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Tin top modifications....
bigandy - 26/5/06 at 09:56 AM

Good morning all!

I'm in the process of building a Sylva Mojo, as some of you may know, and apart from the fact it is taking forever, all is well.

However, I have recently taken my tin top off the road with the aim of refinishing the paintwork to remove the crap top layer. the car is a Vauxhall Corsa diesel, and is painted in what I refer to as "fade-meister red". the car is in pretty good condition apart from the paint (oh, and it needs the alternator bearings replacing).

Anyway, I've been thinking about worthy modifications to this car, as I have always been mighty unimpressed with the ride and handling. It rolls far too much when going round a corner, and any bumps in the road seem to really unsettle the car. The brakes are a bit on the poor side, although I suspect this is due to cheap pads being fitted. The engine is alright though. the 1.5turbo diesel is pretty perky, although not the most refined engine in the world.

So, does anyone know of any suitable modifications that can improive the brakes/handling? I'm not at all interested in the typical boy racer mods, just ones that will help with my aim of keeping a cheap runaround that handles the corner without listing like a capsizing ferry!

Any links/information would be most appreciated cheers!

Andy


richardR1 - 26/5/06 at 10:19 AM

Not sue on the mods front but Detailing World for all you need to know about sorting out the paintwork.


jon_boy - 26/5/06 at 10:32 AM

For the paint get one fo those buffing machines and get some G3 compound on it. Make sure to keep it wet and not in the same place for too long or it burns the paint. You could try corsa GSi springs and shocks as a cheap suspension upgrade, and im pretty sure those brakes would fit as well. If not try astra GTE brakes, ive got a feeling they would fit. www.novaload.net is good for nova's but im sure they all know about corsa's as well so they are well worth a try for info and bits. Jon


Crazy Jay - 26/5/06 at 10:38 AM

Get some sport suspension or even coilovers and im sure there will be anti-roll bars for it.
My wee corsa handled the corners really well too, maybe coz the diesel is heavier than 1.2s. Cheers


britishtrident - 26/5/06 at 10:40 AM

Soft polishing cloths
T Cut
Turtle Wax or TripleWax
Elbow grease

As for ride and handling --- do web search on silk purse to sows ear conversions.


graememk - 26/5/06 at 11:48 AM

have you thought about some of the white flags with a red cross on them, they make cars go faster dont they ?


MkIndy7 - 26/5/06 at 01:03 PM

I would have thought the corsa GSI springs would be the wrong weight or even a completely different setup to the vans.

I wouldn't have thought Astra 16V brakes would fit on wheels under 15" either.

[Edited on 26/5/06 by MkIndy7]


Simon - 26/5/06 at 07:25 PM

Crusher!

ATB

Simon


MikeRJ - 26/5/06 at 08:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Simon
Crusher!


Agreed. Even Lotus couldn't sort out the Corsa's dire handling (at least not within GM's allocated budget).