Dans 'widearch' project (2016 updates)

[Dan]

ok, so here i am again, its been a while since i did my last build so with my recent purchase the bar is to be set higher again with rebuild number 4. As with all of my other builds it will be stripped back to the metal and grafted from the ground up to a higher spec than the last one.

**lets all have a minutes silence for the breaking of my grey baby**

alas it will be running a standard xe due to the mounts already being welded into place, lucky its a nice early one with a coscast head, but it wont be slow as this new shell already has a quiafe box lined up for it along with a few more fibreglass panels meaning it will be alot lighter again :thumb: the colour scheme is already in the pipe line with a respray already lined up. the shell will be fully welded again with a few more developments to the chassis to further explore what i can do to it.

heres a few pics of the space lee allowed me to take up during the prep and a couple of the new toy (obviously i havent even touched it yet so its as bought)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/room.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/carnobonnet.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/carbonnet.jpg

[Adam]

Looks promising Dan.
Will everything off the small block be for sale?

[Lee]

Jesus that floors a discrace!

This is going to be a beast! Looking forward to seeing it progress first hand, as well as lending a hand!!

[Dan]

the grey one will be having some parts sold, engine and box etc is to be sold, already had some interest. Also the shell will be sold as soon as anyone comes up with a decent offer or i advertise it properly :cry: other parts may crop up as i work through it

[Dave.]

looks nice dan, its got potential

[Plug]

shell for sale hey well i hope this field that your grazing in is close to me lol

Good luck with the new project i will keep an eye on this thread

[Lee]

shell for sale hey well i hope this field that your grazing in is close to me lol

Good luck with the new project i will keep an eye on this thread

Whoever gets his grey shell will have probably the neatest welds ive ever seen, plus its proven what its capable of ten times over. Not something that comes up for sale often :thumb:

[Ste L]

get that garage painted up nice lol


shell look's promising :D

[burgo]

lush this is gonna be an awesome build

[nathan.]

:eek::eek:

Had no idea you had these plans mate!

Good luck with the project, keep us updated.

:thumb:

[Plug]

ya my mates got a wide arch nova xe but not finished he been doing it for about 2-3 yrs lol

try and get some pics

[krobinson]

This is going to be awesome! I really didnt see this coming!!

[Dan]

cheers people, tbh i didnt even know this was coming until the middle of last week, seen the ad and everything around it fell into place, by sunday me and lee had gone up with his trailor, viewed it and got it back to where lee's car is.

I have until march with this one so i can take my time and make sure it gets the same standard of work done all be it on a slightly larger scale lol . You all know how the last one turned out and my idea's for this go beyond that if they can be implemented as i intend. Its defo a chance to churn out something else born through daft idea's in my head as is my way lol

[Plug]

so then when your reckon parts will be forsale??

my m8s wide arch
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/2465/12977558hw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Stoo]

nice shell dan, look forward to seeing this built. i dont think id have ever got round to continuing with it so its nice to see it gone to a good home

eyes are well and truly peeled for updates

[Benn]

Get that floor painted a nice shade of grey!

Ooohhh finely gonna go big block then... you'll love it!
Am watching and waiting...lol

[Stuart]

I'm dissapointed..... Why is it not finished? Dan your slipping!

[Ben]

Dans sold out!

Cant believe it all the ammo for the bigblock-smallblock debate will be gone!

Always like wide arch novas though, Irish Brians will always be my favorite Nova.

[The Simps]

i'm wet with anticipation...

[Paul]

should be another top build!

[Plug]

yea cant wait to see some progress

[Martin]

Nice one dan,


keepin my eyes on this one..


Will let you know about the "main" bits.. in a week or so


Martin

[Riggy]

nice to see that stu's shell has gone to a top bloke ,

cant belive your goin to sell YOUR engine though dan

im sure rexy could be persueded into buyin a certain grey shell lol

[Jim]

Always like wide arch novas though, Irish Brians will always be my favorite Nova.
Blue one with the Vauxhall V-grill?

[John]

Hmmm, looks like it'll be top project when it's done dan! the one to watch this winter!

[BRoadGhost]

Sorry not a fan of wide arched novas

[jr_eze]

that looks kinda like my wagon, same colour n all:)

[Lynsey]

Woohoo!! I like it, bet it's gon be cool :D

[macc nova]

good luck with it matey hope ya dont have any problems, should be a belter when done

[Mike]

Dans gone big block :D i knew it wold come one day though lol

Will be keeping my eyes on this matey :D

[Dan]

cheers again for all the comments, at least i can lay claim to working with the 8v's for over ten years, as said i'm not going to bother tuning this one. Gonna be different and make a fast standard xe :thumb:

[coochiSR]

:D All the best Dan, sure it'll be finished by Crimbo :p. Should be another cracker!!!

[Ian]

cheers again for all the comments, at least i can lay claim to working with the 8v's for over ten years before seeing the light, as said i'm not going to bother tuning this one. as its already more powerful in standard form than the old one :thumb:
;)

here it is how dan intends to restore it to:

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big2.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big3.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big4.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big5.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big8.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/703big7.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big2.jpg

[Ian]

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big3.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big4.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big5.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big6.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big7.jpg

http://www.pngclub.com/images/car_images/1189big8.jpg

[novacabrio]

At least Stu has seen the light!!

[Dan]

lol lol lol lol lol luckily people know what i am like and what this is possibly going to turn out like :cool: :D

[Plug]

reckon its going to be one dam fine Nova when its done

[Mike.]

judging by the work you did on you old grey nova this is going to be one great car !!

[Timmy]

im shocked your running with the Big block small cock lot now. :P now should be a good build, good luck i'd love to pop along and help one weekend.

[Plug]

Ian do you know whos nova that is G625 WRK???

[novacabrio]

Stus old one

[Benn]

This sounds like its gonna be fun.

[Stoo]

G625WRK is my old car, the shell is now dans

[Ernie]

Welcome to the dark side... (big block)

[Ian]

Ian do you know whos nova that is G625 WRK???
Its dans new project

[Steve]

Sounds good dan, although not sure why you want a new shell when your old one is already track prepped and pretty spot on by the sound of it.

Also, why do you want to build a std xe when it wont have than much more power than your 1600?

Not having a dig, just seems a bit strange..

[t45_ste]

Are you wide tracking as well?

[Plug]

oh looked like someones i know from exmouth

[Nick]

I'm a bit confused also... But i guess there are some things that your not telling us dan ?

Well, if you decide to split your old engine, i'd be very interested in the head dan. If not, then i hope the new owner gets as much pleasure from it as you did

[Dan]

lol lol no need for any conspiracy theories lol lol

What some of you guys forget is i have been playing around with these nova's since just after i passed my test back in 1992/3. The current engine i have tuned and revamped and tuned and revamped again for over ten years (some of you wont even keep a car half the time of that). I have run 4 different shells now in various specs and slowly evolved my own styles and works, i have always admired the wide arch nova's and finally had a chance of one which i couldnt turn down.

The Grey car was done, it was complete with no more mods worth doing to a complete package for that particular build and what it stood for. I am now going to evolve my idea's abit more and go one better using the wide arch to complete it. The old shell is mint, with a very high standard of work in it, this will be exactly the same just on a bigger scale.

As for engine wise, the new shell already has the mounts welded in place so running an xe is already written in stone, the reason it will remain standard is the fact with the new gearing and lighter shell it will already be faster than the grey one in a straight line. Once i have sorted out the geometry and track and corner weighted it the new one will also handle alot better. Unless you have seen me on track/timed me or seen the cars i dabbled with power is not an issue, what i could do with the original build was silly at times tbh. The new one will be as described above so why stress the engine any more than standard when i dont need the power anyway. A POWERFUL CAR DOESNT MAKE IT A FAST ONE ;) but it can make up for lost time eslewhere if needed

That bit could read abit daft but again those that know me and how i drive will understand what i have tried to get across lol

[mikey14sr]

I think you're basicaly saying that you're aiming for even better handling and grip than what you had with the grey shell through use of the available wider track and some extra weight loss?

I don't see any shame in running a standard xe, it's going to have plenty of go for your style of driving, and cuts down the risk of "BT blowups".

[Dan]

the main thing will be similar to the grey one, people come up and ask what the hells in it, i used to say a 1.6 8v. Now i will say a 2.0 16v, and when asked whats been done to it i can say nothing, the engine is just a bog standard 150bhp lol , its the simple things that humour me lol

[t45_ste]

Where abouts are you getting your wide track kit from? Iv got one on order from clark motorsport (formally walden) will send you some pics when i recieve it. 4 week wait though (only 1 & half to go:D )

[Dan]

well the theory goes i wont bother going to the expense of buying one ;)

[t45_ste]

What theorys that then?

[krobinson]

I think its going to be a great project Dan, and i'll be keeping a close eye on it. I also think your smart using a standard XE and concentrating on everything else that makes a quick car first.

Once you've perfected that, you can always bolt on some throttlebodies at a much later date if you felt the need.

Keith

[sport]

What theorys that then?

Im not sure, but ive got an idea in my head you can use astra parts?

[t45_ste]

hmmmmmm intresting. Must keep an eye on this thread.

[Dan]

astra parts is miles off lol, it will all appear on this thread as i slowly measure things and move/modify bits and pieces.

If i am totally honest ste i havent even looked into getting the kit. Pm with the details and what it cost you and whats what if you dont mind ??, would be interesting to find out and see how much cost and hassle i may save myself, or wasted time replicating

[BRoadGhost]

Keep in mind that a standard XE with 150BHP won't feel as responsive / rev how the old 1600 8v did.

Don't get me wrong it'll be faster because it has a bit more power - but in terms of "feeling" you might, as i did, be a little disappointed.

[Mike]

Keep in mind that a standard XE with 150BHP won't feel as responsive / rev how the old 1600 8v did.

Don't get me wrong it'll be faster because it has a bit more power - but in terms of "feeling" you might, as i did, be a little disappointed.

Its just an educated guess, but im sure Dan has weighed up all the pro's con's of big block/small block and would be very aware of any implication regarding power/weight/response etc etc

IMHO, Dan's theory goes pretty much as follows - "Power is nothing without control" :thumb:

[Dan]

lotn had it spot on almost broadghost, but also take into account you probably fitted the standard f20 gearbox onto yours so had the most basic package.

Although the engine is standard i have the quiafe sccr box going on with a 3.9 f/d (standard is 3.52) which is a whole different ball game.

The performance the box will offer is worth a hell of a lot when compared to getting the engine to the same level on a standard box imo

[Benn]

Thats what i was gonna say,
the box will help some much with feeling the power and the go of it...

[CP]

Hmmm I think I've worked it out - its JCB 3c front and rear axles plus 4 wheel drive torque converter:D

[Dan]

lol dont give me any crazier idea's lol lol lol lol althoughhhhh monster truck nova, the arches would accomodate it hmmmmmmmmmm

[Adam]

Keep in mind that a standard XE with 150BHP won't feel as responsive / rev how the old 1600 8v did.

Don't get me wrong it'll be faster because it has a bit more power - but in terms of "feeling" you might, as i did, be a little disappointed.
Imo the xe will be nicer to drive, more torque etc...

[Will F]

Dan, does the wide track inlove a Vectra by any chance?

A bloke near me builds Nova Rally cars and thats what he uses... ;)

[tom_beverley]

Dan, does the wide track inlove a Vectra by any chance?

A bloke near me builds Nova Rally cars and thats what he uses... ;)

I know Vectra shafts are recommended to be used in conjuction with the wide track kit. It will be interesting to see if anything from other GM's make up a DIY wide track kit relatively easily!

Project sounds very interesting Dan, will definately keep an eye on this as it sounds you have some good ideas in the pipeline!

[The Simps]

Just use a 6" ally spacer on the hub like they did on the rear of that red beemer on Chop Shop :eek: :roll:

[NovaGSi1600]

Brian G's wide arch was the blue one with the v-grill.

I bought the engine a few years ago and the rolling shell was sold to a rally driver. It was painted pink and used as a tarmac rally car!

I haven't seen it on a stage in along time, it could be stuck in an Irish ditch somewhere or upside down in a bog. Or just in a garage gathering dust - hopfully that's where it is, it was some car.

Cheers,
Mick

[Ben]

This is the one...

http://www.pngclub.com/forum/viewfeaturecar.php?ref=177

[Steve]

I'd seen that before, thats one mk2 I wouldnt mind owning, well at least until it went pink! lol

Are the wide arch kits easy to come by then?

[Ben]

Yeah about ?400

[jr_eze]

Where abouts are you getting your wide track kit from? Iv got one on order from clark motorsport (formally walden) will send you some pics when i recieve it. 4 week wait though (only 1 & half to go:D )


what does this kit consist of?? might b intrested in 1

[Steve]

I had a chat about this a wj=hile back with a company that made them (no idea who they were!) but they sent me a pic of both those blue novas as reference.

Think the kit is just front wings and rear 1/4 and the skirts.

[Mike]

Pro-Tec motorsport still sell the wide arch kit IIRC, aswell as a couple of other places

[Lee]

The wide track principal is uber simple, im surprised no ones worked it out yet lol

[Steve]

Fit wide wheels!? lol

[Nick]

Pro-Tec motorsport still sell the wide arch kit IIRC, aswell as a couple of other places

They do... but

From my expirience, i'd never buy or go near pro-tec ever again.

[NovaGSi1600]

The only thing I didn't like about Brian's car was the v-grill, everything else was perfect.

He had terrible trouble with the tca's breaking.

Cheers,
Mick

[Stoo]

They do... but

From my expirience, i'd never buy or go near pro-tec ever again.

why?? Protec have always been fantastic for me.

The widearches on this shell are from protec

[Riggy]

yeah pro tec were spot on with my coilovers :thumb:

stu, you up at your dads over xmas , will come say hello if you are
__________________

[Stoo]

Na im not carl, unfortunately im on gate guard over xmas and new year, but nex time im up well meet up. deffos!!

[Dan]

just a small update as a few of the major parts fall into place ready for the mayhem. Most of you know which bits i have acquired but heres a few pics anyway

quaife sccr box with gripper diff

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/box.jpg

fibreglass bonnet

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/bon1.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/bon3.jpg

Matching boot

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/boot1.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/boot2.jpg

and the nice sbd manifold which is mated to a powerflow system ready to fit

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/manifold.jpg

As said only a small update as its going to hit the fan over xmas with some major work happening during the few days i have off, so expect a few more serious updates in the next few weeks

[Dave.]

it seems your boot and bonnet are the wrong colour dan lol

looks good dan, this things got massive potential :thumb:

[trackdaynova]

Did you get my bits Dan?

[Ash]

The wide track principal is uber simple, im surprised no ones worked it out yet lol

Oooo, me me! I know! Is it about 20mm wider than a nova? Of a car refered to as 'the bubble'?

Some nice looking parts your collecting there Dan, shame Chris' is gone but many car will live on and be improved from it. You'll need some money to pay for all of these new toys tho;)

[Riggy]

some nice bits there dan my lad :thumb:

[Dan]

Did you get my bits Dan?

Ah, how rude of me, yes i did thank you very much the sfi box and airflow meter are spot on and are the final parts of the jigsaw. Mucho respect for sorting that one for me mate :thumb: :thumb:

[Lee]

it seems your boot and bonnet are the wrong colour dan lol



Not only have i convinced the 'hungry bald one' that big block power is by far superior, I have also convinced him that a white tailgate and bonnet are the future :)

[Benn]

Power flow? Hope there better up your way than down here...

Getting a nice collection of bits arent ya.

[Dan]

its the system that was on chris's car. save messing around the ready to bolt on option was the easiest lol.

[trackdaynova]

No probs on the bits Dan :)

[Ernie]

I still have your bumpers here fella. i will try and get them down to you over the xmas break.
Cars looking sweet and i to will be running a white bonnet on the stick next year.(Dew to the old 1 flying up at llandow and twisting after some **** forgot to pin it down lol.)

[dhdev (Oli)]

Not only have i convinced the 'hungry bald one' that big block power is by far superior, I have also convinced him that a white tailgate and bonnet are the future :)

Satin black is the future, gives a more finished look :tard:

I can't express how disappointed I am that the smallblock fraternity has lost one of its key members though :( Just means that the remaining few will have to up our game to keep atop of the bigblock masses.
Will keep an eye on the build for sure though :thumb:

P.S. Spacers FTW lol

[Dan]

cheers oli, it was a hard decision but as said before somewhere, i have been part of the smallblock few for well over ten years and developed the car/engine to work as i wanted in harmony.

As with everything else once a peak has been reached its come to an end. The new 'forced move' engine wise means new challenges and avenues to explore i.e fast standard xe and widetrack etc. It will give me something to get my teeth into again as the last 3 1/2 years or so have been great in the grey one, but sometimes annoying. Anything else done to it wouldnt really make a difference as the package was complete.

At least with my last one and the lessons learnt the new one should still mix it with the big boys even though small power, and handle better than the grey one making it faster again ;)

[Lee]

I can't express how disappointed I am that the smallblock fraternity has lost one of its key members though



I think the best way to sum it up is 'dropping like flies' :thumb: :D lol

iirc its only you left with a high spec 1.6 isnt it? BAHAHAHAHA, its lonely out there aint it!

[dhdev (Oli)]

I think the best way to sum it up is 'dropping like flies' :thumb: :D lol

iirc its only you left with a high spec 1.6 isnt it? BAHAHAHAHA, its lonely out there aint it!

In the words of my late 'brother' tupac, 'It's just me against the world'. :(

[Ash]

back up's on it's way Oli. Nick, Tom B, Me and probably a few others will be hitting the track in fairly high spec 1600 8v's in '08 ;)

[Riggy]

I think the best way to sum it up is 'dropping like flies' :thumb: :D lol

iirc its only you left with a high spec 1.6 isnt it? BAHAHAHAHA, its lonely out there aint it!

ROFPMSL

[Lee]

back up's on it's way Oli. Nick, Tom B, Me and probably a few others will be hitting the track in fairly high spec 1600 8v's in '08 ;)

W00t, more mobile circanes :D

Anyway, banter over, we're hijacking dans thread lol

[philthepill_389]

any more updates on this one dan

[EUROTURBO]

this website is wide arch city at the mo...lol

[t45_ste]

Tell me about it. I can think of 5 straight away!

[Benn]

any more updates on this one dan

Got a fewwling there will be by the end of the weekend...

[Dan]

yep there will be some updates by sunday, at the moment i am just sorting out some of the niggles with the fibreglass and getting it back on a level playing field. doors removed blah blah blah

The engine was stripped into 2 pieces today also, which meant the poor old omega trundled home with a complete 20xe shoved in the boot, along side that was the spare (and better) c20xe bottom end, alongside that sat the new gearbox box with the quaife internals etc, and up front in the foot well was a few extra bits and pieces lol lol lol Fair play to the old girl she didnt even notice it was all loaded into it and drove home sweet as a nut :thumb:

[Lee]

Transits are ghey :(

However my home made door removal tool was great :)

[Stoo]

hows it all looking as it comes to pieces then dan?

[Ernie]

Sorry i didnt pop over and say hello wile at Dar's but had to get back home.
Ive left your bumpers there for you.

[Dan]

wel the project hasnt got off to the best start we could of hoped for due to time restrictions and minor issues but it is going well, we had hoped to get it up for welding by the end of the week but we have had to postpone that due to unforseen circumstances.

Stu its coming apart ok mate, a few niggles with certain area's but nowt abit of blending wont sort and some additions along the way :)

This project has a whole new meaning to me as bodywork is an area i have never really attempted so learning as i go. This is partially the reason i took it on as i like to make an attempt in all areas and this was the part i am most ignorant in. luckily its a track car so i am not going for a mint concourse finish but i will try to get it as good as i can for a first attempt.

In the 2 days i have spent on it alot has been done and hopefully if i go down with a charged phone i will get some update pictures nearer the end of the week. Its one of those times where the preperation takes alot of time and not alot seems to be apparent, but when the major parts start to be sorted it will all just appear in a short space of time.

This will be no major workload car like the grey one was as its not a base model being prepared, the sr/gte shells require alot more work along the way ontop of the extra works this shell has on offer that the majority of people wouldnt encounter :)

[Ste L]

This project has a whole new meaning to me as bodywork is an area i have never really attempted so learning as i go. This is partially the reason i took it on as i like to make an attempt in all areas and this was the part i am most ignorant in. luckily its a track car so i am not going for a mint concourse finish but i will try to get it as good as i can for a first attempt.


i though you had a used to have an orange novadose kitted nova - im guessing you mean, your doing the bodywork yourself on this one, and i guess you didn't on the orange one?

[Dan]

yep i did own the orange one and it was my creation, all be it nigh on ten years ago lol. That was alot easier than what we have now, the paint work was all done by a body shop for me and the kit just bolted on, job done.

I am not paying for the paint work to be done again on this one, but it does mean any works prior to that in the prep is all down to me. As this current car used to run the side skirts etc to suit the kit, alot of prep work has to be done to remove all signs of them. The bumper/rear lights etc were blended so again alot of work is involved in tidying these areas up and making them normal again. The quality of the works when this kit was initially fitted was very good, which for someone paying to have it done is a good thing, although it does require abit more imagination when reducing the scale of the kit lol lol lol

It is alot of work and does confirm the jumping in at the deep end theory, but the shell itself is very good and someone had to save it so it just aswell of been me as i will enjoy and learn alot from doing it :thumb:

[Riggy]

sounds like you have been having fun then dan :thumb:

[Stoo]

get some pics up dan

sounds like your having fun anyway!

[Stoo]

Updates

[Stoo]

Finger---Out!!!

Come on dan, updates!

[Lee]

You want a pick of it sat in my barn? lol

[Stoo]

has it been touched?

[Lee]

I retrieved a grinder thats been sat in it the other day if thats what you mean lol.

It will be done, but Dans mincing about in a Suit at the moment so its not a priority.

[Stoo]

well ill keep eyes peeled then!

[~~joycey~~]

Any progress since i saw it?

[Dan]

Non At all, i have recently handed in my notice at one job and started another. The scale of my new job is just out of this world, but it also means i am in a totally different world compared to what i was used to.

Once we have got rid of the tv crews the first time i should be able to back off alot and have a few good quiet spells to make some serious progress, although i wont hold myself to that to harshly as this year has been a complete topsy turvy one so far. Those nearest and dearest know the score and would agree the way things are and have been would dictate anyone the same :)

[Lee]

Those nearest and dearest know the score and would agree the way things are and have been would dictate anyone the same :)

We know full well you have to allow a good 3 hours a night for your body to expand back to normal size once Ally cuts you out of your shirt every evening if thats what you mean lol

[Mike]

We know full well you have to allow a good 3 hours a night for your body to expand back to normal size once Ally cuts you out of your shirt every evening if thats what you mean lol

Dang, thats a lot of cutting shirts..... 7 x 52 = 36..... a lot lol

[Lee]

SHe has to stich him into it in the morning, as buttons just dont cut it lol

[Stoo]

Come ooooooonn......................................... ....

[Riggy]

yeah

http://www.giftmonger.com/acatalog/corsa-cmon-doll-blue-2.jpg

[Benn]

lol

[Lee]

I dont want him to crack on with it, the shells being quite a handy shed at the moment lol

[Dan]

Ok time for a small update :eek: It has come to pass that whilst its abit quiet in my new job the boss man decided it would be a good shout to get the nova here and work on that for a while instead (paid lol)

Why am i doing this update at almost 4am i hear you ask, well charles is due down at the crack of dawn so we can stitch weld the shell so i am working through the night to prep all the seams for him (so they are nice clean metal) and set the cage up ready for fitting.

During the last week or so thanks to dar bringing the car here i have been diddling away with the body work. I lost alot of the original pictures that showed the task ahead, but basically the arches needed blending into the sills, the rear bumper and rear lights being previously blended meant that i had to repair the rear arches/ blend then into the bodywork and generally try and get it all back pretty again (remember i have never done bodywork in my life lol ) I also found that the front wings had been extended on the front corners which meant they stuck out way past the headlights and looked odd, so they also needed grinding back and remoulding to suit.

The following pictures show where i am at the moment, they are not the final article before paint but they give a general idea of how i am getting on (those that know what the car was like will understand more so).......

The sole surviving pic of one of the rear arches with the damage to it

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/boot2.jpg

rear qtr blended

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0207.jpg

Front arch blended

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0206.jpg

Rear bumper trial fitting along with rear lights after rear arch repair

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0174.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0200.jpg

And theres more

[Dan]

So, with the last batch of pics i continued to fettle......

Heres the trial fit of the front bumper/lights/bonnet (and also when i realised the wings had been extended forwards past the lights)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0172.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0188.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0190.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0202.jpg

And after i had attacked the wings to drag them in line with the lights once again

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0211.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0209.jpg

Obviously there is still loads to do, for starters double check and fine tune all of my blending before i even get onto the main jobs, but atleast it is getting somewhere now and i am fairly pleased with how things are going considering it a different angle for me to take work wise compared to normal when i let someone else do the fiddly bits

[Ernie]

Good work fella and on here till gone 4am.
still waiting on your shopping list of parts to save mate.
I think i can remember most of it fella.

[LEWI007]

Its looking good man :thumb:

[Benn]

Good work dude, looks like it fits really well.

[Dar]

Good stuff Dan, it should all come together nicley now :thumb:

[Ste L]

cool...

cant wait to see some proper progress on this...

[Ash]

Looking good Dan. You don't fancy your old GTE grill back, do you? If all goes to plan I could drop it to Christian this weekend.

[Dan]

ok, now this wont become a habit as obviously working on the car at 'work' will have to be balanced thus making the project slow at times. Although whilst i have had the chance i have crashed in in normal fashion.

Following the last update of me working straight through friday night prepping the seams for charles i finally got finished about 5am (an hour after my last update) so decided to tinker with some other parts as charles was due circa 7am. Sure enough he arrived on time so after a banter and some well deserved coffe we cracked on with the welding and setting the cage up etc. (The welded area's were the usual internal area's, some parts of the engine bay stoo had some of this partially done previously) This carried on for most of the day adjusting and sorting bits along the way aka fitting door bars blah blah blah.

finally I had chance to run around all the welds with a nice thick layer of red oxide primer. I chose this route for a change as with previous efforts as many others can confirm with thier cars the welding can sometimes allow water to pass through the joints on wet day and form a pond in the rear boot well lol. By brushing on the thick oxide primer it enabled me to blob it into the normal suspect area's to minimise this ten fold.

Here's a few pics of what we got up to (i didnt take to many pics as obviously we were busy 90% of the time)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0213.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0215.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0216.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0217.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0218.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0219.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0220.jpg

Finally at this stage i would like to thank Charles (CP) for his help once again:D , the guy is a true legend who has helped with my trackday shell prep over the years and always understands/agree's with the majority of my idea's and thoughts, aswell as having his own experiences to chuck into the hat.

Also as a abit of a twist, i rang Ash after reading his above comment and my old grill has been accepted back off of him, making this my third trackday car build that the same grill has been a part of so a big thanks there also :thumb:

[burgo]

bet your glad youve finally got some progress done dan. and plenty of progress it is at that.

[Dan]

glad isnt the word, considering it has been a year give or take a week since i originally got hold of the car its been a long time coming. The final colour scheme and 'stickered' finish has been determined by my boss already so the last bit of progress may be the longest as that is out of my control

[Benn]

Looking good Dan, are all the seams gonna be welded?
Cage looks good, gonna tag it to the pillars?
Didnt notice till now the filler in the shut..

[Stuart]

how the hell am I gonna fit in that with the narrowed doors lol

[Benn]

how the hell am I gonna fit in that with the narrowed doors lol

Suck it in and do your belt up tighter..lol

[Stoo]

Looking good mate, about fukking time too!!

Did you get sorted what we discussed, i never did recieve a follow up call haha!

Stoo

[Dan]

yes i did mate, all sorted. Your call is still due, was just trying to make sure everything was right for charles etc before he come down aswell as staying awake the for 37hrs lol

will prob ring tomorrow :thumb:

[Stoo]

No worries matey.

Glad to see you cracking on anyway, passenger ride bagsied

[Adam]

Good to see some progress on this :)

[scott.parker]

Nice one Dam,glad to see some work on her, where's the cage from? thought most pre-fabed one's were painted thats all.

Scott

[Lee]

Nice one Dam,glad to see some work on her, where's the cage from? thought most pre-fabed one's were painted thats all.

Scott

Its an OMP, and they come unpainted :D

[scott.parker]

Its an OMP, and they come unpainted :D

Cheers Lee, im guessing then that Rob77 must have painted the one in mine :thumb:

[srs1]

an absolute shame.

you've gone big block.
terrible, terrible terrible!

but

in all fairness, you will make this a proper track car and it will be very interesting to see what results you get from it.

have to let me know when you are out on track with this one, i'll make another journey to have a look.

now stop talking to people on the phone and do some work lol

[dj_wudgey]

looks good!!! good progress any way mate!!

[CP]

lol I'm just waiting to see the look on Dan's boss's face when he comes back in off the track after a quick razz round Castle Combe in this new creation once its finished. He's pretty keen at the moment but I'm not too sure he really knows what he's going to be letting himself in for -the term footdown might come to have a slightly different meaninglol :D

I'm really looking forward to seeing this project finished and on track. Its got some interesting and different ideas and as usual Dan has carefully costed it to give very good performance VFM:thumb:

[Dan]

Right then, i have started prepping ready for paint, no pics of that as its just the norm and i will blow some etch primer over ready for the proper coats, BUT, What i have realised is that having a room inside a room means no extraction for all the dust etc or even ventilation which is a bugger when sanding the car.

So i knocked up a simple device where i took my rad fan, attached it to a tunnel i made out of 2x2 and wrapped said tunnel in black plastic, the result?, a damn good extraction unit. So mnuch so i have had to refix some of the plastic walls as its trying to suck my little room inside out lol lol lol

Here's some pics of said device and the now still stretched but secure plastic walls lol (notice the blue tarp pic, at the top where it is pulling it away from the timber)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0230.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0232.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0227.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0229.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0228.jpg

[Lee]

So mnuch so i have had to refix some of the plastic walls as its trying to suck my little room inside out lol lol lol



I used a few rad fans to cool our generator down, and theyre more evil than you might think! Im surprised you can still breath in there, as id expect it to extract ALL the air and create a vacuum lol

[burgo]

thats awesome

[novaxe235]

awesome

[scott.parker]

lol Ace!

[Ben]

lol more pics of your home made blower than the car.

[~~joycey~~]

Looking good chap, great to see some progress :thumb:

[Dan]

lol more pics of your home made blower than the car.

lol lol this is true, alas me and bodywork is new so what would probaby take someone a few days to do is dragging out abit so no real progress

[Riggy]

pmsl @ your homemade blower that is ace lol , ill check in my parts over weekend for you and give you a bell back lol :thumb:

[Dan]

Time for another small update, after prepping the inside and engine bay i needed to get it covered as i had exposed metal here and there. So i had my first ever attempt with an air gun while i lightly covered the said area's with some etch primer. The old boy that helps out here had a quick squirt with the gun, told me what the different adjustments did then ran away lol lol lol

Needless to say for a first attempt and no clue at all it went on ok as it was effectively just a blinding, only had 2 small area's run where i tried to apply it from awkward angles, which i knew at the time was wrong but tried it anyway. Cant learn without making mistakes imo.

The extraction unit seems to be working well (all be it i may need a new fan by time i have finished)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0235.jpg

Engine bay came out the best which is odd as i thought it would be the hardest bit

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0236.jpg

And the inside came out ok, one b pillar had a couple of runs etc, but no biggie as it is only a dusting before the high build primer goes on.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0237.jpg

Now thats put to bed i will get 90% of the outside ready and etch prime that before maybe risking the ugly job of priming it properly :wtf: As said i hate to think what the outcome is going to be but sure is some crack trying to find out and seeing if i have the patience for it lol lol lol

[scott.parker]

**** me i didn't think that there would be that much paint on the fan just after spraying that amount! frightening eh..

Looks good mate, I'm going to be spraying my mates engine bay in his 1.6 8v turbo, Ive not done it before on a car,but reckon it cant be much harder then spraying anything els. lol

Scott

[Dan]

Agree on the fan. i was shocked to, good job i paid out for a proper mask before i started also :eek:, couldnt comment on spraying, only things i have sprayed in the past is random wild flowers when i have stopped at the side of the road for a pish

[adam c]

looks like your cracking on!what are you doing about the wide track kit?as iirc the last time i spoke to you(when i came to pick the engine up)you were going to try find a car from the vauxhall range that you could use the parts from?

[Ash]

For the front surely corsa stuff bolts on? 20mm wider, if what I've heard is true....

Or are you just using dirty wide wheels instead?

Sorry that grill hasn't been delivered yet, Chris was out when I was passing and I couldn't really hang about. I was on a tight time schedule. Will try and do it soon tho. :thumb:

[Dan]

ash, no probs mate, when you can

As regards the wide track/dirty wide wheels i'm still not fully fully sure, i shall continue with the tedious stuff and just mull it over/ do abit more research as each option i have in mind may have hidden draw backs.

[Adam]

Looking good

[Benn]

Looking good dude. Corsa stuff itsnt that much wider tho, the shafts are only a bit to long.

[Dan]

Ok small update time with my new toys, did some more research and plumped for my favoured option regards 15" wheels, here are a few pics of what i have. They have plenty of clearance inside against the coilover and more than enough room by the outer edge of the arch :D

First pic has a 195/60/15 tyre sat against it as an example :thumb:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0239.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0242.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0243.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0244.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0246.jpg

[burgo]

OMG!!! i should purhaps warn you i will kill for a set of those lol altho i would prefer 16's

[Jim]

Good wheels choice. What's the offset out of interest?

[John]

And the width?

[Stuart]

Good wheels choice. What's the offset out of interest?

ET 49 ;)

[Dan]

The offset was what took the most working out, the wheel sizes are 8x15 and will run 225/45/15 trackday tyres for starters and at a later date run 220/585/15 inters once the car setup is finished (may even have a second set for that) :thumb:

Burgo you can try, i'll just pull those long locks of hair and make you scream like a girl lol lol lol lol

[burgo]

The offset was what took the most working out, the wheel sizes are 8x15 and will run 225/45/15 trackday tyres for starters and at a later date run 220/585/15 inters once the car setup is finished (may even have a second set for that) :thumb:

Burgo you can try, i'll just pull those long locks of hair and make you scream like a girl lol lol lol lolpromises promises ;)

[Stuart]

Ahhhh I see your usual tool in the shots :D

Tons of space there chap, top job. How does the steering arm line up? as you may need RJ's instead of normal joints

[Dan]

Its all the same setup as my old one regards everything else :D That was the whole plan, and as per normal my usual method of keeping things simple with maximum effect

[Stuart]

Its all the same setup as my old one regards everything else :D That was the whole plan, and as per normal my usual method of keeping things simple with maximum effect


you mean dumb luck :p :D

[Ash]

Good choice! Fooking lovely wheels - want a set for both the daily and the nova, but they don't seem to make a 7" wide one anymore.

You fancy selling me this car when it's done too? lol

[Dan]

I'll be honest i did have abit of a wobble with choice after i had ordered them lol , but now they are here i'm as happy as a dog with 2 dicks. I did see i similar set go recently with a 49mm offset that were new and were 6.5x15 i think which obviously are the ultimate size for standard arches, and they seem to be as rare as rocking horse poo.

As for buying this one lol lol i know i said it before but this one i will truly get the full life out of it (well thats the plan at this stage lol )

[MC]

you mean dumb luck :p :D

+1 Rep lol

[Lee]

As said on the phone, proper porn they are mate :)

Just hope you can pick another set up for just as a reasonable price!

[Dan]

you mean dumb luck :p :D


+1 Rep lol

either way i have plenty of it :p lol lol

[kevw]

It's looking good mate, have you soted out the compressor stuff?

[Stuart]

Any ETA? I want to thrape it in my own lash up style and let Lee get over excited that he passed "the car" but not the driver lol

[Benn]

Oooooooooooooooooooo love the wheels dude!

[scott.parker]

Aha! nice one Dan,very good idea,simplistic way to widen the track ;)

And they look very sexy too!..:thumb:

Scott

[MC]

They are very sexy wheels indeed. Good choice.

[Will F]

Let me know when you are about dude - will be good to catch up/go for a pint..

;)

[novaxe235]

Any ETA? I want to thrape it in my own lash up style and let Lee get over excited that he passed "the car" but not the driver lol cut the text typing out stuart

[Stoo]

cut the text typing out stuart

Explain!?!?:roll:

[Benn]

Explain!?!?:roll:
Guess he means the eta bit..lol

[Lee]

cut the text typing out stuart

3 things.

1. Bad idea trying to catch Stuart out. He will now be watching every one of your posts like a man posessed!

2. ETA is an abbreviation, not text type, so you were wrong to pick him up on it anyway.

And

3. This is a project thread, and we would rather you didnt spam it :)

Thanks.

[Dan]

Well my original plans were to have the paint done over the xmas period, but alas with such cold weather there were a few jobs here at work that needed to be done whilst such frozen ground posed an advantage, so thought i better do these said jobs as i have been doing the car during works time etc etc.

Nether the less i managed to find a couple of days to get the first primer coat on and rubbed down followed by a second final coat. Only a few pics but to say i am pleased is an understatement. Tried to read up on setting the gun right and understood none of it lol so just grabbed the gun and made sure paint flew out of it. The end result was no runs and a good equal smoothish cover which for the high build primer i was chuffed at.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0261.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0262.jpg

The quality of the pics is kind of crap due to the poor indoor lighting and being on my phone but you get the idea. Thats the easy bit done, now i have to do the scary bit in the next few weeks and put the top coat on :wtf: lol

I know i said i am chuffed with it so far, but i still feel the finished result will be truly shocking............perfect for a track slag :thumb:

[corsakid]

looking good that! what paint you using for the top coat 2 pack?

[Jay]

Looking good Dan, i have the same wheels in 7J, unfortunaltey they don't fit under my rear arches :(...

[Dan]

yep i am spraying with 2 pack, its all abit of a no mans land as far as i am concerned as i have never done it and have noone to show me but thats the fun of it.

As regards the wheels thats why they are still kind of rare on the nova's due to very limited supplies for the correct offset/size unless you fanny about with them. I was lucky with my set as i have gone abit off the cuff with offset and size due to the wide arches, but in this size they are still hard to come by with the correct fit requirements

[scott.parker]

I reckon you done a good job there mate, all looks good to me, and fair play to having a blind go at it, i would love to be able to have the chance to do the same on mine, but i have no where to spray!

Scott

[Ernie]

looking good Dan.

[Dar]

Top job Dan!

[Welsh Dan]

Proper job!

[Ernie]

what has the world come to.Dan has gone big block/big wide shell whatever next.

[srs1]

what has the world come to.Dan has gone big block/big wide shell whatever next.

dans new years resolution is to go on a diet!


looks a pretty good job from where i am sat dan.
attacking it with no experience and coming up with those results, you have to be pretty pleased with yourself.

[Plug]

keep up the good work looks good

[Mike]

Fair play Dan, as said, attacking it and buy the sounds of it getting it right first time!!

[scott.parker]

Fair play Dan, as said, attacking it and buy the sounds of it getting it right first time!!

Slight off topic: Just got off the phone to Mike (1600 8vT) He sprayed his bay up over the Christmas week, he said it was very much easier then he expected, and it's come out quite nice! : back on topic now sorry:


Scott

[calibra-keith]

looking good, il be keeping an eye on this :thumb:

[Adam]

Looks a nice job :)

[Benn]

Looks good dude, why did you put a coat on then flat it off? You know you need to rub the finish coat down yeah?

Love the arches on it. No rear brace or cage?

[Dan]

Cheers for all the comments guys, its nice to know a few of you are following this so when it does finally get seen in public noone will be expecting anything other than what it is :thumb:

Benn as explained i have no idea what i am doing lol lol well i have a small clue and just muddling my way through with google to hand

The cage is out of the way for now, i have decided to paint/bolt it in seperately as i dont have the confidence to try and spray around it, and its neither here nor there effort wise.

[scott.parker]

Yeah, see Ive been thinking about this, now my cage is in i would just say fcuk it and go for it, try spray round the cage, just not bother if theres they odd iffy bit here and there, as who cares it's inside, i cant see me looking at much! **** once your strapped in the seat i cant look over my shoulder to reverse! lol

[Ernie]

i couldnt even fit into your buckets mate lol

[scott.parker]

Hey I've not sat in for a while, who's to say i can! :roll: :eek:

[Benn]

Benn as explained i have no idea what i am doing lol lol well i have a small clue and just muddling my way through with google to hand

The cage is out of the way for now, i have decided to paint/bolt it in seperately as i dont have the confidence to try and spray around it, and its neither here nor there effort wise.

Ah lol, 2/3 coats then wet flat it with 800 till smooth ;)

[greg1.4]

looks amazing!

cant wait to see this go! will be interesting to see how well it handles ect, sure you will have plenty trick bits..

[Riggy]

looking good dan boy , p.s what was the outcome of the phone call other day ?

[Jim]

p.s what was the outcome of the phone call other day ?Unfortunatley, it's bad news, the doctors can't remove the idea of going big block :(

[Dan]

And so it begins, i have painted the engine but to give you an idea, picture a wild ape swinging a paint gun around whilst having a fit :thumb: lol lol lol lol

AND just to annoy those few of you who want to know the colour a little bit more you will have to wait. As in true awkward style i cant get a picture to truly represent it, with false light its way off the mark and to light and without any daylight/false light it looks far to black, but i can promise you in the flesh its awesome :D

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0270.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/widearch/Photo0273.jpg

[Mike]

That sir, looks the bolloxs:D

[Ste L]

look's brown in the top pic lol


nice work, coming along well :thumb:

[Stoo]

looks a nice clean shell that dan ;)

[Dan]

cheers guys, the best way to describe the colour is a muddy moody dark grey, but it is truly nothing like the pics above when stood staring at it. The colour is also based on the final design the car shall have as i am being sponsored by the bossman, so colour is just a small part of the final result

[Lee]

I can see a few runs lol

Good work Baldy, now to the scary bit then :)

[trackdaynova]

Looking good Dan! :)

Coming together nicely

[Southie]

Nice a shinnnnnneeeeey Dan. Slow and steady wins the race but definatley going to be worth it by the sounds of things.

Good job and look forward to the progress, as and when you get time.

[scott.parker]

COOL! looks good from my seat lol

Also i just nouiced have you not put GTE/Si strut top plates on?

Scott


EDIT:
VVV
Just notied that e lol

[Lee]

COOL! looks good from my seat lol

Also i just nouiced have you not put GTE/Si strut top plates one?

Scott

Thats because they are a complete waste of time and money, unless you are planning on getting lots of air on a tarmac rally stage!

Same as the plating kit IMO. Unless you are running Ubertorque, or leaving the ground a lot, it just adds weight to the wrong end of the car, but people still fit them because the shops tell you you have to, just like people seem to be fitting rosejoints because people have made them believe your car will be useless without them :roll:

[Jim]

Good stuff Dan. Looks like your getting into the swing* of things with painting (No gorilla pun intended)* ;)

[wizzy]

looking good mate

[craig green]

Aye. It's looking good.

Liking what I see.

[Adam]

Looking good indeed.

[Will F]

Good progress matey - what colour did you go for in the end?

[Riggy]

nice matey :thumb:

[Dan]

The colour is a random one :tard: thats all i can say lol lol lol

It still looks good now, but i dare say when its properly dry and i have a close look at it i will find and elephant or crow or something hanging out of it where i didnt have it clean enough before paint lol

[MC]

Audi grey?

[Dan]

lets put it this way, its a basic gloss colour (non metallic) ;)

[Stuart]

looks like chocolate in the top pic :D mmmmmmm


I know the colour, I can be purchased for a burger

[Benn]

Looks like a good job dude, getting good with the gun.

Does look brown tho..lol

[Will F]

so its not the colour I 'recommended'?lol

I too thought it was brown!

[bowman]

nice work mate! i reckon vaux brazil brown!

[BRoadGhost]

Those rims are going to produce hella grip ~ did you seam weld the entire shell or just the bay? I like the poop brown :)

[Ash]

Nice paint dan. I recon it's either a honda or renault colour. I thought you had to go silver tho? Boss/sponsership type thing?

[dhdev (Oli)]

Sweet, I hope its as brown in the flesh as it looks in the pics :cool:

[Dan]

When i have done the bonnet and carry it outside we will truly know the colour lol lol lol

As said put next to the graphics it looks awesome so the colour isnt really an issue anyway as i havent paid for any of it, and it has led me to possibly having to trailor it at times and in the bosses words "use it properly not just trackdays"

The last bit wont suddenly happen but he is looking for a trailor at the moment and sussing out sprint events etc lol

I appear to have got a nice orange peel effect which i should be able to combat, if not then sod it, live and learn etc but the good news is runs are not an issue lol

[Rexy]

Lmfbo, good job dan.... a dry finish can always be flatted to perfection... snotters can never really be gotten rid of

Farking brown, i could of given you some UPS brown which we have at work in big 5lt drums lol...

[Stuart]

hmmm UPS Brown.... now that would look funky on a vx with some matt compound added :D

[Martin]

Nice Rims,nice paint.. Buuut why isnt this finished yet haha


keep up th good work

[Stuart]

tbh this is a shockingly slow build for Dan... infact if you scaled it based on his other builds, then this has actually taken longer than Ians lmao