Long term Projects...

[ollster]

Also posted on MIGWeb..

Ok so my nova has been off the road now for 2 years after i decided to convert to a throttle bodied 1600 16v and things got a little out of hand. Now i have chipped away doing work on it for 2 years now and now im getting close to finishing it im starting to loose enthusiasm for it even though im so close (need actual throttles, then willwoods etc etc, and a few bits painting). So realistically i need to spend about another ?2000 on it to get it finished but the fact is its been so long since the car was on the road i dont even know if ill want to drive it when its done. It will only be used for shows and track days but at some point i think i lost the plot of what i used to like about the car. My daily runabout is a polo g40 with a ported charger and i have so much fun in that becuse of the stealth factor which the nova will never really be with the tb's on, the fact is with thousands in spares i could sell up and buy something a dare i say it a little more grown up :eek:

i realise at the end of the day its my decision but i just wondered if anyone else has been in this position and what peoples opinions are, i have owned the car for 5 years and have spent stupid amounts of money on it in that time that i will never recoupe although that doesnt bother me as it has always been an expensive hobby that i have enjoyed. The question is do i go the final mile and invest more or cut my loss's split it for spares and put it towards another non nova toy!!??

here are some pics to jog people memories

Before:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/calendar/DSC00319.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/calendar/dscf0135.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/calendar/dscf0121.jpg


How it is now:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/DSC01791.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/Picture003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/DSC01793.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/Picture005.jpg

[Lee]

Ive been in a similar situation when 5K's worth of tuned XE went up the swannie when two injectors flushed the bores out and killed the bottom end.

I reasoned that I either spent another 2K or lost the 5K I already spent.

Youll never get back what you spent on it, but if the interest has gone then you may as well cut her loose mate.

Good luck with your decision, your brain ust be frying right about now :cry:

[alxlaw]

bootiful :D

[ANDYRACER]

Ahh rgt so thats how i had seen this nova before. :lol: Like said on mig keep it going mate, ull regret giving it up.

[Rick Draper]

You are in exactly the same situation i was in a few months back. I was really tempted to just give up on mine as it had been that long since i had driven it and i was not sure if i even wanted it anymore. After a good long think about it i decided to stop mincing around and just finish it, i have since invested in a load of engine bits and got my head down and made some good progress on it. When mine came off the road i was only going to fit my autronic management but then i got a bit carried away and decided to do everything i wanted to do to it in one go. If i was to do it all over again i would do it in steps at the end of each show season as its very disheartening to see how much more you had got to do on it somedays.

[ollster]

cheers for the comments peeps, to be honest rick i have tracked the progress of your project and although i understand you have put a lot more money into yours i kinda thought you were in the same boat so its nice to hear of someone in a similar situation not giving up :D

The whole nova stigma doesnt really help either although its never relly bothered me as i like to be a bit different it does wear you down over time especially with a lot of my freinds being vw/audi enthusiasts.

[Adam Moran]

Was only last week i was in the same situation Olly. I'm sure your aware of my little project thats been a year in the making. I had the same thoughts.... "will i want to drive it when its done :? "

Well... my good friend Lee leant me his nova at the weekend (xe on 45's)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/novaaj/DSC00640.jpg

Lets just say i cant wait to finnish mine, it was SOOOO much fun.

Keep going and i promise it will be worth the wait ;)

Ad

[dan16v]

yup also been in the same situation. even now when i think the car is alsmost finished, theres so much left to do, i havnt been to a single show this year and my car hasnt been to one for around 3years!. every one always says to me how cool it will be when its done adn im lazy for not getting it finished, but i just cant be arsed, its been so long!, im at the stage again where id rather just pay some one some cash, and it to come back drivable.

[peester]

any pics of ur g40?? lol. Am a bit suprised about ur doubts, but it is a fact of life; projects get a bit out of hand. like ad says some inspiration may help, the only thing i cant really understand is why give if u are so close to finish?? ?2000 is a fair bit thou..

[ade]

I'm the same - had my nova ever since I pased my test and I think if I sold it now (probably just for scrap) I'd lose something inside. Sounds corny but when you spend so much time on something you become attached to it (like women in a way)

In fact - as Tony from fast show says - modding a car is a bit making love to a beautiful woman - you start off all enthusiastic, stripping her down and then you get right into her, rubbing her down, smoothing her over, then you spoil her rotten buying things for her - then you either get bored and pull out early or you give it one last thrust and spurt everything youve got on her!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Stick with it mate - my Novas been off the road for nearly 2 years now and I;ve hardly trouched it till recently - but if youre almost there surely chucking the towel in now will be like throwing away all that hard work. Plus I guarantee you'll miss the time in the Garage...

And that has got to be the mintest Nova I've ever seen!

Ade
:wink:

[joff-turbo-nova]

Hi,

I go thorugh these phases every now and again. Mines been off the road since October 2002. Its that long ago I forgotten how it drives!!!

I keep telling myself - it will be worth it in the end - doesn't really matter about the cost :lol:

I just keep thinking once its built I can have my weekends to do something else!!!

Keep plugging at it in bitesized bits and you'll get there in the end!

Joff

[ollster]

I think you may all be right and i should just stop mincing about and get it finished, ive brought it up my garage tonight, so im gonna get up in the morning have a sit in the old girl (and make throttle bodied brum brum noises) and decide once and for good. The fast show comment is hilarious and strangely true hahaha

peester this is my g, just had the charger ported and its kicking out just under 1 bar of boost on the stock pulley which belive me is scarey through a polo chasis epscially since it wieghs less than 750 kilo's

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/G40/G1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/G40/G2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/G40/g3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/G40/g4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ollster/G40/g5.jpg
you would be suprised at the class of car you can piss off with the instant throttle response and stupid power to weight provided by the supercharger even in standard form

[Adam Moran]

You and mint cars Olly :o

What sort of bhp does it kick out?

[ANDYRACER]

Thats a nice polo.. Some guy on my road has got one, but god them tyres are skinny.

[jon_boy]

Keep with it mate, if you do chop it in you might regret it and you couldnt really go back on that once its gone. I started about 4 months back with a budget of around a grand to build my car and so far only have an engine and gearbox which i have spent about 1400 on!! oops. But will all be worth it in the end when i can stand back and say"i made that and i love it"!

[Will F]

Have a ride in mine and you WONT be thinking of giving up!

1.6 16v on tbs are truly awesome.

[sUpEr_1200]

omg dont mention projects to me....... im at the wrong end of a three year project mate starting about a week ago!

all ive got done is the total striping of the chassis, heater, seats, roof lining, carpets, dash, choice bits of metal i dont need!!

i.e seat belt mounts and stuff!

jonl (doesnt post much) but he said he will allways give me a hand with anything i need doing!!


AND ANOTHER THING PLEASE DONT GIVE UP ON THIS WELL PREPARED NOVA, I HAD A GTE A WHILE BACK, BLEW THE GEARBOX AND LEFT THE CAR FOR A YEAR.........DIDNT DRIVE IT OR NOTHING, GOT IN IT AFTER A RECON GEARBOX WAS FITTED AND I HAD SOM MUCH FUN IN IT AND I WAS ON MY OWN!

just think what a 1.6 16v on tb's will be like!

go for it mate!

[Mike]

stick with it mate! mine's been a year in the making as some skally's robbed it ages ago, but im getting there slowly!

how would you feel when the bloke you may sell it to sends it so scrappy after packing in a tree!
Thats why i won't sell mine now, ?6600 sound like a lot of money, but i couldn't bear some burberry wearing chav ragging my motor around then scrapping it after his daddy buy's him a new motor for christmas!

Keep it up mate, you'll be rinceing them skooby's in style, in a bloddy nova!

imagine the looks on there faces. priceless!

8)

[scott.parker]

I wonderd where you had gone mate,been waiting to see this car finished for a while now :wink:

We all hit that wall mate,i did a while back and was so close to just selling all up,then i got some good hrs in at work made some big bucks and bought a load of goodies for her again.
But now im getting a bit peed off again as selfemployment has its very busy and good money making times,then there is the quite times where the money you earnt go's on getting by,and im in one of them times right now,my car needs its front tyres changing and could do with new brakes,i have a track day all payed for that im not sure i can afford to go to now :(

I keep thinking where the hell has all my money gone this last year?? then i look out side see the nova,but its not all in there ive wasted so much on beer! :lol:

Keep digging on and get her done,if you dont you will only regret it later mate.

Scott

[Lee H]

Same with me, mine was off the road for 2 years, got it back on the road last month but only lasted a week before I had serious engine problems so now its off the road with no engine in again. Not lost heart yet, just end up doing a bit of work on the other car when I get fed up with the turbo. Waiting on new engine now and hoping it will be sorted by end of next month.

[elsey197]

Keep going with it mate will be lovely when its done. The g40 is mint, sell it to me please i want one or sawp it for my 16v golf?

[MARTIN KELSON]

Hi mate,
Looking at those pics i agree with all of you and definetly get it finished.
Mine spends more time in the garage under its cover than where it should be, on the road. Hadnt driven mine for about 5 weeks recently due to bad weather and going on holiday then last Friday after holiday took it out for a quick blast and that just reminds me how much fun you can have in a Nova.
Dont loose heart in it mate, finish the project and i promise you, you will not regret it. If you do put it on a track just think about the look on peoples faces when a Nova kicks their ass. That alone will make it all worth while.

Cheers

Martin

[Dod]

Na, you're right mate, just give it to me instead.

Seriously, i'm in the same prediciment, i have no money spare to spend on it, i need it tidied or its gonna go to shit and i haven't the spacce to dry store it. I see all you guys with your absolutely Mint Engine bays and Engines and i look at mine. I know its solid but its gonna cost me a fortune to get anything done. I've also spent a fortune to get the engine sorted and so far i've gotten a STD 14SPi in it and a shit load of spares that i'm not sure if they're worth anything at all.


In short, you're further on than i am ever likely to be mate, so go on and finish it... Its too mint to let someone else take the credit for.

[Matt2107]

There's a G40 round my way for sale.

It's been there at least 3 months and everyday i drive past on the way to and from work.

Might just stop in one day.

[Marc]

Like everyone said mate keep at it keep the nova for summer and nice days! and it will be worth it mate! and there is no point imo puttin loads of effert into somethign and money then sleeing up cause your bored! keep at it will defo will be worth it!

also that polo is fucking mint mate i love them i was at one point thinking about getting one of them when i had some money cause they defo a sleeper and no body expects it to be super charged and they defo to a slepper look to them! :D ant more pictures of it etc?

[ollster]

once again cheers for all the support people, over the last week i have made some progress on the nova, the rear beam has benn bead blasted and coated and i have wax oiled all the rear end while it is stripped down. Should hopefully start building it all up again int he next few weeks :D

As for the g40 if anyone is seriously interested it is up for sale now as i need something more practical for the long drives i do working for the btcc. The for sale post is here http://www.porka.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1363

[Mark T]

Seriously take a ride in wills. You wont be dissapointed :D

That is one of the mintest Novas I have seen in a long time, dont give it up ;)