Track + road use build story

[Al3x]

been on the png scene nearly a year now and been into my novas about 3 years and fancy a lil something to work on a chat about so and have come to make a project/build to track and drive on sunny days

the nova itself was xe powered when i bought it a couple weeks ago but not strenghtened in any way and not really to my spec, sooooo... work begins

started life as this (some may have seen already?)
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/novagtxe3.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/4ae5b9b1bcead_111.jpg

anyway... booked a few days off work this week to really get my head down and stuck in.
my boss has kindly lent me a bay equipped with a 2 poster ramp, airline and 3phase and single phase power supplies so this should make life alot easier

MONDAY:
opened up the bay and got my 1st package and cleaned they bay out (nothin worse than workin in sh*t)

http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00255.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00256.jpg

lookin tidy...er. so 10mins work and trying to read dodgy instructions finished building my engine stand
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00259.jpg

drained water outside and disconnected battery and got the car in the bay ready to strip. while having a good ol goose round the car and engine came across this:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00260.jpg

tucked inbetween the alternator bracket and inlet manifold... is this some sort of temp sensor? or just a plug blanking cap?
moving on i got the car in the air to have a good look around and the shell is in very good condition, so far havnt found any rust.
bumper off and de-plumbed the engine, draining the water and shafts out draining the gearbox. when i dropped the engine oil i found this in the container:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00269.jpg
niiiiiiiiiice. did have a sparkle to it aswell so might have some worn parts in there somewhere (striiiiiiip dooooown time)

the car was yellow at some point and had a bare shell respray, cheaply done, but the paint was covering rust bubbles =/
got my head down and working on getting the engine out ready to fit my stand.
carefully lifted the car above the engine thinkin i was all pro untill, piiing (oh noes) haha
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00268.jpg
left one wire attached... ONE. i was gutted and my boss didnt let me hear the end of it haha

moving on:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00261.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00265.jpg

sitting on a tyre ready for action. while the engine was out and car in the air, i used this time to have another browse around the old girl checking the usual spots and looks good.
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00266.jpg
will be stripping the underside back ready to weld her up, seam seal, then red oxide primer and a final shultzing all underneath.

when i took the headlights out earlier on in the day, i noticed some crash damage :'(
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00264.jpg
im still unsure on this yet... what are your views? thinking along the lines of putting a replacment piece in there (all the headlight housing etc...)

the rest of the shell looks perfect so im determined to rectify it.
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00263.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00262.jpg

all of the exhaust is now off and all pipes out of the bay along with the absolute FAIL of a rad
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00274.jpg

havnt yet started cleaning parts as im going to do that when its going back together.

and this is what i accoplished on monday
what do you think?

[LEWI007]

Good to see youve made a thread mate, keep us updated.

The car still looks awesome !

[let_nova]

the sensor is a air inlet temp sensor.

[Iain]

Good to see you've got your WIP up, shell looks a goodun to start with! What's the plans for the engine, underneath, respray??

[Al3x]

ahhh right where is it supposed to go?

cheers

[let_nova]

on the inlet to airflow meter pipe

[Al3x]

Good to see you've got your WIP up, shell looks a goodun to start with! What's the plans for the engine, underneath, respray??

underneath is going to be stripped with this funky pin gun that ive got that strips back paint and underseal really well (apparently)
ive started on the engine today and its down to bare block and got pics and everything to post up in a few mins after some food lol.
then going to prep the shell myself for the 2l and sort the chassis leg out properly instead of it being bashed in as it looks nasty as it is.
then off to 'creative coachworks' in wem for another bare shell spray and get a 6 point cage instead of the 4 point thats in it. :thumb:
will post up in a bit what ive done today... im really enjoying it :d

cheers for help let_nova ill get it sorted when the engines back in.

[Logical Improvement]

I'll have to pop in on my way back north one Friday afternoon. I go up the A41, so could pop in for a late lunch.

[Al3x]

I'll have to pop in on my way back north one Friday afternoon. I go up the A41, so could pop in for a late lunch.

yes mate thats fine as long as its during workin hours thats when i open the bay up.

[Spudly]

Looks a good one that dude, thought i recognised the first pic when it popped up, i took it lol



Edit, clicky me (http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1349500&postcount=4) pics four, five, six and seven :d

[Al3x]

todays work, ive been concentrating most of my time on then engine ready for the re- conditioning.
first things first... get it on the stand.
gearbox is now removed and put in a container to drain whats left in it.
having a lil goose round the clutch to see whats going on, but no surprise its worn (just my luck =/ ) so unsure weather to go for another std one or go for an uprated one such as black diamond etc...

so gearbox and clutch are off, had a quick scan over the gearbox and found that the oil seal must have been leaking or something as its quite damp in there. not sure weather to re-con the gearbox at this stage... prob will do though.
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00270.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00271.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00272.jpg

raised the engine up on the engine crane an bolted her up to my shiney new stand and jus stood and looked at it for a bit haha.
took apart all the coolant hoses on the back side of the engine and the main plastic water pipe, these will be replaced with a metal water pipe and a complete roose motorsport hose kit.

took most of the things attatched to the block off... starter motor, knock sensor etc.
the engine was starting to look more naked now. next off was the inlet which got me debating if i was going to put thats back on or be adventurous.
removed the remaining sensors, coil pack, plugs and leads.

the plugs were quite shockingly black so getting some new ones of them
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00283.jpg

now that was all gone i got stuck into the timing belt and pullies
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00279.jpg
took that all apart remembering where everything goes is tough haha.
got the water pump out and everything looks normal as far as i can see.
keepin all my nuts and bolts in boxes so i can roughly remember where everything goes when the time comes to get it out again (i like to keep organised)
next challenge was the crank bolt... dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnnn what could make this easy? wheeled the engine into the main garage next door to use the airline closest to the compressor, whack the boost up on the compressor and snap-on air gun FTW, bazooooo and shes off with no hesitation (makes life so much easier) NO MERCY FOR THE CRACK BOLT!!! GRRRRR
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00281.jpg

didnt want to get bored working on the engine too much so had a lil look over the shell now and found a hole :'( its been patched up on top but looks a tw@ underneath the battery tray
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00284.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00285.jpg

took a few things out the engine bay... master cylinder, all my brake pipes off and maintained in 1 piece whoo.
wiring pulled up so the 2 looms are seperate dangling out each gromit both sides will pull the rest out tomorrow when i get the dash out.
so engine bay is looking naked now and will finish stripping that tomorrow.

back onto the engine, all pistons are out, crank out and just left with the bare block now
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00287.jpg

came across a minor problem... every bore has quite a big lip at the top so instead of just honing them im sending the block off to Raymond williams in rhostyllen near me to get it bored out to 2.1 and he will supply the pistons, not sure of cost at this point but its def getting done so thats that.

so for today the block is bare pistons are out, engine is fully stripped ready to rebuild once its bored out and cleaned up and fix it all up with ARP fasteners
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00286.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00287.jpg

here are some pics of things ive got ready for a while ahead yet but usefull to have for now:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00276.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00277.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00278.jpg

and eventually my plans for a dash will be similar to this jus working around a mk 1 dash :
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/rallydash.jpg

[Al3x]

cheers for pics spud... saved them ones, looking good :d

[Spudly]

As is your work so far bud, i shall be keeping an eye on this thread, the car looks really nice in the flesh so will be good to see it rebuilt and back on its feet:d

[saloonwoody]

good air gun that , same as mine :)

[Al3x]

good air gun that , same as mine :)

tis a pro airgun mate gets anything out of anything lol

trying to pick a rad for the car now is harder than i thought...if mines the late type xe, which rad would be best to use?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nissens-Aluminium-Radiator-VAUXHALL-NOVA-1-6i-82-93_W0QQitemZ180370825720QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars Parts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item29fef061f8
and wheres the best prices?
cheers:thumb:

[peester]

^^ a few people havegone for those nissens ally rads. Dont think theres any problems with them..
Car is a nice looker, even if it has its imperfections, im sure youll sort them. It should be a lot easier fixing a nearly-done-the first-time car, than having to start from scratch.

[Iain]

I got a 1.6 Nissens radiator from a company called 'Radicool', not sure if they're still around, but was about £60.

Not hanging about are you, looking good!

[Benn]

The crash damage is on the n/s, why have you shown the o/s chassis leg?

Nice looking car, the air temp sensor can be left out and just tucked away..

[Count Vaux Alot]

Good progress so far

[*Dave*]

keep up the work dude.

[Al3x]

The crash damage is on the n/s, why have you shown the o/s chassis leg?

Nice looking car, the air temp sensor can be left out and just tucked away..

the n/s chassis leg is fine just damage to the corner bit really, i took pics of the o/s so you could all see just the general condition of the bay :thumb:

[Al3x]

wednesdays work :
as you all know the engine is now bit'ed and can only progress slowly on that for now by cleaning parts as funds are tight :wtf: but i will get it done with HARDCORE saving up.

started the day by concentrating on the shell as i cant be arsed cleaning yet =/ (save that for the weekend)
begun with the seats in and looking round the dash to see how it comes out and started taking shibby things out the car to make roooooom, then remembered to take a pic:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00288.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00289.jpg

sorry in advance for the quality as it was bright outside and strangly dark inside =/

when i removed to the steering wheel cowling i found this horrendous bodge:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00290.jpg
later found out where the wires went to and they were only for the radio loom so that came off and straight into the skip... wont be needing them again.

moving on, started to attack the dash and concentrating on where everything goes together.
the job really wasnt as hard as i imagined and came apart really well and put it all into storage.

now the dash was out i had full access to the wiring looms so started work on getting that maze out and again remembering where everything goes.
also took the heater matrix unit out along with the external blower unit.
took some pics once i finished that:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00298.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00291.jpg

once the loom was out i found this:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00292.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00293.jpg
that loom hole looks a bit rough so will tidy that up and get some nitromors on the battery tray then rust killer and weld a neat plate in near the corner and near the battery clamp. might even move the battery into the boot yet... ideas at the moment though.

forgot to mention in one of the above pics that i also took the pedal box out... which i found alot easier to get out when the columb was dropped.
my boss (jeff) is really good at getting shear bolts out so got him on the scene
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00295.jpg
looking all pro there^^ haha.

[Al3x]

when taking the front carpet out and general interior stripping, came across this:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00297.jpg
that is some shocking plate work!!! and YES YOU CAN SEE DAYLIGHT THROUGH THERE!!!!
will have to tidy that one up lol

starting to look pretty bare now, gotta get the mid carpet section out, cage out and seat out but will put it back in to move about etc...
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00299.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00300.jpg

once the carpet was up i had full acess to the fuel pump loom and that was next out to inspect and get out.
upon gettin that out the wires were fired together by twisting them and taping up... FAIL in my books.
got my lil wiring kit out and made a new loom with new connections:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00302.jpg
that is connection FAIL ^^

and this is my lil new loom
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00303.jpg

what do you think so far?

pedal box is out and the plate thingey along with the servo mount block thing. going to spray these black i think it goes well with red.
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00301.jpg

next to take off was the steering rack so i had access to all the seams to clean up and prep for welding.
i was lent a really wierd looking tool from a friend and he sed that it would work really well for what i needed to do and this is the tool and the result:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00304.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00305.jpg

got the hang of using the tool (needle gun?) and took the wings off to inspect and all looks really really good.
im going to clean the inner wings up and protect them with shultz or something.
and thats as far as i got today really =/ but going to crack a whip tomorrow and get more done on the shell untill ive saved more monies up to get the engine on the roll.

let me know what you all think and if you spot anywhere which looks wrong, let me know :thumb:

[The Simps]

Good work so far mate. Keep em coming!

[Angus Closier]

Not sure what the real name for the tool is but my mate calls it a needle de scaler....looks good so far mate! keep up the good work!

[Al3x]

pictures coming up later today of thursdays and fridays work as ive been at my girlfriend house and cant get the pics online. decided to have a break this weekend as been hard at it this week lol

[mikec123]

Good progress will keep an eye on this thread:thumb:

[Al3x]

next part of the project... cleaning :(
what a grueling job thursday and friday has offered, started looking at the underside of the shell and found a few places that will need some attention:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00308.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00314.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00315.jpg

this one has already been patched^^ so im gonna leave that one, just clean it up and seal it properly.
found a lil more in the battery tray:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00324.jpg

so cleaned a couple of areas up ready to weld and made a few card templates for when i patch em up... but gonna hit the welding in one go so getting everything preped first.
removed the fuel tank, lines, pump and filler neck so now have more exposed places to underseal once welded up:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00316.jpg

next was to clean up the inner wings and prep a few more areas for welding inc that dodgy patch in the drivers footwell:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00321.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00322.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00325.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00326.jpg

so thats ready for welding and patching now. next is to clean some seams at the rear end, chassis legs and clean up the front seams better:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00318.jpg

[Al3x]

more clening up here too:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00309.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00310.jpg
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00312.jpg

took the rear bumper off too so i could have a goose at the damage there:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00313.jpg
apart from some very minor scabbing im well chuffed it looks ok.

http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00317.jpg


and last of all....
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00319.jpg
got my new front panel which is a pattern part so dont know how well its going to fit up yet =/
found there is like a million spot welds holding it on and made a start:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/Alex_youngun/DSC00323.jpg

i got bored of drilling welds so called it a night lol was such a blag, i spose when the front end is off it will give me alot more acess to weld the chassis up :thumb:
and thats what ive achived this week in my time off work... after this im limited to wednesdays, sometimes after work and weekends if i can get a lift in.
what do you think so far? (any seems ive missed to weld up? more on the rear end?)

[pikey1986]

good work so far and great progress, it might be worth bracing the front end before you remove the panel completely as theirs a chance it could flex slightly especially with no engine in

[Al3x]

good work so far and great progress, it might be worth bracing the front end before you remove the panel completely as theirs a chance it could flex slightly especially with no engine in

cheers pal.
how would i brace it?

[Iain]

Nice progress, engine bay seems look good which is always nice. Been round the rest with a screwdriver to find any more lurking rust? Behind turrets/top of splash guards etc?

[pikey1986]

just bodge some sort of strut brace or tack a piece of bar to the turretts(sp)

[Al3x]

yea ill get a temp strut brace or summin.

found all the rusty spots in the bay now, tis just under the car i keep finding bits lol like on the n/s chassis leg under the car its rusting through into the car so a bit unsure what to do with that one yet... think its in one of the pictures actualy.

[Rickyb]

looking good keep it up.

[Rickardo]

Looking good Alex, see you at Pv next year. :)

[Al3x]

Looking good Alex, see you at Pv next year. :)

lol too right mon... prob be drooling over your car again lol
might see your nova turbo there whoevers got it now.

[Nobby]

nice work mate ive just replaced my front panel with a pattern part mine fitted mint! Some of my pics are in my project thread. Really easy to change once you get going. The worst bit is where the crossmember fits onto th chassis leg.

[Al3x]

nice work mate ive just replaced my front panel with a pattern part mine fitted mint! Some of my pics are in my project thread. Really easy to change once you get going. The worst bit is where the crossmember fits onto th chassis leg.

yeah it was your build thread i was reading through and decided to change mine, looked well on yours :)
tis just such a blag drilling all the spot welds lol

[--ToM--]

my old gsi wheels off the valver corsa ha ha

[Nobby]

yeah it was your build thread i was reading through and decided to change mine, looked well on yours :)
tis just such a blag drilling all the spot welds lol

:cool: once you get going mate they just seem to fly off tbh!

[Al3x]

my old gsi wheels off the valver corsa ha ha

aye they are pal lol

[craig green]

Good work so far Alex. It was a nice car to begin with, so should be cracking when are done. Nice facilties you have too.

[MattBrown]

Looking really well!


Have I seen this flying around wrexham about 4 months ago?

Its a red gte, that I havent got a clue who owns!

Looking really well!:)

[scott.parker]

Looks good mate, i liked the look of this car from the north west pics at York, hope it comes together good, looks like it use to be a Jamaica yellow as well..

Scott

[Al3x]

Looking really well!


Have I seen this flying around wrexham about 4 months ago?

Its a red gte, that I havent got a clue who owns!

Looking really well!:)

nah mate your thinking of Tims gte i think, completely standard on speedlines/trims (he changes).

thanks for comments... doing a bit on it tomorrow because i have the day off so hoping to get the front panel off and prep the rest of the shell ready for welding, will update with pics tomorrow for all interested :d

and yes, it was jam yellow... and blue under that haha. having a brae shell re-spray in that red again (rosso red? calypso red?)

:thumb:

[Al3x]

im getting the plating kit from HHMS but not sure which kit is best for road+track use?
http://www.hh-ms.com/database/index.php?SelCategoryID=5&SelModelID=14&SelSubCategoryID=4
what have other people bought for their cars?
im thinking more for the Body strength plate kit rather than the Fast road plating kit. guessing from the price the first one has more plates in.
thoughts please :d

Edit: is the chris astley one just as good?

[scott.parker]

Yes just get the CA kit mate