nah - I've seen enough comments about handling issues with bigger wheels and I quite like the smaller sets. I'm tempted for 16' softstars of speedlines but tbh the wheels arent the priority at the mo...
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nah - I've seen enough comments about handling issues with bigger wheels and I quite like the smaller sets. I'm tempted for 16' softstars of speedlines but tbh the wheels arent the priority at the mo...
Not trying to start an argument about wheels here but 17" s wont ruin the handling, i've been in a couple of novas with 17's and was pleasantly suprised! i've driven a corsa with 19's on and this was going a bit far tbh but it wasnt as awful as i thought, anyway it's obviously down to you in the end, so long as your happy with the result! what i would do personally is the megane wheels, sprayed in anthracite with some opel centre caps, anyway good luck with the rest of the build, and cant wait to see the next update.
Very Original keep up the good wrk
new shape tigra wheels would suit it to a tee mate 5 spoke ones look awsome imo four stud fitment too :thumb:
http://www.astonvauxhall.co.uk/contr...Tigra3_001.gif
ive gotta say this is the first time in about 5 years when i have been interested in a nova with a bodykit on but for some reason im intreagued......lol
Saturday 01/03/2008
Only had a few hours in the garage due to a party I was off to in the evening.
Managed to get my side skirts finished (foam wise). They look really good and are the spit of the Monaro ones! For some reason I didnt take any pics...
Took delivery of my Corsa B inner arch linings for the from arches in the morning -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0006.jpg
I'm really impressed at how snug they are -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0008.jpg
They need modding just slightly (plastic panels around the turrets and some mounting areas) and I need to make some clips to secure them.
Anyway - I decided to weld some areas in my engine bay - felt it necessary to reinforce the light surrounds (may as well do it "properly" now I have a welder!). Also thought (after seeing several rebuilds to the same) to reinforce the strut tops and sides of the bay with additional beads of weld.
Started off by removing the paint and seam sealer -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0005.jpg
and in doing so came across this nice hole in me inner wing (feck knows how I missed it before!) -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0001.jpg
Also directly below it where the engine loom harness goes into the body notices the join was totally fecked!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0013.jpg
Thankfully this is more cosmetic as when the arches were replaced a couple of years ago the guys that did it welded up the hole directly beneath - however the big gap is a perfect water trap so may as well stick a sheet of metal over it.
Also came across this wee bugger tucked in the corner of the skuttle panel (passenger side) -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0012.jpg
With all this cleaned up and krust'ed I called it a day...and went and got blootered!
Sunday 02/03/2008 (afternoon).
Impressed myself by not having a sore head. The party (wifes works do) involved lots of scantily clad women doing the can-can - GOD they cannae half stick their legs over their heads!
Anyway - Today I are mostly be welding panels in place of rusty bits.
Started with the "cosmetic" gap behind my passenger side turret -
Before -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0013.jpg
After -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0016.jpg
and with a healthy dose of etch primer -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/bay00017.jpg
inner arch before (trimmed rust away) -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0017.jpg
After (with primer) -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/bay00022.jpg
Welds are a little messy but its a really tight area however I'm pretty confident I got full penetration.
Little skuttle panel area before -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0012.jpg
After -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/bay00023.jpg
This one was an absolute biatch to get to - it's messy but tbh I dont really care - theres no gaps (based on me shining a torch on it and looking underneath) and it'll get a big wad of sealer over it.
In fact they all will.
Next step is to do some beads around the turrets, sides and the light housings. I also used me new fangles spot weld drill bit to pre drill some holes in the slam panel section I welded the other week so I can puddle weld it to the undrside making it uber strong!
Looks like swiss cheese at the moment...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/bay0009.jpg
Will weld it up tomorrow...
:cool:
looking good dude!!
just read from start to finish that front end is amazing! really fond of that! good to see someone breaking the mould of gsi kitting novas up! can't wait to see it done
maccas
Good progress mate :)
The Project is still going strong i see.
Get on ade
lol, had my welder out at novalicious's yesterday doing an inner wing, managed to get smoke out of the back of the welder itself! don't know if he's got the pics up yet, but the vertical bit behind the turret looked like yours, but what was hidden was a lot nastier.
liking the progress ade. with those messy welds just do like i did....plenty of selaer and underseal :thumb: no one will ever know
good work mate!
lol thats the plan until I get good at welding!Quote:
Originally Posted by burgo
Thankfully all the rusty bits will be pretty much hidden away from view!
:thumb:
Thursday 06/03/2008
Day off work so more garage antics. Beforehand though was watching Discovery Channel (American Hotrod) and at the end it said Boyd Coddington had died! Pretty shocking. The guys was a god of the hot rod world in America...
Anyway - decided today to "patch up" my engine bay. There were a couple of areas that needed some welding and I thought I'd also weld round my strut tops nowt like a little bit more metal. I also decided to weld up the backs of my light housings so theyre 100% solid!
As you know my welding is still developing so the welds are a tad rough looking however I'm pleased to say that after all the shutz from the inner arch caught fire and melted away I can confirm I got full penetration!
lol
The bloody stuff stinks too!
Heres some pics -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0005.jpg
This one shows the plate I welded in (same place both sides) - the metal beneath is rust free but the join is really thin and gone in places so I decided to strengthen it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0008.jpg
I then ground the tops off the welds to neaten them up and etch primed the lot -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0012.jpg
All the new welds will the fully seam sealed so they wont be obvious once theyre painted up.
I also did the slam panel - drilled plug holes all over it (see prev posts) and plug welded them up. This just needs a skim of filler to remove any dimpled areas.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0013.jpg
Just spent that last 3 hours removing another virus from my computer so whilst that was going on I wrote a massive list of things to do.
Although I'm not too sure where to start next...still waiting on parts for the front (new grill etc) and I need a bigger bottle of gas before I can do any more welding!
:wtf:
Ade, your welding is coming along leaps and bounds cheif :D
Looking good sir - Keep it up :)
looking good mate keep it up
Looking good as ususal mate, looking forward to the next update, your welding skills are starting to get better too, well done and good luck with the rest of it.
weldings gettin better mate, comign along now..
keep it up..
Monday 10/03/2008
Bit of an ar$e weekend - my Ibiza broke down on the way home on Friday - engine just died on an A road - oil light came on and engine cut out - which made power steering cut out - I was doing about 60 at the time - pretty unnerving but had enough speed to get in on the verge although was on a corner. Phoned Greenflag who came out and reckoned it was either crank sensor or coil pack (?) or ECU so towed me to local garage - dumped car and I went home. Had to suffer getting a bus to work over the weekend. :mad: So booked today off to get car sorted. Unfortunately the garage couldnt get the car fixed today (waiting on parts) which means another annoying bus trip tomorrow :mad:
Decided to finish off my slam panel today - I'd plug welded the new skin to the underneath one the other week bit although its solid it doesnt look very nice - it's uneaven in places and no amount of dolly work was going to sort it - plus I wanted something that would channel the air coming from under the bonnet. So I made a fibreglass show cover.
The prinicple is very easy and would also allow me to practice my fibreglassing ready for when I start my bumper/skirts. I started by laying up plastecine modeling clay all over the slam panel to even it out. This was then shaped and skimmed to get it nice and flat. I used a spirit level at specific points to ensure it was even.
The slam panel looked like this beforehand -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...engine0013.jpg
I made a card template to ensure both sides were even (they were pretty much spot on anyway but I wanted to be sure) - Heres the result after the plastecine cover was built -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...neltop0002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...neltop0004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...neltop0005.jpg
The masking tape covers bare metal areas. As you can see it is much more even and will protect the metal underneath.
Using the template I cut out some glass fibre matting allowing for folds over the edges. I mixed 400ml of resin and applied this directly on to the plastecine (it wont stick obviously as its nice and smooth) and then put the fibreglass on top. I then worked more resin into the fibreglass using a 2" brush in a stippling motion (basically you dab at the fibreglass with the end of the brush to get the resin to penetrate it and knock the air bubbles out). This was applied all over leaving additional material to trim where it wasnt needed -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...neltop0006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...neltop0007.jpg
I then applied a tissue layer (basically fibreglass matting but tissue thin) - again stipping with additional resin (only used about 250ml this thime though) - the tissue is like cotton wool and it clings and catched on everything so I needed to work carefully but fast.
It's currently curing in my garage but its pretty cool out tonight so have the heaters on to try and keep temperature even...
I'll post pics once I've trimmed the excess material off but I'm really happy with it and it's so much better than the plain metal panel. In addition it'll give my grill something to bolt striaght on to.
To fit I'll simply paint up the slam panel and then apply a nice even bead of body adhesive (eg tiger seal) - then simply pop the panel on and seal the edges.
Job done
:thumb:
nice work matey
cheers - just checked it and its cured purfectly - got a nice finish - just needs a trim and a very light sand back - I might not even do that - just leave it mottled...
Wednesday 12/03/2008
The missus went nuts at me the other day coz the smell of fibreglass resin got into the house off me trainers/overalls and stunk the place out! Doesnt help having the garage attached to the house either!
Anyway - started off by trimming off the excess matting and then removed all the plastecine (a pain in the bum) but it came out really well (its not attached yet) -
Will probably paint it black the same as the rest of the engine bay...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0008.jpg
I then decided to lay up a couple of layers of fibreglass on my bumper. Even though I'm still waiting for my new grill I can still make a start on the rest of the bumper. This took pretty much all day. I started by cutting up a fair amount of fibreglass. The glass I was using is pretty thick (4 layers) so because this layer is simply to get the basic shape I needed to split it so it would bend and shape easier. All you do if find and edge and peel it apart. Doubles the amount you have
Heres the results after just one layer -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...bumper0005.jpg
I removed the bar in the fog light area simply because it will be part of a seperate structure.
I then added a second layer and by this time the whole garage stank of resin. So with it being 6pm and the missus being home at 7pm and me having access to next doors garage I moved the whole bumper and work benches there instead. Opened oll doors and wildows and stuck all my clothes in the washing machine!
It worked - didnt get into trouble! (except now when I close my eyes all I can see are my hands in latex gloves covered in strands of fibreglass! - think the fumes have gone to my head!)
Some good progress there mate, the cover for the slam panel is a neat touch and the bumper is now really looking to be coming along, top quality work as usual, look forward to seeing the next update.
Really liking the lateral thinking thats going into this Ade :thumb:
Excellent Ade.
If your missus nags too much do what I do and offer her a disposable face mask. :D
Saturday 15/03/2008
Took delivery of some parts today - my new OPC Grill (the Astra H one with the honeycombed vents and chromed strip) and 2 lower honeycombed panels as well as some bumper edge adjusters and suspension bolts. The grill is stunning and because it has the full surround will fit perfectly on the front of my Nova (once modified!)
Spent most of today sanding back the 1st layer of fibreglass on the bumper to get a flat surface to work from. The foam base, although flat, did have some unever spots in it. Once sanded back (and after changinf my clothes necause fibreglass dust gets everywhere and it pretty nasty stuff in the scratchy itchy department!) I put the bumper in place to get an idea of the depth.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20002.jpg
It definately needed another layer (which I planned to add anyway).
here's one with the new honeycombed grill section -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20001.jpg
This will also form the back for the fog lamps.
The second layer was made out of 2 long pieces of fibreglass which will add strength across the face of the bumper. The next task is to sand this back lightly (to remove the evil burs and skelfs that are as sharp as needles) and skim the entire front with body filler. This will bring up the thickness to the correct levels and allow finer detail to be applied.
Here's a couple of pics with the bumper in place. It's bolted on at the corners of the lights and held in place with the big clamps at the side -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...mplam20003.jpg
The old grill isnt sitting right on the pics but the new one will fill the whole grill section fully!
From this (once cured) I'll skim
Looks amazing mate - Keep it up :)
looks brillaitn ade, love the 2 head on pics :thumb:
you need my ?100 tho to finish it off :thumb: :D
WOW
nothing else to be said
Ade all i can say is wow! i have passed where you live a few times on the way to kennacraig for the ferry, always thougth of just having a drive in by to see if you were working on this lol.
Keep it up mate
brilliant mate, the bumper is going to look amazing once it's done, it's all keeing together very nicley now, is everything going to be smoothed into the body? as regards to the paint job, will this be DIY or you getting it done?
not planning on smoothing the kit into the body - no point because the 1st pot hole and it'll crack anyway! Will have very small join lines between bumper and wings.
As for respray - gonna get it done properly this time - I enjoyed doing mine but I want it done properly this time.
Saturday 22/03/2008
God I can't believe its almost April!
Anyway - cracked on with the bumper - todays task was to get the filler on it so I could get some finer lines into the design. I've decided to take a mold from this and take a proper cast - simply because the amount of filler that will be needed to shape it properly means it'll be pretty weighty. I also want it done properly...and if anything happened I've always got the mold to make another bumper from!
Started by sanding back the last layer of fibreglass to remove any sharp burrs. I then put on a skim of filler -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10001.jpg
and sanded this back to fill any major differences -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10006.jpg
It was then a case of fill and sand, fill and sand until I had it pretty close to the final size -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10013.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10015.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iller10017.jpg
As you can see I've started to blend it into the wings - the cracks are deliberate - they give me an indication on where I can work up to.
the next task is one moe layer of filler, sand back then measure it up to get the final details for more finer detailing. I then need to check that there are no serious undercuts, sort them, prime it and take a mold from it.
absolutly stunning mate, the attention to detail is amazing.
Nicccee
Looks brilliant mate, you must have put so much time into doing that, do you have a orbital sander yeh? if not i i really reccomend getting one as the amount of time it saves is unreal. The car is going to look amazing once done, the skirts are going to be essential to tie it all together, good luck with making the mould for the bumper.
I dont have an orbital sander (not the standard round ones anyway) - just a standard black and decker flat rectangle sander (its also v noise for some reason!) - also have a sanding mouse and a dremmel...although do a fair bit bu hand.