£500 12 Second Nova
27-09-2007, 12:30 AM
#1
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£500 12 Second Nova
With one Nova finished (well sort of ) It wasn't going to be long till the need for another came around 
So it began last week when Turbo Gav (off migweb)and I started to think of a seriously cheap way of going fast on the 1/4 using maybe some bits we had and sourcing everything else including a car but keeping costs to a minimum.
Its Friday 21st September, I've just got in from work and Gav sends me a link to a Nova he has seen on Ebay, £130 tax and tested all original 1984 1.2 Nova ! what was even better was the 21k it had only covered !
Sensibly we got straight in the chavalier and headed straight for Ipswich via a bank heading towards the owners after already agreeing that were going to buy it whatever shape its in lol
We arrive to find a slightly rusty looking green nova, it was sold before we had even got out of the car, a quick deal was done with the old owners and we were off ! ( I might add that at this point we had been informed it had been round the clock once but this was no worry to us....... or was it ?! )
After not really inspecting the car much and the fact that it was as good as out of fuel we thought we would stop for a refuel and a good look round it, well lol the water in the header tank looks a bit suspect and the hole in the battery tray was well hidden by the battery ! Gav then informs me its been running on 3 so we head off sharpish trying to sort of nurse it home. Another 10 miles on and it blows the top rad hose, as were on the move it makes sense to keep going so we continue on our merry way home although within 30 mins its coughed and spluttered and will only run if I push it down the road with the Cavalier lol
After getting it home we sat around thinking what route to go down with it, enginewise it had to be a 2L XE, we thought about using a F15 smallblock gearbox but as good as that would of been for the track it would of been totally useless for the strip so we opted to stick to a big box for strength.
Powerwise the only sensible modification would be Nitrous as we both had kits and obviously the only cost was refills so a plan to maybe use upto 200hp was decided upon
Laying the best pasrt of 300+hp down isn't going to be easy though and a proper LSD isn't cheap and would cost our total budget limit so out with the welder and special edition drag racing welded diff was made on a budget of some welding wire.
Its now saturday evening and we start to strip the nova of everything important, the more we remove the more holes we find ! the car is certainly original thats for sure ! rotten as a pair springs to mind !
Here some of the first pics :
Possibly the cause of the misfire
More :
The weight loss mods now start taking place, firstly the hole saw comes out for a few test runs :
Then the Firewall as we needed a repair panel for the battery tray:
After those first modifications I started to remove all of the sound deadening and dash whilst Gav tried to do something with what was left of slam panel.
After a few hours we were left with this :
Monday night we hit it hard again and tried to get as much done as possible as on sunday we had decided to give the car a lick of spray paint as it was going to look outrageous if we left it a rusty green colour.
The engine bay was welded up the best you could get it, strengthening plates were made up for the crossmember and the old firewall was used to make a new battery tray and fill in the old heater matrix holes. Whilst I continued to sort the interior out and Gav finished off the bay a mate came over with his da and rubbed down the bodywork which saved a lot of time.
Here is the last pics I took of the shell before we left it on tuesday night:
The bay isn't 100% done yet as we ran out of mig wire but it is getting there, next on the list to do after that is sort the interior out as there is a few holes and the rear valance needs some attention ! After that we just need 2 wings and a door maybe 2 from the scrapyard and its ready for the prepwork to be finished and the spray cans to come out
Also on tuesday we got a reply to a wanted advert we posted about a engine being required. Tonight we headed over to Norwich to go and pick up a Calibra 16v at a very sensible price which still keeps us well under budget
The new powerplant : (although I suspect this wont last too long lol )
So in less than a week we are right on our way to getting this car ready for some Santa Pod action, our deadline although it may seem close is October 13th which is a Saturday Night Special where both Gav and I have done quite well in our old cars so maybe it just brings good luck to us !
So on that note I'm off to bed but expect to see very frequent updates and changes !
So it began last week when Turbo Gav (off migweb)and I started to think of a seriously cheap way of going fast on the 1/4 using maybe some bits we had and sourcing everything else including a car but keeping costs to a minimum.
Its Friday 21st September, I've just got in from work and Gav sends me a link to a Nova he has seen on Ebay, £130 tax and tested all original 1984 1.2 Nova ! what was even better was the 21k it had only covered !
Sensibly we got straight in the chavalier and headed straight for Ipswich via a bank heading towards the owners after already agreeing that were going to buy it whatever shape its in lol
We arrive to find a slightly rusty looking green nova, it was sold before we had even got out of the car, a quick deal was done with the old owners and we were off ! ( I might add that at this point we had been informed it had been round the clock once but this was no worry to us....... or was it ?! )
After not really inspecting the car much and the fact that it was as good as out of fuel we thought we would stop for a refuel and a good look round it, well lol the water in the header tank looks a bit suspect and the hole in the battery tray was well hidden by the battery ! Gav then informs me its been running on 3 so we head off sharpish trying to sort of nurse it home. Another 10 miles on and it blows the top rad hose, as were on the move it makes sense to keep going so we continue on our merry way home although within 30 mins its coughed and spluttered and will only run if I push it down the road with the Cavalier lol
After getting it home we sat around thinking what route to go down with it, enginewise it had to be a 2L XE, we thought about using a F15 smallblock gearbox but as good as that would of been for the track it would of been totally useless for the strip so we opted to stick to a big box for strength.
Powerwise the only sensible modification would be Nitrous as we both had kits and obviously the only cost was refills so a plan to maybe use upto 200hp was decided upon
Laying the best pasrt of 300+hp down isn't going to be easy though and a proper LSD isn't cheap and would cost our total budget limit so out with the welder and special edition drag racing welded diff was made on a budget of some welding wire.
Its now saturday evening and we start to strip the nova of everything important, the more we remove the more holes we find ! the car is certainly original thats for sure ! rotten as a pair springs to mind !
Here some of the first pics :
Possibly the cause of the misfire
More :
The weight loss mods now start taking place, firstly the hole saw comes out for a few test runs :
Then the Firewall as we needed a repair panel for the battery tray:
After those first modifications I started to remove all of the sound deadening and dash whilst Gav tried to do something with what was left of slam panel.
After a few hours we were left with this :
Monday night we hit it hard again and tried to get as much done as possible as on sunday we had decided to give the car a lick of spray paint as it was going to look outrageous if we left it a rusty green colour.
The engine bay was welded up the best you could get it, strengthening plates were made up for the crossmember and the old firewall was used to make a new battery tray and fill in the old heater matrix holes. Whilst I continued to sort the interior out and Gav finished off the bay a mate came over with his da and rubbed down the bodywork which saved a lot of time.
Here is the last pics I took of the shell before we left it on tuesday night:
The bay isn't 100% done yet as we ran out of mig wire but it is getting there, next on the list to do after that is sort the interior out as there is a few holes and the rear valance needs some attention ! After that we just need 2 wings and a door maybe 2 from the scrapyard and its ready for the prepwork to be finished and the spray cans to come out
Also on tuesday we got a reply to a wanted advert we posted about a engine being required. Tonight we headed over to Norwich to go and pick up a Calibra 16v at a very sensible price which still keeps us well under budget
The new powerplant : (although I suspect this wont last too long lol )
So in less than a week we are right on our way to getting this car ready for some Santa Pod action, our deadline although it may seem close is October 13th which is a Saturday Night Special where both Gav and I have done quite well in our old cars so maybe it just brings good luck to us !
So on that note I'm off to bed but expect to see very frequent updates and changes !
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29-09-2007, 01:09 AM
#10
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We spent of this evening taking out the donor engine as carefully as possible, obviously with what Calibras fetch these days we made sure we didnt' scratch it.
Updated pics :
Whilst we were making a mess at the worskshop it was obvious my dog was making the most of the "free" house as I when I got in she had nearly chewed half of my room apart !
Pic of said guilty looking dog ! :
More updates tomorrow !
Updated pics :
Whilst we were making a mess at the worskshop it was obvious my dog was making the most of the "free" house as I when I got in she had nearly chewed half of my room apart !
Pic of said guilty looking dog ! :
More updates tomorrow !
29-09-2007, 06:48 PM
#16
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So today was spent mainly in bed as I still feel shit but Gav got on with sorting the lack of wheel arches out and started to lighten the doors a little.
We got a pair of repair arches as they basically cover the worse bits, attempting to fit them correctly would be a waste of time as there really isn't enough strength in anything now !
Updated pics from today :
There isn't too many more rot holes to patch up now so were still on schedule to have it painted by mid week.
We have found a nice fuel cell and the polycarbonate is on its way to do the all the windows !
More updates tomorrow !
We got a pair of repair arches as they basically cover the worse bits, attempting to fit them correctly would be a waste of time as there really isn't enough strength in anything now !
Updated pics from today :
There isn't too many more rot holes to patch up now so were still on schedule to have it painted by mid week.
We have found a nice fuel cell and the polycarbonate is on its way to do the all the windows !
More updates tomorrow !
30-09-2007, 12:39 AM
#19
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Thread Starter
So far were about £430 into it. Only got paint and a fuel cell to go which is damn close to the budget but it should be possible.
Obviously the nitrous setup isn't included in that as we haven't had to purchase one.
The nitrous setup is a direct port WON kit with a maximiser and a bottle heater.
Were certainly not short of spares between us
Obviously the nitrous setup isn't included in that as we haven't had to purchase one.
The nitrous setup is a direct port WON kit with a maximiser and a bottle heater.
Were certainly not short of spares between us
30-09-2007, 06:37 PM
#20
Thats a QUALITY project. Ive thought about building a quarter mile monster out of a Renault 5 GTT before.
Love the idea of just stripping/lightening EVERYTHING, not caring what it loks like and giving it soem silly power - exactly what your doing here!
Keep us updated!
PMSL at the way you carefully removed the C20 lump
If you weld up the rear shocks to irradicate all squatting along with the welded diff you should no problem with traction with a half decent set of tyres
Love the idea of just stripping/lightening EVERYTHING, not caring what it loks like and giving it soem silly power - exactly what your doing here!
Keep us updated!
PMSL at the way you carefully removed the C20 lump
If you weld up the rear shocks to irradicate all squatting along with the welded diff you should no problem with traction with a half decent set of tyres
30-09-2007, 06:44 PM
#21
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Saw a corsa at the pod last year that seemed to have replaced the rear shocks with LONG solid bars....it had it's arse right up the air so all the weight was on the front. Went like stink!
Chris
Chris
30-09-2007, 10:51 PM
#23
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Thanks for your comments guys
As rough as the car is it HAS to have some paint done, it simply looks too rough to even be seen on the road, although it has a mot I would expect a tug with it looking how it does
The guy I'm building it with had the 11 sec Nova from last year, he ran solid bars in his and said it was awful ! They are still available though if I want to try them.
On my old car I just locked the rear dampers out which seemed to help it get off the line, 2.0 60ft isn't bad on a set of A539's and this car has slightly better tyres then that !
Anyway, we have had another good day on it, the doors are now even lighter and I spent an hour or so with a hole cutter which has improved the weight a little
The arches now have a small amount of filler in them and the doors were being completely rubbed down when I left a while ago
The paint has turned up so were just needing to finish some welding off, remove a few more parts and prep the shell and paint it, obviously take the word prep with a pinch of salt LOL
Pics to follow
As rough as the car is it HAS to have some paint done, it simply looks too rough to even be seen on the road, although it has a mot I would expect a tug with it looking how it does
The guy I'm building it with had the 11 sec Nova from last year, he ran solid bars in his and said it was awful ! They are still available though if I want to try them.
On my old car I just locked the rear dampers out which seemed to help it get off the line, 2.0 60ft isn't bad on a set of A539's and this car has slightly better tyres then that !
Anyway, we have had another good day on it, the doors are now even lighter and I spent an hour or so with a hole cutter which has improved the weight a little
The arches now have a small amount of filler in them and the doors were being completely rubbed down when I left a while ago
The paint has turned up so were just needing to finish some welding off, remove a few more parts and prep the shell and paint it, obviously take the word prep with a pinch of salt LOL
Pics to follow
30-09-2007, 11:44 PM
#27
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Thread Starter
Thanks for the offer on the tyres, we have something already that will see us into a 12 and they are totally road legal.
Maybe once when it wont go any better we will stick some proper tyres on it but not for now if were to keep it in budget.
It will be painted though
Maybe once when it wont go any better we will stick some proper tyres on it but not for now if were to keep it in budget.
It will be painted though
01-10-2007, 05:10 PM
#30
Originally Posted by Mr Sam
i could probably get you a pair of slicks used but useable £40
dont paint it god damn it, not even rattle can
dont paint it god damn it, not even rattle can
What colour is it going?
2.0 60ft is very good, what time did you run overall?
01-10-2007, 05:17 PM
#31
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I ran a 13.051 @ 109mph with a dead stock xe and a 100shot
Turbo Gav who is building it with me ran a 11.9 @ 124mph in his phase 3 Let nova
Not sure which one of those times we will be closest too in the shitbox racer but as long as it is a 12 we will both be happy
Turbo Gav who is building it with me ran a 11.9 @ 124mph in his phase 3 Let nova
Not sure which one of those times we will be closest too in the shitbox racer but as long as it is a 12 we will both be happy
01-10-2007, 05:32 PM
#32
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This my old one, in its earlier days of running 13.4's on the 50 shot I ran 15" wheels as I had a few sets of tyres to burn out, I then upgraded to the Reyland brakes and had to leave the 16" MO's on
01-10-2007, 06:05 PM
#33
Originally Posted by JonnyBravo
I ran a 13.051 @ 109mph with a dead stock xe and a 100shot
Turbo Gav who is building it with me ran a 11.9 @ 124mph in his phase 3 Let nova
Not sure which one of those times we will be closest too in the shitbox racer but as long as it is a 12 we will both be happy
Turbo Gav who is building it with me ran a 11.9 @ 124mph in his phase 3 Let nova
Not sure which one of those times we will be closest too in the shitbox racer but as long as it is a 12 we will both be happy
This one should be well into the 12s going on that info then really.
02-10-2007, 12:38 AM
#34
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Well another night has been spent trying to put a bit more strength back into the shell, nearly everything we could be arsed to cut out has been removed, seats bars are in and doors have had the ton of filler removed (to save weight!) obviously this has left us with some nice dents but we can't see that affecting the performance too much.
We picked up the fuel cell tonight for £55 off Ali Fab, I already had a spare cosworth pump laying about so short of some fuel lines thats that taken care of.
Should be in primer tomorrow and painted on wednesday ! It will atleast look better then it did but I'm not expecting too much except for it all being the same colour lol
here is some pics :
As promised Gav has been on a strict diet of All Bran which is starting to show now !
With any luck we should have some pics of it in primer tomrorrow
We picked up the fuel cell tonight for £55 off Ali Fab, I already had a spare cosworth pump laying about so short of some fuel lines thats that taken care of.
Should be in primer tomorrow and painted on wednesday ! It will atleast look better then it did but I'm not expecting too much except for it all being the same colour lol
here is some pics :
As promised Gav has been on a strict diet of All Bran which is starting to show now !
With any luck we should have some pics of it in primer tomrorrow
