vauxhallviva.com

Can anyone tell me what this wobble pressed into the front panel is for?

yep.... it is for the fitting of an OHC engine.

The OHC engines were fitted as a complete assembly with the subframe, and either in production or when working on it the car is lifted off and lowered down onto the subframe and engine as a whole.. That 'wobble' is so the front panel clears the cam pulley bolt as you lower the body down onto the engine and subframe assembly.

Or so I was told many many years ago by the most knowledgeable vauxhall man I knew... who has been known to take the *Bleep* slightly from time to time so maybe he was winding me up, but I had the story corroborated by the guy who trained me so maybe it was true...I dunno....but ... it does just clear the pulley bolt when lowering the body down onto the engine and subframe so if it is true, or just an old wives(vauxhall mechanic) tale, either way it works

Could be right, the early HB's without the number plate pressing in the front panel, up to August 1967 don't have this wobble

Well yeh i guess that would make sense, its just sticks out like a sore thumb, i might have to delete it.
Oh, welcome back Lord after your short absence, hope your all sorted now.

rizzo wrote:Oh, welcome back Lord after your short absence, hope your all sorted now.

Ha ha oh I didn't go away, I just kept my mouth shut so I didn't bring shame on myself my reacting to people being unkind

I have a new project, but it's CF so I'll have to post the progress on that elsewhere....

the front panel on OHC Vivas/Magnums had the part you are showing cut out and a bulge panel of on later Magnums a flat panel so I thing that maybe the wobble is for something else Mitch?

Maybe, maybe ,but this is a HB front panel, the HC had more room in front of the crossmember than the HB so did not need the cut out, the HC bulge i think was a mainly cosmetic exercise but did assist with engine/subframe removal.
Would be interested to find out exactly what it's for, but the only explanation I have so far is the OHC engine removal/replacement one.