Archive 2010

Club Cars Mentioned in The Sun Newspaper.

Peter's Chevette and Richard Cavalier were mentioned in The Sun newspapers preview of

the Classic Car Show at the NEC on Friday 12th November 2010.

The Vauxhall Chevette Its What Ever You Want it to be - Song.

If you were wondering who sung and wrote the song for the Vauxhall Chevette, called Vauxhall Chevette Its What Ever You Want it to be. We can now reveal that is was originally released by a band called First Class in 1975, the song however didn't make the charts at the time. A CD featuring this song is available to purchase from most well know music shops. The song also features on a CD by John Carter who sung a number of adverts at that time. Here is the song, surely an essential purchase for all Chevette owners?

Club Stand at Classic Motor Show NEC 2010 Video!!

This is a quick video put together of the club stand at the International Classic Car Show 2010. Presented by Richard Watt with Kevin Bricknall on the Camera. Some pictures of the show can be found in the photo’s section of the website.

Chevette Advert.

Two TV advert have come to light for the Vauxhall Chevette that we do not have copies of. One is from 1977 and features the 1976 World Champion James Hunt and the other one is from 1974 with a song believed to be different to the one we already know about in the Chevette advert sung by a singer called Clare Torry who did a number of 70’s TV advert including Martini and Typhoo Brooke Bond.

The Best Of Both Worlds – LP By Moria Kerr

Picked up by Richard Watt over the weekend was this LP by a Scottish singer called Moria Kerr. The LP case features a Brown Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 Sports Hatch along with Moria herself and also a horse. There is no date on the LP case but we belive it to be between 1981 – 1993. Does anyone know anything about how using the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 Sports Hatch came about? Or even has a recording of the songs on the LP? If you do please e-mail the club on enquires@cavalierandchevetteclub.co.uk

The Classic Motor Show This weekend!!!

Don't forget to visit us at The Classic Motor Show at the NEC 2010 This weekend 12th,13th 14th November, below are some photos of our stand this year.

Bob Watt

Sadly on the 20th September 2010, Bob sadly passed away after being struck down by a car in Greenfield, Bedfordshire.

Bob was the inspiration for Richard's Mk1 Cavalier upbringing.

And will be very sadly missed by all at the Cavalier & Chevette Club who had the pleasure to meet him.

Committee Meeting.

The next Committee Meeting is being held on Sunday 10^th October 2010. If any members have any issues they want raising can they please contact a committee member before this date. Committee members contact details are in the club newsletter.

National Restoration Show.

If any club member has a project they would like to demonstrate at this show, please contact Jane Miller or Kevin Bricknall, contact details are in the club newsletter.

The new owners of the National Restoration Show that takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry on Sunday 24^th October are offering clubs free space to display their members current restoration project.

The Restoration Demonstrations are a major attraction at the event for several thousand knowledgeable enthusiasts who attend each year. With no stand space, electricity hook up, passes or overnight expenses, this is an ideal opportunity for clubs to promote themselves and attract new members.

We appreciate some activities are impossible to demonstrate in exhibition conditions. However we also have areas available where you may give a talk aided by slides, films, videos etc.

We are making a special effort to increase the number of Demonstrations and Talks for this year’s Show. We already have a number of new ones, but if you know of any one, (Professional or Amateur) who would be interested in FREE SPACE to promote their business and pass on knowledge to fellow enthusiasts, please ask them to get in touch with us.

Please note the Health & Safety Regulations at Stoneleigh Park mean we can weld with either oxyacetylene or MIG. We have in the past welded cast iron inside the halls.

We look forward to meeting old friends and new at the Show and hope you will come and demonstrate your skills, help fellow enthusiasts get and keep their cars on the road and promote your club.

Attached is the booking form for you to complete and return of you are interested. Alternatively you can contact me on the numbers below.

I do hope you can join us for what promises to be a great day out for the classic enthusiast.

Dont forget that the Vauxhall Heritage Centre will be hosting The V.B.O.A Open Day this Sunday 26th September 2010 from 10.00am. This is a free event with no formality and has traditionally brought out a fine selection of Vauxhall Opel and Bedford models to fill the Heritage Centre car park. The Heritage Collection will also be on display and refreshments will be available.

ANTIFREEZE

The following report is posted on the Cavalier & Chevette Club website courtesy of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, in whose journal this report first appeared. Club members are advised to read and take note before replacing the coolant in their Club cars for the winter season.

Technology moves forward and new products are constantly being launched with claims to improved formulations and performance. With the recent bitterly cold weather in January antifreeze has been in the headlines, with some alarming stories which at first seem to be about the well-known tendency of antifreeze to find the tiniest hole and cause leakages – but in these cases it has led to catastrophic engine problems.

Traditional blue ethylene glycol is a toxic but highly effective antifreeze and contains silicates as an inhibitor to help prevent corrosion in an engine with mixed metals in its make-up. Bluecol and Blue Star are well known brand names and both of these are declared suitable for ‘classic cars’ on their company websites. Be aware that there are also low- or no-silicate ethylene glycol formulations (usually red) available which may not be suitable for all engines.

Propylene glycol is another well-known and less toxic antifreeze formula and usually contains silicates but Comma, the main manufacturer, have now discontinued it in favour of an ethylene glycol product containing ‘bittering agents’ to make it less palatable and minimise the risk of accidental poisoning.

Both of the above products use inorganic additive technology (IAT). Recently problems have been reported concerning the use of antifreeze mixtures using organic acid technology (OAT). OAT was introduced in the mid-1990s and the products are biodegradable, recyclable and do not contain either silicates or phosphates and are designed to be longer lasting. However these products do seem to cause problems in older engines; over and above the ability of antifreeze to find the smallest crevice and leak, OAT antifreezes have been accused of destroying seals and gaskets and causing a great deal of damage in ‘old’ engines. For this reason the manufacturers do not recommend their use in historic vehicles. These products are usually coloured red, pink or orange.

The final category is HOAT. These products use hybrid organic acid technology in an ethylene glycol base with some silicates in the formulation alongside the organic corrosion inhibitors. The product is usually coloured green and are not recommended for use in historic vehicles.

The Federation are still researching this problem but our advice at the moment is:

Only use blue coloured IAT antifreeze in historic vehicles;

Only use OAT products (‘advanced’ or ‘long life’ antifreeze) if the vehicle used it when new and if specifically directed by the vehicle’s manufacturer;

Never mix different types of antifreeze without thoroughly flushing out the system;

Always replace the coolant within the time scale specified by the antifreeze manufacturer as the corrosion inhibitors break down over time.