twisted novas from big engines

[turbojolt]

so a big block in a small nova is ment to twist it up with out strengthen

has anyone ever actual experienced this?

got any photos or real proof, other then just saying it does happen or it will etc, or is it a bit of a myth :confused:

[Iain]

Stop being a pikey and trying to get away without welding it

[turbojolt]

shush lol

[nova_stee]

They just flexy that much they start to crack and once there cracked jobs ****ed. crossmembers worst

[Lee H]

My old XE Nova wasn't welded and kept cracking where the crossmember joins the chassis legs everytime I raced it at York. Kept welding the cracks up but it was too late as it just cracked somewhere else then.

[Spudly]

If you want to drop the engine in and rag it senseless for a few weeks then break it, then dont weld it, however if you want it to last then weld it!


This is all dependant really on the condition of your shell, if you can guarantee its a fresh as the day it rolled out of the factory, and you know for a fact it has zero age/metal fatigue then you dont need to weld it at all lol

[paul james]

Put it this way, the rust enticing spot welds that hold together a 20+ year old Nova can fail with a 1.0 engine driven by a pensioner. Do you really want to trust them with a bigger, heavier engine and the full throttle abuse it will entail?

[General Baxter]

bah babys, i twisted a strenghened TD chassis lol
that was funny the entire n/s front chassis (inner arche wing thingy) was lifted 6mm higher then the o/s lol

[scott.parker]

babys, i twisted a stred TD chassis lol
that was funny the entire n/s front chassis (inner arche wing thingy) was lifted 6mm higher then the o/s lol

We expect that from you, and your a dodgy bodging ****!

I know that it can pull the Chassis legs appart

[General Baxter]

scott i cant read what you said your blocked,

[scott.parker]

Lol how childish was just stating facts..

[turbojolt]

fighttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[burgo]

Baxter how can you possibly get offended at getting called a bodge artist, your normally the first to admit it

[steviegsi]

the gte I broke for my xe had major signs of this, cross member was starting to be pulled apart, and there were signs of rust around a lot of the bay were the twisting had cracked the paint and started to rust.

Definitely get it strengthened and welded now whilst the engines out, to save the hassle of having to take it out again in 6 months.

[brainsnova]

Just find a good welder and if everything's prep it can be done within a day easily

[jonn]

i have 2 1.2 novas shells and front cross member was cracked on both of them.

[Alex J]

nova are ****, they crack even with a 1litre in lol, i use chewing gum, filler, and news paper to hold mine together

[mowgli]

i'm normally the biggest sceptic of a lot of things, but 20 years of people putting xe's etc. in novas has proven the worth of welding/strengthening kits.

get it done properly.

[TeddyThom]

scott i cant read what you said your blocked,

If he is blocked how do you know he replied? :thumb:

Cross members are relatively easy to break, I had to repair the one on my first nova because the previous owner bumped into a roundabout...

[Jack]

Mine is welded and plated and is still relatively straight as far as I can tell.

It has tried to yank the NSF tie bar mount off though. lol

[blue_peg_16v]

My saloon has never been welded and is fine after 10 years of abbuse with an xe and a let however when it was built the shell was absolutly spotles no rot anywere, the van is welded and when the saloon gets rebuilt that will also get welded

[Benn]

Why dont you just get it welded? It's not hard, christ there are mobile welders that can do the job.

I've only ever seen a crack on where the chassis meets the bulk head. But that was in a turbo Nova that wasn't welded and was a bit rusty.

[Andy]

Paul has a good pic of his split.

[Balley]

My td moved the cross member back from the front panel a couple of mm with some strengthening. I have since done the hole lot properly and added a 3mm thick box section cross member and the mount points onto the chassis legs and most of the legs and around the turrets are now all 2mm. Strongest Nova front end out there. I have been told by a top bloke you only need the do the cross memember and mounts though but thats up to you.

[Paul]

Yeh, i have some really good pics of them cracking splitting. In my build thread. Front x-members, inner arch by brake pipe holding clip (wheel arch). By the rear engine mount, bulkead, inner wing joint, etc.

[Paul]

For how little it will cost, i personally would plate and weld front end, ur looking at £250 worst way. £80 for plate set, £20 materials, £150 to weld.

[Alex J]

just use a few tubes of sticker flex to hold it together! lol

[hotrod]

I know I bumped my first nova up a curb on the ice the car felt fine apart from the steering wheel which would drive the car straight in 2 different positions! lol

The next day when I checked it in the light the cross member had a clean break through it so it was just the front panel holding it together! :wtf:

So for what it costs just stop being tight and get it welded! :p Unless your not planning on keeping it long then just throw it together! lol They really are made of cheese! lol

[L14MNP]

Me and my dad built her. So much torque, the chassis twisted coming off the line.

Definitive proof surely? Weld it, or it won't last.

[Stuart]

Paul has a good pic of his split.

Is that in the 18+ forum.....

[16v]

Fella I knew Had an seh in one without strengthening and it twisted and broke the windscreen lol

[Mieran]

Novas are weak and flimsy as fook even compared to average cars like a corsa C, just the weight of the engine hanging of the 2 side mounts imo will pull seams apart

[L14MNP]

Fella I knew Had an seh in one without strengthening and it twisted and broke the windscreen lol

That amused me! lol + rep

[BRoadGhost]

This is such an open ended question that put simply it'll come down to how hard you drive it and where.

Mechanical factors involved are things like spring rates, ride heights, corner weights, state of tune, wheels size & tyre types, engine mounts, bushes. Then there's what surfaces you put it on; track driving using curbs, public B roads at speed accelerating over pot / man hole covers, jumping the thing over bridges. Then there's for how long do you want it to last without ever showing a single crack along a seam - the list goes on & on.

I've torn stitch welded cross members, bent tie bars, cracked seam welds, broken competition engine mounts and that's with a 14 point weld in cage, but then I look at other aspects of it such as ride height & what I put it through and understand why such things occur.

The only real solace is whatever breaks gets replaced with [usually] something home made, of a different design and inherently stronger. If you want indefinite performance then be prepared to devote your life to development because that shell was never meant to have that sort of torque or weight in it.

[Mieran]

that shell was never meant to have that sort of torque or weight in it.

:thumb:

[mowgli]

i have a funny feeling that a few of these failures have been cover ups for clouting kerbs & other road furniture.. or the result of bodgery of previously crashed shells. i've always thought the lower suspension mountings to be marginal at best on a std car, as it was designed pre computer & had 145r13 tyres. putting 3(or 6 with a LET) times the power thru 50% more rubber is going to cause problems.. the weight of the engine/box is nothing to do with it. if there was room for a proper bottom brace, it would be a massive improvement in rigidity, i suppose a decent sumpguard would also do the job.

[kenny_afh]

not a nova, but ive seen an unwelded corsa B that had an XE in it and plenty of abuse with both chassis legs cracked around about 60% of the circumference forward of the steering arm holes.