I had two Chevettes in the early 1980s. They were no better or worse than many other cars of the era, but definitely nowhere near as good as the next generation (e.g.. the Astra, etc.). Keep the coolant topped up with colourful antifreeze, so you can see when the water pump leaks (streaks along the engine, and a misfire). Mine had the misfire, but it was only when I renewed the antifreeze that I saw the streaks... The thermostat sticking open was another regular occurrence, evidenced by the engine taking ages to get to temperature. Another time, the bolts holding the starter motor became slightly loose, preventing it engaging properly. What else... rusty exhausts, in the pre-catalytic converter days, when they typically lasted eighteen months and the likes of Kwik Fit had hundreds in racks at every branch. One time, I changed the oil and found several timing chain teeth in the old oil. I checked the sprockets, and took a chance to drive ten miles to buy replacements, which I fitted on my return. Another feature was the bathtub tappet adjustment, done with the engine running. I recall fitting aftermarket bathtubs, but they cracked soon after, so I bought genuine ones. Fuel consumption was about 30mpg. I had the sills replaced (due to rust) in 1984 or thereabouts. This was all on a 1978 model. Comparing this to my current car: a 2016 Hyundai i30 with 122000 miles on the clock, 46mpg and it's never missed a beat, the Chevette was actually _awful,_ but I still remember it with fondness. after the 1978 one, I had a 1981 _automatic,_ which wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding!
I had two Chevettes in the early 1980s. They were no better or worse than many other cars of the era, but definitely nowhere near as good as the next generation (e.g.. the Astra, etc.). Keep the coolant topped up with colourful antifreeze, so you can see when the water pump leaks (streaks along the engine, and a misfire). Mine had the misfire, but it was only when I renewed the antifreeze that I saw the streaks... The thermostat sticking open was another regular occurrence, evidenced by the engine taking ages to get to temperature. Another time, the bolts holding the starter motor became slightly loose, preventing it engaging properly. What else... rusty exhausts, in the pre-catalytic converter days, when they typically lasted eighteen months and the likes of Kwik Fit had hundreds in racks at every branch. One time, I changed the oil and found several timing chain teeth in the old oil. I checked the sprockets, and took a chance to drive ten miles to buy replacements, which I fitted on my return. Another feature was the bathtub tappet adjustment, done with the engine running. I recall fitting aftermarket bathtubs, but they cracked soon after, so I bought genuine ones. Fuel consumption was about 30mpg. I had the sills replaced (due to rust) in 1984 or thereabouts. This was all on a 1978 model. Comparing this to my current car: a 2016 Hyundai i30 with 122000 miles on the clock, 46mpg and it's never missed a beat, the Chevette was actually _awful,_ but I still remember it with fondness. after the 1978 one, I had a 1981 _automatic,_ which wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding!
You still got plenty to still to do on oddy then the weather will be hopefully getting better soon
I believe this is just the start of my journey with this car, but I am loving every minute of it...😅