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Thread: Paddy's Nova Mk2

  1. #1

    Paddy's Nova Mk2

    Restoration Photo Diary - in full detail this time round!


    Prior to start;






    Basic specs are - based on 1970 1500cc beetle chassis, bought as a runner in Nov2004 in Skegness and driven home to kent! Baptism of fire, lol!
    Needed basic sprucing up to bring it to show standard only, or so i thought!
    Ran for about a year without my getting the time to do any of the work required. Engine then conked out and the car sat outside in all weathers until Jan/Feb2007 when I began the restoration


    Started stripdown, side windows removed due to looking like this;


    and the same with the headligth covers;


    seats removed, carpets taken up, and general interior strip down;


    This revealed a few extra problem that I hadn't banked on!
    Here is the state of the wiring behind the dash - a total fire hazard and desparetly in need of replacement;










    Also found was this almost unbelieveable bodge on the gear linkage, instead of the proper rod guide on the inside of the tunnel, someone in their wisdom had choosen to fill the tunnel with expanding foam and tie the link rod in place with a shoe lace!!




    However most important was the discovery of patches of rust on the floors;


    I started to clear the 'metal' back to asses the severity of the problem, only to find however the the majority of my floor was actually made of filler / fibreglass;



















    On seeing this my first choice was to affect a repair patch to the affected area(s) and not have to remove the body from the chassis;






    However, whilst preparing for this I noticed just how far the rot went, and with the help of my new vw 'technical consultant', one Mad Chris, I made the difficult choice to totally remove the body and replace the floors with new ones.
    We have to skip ahead slightly here, as my camera is a little naff and only works when it feels like it! Suffice to say the every bolt holding the body on was rusted solid and each and every one (include the many side pod ones) had to be cut or ground off!
    So several Sunday's later we move onto this, and it's easy to see why the choice was made to replace the floors rather than repair!;














    Incidently, due to lack of space I had to winch the body off the chassis and leave it hanging from the rafters in my garage roof, a bit Heath Robinson with rope and bike straps, but hey it works, and the chassis can be wheeled in and out underneath it!


    New floors were cheap enough, and arrived quickly!




    Old floors then had to come out - a process involving large quantities of brute force and ignorance, which happens to be one of my specialitiees!






    And naturally I couldn't resist the impressive look of a quick dry fit of the floors;




    That is as far as my photo diary goes, and tbh I haven't managed to get any more major mechanical work done since then (job changes etc...)
    However so as not to loose momentum on the project I have taken the engine out so I can spend ½hr every evening getting something acheived.
    I have taken that apart to find more unexpected expense! The heads were both mismatched and neither were particularly suitable for purpose.
    However I have now got a set of 1641cc barrels and pistons to be fitted and a pair of ported and polished big valve heads to go with them! With my dual single 40's and exhaust this should mean plenty of go for not too much dough!
    Incidentally engine was generally in good condition throughout and showing no signs of being worse for wear from its unbalaned running previously.

    Anyway am stopping there!
    Any questions/comments/critism/etc would be greatly appreciated!

    P
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  2. #2
    Euro-Nova Founder bobbybrown's Avatar
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    Very nice Paddy, looks like you've got one hell of a cracking Nova there

  3. #3
    Well I hope to one day in the semi-immediate future anyway!!
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  4. #4
    Euro-Nova Founder bobbybrown's Avatar
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    Jul 2007
    Location
    Tamworth, Staffordshire, UK
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    must say, I've always admired your car, even on the last forum it seemed to stand out from the crowd.

  5. #5
    Thankyou kindly! ops:

    I hope to keep the 'original' feel to the car, but still bring it upto a std that will last a few more years yet!
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  6. #6
    paddy what exhaust is it you have
    http://jimsnova.page.tl/
    Club Nova / avante membership 031

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by jimcub
    paddy what exhaust is it you have
    Hi Jim,

    I couldn't tell you with any certainty unfortunately, as it was on the car when I bought it, however it is my understanding that it is the system known as 'Dual Cannon' and can be bought from any of the major vw parts guys (ssp, bigboystoys, etc)
    I do not know if it would be compatible with any of the other bumpers from different nova marks, but it just clears under the mk2 one
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  8. #8
    Update!

    Drivers floor welded in - 100% One more thing to tick off the list!
    Passengers floor 75% welded in - run out of weld wire

    Will be done by tomorrow though!

    Do they do weld in B&Q / Wickes?

    P
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  9. #9
    I found that they do mig wire in Halfords of all places.
    http://jimsnova.page.tl/
    Club Nova / avante membership 031

  10. #10
    Thanks Jim!
    I probably wouldn't have even bothered looking in halfords, but will give it a go now!

    P
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

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