@@martinda7446 I AM IN MY MID 50'S NOW, BUT YOU REMIND ME OF TIMES I'D RATHER FORGET. I USED TO NICK CARS DURING THE EARLY 80'S WELL SOME CARS WERE SO EASY TO STEAL. FOR INSTANCE I WAS STRANDED IN HASTINGS, I WAS DESPERATE TO GET MYSELF BACK TO REDHILL SURREY. THEN IT CAME TO ME SOMETHING MY GRANDDAD DID TO HIS MORRIS 1000. HE HAD MISPLACED THE KEYS. AND NEEDED TO GET SOMEWHERE ASAP, THEN I SAW HIM GET A FOOT LONG PIECE OF WIRE AND HE CONNECTED ONE END TO THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE BATTERY THEN THE OTHER TO THE COIL. THIS MORRIS HAD NOT GOT A STERING LOCK. ANYWAYS WHAT HE HAD DONE MADE ALL THE LIGHTS OF THE IGNITION INSIDE THE CAR COME ON. PROBLEM SOLVED WE HAD TO BUMP START IT THO. BUT LONG STORY SHORT THATS HOW I NICKED MORRIS 1000'S BACK IN THE DAY
Life moves on and you have to go with it, or you will never be happy, yes they were good times when parents and other family were alive, but i wouldn't want to go back, life was still tough for most people even back then.
@@stevenc5227 Yes, you're right, life was tough back then, heading into interest rates of 15%. But there was security and hope for the future, both of which are completely absent today.
that's interesting, i bet his truck isn't that exciting to you then. You'll find it funny then that a 2000s dodge ram really made my head turn in shock the other day then same with when i saw a new challenger, the Austin metro i was driving is probably of more interest to you but the differences definitely are amazing i quite like all those 90s american jellybean ordinary cars they're super interesting to me
To be fair it's american cars that are obscure around the world - Oldsmobile, Saturn Pontiac cadillac,chevrolet, mercury didn't leave your continent - only in movies do most people on this planet see your cars
Yes, just discussing that with my wife (who didn't notice). I thought the overlap between mousketeer fans and people who watch car restoration videos would be pretty small on the Venn diagram - but maybe not.
Overall that is not bad at all for 22 yrs stood outside ! I've seen far worse that has been rescued.... I would be stripping that to a bare shell , then doing all the metalwork , painting it as new , then methodically re-build everything to as new condition. That car is well worth saving.....they are getting quite rare these days .
@@chiefrocka8604 Why does everything have to be a business ? Nigh on ALL hobbies are a waste of money but so what ? You gotta waste yer wonga on something. Some waste it on pissing up a wall. Others (Like i used to) try and kill themselves in motorsports. Some people jump out of aeroplanes
@@chiefrocka8604 the restauration of my Opel Commodore Caravan (Vauxhall Viceroy Estate in the UK) cost me nearly 20.000€. if i wanna sell it now i could get 8000~9000€ as maximum price (if i find a buyer who pay this). seen with "business-eyes" it was a great loss. but i did it for myself and i love it to drive around with these huge car from a time when i was a kid =). the problem of this Cavalier (exept from the drop-snout and some UK-specific parts it is identically with the Opel Ascona B) is the rotten interieur. if this would be in a better shape the rebuilding of the body could be done by an enthusiast pretty well.
I like those Cavaliers. I had a lovely neighbour who worked at Ford Dagenham back in the 80s. He drove to Fords in his lovely blue Cavalier! It was very pretty and delicate next to a Cortina. Eddie if you are seeing this from heaven, you were much appreciated by me.
My Dad and I both had Cavaliers. They were a good car. He got an electronic ignition upgrade which improved his no end as pre ignition was an issue. His was a lovely metallic green whilst mine was white with a vinyl roof. His was a company car and far better than a string of Morris Minors and a couple of Vivas although they were more comfy than the Minors for tge 25000 miles he did a year!
The pokey pokey bit at the end was painful. On another note this channel is quickly becoming one of my favourites. If you keep this up this channel is going to get very big very fast, I hope you're mentally prepared for that possibility mate.
Love this channel, the UKs version of Vice Grip Garage 😊 Love a mk1 Cav, remember being a kid in the 80s when my dad had one with Ultravox and Dire Straits on tape! This one would have been great all welded up and a red top engine chucked in,lowered on banded steels. Would look great with the patina too, just a shame it looks too far gone.
LOL just what I thought, so many VGG vibes ... in one of the 924 episodes he is even watching VGG at the beginning IIRC. Love this version of it with good old british wit 😃
Seeing that old cam-in-head Opel engine is like a visit from an old friend. I had both a Manta and an Ascona as a young man in North America. Liked and subscribed, cheers from Costa Rica.
I love old General Motors cars .my late best friend Paul r.i.p 🙏🏻 inherited one like that but with a manual transmission from his mum as his first car. CRN372S. I had an s reg viva at the time as my first car. Over the time he had that cavalier it had been a 2.0 , then a 1.6 , the zenith carb went for a crap so we took the twin choke Weber off his stepdads abandoned volvo 340 and it ran fantastic. We bodged rust repairs and alsorts with aluminium and fibreglass, we even found a damaged manta front bumper in the scrap yard and fibreglassed it back together and put that on. God that car brings back so many golden memories , I’m literally watching this through tears of joy. Good on you mate 🙏🏻
I really enjoyed this. My dad had a canary yellow Mk1 GL, with a black vinyl roof, and I spent the entire summer restoring the scabby body work on it when I was 14. By the time I was done, it was looking much better and so he sold it. 30 odd years later and I still think about that car. I would love to have one!
the cars back then were rot boxes but the vauxhall engines were practically bulletproof. could run them even with bad timing and no oil and they still worked fine
This takes me back to some good old days. Had several 1.6L versions of this back in my youth. Loved them, as they ran forever, would take a good thrashing, and started first turn of the key. All my mates had Mini's or Metro's (we lived nr longbridge rover plant) but my Cavalier's made their cars look dull and slow. One of them, a '79 1.6L GL in Bronze even whipped the butt off a mate in a Dolly Sprint. lol.
As i huge car guy, lover of anything car 🚗....collector and follow lot channels, found your channel last week. Great channel 🎉 and love the humor 😀 keep making these really top classics being revived 😊 Sterling job 👏 🙌
passed my test in 1990 and bought a T reg (1978) Cavalier 1600gl in banana yellow. Had more holes in it than a tea bag but only cost me £100. Lasted me 5 months but would dearly love one now. Enjoyed seeing this video, brought back memories.
Ben....you are a maniac.....but we have all been there....pile of rust and operatic confidence.....old cars are a potent and highly addictive 0:13 drug...keep the vids coming.. Great !!!! 0:13
Yes its Friday night!!! Just finished weekly shop, have some treats, just checked UA-cam and a new tasty classics video to inspire me for a weekend of car work.
Hi, I had the Australian version being the Holden Gemini SLX Automatic transmission, in Tulip Yellow.Purchased brand new in 1981. I owned this car for twenty years. The main problem I ever had was the head went about four times being the design of the water flow . Absolutely gorgeous little car. This little lady deserves a full restoration. I have nothing but praise for these cars as it served me well. Unfortunately I made a poor decision and replaced it in 2001. Never should have got rid of it. It was the world car for General Motors in that period. Was sold under many brands including Vauxhall, Opel,Buick,Pontiac and would you believe that in 1982 under the Cadillac badge a small number of about twenty with all the luxury features. I would love to get my hands on one of those Cadillacs. This is a gorgeous little car. Love this and your video Austin Greenough Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
My first car was a P reg 4 door 1.9GL. It was an absolute rocketship. Got it up to 130mph on a run up the A1, speedo needle bouncing off the stop. It drove like it was on rails, even in the wet. Even got it airborne once or twice.
I'm nearly 50 years old and the Opel Manta B (the European version of this excellent car) was always my favourite. Good luck with that gem! I'm painfully jealous... I used to drive a Kadett B from '68, should never have sold it. So... really enjoying your video!! Best regards from The Netherlands!
I had a copper bronze mk1 2000GL in 1985, great car, although the camshaft went and I managed to change it but full head off etc, re-ground the valves in - learned a ton about cars from it, enjoyed this vid 👍
Done same on 1.6. They coked up bad: right across the valve stems. Vauxhall camshafts were shte. Fk knows what they made them of. There was hardly a Vauxhall around that didn't have a clattering camshaft.
@@philgee7249 had a mate with a chevette who had similar at the time, we thought it was us who were cursed 🤣 clearly not. The camshaft I replaced it with was a high lift cam, the performance was nuts, it used to eat XR3i’s off the lights like they were lighting a fag 😂, great times
Nice work ! Hearing the engine brought back some memories of when these cars were on the road, you could tell what car was coming just by the engine and exhaust note… fords, vauxhalls, bmws and so on… Be a shame to let this one die… Someone’s got the time and energy I hope !!!
Such a shame the Cavalier was so rotten at the front end, it was looking so promising especially as it fired up comparatively easy after such a long time sat. I know you have to be practical, hopefully it will go on to break to save another Cavalier. My mate had a couple of 1600's, I always preferred the Cavalier to the Vectra, the front engine rear wheel drive does it for me. Another friend my local pub landlord's son had a brand new Opel Manta back in the day, what a car!!! Anyway, keep them coming Ben, I'm always on the look out for your new videos.
My dad had one of these, my first drive after passing my test, put it into a tree for him and saved him a fortune 😂 that was nearly 30 years ago, it was good nick but the paint lacquer went dull. Love your videos 👍
Another tasty, classic great to see the old Vauxhall Cavalier start of my driving career in these still driving Vauxhalls to this day I really love the sarcasm and banter on this channel just my style I really love my Fridays of tasty classics
My dad had a '78 1600GL and it was the first car I ever drove. I remember it being 'modern'! It was a very comfortable car and as I recall, was pretty reliable too. Dad loved it and looked after it better than any car he ever owned. I wouldn't mind having one today just for the nostalgia value. By the way, the wheels are Rostyle, and I also loved those wheel trims; they made the car look 50% better when they were on.
Honestly, the Cavalier in all its variants was a very pretty car in my opinion, even leading into the first generation of Vauxhall badged Vectra (the third gen Cavalier was sold as the Opel Vectra outside of the UK). After that, the model fell off until it became the Insignia, I think. This is a tasty classic indeed
Sheer joy 😊 I’m at 1:06 and loving every minute. She wants to live, and deserves to too. And yes, I subscribed 😉 They did a 1300 too! Still looks great, so much prettier with its Opel Manta front end than the european Opel Ascona version. À mate of mine at uni in the early 80’s had one in two tone green. Dark green lower panels and metallic green for the rest. Gorgeous. I’m in love 🥰
Great video, lovely car,I had 1 of these a 1.6 L in pale blue AMJ 701S saloon,which I reversed into a lamp post,pushed out the back and sold it Also had a white 2 door coupe JLB 822V lovely cars,
i had 2 chevette saloons as my first cars back in the 90's, great to see you getting it running. i have a 1940's vauxhall velox in parts that i'll never get round to so give me a shout if your interested, cheers tom
nice job getting it going . some of the older generation used to remove the rotor arm and stick it in the ash tray to stop them nicking the car . might be in there .
A rare car worth saving and getting back on the road. My late uncle worked for Vauxhall for over a40 years and he used to have one of these. It was immaculate. It’s nice to see they are still out there. Considering how long this has been parked up it’s in good condition really, the rot isn’t as bad as it should be really, and it’s rotten in the usual places. Someone save it.
Vauxhall Chevette Hatchback was what my father had back in i think 1986 -87 again i was really young i remember going everywhere in it, was bright red with black leather seats .
Another great will it start video would love to see the mk3 cavalier or a mk2 astra or even an old mk3 escort but what ever you have on your channel il always be watching keep up the great work
Ive got a 79 opel senator 3liter 25 years sitting it played on my patients big time but i got it shes running sweet like your vids proper down to earth stuff
Only just started watching this one and it looks great. My problem is I want to put all these cars back to pristine - just as well I can’t afford to! The Cavalier was one of the first Vauxhalls not to rust away before your eyes. That one is a great survivor- it deserves a new life!!!
loved driving these back in the day !! drove my mates 2 litre one and spun it round puling out of a side road onto a main road and it scared the beejesus out of me lol... he wouldnt have been a happy bunny if i damaged it lol :)
I once owned the Cavalier 1600GLS hatchback, in orange, one of my 1st ever cars after the mini. 1st thing i noticed when you opened the boot lid was the Chrome ring on the spare! job done! all 4 rings👍
Wow that was one rough old cavalier 😂😂 always think of these cars when they were driven out of the showroom back in the day. Would have been someone's pride and joy.
Hi, good video buddy, thanks. I had one of these back in the day (also a 1980 I think), but had a smaller engine and gold coloured, 60,000 on the odometer, (half of that downhill), anyhoo a great runner. A curious thing about Vauxhall cars before this model, they came with a fluted bonnet, sometimes chrome that ran from the screen to the front of the clip; more noticeable on earlier models (50s); not sure if their cousins Opel had this design. All in all though pretty reliable mechanically but prone to rust. I had a Victor after this also a hand me down from my father in law. Other models were the Cresta, Velox, Viva. I also owned a Viva GT; now that was a beast with plenty of torque. Greetings from the Isle of Wight.
My first car was a two door brown 1979 cavalier which had been sat for over a year and vandalised. Me and my mates got it running (after failing to sort the timing the first time round) and had a heck of a job getting windows to replace the smashed ones. Engine (1.6) was buggered but body work was great. Loved that car once I’d put sounds in it!
my mum had one these, very young at the time. think it was gold, and the way home we traveled through lots floods one road had river after river between north Birmingham and Lichfield, cannot remember the other other car yet we went in one came back with two, it may been another Vauxhall . do like this shape of Cavalier
I used to collect these cars from the factory in Luton. You were given a set of keys and a rough location but with thousands of them standing in a field it could take a while, plus when you found it the clutch was invariably seized and guess what, only enough petrol to get you out of the main gates. You never know, I might have collected the one in this video. Great times
That takes me back a proper sounding car with a massive exhaust blow. My dad had one of these 😆. My mk2 astra sounded like when the exhaust to manifold broke . Drove it round for 2 weeks loved it.
Amazing pal keep it up ,loved seeing this one starting I bought a rover p6 project which has been sidelined due unforseen circumstances just wish I could get mine going
Great cars, very reliable, company had three that i used to service. Only thing that always failed was the water pump around 60,000 miles, i aways replaced them at 50,000, and no further problems until they were sold at 120,000. We also had a sports hatch and Berlinerra versions
This brings back memories, my first car was a white 4 door 1.9GL. Mine didn't get the passenger door mirror, that was an optional extra. I drove it all through the winter with no heating, finally figured out the lead stop on the heater cable had come off the heater slider, 5 minutes and it was fixed. Sold it to a friend who ran it out of oil and seized the engine.
I subscribed because the first video I saw was this today. My mate had an Opel Berlina, in the rest of Europe they call them Opels in UK Vauxhall. It was older a bit I think, but was running great. We even once took the engine out, just with our hands because it is so tiny in comparison to modern engines. These cars had a really great design that looks even good today. Back then people would look a lot at the car as there are not many like that alive anymore and on the streets. All original they go for a lot on mobile and here you can get the number plates for historical vehicles provided the vehicle is in mostly original setup. You get a lower tax I think, I know there were some benefits of having a plate like that. I was also thinking that maybe the glass inside the boot is from a broken window at some point, person maybe thought they will sell the car better with windows intact, replaced it with some spare, but did not bother cleaning the car. Or maybe they just did it to save the car from moisture inside. All sorts of possibilities.
Loved my Mk1 Cavaliers from the 70s and 80s. The rotor arm removal was our anti-theft device!
With a collection of rotor arms you could drive home in any car you liked in the 70s...
@@martinda7446 I AM IN MY MID 50'S NOW, BUT YOU REMIND ME OF TIMES I'D RATHER FORGET. I USED TO NICK CARS DURING THE EARLY 80'S WELL SOME CARS WERE SO EASY TO STEAL. FOR INSTANCE I WAS STRANDED IN HASTINGS, I WAS DESPERATE TO GET MYSELF BACK TO REDHILL SURREY. THEN IT CAME TO ME SOMETHING MY GRANDDAD DID TO HIS MORRIS 1000. HE HAD MISPLACED THE KEYS. AND NEEDED TO GET SOMEWHERE ASAP, THEN I SAW HIM GET A FOOT LONG PIECE OF WIRE AND HE CONNECTED ONE END TO THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE BATTERY THEN THE OTHER TO THE COIL. THIS MORRIS HAD NOT GOT A STERING LOCK. ANYWAYS WHAT HE HAD DONE MADE ALL THE LIGHTS OF THE IGNITION INSIDE THE CAR COME ON. PROBLEM SOLVED WE HAD TO BUMP START IT THO. BUT LONG STORY SHORT THATS HOW I NICKED MORRIS 1000'S BACK IN THE DAY
Yes I can relate to that, till someone brought one and had my capri away😢😢😂
I would love to go back to the days when dad's Cavalier was on the pavement outside.
Not the pavement inside? 😊
When you work it out, give yourself a pat on the back.@@ricardoroberto7054
I had a opel caddet
Life moves on and you have to go with it, or you will never be happy, yes they were good times when parents and other family were alive, but i wouldn't want to go back, life was still tough for most people even back then.
@@stevenc5227 Yes, you're right, life was tough back then, heading into interest rates of 15%. But there was security and hope for the future, both of which are completely absent today.
Being from the US I love this channel. I get to see all these different obscure cars we never had here.
that's interesting, i bet his truck isn't that exciting to you then. You'll find it funny then that a 2000s dodge ram really made my head turn in shock the other day then same with when i saw a new challenger, the Austin metro i was driving is probably of more interest to you but the differences definitely are amazing i quite like all those 90s american jellybean ordinary cars they're super interesting to me
I'm glad it's reciprocal!
Ermm..the Vauxhall was anything but 'obscure'!!
@@garethifan1034 well it is to an american isn't it mate, just like how a 1980 chrysler new yorker would be obscure to us
To be fair it's american cars that are obscure around the world - Oldsmobile, Saturn Pontiac cadillac,chevrolet, mercury didn't leave your continent - only in movies do most people on this planet see your cars
Anyone notice, the first Britney pic wasn’t britney, it was Christina?
Yes, just discussing that with my wife (who didn't notice). I thought the overlap between mousketeer fans and people who watch car restoration videos would be pretty small on the Venn diagram - but maybe not.
I did think, that's not Britny!
Yep i knew iy wasnt britney haha
Same difference music wise though 😂
@@skylined5534 wash your mouth out 🫨
This is my new favorite car channel I love British cars even though I live in the US
Overall that is not bad at all for 22 yrs stood outside ! I've seen far worse that has been rescued.... I would be stripping that to a bare shell , then doing all the metalwork , painting it as new , then methodically re-build everything to as new condition. That car is well worth saving.....they are getting quite rare these days .
So you’d put £15,000 quids worth of work into a car worth £5000 if it was showroom condition
Nice one you’ll go far in business 🤣
@@chiefrocka8604
Why does everything have to be a business ?
Nigh on ALL hobbies are a waste of money but so what ?
You gotta waste yer wonga on something.
Some waste it on pissing up a wall. Others (Like i used to) try and kill themselves in motorsports.
Some people jump out of aeroplanes
Shame it's a bit to far gone would look nice with bits tarted up , washed & run it as a rat look
@@chiefrocka8604 the restauration of my Opel Commodore Caravan (Vauxhall Viceroy Estate in the UK) cost me nearly 20.000€. if i wanna sell it now i could get 8000~9000€ as maximum price (if i find a buyer who pay this). seen with "business-eyes" it was a great loss. but i did it for myself and i love it to drive around with these huge car from a time when i was a kid =).
the problem of this Cavalier (exept from the drop-snout and some UK-specific parts it is identically with the Opel Ascona B) is the rotten interieur. if this would be in a better shape the rebuilding of the body could be done by an enthusiast pretty well.
👍👍👍👍👍@@0utcastAussie
I like those Cavaliers. I had a lovely neighbour who worked at Ford Dagenham back in the 80s. He drove to Fords in his lovely blue Cavalier! It was very pretty and delicate next to a Cortina. Eddie if you are seeing this from heaven, you were much appreciated by me.
I had the 2 door version of this cavalier,made it into a manta lookalike,I was 17.loved it.
My Dad and I both had Cavaliers. They were a good car. He got an electronic ignition upgrade which improved his no end as pre ignition was an issue. His was a lovely metallic green whilst mine was white with a vinyl roof. His was a company car and far better than a string of Morris Minors and a couple of Vivas although they were more comfy than the Minors for tge 25000 miles he did a year!
The pokey pokey bit at the end was painful.
On another note this channel is quickly becoming one of my favourites. If you keep this up this channel is going to get very big very fast, I hope you're mentally prepared for that possibility mate.
Love this channel, the UKs version of Vice Grip Garage 😊 Love a mk1 Cav, remember being a kid in the 80s when my dad had one with Ultravox and Dire Straits on tape! This one would have been great all welded up and a red top engine chucked in,lowered on banded steels. Would look great with the patina too, just a shame it looks too far gone.
Midge Ure or John Fox version of Ultravox?
LOL just what I thought, so many VGG vibes ... in one of the 924 episodes he is even watching VGG at the beginning IIRC. Love this version of it with good old british wit 😃
@@markusantonio4866
I can just imagine "Underpants" blasting out of that !
cant belive its running but i gotta im looking right at it need some chrome to get him home lol
They should meet
Seeing that old cam-in-head Opel engine is like a visit from an old friend. I had both a Manta and an Ascona as a young man in North America.
Liked and subscribed, cheers from Costa Rica.
Ah the good old days of walking home from school breathing in all the fully leaded exhaust fumes. 😂
I love old General Motors cars .my late best friend Paul r.i.p 🙏🏻 inherited one like that but with a manual transmission from his mum as his first car.
CRN372S.
I had an s reg viva at the time as my first car.
Over the time he had that cavalier it had been a 2.0 , then a 1.6 , the zenith carb went for a crap so we took the twin choke Weber off his stepdads abandoned volvo 340 and it ran fantastic.
We bodged rust repairs and alsorts with aluminium and fibreglass, we even found a damaged manta front bumper in the scrap yard and fibreglassed it back together and put that on.
God that car brings back so many golden memories , I’m literally watching this through tears of joy.
Good on you mate
🙏🏻
I really enjoyed this. My dad had a canary yellow Mk1 GL, with a black vinyl roof, and I spent the entire summer restoring the scabby body work on it when I was 14. By the time I was done, it was looking much better and so he sold it. 30 odd years later and I still think about that car. I would love to have one!
the cars back then were rot boxes but the vauxhall engines were practically bulletproof. could run them even with bad timing and no oil and they still worked fine
Brilliant love the MK1 Cavalier my grandad had a red 1600L and my dad had the GL in two tone metallic brown and gold great memories thank you 😍
Derrick at VGG would be proud of you 👏
This takes me back to some good old days. Had several 1.6L versions of this back in my youth. Loved them, as they ran forever, would take a good thrashing, and started first turn of the key. All my mates had Mini's or Metro's (we lived nr longbridge rover plant) but my Cavalier's made their cars look dull and slow. One of them, a '79 1.6L GL in Bronze even whipped the butt off a mate in a Dolly Sprint. lol.
As i huge car guy, lover of anything car 🚗....collector and follow lot channels, found your channel last week. Great channel 🎉 and love the humor 😀 keep making these really top classics being revived 😊
Sterling job 👏 🙌
passed my test in 1990 and bought a T reg (1978) Cavalier 1600gl in banana yellow. Had more holes in it than a tea bag but only cost me £100. Lasted me 5 months but would dearly love one now. Enjoyed seeing this video, brought back memories.
Love the crusty cav. Another great video Ben, love watching you getting cars that should have been scrapped decades ago to work.
Ben....you are a maniac.....but we have all been there....pile of rust and operatic confidence.....old cars are a potent and highly addictive 0:13 drug...keep the vids coming..
Great !!!! 0:13
Yes its Friday night!!! Just finished weekly shop, have some treats, just checked UA-cam and a new tasty classics video to inspire me for a weekend of car work.
Hi, I had the Australian version being the Holden Gemini SLX Automatic transmission, in Tulip Yellow.Purchased brand new in 1981.
I owned this car for twenty years.
The main problem I ever had was the head went about four times being the design of the water flow .
Absolutely gorgeous little car.
This little lady deserves a full restoration.
I have nothing but praise for these cars as it served me well.
Unfortunately I made a poor decision and replaced it in 2001.
Never should have got rid of it.
It was the world car for General Motors in that period.
Was sold under many brands including Vauxhall, Opel,Buick,Pontiac and would you believe that in 1982 under the Cadillac badge a small number of about twenty with all the luxury features.
I would love to get my hands on one of those Cadillacs.
This is a gorgeous little car.
Love this and your video
Austin Greenough
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
when i was a kid and my dad came home with one of these we thought we had won the lottery 😊
My first car was a P reg 4 door 1.9GL. It was an absolute rocketship. Got it up to 130mph on a run up the A1, speedo needle bouncing off the stop. It drove like it was on rails, even in the wet. Even got it airborne once or twice.
I'm nearly 50 years old and the Opel Manta B (the European version of this excellent car) was always my favourite. Good luck with that gem! I'm painfully jealous... I used to drive a Kadett B from '68, should never have sold it. So... really enjoying your video!! Best regards from The Netherlands!
I had a copper bronze mk1 2000GL in 1985, great car, although the camshaft went and I managed to change it but full head off etc, re-ground the valves in - learned a ton about cars from it, enjoyed this vid 👍
Done same on 1.6. They coked up bad: right across the valve stems.
Vauxhall camshafts were shte. Fk knows what they made them of. There was hardly a Vauxhall around that didn't have a clattering camshaft.
@@philgee7249 had a mate with a chevette who had similar at the time, we thought it was us who were cursed 🤣 clearly not. The camshaft I replaced it with was a high lift cam, the performance was nuts, it used to eat XR3i’s off the lights like they were lighting a fag 😂, great times
So im sat watching this video. In the video you say its just getting on for 7 pm. I looks up at the clock its 18:55 😆😆
I had a Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L, first registered in 1978. One of the best cars I owned.
Nice work ! Hearing the engine brought back some memories of when these cars were on the road, you could tell what car was coming just by the engine and exhaust note… fords, vauxhalls, bmws and so on…
Be a shame to let this one die…
Someone’s got the time and energy I hope !!!
Such a shame the Cavalier was so rotten at the front end, it was looking so promising especially as it fired up comparatively easy after such a long time sat. I know you have to be practical, hopefully it will go on to break to save another Cavalier. My mate had a couple of 1600's, I always preferred the Cavalier to the Vectra, the front engine rear wheel drive does it for me. Another friend my local pub landlord's son had a brand new Opel Manta back in the day, what a car!!! Anyway, keep them coming Ben, I'm always on the look out for your new videos.
This was brilliant! Not only runs, but runs like a Swiss clock!
My dad had one of these, my first drive after passing my test, put it into a tree for him and saved him a fortune 😂 that was nearly 30 years ago, it was good nick but the paint lacquer went dull. Love your videos 👍
Another tasty, classic great to see the old Vauxhall Cavalier start of my driving career in these still driving Vauxhalls to this day I really love the sarcasm and banter on this channel just my style I really love my Fridays of tasty classics
My dad had a '78 1600GL and it was the first car I ever drove. I remember it being 'modern'! It was a very comfortable car and as I recall, was pretty reliable too. Dad loved it and looked after it better than any car he ever owned. I wouldn't mind having one today just for the nostalgia value. By the way, the wheels are Rostyle, and I also loved those wheel trims; they made the car look 50% better when they were on.
My Dad had a MK1 Cavalier in 1980 when I was 10 years old. Seeing that clock on the dashboard brought memories flooding back
The Solex DIDTA carb was a pain on these engines, changing to a twin Weber DMTL was a revelation on my Ascona A, wish I still had it. Great vid 👍
First car I remember my dad having was a green one of these, EGB484T, brilliant seeing one again
Honestly, the Cavalier in all its variants was a very pretty car in my opinion, even leading into the first generation of Vauxhall badged Vectra (the third gen Cavalier was sold as the Opel Vectra outside of the UK). After that, the model fell off until it became the Insignia, I think. This is a tasty classic indeed
Stumbled across this. Pressed like half way through the intro 😂 then stayed for the show! Excellent work 👌
Sheer joy 😊 I’m at 1:06 and loving every minute. She wants to live, and deserves to too. And yes, I subscribed 😉
They did a 1300 too! Still looks great, so much prettier with its Opel Manta front end than the european Opel Ascona version. À mate of mine at uni in the early 80’s had one in two tone green. Dark green lower panels and metallic green for the rest. Gorgeous.
I’m in love 🥰
Great video, lovely car,I had 1 of these a 1.6 L in pale blue AMJ 701S saloon,which I reversed into a lamp post,pushed out the back and sold it
Also had a white 2 door coupe JLB 822V lovely cars,
Back in the day some people used to remove the rotor arm if they were leaving the car for any length of time as an anti theft measure!
i had 2 chevette saloons as my first cars back in the 90's, great to see you getting it running. i have a 1940's vauxhall velox in parts that i'll never get round to so give me a shout if your interested, cheers tom
Good old Cam in Head 2.0 excellent engine. Used in the Manta too.
Awesome vlog like the UK version of vice grip garage
I like your Cavalier attitude to this Ben😁
Good old vauxhall never fail
If that Ford stereo works there’s at least £250 to £300 there. Sold one myself a few years ago for that . They’re special to mk3 capri owners :)
Yeap! Defo winner there
Never watched your videos before. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and your reaction when you first get it to turn over was great! Subscribed.
I had a MK1 Cavalier 2000 GLS and it’s one of my favourite cars that i have ever owned.
Another cracking find! Love these Cavaliers, old man had one in Yellow.
Keep them coming fella 👍🏼
nice job getting it going . some of the older generation used to remove the rotor arm and stick it in the ash tray to stop them nicking the car . might be in there .
A rare car worth saving and getting back on the road. My late uncle worked for Vauxhall for over a40 years and he used to have one of these. It was immaculate. It’s nice to see they are still out there. Considering how long this has been parked up it’s in good condition really, the rot isn’t as bad as it should be really, and it’s rotten in the usual places. Someone save it.
Vauxhall Chevette Hatchback was what my father had back in i think 1986 -87 again i was really young i remember going everywhere in it, was bright red with black leather seats .
Crazy, these used to be everywhere once!
Another great will it start video would love to see the mk3 cavalier or a mk2 astra or even an old mk3 escort but what ever you have on your channel il always be watching keep up the great work
Ive got a 79 opel senator 3liter 25 years sitting it played on my patients big time but i got it shes running sweet like your vids proper down to earth stuff
Cavalier sports hatch has to be my favourite.
My Dad had a 2000GL 1978 when I was very little. Still have fond memories of it, and can still remember the reg - TER 243S! ❤
Only just started watching this one and it looks great. My problem is I want to put all these cars back to pristine - just as well I can’t afford to! The Cavalier was one of the first Vauxhalls not to rust away before your eyes. That one is a great survivor- it deserves a new life!!!
Love these videos of cars abandoned and resurrection work to get the engine started. At least the engine is not seized
Had 5 of these cavys over the years lovely old cars bullet proof engine and not to bad for rot nice to see and hear one again
loved driving these back in the day !! drove my mates 2 litre one and spun it round puling out of a side road onto a main road and it scared the beejesus out of me lol... he wouldnt have been a happy bunny if i damaged it lol :)
I had a 1980 mk1 1600 gls sportshatch, with the same rostyle wheels, great car & pretty reliable.
Love these detailed car restoration vids 😊❤
I once owned the Cavalier 1600GLS hatchback, in orange, one of my 1st ever cars after the mini. 1st thing i noticed when you opened the boot lid was the Chrome ring on the spare! job done! all 4 rings👍
Wow that was one rough old cavalier 😂😂 always think of these cars when they were driven out of the showroom back in the day. Would have been someone's pride and joy.
If this was a Ford, there would be no question of if to restore or not. I hope someone buys it and gets it back on the road. All the best . Brettski .
You're absolutely right
Absolutely love MK1 Cav GL… had a MK1 and a MK2 and a beautiful MK3 ❤❤❤
Hi, good video buddy, thanks. I had one of these back in the day (also a 1980 I think), but had a smaller engine and gold coloured, 60,000 on the odometer, (half of that downhill), anyhoo a great runner. A curious thing about Vauxhall cars before this model, they came with a fluted bonnet, sometimes chrome that ran from the screen to the front of the clip; more noticeable on earlier models (50s); not sure if their cousins Opel had this design. All in all though pretty reliable mechanically but prone to rust. I had a Victor after this also a hand me down from my father in law. Other models were the Cresta, Velox, Viva. I also owned a Viva GT; now that was a beast with plenty of torque. Greetings from the Isle of Wight.
Just the sight of the dash was enough to take me back.
Really nice dash design i thought!
brilliant channel would love to see that car brought back to its former glory best wishes from Shropshire 👍
To me it looks like a viva, maybe I have a memory of the later cavalier.
My first car was a two door brown 1979 cavalier which had been sat for over a year and vandalised. Me and my mates got it running (after failing to sort the timing the first time round) and had a heck of a job getting windows to replace the smashed ones. Engine (1.6) was buggered but body work was great. Loved that car once I’d put sounds in it!
Beautiful car. The colour on the underside of the boot is just wonderful!!
my mum had one these, very young at the time. think it was gold, and the way home we traveled through lots floods one road had river after river between north Birmingham and Lichfield, cannot remember the other other car yet we went in one came back with two, it may been another Vauxhall . do like this shape of Cavalier
I used to collect these cars from the factory in Luton. You were given a set of keys and a rough location but with thousands of them standing in a field it could take a while, plus when you found it the clutch was invariably seized and guess what, only enough petrol to get you out of the main gates. You never know, I might have collected the one in this video. Great times
That takes me back a proper sounding car with a massive exhaust blow.
My dad had one of these 😆.
My mk2 astra sounded like when the exhaust to manifold broke .
Drove it round for 2 weeks loved it.
I come for the cars, I stay for the laughs. "Would you say you're hoovering the underside of your bonnet enough" brilliant!
Another great video. Oldie with loads of rust. Glad that this Oldie has been given new life.
Amazing pal keep it up ,loved seeing this one starting I bought a rover p6 project which has been sidelined due unforseen circumstances just wish I could get mine going
I am owner in France an Opel Ascona B (1980) four doors, engine diesel G.M. , 75 000km and less than 2% rust ! Never used during winter !
This sounds like my grandad's Carlton. So many epic memories 🥲
I have just discovered your channel, and I love the content so I have subscribed. This is much more entertaining than watching TV.
I love that cavalier. I might even look for one myself. I had a sports hatch back in the day.
Great cars, very reliable, company had three that i used to service. Only thing that always failed was the water pump around 60,000 miles, i aways replaced them at 50,000, and no further problems until they were sold at 120,000. We also had a sports hatch and Berlinerra versions
This brings back memories, my first car was a white 4 door 1.9GL. Mine didn't get the passenger door mirror, that was an optional extra. I drove it all through the winter with no heating, finally figured out the lead stop on the heater cable had come off the heater slider, 5 minutes and it was fixed. Sold it to a friend who ran it out of oil and seized the engine.
The color on inside the boot lid is fantastic. Love that blue.
Ahh the ash try in the rear so the kids can smoke as well. None this second hand smoke rubbish kids you’re getting it first hand.
Cancerous cavalier.
My sister had the Chevette estate. It was a great car and so easy to work on, plenty of space in the engine bay unlike cars of today
Back in the early 90's, my mate had a mint Opel Ascona which is pretty much the same car, it was so much fun to drive and had some power.
love the videos. love the cars you work on .keep up the good work all the best 👍
The manual transmission 2000GL Version was a lovely car to drive. Very smooth with tall gears. Would comfortably do 90mph in 3rd gear.
Another absolutely brilliant vid ben, love the old mk 1 cavalier...! I had two Opel mantas in the 90s, same engine and body at front....!
Cracking find! We have two over here on the channel and one is the blue yours should look like and also an automatic. Brilliant!
Love the introductions to your projects / videos. They are absolutely priceless 😂
I am so happy seeing you
I subscribed because the first video I saw was this today. My mate had an Opel Berlina, in the rest of Europe they call them Opels in UK Vauxhall. It was older a bit I think, but was running great. We even once took the engine out, just with our hands because it is so tiny in comparison to modern engines. These cars had a really great design that looks even good today. Back then people would look a lot at the car as there are not many like that alive anymore and on the streets. All original they go for a lot on mobile and here you can get the number plates for historical vehicles provided the vehicle is in mostly original setup. You get a lower tax I think, I know there were some benefits of having a plate like that.
I was also thinking that maybe the glass inside the boot is from a broken window at some point, person maybe thought they will sell the car better with windows intact, replaced it with some spare, but did not bother cleaning the car. Or maybe they just did it to save the car from moisture inside. All sorts of possibilities.