J's Nova Project

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 07:43

Well i got a J plate Nova off ebay, it did already have a 2.0l in it running twin 45's on mbe managment, but it was dropping nasty clouds of blue smoke on let off, so the fun started from their.

I Removed the Engine, to find all sorts of horrors, like the Throttle cable was a mountanbike cable, none of the sensors were wired except the crank sensor, the inside of the car was painted with a brush and it was messy. the loom is held to gether with tape LOTS of tape so i mentaly booked a solder session in my head!

Engine OUT

Stripped the head down to find who ever owned it before has taken a dremel to the inlet manifold and the inlet ports, nothing was evenly ported, it was rough as fcuk, to my surprise it was a coscast head, but had been sevearly skimmed so binned it.

Aquired a new head off Adnyfitz, Cheers sent that away to be acid dipped, re faced the seats ground to get it ready to drop back on.

Ok the bottom end, well the piston movment was horrific so out they came, at this point i thought sod it and stripped the entire engine i didnt want a gasket or O ring that was not new in the rebuild so everything came out all seals in the bin!

Spent a Few hours cleaning the water ways in the bottom end, then a few more hours with a air line clearing all the oil gallerys to make sure we had no blockages, i was shocked to find the amount of silicone in the oil ways, the pickup was full of it. Blew the crank oi ways through checked the crank wasnt scored or burnt all was ok.

Gathering Parts

i have always used SBD, they may seem more expensive but the delivery times and support if needed is second to none, plus you always get GM parts or better.
Baily & Liddle - For Engine Skimming cleaning
Vauxhall maidstone, oil, Filter

Parts

SBD - C20XE Top & Bottom Gasket Set
SBD - ACL Big End bearings
SBD - ACL Mains
SBD - Valvs Stem Seals "came with top gasket set GM parts"
SBD - Arp Rod Bolts
SBD - Uprated Crank Bolts
Baily & Liddle - Goetz Piston Ring set

Extras "Whilst im at it :P"

SBD - Cool Running Thermostat
SBD - Ultra Small Alternator
SBD - Alloy Forged lightened & balenced Flywheel
SBD - 2.0L Tapier Throttle Bodies
SBD - MBE Managment
SBD - Uprated Injectors
SBD - Coil 4 System
SBD - Hi tention Leads
SBD - Comp Spec Fuel Pump
SBD - Comp Spec Fuel Filter
SBD - Teflon Braided Fuel Line
SBD - -6 High Preasure Fittings
SBD - Oil Pumps uprated parts
Helix - Ultra Light flywheel

RE Building the Engine

Slowly its going back together, i am coating all moving parts with graphogen so the initial run in doesnt cause any damage.

Will update later, also ill download some pics off my camera.

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 07:47

i have Installed the new Fuel Lines, it took some fiddling about but finally got it in and it looks the nuts, i run the feed inside the car and the return on the bottom.

I run the Feed from the Tank to the Fuel Filter then onto the Pump both the Filter and Pump sit lower than the tank or level with the bottom so i shouldnt have any issues.

Tank--Filter--Pump--Injection Rail--Preasure Reg--Return to Tank

Pump--Rail--FPR is in Teflon Braided Rubber with High comp Connections,
FPR--Tank--Filter is in Normal 12 psi Fuel hose

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 16:07

Today i spent all day in the back of the Nova stripping the paint out then Primer, a Job i never want to do again!!!!!!

Engine Rebuild / Back together

Stripped Repainted Tank

Nova Inside Before

Inside Stripped

Inside Primed

Inside Arches Wax Oyled/Underseal

**Benn** · 25-08-2008, 16:08

Dude if you copy and paste the img codes all the pics will show up, so we dont have to clickthe links..

Why are you gonna use a cool running stat?

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 16:11

i have, all th elink say IMG in my post dunno why they are not showing ?

**Benn** · 25-08-2008, 16:12

Like this... Should have [img] at each end, should be the bottom link on photobucket..

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benn

Like this... Should have [img] at each end, should be the bottom link on photobucket..

yup still didnt work ???

**Benn** · 25-08-2008, 16:15

works here...

*Adz* · 25-08-2008, 16:15

looking really good mate

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 16:23

Thanks, can u see the pics now?

**Benn** · 25-08-2008, 17:01

Yep all working.

Skidmarkz · 25-08-2008, 20:43

my hands are killing, glad they all work.. was a stupid option in my user CP stopped the images from displaying lol

Skidmarkz · 30-08-2008, 07:46

Small update,

i havent been able to do much as ive been away with work

, i did attack the wiring loom, run in some new cables to link up the new ecu, got stuck on the tacho wire ?, removed the dash, saw how badly the previous owner's alarm company had installed the car alarm so cut it out, in the process of running new cables in the main loom rather than spidering around the car dash like they had!

Going to rub down and try and paint the inside today, then i can start to put it back together at last!!!

installing new Oil Temp, Preasure, Water Temp, senders and cables today, wiring in a battery cut off, no real reason just want 1 lol!!

J

Skidmarkz · 30-08-2008, 19:36

Well,

i was out at a birthday party last night, so i think i was still drunk when i tried to wire my ECU this morning, everything was way to hard and nothing made sense! i even fell asleep under my car for an hour haha! untill my misses woke me up at which point i smashed my face on the bottom of the car and cut my chin LOL!!!!

Got the inside painted, will upload pics later, i installed the gauges to the dash well happy with how they look, did all the wiring behind the dash ready to be re fitted, going to put the dash back in tomorrow finish wiring the ECU now im sobre and re install the car alarm if i remember what wire go where!

Pics to follow shortly.

Skidmarkz · 31-08-2008, 09:33

Painted Pic Uploaded, Im happy with it, its not ment to be a show car it's being built to tack on track days and hill climbs.

Graham88 · 31-08-2008, 17:06

Orange and black goes so well.

Nice progress

Hope your chin isn't too sore

**Benn** · 31-08-2008, 18:35

Cool.

Skidmarkz · 31-08-2008, 19:48

ok so, Wired all the Alarm/Imobiliser back and it worked!! Result, re Fitted my dash and seat so i could sit and make the Digi Dash change got problems with that bloody thing!!!

Re wired all the loom today cant belive how many cut cables were hiding under all the sticky gooy crap!!

My chins ok

haha

LongLiveTheNova · 31-08-2008, 19:52

Good work mate, looks cool

**CraigGreen** · 01-09-2008, 08:57

Good start. Not fun chasing after other peoples shoddy workmanship is it?

DaveB · 01-09-2008, 09:05

Good efforts.

The paint stripping; did you use nitromors or something or just go at it with a sander?

Skidmarkz · 01-09-2008, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigGreen

Good start. Not fun chasing after other peoples shoddy workmanship is it?

Sure is, i bought it as a 2.0 on dellorto twin 45's carbs, he didnt setup the carbs properly so bore wash kicked in fast piston rings died so i took out the engine to rebuild it. then noticed how **** the loom was so re wired that, didnt like the brush on white **** in the boot so removed that lol, so yeah its no fun but at least i now know where its at

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveB

Good efforts.

The paint stripping; did you use nitromors or something or just go at it with a sander?

Nitro on parts i couldnt get my grinder into, on the grinder i used a wire brush attachment thingy from halford, be warned the metal bit fly off and impale themselves into you haha can be fun till you kneel on 1

DaveB · 01-09-2008, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skidmarkz

Nitro on parts i couldnt get my grinder into, on the grinder i used a wire brush attachment thingy from halford, be warned the metal bit fly off and impale themselves into you haha can be fun till you kneel on 1

Nice, sounds like fun

I'm re-doing all of the inside of my floor properly sometime over September. Going to make sure every single dot of sound deadening is removed, and fill any rough marks so it looks abit tidier. Gonna go for a colour change inside too

I hate prep work, LOL

Skidmarkz · 01-09-2008, 12:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveB

Nice, sounds like fun

I'm re-doing all of the inside of my floor properly sometime over September. Going to make sure every single dot of sound deadening is removed, and fill any rough marks so it looks abit tidier. Gonna go for a colour change inside too

I hate prep work, LOL

i will tell you now, its nasty make sure everything is out you dont want covered in s... the end result is well worth it plus, i was very happy that i only found 1 rust spot on the inside whick i cut out a welded a plate over

so now i know my floor is 100%

i had the great idea of stripping it back and i wont be doing it again, its hard work and it takes agies, i think it took me about 6 hours with a angle grinder with another 1 with nitro. you have to take the guard off the grinder for those hard places and my nuckles are fooked when i hit the wire brush wheel lol, pulling 1 cm bits of steel out ya legs is fun 2 lol

DaveB · 01-09-2008, 12:52

did you paint the insides yourself with cans or with a compressor?