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Author Topic: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6  (Read 100861 times)

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humbucker

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #15 on: 15 January 2015, 10:57:24 »

Whoo-hoo! The new issue of Total Vauxhall magazine is out now and features the latest full #irmscherMV6 project report; find out what I’ve ended up with following an early evaluation of the black battle bus! Subscribe to ensure that you never miss an update (http://is.gd/sLShvy), have the new issue delivered direct to your door at no extra cost (http://is.gd/YcJ6nC) or download it right now to your digidevice (http://is.gd/20gDTM). Oh, and you can pick up a copy of the mag in all good newsagents and supermarkets. Don’t delay – get yours today!



To say that I was excited about getting the MV6 home is an understatement. Not even the six hour drive caused by Friday afternoon traffic on the M25 could dampen my spirits, although damage sustained to that oh-so-rare front airdam as a result of the car shifting forward in transit and making contact with the trailer jack did its best to wipe the smile off of my face. Fortunately, Irmscher kit is made of strong stuff, and the seemingly destroyed front end popped back into shape once my new Griffin was back on solid ground (albeit with a little less paint than it had worn earlier that day). Phew!

The previous owner had shelled out for almost every item in the Irmscher catalogue at the car’s original point of sale – options amounting to thousands of pounds worth of updates when new and gear that is worth a small fortune today. Key items include the aforementioned front bumper/airdam with integrated mesh grilles and fog lamps, matching side skirts and a rear bumper designed specifically to accommodate the car’s special edition dual exit exhaust system.

A set of mint condition 16-inch Soft Star alloys also made an appearance. I’m not sure why these rims were picked in favour of the 18-inch staggered fitment Sport Stars that were fashioned exclusively for the Omega (wheels that feature an offset of ET30 and a width of 9-inches at the rear) as they look lost in the MV6’s huge arch cavities. Suffice to say, I left these at the Vauxhall dealership that I bought the car from in exchange for a heavily discounted purchase price. A set of Sport Stars are now on a rapidly expanding shopping list, along with the notably absent upgraded front grille and an uber-rare rear wing.

Inside the car, Irmscher reigns supreme thanks to an aluminium effect steering wheel, sill covers and door pins that are designed to match the standard issue MV6 centre console and door cards. In fact, I was offered more than I paid for the whole car for some of the cabin trim even before I’d set sail for home! Unsurprisingly, none of the special edition bits and bobs are for sale, but inherited interior items that I am happy to part with consist of a boot full of plastic forks, a lone glove and a split bag of mint imperials. Oh, and there’s a half-eaten Kit Kat if you’re interested? Call it a fiver and it’s yours.

The drab cloth seats were always living on borrowed time, and I whipped them out as soon as I’d finished eyeballing my new purchase; I’m now driving in and out of the garage using a ‘granny spec’ wooden stool for comfort until I can park my arse on minty fresh MV6 leather. I’ll add the rare Recaros to my wish list, along with a fault free 3.2-litre V6 engine and a manual gearbox to replace the automatic factory transmission.

Y’know, it sounds as though a donor car needs to join the party before my next project update – watch this space!

Off the trailer...





...but not before discovering this. Not cool man, not cool:

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #16 on: 15 January 2015, 10:57:46 »

Cloth seats ripped out almost immediately. Irmscher steering wheel looking pretty smart:



Irmscher stainless steel sill covers:



Irmscher flat-top engraved door pins:

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #17 on: 15 January 2015, 10:58:00 »

The amount of crap that people leave in their cars when selling up never ceases to amaze me.

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #18 on: 15 January 2015, 10:58:12 »

Prototype Recaro 'granny spec' stool. Dya think it'll catch on?

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #19 on: 15 January 2015, 10:58:26 »

I had a couple of messages from members saying that pictures weren't displaying on this thread. I was linking them directly from Twitter, but have now uploaded the images to my domain instead. They should now appear here without fail :)
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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #20 on: 15 January 2015, 10:58:56 »

#irmscherMV6 came with a mountain of service history, primarily as it was sold from new by the very same dealer that I bought it from (I was able to request a detailed print out of every nut and bolt purchased for the car, not to mention a list of every hour charged for working on it since new). Reassuringly, the previous owner would wheel it down to the dealer for any work that was deemed necessary, although the supplied documentation shows that the car was even taken to Vauxhall for replacement brake light bulbs! £85 well spent...?! Hmmn, you make up your own mind!

Despite the failure of the garage to cure the "coolant loss" issue that is mentioned in the recent service history (a fault that undoubtedly manifested itself as failure of the head gasket), recent additions to the parts pile include two new catalytic convertors, new springs and dampers, new fluid tanks, new gaskets, water pump, timing belt etc. The list is extensive. It's been kitted out with all genuine parts at significant cost to the previous owner. The cats alone were over a grand.

My understanding is that he'd had enough of throwing money at the ol' girl and fancied a new Insignia to use as a workhorse for his fledgling airport taxi business. The dealership took the car back (in part exchange?), furnished him with a new motor and left #irmscherMV6 to languish beneath a tree at the back of the dealership. I believe one of the parts desk guys had considered it as a potential project, but ultimately, I rolled up and took it away on the back of a trailer. Thanuverymush.

Stamped service book, MOT certificate with close to a year left on it, original manuals, car pass, brochures etc:

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #21 on: 15 January 2015, 10:59:10 »

Original Irmscher styling brochure and document wallet. This is my "prestigious styling" parts bible!

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #22 on: 15 January 2015, 10:59:25 »

Found some old tax discs buried away under the passenger's seat. Will bundle them with the rest of the history:

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #23 on: 15 January 2015, 10:59:38 »

Off to Nottingham to collect some parts for the #irmscherMV6 project. Couldn't have picked better weather for a leisurely cross-country drive. Ahem...

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #24 on: 15 January 2015, 10:59:55 »

Wahey! The latest full #irmscherMV6 project update has hit newsstands. Check it out in the brand spankin’ new issue of Total Vauxhall. The magazine features some cracking cars and is available to buy from all the usual retailers. You can get the digital version by clicking here: http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/newsstand. You can even have it delivered direct to your door at no extra cost by clicking here: http://is.gd/YcBaRk. You know what, you might as well subscribe! Click here: http://is.gd/sLShvy  8-)



Buying components for your project car on a piecemeal basis can make for a surprisingly cost-inefficient build. With that in mind, thoughts turned to getting hold of a suitable donor vehicle as I drew up my wish list of parts for #irmscherMV6.

The good news is that a lot of the features that I want to introduce to the car were available as cost-options back in the day. The bad news is that hardly anyone was interested in equipping their new motorway cruiser with a manual gearbox, limited slip differential, full colour integrated satnav and special edition Recaro sports leather. This makes their appearance in a single car virtually nonexistent (let’s not forget that the majority of Omegas were bought by an older generation of driver that considered the addition of a tow bar to be the cutting edge of modifying). Besides, the optional extras list changed following the introduction of the facelift model. With the odds stacked against me, I logged on to eBay and hoped for the best.

To my surprise, a mini-facelift MV6 appeared in the listings as a breaker. It’s leather looked to be in fantastic condition and I asked the seller for some detailed pictures of the bolsters to ensure that they were free of wear. The seats were still in-situ, and I couldn’t believe my luck when the requested photos revealed a manual gearstick in the cockpit. I immediately made an offer for the interior and transmission, but the owner wasn’t interested in getting his hands dirty and said that I could take the entire car at no extra cost. I was bowled over, especially as the Star Silver saviour had plenty of tax and test, a detailed history and a low mileage X30XE up-front. He even drove it down to my house for the cost of his train fare home!

I was even more surprised when the new arrival turned up on a set of Keskin staggered rims. The seller apologised for the "terrible" wheels, although he probably won’t want to hear that I’ve sold them to a keen VW Golf pilot for more than I paid for the entire car. That Kamei grille and the rare Irmscher rear spoiler went for a pretty penny too...

The silver car’s engine isn’t of much use to me as I plan to stick with the 3.2-litre drive-by-wire version of the six-cylinder lump. I did consider a complete rebuild of the poorly unit that sits under the bonnet of #irmscherMV6, but long term plans involve an entirely different powerplant and I don’t want to invest too much time in what is intended to be a temporary solution. Fortunately, another breaker registered its availability in the form of a low mileage facelift Omega Elite estate. I’ve since bought its engine, which I plan to treat to a light rebuild before bolting it into place alongside the early MV6’s manual gearbox.

Hopefully, there will be some significant progress to report in my next update. In the meantime, the leather has been extracted from the donor and is ready for its new home, and I’ve picked up a new GM battery. Who knows, I might even get around to washing the car at long last!

#irmscherMV6 looking its absolute worst. I think the phrase is 'rags to riches'  :lol:



Donor mini-facelift MV6. Questionable styling updates aside, it's a solid motor. A shame to break it really, but needs must:



I bought the car for its manual transmission and leather, but I'm sure I'll be robbing lots of incidental trim off of it along the way:





Recaros out. They're in ace condition, but could do with a clean and some fresh colour. That 'spot' in the middle is where the rear armrest had been left down for a while. Nothing to worry about, just needs a wipe clean.

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #25 on: 15 January 2015, 11:00:06 »

The brand new issue of Total Vauxhall hits newsstands on Thursday. In other words, you have just one day left to grab the current full #irmscherMV6 project report on the shelves of your local newsagent. Can’t be arsed to head into town? Then download a digital copy of the magazine by clicking the following link: http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/newsstand. You can even have it delivered direct to your door at no extra cost by clicking here: http://is.gd/YcBaRk. Heck, you might as well subscribe, thus ensuring that you’ll never miss another detailed #irmscherMV6 update. Hoorah! http://is.gd/sLShvy :)

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #26 on: 15 January 2015, 11:00:20 »

Went to collect some more parts for the #irmscherMV6 project. Satnav decided it would be fun to play that hugely enjoyable game, 'driving around in circles'. Thanks satnav, thanks.

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #27 on: 15 January 2015, 11:00:33 »

No, this is not my attempt at a rear-engined Saab 95 Aero HOT estate! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the replacement 3.2-litre V6 lump for #irmscherMV6



Yup, there's definitely more than one way to lower a Swede!

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #28 on: 15 January 2015, 11:00:46 »

I bought some heavy duty directional castors and bolted eight of them them into the bottom of a pallet. Hey presto! Instant engine trolley!   ;D 8)  The gearbox pictured is an automatic unit that came with the new engine (along with the key, ECU, immobiliser etc). I'll be using the manual transmission out of my donor car, so this was surplus to requirements and has since been sold on.

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Re: humbucker's 2004 Irmscher MV6 #irmscherMV6
« Reply #29 on: 15 January 2015, 11:01:36 »

Saw this, fell in love, started thinking about colour options for #irmscherMV6. Also started thinking about buying a Monza. Again.

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