My Diamond.

[Welsh Dan]

Well, I thought a project log would be a good way to keep track of things, so here it is.

This is the car shortly after I became the owner, the previous owner was my mother :). This is september 2006:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/001start.jpg
It had just been shod in Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber in that pic, as the tyres mum had on it were terrible, next on the list of things to sort out was night time visibility, cue a set of spots:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/002lights.jpg
however the mounts that came with these quickly became prone to drooping, adding some grippy rubber didnt help either:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/003mount.jpg
So, with that in mind, I made my own, at the time I made these I was planning on adding another pair of spots, or a pair of fogs, hence them being larger than needed:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/004newmount.jpg
All lit up:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/005lightson.jpg

Quickly my attention shifted over to braking, so I aquired a set of Cavalier TD calipers, new Ferodo 3466 pads (predecessor to the DS2000/2500 I think), and a pair of ATE 256x20mm discs:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/006brakes.jpg

The calipers had to be shaved down to fit under the wheels though.

Moving on, I bought some GTE dials and retrimmed GSI seats:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/007seats.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/008dialss.jpg
In order to get the oil pressure indicator working I had to source and fit a 2 pin sender:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/009oilsender.jpg

[Welsh Dan]

The engine, having done near 130k was getting a bit smoky, and liked to consume oil lol, an identical 1.2 unit came up locally for a tenner, and had done around 30k, but had been in storage for around 5 years:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/010engine.jpg

I ran into a problem after I got it home, it had previously had an oil cooler fitted:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/011adapter.jpg

I removed the adapter and was left with a nice hole that I couldn't fit an oil filter to:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/012removed.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/013hole.jpg
A trip to the scrapyard armed with some pipe grips yielded the missing threaded tube, and the engine swap could commence:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/014fitting.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/015fitted.jpg
Thanks to Big Gra for his help.

In around 15 months I managed to scrub most of the tread down on my front tyres, and discovered what happens when you fit a 4.5J wheel instead of a 5J one over TD brakes and try to drive away from the tyre fitters lol:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/020wheel.jpg

[Welsh Dan]

I recently aquired a mk1 wraparound spoiler:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/018spoiler.jpg
and some GTE/SR bumpers:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/019bumpers.jpg

The spoiler cleaned up nicely, and the bumpers are in the middle of being re-painted satin black, no pics yet.

I'm also in the middle of making myself a rose jointed gear linkage:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/021linkage.jpg

The most recent addition to the car has been a heated front windscreen, and its fantastic. The heating elements are contained within the glass so you can't damage them, and they're hard to notice/easy to ignore unless you go looking for them:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/016screen.jpg

Here is a very poor vid of it in action lol:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/017screen.wmv

[Adam]

Nice.
What colour the gte bumpers going?

That heated screen is proper cool. Miles better than waiting for the blowers to clear the screen, or having to pull over and clear it by hand lol

[andy_srt40]

pulling over on a cold poorly lit road to clear your screen is half the fun!!

well that's what i tell my self :(

[belly257]

cool where did the heated screen come from what car?

[Adam]

No car/\
He organised a group buy from a company that makes them.

[Welsh Dan]

Adam, the GTE bumpers are going satin black, its hard to take pictures of but here's a pic I took earlier as the first coat was drying:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/022bumper.jpg

The paint finish isnt perfect, as the bumper has a few scratches and the like on it anyway, so I'm basically going for coverage without runs lol. It looks good so far though :).

[Adam]

Good choice.

[Riggy]

i agree with the screens i miss mine so much by not driving the nova lol

i want one for the astra next lol

[Iain]

Bumpers will improve it loads, maybe get a GTE grille too?

[Welsh Dan]

An SR grille should be in the post on its way to me, that'll be painted satin black too.

[vaughanmc]

Should look good with the new bumpers on it mate :)

[Paul]

yeh look much better with the bumpers fitted IMO mate

[CoolTiger]

looking good :) might actully see this one inperson as u only live the other side of wrexham :)

[Jack]

Good work that man.

Satin black bumpers ftw ;) :thumb:

[Welsh Dan]

Thanks guys, I'm really missing it at the moment lol, the garage said it'll be done "by the end of the week", I can't wait.

Mum's corsa is pants to drive by comparison.

[Welsh Dan]

Good news! I should be picking the car up after work :D

[Adam]

Had a bit of bother with MOT then???
Typical nova lol

[Welsh Dan]

Yeah, the bits of the back end that werent welded 2 years ago were welded this time, and the handbrake was sticking. I'll get some pics when I inspect it later :).

[Andy_L]

Nice history Dan, how hard has it been to make the rose jointed linkage??

[Welsh Dan]

Thanks Andy, it was fairly easy to make, but I met a few problems along the way, and am yet to finish it. Once finished I'll put up the info on what I'll have done differently to Dar's guide.

[Iain]

Hurry up and fit your new bumpers.

[Welsh Dan]

Hurry up and fit your new bumpers.

Chill Winston, the front one needs another 2 coats or so of colour, then laquering. The back one needs painting from scratch. Its probably going to be 2-3 weeks until they're fitted.

[lee coley]

you need some texture spray on them bumpers.

[Welsh Dan]

I've never heard of that, can you show me what the results of it look like please?

[lee coley]

cant realy see it on a picture.just gives the textured effect to bumpers etc

[Welsh Dan]

OK, thanks for the suggestion, but the texture still shows through the paint :)

At some point the car will be receiving a bare shell rebuild, and the bumpers will be sandblasted and fillered, so I'll bear that in mind for then :).

[Welsh Dan]

I brought the front bumper outside today so I can see the paintwork properly:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/023bumper.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/024bumper.jpg
Its not brilliant, but its not bad. There are a few patches that dont have 100% coverage so I'm hoping to sort those out this afternoon.

[Martin]

nice work dan

[Andy_L]

Looks bloody good to me matey.

Going back to the rose jointed business, how long do you expect it to last or is it easy to lubricate?

[Ash]

Satin black FTW :thumb: looks good

[Welsh Dan]

Thanks guys :).

Andy, I expect it to last longer than the original one, and if it doesnt, the rose joints will be easy to replace.

The coat of paint on that bumper that is currently drying is hopefully the last one. I should be able to get a coat of laquer on it later :D.

[Adam]

Nice work, tidy job for spray cans :)

[Ash]

Laquer...? :wtf:

What is the paint code of your car btw? Think its the same as mine, but mine's been sprayed that colour so the VIN plate doesn't tie up.

[lee coley]

why laquer matt black?leave them matt.

[Welsh Dan]

The laquer is to stop the paint chipping off. The paint code ties up to "storm grey", but I can't remember the numerical value, I'll check if I rememember tomorrow.

[Welsh Dan]

This arrived yesterday:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/025grille.jpg
I need to remove the slats, paint it to match the bumper then reassemble it and repair these:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/026cracked.jpg

With limited tools, would epoxy resin be the best way to repair the cracking and strengthen those points?

[L33 LEG]

bumper looks good. i sprayed mine satin black in september and didnt use laquer. iv driven it everyday since and jetwashed it 5 times a week and the paint hasnt come off one bit, you shouldnt need it.

[J4MES]

Looking good, whats the plans for the spots when you fit the gte bumper??

[Welsh Dan]

Those spots will be removed, I'll be using a bracket similar to what boffer and R!CH use, and some big round spots.

[J4MES]

Cool sounds like a good plan!!;)

[NOV4_SPORT]

looking good mate, cant wait to see the bumpers on.

iain

[Leeboo]

This makes me want a MK1! lol

I personally love the look of the standard MK1 front with the front panel and bottom of wings showing, but your plans should improve it.

:thumb:

[CoolTiger]

looks really nice in the metal :)

[Welsh Dan]

looks really nice in the metal :)

Thanks fella, I've got a pair of centre caps in the car that I forgot to give you lol.

The bumper is now ready to be fitted, the spots have been taken off the car:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/028removed.jpg
(its since had a wash lol).
I need to seal up those holes I drilled to mount the lights, that'll probably get done tomorrow afternoon.

The grille has had its first colour coat:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/027grille.jpg

so, hopefully, the bumper and grille will be fitted+declared by tuesday afternoon :).

[Dave.]

looks alot batter with the spots off.. and also love the seats :thumb:

[CoolTiger]

lol i didnt even think :) would of give u a hand if u wanted today been doing nout lol

[freeman88]

looking good

[Welsh Dan]

Tried fitting the bumper today, it turns out that the bumper bar in my pov spec bumper wont fit the SR/GTE item, so having seen Mike fit LHAura's GSI bumper with pins, I think I'll do the same.


I have an idea.
Fit the bumper bar to the bumper, then through the two holes where the bolt/stud goes into the carrier bars, mark them out on the backside of the bumper.
Drill a hole where the marks are, and it should then in theory have two holes which line up perfectly with the two carrier bar holes.....?

I was thinking along the same lines :).

Question then though, is bolts, pins, or pins with ickle padlocks on?

[CoolTiger]

you can have the bumper bar off mine if it will fit :)

[Welsh Dan]

you can have the bumper bar off mine if it will fit :)

Thanks matey, does it clip on or screw on?

[CoolTiger]

the bumper clips onto the bar :)

[Welsh Dan]

:(, I need the type that screws onto the bumper.

Thanks for the offer though :).

[CoolTiger]

ill ask me dad if he can take me to the scappy saturday im sure they had a blue mk1 their with the deep bumper ill have alook for ya

[Welsh Dan]

Thanks - which scrapyard? I'm off tomorrow, fancy a trip?

[Welsh Dan]

No bumper irons at the scrapyard, but I bought these from tweeks instead :)
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/029pins.jpg

Hopefully it'll all be fitted later today.

[Adam]

http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showpost.php?p=757370&postcount=129

[Welsh Dan]

Pretty much what Cooltiger and I did tonight :). As soon as I've got more time and its a bit warmer, the bumper bar will be going back on though. Right now we've used bolts instead of the pins because its fapping freezing lol.

http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/030bumperontemp.jpg

The bumper bar needs refitting, the bolts need replacing with the pins, and the bottom mounts need bolting up, as I've used cable ties for now - the bolts I had were too long and its too cold to be sawing them.

Sunday should see the above done :).

[Adam]

Nice. Much better than std bumpers. :)

[CoolTiger]

looks good :) ill give ya a hand sunday aswell if ya want it will prob be warmer lol

[Welsh Dan]

I'm struggling to get a good daylight pic atm, so here's one from my phone:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/031phonepic.jpg

Currently I need to tidy the garage, then crack on with painting up the rear bumper. I'm still undecided about painting the wraparound spoiler.

[CoolTiger]

looks really good :) 100% better :)

[Adam]

Much better.
Maybe some clear front indicators?

[Welsh Dan]

Orange is in keeping with it being old school. :)

[GRANT !!!]

nice to see another nova in wrexham!!! where you from not seen it about???:cool:

[Welsh Dan]

I'm from Garden Village mate.

[Welsh Dan]

A pair of nylon bits arrived from LMF today :)
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/032nylonlinkagebushes.jpg

[Martin]

looks good mate, defo do the spolier..

i cant remember if u have a boot handle or not? maybe do that? i have a matt black on here? Fiver gets it posted to u?

[Welsh Dan]

Thanks Martin, PM me your paypal addy please :).

[Welsh Dan]

Apologies again for the poor quality pics, but its going dark and I can't find the bit for my tripod that clips into the tripod and screws into the camera.

The reinforcement bar is back in place, and the bumper pins are in:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/033sideon.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/034pins.jpg

I need to undo the bolts in the chassis legs and bumper irons a bit, move the bumper upward and towards the offside a bit then tighten everything back up, but I'll have to rope a mate in for that as I can't get it in position properly on my own.

I might treat it to a new numberplate once thats done :).

[Leeboo]

Looks retro with the orange indicators and SR kit, nice one!

[CoolTiger]

looks really good dan ill give ya a hand to position it :)

[Welsh Dan]

After my last post, I rooted out dads baby tripod and had a little play :):
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/035dark.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/036dark.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/037dark.jpg

Sundays plans are to straighten up the bumper, clean inside the arches, clean the sills, paint the arches and sills with hammerite "direct to rust" again, but this time with a brush as the spray applies it too thinly for the wear and tear its getting, possibly get a new front numberplate. The back bumper might also get its primer coats done :).

[Welsh Dan]

Long time no nova work lol.

Tonight I decided to start tidying up the sills, before:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/038tatty.jpg
and a bit of the bumper that I missed:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/039tattybumper.jpg

...and with coat number one still wet:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/041coat1.jpg
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/042coat1.jpg

If that dries with a reasonable finish I aim to have several coats on both sides by the end of sunday, weather dependant.

I need to figure out the best way to tackle this:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/040flaky.jpg

I've been over the whole bumper with the jetwash and thats the only bit thats flaking.

I've also fitted the plastic gear linkage bushes, and a new carb, no pics.

[CoolTiger]

looks good :) shame about the bumper flaking

[Adam]

Ever likely its flaking if you jet washed it :eek:
I wouldn't even jet wash a nova, never mind a spray painted bumper lol ;)

[Welsh Dan]

Last nights 'slap it on and see if it looks any better at a glance' experiment was a sucess lol:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/043dried.jpg

I'll crack on with applying some more coats and doing the other side as soon as the weather lets me. I'm aiming to have the rear gte bumper+spoiler painted to match the front and fitted, the sill painting done, and a full set of mudflaps fitted in time for PV. It'll always be an abused daily drive, but it should look a little more presentable :).

[Welsh Dan]

Few things done recently:
I tidied up the paint on the other sill (no pics), and sampled the bumper where the paint was flaking off:
before:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/044before.jpg
after:
http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/novaload/projectlog/045after.jpg
And with a big issue, covered here (http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97829), fitted poly tca and tie bar bushes, its like driving a different car now.

[b18svx]

http://by142w.bay142.mail.live.com/mail/SafeRedirect.aspx?hm__tg=http://65.55.153.121/att/GetAttachment.aspx&hm__qs=file%3d86126ae2-6645-4fe3-98d9-8287ea7b0550.jpg%26ct%3daW1hZ2UvanBlZw_3d_3d%26nam e%3dMzAwNjIwMDgzMjEuanBn%26inline%3d1%26rfc%3d0%26 empty%3dFalse%26imgsrc%3dcid%253aX.MA1.1215725931% 2540aol.com&oneredir=1&ip=10.1.106.117&d=d2840&mf=0