View Full Version : if you could design/rebuild teh nova again????
shy witness
21-11-07, 10:49 PM
i've often thought thius
if you were able to redesign.....or improve the nova in any way...........what would you do???????
bare in mind the design/technology that was arround in the 80's though
obviously better corrision protection would be top of the list
but what other ellements of the nova do u despise???????
Id throw the plans in the bin and design the Mk1 Astra instead :thumb:
XE as standard lol
if it was designed properly it wouldnt be as fun working on them now imo
Stanley
21-11-07, 10:56 PM
Cav shifter
A ban against throwing out any of the early SR stuff like interior, snowploughs etc. You just know the decent stuff was chucked away grrrr!! Yes Lee and RJ, that includes the COOL dashboards ;)
Nothing, its an 80s eurobox that satisfies the design specification. To alter it would kinda make it obsolete OR would make it into a modern car, i.e. the Corsa.
You just know the decent stuff was chucked away grrrr!! Yes Lee and RJ, that includes the COOL dashboards ;)
They chucked away GSi dashboards?! :confused:
i'd of made them, so they dont rust as easily, thats about it tbh...
loggyboy
21-11-07, 11:04 PM
I thought thats pretty much what most people have been doing.
I know the straight column would be top of my list, wouldnt have been hard to do either.
And whoever thought seam sealer was a good idea for the mk2s should have been shot.
They chucked away GSi dashboards?! :confused:
No no, you misread sir... I said they threw away the DECENT ones :p
Novas only came with one dashboard, and thats the Mk2. The earlier thing that you appear to think is a dashboard was actually a wheel chock, just in the wrong place. But its ok, I'm using this chock in the correct fashion on my saloon so its all good.
I agree with the steering column/pedels/seat position
Also when they facelifted to the mk2 they could of done the back as well... probably stop so many poor mk1's being changed 'n all
I don't think the metal is too much at fault for rust, more the design of some parts and the build, unlike some my sound deading fell off, but my shell was painted inside, I know some just have the edges done.
Novasport
21-11-07, 11:18 PM
Galvanised it!
krobinson
21-11-07, 11:18 PM
I wouldnt change anything to be honest. I'd just make sure they were galvanised and properly rust proofed.
Everything else I can change/alter myself, which is the main reason this site is here.
As some said Rust proofing
Thinking on it, if they were 'rust proofed' then there'd still be loads about and that would just be boring.
Apart from the rust proofing and straight column, theres one other thing that hasnt been mentioned which im surprised about!
Id fit brakes that werent made of cheese!!
Stanley
21-11-07, 11:53 PM
Apart from the rust proofing and straight column, theres one other thing that hasnt been mentioned which im surprised about!
Id fit brakes that werent made of cheese!!
Hmm i dunno, parmesan can be a very useful upgrade
Apart from the rust proofing and straight column, theres one other thing that hasnt been mentioned which im surprised about!
Id fit brakes that werent made of cheese!!
Oh yea! lol I think it's because most are fitted with 2.0 16v items now any way, I know it was the very first thing I did;)
paulnova
22-11-07, 01:30 AM
I wouldn't change a thing!! its perfect the way it is (remembering it was designed and built in the 80's lol)
GRUNT 16V
22-11-07, 10:37 AM
i wish i fitted a seh rather than a XE
Welsh Dan
22-11-07, 10:53 AM
Aluminium chassis instead of steel, like a mk2 punto sporting/hgt.
Better brakes with the corsa/astra style pedal->cylinder setup.
Bigger arches.
None of this offset rear axle crap !
Better illumination on standard clocks.
Straighten the steering wheel.
Electric window switches right way around.
Lower roof line.
Slightly wider (Honda CRX proportions)
oh & as prev. mentioned C20XE (superboss version)
craig green
22-11-07, 05:25 PM
i've often thought thius
if you were able to redesign.....or improve the nova in any way...........what would you do???????
bare in mind the design/technology that was arround in the 80's though
obviously better corrision protection would be top of the list
but what other ellements of the nova do u despise???????
Slightly wider track to make it on par with a mk2 Fiesta perhaps, get rid of the remote servo & have it operating directly off the pedal, give the saloon different headlamps & wings ala VW Jetta's etc so there is more scope for customisation.
Original GTE shouldve been a 1.8 bigblock with rear disc brakes IMO.
Finally, GM should've given it to someone to sort the chassis/handling so it was on par with a french hatch. Therfore it would have sold far better.
The rest should be left for us modders to tinker with... :thumb:
mikey14sr
22-11-07, 06:47 PM
In order of preference,
Fully Galvanised, Panel alignment tollerence reduced to +/-2mm, Geometry set properly, weber carbs instead of pierburgs, better heater system, backlit dials on mk1, 3-door arches on 2-door saloon.
Things that would have been nice to see,
More spiders, more sports (both should have been minimum 1000 units in RHD), GTE should have had a sport spec option and have been avaiable sooner, 2-door saloon should have been avaiable in SR and GTE versions, mk2 should have gone on for 3 years longer and been given the benefit of the baby XE's, a larger surplus of shells and doors if the galvanising couldn't have been sorted out.
General Baxter
22-11-07, 06:51 PM
a estate, a proper big pick up lol
3-door arches on 2-door saloon.
BLASPHEMY! :mad:
shy witness
22-11-07, 07:24 PM
possibly better handling as standard i would of thought
brakes as everyone said
a better steering lock/column so they werent so bloody easy to thief
not really much more to be honest
same goes for door locks..as theyre a joke to break in2
oooooooooooooooooooo nobody said the fault with the Hazzard switch..?
only thing i would want to change really would be a heated windscreen. i hate winter mornings waiting for the screen to clear. good excuss for being late for work tho
James P
22-11-07, 07:53 PM
id have inderpendant rear suspension, leather interiour optional when you bye one new and how amazing would it be if they 4W4'd a certain amount, or rear wheel drive.
a 3door nova with rear wind down windows. maybe a 1.6 turbo or 1.4 sri turbo! defently corrosion protection as a must have.
get rid of the remote servo & have it operating directly off the pedal
Technically it was designed that way, as the left hookers had direct pedal to servo AND a straight steering column so really a better design for the transition to right hand drive would have been better.
Novasport
22-11-07, 08:43 PM
You are all forgetting one thing, we all love the Nova for what it is.
We like is for all its little quirks & faults, thats what makes it what it is!
If they were perfect they would be boring, if they didnt rust there would be loads on the road, it would decrease the appeal of them.
Bloody rot boxeslol
You've all missed the most anoying thing about the Nova...
...after you've washed and leathered it you get that bead of water dripping from both wing mirrors!!! lmao
^ lol Escort Cossies are worse! You get a massive lake form between the rear screen and lower spoiler lol lol
You've all missed the most anoying thing about the Nova...
...after you've washed and leathered it you get that bead of water dripping from both wing mirrors!!! lmao
That REALLY fecks me off lol
It can appear even an hour after its dried!!
loggyboy
22-11-07, 10:36 PM
oooooooooooooooooooo nobody said the fault with the Hazzard switch..?
yeah, both faults!
loggyboy
22-11-07, 10:38 PM
Technically it was designed that way, as the left hookers had direct pedal to servo AND a straight steering column so really a better design for the transition to right hand drive would have been better.
Im pretty sure the LHD still have the wonky driving position, i asked a guy on here with a left hooker and he said they did.
mikey14sr
22-11-07, 10:46 PM
Scratch some of what I said earlier, and imagine nova body over chevette floorpan, yes old-skool live axle, but with mac strut front suspension.
Sorry for dreaming again!
You've all missed the most anoying thing about the Nova...
...after you've washed and leathered it you get that bead of water dripping from both wing mirrors!!! lmao
Its not only Novas that get that! I need a chamois on hand long after I've dried my celica lol
Thing is if anything was changed as per people's ideas, the nova would be more expensive and therefore wouldn't have been the hit it was... imagine if sales had flopped. www.p205gclub.com doesn't have the same ring to it... lol
L33 LEG
22-11-07, 11:44 PM
the position of the clock. should be inbetween the vents, so a) looks better and b) can see the bloody thing lol
agree with the steering column aswell.
maybe improve rear suspension, even coil-over-shock like my mk3 fiesta rather than seperate. Would of created more room for coilovers then :D
Maybe a dealer option of a turbo ala Astra 1.8 GTE with a pace turbo.
Ryan5cyl
23-11-07, 12:56 AM
Independant rear suspension thingies instead of the rear beam would be nice.
Bonnet release handle pulled off anyone...? another Nova trait!!! Poorly designed.
Still love 'em though :)
Dec
still make em............
hughesthelegend
23-11-07, 04:46 PM
id change nothing at all for back in the 80's era but if you said re-design it now well, wouldnt the list go on!!!
vauxhall nova 2007/08 as standard would be;
full black leather interior including all four head rests and door cards, black carpet, snap off steering wheel, hi light dials (the ones on civics where it lights up on the windscreen!) black gsi dash, footwell neons- just kidding!!, half roll cage, electric windows front and pop out windows rear, central locking and alarm/immobiliser, keyless entry system, fully adjustable suspension and top mounts, front and rear struts, undersealed, fully stainless exhaust system, discs all round but drilled and vented on the front, bonnet raisers, fuel cap inside drivers door, front and rear splitters, gte wrap around spoiler, gte black boot sticker, single wiper, yaris wiper on rear, gsi side skirts, big mouthed gsi bumpers, clear lights and indicators all round NOT LEXUS!!!!, wider arches and wider wheels, softstars or speedlines or slabs with 40 profiles, 2 models consisting of either c20 let 4x4 300bhp or c20xe rwd 200bhp, cams?,pullys?,induction kit?, 4-1 manifolds?, dump valves?, carbs? front mounted intercooler? front mounted oil cooler?remote start and shut off timer,and they come in a choice of 6 colours- candy red-candy blue-metallic white-metallic black-racing green or gunmetal grey. and they only sell them to cool people not cheese monkeys thats why they would be insurance group 5 and would cost a lovely little sum of ?5000. And then i woke up!!!
greg1.4
23-11-07, 05:06 PM
i would have made the gte with a 1800 engine..and maybe the gsi sri with a turbo..just as a optional extra though.
i would try and sort the rusting issue out..also make them handle and stop a bit better..
but i love em the way they are!
wisewood
23-11-07, 05:25 PM
If i could design it again - i'd throw all the metal panels out and make them from rust. Cut out the years of mysery trying to fight it.
lee coley
23-11-07, 05:26 PM
security
hughesthelegend
23-11-07, 06:22 PM
^ lol rusty arches as an optional extra! ^
styling wise - see me "ades garage" thread.
as above for the rest - although not too fussed about the 2ltr xe'd version - would be happy with a 1.4/1.6 16v (tax n that)
stevenf
23-11-07, 10:35 PM
what about the heaters they were pretty crap as well!!!
hughesthelegend
24-11-07, 10:09 AM
yeah heaters, they supply you with some fire lighters and a frw twigs to get you going! lol
shy witness
24-11-07, 10:37 AM
the heater in my old 1 was great................but thbe 1 befor ethat was crap lol
duno why that is
what about 2 rams on the tailgate instead of 1(or did teh luxury models have that???)
BenNova
24-11-07, 11:55 PM
my heater is sound, but my hazard switch everytime i get a new one it break within days i must have had 4 now and owned my car a year!
loggyboy
25-11-07, 01:50 AM
my heater is sound, but my hazard switch everytime i get a new one it break within days i must have had 4 now and owned my car a year!
Sends the old ones to me then
clicky linky (http://www.loggyboy.com/novahazard.htm)
125scouse
25-11-07, 04:25 PM
i would sort it so the rear suspension was already turreted and was on macphearson struts and not seperates, better rust protection and jsut make the mk1 front not the mk2 lol
JSeymour
25-11-07, 04:58 PM
one thing that bugs me about the nova that id have made different is the arches, the front are much sharper whilst the back is smoother(the bit that makes them stick out a bit) il find a piclol
not the best to show you what i mean but its the lines above the arch itself, you can see the front but the rears not as clear.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/johnseymour/NOVALOTS015.jpg
DW-Nova
25-01-08, 10:56 PM
Should have just had a few more sensible optional extras in my opinion, such as power steering, leather/ half leather trim, 15" alloy wheels, etc most importantly though would be corrosion protection, they should have galvanised the shell from new, they are ok if you wash them all the time but there is a big improvment to be made, oh and relocate the battery from the scuttle panel to somewhere else, such as the boot ( so it dosnt trap water under it and rot the battery tray)
Talk about resurrecting the dead......
id make it more round, mabey a 2 spoke steering wheel, or prehaps bubble headlights, curved windows, oh and a rounder dash
oh id also call it the "CORSA"
Thats the thing though, it was the 80s and all cars were round square blocks lol
Nowadays we've left round cars behind and they're going for the stretched look. (new astra, corsa, vectra) same front end as far as iam concerned!!
I would have gave it to COSWORTH or LOTUS and let them work there magic on itlol lol lol Hint hint sierra floor and a 4x4 cossie lump in it hehehe
GTE TURBZ
26-01-08, 12:54 AM
Yeah if only vx made a 1.6 low compression turbo engine in par with the fiesta/escort rs turbos, i mean ford came out with the 1.6 series 1 turbo engine in like 1984/85 or earlier :confused: surely did that not inspire them to rival with that rather than the big blocks 1.8 2.0L's and they only came in boring cavs and calibras.
We wouldn't have to bother with these stupid double head gasket conversions, that screw up after a hard 7/10k thrashing (from what ive read, sold mine as i didnt wait around to see) lol
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