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Thread: Paddy's Nova Mk2

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  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
    Who said IT meetings couldn't be productive...

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    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  3. #3
    Senior Member jasoncambs's Avatar
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    Hi Paddy,
    Nice work so far ,wow a new chassis , where do you buy one of those from in the uk ?

  4. #4
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Peter's Avatar
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    The opinions expressed in my posts may not be made in a sound mind and should be taken in the spirit intended, Jack Daniels is fine. Autism isn't something you get or can be 'cured of', it is the way we are wired, differently.

    http://ukhozi.page.tl

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter View Post
    Not bad. And relatively "easy" to covert to right hand drive for those of us who don't drive on the wrong side of the road

  6. #6
    That is exactly the item and supplier I used
    Got a good discount and reasonable price for shipping too

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  7. #7












    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  8. #8
    I assume they are going to finish those welds where the handbrake has been repositioned and tacked up right? and not just paint over it

  9. #9
    Yes indeed, although hard to see, the second pic shows it welded up fully.
    These have come out in a strange order, probably my own fault for rushing!

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
    Never be afraid to stand out from the crowd!

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Looks good. And if you want too, you can edit your post and put the photos in the correct order.

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