Wide Arch Xe Nova Build

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

thought id keep you guys updated with everything :)

so i bought the nova at the start of september 2010.went and veiwed it in a garage up the road from me and i wanted it right from the start.
£1150
53,000 miles on clocks
no tax or mot in 3 years
no rust or rot
c20ne conversion
wide arch kit
novadose kit
smoothed tailgate
spoiler
17" alloys
lowered
2l brakes
red sri interior

the car was covered in dust but i wasnt bothered by that, so i bought it and took it round to my mates house, after washing it i was very disappointed. the paint job was awful. it was peeling off with the water from the garden hose, the roof was covered in dents, the b pillar's were all marked were someone had previously attempt to break into it,the smoothed boot was wonky and a whole bunch of other dents and marks on the paint:(.

anyway besides that i got it in the air, wheels off, all cleaned and wire brushed. got some black hammarite spray and coated alot of the underside with it just to look good for mot, painted the calipers red, wired up a boot popper, gave it a service, two new tires,headlights aligned few other small bits and it was mot time.....

failed first time....emmisions were too high :(
thoght that was me fooked but it then came to my attension there was no airbox watsoeva on the car....a duh:tard:

no mot in 3 years and all it needed was an airbox. i thought i was going to get a failure list the length of my arm

so aftermarket cone filter and back through mot.....PASSED :)


so on the road it looks like this
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/62772_119353561452329_100001330568508_98804_551761 _n.jpg

after a good rip round town i was very disapointed by the performance from the c20ne. 113bhp my ass...try 70bhp if im lucky


week or so later i ripped the smoothed plate off the bootlid and tidyed it up a bit. took the rear bumper off and gave it a full overhaul. it was al busted and racked...loads of fibreglass,isapon and paint later...and it looks good.not complete tho
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00583.jpg


decided the c20ne was coming out and a redtop would be going in. so bought this
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00006.jpg :)

its going in next week so more updated then

[Cle]

agree with you mate looks good apart from novadose front, will look good with a gsi front :thumb:

[Connor]

MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!! :thumb:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii190/sri147glen/Photo0322.jpg

[Damo]

Looks good dean keep up the work take lots of pics of the engine swap too.

Damo.

[LEWI007]

Be a good project, i love widearches

[nova_saloon]

MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!! :thumb:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii190/sri147glen/Photo0322.jpg

WIIIN!!! loved the magazine shoot

[Bubba]

^^ that was my wallpaper for months....

[pie]

is that still going ^^^^^^

looks good fella get a gsi bumper on her :thumb:

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

that is mint, i was going to get them mirrors but my mate said dont. definatly fink this has made my mind up about the mirrors and the gsi bumpers :-D

[boyle_46]

looking good dean , well have to see if this one will take the silk violet lol , will get down and lend a hand if needed mate good luck with it as said ide investigate the problem areas and sort rott before XEing

[krobinson]

Hope it all works out for you! Keep us updated!

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

so got the car into the garage on saturday al ready to start stripping the engine,i got the wiring and plugs all disconnect from the old engine, got the drive shafts out and almost everything ready to lift the engine out.
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00582.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00585.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00584.jpg

seen the girlfreind on sunday so no progress

then tonight i got the radiator and fan out, exhaust disconnected, chain block and tackle holding the wait off the engine, took out the engine mount bolts and got the engine out. was a tight fit and took a little persuasion, got it out tho
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00586.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00587.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00591.jpg
theres my good mate in the background,will be my main help throught the whole build, cheers philly


so now ive a big hole in my engine bay
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00590.jpg


found that my front mount has been bodged a bit to fit the 2litre c20ne and it is also clean split(look at the top of the rubber, theres a huge gap)
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00592.jpg

that was basically me finished for the night:)

tomoro im cleaning the engine bay for welding :d

[LDAWSON]

I wouldnt worry about the gap thats always there because the engine weight rests on the bottom of the mount. but the bar is a bodge, how have they extended the thread?

[LDAWSON]

Nice project anyway mate, i just finished stripping my gsi what a nightmare lol keep it up bud....

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

Cheers buddy, o ill keep at it alryt

[Damo]

Dean what engine mount bracket have you got on it as the extra bit at the top of the rubber that you have is normally used when the mk2 astra metal bracket is used as a cheaper alternative to the conversion get some pics up if you can mate.

Nice progress by the way.

[beggsy]

i saw this in the features and this is an awsome car get some more pictures up

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

i saw this in the features and this is an awsome car get some more pictures up

im not sure u got the right car :confused:

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

wel not much happened from last time, got most of the bay cleaned and started welding, found some rot aswel :mad:


so tuesday i got the dash board ripped out, couldnt get the steering wheel off so just unbolted the whole steering column lol so got a good veiw of all the wires and so i could watch out for any fires while dad was welding, i started cleaning round the seams that needed welding, what a pain in the back side:(, grinder and wire brush ends on a drill.
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00634.jpg

wednesday i done some more cleaning in the engine bay, hoping to get it ready for welding as i was already behind scedule, but i didnt get it ready
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00597.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00598.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00599.jpg

thursday came. and i had origonally only planed on just slapping a bit of paint round the welds once the bay was seam welded, wel i started to decide against this and thought i might aswel clean the whole entire bay properly while i have the engine out, so got to work with the drill and wire brush ends,then dad came home and finally a bit of welding got done:d as my welding skills are not yet up to scratch lol .


some pics of the rot......

battery tray
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00609.jpg

o/s strut (hard to see, theres a hole on the left were the strut meets the inner wing, were its rusty!!)
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00608.jpg
n/s strut
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00607.jpg


friday afternoon, back out to the garage,done a bit more cleaning in the bay and took off the brake servo and ripped away the fireproofing/sound deadening against the bulkhead for two reasons. one it looked awful and two i needed in behind it so i could clean up the seams round the bulkhead for dad to weld,he came home and done a bit more welding and made up some patches for the holes in the battery tray and the hole beside the o/s strut :)
no pics yet!!!



thats all for now. more updated on monday as dad is too busy over the weekend to finish the welding:( and i need to go see my girlfreind, car has been priority lately lol

[steviegsi]

Looking good mate. Seen it parked in Roseville a while ago ! I've a Gsi front bumper here I was keeping for a spare that I'm open to offers on ? Perfect condition as far as I remember. But will need rubbed down and painted.

[Ernie]

looking good but you only need to stitch weld the bay to be fair..
Keep up the good work.

[LEWI007]

I think they should have been 'Stitch' welded in seperate pieces instead of 1 big weld because it will make it too rigid and the weld will break, where as seperate welds hold it together..

Someone can correct me if im wrong though.

Mine:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh57/LEWI007/Nova/Photo084.jpg

[Benn]

TBH either welding is good. Stiching is just good incase of cracking.

*Lewis, hope you did the rest of the seams too *

[Damo]

Nice progress dean keep up the good work.

[twinchoke]

yea well done mate i got a wide arch nova so will watching this thread like a hawk!!

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

got the welding finished tonight(forgot pics again)

hope to get the engine back in and car all running tomorrow or wednesay:d

i see what you are all saying about the cracking which is a fair point. its all seam welded now so no going back anyway lol

and i could argue your point, if any repairs are done or panels are repaired, take for example a rusty arch is cut out and replaced. well that arch has to be seam welded as the mot testers say stitch is not strong enough and your car will not pass. stitch use to be allowed but is not any longer.

i had this unfortunate problem when i had my civic eg i stitch welded my arches and they did fail me....hence why im using it as an example to argue your point. although i do understand were your coming from with the weld cracking. you just cant win these days :(




twinchoke get pics up

[scott.parker]

That right, it's been that way for a while, my old nova failed it's mot on stitch welds, it's also down to how fussy the mot tester is etc..

Nice project, ill keep my eye on it.

Scott

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

wel i havent done much updating so heres what ive been getting up to...things are taking longer than first expected and im finding it hard to source certain parts :(

slapped a bit of black on the bay...nothing spectacular
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00619.jpg
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00621.jpghttp://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00623.jpg






got the engine in, was a tight fit as u all know
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00625.jpg





got it up nice and high so i could weld cut the old manifold off,engine crane done the job :thumb:
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00636.jpg


small grider was useless, so i brought out its big daddy lol (and yes that is axle stands on my alloys, the stands didnt extend high enough and i didnt trust just the engine crane to hold the car that high up, and i really didnt want the car falling on me when i was under there with a grinder)
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00635.jpg


got most of the dash back in place:d
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/DSC00637.jpg


so i have most of the car pieced back together...few things holding me back

inner driveside cv joint
knock and idle control valve loom(i never got this bit so need to source one:()
im getting power to the positive+ and minus- on the coil but no spark through the coil's ht lead

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

got a cv joint ordered :d

[boyle_46]

looking good dean ,be good to see you out on the road again

[dj_wudgey]

MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!! :thumb:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii190/sri147glen/Photo0322.jpg

i agree mate this looks awesome!!

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

so i have most of the car pieced back together...few things holding me back

im getting power to the positive+ and minus- on the coil but no spark through the coil's ht lead

got this headache sorted...was all down to not having the crank position sensor plugged in tight enough:mad: :mad: stupid plug

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

got a temporary icv/loom sorted...the car is out of the garage and running,,, although i need to tighten my timing belt its a bit loose :-(

ill let you all know whe its 100% perfectly running and ill get more pictures of the engine when i get the car and bay a good wash

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

well not good...got the car running, was knocking a bit..i thought tappets and that it would quieten down...wasnt that bad so i took it for a spin...and then the knocking got alot worse :mad: now ive got to source the problem

click vid

http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/th_MOV00622.jpg (http://s686.photobucket.com/albums/vv229/CIVIC_EG3/MY%20NOVA/?action=view&current=MOV00622.mp4)

[AlanH]

ouch! sounds painful. may have a set of lifters here bud if you're stuck for some, hard to tell if thats the noise though. maybe bent valve? i'd take the head off anyway just to check, and replace timing kit/water pump if you havent already done so.

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

yea my dad is ment to be looking at it for me because i dont know much about the inside of an engine...im just waiting for him to get time.

how much are lifters anyway??

[Graeme]

£50 of ebay or £165 from Auto-vaux

[AlanH]

avoid ebay shoite, they're not worth it many lads on here have tried them and been p*ss poor quality. genuine GM is the way forward so if buying new go for the autovaux ones. £20 posted? wish you lived closer, i love working on xe's lol

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

ha i wish too, would be good to have hands that have experience with xe conversions

nd ooch not going to be cheap

[AlanH]

TBH valves arent expensive, or head gasket kit etc, if it is a bent valve you wont need new lifters either, labours the expensive bit usually. Remember that xe's have stretch bolts so you will need to replace these when putting the head back on, only about £10 for a set though.

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

hey ok cheers alan...oh and labour wont cost me...dad was a mechenic most of his life so he knows what he is doing

[AlanH]

oh well thats handy :) you have my number so feel free to give me a ring if you have any questionsor get stuck with anything

[bainyboy sr]

how long have you had it running have you put an engine flush through it and changed the oil , ???

[DEAN-DOHERTY]

cheers alanH

ha dit running for a good bit. idling then i took it out for bout 15mins then the knocking got really loud, changed the oil. didnt engine flush it