MK1 nova

[paulwar]

hi all,

as some may be aware I race a non contact formual on the short circuit ovals called rookie rods, i did start a thread a while back but it sort of went out he window and i forgot all about it!

well i've been racing a year now and had alot of bad luck and the season is over so on to 2011 with the same car for some more fun.

i raced a nova on sunday in bangers and killed a mk2 shell, to be fair it was rotton and we had chopped the roof of it etc. Will put some more detial and pics up at a later stage

now onto the project, I got given a MINT mk1 shell with all the running gear inside!!!! it's rot free and i got it for free so even more happy :D

every year there is a show the auto sport motor show held at the nec nromally 2nd weekend in jan, our promotor has a big stand up there and has a few cars from different formulas etc. So the plan is to make this one into a show car for the 2012 show then use it through out the year.

the plan so far is for a company called FGS to do the cage, firewall, fuel tank, seat mount, skin the car, bottom arm - allowed 1inch camber, coloum, dash, name plate, roof fin number, and anythign else i can think of for them to do it.

the shell will be shot blasted before hand then sent of to be welded up, once i get it back, i will dry fit everything and then put it on the scales n set up springs and shocks etc. it will then be stripped down and sent off to be primered, and 2paced inside out, then it will be put back together with all new parts, with everything being powder coated - all running gear , all new bolts etc with everything brand new.

now this will be over a year or so so there will not be massive updates every night cause it's a case of fit it in as and when i got the money and time.

but keep a eye out for it i will put some pictures up of old rod and new roof in due course with some of the one i raced on sunday night.

[Connor]

Mint Mk1 for free!!!!!!!
I hate you :p lol

[paulwar]

i'll get some pics of it up soon,

it was going in the bin!!! i managed to save it :)

[ryansnova]

i'll get some pics of it up soon,

it was going in the bin!!! i managed to save it :)

ye get some pics up mate:thumb: :thumb:

[AdamK]

Subscribed!

[paulwar]

not much of a update as i've been flat out! i've sorted pics just gotta sort about uploading them. whats best place to for pictures?

raced the current car yesturday in a very tricky and wet condtions and had some sideways action and a bit of fun :)

hopefully i'll get pics etc up tonight, also got a few bits to sell etc. :)

[AdamK]

use photobucket mate thats the easiest one iv found

[paulwar]

right bit of a update here.

abit about the formula, they are called rookie rods and are the basic entry level into short circuit non-contact racing, all cars being nova's, corsa's (mark 1 body only) 1200 engines and Fiestas mk3 allowed to run 1300 as they are a heavier car.

the idea behind the formula is to bring people from the stands to the track with a cheap "budget" formula, with the very limited modifications to the cars etc. The idea is you stay in the formula for 2 years and move on but this isn't always the case with some of the top boys doing it for a fair few years now.

as to the rules, you have a right hand weight of 52% so the maximum of the car's weigh can be on the right, We race round clock wise on the tracks, your allowed one inch of camber on passenger wheel and you can stagger your wheel based. Standard springs but can be cut and welded to any length you want, also have to run a certain shock all round, we run a controlled tyres, either a kingpin pacer or a Yokie A Drive with most going with the kingpin as it's a remould n a better gripping tyre.

Engine - We are only allowed to run carbed parts no SRI stuff no injection etc. most go for the ST 1.2 lump as it seems a better choice of engine, running a pierberg 2e3 e.g the 1300 carb and manifold with the 4 into 2 into 1 down pipe off the 1300 astras? we can skim the head to a certain limit and bore ports by 1mm, no other mods allowed all has to be standard parts etc.

we also have a minimum weight of 650kg.

now onto abit about me, my dad used to race drag cars at Santa pod back in his day and went onto to run all over Europe, against what is now the top boy in top fuel dragsters Andy Carter. They run a street mod type car on a budget and going to the us every year bring V8 spares / parts etc. back in suitcases! he then had a run for the points , last meeting of the season and all that and forgot to turn the NOS on and lost the run / points and promptly sold up to start his own business, We then got into watching oval racing and used to go every week when I was old enough to race he was too busy with work etc. so it never happened then back in 2005 a friend said he would build a car so I can have a go, I've never looked back!!!! I started off doing rookie bangers, e.g. bangers but light contact etc. Stepped up and done a few national bangers "anything goes within reason" and now onto rookie rods, it took me a year and a half to build due to various reasons etc. First season was last year 2010 and what a crap season. I had a few bad runs, blowing a engine up, rolling it and being driven through while upside down, and a massive learning curve as well plus being sacked and having no job for 5 months made it hard to compete so I wrote last year off and moving on to this year. Cars still not brilliant and needs a bit of work but we will get there and start racking the points / wins in soon I hope!!!

now after I rolled the current one and we had some work to do we pulled the roof out but I was never happy with the way it looked and it was never going to stay like that. So in the yard I had a rotten blue nova mk1, carbed 1.2st lump in it. Pretty much scrap, so we cut the roof off current rod and welded onto blue one, we cut blue one off and welded onto rod and made good :) so the rod is now looking like a rod rather than a pile of scrap

the blue one I bangered a week ago or so and got caged in it, very rotten and nova's are not that strong when you get done by a welded up Clio loll!!!!

now onto the project, I got a phone call from a mate who is on here said he had to be out his yard by the weekend and has a mint mk1 shell complete but not built come and get it!!! so off I went, and I've never seen a cleaner shell in my life!!! and the plus side I paid nothing for it.

So I thought about building it up and putting it on the road, soon went out the window and I thought about a new rookie rod for the 2012 season. Every year you have the Autosport NEC show where it's a massive racing expo for all formulas, tracks, f1 and so on!!! etc. etc. so I got on to the promoter and put my name down to show my car off on the stand next year.

pics will follow later once I got home and had a chance to sort through them.

but to start off with

The car will be put back together so it's rolling then sent off to FG Fabrications - who are a well-known and very successful car builders in the short circuit world. He will do the following


Build cage - full roll cage, 2 hopes one over front a pillars, b pillars joined, with chicken bars, to brace bars going to front struts through bulkhead, and rear mounts coming down to mount off rear struts with full seat support

Seat mount - where I want the seat etc. see below for seat spec :) your like it!!!

column - steering column made up to match the seat. will have pop off steering wheel as well.

Dash - be a ali dash made over the column hosting a few switches and gauges - Oil Pressure, Water temp - Auto meter then I'll have a rev counter from long acre.

Bottom arm - Extend passenger bottom arm by an inch to give camber

Modify front - cut away slam panel and head light aptitudes then run a nice inch round tube along the front, to mount bonnet pins and hold top of rad in place


De Skin panels - De skin every panels, doors, boot, bonnet rear qtr. panels,

Name Plate - along the front of wind screen and about 8 inches deep

Fuel Tank - will be ali and hold round 2 gallon

Firewall - to go over fuel tank with fuel tank mount to hold it in place


Battery Tray - to hold battery more than likely will be behind driver's seat on the floor

Number board - on the roof where the number goes, be a 2 posts up and a bar across roof with 2 plates either end with number on it.

all for £700 and about a week's work



I'll be running 2 X 52mm Auto Meter Water Temp and Oil Pressure gauges -properly the best you can get. with a Longacre 10k digital rev counter, a led light for oil pressure as well with a fan switch / light and a ign switch, I'm also after a led lit push button for starting the car if you know of one, only one I seen is the rickworth one and I'm not paying 50 odd notes for a button!



that will do for now as my fingers are about to fall off, hopefully I'll have some pics up tonight and a bit more update on plans etc what I a am doing with it etc.

[Connor]

This project thread needs pics ;)

[paulwar]

I know but the crappy network at work doesn't like photobucket so will upload once i get home :)

[paulwar]

Mk1 Shell

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/20110108_006.jpg

the front pass sdie
http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/20110108_007.jpg

in the garage on the floor, wings are in the car :)
http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/20110115_004.jpg

[moffat]

your turning that into a stock car?

[paulwar]

well a rookie rod

http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/formula.php?name=rr

will be few more pics later of current car, the roof chop, the one i raced as a banger

[paulwar]

Front end

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/003.jpg

engine bay

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/005.jpg

passenger side

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/006.jpg

spare shell

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/011.jpg

the one i bangered - was rotton

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/010.jpg

front end after i had a little crash :)


http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/023.jpg




Caged

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/026.jpg



not much room in the back now!

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/025.jpg


pillers starting to over lap!

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/027.jpg

passenger side doing the side



http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/028.jpg

me rodding in a snapped nova!


http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/029.jpg

new roof welded on


http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/012.jpg


rear corner needed some panel work as there wasn't much left of it!



http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/paulwar98/Rookie%20Rod%202012%20-%20NEW/014.jpg

[Rich]

fair play for driving a nova in a banger race! Seen some nasty crashes that would leave a nova about 2mm thick!

Is it wimbledon you race?

[Nobby]

ace matey smash one up cut the roof off another weld it on job done! + rep!!

[paulwar]

yer, that was at wimbledon, it was a micro meeting so anything under 1400 not bigger the a mk fiesta :) was fun and it was rotton i only bough tit for the running gear but ended up racing it :) good times.

we raced at ipswich, yarmouth, aldershot, arlington, wimbledon

be some more updates soon i've really not got the money tll least march or so before it gets any real work done on it so wait n see it's plans

[paulwar]

not much of a update, but been doing a shopping list!!! :)

but just looking and stripping current engine down, skim head, bore by 1mm, new pistons +1mm, new shells, new fingers, valves, rings, gasket set, kent cam blue print cam, cap, arm, leads, plugs, oil pump, water pump, cam belt, coil - and everything painted.

then cobra evolotion grp seat, new 5 point 3 inch belts, quick release steering wheel and hub, 15 inch in size!, all new wiring through the car, 2 auto meter oil pressure and temp gagues with a oil pressure light. fan switch, fan light, ign switch, with light , push button for starter. A longacre 10k rpm digital rev counter. corsa break servo mod, all new break lines,

thinking of new steering rack, hubs, caliapers, cv joints, bottom arms, tie bars etc. etc. new 1.4 astra rad, maybe nice silicon hoses, gotta run a oil catch tank aswell


think thats it for now!

[paulwar]

bit of a update really, been doign alot of shopping and now what i'm after etc so will start buying, will be up the yard at the weekend so hoepfully get some running gear on it and get it rolling, n start to doing some weight loss so pics to follow :)

[Rickyb]

update this please :thumb:

[paulwar]

sorry mate, been flat out with the current one! got a fair bit of damage and started work on the current one taking it apart and also been doing my mates one whos got a project thread on here so it's taken a back seat atm as i just not got the time. He's is due to be sent off for the cage to be done over the next week aso will try and get this rolling and down the yard to start havign it cut about etc.

just so much going on atm time is the biggest issue !!!! trying to finish off my bedroom at home, keep current one sorted and working on that one, do mates new one aswell as do mine!!!!

plus we got 29 meetings this year 5 tracks so going to be a busy year for me i think!

[paulwar]

nothing done on this on this week :( out of work now so going to start doing things, had goo day on sorting out van for mot tomorrow, loads of things to do on it, plus getting old one sorted for sunday, some pics to follow but lots to be done!