My 12 month "rebuild"..56K warning...

[Mel]

As most of you know (or don't as the case may be!), I bought a GTE last year off a mate which needed "welding repairs" to get it through MOT..fair enough I thought.. a couple months fix, as me and my dad are OK when it comes to welding etc and it will be on the road..

Only it didnt QUITE happen like that... 12 months later..its finished, lol..well..kinda..

Story went a bit like this:

Got the car to my house, took a quick nosy under the car, didn't see much wrong with it, till I looked closer:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/DCP02161.jpg

Yup..the spring mount had gone through the floor lol..(both sides I must add). Only, it did go much deeper..we jacked her up and removed the axel, sideskirts etc etc, and how I wish I hadn't touched the thing..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/DCP02246.jpg

This was just a little section of one of the chassis legs..they were a LOT worse up close..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/DCP02258.jpg

What was left of the sill, lol--^

In total, the whole back end needed reconstructing. From the boot, to the rear valance, to the chassis legs, sills, and rear arches.

Anyway.. few months down the line, it was sat doing bugger all, and looking like a hole, as we had cut all the "bad" steel away..there was hardly any good bits left :lol:

Things started looking up tho..I bought LOTS of steel, welding wire/gas, and new arches and sills.

Sorting the rear arch out:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/sidesil.jpg

Yes, it looks a state, but it had to be done, and was being covered up anyway.

Story is long, but it took a lot of time, effort and patience. We had no "tools" to shape the steel..we actually ended up shaping hard steel into the shape by hand (and a hammer!). It took a massive amount of labour to get the bloody things to go right..but..first thing we did was those spring mounts:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/DCP02252.jpg

We plowed through, sorting the back end out, which we did eventually. Finally, 2 months ago, we finished the back end.

We hadnt looked or touched the front since I got it last year, so didn't know the extent of that damage..well it wasn't as bad, but might as well have been:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Nova_Mel/DCP02349.jpg

There was a hole in the "floor" on the passenger side, under the seat..if you can call it a floor that is lol. (Pic unavailable atm, but can get it if requested)

Anyway, after spending night and day trying to get this GTE on the road for PV (the plan was to finish all the bodywork as well lol), we didn't quite manage to stick to the time limit..few weeks behind schedule, but we did it.

She's MOT'd (failed on brakes..which is understandable being sat/rusting brakes for 12 months! and the wiper washers lol..) with no problem going through due to the welding..even if it was said to be "extensively welded" on the MOT cert! She's taxed, and insured..

I gotta say..there was plenty of times when I thought..shove it, send it to the scrappy..but we saved it from its death bed, and it was worth every sweat, blood and tear shed! She drives fantastic, feels great, and don't look so bad considering :wink:


So..hands up..who thinks I should get an award for being:

a) stupid enough to take on the project
b) patient enough to see through this repair
last but not least c) only person to ever repair a dead nova of this extent and getting it done myself?

Any other awards/pat on the back/congrats etc fully appreciated!

Btw, those that want to see the handy work, she will be a "WIP" car at PV just hanging about, and, I might give her a run down the 1/4 mile (funds permitting) to see what power I can get out of her..

But, I am grateful for my dad putting in all the work he did, and plenty of beer was given to compensate this. Pics need to be taken of the "finished" product.

Why did I bother? F**k knows, she should have been in the scrappy now, but I couldnt justify doing it as I loved the car so much.

Anything is possible with hard work and dedication..and if a gal like me can do it, anyone can :wink:

[peester]

very good - thanks to people like you theres still some good mk1's going to be driving about. nice one.

[krobinson]

Fair play. I guess i would have re-shelled mine if it was that bad. But as long as the welding is good, and well sealed, then it will last as long as anything really!

Must buy a few hats and take them all off to ya!

Keith

[scott.parker]

See i always said you wer a crazzy beiatch! :lol:

Nice one mel,im glad you never gave up and its good to see you have found the hart to keep it going,i think my self i would of bind it,but thats me im lazy :wink:

Oh as for 1/4 runs,i wouldnt bother i think it is far too hevy now :lol: :wink:

good work Mel (and mels Dad)

Scott

[Mel]

Lol..thanks.

I should have re-shelled, but I dunno, at least I can say the car is mine and I worked on it myself.

I am definately stupid for committing myself, but I am proud that I achieved this all myself.

The welding is sound, looked over by a professional, and they gave it a great hammer/going over at the MOT place, so it aint goin anywhere!

[Mel]

Oh as for 1/4 runs,i wouldnt bother i think it is far too hevy now :lol: :wink:



ROFL..that's what my bro keeps saying..

But, we removed more steel than we put in :lol:

[scott.parker]

Oh as for 1/4 runs,i wouldnt bother i think it is far too hevy now :lol: :wink:



ROFL..that's what my bro keeps saying..

But, we removed more steel than we put in :lol:


Humm i hope not :lol: rust is lighter them steel should of tryed it before and affter :D

Scott

[ANDYRACER]

God i feel guilty for scraping my sr it was no way near as bad as that. Fair play to you for putting the work in but i probably would have also reshelled it but thats me. :D

[shy witness]

if its any consolation m8 i went through the same sorta thing with my own-

i bought it as a cheep run around 4 ?100 quid with 10 months mot[ not bad] it woz rough enough but at least it wos legal and should have bn sound underneath u would think...

definatly not woz the case

i then thought id give it a quick tart up and a cheap respray then it began...........
one thing led 2 another and i woz in as deep as urself.......endless welding/preparing etc-- long hours of wot the f&%k am i doing etc :lol:

then i just got a few extras 4 it-and an sri corsa engine[free] so

quite alot of work but i ended up with a dead on car 4 about 300 quid- happy days-

nearly 2 years down the line its now got a few more items stuck on but stiil mot'd and taxed it only stands me around ? 550

wot more do u want???

[Mike.]

i often think ' is it all worth it' but you have proven it is, well done mel

[Riggy]

nice one mel youve finally got there :lol:

[Dave]

well done mel fantastic job on restoring it!
as most have said i probably would have binned it as a bad job.

[Kruger]

I can appreciate the work that went into that but I'm still asking the question of,

Why??????

I'd give you 3 awards for supidity, loyalty, and welding skills!

I do think though that the time and money spent would have been better put towards finding a clean shell that wont need welding up again for next years MOT.

Just my 2p

[SRimon]

good job like said with restoring it...

but i scrapped a nova with a LOT less rust thant that

[Matt2107]

I'd just like to take the opportunity to congratulate you for 100% effort.

You've kept another Nova away from the scrappy in the sky when most people would have given up.

I think someone should create and present you with a Certificate for Outstanding Dedication fully endorsed by Novaload of course.

Well Done!

[J4MES]

now thats what i call dedication....really good effort!!!!!!

[srs1]

as said many times before mel, well done

[Mel]

I can see where everyone is coming from..tbh I should have scrapped her and reshelled, but it was a project and we hadn't know how bad it was till we started, and I hate leaving things half done.



I do think though that the time and money spent would have been better put towards finding a clean shell that wont need welding up again for next years MOT.


You can have your 2p back, lol..she won't fail on rust for a few years now, as all the previous rust has been removed, treated, and replaced. Plenty of preparation has been made to ensure it aint rusting again in a while (including getting a hose to the underneath every month!)

As far as I'm concerned, we've repaired all rust (apart from mechanical parts, of course), so she wont fail on that as we've replaced it with new steel (we got through a whole shop load of Kurust/wax seal/underseal etc! lol)

I just loved the car so much, I couldn't let her go!