Whilst looking for a car in January 1996, I found an advert in a local paper, which simply read 'Vauxhall Cresta. Collectors car. £200' and a local 'phone number. How could I resist? I called, and the car turned out to be only half a mile away, so I arranged to see it. There it was, parked in a front garden, looking very scruffy. I gave it a thorough inspection and it turned out to be more solid than it looked. Sure, there was filler in most places, but there was enough car there to justify the price.
Once on my drive, the work began. The engine would turn over, but not fire. I tried everything, but it would only occasionally fire and run roughly for a few seconds, before cutting out. Then I found the answer when discussing the car with a specialist Vauxhall parts supplier. The inlet and exhaust manifolds on these engines are bolted together, and there are passages running through the inlet manifold to provide a 'hot spot' for fuel vapourisation. What happens is the alloy inlet manifold goes porous, allowing the engine to breathe its own exhaust gases. The answer is to remove the inlet manifold; cut and drill a piece of brass sheet to fit between the manifolds; then reassemble. The brass sheet prevents exhaust gas getting into the inlet manifold, while sufficient heat is conducted for the 'hot spot' to continue working.
With the brass sheet in place, the engine fired up first time and ran smoothly on all six cylinders; I just sat there with a big grin plastered across my face, blipping the throttle, and revelling in the fantastic sound of that straight six.
Next, brakes. Brake fluid mysteriously vanished. I'd fill the reservoir up; next day it would be empty, but I could find no tell-tale puddles of fluid under the car. Eventually I found the leak. The master cylinder seals had failed, and fluid was seeping out of the cylinder and into the car, where it was promptly absorbed by the carpet. I overhauled the master cylinder myself; fitting new seals. Also, new seals were fitted to both rear brake cylinders, and a couple of rusted brake pipes replaced.
By this time I had acquired the Viva, and was concentrating on getting it through its first MoT, so work on the Cresta ground to a standstill.
Since then I have soldered up the leaks in the radiator, and have started to sort out the electrical system. Most of the light units are corroded and need replacing, but I've repaired some of them for now, covering the rear of the front sidelights with fibreglass where corrosion has eaten through the alloy.
Also, some extensive sanding, by hand, has revealed large amounts of sound, original paintwork underneath the layers. Originally, the car was a pale greenish yellow, with a dark green roof; since then it has been bright red (which really must have looked good with the green interior!), and was black when I got it. I still need to find a set of original wheels, hubcaps, and wheel embellishers as it currently has white 8-spoke Weller steel wheels, which don't look right on the car. The 8-spokes may find their way onto the Ventora (the stud pattern's the same), though I'll probably spray them black.
Other work remaining mostly concerns the bodywork. New front wings are required, but as these are scarce and expensive, I may repair them, or possibly fit fibreglass ones. Some welding is required on the inner wings, and quite a lot of 'tidying' is needed around trailing edges such as rear wheelarches and the lower edges of the doors. The interior is scruffy, but complete and original; I'm intending to get the sewing machine out and repair the leather seat covers myself. Once the bodywork is sound, the car will be resprayed in the original colours.