View Full Version : 4x4 onto a nova
Im going to be putting a 4x4 system onto my nova and ive heard that the 4x4 system off a cavi or calibra run off the power steering. Is this right if so is there any other way of using it without putting power steering in my car as i hate it.
Im going to be putting a 4x4 system
by that you mean..
4x4 runing gear so that its 4wheel drive?
if you an do that, then am sure you can get around a minor thing like power steering.
Yea thats what i think. Im thinking about just using the power steering pump and see if that works. but wanted to see what people said on here first as i dont want to spend more money then i have to
As said a million times before, your going into uncharted territory, and youll be having to do a LOT of bespoke fabrication.
As Martin said, if you cant work out how to run the power steering pump without running power steering, you have absolutely no hope whatsoever.
Not being mean, nasty or aggressive in any way, thats just how it is!
The transfer box is powered on vauxhalls? :confused:
Excuse me if thats a daft question but on mine its a mechanical 50/50 xfer box.
Yep, you can actually disconnect the rear wheels by removing a fuse lol
Either that or just dump the clutch a bit too heavily.
I know what you mean bt and your right about me not having a clue i havent. its my mate that knows what to do and i thought it was just slap the transfer box on and that was it as far as the 4x4 getting to work. my mate would know how to do it when we get to it, but thought id ask on here first as there are a lot that use this form that knows there stuff and maybe already know how i can do it instead of working it out ourselfs.
Fair play, but there lies the problem. No one that we know of has done it. Yes theres been space framed variants for ralying, but no proper 4x4 road car.
I cant remember who but someone did a MK1 astra. It involved grafting a cally floorpan onto it. AFAIK it was a pain in the ass, and an Astra is closer to a callys size than a nova!
Its far from just chucking in a transfer box! The whole rear suspension has to be changed for cally items, which are too wide, and have no similarities with a nova rear end whatsoever for a start! Wish your mate luck! lol
imo it would be a lot easier using a proper 4x4 system off a different car
I know about using the whole rear axle and suspension as it has independent suspension. which dont matter to much anyway as i want to go wide track and use the whole axle. and know about it not fitting and needing cutting down to fit etc. I just thought as soon as the transfer box is on the gearbox and the propshaft is custom made to fit and placed into the diff you have 4x4. never knew it had to run off something. And the only nova i know is 4x4 is the twin engined one. but i think thats a whole diffrent way of doing it to the way im going to i think. Am i right in saying it was done by using spaceframe?
Philsutton
22-09-07, 06:59 PM
Either that or just dump the clutch a bit too heavily.
lmfao, corsas have been done as I have helped build one (be it never completely finished it) but not seen a nova as they are alot thinnger an thus the cav / calibra stuff will sit out the arches 6 miles.
if you wear going to do a 4 wheel drive nova you best bet would bo to look at a 4 wheel drive jap car or something the same size ish to a nova and then use floor plan and engine and swop over the shell and body panels
The only similiar size 4x4 hatch that stands a chance at fitting into/onto a Nova is an Escort Cosworth. You'll stick out the arches around 6cm either side and the prop needs shortening approx 50mm. Then its just the ooh so simple task of fitting an IRS setup from a Ford onto a Vauxhall, aswell as mating it to the engine, mounting transfer box's, prop, front suspension setup and shafts etc etc etc....
Only thing is, if you can find a Es'cos running gear going for "a few hundred quid" ill eat my own sh1t :thumb:
how about something like a pulsar set up?
things are possible. there is a guy who is building a citroen ax. with a cosworth engine and running full 4x4 set up however he did it with space framing but he is working around that to make it fully road legal.
if you have lots of dosh to throw into the project, time and great fabrication skills then go for it.
Pulsar is to longer wheelbase and track, like mega to big ;) ive already checked :thumb: thats how i know Es'cos parts are the closest ;)
A Mk2 escort rear axle might be a good starting point for the back. One thing you have to bare in mind is that you would need to make sure the rear wheels spin at the same rate as the fronts, which would probably mean custom crown wheel and pinion being made for the rear diff. You're talking big bucks here mate, I hope you've got deep pockets.
im sure i've seen on mig a 1.6 8v turbo with F28 and 4x4. I'll have a check...
A Mk2 escort rear axle might be a good starting point for the back. One thing you have to bare in mind is that you would need to make sure the rear wheels spin at the same rate as the fronts, which would probably mean custom crown wheel and pinion being made for the rear diff. You're talking big bucks here mate, I hope you've got deep pockets.
A live rear axle on a 4x4 is a very bad idea imo. I suppose you could drop link it though.
5 linked rear axle would be best IMO, but then you'll pay some serious wedge for one. We have two for sale ;) and there not cheap TBH.
Hope your well upto speed with fabrication and mechanical engineering chap, as your gonna need your thinking cap to over come a lot of problems :thumb:
scott.parker
22-09-07, 09:32 PM
Now i could be wrong, but... ok it's not the same as on the WRX's but would the 4x4 of these fit easyer?
http://www.motors.co.uk/subaru-justy?ito=1558&gclid=COn5-vzz144CFQjtlAodT1GG8w#car-search-1
Scott
I cant remember who but someone did a MK1 astra. It involved grafting a cally floorpan onto it. AFAIK it was a pain in the ass, and an Astra is closer to a callys size than a nova!
Can scan the mk1 Astra article from a TV mag if you like mate?
ive always said that justy stuff would probably be an easier fit. but as to its power handling abilities ive no idea.....
?20 says this project starts then stops fairly rapidly. Not being harsh but if you are asking such basic questions then you dont have the ability to carry out the job.
im sure i've seen on mig a 1.6 8v turbo with F28 and 4x4. I'll have a check...
just an f28 IIRC...
same guy whos helping build Montys Cav??
Yea, titled: Remember this...' and a 500bhp rwd cav?
I thought it had the F28 as they were going to/in the process of making it 4wd
big gra
23-09-07, 12:31 PM
i know of one 4x4 nova, will try and get some more info! as talking to a guy the other day who does mad conversions on novas, currently rwd cossie engined nova!
Justy stuff is ideal, thats how the 4x4 Nova Rally cars were made in the 90's, and cost circa ?7k a time for the conversion lol although Justy running gear is quite rare TBH.
http://file029b.bebo.com/1/large/2007/02/25/17/2394357340a3712803523b322009139l.jpg
http://file028b.bebo.com/4/large/2007/02/25/17/2394357340a3712865580b716495440l.jpg
http://file028b.bebo.com/13/large/2007/02/26/18/771505432a3720891787b613218646l.jpg
Peugeot 106 4x4 running Cosworth engine
I remember a mk1 astra 4x4 rally car from years back, it had a rover v8, a rangerover gbox & bmw diffs front & rear running to astra front suspension front & rear. it looked very agricultural.
?20 says this project starts then stops fairly rapidly. Not being harsh but if you are asking such basic questions then you dont have the ability to carry out the job.
Ok well were do that then but i wont give up right away ill leave it a while and i get the money woohoo lol .
NO serously now my mate already knows how to get the rear axle to fit and it dont matter about the width of it as im going to have wide arches around the wheels. and i know someone in plymouth that shortens propshafts for conversions such as this for ?120. And to tho's who say hope your good at fabrication and mechanical engineering thats not a problem as my mate is a metal fabractor and does work for big place's such as marine projects working on the princess yachts. All that i wanted to know is if anyone knew about this power steering pump as its good to get other peoples views. But its not like we wont know how to change it. when it comes to that stage were sort it out then.
tom reid
23-09-07, 02:25 PM
A live rear axle on a 4x4 is a very bad idea imo. I suppose you could drop link it though.
Why?
Saloony
23-09-07, 03:27 PM
You could alway find a fiat panda 4x4 lol
Or
Like stu said a Justy
Saloony
23-09-07, 03:27 PM
Why?
Handling.
scott.parker
23-09-07, 05:47 PM
You could alway find a fiat panda 4x4 lol
Or
Like stu said a Justy
*cough* stu said? lol ;)
Scott
what about the old mazda 323 turbo 4x4?? surely thats of similar dimensions to a nova?
Anyhoo, im sure theres a bloody good reason why nobody's seen this done before.
Its far too much hassle/work/fukking around etc etc just for bragging rights
Id bet a pound to a picnh of **** itd be fukking rubbish anyway when its finished due to the lack of research and developement gone into it, and the weight of the system alone!
What engine are you hoping (Dreaming) of using?
Saloony
23-09-07, 06:38 PM
what about the old mazda 323 turbo 4x4?? surely thats of similar dimensions to a nova?
Anyhoo, im sure theres a bloody good reason why nobody's seen this done before.
Its far too much hassle/work/fukking around etc etc just for bragging rights
Id bet a pound to a picnh of **** itd be fukking rubbish anyway when its finished due to the lack of research and developement gone into it, and the weight of the system alone!
What engine are you hoping (Dreaming) of using?
Ahmen Brother!!
Welsh Dan
23-09-07, 10:05 PM
http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/projects-restorations/293172-insaneswedes-astra-mki.html
C20LET with toyota celica GT4 running gear on a MK1 Astra. You're looking at a project around that scale to do similar to a nova, even if you use Vauxhall running gear.
Ahmen Brother!!
lol well said Stu :thumb:
Aye, I think we decided ages ago on one of the other 4x4 threads that it would be an excersise purely in fabrication skills and posing. There definately wouldnt be a handling improvement, most probably more detrimental to the handling, plus added weight ETC. I can only see a benefit in launching on a 1/4 mile running BIG power.
That on its own eliminates a vauxhall 4wd system lol
Dan 130
23-09-07, 11:00 PM
it woulb be easier to cut and shorten a calibra chassis/floorpan then get a custom prop etc,and then drop a nova shell onto that i would expect you would have to run a very big spec engine to justify all the work though
you would have to run a very big spec engine to justify all the work though
Thats the paradox. Run standard power, and itll be slow. Run big power and the transfer box will turn into a gooey sludge lol
Welsh Dan
23-09-07, 11:40 PM
Better idea, modify some Nova bumpers, lights, wings etc.. to fit a 4x4 cally lol.
Dan 130
24-09-07, 01:26 PM
Thats the paradox. Run standard power, and itll be slow. Run big power and the transfer box will turn into a gooey sludge lol
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm gooey sludge aarrrgghhh:p
gammienov16v
24-09-07, 01:44 PM
good look with the 4x4 my mates doin the same at the moment i will ask him how he has started his one off, oh and yes the is a lot of cuttin and weldin to be done, i will also try and get some pics of it to so you can see wot your up against, all the best fella:thumb:
http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/projects-restorations/293172-insaneswedes-astra-mki.html
C20LET with toyota celica GT4 running gear on a MK1 Astra. You're looking at a project around that scale to do similar to a nova, even if you use Vauxhall running gear.
Cheers for this, i will have a look and see what they did :thumb:
And to bt's post's
The engine will be about a 300 bhp tb'd redtop. which will be abit less torque then a turbo so if i use the turbo transferbox i wont have any problems. and why wont a 4x4 handle well surley it will be just as good as a normal xe'd nova just 4x4 with a wide track. and the 4x4 only works when the front starts to spin on the cavi/calibre turbos and only about 30 % at the back any how.
I'd say depends on the weight distribution with regard to handling. On something as light as a Nova, you're going to have all the weight over one end, rear diffs aren't all that heavy and you'll have a meaty engine/gearbox/xfer box up front (or in the back if you go rear engined). Mid engine might get away with it.
Celica GT4 transmission won't fit on a Nova, not even a 165 system and thats the smallest of the GT4s.
Not that you'd want a 165 running gear as its poo anyway lol
And to bt's post's
The engine will be about a 300 bhp tb'd redtop.
fcuk me thats gonna be one expensive engine build.... not to mention 500mile rebuilds
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:12 PM
personally if it was me me i couldnt justify all the work for a 300 hp redtop. in a front wheel drive setup it would be cool, but by the time you have lost alot of power through the 4wd system itself its still not alot of power why not go for 400/450 let because to be honest there wouldnt be an awfull lot of diffrence in cost
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:13 PM
fcuk me thats gonna be one expensive engine build.... not to mention 500mile rebuilds what i thought thats about 6/7 grand worth of race engine if you want it as close to reliable as possible lol
well 1 i love the sound of a good tb'd car blame Dar for that lol. and every one does turbo's and i want to be diffrent. And to be honist if i had a 300 bhp tb'd redtop it would be faster then any 400 bhp turbo nova. And yea i know about the cost of doing this but i dont spend my money on anything else and this is what i love so why not.
what i thought thats about 6/7 grand worth of race engine if you want it as close to reliable as possible lol
think more like ?15K
what i thought thats about 6/7 grand worth of race engine if you want it as close to reliable as possible lol
Well i can get just over 300 with 10k. but ive been told to have a reliable engine to tune it to 250
Spend 2k on a let, with evo5, and a t3.
Get similar power, and more torque....
A 300hp xe would be using mental revs, are probably undriveable on the road
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:21 PM
well as you said why not it would still be a cool car what about other engines like cossie yb or v8 something mega diffrent (v8 on throttle bodies mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm) lol
or an easy 200bhp xe build and add nitrous :D
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:24 PM
i was assuming he would be doing most of the building of the engine himself so that was only really a basis on parts with a engine like this id certainly want alot of steel internals lol
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:25 PM
300 bhp of nitrous ha ha (BANG)
well at the end of the day ive always wanted a tb'd engine and now thats what im doing. plus turbo just rip and bend a nova as two people i know found out and had to scrap there cars. And i dont fancy any other engine i want to keep it all vauxhall and there is something i like about a redtop that i like. i think it's one sexy looking engine and the fact its got a cosworth head
TB'd xe, and 100 nitrous on a controller.
and the fact its got a cosworth head But its no better than a gm one :confused:
or an easy 200bhp xe build and add nitrous :D
I did think about this but it is cheeting. i want just pure power so no one can turn around and say oh but you got nos so you were bound to win
But its no better than a gm one :confused:
Yes they dont go porus. think thats how its spelt :confused:
Meh, it aint cheating, its just a helping hand,Lol.
"porous" head is an easy fix tho. Well worth saving the cost of paying about ?200+ for a "cosworth" head.
but when ive already got a coscast head it dont matter. so what your all sayin is go for about 250 bhp to keep it reliable and add nitrous ?
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:39 PM
to be honest its still (100 shot nos) about 350 hp say so things are not very reliable and will need regular rebuilds
Yea but no matter what i tune it to it will always need a rebuild as i will be racing it alot when its on the road. TRACK only may i add. But if i tune it to say 250 bhp cant you get a 50 shot of nos? And there is no point just tunnin it to 200 as to be honist it will be quite easy with the tb's im using to get that power
but when ive already got a coscast head it dont matter. so what your all sayin is go for about 250 bhp to keep it reliable and add nitrous ? Even 250 is a huge figure for a XE.
Even 210/220 needs headwork, decent cams, tb's, high rev limit etc.
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:48 PM
we just currently built a xe to fairly high spec with pulse performance tb's headwork cams woosner pistons,arrow rods emerald management etc etc blar blar that was around the 250 hp mark that was about 7 grand (not sure on the exact figures) so nothing is going to be cheap but do it to what you want then you will be happy
Yea the main thing is the headwork. i want to find one of the best places to do it. and ill be using hiyabussa tb's my mate can get the rest of the stuff easy and ill be using magasqirt and and pocketed pistons but dont know what size cams yet. going to look into that more near the time. And im going to be using a dry sump plus steel rod's etc
the gm head dosent go porous either...... it cracks but its an easy fix.
have a look for a bloke called giles on mig. hes been building an XE of scary spec for about a million years.... not sure how close to 300 hes going to get but its going to slap you into reality lol
Dan 130
24-09-07, 06:57 PM
well i know your a fair while away but with things like this you want quality workmanship i help build race engines at weekends so gradually building on my knowledge but if you would like some idea on prices i could put you in contact with who i help out check out the link in my sig GRACE ENGINE DEVELOPMENTS
Just have done with it and buy a Pulsar GTiR!
http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/style_emoticons/default/sofa.gif
For fukks fukking sake. How many fukking times do we need to hear this absolute Horesh1t
Go for it. If you pull it off, congrats, ill be the first to suck your cock. If it fails, dont be shocked/upset/angry when you get "i told you so" from Everybody on here!
300BHP XE, On a budget build, Hayabusa TBs...... FUKK OFF!!
BTCC cavs ran 300BHP with MEGA MEGA spec. Have you even gone done the route of turning the head around, so the inlet side faces the front of the car?? Do you know how much research/developement/testing etc went into those engines to make them what they were?
Why not, as everyone else says, build a big spec LET, for cheaper money and have the all important requirement for a 4wd monster, TORQUE.
The cally 4x4 system will sap alot of power and to give it a fukking good shove to get your "Racing car" moving your gonne require alot of Torque, which, no matter how much you spend, You aint gonna get NA!!
My integra Type R for instance is nigh on 270 BHP NA, but ill be lucky to see 200lbft of torque.
Anyway, this is all pipe dreams, youve gotta get the running gear in first!
You'd be good in the Army thinking about it, as from what i know of the Army, Most of em are full of sh1t.
right, ive seen this done many times before mainly on mk3 astras and on corsa's. cant be alot of diffarence on a nova as they share a similar base to an astra and identicle to a corsa (pretty much) like said the width does not matter as it will be wide track up front aswell and will have a wide arch kit bought or made to match up with the width the cally rear end..
the system will always give scope for turbo power at a later date. makes sense really as there wont be no transfer box problems with N/A as it will be about 25% less torque than a LET. but easily upgradable at a later date for more power. its the fact that it shoudl take a good thrashing and be reliable (in terms of transmision) and make a huge diffarence to the way the car drives in the wet, well at least off the line anyway.
as for the engine i dunno what you lot are on about but on a completely std xe over 200bhp is easily obtainable with the correct set up (not even touching the internals of the engine) and 300bhp is certainly obtainable on a normal xe engine without a swindon reversed head!! ive seen healthy 240+hp on a minimaly specced engine still running std rods and oil system whilst still being reliable..
it does help that we have Mr Rheed local (JRE) for the engine build..
the hayabus bodies are adequate for the xe aswell even in a high state of tune, maybe not enough for 300hp but definatly not too far off. not forgeting that they taper from 48mm to 44mm (ish) in a similar fasion to the SBD taper throttle bodies which have seen proven 300hp..
stu you sure your not in the army yourself?? sound like it.
stu you sure your not in the army yourself?? sound like it.
definitely not in the army.
Like everybody has always said, believe it when we see it!!
Well done for seeing these high powered minimal tuned XEs, im so proud of you!
Philsutton
25-09-07, 10:23 PM
Right anyway here is the corsa we did, not that difficult. I still stand by what I said its not as easy for a nova an requires a different approach as imo just fitting a wide arch isnt going to solve it.
And also I would rather have a 2wd 200-300bhp nova as the weight of the 4x4 system is going to make it solwer round a track unless your grass tracking.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/philsutton/Photo-0040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/philsutton/Photo-0038.jpg
nova ste
25-09-07, 10:31 PM
there was only one ever made and it was a left hand drive built for rallying and the 4wd corsa that someone built twisted in the middle as there to much power from the engine and the body twisted
Philsutton
25-09-07, 10:33 PM
Must have been pigeon ****ted together to twist as I doubt the transfer box would transfer enough torque to twist the shell.
http://file028b.bebo.com/13/large/2007/02/26/18/771505432a3720891787b613218646l.jpg
Peugeot 106 4x4 running Cosworth engine
Cool !!
If it'll fit in a 106 then it'll fit in a Nova !!
:cool:
Cool !!
If it'll fit in a 106 then it'll fit in a Nova !!
:cool:
I cant remember the name of the bloke that space framed a 306 with a yb lump, done a lot of stages i believe untill he crashed it, ill try and find the site.
Anyway, i think a lot of this could of been avoided if someone used search, makes my thread about just a normal XE conversion seem pathetic!
Somehow i think this is just another nova 4x4 thread that never materializes.........
Seen a Cossie 4x4 306 at Rally X @ Croft a few times, Cossie 4x4 stuff has been fitted to a fair few 'small' cars - Clio / Mk2 Golf / 106 / others ??
I know what you mean about another 4x4 thread ... if you've gotta ask the basics then it ain't gonna happen.
I do genuinly think it'd be doable tho, a bit of fabricating, cutting & shutting of a 4x4 floor pan ... bish bosh, a 4x4 Nova !! lol
Saloony
25-09-07, 11:43 PM
The real way forward on this would be spaceframing in my mind. And to add to the list of Yb 4x4 things, Mossis Minor has to be the best one ive seen.
Wonder if i can 4x4 a pram?
thing is the GM 4x4 only transmits power back if the front wheels slip and even then it only throws 90NM of torque back. Unless you get a massively priced Locked/modded box.
So its a 2wd car all the time anyway, just on the odd launch you get the back wheels doing stuff
I just had a thought, would James Austins space framed nova be plausable for 4x4 or is the engine positioned too far back, plus ive never even really seen the whole vauxhall 4x4 running gear/transmission etc, all i understand is that it might be an f28?!lollol Thats it, my knowledge on 4x4 is there, but hey, at least im honest:thumb:
well i know your a fair while away but with things like this you want quality workmanship i help build race engines at weekends so gradually building on my knowledge but if you would like some idea on prices i could put you in contact with who i help out check out the link in my sig GRACE ENGINE DEVELOPMENTS
Ok cheers bud, but like you said it will be a while yet. im looking into about march next year maybe april. so ill give them a shout near the time :thumb:
thing is the GM 4x4 only transmits power back if the front wheels slip and even then it only throws 90NM of torque back. Unless you get a massively priced Locked/modded box.
So its a 2wd car all the time anyway, just on the odd launch you get the back wheels doing stuff
Interesting! So most of the time its a 2wd system; only if the front wheels start to lose traction, a small amount of power is transferred to the rear wheels?
Philsutton
26-09-07, 10:25 AM
yes its pretty pants, however you can change it so thats on all the time, as that is what we did with the corsa. Basically we just ran it with no front shaft in an had it rear wheel drive.
stu at what point did i say i was doing a budget rebuild? why is it because me and my mate/s want to rebuild it ourself because correct me if im wrong i thought the whole idea of a project was to do it yourself and have fun doing it. And as ive already said ive always wanted to go tb's i DONT want a turbo im not doing this thinking oh i will save money here ill do it that way. And the 4x4 wont slap power as it dont even work untill the front wheels start to spin as some have said already so even on the track it will be more like a fwd car. And for tho's who say it will slow me down and wont handle well. dont you think ive already thought about this and if you think about it it should handle fine as the added weight will help even the weight out thoughout the car. and the torque isnt that far off a turbo anyway with what im doing just look at the sbd website at there 300 bhp kit. and thos who say it will never be done or started. it will be done is it because ive got the balls to try something different and when you here it you slag it off. fair play you all got your opinons but if i do it and it turn out rubbish atleast i tryed to see if it is any good. and if i do it and it works fine great ive got a good car
Cheers phil for tho pics. its good to see something of what is being taken on, and i know about the arches but its just when the car is all done i will be making the arches around the car/ wheels like the boost beast. as they used a cavi rear axle and thos arches look lovely.
they didnt use a cavi rear axle, they used a complete calibra front subframe, that cars not true 4wd either as its 2x FWD boxes working in parralel to each other.
Getting bored of this now really, less talk more work!
believe it when i see it, running properly
I don't see what the problem with doing a 4x4 nova is as a concept.
The problem with using a cally/cav 4x4 setup is twofold:
1. The std cally/cav 4x4 running gear is not very well packaged & doesn't appear to be very strong.
2. Apart from looking good, the benefit of using a gm 4x4 running gear will not be that great compared to a decent 2wd system with lsd/traction control,
The answer in my view is to look at maybe a 2.0 16v lump mated to a sierra 4x4 trans (bellhousing kits readily available) with ford 4x4 diffs front & rear. The std front suspension can remain, & at the rear use a narrowed cally/cav subframe. the driveshafts can easily be modified by going to a lorry driveshaft repair shop. the only problems I foresee are the transmission tunnel, exhaust route, how far back the engine goes, etc. A good hotrodder would be a help.
Philsutton
26-09-07, 07:46 PM
My exact thoughts but yet they still keep dreaming
Fair play and I hope you win with this one. Well impressed with the ammount of money your going to be spending. The engine alone will cost more than my whole car:eek:
Philsutton
26-09-07, 08:11 PM
I hope that it does get done as it would be nice to see someone actually building one and not just talking about it. You have to understand that this question has popped up every other week for years an years with no outcome. People get to it an then realise they dont have a clue what they are doing lol.
If you "X" out these pipe dreams of a 300bhp XE, the 4x4 set up aint that hard tbh.
Once you figured out how to fit a Cav 4x4 floor pan into a nova, and the rear sub frame, mount up the rear diff, get some Cav shafts shortened down, shortened prop shafts, XE conversion shafts up front and use Cav 4x4 suspension on rear, adeqaute XE/LET suspension on the front, and TBH the rest shouldnt be too hard for a seasoned mechanic.
Saying all that, GM 4x4s systems are poop, youll need to learn how to weld.....PROPERLY, and get real friendly with your local steel stock holder.
Im very quitely confident that i could prep a shell to take a 4x4 setup, however im not confident with the whole fitting the 4x4 setup onto it, hence why ive never tried this, but contemplated it a lot.
Out of all the 4x4 hatchs ive measured up, the Es'cos will be the easiest to fit into a Nova. Pulsar are to wide along with Cav's (8inchs odd to wide) Land Rover 90 is again to wide and too long etc etc
Philsutton
26-09-07, 08:19 PM
also another thing about the novas is you will need to move the suspension mounting points on the rear which basically means you may as well do away with the whole cav floor as thats half of what you use. If done dont use cav stuff, it will need space framing other wise your making to much hassle for yourself for something that isnt going to be that good.
Out of all the 4x4 hatchs ive measured up, the Es'cos will be the easiest to fit into a Nova. Pulsar are to wide along with Cav's (8inchs odd to wide) Land Rover 90 is again to wide and too long etc etc
Nah, small jap is the way forward in terms of dimensions. Suzukis (Grand Vitara, Wagon R, etc) and Daihatsus (Applause, MIra Gino, Gbox, Scirion, Sonica) are a lot closer to the Nova measurements than the Escort. In fact the Sonica 4WD is very almost bang on the Nova track and wheelbase dimensions.
Ahh, Jack the Es'cos is around an Inch out width & 2 in lenght :thumb:
Nova_Spider
26-09-07, 11:17 PM
also another thing about the novas is you will need to move the suspension mounting points on the rear which basically means you may as well do away with the whole cav floor as thats half of what you use. If done dont use cav stuff, it will need space framing other wise your making to much hassle for yourself for something that isnt going to be that good.
Phil,
In those photo's I pressume the red pannels are from the cav/cally?
Do you have anymore photo's? I was thinking of just using the rear cav/cally swing arms and not bothering with the whole subframe but wandered how this would handle? It would cut down on a lot of weight. There's a couple of companies doing rear trailing arms for nova now with no arb etc.
P Whack
27-09-07, 04:02 PM
Nice 1 mate! give it a go i reckon you'll be able to do it and as it happens one of my mates is in the process of builing a 4wd nova and his is mostly completed so it is possible
LOL i love these threads, there ace hahaha everyones mates mate of a mates dog is building, planning on building or nearly finished building a 4x4 Nova lol
http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/style_emoticons/default/worthless.gif
Philsutton
27-09-07, 07:22 PM
it does just a bit boring
Nova_Spider
27-09-07, 08:49 PM
it does just a bit boring
Any chance you could answer the couple of questions on the previous page?:thumb:
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