View Full Version : doodars c20let gsi reshell project
ben doodar
29-10-09, 08:30 PM
well here goes, ive been meaning to get some sort of build thread going for a while now but just havnt had time.
asfter crashing my gsi in october last year, i decided that im going to do the next one to the best of my abbalitys and funds. A no time limit project, its finished when its finished and no cutting corners, like i did in my other 2 novas.
so i bought this white sri from a mate, i paid a little over the odds for it really 700 but it had the wilwood brakes that i really wanted and a sunroof which i really wanted so it could be an exact gsi replica it also had a pair of brand new gsi sideskirts in the packaging and a few other nice little bits with it.
and had 2 sills put on by a local body shop.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject006.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject002.jpg
tryed my speedlines ovet the brakes to make sure they fitted without spacers, happy days!
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject008-1.jpg
so the the work started taking the engine out.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject011.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject012.jpg
engine out
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject017.jpg
and pushed into the garage for a proper inspection.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject030.jpg
as i was able to having a proper good poke around, it wasnt as solid as i first thought.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject061.jpg
LEWI007
29-10-09, 08:37 PM
Looks like a nice project this mate, i think you got a pretty good deal for money for what youve got, some nice bits there.
also thats the 2nd SRi ive saw with strut top plates, i thought only GTE's and GSi's came with them ?
Hmm i spy mk1 astra and mk2 golf too! Nice cars you have there Ben!
The Simps
29-10-09, 09:30 PM
Looks like a nice project this mate, i think you got a pretty good deal for money for what youve got, some nice bits there.
also thats the 2nd SRi ive saw with strut top plates, i thought only GTE's and GSi's came with them ?
all sri had them too.
ben doodar
29-10-09, 09:32 PM
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject054.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject033.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject034.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject036.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject032.jpg
so i started to repair the rotten areas
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject073.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject041.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject045.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject052.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject074.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject075.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject053.jpg
started to seem weld the bay
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject078.jpg
gearbox mount
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject079.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject089.jpg
ben doodar
29-10-09, 09:44 PM
more pics to come shortly....
Nice one Ben. I was a huge fan of your previous GSi. I'm sure this one will look even sweeter mate!
Pistol Pete
29-10-09, 09:55 PM
Thats some serious rot! Fair play for sticking at it.
craig green
29-10-09, 10:08 PM
Fair play! Its all in the usual places.
brainsnova
29-10-09, 10:11 PM
looks ok for the money but since he's a mate and the rot ask for change :D
ben doodar
29-10-09, 10:57 PM
thanks for the comments all ready, .
l14mnp, cheers mate means alot, lol
benn weldings not great but it aint to bad lol
pete hold on a min lol.
thats half the story so far.
so i carried on seem welding and poking around it finding more and more rot and carried on working at it platting it up and seem welding the bay
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject006-1.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject020-2.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject058-1.jpg
i was chhatting to a lad one day and he said "o by the way ive got a front panel for one of them novas you can have it if you come and get it out of my shed" so that was handy
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject092-1.jpg
cut the old front panel off
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark084.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark085.jpg
i was originaly planning on putting an xe with bike carbs in it until i was scanning through the classifieds and noticed lee h was selling a let, after thinking about it for a while i thought id get in contact with him and see if he would come to some sort of deal with the wilwoods and my speedlines, he had bought the new gsi skirts of me a few weeks before for his let gsi, and he had mentioned that if i was ever going to get rid of the wilwoods let him know first, so i did, we come to a deal with the brakes, wheels and some cash. i was know the proud owner of a this.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark141.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark157.jpg
won a new gm clutch off ebay for 60 (note the engine stand lol)
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark158.jpg
at this point i was begging to get a bit p1ssed of with it i knew it would have to be a good strong shell for a let, with no rot like i had allways wanted. i was finding more rot and the more i poked and hammerd the more i lost interest in it, it was never going to be the car that i wanted in the first place.
i work as a delivery driver for an auto factors and had heard of a good nova in a old cow milking shed at one of the farms i go to to drop parts off. so i asked for a look around it, and it was really good 43000 miles owned by an old guy, the bloke said he wanted 500 for it, which tbh for me, is alot of money really just to throw at another nova, + it was a mk1 with no sunroof, i really wanted a sunroof so i could have an exect gsi replica, i also didnt want a mk2 on a f plate, so i left it and carried on working on the white sri.
a month or two later i went to drop some bits off at the farm, the guy come running out "oi if you want that nove give me 250 for it, its p1issing me off its in the way" WINNER!!!
so the white one went for scrap i had done alot of work on it really, but if im doing it im going to do it as good as i can.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark155.jpg
so here she is my new project
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject093.jpg
Another shell was a wise choice IMO mate.
Looking forward to seeing progress :)
ben doodar
29-10-09, 11:12 PM
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject094.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject095.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject101.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject102.jpg
started pulling it apart engine ready to come out
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject104-1.jpg
the arches arnt to good but it came with the repair panels.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject103.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject105.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject106.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject109.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject111.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject112.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject113.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject114.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark102.jpg
Private plate needed!
The white shell was deffo worth the end it got lol
Dont worry about the sunroof, stronger shell :d
Jammy cnut thats awesome, shame the old SRi had to go but youve got a far better shell in that one by the looks of the bay alone:thumb:
ben doodar
29-10-09, 11:30 PM
Jammy cnut thats awesome, shame the old SRi had to go but youve got a far better shell in that one by the looks of the bay alone:thumb:
ive got to admit ive been lucky with this project had some bargains and good fortune really.
a few mates thought i was mad doing all the work and time to the white one just to scrap it and do all the work again, but like i said before ive got no time limits with this car its done when its done as good as i can do it.
so i started working on it, seem welding the bay
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark107.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark108.jpg
made a cardboard template for this
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark112.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark113.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark118.jpg
on my gsi that had a 2.0 8v tbh i beat the funk out of the chassis leg with my mate mc hammer to make room for the alternater
on this i wanted to make a nice box for it so took the laptop into the garage and copyed the pic that simps had posted of when he did his for his let
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark121.jpg
so marked it out and cut it with this, a 1mm cutting disc on a grinder awesome tools. really neat cut.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark110.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark120.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark122.jpg
made a cardboard template for this
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark130.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark132.jpg
then made in metal, i cudnt make it all in one piece so addaed the rear curved part in after
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark134.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark137.jpg
was going to fit an f20 box but a mate was selling an f28 that had the rear 2 gearbox cross threaded where the rear mount bolts in paid 200 for it and 60 at the local engineering place to drill and sleeve the gbox and tap out the middle hole that isnt pre tapped. so i ordered the f28 front mount rear gearbox spacer, i did allready have one but wanted the one with the 3 holes and strengthning plate kit from chris astley who did me a fair discount for being a member of the club and got them to me the next day!!
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark145.jpg
ben doodar
30-10-09, 01:16 AM
didnt get to many pics of the stregnthning plates being fitted and before they were seam sealed over the batteries died in the camera whilst i was doing it.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark149.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark150.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark153.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark154.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark156.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark160.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject115.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject116.jpg
had to cut the top corner of the engine mount from my 2.0 8v as it was hitting the cambelt housing
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark162.jpg
borrowed this engine wheelie board from the back of co op ages ago, certainly makes life easier
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark163.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark164.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark165.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark166.jpg
engine in on the front o/s mount and rear mount jack under the gearbox to support it when i weld the front n/s engine mount on, also made some brackets to hold the intercooler
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark167.jpg
ben doodar
30-10-09, 01:24 AM
i cut the front panel for the afm pipe but did a **** job of it, it was way to big and scruffy, i had been working on the car for 12 hours was tired and hungry, so called it a night.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark168.jpg
got up the next day and decided to cut this piece from my gsi to weld in and neaten up the cut in the front panel.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/malorypark169.jpg
and that is where im about now have done a few things since these pics but thats all ive got pics of at the min, the cars under a sheet on the drive at the min as my bros had to use the garage for a few weeks and chucked me out, lol, hopefully will start on the car again mid november.
Ben.
now im realy liking this so ive subscribed to it good luck
ben doodar
30-10-09, 09:44 AM
now im realy liking this so ive subscribed to it good luck
cheers dude :thumb:
The Simps
30-10-09, 03:30 PM
Good work Ben. You're certainly going about it the right way.
I'd replace the std afm hose with a black roose silicon jobby. Its same size not oversize like alot of the samco ones etc and will tidy it up nicely.
vaughanmc
30-10-09, 03:38 PM
Good project you've got going - The F plate shell looks in not bad nick! Will be good to see it progressing
ben doodar
30-10-09, 04:33 PM
Good work Ben. You're certainly going about it the right way.
I'd replace the std afm hose with a black roose silicon jobby. Its same size not oversize like alot of the samco ones etc and will tidy it up nicely.
cheers simps.
i will do when i get around to it mate, just fitted it so i cud mark up, and cut the slam panel out before painting.
never noticed before that the samco ones were larger but now you mention it they do seem to be larger.
Quality work there Ben.
MK1 shell much better base to start from imo, looks a good shell.
good luck with the rest of the build.
Fair play for the amount of time - but for £700, I would have bought a belting std shell and started with that.
I find that you are forever chasing rust around at the best of time - you will end up cutting a lot of it out!;)
ben doodar
30-10-09, 06:57 PM
lol just rembered about this picture,
in the glove box i found this "device" couldnt think what it was or what it was used for.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject097.jpg
after much head scratching i discovered what it was used for.
the old boy must not of had much grip in his older days so made it to fit here
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee77/bendoodar/novaproject098.jpg
quality!!
The Simps
30-10-09, 08:20 PM
Lovin the handle! lol
sparkie1401
30-10-09, 08:30 PM
cool handle, great welding
whos and what is the Mk1 astra i spy? for sale?
ben doodar
30-10-09, 08:42 PM
cool handle, great welding
whos and what is the Mk1 astra i spy? for sale?
ha ha that astra it just sits there awaiting for some love should get a sheet over it really!
went to buy a 2.0 8v for my gsi off some random guy walked up the drive and asked the guy whos was it he said "its a project for some one"
"o its not for sale then?"
"yh its yours for £***"
"il have it"
i will one day, do it up will and probably sell it to make a bit of cash. it was so cheap i had to have it!
a few months later started dating my mrs turns out it was her uncle who i bought it off!
ben doodar
25-03-11, 07:35 PM
Now for sale due to my dad loosing his marbles. Theres loads of spares and parts included.
Also in cars for sale section. Serious enquirys only please.
07909526903.
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