Rough Track car to rough sport replica in a week

[marc69]

I put my 1.4 track car up for sale but just got loads and loads of silly swap and part exchange offers, I didn't want another car so...other ideas?

Here is the car, it's not a beauty but has a hockley strenthening kit etc and is totally solid.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0155_zpsb2e3becf.jpg
The drivers door and wing are not right, the bonnet is bashed and I hate the look of the car as well as colour. I built most of the running gear and although it had been a struggle it goes very well for a 1.4, and been round knockhill many times.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/Photo377.jpg

I thought "why not keep it as a spare, if I ever damage one of the other Novas, this shell is solid and strong" so, a chat to my dad about getting a corner of his garage long term, sorted, no longer for sale.

Looking at the spec of the car, taking a few bits of for the redtop, leaves the car at a similarish in some ways spec to a sport, or at least above SR (look under the for sale thread if you want to see the full spec). I have always wanted a sport but never been succesful in getting one.

As the car is quite rough and won't be used after the next few weeks I decided to have a go at converting it to Mk1 and having my first go at painting. I am worried at this point if I will end up wrecking it and making a real mess.

First was to start the stripping.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0187_zps68824f50.jpg

Including wings and front end, it will be early wings with no repeater holes.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0188_zps2a73c5e6.jpg
The T bit of the front panel had been removed so i had to weld it back in and fit a bonnet release cable etc. Took a long time to get it all to sit right, very fiddly, it's not pretty but you don't see it and so long as it does the job. A few other modifications that had been made be previous owners had to be altered back as close to original, a day of welding and having a frustrating time.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/Photo514_zps17bcbe16.jpg
The back had to be adapted to take an early boot lock, no handle etc. Here is the lock welded in with my made up mechanism behind....seems to work allright.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/Photo515_zps4b5efe72.jpg
Next was painting inside the window bits that get seen and the door ways/inside of doors etc.

Next, roof and bonnet
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0189_zpsc9d944f6.jpg
Then boot.
Then mask roof etc and do the sides, heating the garage is probably costing me more than the paint lol!
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0192_zpsff5cf1c2.jpg
Painted white and looking pretty good for aerosols even if I say it myself, the worst bit is my filler and the lack of smoothness on the wings, thin layers with cheap paint enhances rather than covers imperfections, oh well too late now!
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0191_zps485834d7.jpg
Next is the gray, lots of masking tape and trying carefully in a single garage to get it smooth and tapering down. The idea was to see how it looks, if the car goes back on the road I would buy the proper kit but this is just an experiment. Besides the paint was a total of £35 and the vinyl was a tenner so I wasn't going to invest £150 in graphics for a car that is just going to lie for the next few years.

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0195_zps99fb0bea.jpg

Looking a bit blotchy!

Next, cutting the gray/red/yellow vinyl, again a slow fiddly and difficult job when it is absolutely freezing and cramped in the garage.
With the bumper, lights and generally rebuiling the car here is how it initially looks.

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0193_zps79bc6ed9.jpg

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0196_zps13adeb88.jpg

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0197_zpsa60fb792.jpg

The bumper is sitting too low, I will need to remove it and move the bars that sit on the strengthener somehow but, it'll do like this just now as i really can't be bothered!
The grey is blotchy and the boot is awful, need to do something with it.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/IMAG0194_zps0f2205e9.jpg

[marc69]

Back in the garage, some revision on the boot, real sport owners will have noticed that the actual shape of the boot is not the pre1987 ones and the same goes for the bumper, but it's what i had lying around
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/sport/DSC_0058_zps46db06c9.jpg

Black on the sills/handles etc and a quick spray on the wheels
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/sport/DSC_0059_zps4012d0a7.jpg
This is how it'll probably stay for the moment, the car is very rough in many ways but gives me an idea. The worst two things I think are the blotchyness of the Grey and the front bumper/grill. I did think about trying to use wet sandpaper on it to even it out but so far have chickened out incase it actually makes it worse.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/sport/DSC_0061_zps74dfe3bd.jpg
If the car goes back on the road I will remove the grey and Vinyl and invest in proper graphics as even as rough as this is, I think it is still cool, first time I drove anything that looks remotely like sport. I think and mates who jave seen it agree, it is not as rough as when it was s silver mk2. I have put some brown panels in the interior and the only thing I don't have are the seats.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/sport/DSC_0060_zpsd37b5607.jpg
I hope I haven't offended any real sport owners, it is just an experiment for me and i have to face the reality I'll probably never drive a sport.

And for under £60 for paint/vinyl and all the other parts just lying about doing nothing anyway. This does mean there will be a clearout of mk2 bits.....I am mostly pleased and with some more work and effort, there is potential.

[Shrehorn1]

I think it's a big difference for just experimenting any interior pics

[novalovingned]

Going tbh here. The pained on sport graphics look terrible :( fair play on just doing in though lol

[SimonTW]

10/10 for effort and enthusiasm!

[marc69]

Going tbh here. The pained on sport graphics look terrible :( fair play on just doing in though lol

Yeah, the grey went really blotchy.

[Balley]

TBH it isn't to bad. Looks better but if it was mine I would of spent more time doing the white. Take windows out etc. I do like the overall look.

[novalovingned]

Like Bally said its better than the look of the mk2 by miles :) you actually going to be using it on the road Marc?

[Andy]

that looks ace haha well done,love the ingenuity with the paint!!
Thats now the paint choice for my grasser LOL

[troy88]

Fair play mate, 10/10 for effort. Not bad for rattle cans. Yeah it's blotchy but I like it.

[NoVaBoOt26]

Awesome effort defo 10/10 mate :thumb:

[scott.parker]

lol Ace, imo have go with the wet an dry, as if you can blend it off a little, like smudging it into the white it might look almost there, I'm quite impressed tbh and I like it..

[Stuart]

imho that looks better with the faded/blotchy paint rather than the stickers. Atleast it doesnt look like a photoshop like all sports do lol

[marc69]

I think it's a big difference for just experimenting any interior pics
Will get one at the weekend but, the only mk1 interior in just now is the boot and rear cards, I'll put in the brown carpet at the weekend.
I have a dash with blanks and 1986 door cards (sadly not the earlier ones) which I can paint brazil brown and I have the early 6 gauge orange neddle clocks but, with only a few weeks on the road for this car, I can't be bothered changing the wiring for the mk2 to mk1 transfer just now...at a later date if I ever put it back on the road.

[marc69]

TBH it isn't to bad. Looks better but if it was mine I would of spent more time doing the white. Take windows out etc. I do like the overall look.

Thanks, yes, I could have spent more time but as said it was just a quick experiment although, all the glass except the windscreen and passneger front quarter light were removed.

[marc69]

Like Bally said its better than the look of the mk2 by miles :) you actually going to be using it on the road Marc?

It'll get a few drives the next few weeks but then it's storage time, for at east 5 years I expect, too many Novas!!

[marc69]

lol Ace, imo have go with the wet an dry, as if you can blend it off a little, like smudging it into the white it might look almost there, I'm quite impressed tbh and I like it..
Thanks, I'm just scared to try the wet and dry incase I end up removing the white! I'll see if it's not Baltic this weekend, which was part of the problem, I did the grey in the garage, with less than a foot free each side, that and my level of skill lol

[marc69]

Thanks guys for the nice comments, might motivate me to keep going with improvements?

[gte-87]

Nice cheap build that is what it is all about

[craig green]

Fair play. Now go & spin it sideways into a ditch. lol

[bazzap8389]

Quick turnaround there, looks good mate, top job

[Benn]

Impressed there, bar the random patches of paint that is very good really.

[marc69]

Fair play. Now go & spin it sideways into a ditch. lol

Thanks but have no intention of doing that!!

[vx kev]

Youve got far too much time on you hands. lol
You can have a Gold Star for effort though Sir :thumb:

[marc69]

Youve got far too much time on you hands. lol
You can have a Gold Star for effort though Sir :thumb:

Thanks,
so much time, I was never in the garage at 2am in the mornings.....but at least I had the garage well heated lol

[mowgli]

i'm truly impressed, & if andy does his grass tracker the same... then you've started a trend.... well done

[marc69]

i'm truly impressed, & if andy does his grass tracker the same... then you've started a trend.... well done

Thanks, not sure real sport owners will be so impressed though, a rough replica of their gorgeous cars but, it is meant as a compliment!

[mk1nova_rich]

Fair play. Now go & spin it sideways into a ditch. lol

Be more fun with a real Sport lol

[marc69]

Well after much thought and considering buying a complete replica (didn't work out) then decided I'll have to start investing in what I have so, 150 pounds later....


http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/69marc/Photo524_zps992c23bc.jpg

So the next jobs will be to get the front drivers wing to fit better, remove the grey and colours I put on. As the two coats of white I put on are very thin, I'll put on another two thin coats, not sure if I should consider lacquer or not.

For the interioir, I have most stuff except the seats, I'll probably get round this by using my bucket seats as the car will get occasional use on the track, but if I'm not using rear seats, is there an aesthetic way to blank off the rear bit for exhaust noise and so I still get a boot?

Mechanically, this is the 1400 track car but once I get tired of the xe and sell it..at a later date, I think I'll look into a 1600, to keep small block weight but hopefully a little power upgrade, I'll also have to decide whetehr a standard GSi engine is better or, converting it with kent 51 cam and carbs?

Plenty to think about and as it's in storage, loads of time before I get near it again!