Project Dolomega, the next level

[Carledo]

Jolly decent of you Sir! If it is no longer any use to you, i'd be prepared to take it off your hands permanently in exchange for some beer tokens! My Blue Point jobbie is particularly recalcitrant with Vauxhalls, mostly Corsa/Tigra of a certain age, but I was mildly, though pleasantly, surprised that it communicated with the Sprint at all! A proper OP-COM would be a nice thing to have, notwithstanding my current issues!

Of course, if you want to retain it, I would respect that!

Cheers, Steve

[Carledo]

Well, had my first and second failures today, i've spent the day finishing the modified gearbox tunnel and shifter, started the car fine and it went through the gears fine, but the brake light switch interlock on the trans wasn't functioning and I had to release it manually, the cause was a faulty brake light switch and I had another so swapped it out. That took care of that. Fired it up for test and it ran a couple of seconds and died, then wouldn't restart. Turns out the HP fuel pump has died! Instead of a healthy whine when I switch on, all I get is a dull "thunk"

By an odd coincidence, EXACTLY the same thing happened to the Carledo when I was building it. In that case, the new pump I fitted failed with only about 15 minutes running under it's belt. I replaced it with a second hand pump pulled off a scrap Renault Espace which is still there to this day, 9 years later!

So this time I fitted a second hand pump from a Cavalier from the start! Now i'll have to swap to the new one I bought "just in case"!

Never mind, better now than in the middle of the night and the wilds of Scotland in October!

But I WILL buy yet another pump as a spare spare! I've always worried, since that first failure on the Carledo, because I don't have a filter on the tank side of the pump (NOT laziness, just nowhere to put one, ideally it needs to be in the tank itself and my hands are too big to put anything in there) and HP pumps are notoriously susceptible to damage from debris in the tank. But the fact that the old used pump has kept the Carledo going all these years seems to prove it's not that much of a problem!

Steve

[yorkshire_spam]

Steve, I still haven't found my op-com or the cd with the software on. I haven't fogotten about it, just can't find it. I've probably put it "somewhere safe"

[Carledo]

There's no huge rush ATM Sam, now it definitely runs and drives, I can concentrate on the body for a bit!

As I said in my post above, getting the tunnel and shifter in has made life a bit easier for testing it. It's up on stands so I can "drive" it whilst stationary. I can hear better with the tunnel fitted but it still shifts almost imperceptibly in the lower gears. I tried the manual holds for 1, 2 and 3, which are immune to the winter mode default when there's a problem (it's how you get duff ones home from he auction, I've bought several Cav autos cheap this way, only 1 cost me money to get shifting right again 3 had blown fuses and one a broken wire in the loom to the box which was shorting and blowing the fuse!) Even shifting manually, I couldn't HEAR the shifts, only a slight flicker of the tach revealed they'd happened! So I still don't know for sure if it pulls off in 1 or 3 when in D, i'm just gonna have to drive it! But I have this niggling feeling that it's not right, so if you CAN find the OP-COM, i'd be very grateful for the loan.

Changed out the fuel pump this afternoon and it started immediately. I think i'm going to look into some sort of small filter to put in the line twixt tank and pump, another problem with this is that it's 12mm hose and most available filters don't go that big!

Steve

EDIT, Ebay has rescued me with a purpose made Sytec prefilter, £21 but cheaper and less hassle than changing a pump!

[new to this]

Sounds like you have the same speedo head as me,does your speedo head have a mechanical dial, but with digital mileage

I know what you mean about the speed sensor,there not cheap got mine from RS componets

did you have to make a gearbox tunnel or modify a sprint one

Dave

[Carledo]

Sounds like you have the same speedo head as me,does your speedo head have a mechanical dial, but with digital mileage

I know what you mean about the speed sensor,there not cheap got mine from RS componets

did you have to make a gearbox tunnel or modify a sprint one

Dave

Speedo has an analog face and digital mileage

Like so!



I had a stock Sprint auto tunnel but it was tad too low at the back end to permit the shifter to fit without touching the trans. Then, again shifter related, the Vauxhall shift rod runs down the N/S of the trans where the stock one is on the O/S and space is provided for it. So I had to make a wider section at the N/S to accomodate the moving rod and arm, as well as a mod to the front N/S to give more space for the downpipe run. Most of it is Sprint auto, but I also used about a third of a scrap 1500 tunnel to make the mods. Pics later maybe, the phone is on charge ATM.

Cliff will make me a bespoke tunnel carpet for it and recover my Stag based centre console that is still in production. And I have someone else lined up to fab the wood inserts for the console, but that's a way off yet, I havent decided the exact layout of what will be in it yet, Space for a single DIN stereo obviously and the electric window switches, now wondering if I want a central ashtray too! Since i'm a right handed smoker and have the door ashtrays AND quarterlights, another one is probably superfluous. Or maybe cupholders! Also still trying to decide where the console should end, part of me wants to extend it back past the handbrake and make an armrest/cubby box, maybe as a separate part to aid removal/refitting if need be. Not sure the seat belt mounts won't be in the way!

Steve

[new to this]

My speedo head has a white needle and think it goes to 140 mph
i used the Stag rear console for the seat belt buckle,ive been doing the wood on mine at the moment

[Carledo]

There's a simple reason for me having the red needle and 180mph face, in fact there are more than 40 reasons, all with the Queens head on them!

Steve

[Carledo]

Here's the tunnel in situ, the blue bits are from the 1500 tunnel!

The hole is to access the joint/adjuster for the shift rod, there will be a detachable hatch cover for it soon!




Steve

[new to this]

Steve

The gearbox tunnel looks a good fit,the gear selector is that a Dolomite one or vauxhaull,do you have to make any mods to the Stag centre console,or console wood

Dave

[Carledo]

Steve

The gearbox tunnel looks a good fit,the gear selector is that a Dolomite one or vauxhaull,do you have to make any mods to the Stag centre console,or console wood

Dave

Gear selector is from the Omega, besides having one more shift position than the Sprint original, being a 4 speed box, it has buttons for sport and winter mode. Oh and the selector lever is on the wrong side, so no choice really, but it's a big cumbersome thing that has given me grief! I had to offset the lever slightly left and bend the handbrake slightly right to stop them interfering with the handbrake off and the selector in 2 or 1.

The Stag console, while close in spots, will be almost unrecognisable by the time i've finished with it. I'm extending the sides down and forward, widening the rear section to go round that pesky shifter and remaking the radio face section from scratch to my own design. But i'll be keeping the trademark footwell lights in the sides. I've stripped all the vinyl and foam covering off it and it's all steel underneath, so not much trouble to customise it. I've not got any original Stag wood and don't think it would be much help if I did, I don't need a second heater panel hole below the radio!

I've got a bit of plastic fake wood (a bit dark in colour for the car) from the Omega that surrounds and supports the shift indicator panel and is more than long enough to reach forward to the radio panel. If it was flat, i'd make a real wood replica, but it isn't, by a country mile, so it might have to stay, annoying as that is!

Steve

[marshman]

Steve, I have an op-com I got a few years ago for an Astra I had. Don't use it anymore and not likely to. Pretty sure it is a "clone" one but it did work on my Astra. You are welcome to it BUT you may have problems with the Software. I have found the original download file from 2012 on an old laptop (Windoze 7) and just reinstalled it, it seems to work and it seems to talk to the box. If interested you are welcome to it, just PM me your address and I'll pop it in the post - will put the software in dropbox or similar. The software version I have goes up to 2010, but I suspect you can get updates.

Roger

edit: software seems to install and run on my current Windoze 10 laptop.

[new to this]

Steve

The gearbox tunnel looks a good fit,the gear selector is that a Dolomite one or vauxhaull,do you have to make any mods to the Stag centre console,or console wood

Dave

Gear selector is from the Omega, besides having one more shift position than the Sprint original, being a 4 speed box, it has buttons for sport and winter mode. Oh and the selector lever is on the wrong side, so no choice really, but it's a big cumbersome thing that has given me grief! I had to offset the lever slightly left and bend the handbrake slightly right to stop them interfering with the handbrake off and the selector in 2 or 1.

The Stag console, while close in spots, will be almost unrecognisable by the time i've finished with it. I'm extending the sides down and forward, widening the rear section to go round that pesky shifter and remaking the radio face section from scratch to my own design. But i'll be keeping the trademark footwell lights in the sides. I've stripped all the vinyl and foam covering off it and it's all steel underneath, so not much trouble to customise it. I've not got any original Stag wood and don't think it would be much help if I did, I don't need a second heater panel hole below the radio!

I've got a bit of plastic fake wood (a bit dark in colour for the car) from the Omega that surrounds and supports the shift indicator panel and is more than long enough to reach forward to the radio panel. If it was flat, i'd make a real wood replica, but it isn't, by a country mile, so it might have to stay, annoying as that is!

Steve

Steve

Ive got some Stag woods i made for mine, if you need patterns let me know,are you fitting electric windows to yours, and linking the interior light to the console lights

Dave

[Carledo]

Ive got some Stag woods i made for mine, if you need patterns let me know,are you fitting electric windows to yours, and linking the interior light to the console lights

Dave[/color]

I'm fitting electric windows, but there's no room for the switches in the trad Stag position. That bulky shifter puts paid to that, the switches will be in the face panel, either beside or below the stereo. 1 each side but both just reachable by the driver.

Of course i'll link the footwell lights to the interior light, rude not to! I laid the wiring into the loom before I even had the console!

The radio panel MAY be a few mm shorter than the Stag original but otherwise the same shape and size. But i'm gonna start with a blank canvas as MOST of the stuff in the original I either don't have or is already someplace else, choke, heater controls, fan switch, faglighter and HRW switch. It's likely i'll have room for a couple of extra guages (but what to pick?) cupholders would be better on the outside, (folding in of course) another ashtray is decadent, but it'll be a bit bland with just the stereo and window switches!

Maybe I should go for a double DIN stereo with a fold out video screen and satnav built in!

Steve

Edit. I've had a quick offer up with 2 single DIN radio frames taped together and a double DIN stereo WILL fit, but only if nothing else at all is in the panel! Not the end of the world as I can fit the window switches elsewhere, possibly in the front face of the proposed armrest/cubby thingy

I've also had a quick trawl of ebay and found myself a used Pioneer double din stereo with a fixed 7" touchscreen and all the trimmings including Satnav for VERY sensible money. Others were available, but I trust Pioneer stuff, also I have a Pioneer 10CD stacker which, with luck, will be compatible with it!

[Carledo]

Finally made it to the street today! Mainly just to check the trans shifts and it appears my fears were groundless! pulled away in first like a little rocket and just made it into 2nd before I had to back off for the end of my cul de sac! Perfick!

Heres's another video!

https://youtu.be/fDkLujFi5zE

Cheers, Steve