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[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

By heck! I thought I did well with a bit of Deox gel and a tin of Hammerite! Looking well, I shall be aiming for that with my ex plod. And the Mercs.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Ah, it took a fair bit of graft and bleeding knuckles love, but basically visible in that picture is...

Brand new Bilstein B4s
replacement brake disc shields off a 37k scrap car, wire brushed and repainted
stainless steel machine screws (about 4p more expensive than mild steel)
original bearing with 175k on the clock, just wire brushed
original steering knuckle - wire brush and repainted
replacement low mileage wishbones - clean and repaint
replacement camber bolts  off 37k scrap car, dipped and repainted

B4s, brake shields, steering knuckle received 'Rustbuster Epoxy 121' which is like a cross between Paint and Araldite. Two parts, mix together 50/50. Used a lot in classic restoration now, due to thick coat and high chip resistance. £40 a tin, but per liter it's actually cheaper than a 750ml tin of Hammerite at my local Wilkos.

Wishbones have Vauxhall rear bushes and ball joints, and Poly fronts. One side of the car is coated with Tetrasyl aerosol stone chip paint, then final coat of satin black spray, the other side solely with the 121, as a long-term experiment.

It's all doable, and I've done it with my limited skill set, so anyone can  the whole mini-'restoration' has been an experiment, in answering the question how far can my car be restored using the bare minimum of money, whilst maintaining the highest standards feasible?

Penny pinching at every corner, saving 20p here, to £100 there, with many parts coming off OOF.

Case in point-
the shiny silver camber bolts...
Simply...
-get 37k bolts from scrap car
-Strip paint and rust using acid (- White distilled vinegar 44p Asda)
-paint silver (tin of hammerite-alike paint £1 local discount trade store)
-all the bolts that came off were treat in the same way, and the total cost has been £1.44 for a dozen as-new nuts and bolts on wishbones, calipers, hubs, dampers etc. Like I say, it's not how much £ you chuck at it, it's how wisely you spend it. 

I've lots more horror stories tales to tell similar! 

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

So Bilsteins can be painted? I'm terrified that my new B6s are going to be bright yellow...

I'm also debating painting the new springs black, again, red is a tad too showy for me. Since it only does 2k a year I'm thinking just black Hammerite, and treat it as a service procedure...

[MrRon]

Made a good start today 

This is my MV6.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fmvebam8kn7ke6k/DSC_0161.JPG?dl=0/

Engine bay ready.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vwkxk3yxf6917fj/DSC_0138.JPG?dl=0/

Disassembled.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2uo490hqz1j55u0/DSC_0198-1.JPG?dl=0/
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qj0qxtft962nwhn/DSC_0203.JPG?dl=0/

Apparently from a leaking rocker cover Gaskets,  I think this might be why only 5 cylinders!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qleqs747aotf4fx/DSC_0196-1.JPG?dl=0

Guess I'll be getting the credit card out then. 

[Sir Tigger KC]

Good work!    Like the 2CV's.   

[Diamond Black Geezer]

So Bilsteins can be painted? I'm terrified that my new B6s are going to be bright yellow...

I'm also debating painting the new springs black, again, red is a tad too showy for me. Since it only does 2k a year I'm thinking just black Hammerite, and treat it as a service procedure...

I hope they can be painted! haha, I did mine 

As for springs, after a bit of research, the best option is to powdercoat. That's great, and will last 30 years... if you can say your springs will last 30 years without snapping you're a better clairvoyant that I. So I opted for option 2. Cheap spray paint. Apparently just as good in that there's inherent elasticity in the paint, which isn't as present in powdercoating. Hammerite is known as being a bit 'chip-prone' so this is not advised. Great for a garden gate, but a spring flexes, and will eventually cause chunks to ping off.

Must say OEM black was my colour of choice, here's a before and after with my MV6 springs, £5 aerosol and a bit of angle grinder + wire brush attachment...

[MrRon]

Got a few prices today, including Vauxhall main dealer 

Main Dealer (Bury St Edmunds)

Ignition coil                         £175.20+vat
Ignition lead set                Discontinued
Spark Plug Set                    £33+vat
Rocker cover gaskets       £37.90+vat

Bennetts

Ignition coil                         £78.06
Ignition lead set                 £30.19
Spark Plug Set                    £17.52
Rocker cover gaskets       £13.13

However I am thinking of a more performance set of leads and spark plugs 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Right, to help you out, unless anything's changed, there's nothing to be gained with any kind of 'performance' spark plugs, the GM ones are excellent. Also if you buy a Trade Club service kit off Keith ABS you get 6x plugs, air, pollen, oil and fuel filters £29. That's not a typo. £29, or £30 for FL (carbon pollen filter) All genuine GM brand new.

If you do like the idea of performance leads, then again Keith's also your man, with a choice of leads, in a choice of colours. Also keep an eye out for Bosch Vectra V6 ones, they're comparable to the GM/BERU originally fitted, and normally about 25% cheaper than Omega ones. Actually worth chasing up from the Dealer, are Vectra V6 (X25XE) ones still available?

Coil is gentleman's choice. As said, a used one could do you for a decade, and the main issue is making sure your scuttle is leak-free, rather than the quality of the manufacturer. Or, to put it another way, a GM one with page 3 girls glued to it under a leaky scuttle will get rained on and fail, sooner than a cheap n cheerful one kept bone dry.

Rocker cover gaskets has always been 'GM ONLY GM ONLYYY' however, speak to a couple of members here, Webby is one I think who are experimenting with a cheaper brand which are lasting well, by all accounts. I've got genuine GM, and they'll last a decade.

That shoudl bring the costs down a fair whack, without actually losing on quality.

[MrRon]

Just spent a few hours at the workshop, organising everything to be cleaned.

This is the cleaning station.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u6pcjkf2q7on687/DSC_0243.JPG?dl=0

I managed a token start.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5j619s3lalwfc9w/DSC_0245.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8j63rft44u6ykzy/DSC_0246.JPG?dl=0

And more importantly I've bought the items I needed from a local motor factors 
Many thanks for your suggestions Dimond Black Geezer, how ever as I left it too late it was quicker to buy locally, and not a bad price either.

Ignition Coil (Bosh)                         £78.30
Ignition Lead Set (Delco Remy)    £25.43
Spark Plug Set (Bosh)                    £24.70
Rocker Cover Set (BGA)                 £16.21

All set now 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Let us know how you get on.. in theory the rocker cover gaskets are the only part on there that's recommended you definitely buy GM, no other make 'will do' - however, Webby and a couple of other have experiemented/taken the plunge with another make (could be the very BGA that you've bought, not sure) so let us know how you get on.

£78 for a coil sounds pretty good, keep up the good work! 

[MrRon]

Only managed to escape for a few hours today, mostly cleaning various parts but I did manage to complete one side. 
Cleaned and removed excess silicone.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/y5uijks5ek6hkwz/DSC_0250.JPG?dl=0

Thoroughly cleaned Rocker Cover.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/17n305s9bzflg1t/DSC_0253.JPG?dl=0

Fitted new gasket and applying black silicone as directed then refitted. https://www.dropbox.com/s/a2bl25rg4wm2epr/DSC_0254.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxflnuph4ogxfk1/DSC_0255.JPG?dl=0

[MrRon]

Hello, I thought I'd post an update. The engine is now running a lot better now 
I've linked a few photos of various parts during the cleaning process before final assembly.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k44fjgbk1qizf8t/DSC_0396.JPG?dl=0
Please swipe to the left for more photos 

This project is now on hold as my last job only lasted 3 weeks, not enough work at present but will call me when (and if) the business improves.