Corsa-B.uk - Vauxhall, Opel and Holden Corsa B Owners Club

Hi!
Just bought a Corsa Club with the intention of modding it up to the hilt. Not sure where to start though....so much needs doing! Cosmetically the exterior is rough.....and gotta admit inside isn't too hot either. So......do I start under the bonnet......body......or inside the motor? It's had a really bad paint job down drivers side and cos it's a 2000 I reckon it's gonna need a full body re-spray. I'd like to put a combat 2 body kit on it too so I'd probably be best to do that before re-spray wouldn't I? I'm in Northern Ireland and I'd appreciate any recommendations for places to go to get work done. All advice is welcome really!
Thanks guys!

Well...you need the engine and drivetrain solid 1st. So make sure thats ok, but dont mod it...just want it running nice. This generally means a good service and should be good.

Next you look into tidying it up. Doesnt have to be a show car, just get rid of damage or rust. Get new panels to replace dented ones, and if you're gonna re-spray the it doesnt matter what colour.

Interior is simply keeping an eye out in scrappies for a 12v black interior and some sport seats.

Thats it! Just dont go re-spraying the car to make it look nice and then destroy the look with a silly kit!

Thanks Chrex! Great start! I was thinking of changing the engine though......a red top 2.0 turbo possibly from an astra or cavillier....or do you think this is a bit much?

It's not to much at all people have put much bigger engines in corsa's I saw one for sale the other month with a 3.0 V6 omega engine in.

Well i dont like the LET's in corsa's. They weigh a hell of a lot and if you look at the engine bay, there is absolutely no room in there to do anything! Even the c20xe is really too heavy. I think it just f**k the handling.

For the money you'd spend putting a LET in and running it (and keeping it running) you may as well get an x16xe and throttle body it!

Liking the sound of x16xe! Any ideas how much one from the breakers would be? Ideally no more than 50k miles.

I dunno. Maybe £200ish. You wanna get one out of a corsa sport...as late as possible. Dont know how your scrappies do things, but ones near us almost always have got one either in a car or 'on the shelf'.

Just have a goosie about and see what u can find.

hey with any project get the engine done first no use havin a good lookin car on ya drive! 2ltr red tops are a good conversion and aint that hard to do, but on 1.2 brakes you need a rear disc conversion too, there is an amazin company called noble motorsport thet set up my corsa after the conversion and throttle bodies, they were quick and efficient and quite cheap for the amount of work involved

no, you just up the fronts to 2.0 pieces. Discs on the back of a corsa are pointless as 90% of the braking is done at the front, and as theres no weight on the back, they will just sieze and cause problems. Its a pointless conversion considering the hassle of it. Get big brakes on the front and leave it at that!

Ok, I'll have to think about taking care of the brakes too. I've seen a 1.7 turbo engine for the Corsa. One problem though....it's diesel. Is it a big job putting a diesel engine into a petrol car and changing it all? Or should I just keep looking?

its not just the added efficiency i left drums on the back of mine and every time i braked cornerin quick it steppin my back end out, it also looks alot nicer than drums when you got alloys on!!

well you shouldnt be braking though corners...you brake before...and once you've turned in, you put the power down and dont come off until the car is settled on the exit!

Discs on the back are a bad idea...period. I personally dont care how they look. They arent worth the hassle are pointless and will seize up.

Just paint the drums with black hammerite and you're sorted.