Chapter One : From Purchase To First Show
She was doomed from the beginning! Not because she was coming into my ownership, but because she had lived the life most Zafira GSI's are destined for - performance on a budget!
Cheap parts, bad setup, poor maintenance and high millage, everything associated with 95% of Zafira GSI's still in existence. There's not a day goes by where a boost bus doesn't appear on Facebook marketplace for sub £1500 with a replacement turbo and well over 100,000 miles!
July 2016, the day she came home - upgrading from a 1.8 16v SRI
These were the very first pictures I saw of Dory - before she was even named - courtesy of the previous owner.
Little did I know the secrets the car was hiding and the issues that would arise within 500 miles of ownership - but it set me on the path to create what soon became an incredible car and not your average people carrier!
After owning a 1.8 16v Zafira SRI which I had also purchased standard and customised, I had a few bits ready to be swapped over to Dory. So it was time to hand the car over to MS Bodyworks at the LN Customs garage and que the music...
The excitement was short lived, as it wasn't long until she started showing issues which had been covered up for the sale of the vehicle, a nasty trick but something you hear of time and time again!
The oil was getting past the rings and into the head, it was time for a compression test and sadly a rather upsetting result - the rings were shot!
The previous owner was contacted, but - unsurprisingly - wasn't interested as he was probably feeling rather smug with his pocket full of cash and a problem off his hands!
When oil is where it shouldn't be,
that's always a bad sign!
Welcome to the #Z20Life...
...and so it began!
What followed next was another investment in the car as part of a 'get by' attitude - it wasn't until 2 years later I realised that was a poor choice - and the Zafira went under the spanner for a tripple bypass, engine, box and turbo from a Astra H 2.0T Z20LER. Effectively this was the same as the standard Z20LET engine used in the MK4/G platfrom which Vauxhall used up old stock putting it in the Astra H 2.0T before upgrading to the Z20LEH engine in the Astra and Zafira VXR.
Vauxcare Lincoln undertook the initial job of doing the engine swap, at the hands of Dave Baines project managing the build. Whilst the car was having the transplant I was able to source a few parts and get all the work done at the same time. The idea was to bring the car back, stronger and better than before. There is always a risk buying a second hand engine and I would pay for this further down the line, but for now the new heart was perfectly adequate for Dory and she was reborn and ready for a few last touches before heading to a show with LN Customs!
Some nice subtle touches like choosing a colour scheme, adding Astra VXR front brakes and a bit of bling started to set her off on the right path! The car also received some nice little upgrades including a new Intercooler, Hybrid Turbo, Fast Road Clutch, Englarged Top Hat and Dump Valve.
Finally! She was ready...
..but I wasn't taking any chances and before she was driven on the road I had her trailered to CC Tuning where she was properly setup, I was starting to learn lessons - the hard way - and didn't want to repeat any mistakes!
Making it official!
No car of mine would be complete without the L88FTY plate, purchased for my 21st Birthday by my parents I have lost count of how many cars this plate has been on - but if I have owned it and its been modified, it would have carried the prestigious plate at some time!
Dressing her up!
No car is show ready without setting it off properly, if it doesn't match I'm afraid I am not a fan! Mother always said I was pedantic!
A big thanks to Roose Motorsport for supplying all the performance silicone hoses for the build in their Ultimate Green. The next addition was to bring some gloss back into the bay, thanks to MS Bodyworks.
LN Customs at Trax Silverstone September 2016
All the hard work and investment paid off, with a lot of people going above and beyond to help bring her back to life and sort out all the finishing touches in time for Trax Show at Silvertone in 2016, representing Lincoln based car club LN Customs.
