Swiss Trackday Nova

Furthermore i had to add a small extra arm to convert the side movement of the shifter to a longitudinal movement
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psnhatdyfh.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psv8l9wjt7.jpg

Here's a video to show how it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp5ZZYinRlQ

Another thing i've added was a new seperation between the passengers compartment and the new so called engine bay :)

For that i've built a simple frame
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...ps09etmjy6.jpg

and bolted some aluminium sheet to it
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...pswpt84uop.jpg

In the future this will be accompanied by a piece of acrylic glass to allow visibility to the rear
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psbtfig77o.jpg

Thanks to the frame for the seperation i was also able to make the accelerator pedal work

The cable runs along the frame
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psw189ij2m.jpg

trough the aluminium sheeting
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psomdr1qpj.jpg

to the front where its connected to the original cable which, obviously, is connected to the loud pedal
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psgukldv2a.jpg

Even more cooling related stuff had to done in the form of tubing therefore it was necessary to fabricate two holder
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psahhegycl.jpg

they are now welded to the chassis and hold the tubes in place which run along where the exhaust used to be
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...pshuqofijw.jpg

Which made it possible to fit additinal tubing and connect the whole cooling system
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...ps4cicx4ob.jpg

Also made a new lower brace with mounting points to hold the tubing in place.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...pss9ctra9c.jpg

complete cooling system at the back
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psuilali7a.jpg

Some other smaller things that have been done but are worthy to note

i've cut apart some old drive shafts to make some axle stubs for the front suspension
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psbtqznlqo.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psgcdbp1ac.jpg

To facilitate slowing down at high speeds i've started to make the new brake piping
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psyyd3blka.jpg

and aslo prepared the piping for the clutch
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psk61vdykl.jpg


yeah that's about it for now. More will come as soon as i remember to update this thread lol

This is getting better & better - consideration for the arms & frames etc now is certainly good enough.

Is it possible to use a bead roller on the ends of the tubes for the coolant?

WOW WOW WOW. love this, it's a hell of a build.

Skills I could only dream of, looking brilliant:)

Cooling system looks great. Very neat way of doing it.

As i am also a victim of photobucket new business model there are a lot of missing pictures in here. However, i've been busy setting up a website for my car and transfer the whole thread i originaly wrote in a german forum. As it is a lot easier to translate the posts directly within the website i started to translate the whole website to make it suitable for those who aren't fluent in german ;)

I don't want to abandon this thread and i think i will update it from time to time with a summary of what happend so far. To get a full review of every detail that has been done i would suggest to visit the webpage. I'm in the process to translate as much as possible so please be patient until everythings done. ...nearly 400 posts, should be done in a jiffy :wtf:lol

and where's the site?

Here it is: http://www.extreme-garage.ch
There's a language button to the right to switch to the preffered one.

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/homeofstn.jpg


have a look, feel free to leave a feedback or just to ignore it lol

Yeah, photobucket is a royal pain in the lower backside. Good to see you've created your own solution and thumbs up for making it bilingual. :thumb:

So here we go, an overview of what happend over the last few months.

the rear strutbrace has been extended with two tubes in order to further strenghten the rear part of the car.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psmjsjjwah.jpg

to complete this I've welded it to the chassis
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psaq4q8sze.jpg

bought some push-pull cables to get the shifter to actually shift gears :)
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...ps9m5ltlsc.jpg

In order to fit the cables to either end of the car the shifter assembly...
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psolq3pg29.jpg

...aswell as the gerbox had additional mounting points added.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpic...psv7f2p2im.jpg

Video proof of it working.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0E7DJqFH10

Also converted the 5 stud rear wheel hubs to suit the opel setup.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7150s.jpg

drilled a 4x100 pattern and welded suitable threaded sleeves to the back of the hubs.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7164s.jpg

now there is just one type of wheel needed to suit the front and rear axle.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7173s.jpg

Bought a new fuel pump: TI Automotive (former Walbro) GSL392
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7204s.jpg

nearly completed fuel system with subaru fuel filter and catchtank.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7207s.jpg

To get air to the intercooler I've created an air collector with fiberglass to cover it with.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7219s.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7222s.jpg

painted black to match the rest of the car.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7229s.jpg

New airbox fitted
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7290s.jpg

and finished the new exterior design with new side skirt styling.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7231s.jpg

and even wider arches than before :d:cool:
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_7234s.jpg

for further information about every detail visit: http://www.extreme-garage.ch

Very impressive build, don't know how I managed to miss this!

Could you tell me where you got your gear change cables from please? I'll be needing some for my Nova soon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by novarally

Could you tell me where you got your gear change cables from please? I'll be needing some for my Nova soon.

---

Are you sure you want them to buy from switzerland? lol they were quite expensive ~£460. Otherwise i can give you their contact details.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by novarally

Very impressive build, don't know how I managed to miss this!

Could you tell me where you got your gear change cables from please? I'll be needing some for my Nova soon.

---

Tuthill cables or cable craft as they trade under for small jobs, based on the south coast of the uk will make whatever you want to order.. really damn fine value too, but don't let on you think they are cheap as my set I had for the vx200 were about £120 and then when they went with it for a proper product they hit £3-400 lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuart

Tuthill cables or cable craft as they trade under for small jobs, based on the south coast of the uk will make whatever you want to order.. really damn fine value too, but don't let on you think they are cheap as my set I had for the vx200 were about £120 and then when they went with it for a proper product they hit £3-400 lol

---

Thanks Stuart, I will give them a try.

Whoa! Check that body out! :D

Little Teaser :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9XuGYe-A4g

More coming soon...

I like how the skirt design is a nod to the original nova ones.

2 years, 2 months and nearly 2 week since i put the angle grinder to use and cut out the boot floor. Left over, a lot of memories which i would hate to miss altough some of them led me on a wrong path but ultimately showed me the way forward. The nova with its subaru mid engine can surely be considered as a unique build which has been unprecedented to this day. Just thinking of that lets grow a grin on my face, especially the thought that someone could be that "bonkers" to build something like that, altough the person in question is me. lol

Here the first of august is considered as a national holiday, unfortunately because of the heat, this year its forbidden to use fireworks to celebrate it. In order to subsitute for asscociated noise of that day i presented it in other form to my neighbors. I doubt there where any flames coming from the exhaust, so at least i conformed to the ban of any fires for barbeques :)

Therefore, here's a not very exciting video of the rollout of my frankenstein contraption, which proofs that the monster lives and moves under its own power. Muahahahahahaha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDlcGDoWHY


Of course, pictures are mandatory aswell:

Fresh out of the shed
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9673s.jpg

Surreal width: 181cm
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9686s.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9702s.jpg

Nice Underbody, no oil pan sticking out, perfect for a flat floor
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9697s.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9704s.jpg

The rear wheels nicely positioned. New brake rotors and pads aswell.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9696s.jpg

Badass :cool:
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9695s.jpg

See you next time :)

Love it, looks and sounds fabulous.

Very impressive, it just looks awesome and unique, a real achievement. Have you taken it out on the open road yet?

thank you very much.

No, not yet. I hope to attend a trackday later this year to get the first impression of its handling characteristics aswell as a base for future improvements regarding enigine mapping and suspension setup.

Really enjoyed reading your build, cant wait to see it stretching its legs.

One question - are you sure your air intake is going to work ok at high speeds? It follows the contours of your arch which makes me thing it might want to suck out more than flow in, could be wrong though

That's actually a good question and to be honest i'm not quite sure either. I will let the intake temperatures decide whether the cooling is sufficient or the intercooler needs to be fed additional air from somewhere else. But i already got a backup plan if it should be the case, i indentified a solution where an additional intake can be made. Let's see how things turn out :)

Small preview of whats coming :d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNIgZ1anOUM

more to come as soon as possible...

There was a bit of a knot in my stomach prior to the first drive on the track, dozens of questions in my head, have i forgotten something? Did i really recheck all the bolts? Do i have to expect catastophic understeer?

Luckely the first preparations on site distracted me somewhat and my doubts quickly vanished as i started to press the gaspedal more and more towards the floor and no parts flew across the track :d

To my suprise the handling was very comfortable and there was no understeer detectable despite the light front axle. But i must admit i was very cautious when driving around a bend or thight corner to prevent to experience something unforseen.

After just two runs the first areas for improvement made themself aparent which makes driving in the future less stressful. Things i defenetly have to adress are:

- Cooling in the engine bay, heatsoaking and rising engine temperature after stopping.
- Brakes, astra 16v brakes are not suitable for the power available :d
- Gearshift somewhat vague and unprecise
- Tankenlüftung, austreten von Kraftstoff in engen Kurven.
- Gas tank ventialtion, leaking petrol in corners

Engine mapping proved it self as quite challenging as it is difficult to simulate all driving conditions without being in everybodys way. Despite that i was able to find a lot of areas where the mapping could be improved and make it more refined. Luckely my roughly handmade mapping made prior to the trackday wasn't much off and the full throttle part proved it self as quite accurate which resulted easely into good acceleration.

Unfortunately the gearshift became more and more vague towards the end of the last drive which led me to leave the track. This proved it self as a good idea as one of the push-pull cables decided to disintegrate just as i left the track.
Luckely i was able to put it in gear manually using the manipulation on the gearbox which made it even possible to easly drive onto the trailer.

In total i'm very satisfied with the result, every important thing worked, sometimes even better than expected. All the hours which i spent for information gathering, engineering and put into reality have really paid off.
Despite heading home having a "defective" car on the trailer i was really happy and found new motivation to carry on... :cool:

Pictures are in short supply, although i will provide them as soon as some can be found on the web. ;)
Something i can provide are some videos

Trackday Video
Best of all scenes, emotions and events
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWWGN6E4KCU

Check also the videos promoted at the end, there are all uncut runs including the fourth one where the push-pull cable ripped lol

See you next ime

Cool project. Congratulations on achieving! You must be very pleased.

Thank you, yes i'm so far pleased as it moves and most of it works as intended. :)

Here are some pictures taken at the tack:

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/anneautrack2.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/anneau18s.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/anneautrack1.jpg

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/anneautrack3.jpg

Still alive and going even stronger :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIHOQbuhN0A

I will update this as soon as possible :)

Wow that looks like it goes very well. Much better than previous rear engine attempts I have seen.

This is is a great achievement.

Saturday 6 o'clock in the morning... departure towards france.

After not quiet 2 hours driving and some waiting in front of the entrance to the racetrack, I used the short break to shoot a photo of my temporary parking spot before the gates were opened.

In the middle of the street lol
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9992gs.jpg



After the gates opened and a somewhat hectic unloading of the race car everything was prepared to start.
The joy did not last long because, before the first run, a noise measurement was carried out and my inconspicuous, small, improbable Corsa roared as loud as 102db into the microphone.
Although various solutions have been developed in my head to eliminate the difference of 2db in order not to exceed the required maximum of 100db, I was not denied to drive and I was able to ride shortly thereafter without further measurements taken.
The morning went quiet unspectacular apart from the fact that the heat thermoband caused a lot of smoke and I shortly worried and thought something caught fire. In addition to that, the first strong braking maneuver revealed that the brake pressure adjustment of the rear axle was way too low.
When braking into a slow right turn the front locked up, however, there was little total braking force. The reason for this was that I chose to adjust the brake pressure regulator to the absolute minimum to avoid possible brake lock up at the rear. As it turned out in the course of the day, the rear axle is capable of delivering more braking power than anticipated, at the end of the day the regulators were already set to about 70% of the maximum pressure.
In the future i will try to slowly raise the pressure to find the limit.

http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_9994gs.jpg

In the afternoon I was able to get to know the car and its driving characteristics a bit better, the confidence rose and the fun increased steadily. Some changes i did to the ignition mapping made a noticeable difference, especially starting from about 6000rpm. Depending on the engine speed, the injection values ​​now dropped by approx. 8-10%, although I think the exhaust still receives a good portion of the remaining injection quantity and uses it for a spit of flame. :d

The later the afternoon the bolder the driver, this is true for many and definitely hit me too. Flooring it resulted in acceptable acceleration but also made the rear axle to step out. The curiosity to find out if it is possible to go full throttle as early as possibly rose steadily, as the front axle reacted immediately and without delay to any input coming from the steering wheel the enticement to overdo it was very strong. The knowledge of sitting in an oversized go-kart and drive it that way resulted in a sloppy driving style but also offered a huge ammount of fun.
To tame the rear axle a limited slip differential will certainly be necessary... but thats something to adress next winter.

One of the runs I had to interrupt early because I had problems with the shifter, again. Fortunately, only one screw came loose which could be fixed in not time.

Fixing the shifter on the spot.
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/IMG_0010gs.jpg

As well as a hose clamp of the crankcase ventilation, which I forgot to fix, still needed some attention. However, this had little impact except for some leaked oil vapor.

This was a very successful and educational day which showed where there is still a room for improvement. The next tasks will include details and adjustments. Oil cooler, wiring, additional ventilation to the engine and what ever comes to my mind.... lol

And for those who have read the text here is a video of the Trackday and of course for all others who have skipped the text as well. ;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjG073Y69g



Have a great week and drive safetly... if not, at least take a video of it :d
http://www.extreme-garage.ch/Blogpics/corsa-gsti.jpg

Cool little machine. Great vid

nice to see you're making steady progress

Really pleased that this is still getting better after all these years following this thread, it’s probably the best Nova build I’ve read:thumb:

thanks guys, really appreciated :)

Quote:

---

it’s probably the best Nova build I’ve read:thumb:

---

If you can call what's left of it "a nova" lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ExTrEmeOc

thanks guys, really appreciated :)


If you can call what's left of it "a nova" lol

---

I suppose in your world it’s a Corsa A anyway lol

What's it called on your paperwork now and do you have to keep changing it back by Swiss laws still lol

Enjoyed watching that. Great work!

Loving this, the video of the engine is cool.
Needs a drifting video tho...

Not that i am planning one but quiet inevitable to not make an unintended one.
Either way you'll get a drift video for sure lol

After 4 years of abstinence from any car related social interaction, it had been time to show my contraption to the public lol
Last sunday the annual local opel meeting took place and it was a must for me to take part.

It has been a refreshing experience, especially the conversations which ranged from mundane stuff to detailed technical discussions about motive for this endevour, choosen engine, implementing suspension and so on... For me that meant the first 3 hours after i arrived i had rarely an opportunity to leave my car :)

So for anybody who wants to know what happens when you turn up with a subaru powered nova at a vauxhall/opel meeting feast your eyes on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjjBnR7iepI

Have a nice time! :thumb:

Nice edit, love the looks when you were rolling in