I passed my test in 1978 on my Dad's yellow Magnum which was the coupe version of this. It looked gorgeous and with it's 1800 engine was great to drive. I remember loving the dash particularly, with the dials looking as if they came straight out of a 911. When dealerships all go bust within the next 3 years and modern cars go into limp mode with no one to fix them and no parts, cars of this era will be the only thing on the roads.
Worked in Vauxhall in Ireland. The HC viva was muck. Mainshaft in the gearbox went after about 30,000 miles. They burned oil and I had many engines out on the bench replacing piston rings after about 25.000 mls. There was a remarkable jump in the quality when they brought out the chevette with the opel / GM gearbox.
Yeh modern cars are a bit of a joke now .They are almost to the point where that Delorean was 35 years ago .Almost ,yet to figure out the time travelling part though
@bikegirl2 Totally agree to a point {I think America was using airbags in the 70s, my 80s Lotus had side impact protection} . An old school mechanic is usually has way more know how compared to someone round the age of 25 A lot of these cars on this channel come from a time when people were proud about what they drove ,and more people had hands on experience .You could say service work on this Vauxhall or any old car is more involved than a modern car Most people these days don't really give a dam about what they drive .You do dont even need money these days to buy a car new or used most 6 year and younger are on finance
It’s finding that balance between reliable transport long term and having a safe vehicle but have to say modern cars have gone a bit too far when some of them you have to turn your head away to a digital touch screen like an iPad on the dashboard to turn the heater up or down etc give me manual controls on the dashboard that I can use without looking at them anyday or at a glance
Car got to a point probably somewhere in the late 90s early 00 s where there was enough electronics silicone chip had taken over everything Most of the gadgets built into are irrelevant most don't use them and probably don't even know they are there.Comes a point where a 300 page manual and have to study that for an hr to change the radio station is a bit much You are not allowed to use your phone's whilst driving ,what's the difference from this to messing about with your overly complicated dashboard to turn on the Aircon
@bikegirl2 Well even today humans are still vulnerable, you cannot second guess the grim reaper (call it what you will) , physics, or how the numbers are going to add up, and every drive is still a gamble, despite humans being quite smug about the present technology over the past. When I was young,foolish and heavy on the gas pedal in my twin carb Hillman Imp around the countryside.I had a horrific crash, the front impact bowed the driver's door in the middle and the battery (missing clamp) had been thrown to the back of the engine. I was not wearing a seat belt and thought I had died as I had landed up in the dark under the glovebox . Anyway the lamented little car had taken the fall, I got out dusted myself down and walked up the road.
I have owned around 10 of these when I was about 23 - 25. The higher spec SL and GLS cars felt more refined and relaxed thanks to much better soundproofing, plus they felt just a bit more comfortable and special as they had much nicer seats (although I do agree the driving position is too low). I also massively preferred the horizontal speedo as it was more in-keeping with the style of the car, this one is one of the povvo-spec last of the line models designed for someone elderly who would otherwise have bought a Chrysler Hunter or Talbot Avenger! My favourite was a metallic blue 1974 N reg 4 door SL with huge fat black vinyl seats, I went all over the country in that car at a steady 65-70 mph without fuss, whereas my great uncle’s 1978 1300L (with the exact same interior as this one) always felt very noisy and strained above 60. Funny this one isn’t running right, they were always challenging to set up / tune as the valve clearances were supposed to be set hot with the engine running(!), the stromberg carbs were tamper-proof in later years and the distributor bearings wore out from lack of lubrication - meaning an accurate and steady points gap became impossible to achieve - as the little hole on the base plate you have to squirt oil into at every 3000 mile service was very well hidden and not mentioned in the manual! Therefore a proper electronic ignition kit that did away with points altogether was essential. The engines were in any case overstressed in such a heavy car with their 3 main bearing crank; they rarely lasted more than 70-80,000 miles, especially as the lubrication system was marginal due to the engine’s 60s design meaning it wasn’t intended for motorways - hence an oil cooler conversion was always a worthwhile upgrade to avoid the oil overheating & breaking down under very high temperatures and to increase the oil capacity (I recall it being a little under 4 litres!) and hence engine longevity. Overall, in 1300 form they were a bag of sh1te then and probably are now, however I have fond memories of them as a very cheap and distinctive classic car for a young person who needs cheap insurance, doesn’t mind the lack of pace, and want to learn how to wield spanners - I recall taking the engine out with my bare hands once - no crane needed! Final word - I once sold Richard Hammond a rather ropey early HC Firenza 1300 coupe via eBay (True story: I drove it up to James May at his house in Chiswick to drop it off once the money from the sale had cleared in my account as he couldn’t collect in-person) - This also had appalling axle wine amongst many, many other problems - he then spent about a year writing in his motoring column in the Mirror lamenting on what a terrible example it was and how he regretted that bottle of wine before bidding! Nonetheless he was determined to get it up to scratch and made strong progress for a long time - I don’t know if he ever finished it but it’s not been on the road since - DMA 458K where are you now? www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/car-reviews/thats-my-lot-622857
What I think is important to remember is that most cars were pretty much worn out by 80k back in the seventies and eighties. If rust hadn't finished it off then general wear and tear would mean it was more trouble than it's worth to keep it going. The average car was built to last ten years or 100k but more often than not it didn't make it to either. Regarding the viva ohv engines, I owned a late hc estate that reached 155k and only had the head off once. It was bought at two years old with 20k and as I did all the servicing I know this mileage to be correct. Regular oil changes were the key and not expecting it to perform like a sports car! It was slightly underpowered but have you ever tried a 1100 escort mk1/2? I knew a guy who bought a 1976 HA van brand new and clocked up nearly 200k on the original mechanics. It's all about looking after it properly. Many people mistook a bit of back pressure and condensation around the oil filler cap for a work out engine but in my experience they would carry on for years like it with no problems.
robert tucker - you are quite correct with regards to 80,000 miles being a lot for cars back then of course - I simply meant if you drove these cars at prolonged high speed with the standard lubrication system then you’d wear the engine out prematurely - however if you got over 150,000 miles on a viva 1256 engine then you must have treated it very very well indeed! Can you share some of your tips to keep a car of this era going that long? The Escort 1100 and the Viva 1256 were about on par for eagerness I always thought. The Escort 1300 by contrast (which of course is a fair comparison) was more eager and had more torque low down where you wanted it. I had a lot of fun in my 100 quid 1300XL 4 door before rust in the strut tops finally claimed it!
The bit I remember about that engine is Luton happily banging them out with the bore centres not matching the crank centres - with inevitable consequences.......... Meanwhile, expending huge amounts of effort trying to get all the components of that brown dash to colour match - each from a different supplier.......... My favourite Viva was the very late big valve 1800. That was a surprisingly interesting car........ The 2300 had just fractionally too much go for the chassis.....
All I ever did to keep the Viva going was oil change at 6k Castrol GTX and air filter. Usually at around 70k they used to breathe heavy and rather than keep the hose connected to the air filter box that would clog up the filter I just routed it down the side of the engine. The main problem was the Delco distributor bearing wear and the baseplate falling apart. But to be honest at around ten years unless the car had been garaged and very well cared for it would probably be worn out and heading for the breakers. But that would be the case with most cars of that era. I quite liked the 1256 engines but without doubt the best engine of that size around that time was the Datsun sunny 1200. I would be most surprised if any of those actually wore out. Mainly because the car would have been a pile of rust by six or seven years!
I had an SL90 when I was 17, your bang on about the puny performance, it should've had a calendar instead of a speedo. Other than the performance (or lack of) I really liked the car so I soon replaced it with a 2300 magnum which looking back also lacked performance for a car with that size motor but there's definitely something about those cars!
My mate Glenn and I (at 15) weren't partaking in any 'Sports Day' activities so we beaked off and took his Mum's Viva out for a spin around the Estate and managed to plough it into his neighbour's wall. It disintegrated and I remember the battery falling out, but we managed to push it up the kerb, in gear. He phoned his Dad and I was sent home sharpish when the father came home from work, raging. That was... 1986 and she loved that car. Memories. I don't think I could ever look her in the face after that...
That one is lavishly equipped compared to the 1974 model which was my first car: no internal bonnet release, no heated rear window, no cigar lighter, no brake servo, no front discs, no radial tyres, no inertia reel seat belts...but with the same colour combination. I remember that distinctive Viva whine well.
Oh hubnut, I loved this - you see very few HC’s and I know why they really were not that good. But this was the last car my dad bought a 74 example on an N plate, 1256 SL metallic blue. It was the family holiday car and was not used very much, that model had the horizontal speedo rather than the almost aftermarket looking later circular one. My mum traded it for a metro in 82, I don’t think the viva ever managed more than 80 mph it was dog slow and badly underpowered when loaded up for summer hols in Scarborough. Ah the memories. Thanks for this.
No it would not have appreciated a lot of luggage I think. I think it needed the 1800 lump in it really but economy figures were not readily published for these i suspect for reason.
@stray dog7 The LC-LJ Torana was basically a modified HB Viva. They stretched the nose and extended the wheelbase to fit the Holden red six in it. The LJ Torana XU-1 had a 3.3l version with triple Stromberg carburettors, producing over 200 hp! I worked in a carpark in the late 70s and you could hear a Torana miles off. I don't know what GM did wrong with the steering, but at high angles of lock the tyres would squeal on the concrete floor. I nearly bought a Torana 6 in the early 80s, but after a test drive chose a Datsun 180B instead.
Ah memories, I had a HC Viva (DXE 762N) around 1983 when I worked in Luton. I seem to remember that it had a horizontal speedo. It definitely had plenty of rust...
I enjoyed that. I remember by dad buying the Viva estate in 1971 or 72. same engine as in the test. It took us camping and caravanning all around Europe. I seem to recall the windscreen washer was activated by a manual pump, none of this fandangled electrical tomfoolery!
Loving the Jamaica 🇯🇲 yellow and the painted metal work inside the cabin. I remember Vauxhall carried on making the Bedford van which was a version of the HA Viva into the 1980s British Telecom had loads of them.
I bought an early one of these back in the late 80's J Reg. 1100cc poverty version with single speed wipers etc. Got it from a neighbour whose husband had died years earlier and it had just been sitting in the garage. It was absolutely spotless inside and out. Clutch was stuck, but I dropped the gearbox at 11pm one night and fixed that. Then just a fluids change and it sailed through the MOT. Drove it up from Dorset to Shropshire and the rad sprung a leak on the M5. I am now acquainted with every services, garage and water point on the route! Got a new rad within a couple of hours of getting up there and my Dad ran it for a few years until he retired, then scrapped it. He was upset to see it back on the road a few weeks later. The scrappy's son had rescued it!
My first car was a red ‘L’ reg Viva complete with horizontal speedo and broken driver’s seat frame. Contrary to some other commenters, the bodywork was pretty solid for a 12 year old car, but the mechanicals were a bit fragile - the top of the oil pump drive used to break, and since this drove the distributor too, the ignition timing would go to pot. Then, the timing chain tensioner fell off and wedged itself between the chain and sprocket, locking the engine solid. The clutch exploding was my own silly fault after I wondered what would happen if I changed into first at 60 mph ...
Great review. I had a Jamaica yellow HC in 1980. Used to park it over the gutter to swap gearboxes. Half inch spanner and a flat screwdriver were all you needed to strip it down. Swapped engine for a Chevette 1256 and it felt like a dragster!
My dad used to have an HC Viva, I was around 3 years old at the time so memories of it are just little patchy images of it here and there in my head, the biggest one being the unique tail lights, I still love how slim they are compared to other cars of the time... :) I do remember it having an aftermarket gearknob though, a red thing that looked like a glass ornament...
My dad had an earlier version with the landscape speedo. He hated it as it broke down constantly. It finally gave up the ghost and voluntarily immolated itself one morning on the driveway of our house.
We had one in the 70s - the worst car we ever owned. Clutch failed twice once stuck in reverse gear leaving us stranded in Leeds and once stuck in third gear on a journey from Blackpool. In a word it was absolute shit. It was traded in for a MK3 Cortina 1.6 which was an entirely better car in every respect
I like the old Viva/chevette characteristic whine, I remember that very well from my childhood days of riding in the back of one. I remember being in said Viva when it broke down in the middle of nowhere and we had to go back home on the bus! My Dads friend had a fair few issues with his, he was always tinkering with it! 🙄
Hard to believe this was new in the same year that my uncle had a new Fiat Strada. That seemed like a spaceship at the time! But that headlamp access - changing the bulb on even my motorbike is a massive pain now!
My mother worked for a GM firm & sold these cars new in the 70's & 80's in New Zealand. As a family during my childhood / adolescent we had half a dozen of them, Vivas, Magnums & Chevette. Greeting from New Zealand. BTW my paternal GP were scouses.😎👌👍
Good God! My first car was a '74 Orchid Red (Pink!) 4 door 1256 Viva purchased from my neighbour's for $850 with 80,000km on the clock in '91. The car I learnt to drive in, be naughty in and hone my driving skills (lets face it - wayward handling with cross ply tyres and power assisted nothing wasn't going to challenge more contemporary motors) but it does hold something special in my memories. And what more could you want to hold for prosperity?
About 30 years ago in New Zealand I bought a Viva for $80. Olive green, non running (just needed fresh petrol and a tune). It was one of my fave cars I've ever owned, 100 percent reliable, even when I drove it at valve bounce all the time. I recall seeing 70MPH on the long strip speedo a few times...that was at 38,000RPM and 190 dB. It gave me years of faithful service, and I dumped it when rust became an issue, NZ law is very strict on rust for roadworthiness. I long for one nowadays, so basic, just a car with nothing electric, no damned sensors to play up..just a raw, noisy mechanical box to drive. Have a soft spot for these old girls, and yep I often used to think they looked a little like a late 60's Chevy Impala which was shrunk in the wash. Really lovely to see this beautiful one, thank you!
Brings back memories!!! My first car was a yellow 2 door 1977 viva 1300l , given to me by my late uncle. Never failed to start, even on cold mornings. Obviously my street cred went out the window driving a yellow car, but it got me and my mates many places. motorway driving even then wasn't the best due to the noise of the engine, 70 in it and you thought you were nearly ready to take off!! But ran it for just over a year, no major problems, my dad used to service it easily as it was that simple to work on. Not an ecu in sight!!! Happy simplier times!!! This video brings it all back, where did 30 years go 🤦♂️🤦♂️😭😭
I was excited when this showed up in my feed. In 1970 my dad brought home a slightly used 1968 Viva. Unusually, It was actually badged as a Vauxhall Viva even though in Canada GM sold most of these cars under the Envoy Epic moniker. Based on our family's experience, I was all ready with some snarky comment, but let's be kind and simply say that it was not ideally suited to Canadian conditions. Having this past week-end struggled to replace a burned bulb in my daughter's Hyundai, your under hood sequence showed me how much easier and struggle-free that same operation would have been in dad's old Viva, even allowing for the obvious differences between the different versions.
Mine was LLG609T no idea why, but it was taken off road / scrapped a few months after i sold it in 91. it was a minter, had nearlly full mot at the time
This little machine was arew up I. gamechanger for me. I grew up in a small and rather isolated coastal town in the North Island of New Zealand. We had no car in our family. I left school and went to work, saving up while paying Mom board until I could afford to buy an apple green 1972 station wagon with a 47bhp 1159cc engine and drum brakes. By May of 1979 I learned to drive and got my licence in it. From then on I took my family on long trips, including one epic trip in 1980 up to Cape Reinga (as far north as the road will go here), went to a larger town for supermarket shopping and in winter loaded the cargo area and a small trailer with firewood. Yeah, its a boringly slow, quasi-American, basic whungey little pop toaster that drives like an ox cart, but to me it has a place in history. Thanks Ian for the video. You've brought back so many visual and aural memories. Very much appreciated.
You brought me back to my youth, I bought one of those 1256 Vauxhalls as an 18 y.o in 1983 in NZ. They were a 60's car dressed up a bit more than the hb. Such a simple platform, achieving 45 mpg. Even the 1980 chevette had only small improvements, mainly in breather ventilation around that unusual air cleaner, some had modified fuel lines. Thanks for your video, also your aerial shot of NZ breakers yard in the North Island. 😎👌👍
I remember Mom at age 60 buying a Vauxhall Viva and learning to drive.The car moved along smartly when going downhill! Otherwise not enough power to get out of its own way! CHEERS from Westcoast Canada!
Had an 1800 'Magnum' and quite liked that when it ran, but the Strombergs were hopeless!.....The 1256cc Viva was at best described as gutless!!.....Noticed the Cavalier 1800 CD at the end of the video, I had one of those too now that was nice and mine was loaded with brown velour!....mmmmm
I had one of the early ones, on a J plate. In SL form so it had twin carburettor. But smaller engine. I think it was 1150 odd cc. I seemed to remember I loved it. And I remember putting in halogen headlight bulbs in and thought it was the cats whiskers. I also seemed to remember the choke issues... not a great car really, but for a 19 yr old at the time, it was my pride and joy...
My dad owned a couple of old vauxhalls a very long time ago. Both of them dissolved in front of his eyes. I notice the Viva name is being used again. I Currently have a vauxhall which is surprisingly comfortable and even quite nice to drive. Although I am changing in June if my New car gets delivered on time. A Hub Nut Key Ring would be good. Any possibility. Bet you would sell loads
Bloody brilliant idea re. the HubNut Keyrings! Yellow HubNut letters on a maroon background like on the HubNut pop-up avatar. I would buy 2, they would look great along with the original dealership keyrings for both my classic Hondas (1984 Civic CRX and 2008 S2000).
My uncle bought one of these as S 1250 GLS reg and my Dad bought the same year an Alpine S. On the road the Alpine with its 1442 engine left it for dead. But where the Viva won was in its ability to rust (which against an early Alpine is an achievement) having holes in its wings within 3 years.
"Stromberg down draft carburettors" were the accent downfall of Alexi Sayle when he played the Sultan of Hatay in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. He said the term in complete Scouse.
My first car is s 1981 Chevette with the same 1256cc engine. I keep getting cooling problems which I had to get the water pump, radiator & hoses replaced. When emissions test was introduced as part of the MOT, I have to get it lowered to 2.5% as it nearly failed, it was close to 4.5% as the fuel mixture is too high. Since then, the engine run much better, 2.5% (CO) is the lowest you can set to.
Look at that! They put a bench under the bonnet for you to sit on while fixing it. How thoughtful is that? You don't get that with your German Opel Vauxhalls.
We were Vauxhall dealers in the 1970's and the Viva was outdated then. The reality was that it sold in very small numbers after the introduction of the Chevette in 1975. For every Viva we sold 20 Chevettes . The customers for the Viva tended to be on the elderly side.
Had an "L" reg Viva many years ago - didn't like cold mornings at first,but once the engine was hot,she ran sweet as a nut,loved the small engine in a huge engine bay,everything was easy to reach,did my own servicing back then,and using the "rule of nine" kept the valve clearances correct - and silent,people often remarked that the car sounded rather quiet,mine had the horizontal speedo and "organ" type accelerator pedal - sent her to the scrapyard when the big ends started grumbling - with 96,000 miles on the clock! I then went on to purchase a Vauxhall Chevette,and from my experience of the Viva,continued to do my own engine servicing - only the carburretor and airfilter seemed to have changed - had to top up the carb with oil periodically as I remember - great video,thankyou.
The HC always looked like it was in tiptoes. The HB was better and was considered the ideal car for social aspirants such as Mr and Mrs Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris to own.
Not surprising. The Viva and the LJ are distant cousins. The first Torana was pretty much a rebadged Viva. Be interesting to know Hubnut's impressions of a Bathurst GTR XU1.
I learnt to drive in various Viva HCs (with the Ealing School of Motoring). The styling seemed more up to date than the HB. All except one drove well (annoyingly that was the one I took my test in). I liked the direct gearchange in particular, but as I had only ever driven two other types of car (one only briefly) I wasn't really in a position to judge. Still, I got my licence at the first attempt so I remember the Viva HC very fondly. Great series of videos. I'd love to see the Hillman Minx (IIIc for preference) get the HubNut treatment.
Great review with Hubnut struggling throughout to be polite and constructive. Perhaps I can summarize: - crap ride - crap ergonomics - horrible engine - bland styling - noisy rear axle - harsh clutch. - poor steering Apart from those few minor drawbacks, very nice. The character indicator noise makes up for the above list.
Those old Vauxhall ohv engines also suffered badly with excessive piston skirt clearance allowing that ‘piston slap’ noise. So that with valve noise made for a rather mechanically noisy motor, but that personally doesn’t bother me at all as it makes for some great memories of my mum’s HB!
My Dad had one of these in Cedar Green with a vinyl roof in the mid/late 70's, it was his first proper car after graduating from his Reliant Regal having passed his full driving test.
I had a 2.3Ltr Magnum when I lived in New Zealand it went like a Rocket compared to the Standard Viva. I gave it away when I came back to uk..wish I still had it probably be worth a few Bob.
Fond memories of the Vauxhall Viva as one was the first car my family ever owned which I, a child at the time, did not have to push start a lot of the time for my dad. Still needed a push very occasionally but by then I was a good little car pusher and the occasional push seemed like a blessing compared to what had gone (not _gone_ ) before. Previous family dead weights were an Austin Cambridge, a Ford Anglia and an MG 1100: now I'm not saying those models were bad, just the ones we had though my dad's car maintenance was not the best and we even managed to run out of petrol a few times. Loving your videos, thanks.
I do miss these bright colours on cars. Nice to see they're slowing making a comeback. The boring white, black, silver and red if it's a sports car that's been the only option on cars for the last 20 years is really getting old now.
A trip down memory lane for me as my dad's HC Viva was the first car I ever driven at age 17. It was a bertie basic car, two door, pale blue, full black vinyl seats & a full rubber mat floor covering. No such luxury as a carpet! It had the horizontal speedometer rather than the round dials. TTE 514L was the reg. This was later replaced by a Mk1 Cavalier 1600L, (GHG 230S) & the Cavalier was such a leap forward in every way.
Loved my 75 viva HC in silver. It was my second car ever keep it for 5 years Went through 2 engines and 2 rear axles. Dash was different to your test on I had the long rectangular one. This brought back some happy memories.
There's a lot to be said for fuel injection, don't you think? Anyway, you said you didn't think this generation of Viva moved the game on enough - what about the transition from the cavalier mk3 to the vectra?
Wow, I've not seen one of these for decades!!! My mum used to drive my brothers and me around in one of these when we were young. Ours was a beautiful (not!) shade of very dark brown, and all the vinyl interior had split and cracked due to being unable to handle the staggeringly high temperatures we suffer in Britain!!!
my dad had a ha viva , then a hc like this one ,k reg 73,1300cc ,metalic blue, black vinyl roof ,rostyle wheels, we use to tow a camping trailer to cornwall from suffolk with 5 of us in the car! it use to take about 8 hrs and some of the hills we'd be down to 2nd gear lol. i loved them days as a kid. we had it for 7 years before the engine wore out then he treated himself to a 78 magnum 1800, sporty looking with its twin headlights and all the sport dials on the dash and pretty fast too, it would see off 100 mph. great times, great cars all with there own look and character .
I enjoyed that, despite you not liking the car. In it's defence I would say that it is a lot of fun to drive. I have had 2...my first ever car ...a 1973 HC Deluxe which I got in 1974, and a 1977 1300 GLS which I bought in 1998 (which I still have). The latter car has the same carb etc as the one you drove, but I've never had any problem with it. I've been on many road trips with it in the last 21 years and it has always performed superbly. In 2003 my mate and I went to the centenary VBOA rally in Billing which was 475 miles from where I lived, so 950 miles there and back. It was a very hot July that weekend (29C) and the HC got us down and up on the motorway with no problems (The secret is to realise that 60 MPH is the comfortable speed). Anyhow, each to their own, and keep making the videos :) Cheers, John
My parents had a new HB viva in 1968 and we drove all the way to San Remo, northern Italy for our summer holiday, we couldn't afford the French tolls so took the toll free. 50 mph all the way! Some years later I bought two HB vivas and swapped the engine and gearbox over as a complete unit. You could do the swop in about two hours with just a mini hoist from the DIY hire shop, simple to work on as were the ford cars of the time. No crazy computers to tell you what you can and can't do! Good old cars, would probably have lasted a lot longer with fully synthetic oil.
Drove one all around the Alps packed to the gunnels with three people and loads of climbing/camping gear ... no problems. Same with a Marina van, mini van, etc ...they just kept running. Only total breakdown was on a newish Vivaro van.
I had a 72 model and it was not a great car especially that clutch that you mention. Not that reliable and I think I went through three clutch cables all of which snapped rather too quickly.
I passed my test in one of these Vivas hc, thay were there were a car of their time and I must say to a extent they were better built than the main opposition which was the escort you could expect to get 10 years plus out of your viva HC which was good for the time A lot of Vauxhalls at that time were underpowered you could get a bigger engine but it was a slant four engine which was Half a American V8 and were horrible
In August 1976, we went as a family of 6 (and a Jack Russell) on holiday from Sussex to Cornwall in a 1.3 Viva of this sunny shade- we did have 4 doors. All good fun although a couple of us had to get out so it would go up the slope to the farm where we were staying. My dad had several company Vivas, the worst problem seemed to be wet weather starting!
I really should stop watching these videos - my mind has been poluted by the HubNut ethos and I've purchased a HubNut spec Volvo 340 (1.4DL) to get my fix of old-tech pram springs and keep fit windows, I've even grown a beard so I was allowed to buy the Volvo! There is no hope!
My Dad had an F-reg 1.4 base spec 340 in 1989 after the DL denomination had been deleted, Very comfortable seats and lovely headlight wiper action!!! Beware of hot starting issues though!!!
@@kevinsmith6269 I'm glad to report that the headlight wipers are present and correct although the current blades are a little crusty so would benefit from some replacements from this century. The hot start issues I think are caused by evaporation which in theory should be helped by the addition of an electric fuel pump by the previous owner which primes the carb before the mechinical pump takes over.
@@MrWilfAdventures Yes it was caused by evaporation mate. the carb is too close too the hot engine block and the fuel just evaporates. Electric fuel pump sounds like a good solution so hopefully you won't have any problems. We didn't have such technology, just had a cup of tea and waited for her to cool down. Can still remember the plate F932 PFP. Otherwise a very solid reliable, lovely car mate :) Glad to hear the headlight wipers are present and correct. Lovely car, we had many family holidays to wales in ours ect :) Dad bought it new in 1989 and kept it until 1998 when he part exchanged it for a Renault Megane, but always wish he'd kept the 340!!!
Early 70's I had a mk2 Cortina and lusted after my mate's (dad's) Viva. It was so modern compared to the Cortina. Then his dad got a Magnum (1800cc) in a metallic gold colour called Champagne! Imagine cruising around in a Champagne Magnum - Vauxhall did have a sense of humour!
They were a good looking car.. it’s a pity General Motors got their hands on vauxhall. In my mind General Motors destroyed every brand they took over, look at Saab a once highly respected car manufacturer,
I believe GM owned Vauxhall for many years up until recently. A shame they sold off Saab, as they were great Swedish vehicles, unlike the Chinese Volvo, which are now Hideously fugly. It is unfortunate that GM only answered to Stockholders, and declared bankruptcy. Now they want to stop production of vehicles in order to sell trucks, which have surpassed cars in sales. Must say most Americans are living brain donors who will always practice mental abstinence. Even globally people are buying SUV's, Horrendous.
GM never made a good European car they are more suited to the USA were they drive gas guzzling land yachts with no emphasis put into handling or proper engineering, the only proper GM engine in a vauxhall was the astra gte 16V which cosworth built for them
Hubnut I have to disagree vauxhall always played second fiddle to ford and VW especially in the hot hatch days of the 80,s and 90,s the astra gte 16V was a great looking car and had a brilliant engine but it couldn’t put the power down as did the calibra another great looking car but couldn’t handle what so ever
Had an HB and an HC. If you set up the carb properly they ran fine and were quite quick. The Zenith downdraft carb was the most tuneable one I worked on. What you’re missing here is the fact that the Viva has far fewer MoT failing body issues than the Escorts of the same period. If the front wings on an Escort rotted through, the suspension struts poked into the engine bay! Any rust on the inside of the wheel arch was an MoT failure! The Vivas had no such issues. They did not rot as much, but even if they did, it didn’t matter, the suspension layout was totally different. When a mate borrowed my HC (and I took a girlfriend out on his Honda CB900) and blew up the engine, I put the engine out of my old HB in it, and ran that for years. Plus, everything was easy to work on. A great car.
The Viva stuck out back in the very late '70s as being terrible, and that was to a very young child back then! Someone drives one near me now, and I still have no love for them 40 years later.
I owned an HC Viva back in the early eighties - a 1971 1159cc 2 door in sky blue. I never felt it was bouncy, I loved the sporty driving position and had no problem with the gear lever. My only complaint was a single speed wiper which was not great in anything other than light rain. It always started first time and only let me down once when the clutch slave cylinder gave up on approach to a roundabout in Maidenhead. Oh, and no rust anywhere.
I had a gold HC in the early 1970s .New. Kept It for a few years . Did about 40k miles . Didn’t loose much money in depreciation when I sold it. Only issue was cold starting . I kept a blow torch in the boot to dry the points etc . Worked great . Handing was ok for its time . My pal ,in a 1.3 Escort, could not pull away from me on the way back from the pub ! I moved onto a Chevette after that and it was so much better . Quiet and refined plus it handled really well. My dad had a 316 BMW and my Chevette was far far better round the bends. Happy days.
I remember the Shove-It was under-geared as well. The Avenger was also getting long in the tooth by the late 70s but was probably better in most respects. They also suffered from differential noise, but would cruise at 80 mph all day.
I owned a Vauxhall victor 101 which was like a bigger version of the viva , and it was very smooth and comfortable for the time, think it was about 1972 I had it but it was a 1965 version two tone grey body with a white roof three speed gear box which was column change, think it had a 1500 cc engine. Happy days I bought it from a mate I worked with on the railway who was a signalman. I paid £200 which was quite a lot of money then.
Back in the day I had a white HC. I used to have exactly the same problem of it being very hesitant when accelerating. The obvious cause would have been a hole in the carb diaphram or no oil in the dashpot but I checked them and they were OK. I just used to pull the choke out when I accelerated and it worked a treat!!
Love the video My first car was a3 year old viva HC LJC777R, identical to the one you drove except for a black vinyl roof and black interior.. Lovely handling but a bit underpowered, biggest problems were the brake pads were a bit small if you drove hard as they were the same as the MG midget and the rubber diaphragm in the Strindberg would stretch and eventually tear leading to bad running and very excessive fuel consumption. Final problem and a small correction, the gear change went into an extension tube out of the rear of the gearbox rather than straight into the top of the box like the earlier vivas, the tube was secured by a single grub screw and If you were like me and drove enthusiastically to compensate for the lack of power, it was very easy to cause the hole in the tube to wear and end up with a lot of side to side movement only limited by the size of the hole in the floor pan, I ended up changing the box about three times whilst I had it which meant I got real good at fast box changes 😄
I absolutely love this channel. My dad drove a Viva ('71-'73) and an Allegro ('77-'79). I have a fondness for both cars, and totally agree that Allegro is unfairly maligned. I do think the Viva in this video looks amazing. I love the Jamaica yellow and those US-influenced contours. The interior is very elegant as well. I totally get that it's not the greatest driver, though. Wonderful commentary, as always.
Your channel is full of all the cars of my childhood. All lovely memories of my dad taking us as kids to Skegness for our holidays. All the cars I’ve always dreamed of driving but never have. I think one day I’ll do a paintings of all my favourites together.
I had 2 hc vivas, the one I had this colour you could see the road through the floor! Those inner wings now look terrifying , no crumple zones, any impact and shock transmitted to cabin. Scary.
I've never been a Vauxhall person, but I do have fond memories of my Dad's HC Viva Estate 1.1 when I was about 12 years old. But OMG it was slow, he tried to overtake on a hill and had to pull out of it as it didn't have the guts. Took us all the way to Devon on holiday every year, and it was built like a tank.
Back in 1999, I graduated High School. Since I was a budding mechanic and my auto shop teacher loved me, he gave me the choice of a 1968 Chrysler New Yorker (2 door hardtop!) or a 1971 Vauxhall Viva GT! (very rare Canadian edition with the 4 round headlights). I took the New Yorker because I'd gotten it running. The Viva didn't run and it's engine was half apart. Looking back on how rare the Viva GT is, I wish I'd have chosen it instead. But, the New Yorker was still an amazing car for a 17-year old kid. People today still reminisce about me and that car!
Thanks for this - had a used one as my very first car. It was a '73 1300 Deluxe 4dr bought in late '76. Not the smoothest, most refined or reliable of cars but I still remember it fondly as it allowed me personal mobility. Performance was modest (a criteria set by my parents and insurers) but it had better than average handling for its day and a stubby little gear lever that encouraged cog swapping (which it needed to maintain any rate of progress). The first HCs had sparse equipment levels that got better as the model years went by owing to competition from the Japanese and domestic rivals - carpeting, power front discs and rear demister for '73, better seats and electric screen washers for '74, fabric seats for '75 and so on. The HC was not a totally new model but a heavily revised HB, re-using its floor pan and drivetrain but with some jiggling of its bulkheads allowing it slightly more cabin space and refettled suspension to quell the HB's overly lively ride. The Chevette felt a lot more refined because Vauxhall came up with carefully tuned engine mounts and Wayne Cherry's droop snoot styling made it more aerodynamic as compared to the bluff fronted HC, allowing it to better the ageing Viva for performance and fuel economy. It was, however, less roomy inside.
I passed my test in 1978 on my Dad's yellow Magnum which was the coupe version of this. It looked gorgeous and with it's 1800 engine was great to drive. I remember loving the dash particularly, with the dials looking as if they came straight out of a 911.
When dealerships all go bust within the next 3 years and modern cars go into limp mode with no one to fix them and no parts, cars of this era will be the only thing on the roads.
Worked in Vauxhall in Ireland. The HC viva was muck. Mainshaft in the gearbox went after about 30,000 miles. They burned oil and I had many engines out on the bench replacing piston rings after about 25.000 mls. There was a remarkable jump in the quality when they brought out the chevette with the opel / GM gearbox.
As an American, I love hearing your description of these vehicles with the British slang. Thanks so much....lots of fun.
I could fall asleep to that indicator noise. It bring back memories of many a late night family journey. Simpler times!
Definitely a lot of memories in that sound. I recall my Grandmother’s 1981 (US) Ford Fairmont having nearly the same noise.
I’m sure it feels archaic but I really like the design and look of the car....something very warm about 70s cars, obviously it’s an age thing I guess.
Not a engine management sensor anywhere , easy to work on mechanicals , unburnt petrol fumes out the exhaust ,i miss them days .
Yeh modern cars are a bit of a joke now .They are almost to the point where that Delorean was 35 years ago .Almost ,yet to figure out the time travelling part though
@bikegirl2 Totally agree to a point {I think America was using airbags in the 70s, my 80s Lotus had side impact protection} . An old school mechanic is usually has way more know how compared to someone round the age of 25
A lot of these cars on this channel come from a time when people were proud about what they drove ,and more people had hands on experience .You could say service work on this Vauxhall or any old car is more involved than a modern car
Most people these days don't really give a dam about what they drive .You do dont even need money these days to buy a car new or used most 6 year and younger are on finance
It’s finding that balance between reliable transport long term and having a safe vehicle but have to say modern cars have gone a bit too far when some of them you have to turn your head away to a digital touch screen like an iPad on the dashboard to turn the heater up or down etc give me manual controls on the dashboard that I can use without looking at them anyday or at a glance
Car got to a point probably somewhere in the late 90s early 00 s where there was enough electronics silicone chip had taken over everything
Most of the gadgets built into are irrelevant most don't use them and probably don't even know they are there.Comes a point where a 300 page manual and have to study that for an hr to change the radio station is a bit much
You are not allowed to use your phone's whilst driving ,what's the difference from this to messing about with your overly complicated dashboard to turn on the Aircon
@bikegirl2 Well even today humans are still vulnerable, you cannot second guess the grim reaper (call it what you will) , physics, or how the numbers are going to add up, and every drive is still a gamble, despite humans being quite smug about the present technology over the past. When I was young,foolish and heavy on the gas pedal in my twin carb Hillman Imp around the countryside.I had a horrific crash, the front impact bowed the driver's door in the middle and the battery (missing clamp) had been thrown to the back of the engine. I was not wearing a seat belt and thought I had died as I had landed up in the dark under the glovebox . Anyway the lamented little car had taken the fall, I got out dusted myself down and walked up the road.
I have owned around 10 of these when I was about 23 - 25. The higher spec SL and GLS cars felt more refined and relaxed thanks to much better soundproofing, plus they felt just a bit more comfortable and special as they had much nicer seats (although I do agree the driving position is too low). I also massively preferred the horizontal speedo as it was more in-keeping with the style of the car, this one is one of the povvo-spec last of the line models designed for someone elderly who would otherwise have bought a Chrysler Hunter or Talbot Avenger! My favourite was a metallic blue 1974 N reg 4 door SL with huge fat black vinyl seats, I went all over the country in that car at a steady 65-70 mph without fuss, whereas my great uncle’s 1978 1300L (with the exact same interior as this one) always felt very noisy and strained above 60.
Funny this one isn’t running right, they were always challenging to set up / tune as the valve clearances were supposed to be set hot with the engine running(!), the stromberg carbs were tamper-proof in later years and the distributor bearings wore out from lack of lubrication - meaning an accurate and steady points gap became impossible to achieve - as the little hole on the base plate you have to squirt oil into at every 3000 mile service was very well hidden and not mentioned in the manual! Therefore a proper electronic ignition kit that did away with points altogether was essential.
The engines were in any case overstressed in such a heavy car with their 3 main bearing crank; they rarely lasted more than 70-80,000 miles, especially as the lubrication system was marginal due to the engine’s 60s design meaning it wasn’t intended for motorways - hence an oil cooler conversion was always a worthwhile upgrade to avoid the oil overheating & breaking down under very high temperatures and to increase the oil capacity (I recall it being a little under 4 litres!) and hence engine longevity.
Overall, in 1300 form they were a bag of sh1te then and probably are now, however I have fond memories of them as a very cheap and distinctive classic car for a young person who needs cheap insurance, doesn’t mind the lack of pace, and want to learn how to wield spanners - I recall taking the engine out with my bare hands once - no crane needed!
Final word - I once sold Richard Hammond a rather ropey early HC Firenza 1300 coupe via eBay (True story: I drove it up to James May at his house in Chiswick to drop it off once the money from the sale had cleared in my account as he couldn’t collect in-person) - This also had appalling axle wine amongst many, many other problems - he then spent about a year writing in his motoring column in the Mirror lamenting on what a terrible example it was and how he regretted that bottle of wine before bidding! Nonetheless he was determined to get it up to scratch and made strong progress for a long time - I don’t know if he ever finished it but it’s not been on the road since - DMA 458K where are you now?
www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/car-reviews/thats-my-lot-622857
What I think is important to remember is that most cars were pretty much worn out by 80k back in the seventies and eighties. If rust hadn't finished it off then general wear and tear would mean it was more trouble than it's worth to keep it going. The average car was built to last ten years or 100k but more often than not it didn't make it to either. Regarding the viva ohv engines, I owned a late hc estate that reached 155k and only had the head off once. It was bought at two years old with 20k and as I did all the servicing I know this mileage to be correct. Regular oil changes were the key and not expecting it to perform like a sports car! It was slightly underpowered but have you ever tried a 1100 escort mk1/2? I knew a guy who bought a 1976 HA van brand new and clocked up nearly 200k on the original mechanics. It's all about looking after it properly. Many people mistook a bit of back pressure and condensation around the oil filler cap for a work out engine but in my experience they would carry on for years like it with no problems.
robert tucker - you are quite correct with regards to 80,000 miles being a lot for cars back then of course - I simply meant if you drove these cars at prolonged high speed with the standard lubrication system then you’d wear the engine out prematurely - however if you got over 150,000 miles on a viva 1256 engine then you must have treated it very very well indeed! Can you share some of your tips to keep a car of this era going that long?
The Escort 1100 and the Viva 1256 were about on par for eagerness I always thought. The Escort 1300 by contrast (which of course is a fair comparison) was more eager and had more torque low down where you wanted it. I had a lot of fun in my 100 quid 1300XL 4 door before rust in the strut tops finally claimed it!
The bit I remember about that engine is Luton happily banging them out with the bore centres not matching the crank centres - with inevitable consequences.......... Meanwhile, expending huge amounts of effort trying to get all the components of that brown dash to colour match - each from a different supplier..........
My favourite Viva was the very late big valve 1800. That was a surprisingly interesting car........ The 2300 had just fractionally too much go for the chassis.....
All I ever did to keep the Viva going was oil change at 6k Castrol GTX and air filter. Usually at around 70k they used to breathe heavy and rather than keep the hose connected to the air filter box that would clog up the filter I just routed it down the side of the engine. The main problem was the Delco distributor bearing wear and the baseplate falling apart. But to be honest at around ten years unless the car had been garaged and very well cared for it would probably be worn out and heading for the breakers. But that would be the case with most cars of that era. I quite liked the 1256 engines but without doubt the best engine of that size around that time was the Datsun sunny 1200. I would be most surprised if any of those actually wore out. Mainly because the car would have been a pile of rust by six or seven years!
I had an SL90 when I was 17, your bang on about the puny performance, it should've had a calendar instead of a speedo. Other than the performance (or lack of) I really liked the car so I soon replaced it with a 2300 magnum which looking back also lacked performance for a car with that size motor but there's definitely something about those cars!
My mate Glenn and I (at 15) weren't partaking in any 'Sports Day' activities so we beaked off and took his Mum's Viva out for a spin around the Estate and managed to plough it into his neighbour's wall. It disintegrated and I remember the battery falling out, but we managed to push it up the kerb, in gear. He phoned his Dad and I was sent home sharpish when the father came home from work, raging. That was... 1986 and she loved that car. Memories. I don't think I could ever look her in the face after that...
That one is lavishly equipped compared to the 1974 model which was my first car: no internal bonnet release, no heated rear window, no cigar lighter, no brake servo, no front discs, no radial tyres, no inertia reel seat belts...but with the same colour combination. I remember that distinctive Viva whine well.
Glass windows though.
Oh hubnut, I loved this - you see very few HC’s and I know why they really were not that good. But this was the last car my dad bought a 74 example on an N plate, 1256 SL metallic blue. It was the family holiday car and was not used very much, that model had the horizontal speedo rather than the almost aftermarket looking later circular one. My mum traded it for a metro in 82, I don’t think the viva ever managed more than 80 mph it was dog slow and badly underpowered when loaded up for summer hols in Scarborough. Ah the memories. Thanks for this.
No it would not have appreciated a lot of luggage I think.
I think it needed the 1800 lump in it really but economy figures were not readily published for these i suspect for reason.
I had a 72 SL with the long speedo. If you hit a corner fast enough the needle would shoot right across :)
@stray dog7 The LC-LJ Torana was basically a modified HB Viva. They stretched the nose and extended the wheelbase to fit the Holden red six in it. The LJ Torana XU-1 had a 3.3l version with triple Stromberg carburettors, producing over 200 hp! I worked in a carpark in the late 70s and you could hear a Torana miles off. I don't know what GM did wrong with the steering, but at high angles of lock the tyres would squeal on the concrete floor. I nearly bought a Torana 6 in the early 80s, but after a test drive chose a Datsun 180B instead.
No!!! Cheverell replaced the hc viva wot about ha van Sam suspension an lastind till 1983 British telecom British rail an on same set up. """!!!!!!!
Asra av you been drinking that woz after the shuvette!! 82' atlas 📖 read more.
I Preferred the magnum, But they're as rare as a kamikazi pilots reunion party
As rare as a kamikaze pilots reunion party. Love it!
Strange but true. The highest scoring Kamikaze pilot completed three successful missions ramming B29 bombers.
Kamikaze pilots reunion party -- 😂😂😂!
Think the cockpits were bolted down in case the pilots changed their mind
🤣
Ah memories, I had a HC Viva (DXE 762N) around 1983 when I worked in Luton. I seem to remember that it had a horizontal speedo. It definitely had plenty of rust...
My Dad had a 72 K reg and that had the horizontal speedo :)
That indicator sounds like a grandfather clock.
That's because it takes a minute from 0 to 60.
I enjoyed that. I remember by dad buying the Viva estate in 1971 or 72. same engine as in the test. It took us camping and caravanning all around Europe. I seem to recall the windscreen washer was activated by a manual pump, none of this fandangled electrical tomfoolery!
Loving the Jamaica 🇯🇲 yellow and the painted metal work inside the cabin. I remember Vauxhall carried on making the Bedford van which was a version of the HA Viva into the 1980s British Telecom had loads of them.
I had a Jamaica yellow Cavalier coupe, very stylish with Rostyle wheels. Is this viva Jamaica yellow as looks a little bright? Very smart car though.
My very first BT works van was a yellow Bedford HA van given to me after I joined as a field engineer in 1988 😎 fond memories.
I bought an early one of these back in the late 80's J Reg. 1100cc poverty version with single speed wipers etc. Got it from a neighbour whose husband had died years earlier and it had just been sitting in the garage. It was absolutely spotless inside and out. Clutch was stuck, but I dropped the gearbox at 11pm one night and fixed that. Then just a fluids change and it sailed through the MOT. Drove it up from Dorset to Shropshire and the rad sprung a leak on the M5. I am now acquainted with every services, garage and water point on the route! Got a new rad within a couple of hours of getting up there and my Dad ran it for a few years until he retired, then scrapped it. He was upset to see it back on the road a few weeks later. The scrappy's son had rescued it!
Still have my 2300 Magnum down under in Australia. Started life as an 1800 from New Zealand.
My Grandad bought one of these in 1973 .... a maroon 4 door SL version..... I loved that car. Happy days indeed.
My first car was a red ‘L’ reg Viva complete with horizontal speedo and broken driver’s seat frame. Contrary to some other commenters, the bodywork was pretty solid for a 12 year old car, but the mechanicals were a bit fragile - the top of the oil pump drive used to break, and since this drove the distributor too, the ignition timing would go to pot. Then, the timing chain tensioner fell off and wedged itself between the chain and sprocket, locking the engine solid. The clutch exploding was my own silly fault after I wondered what would happen if I changed into first at 60 mph ...
Great review. I had a Jamaica yellow HC in 1980. Used to park it over the gutter to swap gearboxes. Half inch spanner and a flat screwdriver were all you needed to strip it down. Swapped engine for a Chevette 1256 and it felt like a dragster!
I currently drive a 72 viva as my everyday car 👍
Steph from Idriveaclassic would be proud.
My dad used to have an HC Viva, I was around 3 years old at the time so memories of it are just little patchy images of it here and there in my head, the biggest one being the unique tail lights, I still love how slim they are compared to other cars of the time... :)
I do remember it having an aftermarket gearknob though, a red thing that looked like a glass ornament...
That car has some personality that newer cars won’t have. Keep safe and keep up the great work Hubnut.
My dad had an earlier version with the landscape speedo. He hated it as it broke down constantly. It finally gave up the ghost and voluntarily immolated itself one morning on the driveway of our house.
We had one in the 70s - the worst car we ever owned. Clutch failed twice once stuck in reverse gear leaving us stranded in Leeds and once stuck in third gear on a journey from Blackpool. In a word it was absolute shit. It was traded in for a MK3 Cortina 1.6 which was an entirely better car in every respect
I like the old Viva/chevette characteristic whine, I remember that very well from my childhood days of riding in the back of one.
I remember being in said Viva when it broke down in the middle of nowhere and we had to go back home on the bus!
My Dads friend had a fair few issues with his, he was always tinkering with it! 🙄
Hard to believe this was new in the same year that my uncle had a new Fiat Strada. That seemed like a spaceship at the time! But that headlamp access - changing the bulb on even my motorbike is a massive pain now!
I'm weeping at the ease of access to headlamp bulbs in comparison to my modern car.
Me too and I have a 30 year old car
My dad worked at vauxhall Ellesmere Port when the viva was being made in 1963-1978 and he made the gear boxes for them...
My dad almost certainly used something your dad made.
My mother worked for a GM firm & sold these cars new in the 70's & 80's in New Zealand. As a family during my childhood / adolescent we had half a dozen of them, Vivas, Magnums & Chevette.
Greeting from New Zealand.
BTW my paternal GP were scouses.😎👌👍
Good God! My first car was a '74 Orchid Red (Pink!) 4 door 1256 Viva purchased from my neighbour's for $850 with 80,000km on the clock in '91. The car I learnt to drive in, be naughty in and hone my driving skills (lets face it - wayward handling with cross ply tyres and power assisted nothing wasn't going to challenge more contemporary motors) but it does hold something special in my memories.
And what more could you want to hold for prosperity?
About 30 years ago in New Zealand I bought a Viva for $80. Olive green, non running (just needed fresh petrol and a tune). It was one of my fave cars I've ever owned, 100 percent reliable, even when I drove it at valve bounce all the time. I recall seeing 70MPH on the long strip speedo a few times...that was at 38,000RPM and 190 dB. It gave me years of faithful service, and I dumped it when rust became an issue, NZ law is very strict on rust for roadworthiness. I long for one nowadays, so basic, just a car with nothing electric, no damned sensors to play up..just a raw, noisy mechanical box to drive. Have a soft spot for these old girls, and yep I often used to think they looked a little like a late 60's Chevy Impala which was shrunk in the wash. Really lovely to see this beautiful one, thank you!
Bostin! - Don't forget to push that button in (Secreted under the Steering Column) to take the key out!
Brings back memories!!! My first car was a yellow 2 door 1977 viva 1300l , given to me by my late uncle. Never failed to start, even on cold mornings. Obviously my street cred went out the window driving a yellow car, but it got me and my mates many places. motorway driving even then wasn't the best due to the noise of the engine, 70 in it and you thought you were nearly ready to take off!! But ran it for just over a year, no major problems, my dad used to service it easily as it was that simple to work on. Not an ecu in sight!!! Happy simplier times!!! This video brings it all back, where did 30 years go 🤦♂️🤦♂️😭😭
Had a 2 door yellow viva as a kid just for fun on our farm. Speedo was a rectangle with needle moved left to right. 1.3L if I remember.
I was excited when this showed up in my feed. In 1970 my dad brought home a slightly used 1968 Viva. Unusually, It was actually badged as a Vauxhall Viva even though in Canada GM sold most of these cars under the Envoy Epic moniker. Based on our family's experience, I was all ready with some snarky comment, but let's be kind and simply say that it was not ideally suited to Canadian conditions. Having this past week-end struggled to replace a burned bulb in my daughter's Hyundai, your under hood sequence showed me how much easier and struggle-free that same operation would have been in dad's old Viva, even allowing for the obvious differences between the different versions.
I had a 79 HC 1800 GLS 4 door, looked like a Magnum. i bloody loved it :)
Had a 72 1800L loved it burnt many escorts off. Mate had a 2300 Wolf in sheep's clothing
@@stuartainsworth3461 I had a '73 2300SL back in the day, RGJ743L where are you now :D
According to those nice DVLA chaps at Swansea it's been scrapped. Sorry mate.
Mine was LLG609T no idea why, but it was taken off road / scrapped a few months after i sold it in 91. it was a minter, had nearlly full mot at the time
This little machine was arew up I. gamechanger for me. I grew up in a small and rather isolated coastal town in the North Island of New Zealand. We had no car in our family. I left school and went to work, saving up while paying Mom board until I could afford to buy an apple green 1972 station wagon with a 47bhp 1159cc engine and drum brakes. By May of 1979 I learned to drive and got my licence in it. From then on I took my family on long trips, including one epic trip in 1980 up to Cape Reinga (as far north as the road will go here), went to a larger town for supermarket shopping and in winter loaded the cargo area and a small trailer with firewood. Yeah, its a boringly slow, quasi-American, basic whungey little pop toaster that drives like an ox cart, but to me it has a place in history. Thanks Ian for the video. You've brought back so many visual and aural memories. Very much appreciated.
The indicator noise wouldn’t have been out of place on Camberwick Green.
Windy Miller's windmill?🤣🤣
That indicator noise also depends on revs I noticed.... 🤣
You brought me back to my youth, I bought one of those 1256 Vauxhalls as an 18 y.o in 1983 in NZ.
They were a 60's car dressed up a bit more than the hb.
Such a simple platform, achieving 45 mpg.
Even the 1980 chevette had only small improvements, mainly in breather ventilation around that unusual air cleaner, some had modified fuel lines.
Thanks for your video, also your aerial shot of NZ breakers yard in the North Island. 😎👌👍
I’m looking forward to seeing the MK2 Cavalier report looks lovely 😊 Edit: i think you need to leave it at my house 😉😂
I remember Mom at age 60 buying a Vauxhall Viva and learning to drive.The car moved along smartly when going downhill! Otherwise not enough power to get out of its own way! CHEERS from Westcoast Canada!
Had an 1800 'Magnum' and quite liked that when it ran, but the Strombergs were hopeless!.....The 1256cc Viva was at best described as gutless!!.....Noticed the Cavalier 1800 CD at the end of the video, I had one of those too now that was nice and mine was loaded with brown velour!....mmmmm
I had one of the early ones, on a J plate. In SL form so it had twin carburettor. But smaller engine. I think it was 1150 odd cc. I seemed to remember I loved it. And I remember putting in halogen headlight bulbs in and thought it was the cats whiskers. I also seemed to remember the choke issues... not a great car really, but for a 19 yr old at the time, it was my pride and joy...
My dad owned a couple of old vauxhalls a very long time ago. Both of them dissolved in front of his eyes. I notice the Viva name is being used again. I Currently have a vauxhall which is surprisingly comfortable and even quite nice to drive. Although I am changing in June if my New car gets delivered on time. A Hub Nut Key Ring would be good. Any possibility. Bet you would sell loads
Bloody brilliant idea re. the HubNut Keyrings! Yellow HubNut letters on a maroon background like on the HubNut pop-up avatar. I would buy 2, they would look great along with the original dealership keyrings for both my classic Hondas (1984 Civic CRX and 2008 S2000).
@@owensteele1274 Let's hope it comes to fruition. I really would like a HubNut keying
My uncle bought one of these as S 1250 GLS reg and my Dad bought the same year an Alpine S. On the road the Alpine with its 1442 engine left it for dead. But where the Viva won was in its ability to rust (which against an early Alpine is an achievement) having holes in its wings within 3 years.
"Stromberg down draft carburettors" were the accent downfall of Alexi Sayle when he played the Sultan of Hatay in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. He said the term in complete Scouse.
Side draught.
...and I even like the colour.
My first car is s 1981 Chevette with the same 1256cc engine.
I keep getting cooling problems which I had to get the water pump, radiator & hoses replaced.
When emissions test was introduced as part of the MOT, I have to get it lowered to 2.5% as it nearly failed, it was close to 4.5% as the fuel mixture is too high.
Since then, the engine run much better, 2.5% (CO) is the lowest you can set to.
Look at that! They put a bench under the bonnet for you to sit on while fixing it. How thoughtful is that? You don't get that with your German Opel Vauxhalls.
That's to set your beer on whilst u are adjusting the carb:)
Oh you silly person, everyone knows that German things never break down or need maintenance.
Tell that to Mercedes and Volkswagen. It seems they didn't get the memo.
Same body shell could (Viva Magnum) was available with 2.3 slanted engine or 1800, so the little 1256 had plenty of room
@@grumpyoldgit8254 Is that the same 2.3 that was in the Chevette HSR?
We were Vauxhall dealers in the 1970's and the Viva was outdated then. The reality was that it sold in very small numbers after the introduction of the Chevette in 1975. For every Viva we sold 20 Chevettes . The customers for the Viva tended to be on the elderly side.
My friend had a Vauxhall Magnum while at Uni - Nice car in its day
Now you're talking.,along with the Firenza.
Had an "L" reg Viva many years ago - didn't like cold mornings at first,but once the engine was hot,she ran sweet as a nut,loved the small engine in a huge engine bay,everything was easy to reach,did my own servicing back then,and using the "rule of nine" kept the valve clearances correct - and silent,people often remarked that the car sounded rather quiet,mine had the horizontal speedo and "organ" type accelerator pedal - sent her to the scrapyard when the big ends started grumbling - with 96,000 miles on the clock! I then went on to purchase a Vauxhall Chevette,and from my experience of the Viva,continued to do my own engine servicing - only the carburretor and airfilter seemed to have changed - had to top up the carb with oil periodically as I remember - great video,thankyou.
The HC always looked like it was in tiptoes. The HB was better and was considered the ideal car for social aspirants such as Mr and Mrs Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris to own.
"SCARBOROUGH?!!!!"
Him and Thelma!
Not very 'likely'. :-)
Rear lights look vaguely like an LJ Torana. Lovely car, top marks to the owner for keeping her going.
Not surprising. The Viva and the LJ are distant cousins. The first Torana was pretty much a rebadged Viva. Be interesting to know Hubnut's impressions of a Bathurst GTR XU1.
Plug your scanner into the OBD2 port and see what fault codes it throws up 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
A modern day mechanic probably would,nt have a clue
@@LOTPOR0402 probaly...😂😂😂
@@LOTPOR0402 True,the Viva made me a dab hand with a set of feeler gauges lol
@@Darwenhypnotherapy A modern mechanic would'nt have a clue about how to use them
I learnt to drive in various Viva HCs (with the Ealing School of Motoring). The styling seemed more up to date than the HB. All except one drove well (annoyingly that was the one I took my test in). I liked the direct gearchange in particular, but as I had only ever driven two other types of car (one only briefly) I wasn't really in a position to judge. Still, I got my licence at the first attempt so I remember the Viva HC very fondly.
Great series of videos. I'd love to see the Hillman Minx (IIIc for preference) get the HubNut treatment.
Great review with Hubnut struggling throughout to be polite and constructive. Perhaps I can summarize:
- crap ride
- crap ergonomics
- horrible engine
- bland styling
- noisy rear axle
- harsh clutch.
- poor steering
Apart from those few minor drawbacks, very nice. The character indicator noise makes up for the above list.
Those old Vauxhall ohv engines also suffered badly with excessive piston skirt clearance allowing that ‘piston slap’ noise. So that with valve noise made for a rather mechanically noisy motor, but that personally doesn’t bother me at all as it makes for some great memories of my mum’s HB!
I enjoyed that. I don't know why but I did.
My Dad had one of these in Cedar Green with a vinyl roof in the mid/late 70's, it was his first proper car after graduating from his Reliant Regal having passed his full driving test.
I remember my dad having a vauxhall Magnum.... The height of luxury!. Also that steering wheel is so annoyingly upsidedown!
I had a 2.3Ltr Magnum when I lived in New Zealand it went like a Rocket compared to the Standard Viva. I gave it away when I came back to uk..wish I still had it probably be worth a few Bob.
Fond memories of the Vauxhall Viva as one was the first car my family ever owned which I, a child at the time, did not have to push start a lot of the time for my dad. Still needed a push very occasionally but by then I was a good little car pusher and the occasional push seemed like a blessing compared to what had gone (not _gone_ ) before. Previous family dead weights were an Austin Cambridge, a Ford Anglia and an MG 1100: now I'm not saying those models were bad, just the ones we had though my dad's car maintenance was not the best and we even managed to run out of petrol a few times. Loving your videos, thanks.
Love the viva the only down side to it was it needed a turbo...I am still on the pills
Reminds me of my dear old Dad. We had one of these. That ponderous indicator sound brought it all back to me😂
I do miss these bright colours on cars. Nice to see they're slowing making a comeback. The boring white, black, silver and red if it's a sports car that's been the only option on cars for the last 20 years is really getting old now.
A trip down memory lane for me as my dad's HC Viva was the first car I ever driven at age 17. It was a bertie basic car, two door, pale blue, full black vinyl seats & a full rubber mat floor covering. No such luxury as a carpet! It had the horizontal speedometer rather than the round dials. TTE 514L was the reg. This was later replaced by a Mk1 Cavalier 1600L, (GHG 230S) & the Cavalier was such a leap forward in every way.
The Hood /bonnet release on the Fusion is on the passenger side Ford eh!
Yeah but Ford is an american company
Loved my 75 viva HC in silver.
It was my second car ever keep it for 5 years
Went through 2 engines and 2 rear axles.
Dash was different to your test on
I had the long rectangular one.
This brought back some happy memories.
There's a lot to be said for fuel injection, don't you think?
Anyway, you said you didn't think this generation of Viva moved the game on enough - what about the transition from the cavalier mk3 to the vectra?
That was a backward step if anything. Last generation of cavalier was a pretty good car, the Vectra was a bit naff compared to the Mondeo.
Wow, I've not seen one of these for decades!!! My mum used to drive my brothers and me around in one of these when we were young. Ours was a beautiful (not!) shade of very dark brown, and all the vinyl interior had split and cracked due to being unable to handle the staggeringly high temperatures we suffer in Britain!!!
Switches just like on the star ship Enterprise original series. As for the choke issue I imagine it’s old petrol that’s lost it’s pop .
my dad had a ha viva
, then a hc like this one ,k reg 73,1300cc ,metalic blue, black vinyl roof ,rostyle wheels, we use to tow a camping trailer to cornwall from suffolk with 5 of us in the car! it use to take about 8 hrs and some of the hills we'd be down to 2nd gear lol. i loved them days as a kid. we had it for 7 years before the engine wore out then he treated himself to a 78 magnum 1800, sporty looking with its twin headlights and all the sport dials on the dash and pretty fast too, it would see off 100 mph. great times, great cars all with there own look and character .
Does that sound seems more like a dodgy wheel bearing?
i love the simple little cars, gas and go, gas and go. Cars you drive just for the fun when the driving was the entertainment.
I love 1970s cars.
I enjoyed that, despite you not liking the car. In it's defence I would say that it is a lot of fun to drive.
I have had 2...my first ever car ...a 1973 HC Deluxe which I got in 1974, and a 1977 1300 GLS which I bought in 1998 (which I still have). The latter car has the same carb etc as the one you drove, but I've never had any problem with it. I've been on many road trips with it in the last 21 years and it has always performed superbly.
In 2003 my mate and I went to the centenary VBOA rally in Billing which was 475 miles from where I lived, so 950 miles there and back. It was a very hot July that weekend (29C) and the HC got us down and up on the motorway with no problems (The secret is to realise that 60 MPH is the comfortable speed).
Anyhow, each to their own, and keep making the videos :)
Cheers, John
Turned out to be dodgy old fuel. It's running well now apparently.
Never did run smoothly oil indashpotmaybe
HA much better if was my second car
Great videos by the
My parents had a new HB viva in 1968 and we drove all the way to San Remo, northern Italy for our summer holiday, we couldn't afford the French tolls so took the toll free. 50 mph all the way! Some years later I bought two HB vivas and swapped the engine and gearbox over as a complete unit. You could do the swop in about two hours with just a mini hoist from the DIY hire shop, simple to work on as were the ford cars of the time. No crazy computers to tell you what you can and can't do! Good old cars, would probably have lasted a lot longer with fully synthetic oil.
The year I was born but has aged more favourably!
Mine too sadly i have more rust and worn bearings.
Drove one all around the Alps packed to the gunnels with three people and loads of climbing/camping gear ... no problems. Same with a Marina van, mini van, etc ...they just kept running. Only total breakdown was on a newish Vivaro van.
I had a 72 model and it was not a great car especially that clutch that you mention.
Not that reliable and I think I went through three clutch cables all of which snapped rather too quickly.
I passed my test in one of these Vivas hc, thay were there were a car of their time and I must say to a extent they were better built than the main opposition which was the escort you could expect to get 10 years plus out of your viva HC which was good for the time A lot of Vauxhalls at that time were underpowered you could get a bigger engine but it was a slant four engine which was Half a American V8 and were horrible
not only holding the clutch down at lights but using it as a foot rest, hmmm, remind me never to let you drive one of my cars ....
to be fair the cable return spring is usually pretty strong so it wouldn't of been riding the clutch :)
In August 1976, we went as a family of 6 (and a Jack Russell) on holiday from Sussex to Cornwall in a 1.3 Viva of this sunny shade- we did have 4 doors. All good fun although a couple of us had to get out so it would go up the slope to the farm where we were staying. My dad had several company Vivas, the worst problem seemed to be wet weather starting!
I really should stop watching these videos - my mind has been poluted by the HubNut ethos and I've purchased a HubNut spec Volvo 340 (1.4DL) to get my fix of old-tech pram springs and keep fit windows, I've even grown a beard so I was allowed to buy the Volvo! There is no hope!
My Dad had an F-reg 1.4 base spec 340 in 1989 after the DL denomination had been deleted, Very comfortable seats and lovely headlight wiper action!!! Beware of hot starting issues though!!!
@@kevinsmith6269 I'm glad to report that the headlight wipers are present and correct although the current blades are a little crusty so would benefit from some replacements from this century. The hot start issues I think are caused by evaporation which in theory should be helped by the addition of an electric fuel pump by the previous owner which primes the carb before the mechinical pump takes over.
@@MrWilfAdventures Yes it was caused by evaporation mate. the carb is too close too the hot engine block and the fuel just evaporates. Electric fuel pump sounds like a good solution so hopefully you won't have any problems. We didn't have such technology, just had a cup of tea and waited for her to cool down. Can still remember the plate F932 PFP. Otherwise a very solid reliable, lovely car mate :) Glad to hear the headlight wipers are present and correct. Lovely car, we had many family holidays to wales in ours ect :) Dad bought it new in 1989 and kept it until 1998 when he part exchanged it for a Renault Megane, but always wish he'd kept the 340!!!
Early 70's I had a mk2 Cortina and lusted after my mate's (dad's) Viva. It was so modern compared to the Cortina. Then his dad got a Magnum (1800cc) in a metallic gold colour called Champagne! Imagine cruising around in a Champagne Magnum - Vauxhall did have a sense of humour!
They were a good looking car.. it’s a pity General Motors got their hands on vauxhall. In my mind General Motors destroyed every brand they took over, look at Saab a once highly respected car manufacturer,
I believe GM owned Vauxhall for many years up until recently. A shame they sold off Saab, as they were great Swedish vehicles, unlike the Chinese Volvo, which are now Hideously fugly. It is unfortunate that GM only answered to Stockholders, and declared bankruptcy. Now they want to stop production of vehicles in order to sell trucks, which have surpassed cars in sales. Must say most Americans are living brain donors who will always practice mental abstinence. Even globally people are buying SUV's, Horrendous.
Frederick Rothe III
GM never made a good European car they are more suited to the USA were they drive gas guzzling land yachts with no emphasis put into handling or proper engineering, the only proper GM engine in a vauxhall was the astra gte 16V which cosworth built for them
Vauxhall spent most of its life under General Motors, and built some great cars over the years.
Hubnut I have to disagree vauxhall always played second fiddle to ford and VW especially in the hot hatch days of the 80,s and 90,s the astra gte 16V was a great looking car and had a brilliant engine but it couldn’t put the power down as did the calibra another great looking car but couldn’t handle what so ever
Had an HB and an HC. If you set up the carb properly they ran fine and were quite quick. The Zenith downdraft carb was the most tuneable one I worked on.
What you’re missing here is the fact that the Viva has far fewer MoT failing body issues than the Escorts of the same period. If the front wings on an Escort rotted through, the suspension struts poked into the engine bay! Any rust on the inside of the wheel arch was an MoT failure!
The Vivas had no such issues. They did not rot as much, but even if they did, it didn’t matter, the suspension layout was totally different.
When a mate borrowed my HC (and I took a girlfriend out on his Honda CB900) and blew up the engine, I put the engine out of my old HB in it, and ran that for years. Plus, everything was easy to work on.
A great car.
Vivas were horrible!!! They should be crushed .... BY LAW.
The Viva stuck out back in the very late '70s as being terrible, and that was to a very young child back then! Someone drives one near me now, and I still have no love for them 40 years later.
I owned an HC Viva back in the early eighties - a 1971 1159cc 2 door in sky blue. I never felt it was bouncy, I loved the sporty driving position and had no problem with the gear lever. My only complaint was a single speed wiper which was not great in anything other than light rain. It always started first time and only let me down once when the clutch slave cylinder gave up on approach to a roundabout in Maidenhead. Oh, and no rust anywhere.
I had a gold HC in the early 1970s .New. Kept It for a few years . Did about 40k miles . Didn’t loose much money in depreciation when I sold it. Only issue was cold starting . I kept a blow torch in the boot to dry the points etc . Worked great . Handing was ok for its time . My pal ,in a 1.3 Escort, could not pull away from me on the way back from the pub ! I moved onto a Chevette after that and it was so much better . Quiet and refined plus it handled really well. My dad had a 316 BMW and my Chevette was far far better round the bends. Happy days.
I remember the Shove-It was under-geared as well. The Avenger was also getting long in the tooth by the late 70s but was probably better in most respects. They also suffered from differential noise, but would cruise at 80 mph all day.
I owned a Vauxhall victor 101 which was like a bigger version of the viva , and it was very smooth and comfortable for the time, think it was about 1972 I had it but it was a 1965 version two tone grey body with a white roof three speed gear box which was column change, think it had a 1500 cc engine. Happy days I bought it from a mate I worked with on the railway who was a signalman. I paid £200 which was quite a lot of money then.
Back in the day I had a white HC. I used to have exactly the same problem of it being very hesitant when accelerating. The obvious cause would have been a hole in the carb diaphram or no oil in the dashpot but I checked them and they were OK. I just used to pull the choke out when I accelerated and it worked a treat!!
Love the video
My first car was a3 year old viva HC LJC777R, identical to the one you drove except for a black vinyl roof and black interior..
Lovely handling but a bit underpowered, biggest problems were the brake pads were a bit small if you drove hard as they were the same as the MG midget and the rubber diaphragm in the Strindberg would stretch and eventually tear leading to bad running and very excessive fuel consumption.
Final problem and a small correction, the gear change went into an extension tube out of the rear of the gearbox rather than straight into the top of the box like the earlier vivas, the tube was secured by a single grub screw and If you were like me and drove enthusiastically to compensate for the lack of power, it was very easy to cause the hole in the tube to wear and end up with a lot of side to side movement only limited by the size of the hole in the floor pan, I ended up changing the box about three times whilst I had it which meant I got real good at fast box changes 😄
I absolutely love this channel. My dad drove a Viva ('71-'73) and an Allegro ('77-'79). I have a fondness for both cars, and totally agree that Allegro is unfairly maligned. I do think the Viva in this video looks amazing. I love the Jamaica yellow and those US-influenced contours. The interior is very elegant as well. I totally get that it's not the greatest driver, though. Wonderful commentary, as always.
Your channel is full of all the cars of my childhood. All lovely memories of my dad taking us as kids to Skegness for our holidays. All the cars I’ve always dreamed of driving but never have. I think one day I’ll do a paintings of all my favourites together.
I had 2 hc vivas, the one I had this colour you could see the road through the floor! Those inner wings now look terrifying , no crumple zones, any impact and shock transmitted to cabin. Scary.
I enjoyed that - my granddad had a ‘72 HC - we loved it. Was great to hear the engine/gearbox whine and the tinka-tinka indicators again!
I've never been a Vauxhall person, but I do have fond memories of my Dad's HC Viva Estate 1.1 when I was about 12 years old. But OMG it was slow, he tried to overtake on a hill and had to pull out of it as it didn't have the guts. Took us all the way to Devon on holiday every year, and it was built like a tank.
Back in 1999, I graduated High School. Since I was a budding mechanic and my auto shop teacher loved me, he gave me the choice of a 1968 Chrysler New Yorker (2 door hardtop!) or a 1971 Vauxhall Viva GT! (very rare Canadian edition with the 4 round headlights). I took the New Yorker because I'd gotten it running. The Viva didn't run and it's engine was half apart.
Looking back on how rare the Viva GT is, I wish I'd have chosen it instead. But, the New Yorker was still an amazing car for a 17-year old kid. People today still reminisce about me and that car!
Thanks for this - had a used one as my very first car. It was a '73 1300 Deluxe 4dr bought in late '76. Not the smoothest, most refined or reliable of cars but I still remember it fondly as it allowed me personal mobility.
Performance was modest (a criteria set by my parents and insurers) but it had better than average handling for its day and a stubby little gear lever that encouraged cog swapping (which it needed to maintain any rate of progress).
The first HCs had sparse equipment levels that got better as the model years went by owing to competition from the Japanese and domestic rivals - carpeting, power front discs and rear demister for '73, better seats and electric screen washers for '74, fabric seats for '75 and so on.
The HC was not a totally new model but a heavily revised HB, re-using its floor pan and drivetrain but with some jiggling of its bulkheads allowing it slightly more cabin space and refettled suspension to quell the HB's overly lively ride.
The Chevette felt a lot more refined because Vauxhall came up with carefully tuned engine mounts and Wayne Cherry's droop snoot styling made it more aerodynamic as compared to the bluff fronted HC, allowing it to better the ageing Viva for performance and fuel economy. It was, however, less roomy inside.