vauxhallviva.com

Glad to see you haven't lost any enthusiasm with the GT after the events with the screens, keep it up.

rizzo wrote:Glad to see you haven't lost any enthusiasm with the GT after the events with the screens, keep it up.

I'm determined to have the car on the road this summer! I need to finish buffing the car, but before that goes ahead.. I've got to remove the passenger rear spring and repair the box section the upper cup mounts too, as it's in poor condition and that's it for welding.

Back to updating the thread! I haven't had time to take many pictures of the work i've been doing, as i'm very limited for time.
I had found out while fitting the tank that the passenger side rear upper spring mount and chassis section, was in a poor state, so i've cut the mount out and remade that section, a long with plating the chassis up.
Fitting the stainless trim was a right old .... and now the trim is a bit beaten up! I've Ordered a sheet of stainless steel, as the drivers side quarter glass was always missing the strip of stainless trim, so i'll attempt at making one and glueing it on.

I've made my own weather seals, but i'm still yet to fit them as i need to make a tool, for holding and lifting the clips onto the door and the weather strips at the same time (hopefully you understand what i'm on about) i tried fitting the weather strips the other day and it's just a no go, as the clips don't want to go on.
The Rear opening windows had very bad frame corners, as they had completely rotted away and because i haven't got that much time on my hands, i had to fibre glass the corners to shape and paint them silver.

I finished painted the centres of the rostyle wheels and the caps in Hammerite Direct to rust smooth black paint and they come out lovely! i also painted the writing on the tyres white, as i like the 70's muscle look

I decided not to paint the back panel black and the boot lid was from an sl90 so i fitted the vauxhall badge as well. I'm not going to fit the chrome bootlid lip trim or hockey sticks, as i like it how it is and it makes it a bit different.

here is a couple of pictures of the car

Coming on very nicely James. When I fitted the door window seals I fitted spire clips onto the existing holes in the door and screwed the seals on with self tappers.

1972nail wrote:Coming on very nicely James. When I fitted the door window seals I fitted spire clips onto the existing holes in the door and screwed the seals on with self tappers.

Thank you and that's a handy trick!

Hello Everyone. It's now 98% done!

I fitted the weather strips the other day and after doing some research, i have found a few viva owners who just glue them or screw them in, due to the struggle of fitting clips... well guys and girls... I stumbled across a tool on the internet made for triumphs! i had to modify the shape of it slightly, but fitting the clips over the doorskin/weatherstrip, was really easily done pictures below of the tool and weatherstrips! also a couple pictures of the car outside.
Also to add.. i've saved another Viva GT today and the car is completely rock solid! It's a 1969 It's been sprayed blue and is a complete car for the exception of the wheels/ airbox, just rolling shell at the moment. I only have the one picture, but i'll try get some up in a few days.

Nice work, looking great, thanks for the info on the seal tool, ive just gone and bought one on your advise, https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/clips-fi ... door-top-2 not the only one available but probably the cheapest.
How did you end up fitting your stainless trim on the doors? did you use the plastic trims or go for another method?
That GT is a good find, is it in the UK, reason for asking picture looks like it might not be.

Looking stunning James! All you hard work has been well worth it.

And what a great find is that blue GT! Lots more info and pictures please when you're able. Finding a previously unknown GT in good order nowadays is like finding a real live unicorn!

And thanks for the info about the seal fitting tool too.

Well everybody.. the GT failed the MOT and it's a living nightmare welding/bushes/ball joints. Welding is all done but the bushes are killing me. the left ball joint took 2 days to do 9am to 10.20 pm and it was sorted and in the process of doing that, the steering rack has now started knocking on that side, from moving the hub around.
Now the right side its the upper horse shoe bush and lower ball joint and this is where things have gone to sh...

If you look at the pictures, you can see the bolt is that seized, everything else had to be cut off! the bolt head turned off and i welded another nut on, then that broke off I'm at a loss of what too do now. I've used heat and it's not budging. can anyone tell me if the tube that the bolt sits in, goes all the way through the subframe?

I'm literally 3 days in on this right hand side and i'm worried i'm going to snap the remaining of the bolt flush with the frame

jamezz666 wrote:can anyone tell me if the tube that the bolt sits in, goes all the way through the subframe?

Presuming it's the same as HC, and I believe it is, then yes, it does. I've had bolts stuck in there, and the only way I got them out was a lot of heat, but the subframe was out of the car. Once out, I got a long 1/2" diameter drill bit to clean out the inside of the tube, again access to do that with the subframe in the car would be challenging, to put it mildly.

The problem is that the bolt sits in that steel tube for years, and it rusts in place.