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Looking good Ade. Haven't had a look at this thread in a while now and it's really coming on. I have to admit that when I first looked the project plans I was thinking "Yeah right, another project that will be abandond in a couple of months". So good on ya mate, can't wait to see the finished product. :thumb:
cheers - dont want my own thread - I like the comments - keeps me motivated...I feel loved!
lol
holy cack ade...thats some fine work your doin...you seem to be a master of all things fiddly an precise...lol..
cant wait to see how the car looks in the end...keep up the great work..
Sunday 13/08/2006
Well the neighbours well and truely hate me! They never actually said anything but I was in the garage from 9.30 grinding, hammering, cutting and bashing metal pretty much all day!
First task (after a cup of coffee and 2 glorious applewood smoked dry cured bacon rolls - mmmm bacon) was to derust the area around where the lights were to go. I'd cleaned out most of the loose rust the other day so it was a simple case of applying a ton of Krust. Wjulst that was curing I turned my attention to the drivers light surround.
The good news was that the card template I used for the Passenger side one was a perfect fit in reverse (I just turned the card over and flipped the tabs the other way!). I had to make some adjustments around the engine mount area but it was pretty straight forward.
The difficulty was cutting the fecking things out. My hands were really sore from Saturdays little metal cutting experience and the fleshy parts at the base of my thumbs was (and still is) really sore!
After several hours of cursing, hacking, snipping and generally getting all wound up I finally got all the patterns cut out.
Heres a pic of the passengers side one from yesterday -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights47.jpg
The drivers is much the same.
The hardest part to do was the back housing. This is basically a flat sheet with a hole cut in the middle and the edge is formed into a box. Problem is cutting out the middle section. What I really needed was a nibbler or one of them rotazip things - however the only "quick" was I could think of doing it was to drill holes round the edge, then file the edges down like so -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights49.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights46.jpg
Didnt take too long - just made a ton of noise.
Heres a pic of one of the 5 pieces - this is the back bracket that supports the front of the light (from the back) and provides another anchort for the front mounting -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights44.jpg
Heres the unit assembled -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights45.jpg
Still needs a little tweeking but is solid and the good news is both lights can be removed without disconnecting any of the housings - plus theres access to the backs.
I still need to drill a couple of access holes for the adjustment screws (cant get to one) but that's easy enough.
Heres a couple of pics with both lights mounted (and housings tacked in place)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights42.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights41.jpg
Theyre both dead level and the same distance from various points on the engine bay.
Next task is to rivet/bond them in place and seal them up.
nice work that fella, looking good
Ade, looking sweet matey! Really coming along now that is!
Do the headlights adjust internally Ade???
yeah - theres motors for the dips (like in the nova ones) but also 2 thread screws so they can be adjusted horizontally and vertically to line up beams.
You can get access to the inside one by the centre mount but not the one by the wings at the moment. Need to drill an access hole.
Youre a God lol keep up the work mate ya doing just fine carnt wait to see this at PV Or somewere :D
Comin on nicely mate, keep it up! shame about the injuries along the way, but what do you expect from doing allthis work, more injuries to come probably lol.
Lookin 4ward to seein more updated pics, just read through the whole lot.
L
Are you sure you weren't just wearing the sweat bands for fun ade?
nah - sweat bands are the future - same a pop socks! (which I was NOT wearing at the time). Have slipped twice since the wrist incident and theyve saved me skin - literally...
whats a pop sock? Is this something that the older generation will know ? Cars coming along nicely mate :)
nice work going on...
wernt those pop socsk the things you pput in the microwave?? or am i tripping out?
ar pop socks them stupidly long ones like leg warmers in the eric prydz video
looks good mate
and an interesting read.........a nice bit of effort being put in aswell
great stuff
Quote:
Originally Posted by LAST OF THE NOVA SR'S
lol lol lol i think you mean pop tartslol lol
lollollol yeh it is pop tarts...istill eat them in the morning, and for lunch sometimes too lol lolQuote:
Originally Posted by doherty
L
lol at pop tarts! Didnt they get banned because some nobber stuck one in his mouth after taking out of the toaster and the super heated jam scorched his mouth so bar he was on fluids for 3 months!
Sued the feckers for thousands because there wasnt a warning on the packaging!
Thursday 17/08/2006
Today I are mostly be sticking my new light surrounds to my engine bay.
Took fecking all day! I bought this amazing stuff called liquid metal which is suposed to provide a bond almost as strong as a weld. Now I know it isnt as strong but with a couple of rivets in key places its perfect for what I'm doing as that part of the car isnt structural.
First thing I did was pop down to my local Vauxhall garage and order a ton of new clips and bolts - discoveres NovaFreak (Ali) another novaloader works there! V handy - got the parts for nowt!
:p Cheers mate!
I started by lining everything up and making small adjustments then clean off the paint where the metal would join, drilled holes for the rivets and stuck it all together -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights52.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights54.jpg
The 1st side took about 4 hours as I spent most of the time checking the light would fit, I could still get access to the back panels and could remove it if necessary. Its very tight but totally solid!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights60.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights59.jpg
That's both sides done - perfectly horizontal and lined up! Theres enough adjustment in the lights to make small changes if I need to but once bolted in place theyre more solid than the original nova ones!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights55.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights51.jpg
This pic shows exactly how far they stick out. Its about 4".
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights58.jpg
The next task is to work on the bonnet and then the front bumper.
Need to build an extension on the carriage bar somehow to support it. Should be fun!
:cool:
look really cool. nice work with the mounting brackets.
Saturday 19/08/2006 (part 1)
Today I are mostly be fitting my new bonnet extension!
The plan was to cut the front of an existing Punto bonnet and attach it to the front end of the existing Nova bonnet - however the punto bonnet is wider than the Nova one so it needed to be chopped up to fit.
The 1st stage was to remove the sound deadening and the washer jets. I'll be using the Punto Jets on my new bonnet as theyre really cool - they sit mid way up the bonnet and have 3 jets per head that can be angled. I'll also recycle the sound deadening.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights79.jpg
Then the punto bracket had to be drilled out
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights78.jpg
The Punto bonnet is excatly 10cm too wide between the lights so I need to cut a chunk out. I measured 40cm back from the front to allow plenty of metal to attach to the car and then drew on the cut lines for the section to be removed. The the grinder came out to play...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights76.jpg
Front section separated, the next task was to detach the inner super structure - this is held in place with big blobs of what looks like tiger seal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights74.jpg
I need to remove it because its too big - I'll possibly be salvaging it later on to reinforce the inside once the outer skin is attached. I parted the folds at the edges and prised it apart -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights73.jpg
Once the inner support was removed, the outer skin could be cut using conventional metal cutters - it was surprisingly easy to cut. The excess metal from the middle was removed and the 2 sections offered up to the Nova bonnet for a test fit. The curves on the Nova bonnet are an almost perfect line up to the Punto ones!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights72.jpg
Both sides were held in place with masking tape for a visual check
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights71.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights70.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights69.jpg
I'll post part 2 of how I fitted the parts once I've had me tea...
looks good ade, just 1 thing, what are you doing about the front of the wings ?
front wings will be modified to fit the lights and marry up to the new bonnet. Theyre also a little tatty (new but dented inplaces) so need skimming.
are they going to follow the lines of the bonnet and meet the original nova wing then ??
Part 2
Fitting the extension was a bit of a problem as I wasnt sure of the best way to do it. Id toyed with the idea od cuting a slit in my Nova bonnet and slotting the new extension in - bonding it with liquid metal and rivetting from the underside, however the inside of my bonnet was covered in grease and dirt and it would have been impossible to clean up to make a strong bond.
So in the end I opted for violence. I knew where the extension had to go and knew I'd need to skim the joins with filler/resin so based on this decided to create a dent along a drawn line and then rivet each extension panel along this. The dent would take the extension level below the existing bonnet line allowing the panels to be rivetted in place and then skimmed.
To ensure both panels could be joined smoothly, I also had to create a crease along the edge of one of the panels dso the other one would lap over it without causing a raised edge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights66.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights65.jpg
I then took a hammer with a pointed head and hammered the front of the Nova bonnet caving it in along a drawn line (see above pics).
I then sanded all the paint off the Nova bonnet panel at the front and the underside of each Punto panel to create a clean edge and bonded the panels to the Nova bonet using Liquid metal and rivets.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights63.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/danga/62.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/lights64.jpg
The grey line is liquid metal which will cure to a very strong bond overnight.
The front section where the grill would go needs to be cut back to about 2" below the top of the lights. I intend to fit a new style chrome Opel strip with badge and then a custom grill beneath bonded to the new bumper.
The next task it to reinforce the underside and cut the grill section back.
Draper-Midlands - yes - they'll curve round to match the corners of the bonnet extension. New surrounds will be made to match the lights
damn good work ill say!!! what plans you got for the front bumper? i rekon bat motorsport myself, also, i got one of those for sale!!!:D
good work like always:thumb:
Good work Ade, coming along nicely now :thumb:
I had my doubts about these punto lights, but thats looking very well, Cant wait to see it all come together!
Keith
very original, thought it would look ugly as sin but now the bonnets extended to match etc. its growing on me, am very interested on what its gonna look like with the new bumper
looks good ade!!! cant wait to see the front end finished!!
the bumper will be custom made - it needs to be because standard nova bumpers are flat and the front of my car is now rounded (well the corners are) so the bumper I'm going for is based loosely on the OPC corsa bumper (not the new corsa/baby astra the one before).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...a/concept1.jpg
http://www.opel6070club.com/history/corsaopc.jpg
Colour wise I'm looking at BMW dakar yellow and anthracite trim/alloys or gun metal/anthracite for the whole car with chrome highlights...
car is looking mint mate.
do you work as a panel beater or is it just a hobby.
cant wait to see what else you do
I work for esure.com car insurance lol
Got a degree in model making although I've never used is commercially -so this is sort of work for my portfolio coz I wanna get back into it professionally (fed up of working in call centres!).
I'm the kind of person that likes taking things apart and seeing how they work - hands on etc.
My other main project at the moment is the model novas - www.modelnovas.com although these have taken a back seat since the Nova came back from the garage!
Need to start making some more!
Really impressive ade. Well done matey, looks like its coming together well.
Hell yeah! Call centres suck!! I used to work at Egg.com (yeah no jokes as ive heard them all before!!)Quote:
Originally Posted by ade
Ade, that car is seriuosly going to be mint once it completed!!! Top stuff that :thumb:
I reckon it would look good in red to be honest (no surprise there lmfao), VXR style...
Loving this thread Ade, some mind boggling work on those light surrounds!! And im also loving how the two swage lines on the two bonnets ALMOST match, almost as if fiat made it to mate to a nova bonnet lol