Track Day Nova

[drummer returns]

I am looking to create a track day only car, based initailly on a Nova. I have been offered a Diamond 1.2 as a base to start with. Any suggestions on the route I should go??

[Adam]

Best condition shell as possible.
No sun roof.

Go from there.

[Stuart]

id suggest hunting down a good non sunroof shell.
Get it stich welded (1" weld 1" no weld) along all seasm in the egnine bay, most along the rest of the car too.
Cage is a must, weld it in for better stiffness.
Decide what engine you want (even with a 20XE you dont really need the plating kit for the bay aslong as its stiched)
Suspension... Bilstein Yello "normal" stuff, OR coilovers.
Brakes 256mm*24mm Valver stuff is pleanty good enough for TD's esp if you add Ferodo DS2500 or Mintex 1155 pads.
Strip the car right out.. minimal dash etc.
Buckets, Harnesses.

there are way too many options for msot things in all fairness... its a massive arear to play in. ESP if its not explicitly road legal

[craig green]

strip it completely, have it blasted & scrape out all the sound deadening & insulation. Get rid of all the rear seat brackets & crap from the boot area etc.
Recommend a chassis strengthening kit too. Good for handling.

Paint it a crazy colour....... fit a big/high revving engine.

[drummer returns]

Thanks for suggestions so far. The car will only be used on track, towed from circuit to circuit etc so I don't need to worry about making it road legal.

I was thinking about perhaps stripping the shell / chassis right back, then almost starting from scratch, so that way I can drop in a non Vauxhall engine / gearbox / running gear should the option seem better.

[Iain]

Paint it a crazy colour......

Well yellow cars do go faster don't they. :D

[drummer returns]

Well yellow cars do go faster don't they. :D

I have done Yellow with an Ibiza 1.8T. May go for purple . . But paint job will have to wait a while I think . .

[Dar]

I would retain all the bits that enable you to make it road legal if you wish i.e. lights indicators etc. This will maximise the number of events you can go to and also you can, if you wish put it on the road to test out the modifications and/or make sure that everything is ok. There is nothing worse than turning up to an event only to find that you have a problem that could have been sorted easily if only you had driven the car beforehand.

As for building the car. Do as Stuart says.

[drummer returns]

I would retain all the bits that enable you to make it road legal if you wish i.e. lights indicators etc. This will maximise the number of events you can go to and also you can, if you wish put it on the road to test out the modifications and/or make sure that everything is ok. There is nothing worse than turning up to an event only to find that you have a problem that could have been sorted easily if only you had driven the car beforehand.

As for building the car. Do as Stuart says.

It is tempting to try and keep it road legal - or have the option too. But it will be transported by trailer, and any 'testing' will be done on private land during the development phase anyway.

[The Simps]

A trackday nova can easilly run away with you on the ????s front. What's your budget?

Don't see the point of going thru the hassle of using a non-vaux engine when there's plenty of good vaux's out there! XE are very cheap to buy now and very easy to fit.

Jonlem built a very quick trackday by concentrating on brakes and handling. Thats the way to go tbh. Keep the engine almost near standard and its easier to replace things when they go wrong.

Lightening the car is almost free, so I'd spend money on decent coilover suspension and turret your rears, 4 pot brakes and rose-jointed kit if you can afford it.

just my thoughts.

Simps.

[Dar]

It is tempting to try and keep it road legal - or have the option too. But it will be transported by trailer, and any 'testing' will be done on private land during the development phase anyway.

Mine is also trailered everywhere, but is also able to go through an MOT and then put on the road. What are you thinking about taking off to make it not road legal?

[drummer returns]

Mine is also trailered everywhere, but is also able to go through an MOT and then put on the road. What are you thinking about taking off to make it not road legal?

I would attempt to take off anything that isn't needed to make is run (safely), as saving weight is optimum for me. Remove CATS etc to inc power.

[Dar]

In that case get one that never started off life with a CAT. Once everything is out of a Nova. I can't see much, other than getting rid of the lights and handbreak that would make it fail an MOT.

[Stuart]

ive worked on mine and i think its borderline road legal and tbh there isnt much more that i could do to improve it by making it illegal... the lights out wont help much etc.

[drummer returns]

Maybe it will remain road legal?? I think I will just carry out the modifications and then see where I stand on MOT etc at the end, as it will be trailored it isn't the end of the world.