My Nova Build -WIP-

Well unsuccessful day today, all my hard work on the main graphics didn't pay off! Had my first attempt at applying such a big graphic using wet application as I knew doing it dry would be a nightmare.

Started off well, but the awkward curves around the arch got the better of me! Ended up with some creases :( Me being the perfectionist I am though, wasn't happy, so it got screwed up and binned! lol Its a learning curve though and I think I would have been better off layering the colours on the car, as the vinyl would have been thinner and more maneuverable. Got to learn from my mistakes! So eventually I'll have another go at it. Did really like the design mind, thought it transformed the look of the car. (Big thanks to Ste for the help with these aswell :thumb:)

Still made a few other little stickers up and got them on, here's a few pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo-3-4.jpg

Some touring car style numbers, but with a subtle twist, actually my initials instead of a number! ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo-4-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo-5-2.jpg

Final preparations done for this weekends rolling road session and up and coming trackday done last night.

First thing was looking at my front coilovers, which appeared to have naff all travel. I had put some bumpstops on when I first got them, but I have a feeling they were too big! As Avo don't recommend them anyway. So binned them. Also noticed a step at the top of the piston which my trusty sidekick with his wrongly spelt version of my name (Cheers for the help and advice Iain (And Karl seeing as your a member on here too now!)) and I thought could do with a spacer to stop the spring top hat getting caught in the gap.

So got someone local I knew to knock me up a couple on his lathe.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo6-2.jpg

Said step at the top of the piston

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo2-5.jpg

Top hat, new spacer and previously made spacer followed by top mount locating spacer. Job done, and ready to be refitted to the car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo-17.jpg

Next I moved on to the trailer which needed a few tweaks. Firstly winch needed swapping to the opposite side and moving further back.

Winch Gone

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo7-1.jpg

And in its new posistion, also fitted the stabliser bracket

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo8-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo9-1.jpg

Followed by a new jockey wheel as this one looks a bit sorry for it's self. The previous owner of the trailer left it down and drove off!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo11-1.jpg

Shiney new one all fitted

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo10-1.jpg

Next up I moved back to the coilovers. Bolted back in the top mount.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../photo12-1.jpg

Next up I compressed them to check clearance of the oil cooler lines. Looks all good to me, plenty of room, anyone think it'll be a problem having them routed here?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...va/photo13.jpg

Fitted a D-link to front tow eye to make getting the winch hook on easier

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/towphoto.jpg

And last of all noticed a new job that had appeared on my list, as added by Iain! lollol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...va/photo14.jpg

So other than strap the car on the trailer I'm good to go :thumb:

Coming on well. Graphic look cool.

Do you still need that other spacer between the gold step and the new one now you've got the new one?

Glad to see you've kept my addition to the list, its not too late to cancel your carb setup lol

Nice work mate, actually like the graphics too! Shame they got creased yet its all good practice.
I had the cooler pipes run like that on a corsa let and they were fine but mine was cabletied together every two inch to make abit more ridgid and help stop movement. Good luck with the RR.

Rob.

Well what a weekend! The nova went to have the carbs setup at a local tuning/rolling road garage. Thankfully all went well and it didn't blow up on the rollers, thank god! lol

The guy that set it up really knew his stuff as he has been setting up autograss cars for over 25 years varying from twin carbs to bike carbs etc. His rollers are an odskool setup with two big gauges that show the power etc. So no fancy digital printout! Not that I wanted one to be honest. Although I was interested in the power it would make (who wouldn't be!?) the whole purpose of it going there was to have it setup properly and make sure it runs at its best regardless of BHP.

So all loaded and ready to go, nice sunny day for a change aswell!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo2-6.jpg

All strapped on the rollers and ready to go! My god was I nervous at this point
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo-18.jpg

He began with a base run, getting all the info he needed to go forward and tune the carbs. This didn't happen straight off though. After taking it up only a couple of thousand revs he said he didn't want to go any further and load it up as it was pinking very badly. The ignition timing was massively out and this had to be sorted first. He pointed out that if I had continued to run it as it was, it was only a matter of time before it blew up! Eventually the ignition timing was sorted after a few tweaks and the initial base run was done. From here it was just a case various different tweaks to the carbs to achieve the optimum performance and balanced air/fuel ratio through the rev range. Once he was happy with it he gave it two final power runs and got me a figure. It made 172bhp at 6500rpm which I was more than happy with.

Now I know there are bound to be doubters out there that would argue the figure, but as said in the beginning, I wasn't fussed what it made aslong as it was above the standard 150bhp and that it was running at it's best. After test driving it around the industrial estate believe me it certainly does feel 110% better. The power delivery is just there instantly where as before it was alot flatter (And I thought it was quick then!lol) Its evident now that a LSD is needed and I'm pretty sure one will be in it soon!

Only two problems from the day were that the gearlinkage has gone sloppy again, but has been diagnosed as a loose pin on the linkage assembly (Cheers Iain, well spotted!) and secondly I still have oil leak issues :( All be it not anywhere near as bad as before, but still needs investigating.

I took one video whilst I was there, might not be brilliant as it was only off the phone. All in all though I am a happy bunny, and really pleased with the car. The guy said he was impressed with how well turned out it was and that I had a very strong engine. So good feedback. I'll leave you with the video.

Cheers
Ian

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t=26491c03.mp4

Fantasic dude and I bet your well pleased, shame about the ikle oil leak.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harvey

Fantasic dude and I bet your well pleased, shame about the ikle oil leak.

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Yes I'm really pleased, didn't think it'd do aswell as it did!

Got the linkage pin secured again and now have a positive shifter again! Also started taking the exhaust off as I'm going to take the kink out as is rattling on the tunnel and annoying me.

Sounds lovely in the vid.

Of course it leaks oil its a red top lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ~~joycey~~

Of course it leaks oil its a red top lol

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lollol I have to agree with you but it seems to leak more than your average redtop!

Better bring this topic up to speed

After the rolling road setup it was all systems go for trackday prep. Had a Cadwell Park booked for 30th May along with a few mates including Iain on here.

First up was to address the super heavy brake pedal. Research showed me that redrilling the pivot point 20mm higher gave a better pedal ratio when using a bias pedal box. So off it came, drilled and refitted. Just sitting in the car and pressing the pedal it felt loads better. But more on that later!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo-19.jpg

Next up was to take the kink out the exhaust where it goes round the shifter housing, because it was knocking on the tunnel which was annoying! So with me having the cav internal shifter I opted for straightening it. Wasn't that simple, but with some technical drawings on cardboard I got there in the end!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo2-7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo3-7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo4-6.jpg

All painted up with VHT paint and some new Mikalor style clamps

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo5-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo6-3.jpg

And fitted

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo7-2.jpg

Massive thanks to Iain for the help with the exhaust. Wouldn't have managed on my own, not enough hands! lol :thumb:

With all my prep done I was ready for Cadwell.

Went the night before and camped over with Iain, Karl and Andy, and then the rest joined us in the morning to setup our pit area!

After we were all setup and signed on I got the car warmed up and took it for noise testing. The limit was 105db, the nova made 105db lol So looks like I need to re-modify my exhaust with a third silencer, or I have no chance at places like Donington with low noise limits!

Took the car out on sighting laps and instantly was not impressed with the brake pedal. It had gone from feeling like trying to push a brick wall to treading on a sponge. Although the brakes worked they gave a very vague feeling indeed, and I had no confidence to push with them. So the pedal was re-adjusted to the standard pivot, and again this gave different results again!? The pedal became sightly harder but not as it was originally which seemed odd. Also had to pump the pedal before you got a proper bite, was like I had major knock back on the pads. So I deffo need to look into the brakes.

My dad also took the car out and whilst he was driving we heard a massive klonk from the steering as he turned into the right hander for the mountain, annoyingly only a few feet passed the track exit! So we took a very steady drive back to the pits. After investigation the pre-load nut had lost a bit of tension and come slightly loose causing the rack to jump a tooth and lock out at a certain point. Got this sorted and gave it a test run around the pits and all was good so got back out there after lunch!

also on Lunch break Iain kindly lent me his 200lb rear springs to see what difference it made over my 150's. So got them fitted and the difference was really noticeable. So stiffening the rear and lowering the car more are part of my future plans.

All in all engine wise it never missed a beat even in the almost 30 degree heat :cool:
Power delivery is awesome and always there when needed throughout the rev range. Following Iain highlighted the need for a diff though as his cornering speed was massively different. If I tried to match it I just lit up one wheel and began to understeer and had to back off to get the grip back.

Still got some oil leak issues aswell so further investigation is needed into that. Thinking its just sump though as the rest of the engine at the top end was bone dry all day. Finally as I was taking the slicks off at the end of the day I noticed a strange clonking noise when rotating the front wheels. Basically the diff bearings have given up lol So maybe now is the time to upgarde ;)

Didn't take any pics on the day, but found this on the trackday organisers website.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...1653559577.jpg

No probs with the help. Snap of yours with Coxy's Radical, which me and Ian were consistently beating throughout the day. Honest.

http://iainel.co.uk/images/forums/NovaWIP2a/617.JPG

Exhaust wise, I'd taken this along just incase you needed it, I think it reduced the noise on mine slightly although its a bit of a shonky fit! Yours has a fair way to come down to suit 98dB.

http://iainel.co.uk/images/forums/NovaWIP2a/382.JPG

Managed to get hold of a replacement sump to try, but I'm unsure at the minute whether it will be ok or not. Wouldn't mind a bit of feedback and others opinions on it...

Sump bung thread looks as if it's been re-threaded/helicoiled, Do you think this would be up to the job, or be point of concern for leakyness? Does look as if it's been done well, but suppose the only proof will be trying it and see.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo-20.jpg

The other thing I'm slightly more concerned about is the number of fine looking cracks all over the inside of the sump. They feel quite rough and scored to the touch

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo2-8.jpg

However... On the reverse side of this area there is no signs of the same cracks/imperfections.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo3-8.jpg

The mating face looks good and looks to be level with the metal rule test. I thought about giving it a rub down with some wet an dry, or having it bead blasted, or would you leave as it is?

Does anyone else's sump have a similar look to this? As said after opinions on whether to use it or not, or look for another as I really want to sort these oil leaks and not have to continue chasing them after spending more money.

In theory I should have got photo's first, but you live and learn lol

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated on what I should do

Cheers
Ian

Few more pic's of overall condition

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo2-9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo3-9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo4-7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo5-4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo6-4.jpg

id say it was all good. helicoils are stronger than ally so its probably replaced someones attempt at tightening to stop a leak / not using a new crush washer.

the inside isnt an issue mate and lets face it, not likely to leak as much as the current one eh?

As Karl said its good to go! The lines (cracks) inside are just casting marks, they all have them. You could clean up the mateing face up abit by looks of things but nothing to rough as to not remove the good stuff lol.

The helicoil looks good, as long as its not loose and is straight... Try with a new washer to torque it up to 55Nm and if it doesnt pull itself out, get it fitted :)

What brake setup are you using?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam

What brake setup are you using?

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Bias Pedal box with:

Front Master Cylinder: 5/8
Rear Master Cylinder: 3/4

Complete braided lines throughout with ATE Super racing Blue DOT 4 fluid.

Front Brakes:
Unknown 284mm Vented & Drilled Discs
Astra 256 Callipers spaced out with bigger v6 pads EBC red stuff carbon ceramic pads

Rear Brakes:
Standard Drums

This is a pic of my balance bar set biased to the front as far as I can go. However I have just set this now with the in-car adjuster as I noticed it was set pretty even and probably explains why there didn't seem to be any form of aggressive bite. Never adjusted this at the track as I had messed with the pedal ratios and didn't want to do too many things and loose track of where I was with it all. Think I need to give this setting ago as it seems to have stiffened the pedal feel up abit again. But without driving it I obviously can't gauge it properly.

Front Master Cylinder on the right
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/photo-21.jpg

The reason I can't get any more front bias is because the pushrod on the master cylinder has been cut down (Not by me) So there are not enough threads. I'm thinking I could swap the pushrods over or get a longer one for the front and adjust accordingly

At rest the front m/c should have a longer adjusted pushrod than the rear. When braking the front pushrod travel further than the rear. I had a similar issue with my pedalbox until I adjusted the pushrods and now the bite is much better as the fronts are getting more pressure to them now.

There is some techie balance bar setup detail on the Wilwood site here http://www.wilwood.com/TechTip/TechPedalTip.aspx (see halfway down the page) you may find it useful as it helped me when I was researching the pedal box setup.

Looking really good fella!

Keep it up and will be one of the fastest track novas about:)

Small update, been collecting a few parts since Cadwell.

- Another sump pan
- New sump gasket/baffle
- Pair of 300lb rear coilover springs
- Camber Bolts
- Diff bearings
- Gearbox seal and gasket set
- And finally, my favourite part!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/664696a0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/03f12c4f.jpg

Big thanks to steveboyslim on Mig for the diff :thumb:

Get it fitted this evening and go play on some private land :d

Schwing, best mod ever, I'll be over at 6, should be test driving it by 8 lol

Ooooooo nice buy.

what what old boy - nice to read the progress, rises and falls of the last few pages.

glad to see you're still cracking on with it.

looking forward to getting together still - do you have any further days booked?

I'm at Wittington on 22nd July

So decided to drag this out last night and with the much appreciated help of Iain and Karl we had the box out

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/5365b03e.jpg

The standard diff has been removed after struggling to get an inner cv out, but Heman Iain just smashed it to smithereens and it was sorted! So ordered a new inner cv and an outer aswell as a spare.

Going to get the quaife in the box over the weekend so more updates then

Bish bash bosh lol Chore of a job but all good, looking forward to seeing pics of the diff fitted up with its new bearings and in the box!

I fitted my diff with the box still in the car, much easier that way

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mieran

I fitted my diff with the box still in the car, much easier that way

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I was going to do the same, but I thought I'd use the opportunity to check the end bearing cap and crank seal to see if that's where my oil leak is coming from :thumb:

Got the diff in the box today. First off got everything cheaned up and the final drive gear swapped over onto the quaife. Then soaked the old diff speedo ring in boiling water, prayed it off gently and fitted that too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/e649cace.jpg

New bearings, races and seals fitted too and the cleaned out box awaiting its new diff!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/df686762.jpg

All ready to go back in the car :)

Standard diff with a Quaife sticker lol Nice work, can't wait to race you at Blyton!

I have that screw driver set too...

Where's the update?!

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...82688207_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...31194523_n.jpg

OOoo pictures! :)

Update wise I have no pictures and due to my shares in use once only oil I cannot afford a video camera, so had no pics or vids to add! :(

Blyton went pretty well though. Oil leak is still present all be it alot lot smaller and in one area, so that's better although I really thought we'd cracked it this time!

Quaife Diff is money well spent, totally transformed the car! instead of loosing Iain in the corners as I understeered off previously, I am now able to keep up and get him worried! lol

Few problems still, fuel pump died, luckily this was near the end of the day anyway, speedo cable got cut through (not really a problem, just annoying!) and properly cooked the back brakes. The drums got so hot its burnt all the paint off and until they cooled it was as if the handbrake was applied and the car couldn't hardly be moved when pushed. It also melted the grease in the rear bearings to the point where its all over the wheels!! Anyone else ever had this problem? Discussed getting a bias valve to put in the rear brake line to knock down the rears some more. Also the suspension needs looking at too. A lower ride height and stiffer springs I think. It was lifting a rear wheel about a foot off the floor at times and there is far to much body roll, but thats just a case of development I guess.

Managed to pass some more expensive machinery in it though, M3, RX8 and an Elise so I'm doin something right! had a really good run with Iain where we both pushed very hard until I spun out lollol

Good fun day though, but as always car needs more attention and money spending on it!

I agree you were far too quick for your first outing with a new diff! lol Get yourself a video camera, our race would have been an epic video.

Still planning to paint the wheels orange?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iain

Still planning to paint the wheels orange?

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Do it, do it now I demand it ;)

http://gt3rscape.bryangira.com/wp-co..._6361877_n.jpg

yes wheels are still going orange, just not had the pennies to sort it as yet! they have been rubbed down if thats ant consulation! lol

Videos are really needed.