Nova's coming off the road :(

[dunova]

Well i've had a lot of trouble with my gsi lately. I broke down because the g/box went about 2 and a half weeks ago. The RAC man also managed to break my starter motor :roll: . So i've fitted a new gearbox, clutch and starter and i thought, 'great my car works again'!. No. The head gasket has gone. Causing my coolant to mix with all my oil.

My plan now is to SORN the Nova and get it sorted in my own time. I need my car for uni and for the last 3 weeks i've been scabbing lifts off a friend (he's getting quite bored of giving me a lift!!).

I had a look in the trade-it and i'm looking at a Ford Escort tommorrow. It's L-reg, 6 months tax and MOT, Full service history with 56K on the clocks. Owned by an old lady until 47K and then by this bloke until present. ?450 ONO. I think that's quite good.

It's been abit of a nightmare TBH, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise. It gives me a chance to completely strip my engine and re-build it with my (already acquired) twin 40's, worked head and AST2 cam. I'll also be reboring the block, new pistons (shot peened and de-seamed), new gaskets/main bearings, re-ground crank, lightened flywheel etc. So at the end of it all i should have a very well specked engine and i've finished all the stuff i want to do bodywork.

Just thought i'd keep you all informed. Thanks for reading (if you could be bothered lol) :wink:

[Riggy]

will prob be for the best mate and do the nova properly and not rush it

plans sound good :lol:

[epo]

two main points\faults ive notice about owning an escort mk 5b mate is

clutches are a bastard to change

and the wishbones dont last very long at all

[dunova]

Thanks for the advice epo. The main thing i've heard about them is they are quite good at blowing the head gasket? But as this one's only covered 56K i would have thought that's unlikely anytime soon.

Their BHP figures are quite un-impressive lol. The 1.8 16v is 105 BHP standard! Not sure what the 1.6 is.

Riggy, that's exactly what i thought. I hate having to rush jobs and this way i can get everything perfect. Also, i can seam weld and respray my engine bay-something i was going to not bother with before because it would mean it being off the road for too long.

It's really annoying that all this has happened-i've just got pretty much everything how i want it and now the engine's fooked!! It was just like one thing after another - The g/box, clutch and starter were replaced and it wouldn't turn over. Then after lots of messing and inspection i changed the NEW starter motor for another and it worked!! Now i've found out the head gasket has gone aswell!! I couldn't believe it :o

Oh well, at least the escort is insurance group 7 :D

[NovaloadedAgain]

I am very sorry to hear that mate, After all the posts lately, You've really had a nightmare!
Anything that could go wrong, Has. Least you will have time to make it a real good Nova. Good luck

[epo]

same insurance as an sri :lol:

me brothers got a 1.6 16v its quick ish but he couldnt loose me :lol: mind you all his fiber glass slows him down
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/epo_sri/traxpics009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/epo_sri/traxpics008.jpg

ive not heard of the head gaskets been a prob ares has never gone
me dads never went and neither did brothers

they can be a bit ticky on first start up iirc but am sure its something to do with square tappets :? (not 100% on that tho)

[dunova]

That does look pretty good, like the wheels. I don't think i'll be spending any money on the escort though-save it all for the Nova and make a real beast out of it :D

So watch this space. Hopefully be back on the road for the summer.

I'm looking at the escort later, dont even know what engine or what colour it is yet :lol:

Is that a wide arch kit just on the front of your bro's?

[epo]

its the cosworth kit for some reason he never fitted the rear arches as it was a lot of hassel for the body shop

[morrie]

I have the 1.8 16v 105 hp. acceleration is on, nowt spectacular, but it can shift on a motorway. The 1.6 valver is 90 bhp.

[Marc]

out of topic but epo does your bro live in scunny cause i reckon ive seen that escort or something similar

[dunova]

The bloke with the 56K Escort completely fooked me around all of Sunday. Fucking to55er. Anyway, because of this i may just try to get the Nova back on the road. It's going into the garage today for them to have a look at and try to find out what's wrong (i realised after posting this originally the head gasket is not the probelm).

Although, after all this i am very tempted to sell the nova and buy something newer and more comfortable. I've had enough tbh, it just seems to need CONSTANT fucking work!!! I'm considering a Vectra CDX or GSi. Saying that though, once she's all running again it wouldn't surprise me if i decide it's still a great car. Really pain in the arse sometimes :|

I drove a 1.6 mondeo last night (90bhp) and it wasn't too bad considering the size and weight of a mondeo. I probably would have got it (was quite cheap and had a good stereo), but the clutch was slipping abit and the last thing i want is another fooked car.

[raza]

1000s of cheap cars around m8 just trying to find one what is in good nik my bro in law bought a orion 1.8 diesel H red with 6 months mot for ?50 the other day :| got mild rust but the engine is sound full service hostory and everything done 89000 miles for a diesel that is nothing and its ace on fuel just got to keep looking around

[dunova]

Well i could just get a cheap run around, but that's why originally (when i was 17) i bought the nova. I don't want something that will need constant work because at the end of the day you just end up spending the same amount repairing it that you could have spent on a newer and better car. It's just a false economy.

I mean, maybe the orion will last for ages, it's luck more than anything with older cars i think. I think nova's can be made to look awesome and i love how my gsi looks, but it's uncomfortable, breaks alot and costs loads to insure.

And you're right, there's loads of cheap cars about and to me they're a lot newer than what i've got. For example, for about ?1500 on ebay i could get a N-T reg vectra cdx (2.0 or 2.5) in good condition with approx. 65K-90K and insurance would cost about the same as the Nova. Which just makes me really think long and hard about whether to keep the Nova or not :?

[raza]

yea i no what ya saying .. i was at the auction the other day and a t red astra 1.4 Ls sold for ?900 needed a new door lock and new egnition fucking bargain auction is ace round here for cheap cars escorts old l , m , n sell for like ?100 all the time