window out to make sure the new seal I bought from Germany was correct - it was.

But I can see now why most of the nsr/back corner is rotten..




A split window rubber + no rubber seal around the fuel tank filler neck = rain straight in and rotting out all the seams

[coggers]

Got a bit of work done today.

The scuttle panel/a pillars were goosed if you recall.

So young Foggy was called into action . He had a simple brief.

'Okay Foggy. Chop this out and that out and if you XXXX it up I'll kill ya'

So no pressure on young Foggy then ..

drivers side got it first



Now I'm not normally a nervous chap but I can assure you that me arse was twitching like a rabbit's nostril at this point .

Then the A pillar bit was cut from the scuttle..



Then a bit of a clean up



and repeat for t'other side..

I'd recently bought 3.8% worth of Curryracers saloon that he was breaking -



sooo plan is to cut that ^^ into three sections ( two pillar pieces and the scuttle ) and weld the blighters in at a later date

Oh yeah and Foggy hoiked the scuttle off too.. Actually I'm only kidding about Foggy , he's a panel beater and he certainly knows a lot more than me so I left him to work it out for himself , although I did manage to eat three Penguin biccies and offer some moral support whilst he was cutting ..



Yes this is the drivers door , yes the filler is that thick . This door shall be returning as a bean tin sometime in the not too distant future , a better replacement beckons..



In slightly more exciting news a parcel turned up the other day containing Darcy's old suspension. If the estate turns out with a stance like Darcys saloon did I'll be a happy chappy.


So I got some loooooooow Mattzel springs , already have an extra coil off the rears . Fair enough , when I fitted my lowered springs to my hatch the back end was up slightly so one coil removed and it sat nice and level.
They're a shotblast and paint away from being hunky dory.


Nearly new Spax Krypton adjustable thingies for the front and not new in the slightest rear Bilsteins . Bilsteins could perhaps benefit from a lick of paint and some new bushes ( well , any bushes ! )



All for £100 ? Which is about 220 nzd ..Bargainous seeing as I would have paid more than that just for springs alone.

Whilst at filthyjohns we shifted obsol33t's Viva HB to the other side of the unit , needs a bit of tlc but a nice little car , great shape to them in my humble opnion.



And that was todays adventure but just remember guys and girls when everything is getting on top of you -----------


































It's the British way !!!

[crazytim]

your a brave brave man but the end result will be well worth it... when I think of the less rusty cars we have scrapped...

[cul8r]

Nice work, keen man, I'd be walking away from something with that much rust! - or is that much rust the british way also - or just from the salt on the roads