Help on Standard Nova

[garethayres]

Hello, ive got a 1.2i 93 Nova. ive had it for a while now, and have made a few mods to it, but nothing much. Its still a standard lookign Nova 1.2i Luxe Plus.

Here is a pic if u are interested. http://www.sucs.swan.ac.uk/~gareth_a/menova1.JPG
(picture was taken a day after i bought it, so i have made a few changes, but nothign u would notice from that pic)

I love the car, its fun to drive, and i reckon it looks good even tho its standard, but there are a few things that are really annoying me. The plastic stripes along the side of the car just spoils the look all together i think, and the badge on the bonet has cracks on it, and looks crap.

I know there are the solutions of de-badging it, and ripping those stripes off and then respraying the entire car, but i cant afford that. Are there any option that are cheaper, or ways of making them look better?

I just spent 150 quid on a Toad alarm and imobo for the car, as it got broken into and i had my 150 quid stero nicked and some stuff outta the boot. Luckilly they didnt try to steal the car. (dunno why) So i am low on the cash front, being a student and all. :(

Any other tips welcome too.

Thanks, Gareth.

[locky]

You could try t-cut 2 try and blend the lines in a bit, but itll b alot of hard rubbing and stuff!
I c ur from s. wales, i got a respray for ?500 i think cant remember now! could av been cheaper! but i had 2 supply my own paint! but got that real cheap aswell! post back or mail me if ya want some contacts, or if u wanna look at the job they done on the car!
As for the cracks, im not quite sure wot u mean! is the paint cracked or the bonnet itself?

[jon_boy]

the lines? do you mean the ones that are stickers? these can be peeled off. get a hair dryer/heat gun and go along it slowly heating it up then peeling. use petrol to get the gluey marks off then wash thoroughly. then t cut.
if its the rubber ones rip em off then use petrol to get the foam/ glue off. same again

[garethayres]

By cracks i mean cracks in the badge itself. on the clear coating of the badge. And the badge has got green/brown rotting marks on it now due ot the elements getting ot it. The bonnet is fine. :)

And by stripes i was refering to the rubber/plastic stripes that are atached ot the car.

Is there a ridge under the plastic if i was to take them off then? as i have notices it on some other cars (not nova's) that have had them taken off.

Thanks, Gareth.

[jon_boy]

nope under the rubber strip its just just sweet plain panel. so just rip em off. it'll prob leave the foamy goo crap so get it off with heat gun/ and petrol then give it a t cut and its all gd. just remember wen using petrol wash off well after. i think it damages paint...

[garethayres]

ohh right. :) I wont damage the paint work by pulling them off will i? as it has been stuck on for 10 years. hehe. :)

Thanks for the reply, Gareth.

[cjz_]

yeah they got to come off just be carefull wen removing because it can take the paint off. jus be careful. as for the bonnnet most peeps remove the badge! :lol:

[?Marty?]

And if it doesn't take the paint off, it'll still be brighter than the rest of the car as it hasn't 'weathered' for 10 years.

[locky]

Hot water is a good way 2 get em off, and then fudge wheel the foam off!

[ade]

when removing the rubber strips (as I did on my mk2 1.2) do it slowly and peel them carefully. Dont just rip it off incase it removes some paint. Hot water (boiling) works to losen glue as does a heat gun a low setting - only waft it at the stripe (you really need to get it between the panel and the strip so peel a put off 1st).

then remove extra glue with t-cut or glue remover (see halfords for full range).

As for the badge - open the bonnet to check there arent any holes securing it from the underside. Most are just stuck on with foam pads and glue - similar procedure to removing the side strips although its a little more fiddly. Best way is to heat it gently fron the underside of bonnet - heat convection will losen glue and you could just twist it off

Nice car - would look really nice lowered 60mm - GMAX ?210 full kit springs and shocks - do that next.

Also - if you want a stereo, I've got a kenwood tape head unit (with removable head face) for sale - v good condition - ?40 and its yours! With full fitting instruction and connectors. Had a cd 6 disc changer but thats knackered however I believe you can use any kenwood disc changer with it. Its only 35 watt output but I used it for 4 years and found it to be excellent - powered my standard front speakers and a decent set of 6x9's no probs

PM me if interested!

Ade

:D

[James B]

you can make a real mess out of this but somehow i managed it, just do it slowly so you dont peel the paint off. the biggest problm is that you paint will look all differnt shades where the new paint has been covered by the strips. a good dose of t-cut clears that up ok tho, and u couldnt tell mine had them on now. just give it a go. cheap mods need a bit of guts, mainly becos u do em urslef. i do all the mods with my fella on the car, it rarely goes inot the garage, and its better that way. (somehow)

so basically just go for it.

go down the local market for a reduced price stereo. if u live near the midlands, go to wellesbourne market, MASSIVE reductions there. good luck mate

laura (james' missus)

[carltoncrazy]

go down the local market for a reduced price stereo. if u live near the midlands, go to wellesbourne market, MASSIVE reductions there. good luck mate


completye with cut wires and the remains of a bmw wiring loom.
or even better giver 50quid to ya local spot face bmx`er who will go smash and grab 1.
ADE,keep trying 2 sell it.
and in reply to this post,silver car?fading?m8 u wont notice the color mismatch unless its been proper abused,
and NEVER T CUT,just use a decent polish,T-CUT removes a layer of paint,
not good.