Goodbye Starion

I finally said goodbye to my much detested Starion today, as it was pushed off the driveway and towed off down the road.
Here is it's new home!

It is snuggled up next to the space frame of my kit car, which I had to reposition, on my own, after measurements revealed the Starion wouldn't fit in where it was. I'll have to push it in and out to work on it, and I have to put the fuel tank back in.

The MGF has now moved out of the garage and taken it's place on the driveway. I now have an aim of within two weeks to get the car on the road, it needs for the MOT:

• Two new balljoints (lower/upper)
• Offside sill totally replacing
• Handbrake cable sorting
• Bonnet cable replacing (jams open bonnet, and can't open well enough)
• Brake pipes replacing
  

It needs purely because it needs it:

• Rear vinyl screen replacing
• Seized and corroded nuts removing, and red oxide/general rust prevention
  
• Oil change
• Wing
  

However, I got lucky and found a green MGF in a scrappy near me, and plundered for a rear screen, leather gearknob, and gaiters (all for 20 quid - screens are £80 second hand on ebay). These were put on quite easily (although the rear screen needed rivets removing and new ones put in). The sill is in a terrible mess, you can put your finger through it on the whole length. I have purchased two cut off sills on ebay for £30 (including £12 p&p). I need to retrieve an old ebay purchase of a wing, of which the seller just couldn't be bothered contacting me over courier. I am currently bidding on a Snap On Mig-welder, so I will be able to do a few patchwork on the underside and sills etc.

Back to the Starion, I have a new AFM unit (with pipes and surround etc)., that might cure it, but once again, it probably won't (although it was the only thing that was left on when I changed the engine). I have an image of sticking it in (with everything connected up), and then starting it and it purring like a kitten. I'll kick myself (literally), but I doubt it will.


I was driving home t'other day from work feeling ill, and I exited my Astra to go in the shop, and my door departed from the body. One of the pins came out, and it didn't make me feel better as I wrestled with it to stop it ripping off under the weight. When I got home, I resorted to engine crane (these things weigh a tonne - I've done this by hand too many times), which made it a bit easier. It has been bumping the bottom of the sill when you close, and I realised the door shut wasn't positioned properly, so moving this had the door closing with a nice clunk.

I will update the blog more regularly as I do up the MGF and have a better place for the Starion. However, the nights are finally in (clocks gone forward, and it's dark by 5pm now :¬( ), so I can't do any work in the week at all.