Vauxhall Nova SR

[Shep123]

Hi im new on here, I picked up a Nova SR for £50 with out Mot and saw a sticker with this site on so thought i would sign up and put a project thread up.
Not really clued up on Nova's as im more into mg/rovers so will probably be looking around on here.
The plans are to sort the steering and brakes out then put it through a Mot,Then spray the front end There will be more plans but not sure on what to do yet!
Here's some pics:
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/Vauxhall%20Nova%20SR/IMG_20121224_092444_zpse24baacc.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/Vauxhall%20Nova%20SR/IMG_20121224_092435_zpsa3f1051b.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/Vauxhall%20Nova%20SR/IMG_20121224_092931_zpseb532aec.jpg
Thanks

[Spudly]

Booo looks like the poor thing has fallen on hard times, looked like this a couple of years back...



http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthr...?97882-Nova-SR (http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthread.php?97882-Nova-SR)

[Iain]

Make it look like how it used to with the mk1 bumpers again!

[Spudly]

Make it look like how it used to with the mk1 bumpers again!




This man giveth good advice:d


Nice looking little motor this, i hope you get it looking well again:thumb:

[16v Nova Kev]

Not bad for 50 sheets tho

[chrisd1986]

Last time i had a £50 nova i wouldnt of give it to my worst enemy lol, but having said that if it turns out to be a proper rotbox you will double your money on just the engine and wheels easyily

[Shep123]

Thanks for that link, it looked so much better.
How much would a mk1 bumper set me back ?
and yeah i thought for £50 why not, hope to get this back up looking more like a nice SR again.

[staggy_gsi]

Absolute bargain!

[paul james]

You got that for a great price, looks like a fun de-chav project, a bit of restoration to more original spec will transform that car.

[Shep123]

Yeah should be a good project, hopefully i can source the parts as can hardly find anything for these now!

[waggygsi]

thats a funking steal at that price!!!!!

[EwanG]

Bargain! Fix it and take it back to standard or break it and scrap it! Does the engine run? Whats it like underneath

[Balley]

Front bumper is worth £50 and the bonnet must be too. Good buy imo, but I would make it look a little more original myself. Dan

[Balley]

This bloke sells everything you need decal wise,

Ebay user..leighmai03

[Shep123]

Thanks for that i'll have a look, Yeah the engine is a good runner its just had the cambelt and water pump done.Its just the steering has play when moving and will need new brakes and exhaust then hopefully it should pass the Mot. Then i can start on the body work.

[novadave24]

good find for £50 mate other then the front it looks in good condtion mate :thumb:

[leggattr]

Looks to be fitted with weber conversion aswell so very good buy there.

[Rickyb]

If you get bored I'll double your money lol

[paulyb]

Damn why can't I find one for 50 quid:(

[novadave24]

and its a sr as well .

[maddogdaz666]

If you get bored I'll double your money lol

I was just going to offer the same! lol

How about tripleing your money? I'll be there tomorrow?

[novacabrio]

Ill pay £250 lol

[Calamity Josh]

didn't realize png was the new ebay...:wtf:

[novadave24]

£270 :thumb:

[Shep123]

Haha,At least i know if i want to sell it it would sell lol.
Not yet had time to look at this in death yet so hopefully i can tomorrow, Anyone know where i can get a mk1 bumper from and know the paint name ?
Thanks

[Shep123]

Hopefully sourced a mk1 front bumper, but sprayed mine black just for now see what it would look like. hopefully tomorrow i can have a look at the brakes for the mot.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/737793_578020132215302_121754537_o_zpsed4444dd.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/737781_578020342215281_1181564773_o_zpsa8741ee8.jp g

[vessey]

What mk1 bumper you after mate

[Calamity Josh]

What mk1 bumper you after mate

from reading the rest of the thread a later mk1 sr bumper

[Shep123]

Yeah the later mk1 sr bumper

[Shep123]

Cleaned up one side of the front brakes and the pads and discs are good on that side, must be the rears that are making the brakes hardly work.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/Vauxhall%20Nova%20SR/386576_578707622146553_442848702_n_zpsa0e54583.jpg

[conza123]

Cleaned up one side of the front brakes and the pads and discs are good on that side, must be the rears that are making the brakes hardly work.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/Vauxhall%20Nova%20SR/386576_578707622146553_442848702_n_zpsa0e54583.jpg

i would get rid of them front cailpers to ate ones (depending on what wheels you running what size) and i would check back wheel cylinders to see if there leaking. check brake fluid as mine was black when i got mine and my master cylinder was leaking to so i changed that and my brakes feel and work 200% better. and you mite have a bit of air in the system to

[chrisd1986]

I just binned my front brakes for a 256mm setup, or you could fit gsi ones on the front

[Nobby]

how the funk did you get it for £50?!?!

[conza123]

I just binned my front brakes for a 256mm setup, or you could fit gsi ones on the front

corsa b 1.4 16v value ones will be easyer to get hold of

[Shep123]

Found out why the brakes are so bad one side rear wheel cylinder is leaking, Do the corsa brakes just a straight fit ? as i just want to get it through a mot so i can drive it atm.

[Shep123]

Tided up the engine bay a little will give it a proper clean once ive got a mot.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/737290_581742058509776_1515914673_o1_zps75c7faf1.j pg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/740760_581742205176428_331765999_o_zpsba74d43c.jpg

[Archie]

Looks a lot tidier in the bay there

[M.C.F.C]

good buy mate get her brought back to how she should be lol!!

[maddogdaz666]

Found out why the brakes are so bad one side rear wheel cylinder is leaking, Do the corsa brakes just a straight fit ? as i just want to get it through a mot so i can drive it atm.

yeah any cavalier, vectra 4 stud, corsa B, astra MK2 + mk3 will all bolt straight on. and fit under your 15" alloys

[maddogdaz666]

also theres a Mk1 sr front bumper in the for sale section at a reasonable price,
you'll just need a mk1 rear bumper then, it will look 100% better!

Keep up the good work

[novadave24]

doing a good job mate :)

[Shep123]

Ive now changed the steering coloum and while the dash is out Ive sprayed it black as some parts were black some gray and some brown lol
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/178047_585488151468500_824062148_o_zps94bf2c33.jpg

[novadave24]

looking good mate :thumb:

[Shep123]

Fitted the rear bumper yesterday don't really like it as its a mk2 and someones used wood screws to hold it on! so will need to get a mk1 bumper but that will do for the MOT
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/59893_586045784746070_309902212_n_zps10051c13.jpg
Also the dash is back in:
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/741206_586045524746096_260022318_o_zps8d61f68a.jpg

[jafanan]

in future, if you need to paint mk1 bumpers, get some rover hurricane grey mixed up, its my favourite colour match for the original bumper colour

but for £50 i wouldnt care if it had pink bumpers, lol

good progress

[Shep123]

Done a little more to the nova today, sprayed the grill and the mirrors just need to do the wings,bonnet and rear 1/4 done then hopefully the body work will be almost done.
Some pics:
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/33206950-1867-446c-836d-d5f514d075cc_zps686d8d7b.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/e136546b-bab3-4459-bcd9-41f343850e25_zpsd70e6a9a.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/26adf5a5-f37e-4b4a-849f-204b793e9324_zps5151dae1.jpg

[John]

Might be worth painting the lower front panel black, so it's not so obvious through the hole in the front bumper :)

[Shep123]

Sprayed the bonnet today but not a very good job as it was done with rattle cans that were rubbish! oh well looks better than it did.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/bf47c717-b8da-497d-be8c-dac0579dc515_zps97ea67b4.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/89adc42f-de2a-469b-b8b8-d02e59814a68_zps548c29ab.jpg

[novadave24]

nice :thumb:

[paul james]

That looks so much better now, even the MK2 front bumper doesn't look out of place, good job.

[maddogdaz666]

Looking 100% better already!

[kent14sr]

Looking good - best bargain ever!!

When is the MOT?

[Shep123]

Thanks, mot should hopefully be next week so hopefully it passes fingers crossed!

[Steve]

Nice one mate, tbh even with rattle a canned bonnet its still looks ok, any sr thats still on the road is a good thing.

Good luck with the mot :thumb:

[Shep123]

The Nova failed its MOT today :( all ive been told by the garage so far is that the emisions is over , the suspension but its on good coilovers so not sure what, and got told the wheels are to big but i cant see that being a failure!

[kent14sr]

The Nova failed its MOT today :( all ive been told by the garage so far is that the emisions is over , the suspension but its on good coilovers so not sure what, and got told the wheels are to big but i cant see that being a failure!

The wheels will fail if they catch or rub the bodywork on lock (or any other time)

Post up the emissions certificate and that may point to some possible causes

Is it the suspension itself or the mounting points corroded? If its the actual suspension - it would have to be broken/fractured spring, spring not seated correctly, leaking shockabsorber etc etc - unlikely if its new coilovers..

Everything is repairable!

[Shep123]

Yeah dont think the wheels rub though thats the thing, also i could raise the coil overs so they might not rub then.
Im going to get the car in a min so will post up the emissions sheet after ive got it,
Really want the nova on the road so i can get rid of my metro but its just costing me loads at the moment! :(

[Shep123]

Got the fail sheet, its failed on CO at 5.66 and also both shock absorber has negligible damping effect.

[kent14sr]

Got the fail sheet, its failed on CO at 5.66 and also both shock absorber has negligible damping effect.

What state is the engine in? Has it had plugs/leads/filters/oil change? If not and it has been stood a long time that would help.

Can you put standard suspension back on for MOT?

[Shep123]

Engines not been serviced for ages but can't really afford to do atm and I've got two front struts of a corsa that I could put on but not sure if I can have them with the rear lower ?

[kent14sr]

Yes Corsa front struts will be fine - height of rear doesnt matter as long as its all is passable order

I would suggest a service to start with - oil/filter/plugs etc

Other things to check;

- Does it smoke at idle or under acceleration - if so what colour and when
- Is the ignition timing correct
- Does it run cleanly? ie does it hunt or misfire?
- What is the idle speed?

[Shep123]

Might see if i can do a service then, it smokes a little on idle but i think its ok when driving, it dont misfire and the idle is about 900rpm. it has been stood a while so im thinking that could affect it ?

[kent14sr]

Standing a while never does a lot of good - though usually it call all be remedied through a good service and a general tune up.

It is very difficult to give an accurate diagnosis without seeing the car, if the idle is 900rpm then that suggests there are no air leaks at the manifold.

I would check the auto choke is working/or not and not sticking in any way too.

What colour are the spark plugs when you remove them?

[barryman]

needs mk1 bumpers and a grey grille this then it would look the shizz

[Shep123]

Changed the Front struts for corsa b ones and now got told its too high so failed again, just ordered a set of cheap coil overs off ebay so hopefully it passes when ive fitted them!

[kent14sr]

Changed the Front struts for corsa b ones and now got told its too high so failed again, just ordered a set of cheap coil overs off ebay so hopefully it passes when ive fitted them!

It cant fail for being too high!

Did it pass on emissions this time?

[Shep123]

Well he said as the suspension is too high there was no point trying the emissions as it would be a fail but next time i take it he will get it through the emissions.

[kent14sr]

On what grounds can he fail the suspension?

Providing the structure is sound within 30cm of the mountings and the dampers are working without leaks/springs complete and not fractured/broken/seated correctly then there are no grounds for failure.

Can you post up a copy of the failure certificate?

[Shep123]

It failed on being too low the 1st time and no damping, so i get that but this time its damping alright but the hight it alot more than the rear so looks like there is no engine in but not sure why as the corsa dident have that much arch gap and, i dont have them with me at the moment so i'll get a pic up when im home.

[kent14sr]

So it was right to fail the first time if there was no damping effect, but providing all components are ok then height is irrelevant.

Can you not stick standard rear springs in to appease him?

[Tim Harpley]

On what grounds can he fail the suspension?

Providing the structure is sound within 30cm of the mountings and the dampers are working without leaks/springs complete and not fractured/broken/seated correctly then there are no grounds for failure.

Can you post up a copy of the failure certificate?

As above no grounds for a fail. I've been testing for years.

[Shep123]

Fitted new coilovers today so hopefully it passes the retest, evan though i had to take out the helper springs as it was rubbing. so this Wednesday it should be on the road hopefully fingers crossed!!

[Shep123]

couple of new pics of how the nova is looking:
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/ee53ed76-5787-4cdc-bef1-593e9f67082c_zpsb82a4486.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/d4898aa1-63ed-44f7-8191-e0470c6aa779_zpsf7e24409.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/24c34d9c-fe63-43e8-8fba-cb0ae1fd330b_zpsef1b6733.jpg

[Calamity Josh]

seen the post about you thinking of selling, don't do it mate! lovely base for a project, just keep at it! good luck

[Shep123]

Keeping it now its just soo slow compered to the metro i had but i'll have to live with that for abit.
Heres some pics of it:
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/893618_4992744209874_69161855_o_zpsc9304714.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/157022_4992791931067_1881227303_n_zps85f7ee3c.jpg

[Shep123]

Painted up the engine bay a little the other day, not the best job but looks loads better than dirt lol
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/884477_627184553965526_1078903837_o_zps295515ad.jp g
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/903483_627184760632172_25474195_o_zps5b8f563a.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac164/shep123_photo/892877_627184647298850_827147966_o_zps50183f43.jpg

[novadave24]

looking really good mate nice and clean ;)

[Steve]

Looks good mate, i did my rocker cover in the summer, just a quick going over with some 500grit and then metal polish and it makes all the difference.

[Addy198]

anyone know if hes still got this?