Stripped out Novas

[Kinky Monza]

Anyone got any do's or don'ts for stripping out a Nova?

Worst bits to take out? best bits to leave in?

Complete novice at stripping, so any help appreciated!

[Iain]

Just rip everything you can out, I reckon the best gain will be from the rear bench removal, although all the plastics/carpets/doorcards help. The red sound deadening on the floor (footwells and under rear bench) came to 5.7kg when I removed it so it's well worth taking that up too.

[Lee]

You will need some new springs for the rear, preferably 20mm lower than what you run currently. Taking out all the weight jacks the back up something chronic.

Only grind the brackets off if you know for sure you'll never what to put the car back to standard.

Get a half cage (not a death trap aluminium one). Looks so much better than without, and stiffens up the back end a bit too.

Decide on Carpet or a respray. Carpet requires less effort, as there will be bucket loads of sound deadening to get off with a heat gun and a scraper, then a full on rub down before painting. if you carpet the back end, you can leave all that unless you want to get really anal about weight loss.

Make some cardboard panels for the exposed side parts over the arches and behind the doors, and cover them in carpet. Then get some panel clips from halfords. looks a lot tidier.

Other than that, rip it all out! lol

[craig green]

Take a pic of all the stuff you remove on fire!

[Mike]

Mine is now totally stripped of carpet, painted floor but i rivet my matt's back in so's not destroy my shiny white paint :D

[wisewood]

Complete novice at stripping

lies :thumb:

[Kinky Monza]

lies :thumb:


Cars stupid!!! :roll: lol

As for what i leave in, it won't be a great deal! i want a track car, but not with a 2.0 engine in! i've the 1.6 8v to go in, so that'll do me, although the car will probably end up with a full respray in and out!

As for the cage, i was planning on a half cage! deffo going to lower it, and stick it on some 15s!

[Mike]

You will need some new springs for the rear, preferably 20mm lower than what you run currently. Taking out all the weight jacks the back up something chronic

yep, the rear of mine looks standard height now lol

[Geth]

You could do the headlining too. It's surprising how heavy it is with all of the sound deadening behind it. But be warned that this job can either be really easy or an absalute nightmare depending on whether the glue has gone hard and crumbly or soft and tacky. Mine was soft and tacky and had to use all kinds of nauseating solvents to dissolve it. If it has gone hard and crumbly it should come off with a wire wheel and drill/grinder.

[Kinky Monza]

Is there any wires under the head lining?

[Geth]

Nope, none at all. Unless you count the interior light but the wire for that is hidden behind a cross member so you can't see it anyway.

[Kinky Monza]

Fantastic! anything else i need to know?

[Dar]

Yup, put a full cage in.

Remove anything and everything that can be removed and sling it. If your taking the car on track then I can strongly suggest that you put in a full cage as well as two bucket seats and harnesses.

Your car should look something like this inside, but with a dash and all the sound deadening removed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/2007%20Mods/DSC06088_640x480.jpg
If you wanted to go a stage further you could also remove the window winders and replace the windows with polycarbinate and take the insides of the doors out.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/2007%20Mods/DSC06111_640x480.jpg
If you wanted to strip the interior a bit more then you could take out any excess metal and also fit the cav internal shifter.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/2007%20Mods/DSC06092_640x480.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/2007%20Mods/DSC06091_640x480.jpg
End result is quite empty
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/2007%20Mods/DSC06539_640x480.jpg

[Kinky Monza]

Ooooh Dar! i'm liking that!

[Dar]

Ooooh Dar! i'm liking that!
:D Thanks. The only problem with replacing the windows is security. Other than that its all fairly easy and fairly cheap. Also remember to tag in the cage to the A&B pillars for that extra bit of stiffness.

If your fitting bucket seats its best to get the side mounted ones and put them on some rails. It allows you to get nice and low in the car and gives you a very firm seat. Seats that are bottom mounted and use the normal runners are ok but the seat is not directly bolted to the car and you will sit higher.

[Kinky Monza]

But i'm only little so how would i see over the bonnet???

[Dar]

Check out where my drivers seat is positioned. My only ickle myself! Its quite a good anti theft measure since anyone normal sized can't actually fit inlol

[Kinky Monza]

lol i have to have the seat in the Monza as high as it'll go and further forward than that lol

[Dar]

You must be a 4 footer then. My wife is just 5ft and she drives like that.

[Kinky Monza]

I'm 5' 2"! the bonnet on the Monza is huge though lol

[Jon_nova1]

keep in mind if you take the roof lining off its loud as f*ck when it rains lol

[Paul]

mine, taken through the window but gives you an idea:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/lashednova/DSC04784.jpg

[KPautomotive]

Stripped and not a ****ty fake alloy show crap cage in site :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rob_lee_1/DSC00900.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rob_lee_1/DSC00901.jpg

[CP]

If you strip it out a really good mod is stitch welding the main seams right through to the back. Makes a massive difference to the rigidity of the shell and as a result the handling. Roll cages without it are only a partial success. However its a pain to do this anything other than a basic shell - ie 1.2 merit or similar. SR and GTE shells tend to have that crappy rubber seam sealer everywhere you would want to weld

[Lee]

SR and GTE shells tend to have that crappy rubber seam sealer everywhere you would want to weld

Late MK2's are also loaded with seam sealer, regardless of the spec level. It is definately a pain in the poo tube, i agree.

[burgo]

kinky just have a look at mine at pv, ive got everything you need to leave in left so you can see how it should be done. having said that there is still more to be removed

[R1CH]

keep in mind if you take the roof lining off its loud as f*ck when it rains lol

Aye, i ended up sticking some accoustic carpet to it to deaden the sound abit, also looks a bit neater.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/Nova/DSC00923.jpg

Rich

[Geth]

I really like what you've done there Rich. Taking the headlining out definately gives it that track car look but the acoustic carpeting adds a bit of practicality for a road car. What did you use to hold the carpet in place?

[R1CH]

I really like what you've done there Rich. Taking the headlining out definately gives it that track car look but the acoustic carpeting adds a bit of practicality for a road car. What did you use to hold the carpet in place?

Just used Spray Glue

[Kinky Monza]

Burgo i'm not going to PVS now!

Thanks for the help guys!