58 replies to this topic

[Ivor]

I am still new and confused. Do i take it that you have to own a VX220 and be a pimp to be on the forum or is it a one or the other sort of deal ?
Dave C

I think dashwood is on the wrong forum, thinks this is a Mercedes forum where all owners are pimps ?

Edited by Ivor, 27 June 2024 - 04:52 AM.

[bluesunbeam]

I am now refitting the undertrays having removed the very badly installed diffuser and beaten the very badly bent and generally mullered undertrays back into what i think is probably the right shape. The problem i have run into is that the small rearmost undertray seems to require some spacers for the two 8mm bolts but there were none on there when i removed the undertray along with the diffuser that somebody had nailed onto the car. I have looked at various pictures of both the VX and Elise being worked on underneath but can't find a picture showing the spacers or any text about them. The gap that needs to be filled is about 20mm and i can see witness marks to indicate that there are proper spacers and i am wondering if anyone can give me a the dimensions of it so i can remove the stack of penny washers that is currently in there and get the proper ones or order some nylon block to do the job. 

                                                                   Dave C

[bluesunbeam]

Finally finished the refurb of the VX about 2 hours ago. It has taken about 3 months longer than i thought but i have really enjoyed almost all of the process and have learned a lot about suspension systems. It has been many years since i had the enthusiasm to take on a project like this and the VX was the only car that seemed worth the effort and was in my price range. Next step is to book it in for the geo at Back on Track.

                                                                                 Dave C

[Cavturbo]

Thanks for the update Dave. Always good to hear that another one is now back on the road. You got any pictures?

[hairy]

Good work Dave

[bluesunbeam]

Thanks for the kind words Cavturbo and hairy. I am going to atthttps://thumbsnap.co...pQ7pTwG.jpgempt to upload some pictures but don't hold your breath as i am not great at IT and on this website the process seems far more convoluted than on the other forums i use. I have seen your guide to posting pictures hairy but am still not sure what most of it means though i have managed to download some pictures onto thumbsnap after much swearing .

https://thumbsnap.com/i/eCx22eQC.jpg

https://thumbsnap.com/i/LP7hSVbD.jpg

https://thumbsnap.com/i/3ejpL1qJ.jpg

https://thumbsnap.co.../i/LdZzjY34.jpg

Okay i think i may have managed to download some pictures. I took the car down to Maidenhead today, the first time i have driven it since bringing it home in May, and i was very happy with the way it ran and how much difference the new coilovers have made; still a nice firm ride but no longer crashes violently over any and every tiny bump in the road. I think the Bilsteins were the originals and were virtually seized solid. Suffice to say that i am already besotted with this great little car. 

 If you want to know the recent history of the car you can see it being saved from the scrapheap by watching the video entitled ' I bought my dream car from Copart and it turned into a nightmare' on Youtube and the two follow up videos posted by Harry. And yes it does drive straight and true.

 

 

[bluesunbeam]

Wow, i am astonished that that worked but i am assuming that there is a limit to the pictures you can put in each post because two are missing. I will try and put them in this post and see what happens.

https://thumbsnap.com/i/upQ7pTwG.jpg

https://thumbsnap.com/i/LdZzjY34.jpg

 

 

 

[Cavturbo]

Nice looking motor. Watched the youtube channel and thought it was a shame he sold it on so quick but looks like it has found a good home. Do you know which Vauxhall model the V grille is from?

[bluesunbeam]

I think Harry said it was from an Astra but i am not sure which one. I did have a bid on an Opel Speedster grille but missed out by a couple of quid and have not tried since. I quite like the idea of chopping about the one that's on the car and making my own unique grille. Harry only sold the car because he is buying a house and needed money for the deposit. He was genuinely sorry to see it go. I did offer to send him some pictures of the new parts i have fitted to the car but he told me not to because it would only depress him. This was the second time he has rescued a VX and both times circumstances have forced him to sell it shortly after he finished the project. At least this time he got to take it to France and did 700 miles in it before it had to go.

                                                               Dave C

[Arno]

Let's see if we can inline some of the the images:

[Arno]

Last 2:

[KurtVerbose]

Well done.

[bluesunbeam]

Thanks for doing that Arno.

  The wheel saga was finally resolved by Blackcircles paying to have all four wheels fully refurbished after the bloke they sent to make localised repairs took one look at them and said that they were far too damaged to be done to a satisfactory standard. I am very happy with the result of the full refurb.

                                                                  Dave C

[RC220]

That looks fab Dave, I echo Hairy - well done.  And the best reg plate I have seen in ages to boot.  Your undertray and spacer comment worries me!  I have had mine on/off a dozen times or more.  I put the 2 rear trays on this evening - outside (garage has another occupant now) wet, cold, windy, one side jacked up etc. - really difficult to line those bolts up.  I had to push the u/tray up flush ...

It is going to live in my sister's garage for the winter after the MOT.  And, after i clean her garage out - nothing is free.

Roy 

[hairy]

There are no spacers on the original set up, so maybe modded for the diffuser

https://www.speedste...ings/index.html

Edited by hairy, 27 September 2024 - 03:12 PM.

[bluesunbeam]

Hi Roy. I really appreciate the nice feedback. Regarding the spacers. After measuring carefully with the posh new quick releases from EliseParts in place i came up with a figure of 10mm required as a spacer. I found some plastic washers on e-bay (i don't know how to post links but the description on e-bay is 'M8 Black Plastic Nylon Penny Flat Washers 50mm Diameter 2mm or 4mm Thickness' from a vendor called 'range.direct'. I ordered 10 of the 2mm thick ones for £7.30 which seemed pricey but i was fed up with searching and just wanted to crack on with the installation. I checked that the depth of 5 washers was correct and then superglued them together and this has worked well - the undertrays are at the same level as each other with no undulations around the fixing points. If you are not using the quick releases i suspect that you will need a slightly thicker spacer as the base of the quick release is probably a couple of mm thick.

 I am very happy that someone else likes the plate. I bought it originally for my fantastic Gen1 Honda Insight after numerous comments about spaceships and the Jetsons car. Sadly after 12 years of happy hypermiling some lowlife stole the cat off it and these are now unobtainable and aftermarket ones usually don't work properly with the Insights unusual performance envelope. Unfortunately at the time i was struggling with life in general and just did not have the energy to pursue a solution to the cat problem. I still regret not being able to hang on to it . If i had a proper garage i would get another one in a heartbeat. Thanks again to all for the positivity- it really does mean a lot.

                                                                                 Dave C

[bluesunbeam]

OK, hairy has posted whilst i was pecking slowly away at a reply. I can only assume that my car has been further butchered by the owner who lashed the diffuser on (whilst still incorporating the rearmost undertray by hammering the left hand side flat and putting woodscrews through it ) Without the spacers my front undertray would have a significant dip inwards . The mounting points were out of alignment and i had to spend time gently bending them back. The conclusion would appear to be that they were also hammered inwards to accommodate the diffuser. 

                                                                   Dave C

[bluesunbeam]

Posting at the same time as hairy again. I have just seen your edit hairy - you are right but i think the word modded is over generous to the individual who put the diffuser on    

[hairy]

Glad to hear you sorted it out Dave