It's like a giant airfix kit crossed with a nova.....(56k unfriendly peeps)

[Drizz]

Now that is clean!

[Barnes]

i keep forgetting you own that nova jim. havent seen it move under its own power in years. keep it up, especially now you have lots of free time..........

[Jimbo]

Novacabrio I bow down to your minty mint car wish I could of found one especally at £500!!
As you may of guessed I've spent a bit more.... Bugger!

[CraigGreen]

It looks like a Nova again!
I think its been asked already but, do you have any pics of the car in its old state, ie colour & spec etc. Would be interesting to see the cracking & parting of the front end panels.

Most people are told Novas fall apart at the seams with XE & LETs fitted but you dont actually hear of it happening to many people, although seam welding & plating kits are the norm with anyone doing it properly.

Shouldve made patterns from the rear chassis legs too.

Wish I could give you a digi cam to use.

Keep it up!

[Jimbo]

The only picture at the mo ( cheers muppetsport!) I'll have to ratch the old photo album out!

The thing is I put a new front panel and stitched it last time round! I didn't think I drove it that hard! Then again I suppose if you aint wheel spinning every where it is actually pulling at the front if that makes sense?

[CraigGreen]

I thought I mightve recognised her but I'm not sure I do.

Love Novas in that colour. I did my 1st one in Rover British racing Green & everyone loves the old Novacane featured one from MAX Power (then Gary Hopes).

Look forward to seeing some more pics of her & any more old time pics of Novas you might have. Ive been on the scene & into them for what feels like ages now, love them more than ever. They are definately starting to become rare now which can only help with the inevitable cult status they deserve.

CG

[stuboy]

i wish i had the time talant money to do this..

[Trevor]

As I pointed our earlier there was a leak due to a replacement windscreen being a little to small. I've removed the dash box section and cleaned it up a bit then I added a bit of strength by running over the pitted areas with the mig and grinding back. A method I've used with great and very long lasting success for many years.......

Not trying to teach you how to suck eggs or anything, your project is bigger than anything I have ever attempted, but a copper block behind the hole your trying to fill works like a heatsink and helps stop blowing through and give something to fill against. The weld won't stick to the copper so it just pulls off after. It also give a flat side too, so less grinding!

[Ghost_Walker]

I stand corrected, jimbo only has the second most rust free nova in the world now.

and i remember the green nova. def mind a red one tho

think i spoke to you at crail once jimbo, before i changed to ghost_walker. used to be maddercavman

[Dave Dempsey]

Big big respect, thats one awesome project, not exactly ****ed around have you. Same with Novacabrios but then wouldnt have expected anything less

[GaryVaux]

This is prob a long shot, but are you from scotland somehwhere? Seem to remember seeing a mk1 nova (f-reg or thereabouts) in the same colour as yours, with facelift front end while i was spectating at the snowman rally near inverness about 4 or five years ago?

[Jimbo]

I remember you Ghost walker red cav driven in true loonytune fasion! Yeah the red one belonged to me good mate muppetsport on ere with his daft ass 800bhp 230mph stripped out grey heap'o'tat.

Trevor nice tip but I aint got a block of copper and it's too late now but I'm always up for new tricks!

CraigGreen a bit late but I too loved the old novacane bus and did copy the colour in a blatant rip off stylee. Heres a few old skool pics from would you believe the last millenium!! through to 2000.. Kin'ell.





Cool eh you can just see my old nova club in the backgroundlmao

Then I did this...........







Look how hansome I am alot of you might reconise me....





and the nearly finished product..

[Jimbo]

Garyvaux nope not me. I'm Cumbria but I think I've seen the car in question at crail.. Again about 4 or 5 years ago...........

[CortraGTE]

This is some project mate gonna be ace when its done!!

[Ghost_Walker]

yup definetly true loony fashion. grown up a lot since then. pity that car died of car cancer, never mind she did donate the best bits to the next project

[Rick Draper]

I remember most of those pic's from the old guide! **** i have owned novas for far 2 long!

[novacabrio]

Novacabrio I bow down to your minty mint car wish I could of found one especally at £500!!
As you may of guessed I've spent a bit more.... Bugger!

Can't take any credit for that build, its a mate of mine

[Jimbo]

Look. I apologise in advance for this next bit because to most it will be the most pointless time consuming waste of time and there is about 15 or 20 pictures that will look more or less the same but it took me so long to do and the pictures don't really do justice to the ball ache of a job it was!

Anyhow take what's left of a rear chassis leg that you can't buy from vauxhall and is a bit tired and look at it for a while.......



Remove the spring platform and think some more.......



Clean it up on the inside and look a bit more. Think to yourself why am i doing this???



Decide fekker I can't make a new one of these I better fix these ones! But as you know to much heat warps metal so you have to take it slow. Like reeeal slow weld a ickle and cool it down weld somewhere else and cool it down...........



You can see how this renews the metal. Your kind of useing the old metal as a template for new..........



More of the same...




Quick clean up with a belt sander.....



Bit of zinc primer...



Weld the cleaned up spring platform on...




Then fabricate a new lip in several sections........






Trim to size ...... and clean up....



Weld the HH kit on.....



For the last section of about 6 to 8 inches on both sides had been cut of and thrown away due rot so I spent a long time making carboard templates that fitted then I made them then I welded them on but I was that engrossed I didn't take pictures!
But this is a picture of the rear towing eye after I'd fitted it!




Did same on the other side then finished off by replacing the inner arch sections........




Then a trail fit of the rear axle and wheels to check clearence..............



I wish I could convey how long and painful it all was! But after all this feckin around the distance between the two legs was a mere 3mm out at the very ends near the back panel 2mm within vauxhall's limits. I was very surprised!

Ace it all fitted! lmao

[Drizz]

Well done chap, sterling job!

[CraigGreen]

Amazing!

You didnt have new rear legs then? Thought you did.

Mine were so shot, we turreted the back end so they arent structural (as such). We have smoothed the spring location nipples on the legs & rear beam.

really wish you could get the chassis legs though, pattern ones are available for Cavs etc but not Novas. Definately the Novas achilles heel IMO.

Well done again...

Have you seen my project btw?

[CortraGTE]

Its sooooo clean loving it

[ashtal]

Where did you get the inner whell arch panel used in this pic, cant find them anywhere !

[Jimbo]

Ashtal,

The parts are all hand made in the pic. They are called a lower dash repair section on the vauxhall parts compooter. I ordered the drivers side (the one in the picture) three times but they kept sending the passenger side. I don't know if this because they're stupid or there is none left! So I took a passenger side one hammered it flat used it as a template to make this one. Made all the bends and curves with hammers, dollies, a vice, and a gas bottle!!

They aint hard to do try making them out of cardboard or summat first. You'd be surprised what you can make if you have a pop!

[Benn]

Amazing! dude thats funking ace,

i've never see someone rip there nova apart that much..
top work dude!

[Ghost_Walker]

i beleive jimbo if you use a lump of ally you get a similar effect to the copper block