New member

[Spacenut]

Hello Mike - welcome to the forum. What a lovely looking machine. I am guessing from the specification and your length of ownership that the car is a Mk1, but is it an ADD or a very early Elam car?

I think we are all looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Nova land!

Lauren

[Mikemrb]

Hi
Welcome to the forum. We would all be interested to learn from your lengthy ownership time on any issues which you have had, lessons learned etc.
For example, what cooling system do you have ?
Many give advise, but you could be the yoda of knowledge !

The cooling system is a pair of rads from an Austin mini fitted at an angle in the front pan under the headlights, had to reposition the inlet/outlet pipes and fit electric fans which hardly ever come on the pipes from the rear to the front of the car are standard 32mm poly plumbing pipe you fine on most household sink drains it’s been on there for about 30 years and still good, another advantage of the rads under the h/lights the don’t mist up in damp conditions. I’m always willing to share any knowledge I used to run Italian car restoration business for over 20 Years specialising in mainly Alfa’s and Lancia’s and the odd Lotus also building race and rally cars for customer even competing myself in tarmac rallying with an Alfasud I notice you have a 33 engine car, your located in Hailsham not far away just up the A22 near Hartfield
Thanks Mike

[Mikemrb]

Hello Mike - welcome to the forum. What a lovely looking machine. I am guessing from the specification and your length of ownership that the car is a Mk1, but is it an ADD or a very early Elam car?

I think we are all looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Nova land!

Lauren

Hi Lauren Unfortunately it’s not in brilliant condition hence the rebuild I believe it’s a Mk 1, one of the first batch of 180 body shell 101 originally lime green and was effected with dreaded dark green gel coat streaks
Mike

[Buffy]

The cooling system is a pair of rads from an Austin mini fitted at an angle in the front pan under the headlights, had to reposition the inlet/outlet pipes and fit electric fans which hardly ever come on the pipes from the rear to the front of the car are standard 32mm poly plumbing pipe you fine on most household sink drains it’s been on there for about 30 years and still good, another advantage of the rads under the h/lights the don’t mist up in damp conditions. I’m always willing to share any knowledge I used to run Italian car restoration business for over 20 Years specialising in mainly Alfa’s and Lancia’s and the odd Lotus also building race and rally cars for customer even competing myself in tarmac rallying with an Alfasud I notice you have a 33 engine car, your located in Hailsham not far away just up the A22 near Hartfield
Thanks Mike

Well it sounds like I have exactly the same type of cooling system fitted to my car as you have on yours !

And if it has done that well after so many years then it eases my mind on whether I did the right thing. I know that Islandman was thinking of doing a similar conversion on his Scooby Nova.

And as you are not far away I am sure we can arrange a meet, when the weather is better !

[Spacenut]

Well it sounds like I have exactly the same type of cooling system fitted to my car as you have on yours !

And if it has done that well after so many years then it eases my mind on whether I did the right thing. I know that Islandman was thinking of doing a similar conversion on his Scooby Nova.

...And Mikes specification also mirrors that of John Rand's Lotus powered car, which is almost the same vintage (ADD Mk1 with a sunroof panel and Ford Mustang convertible hydraulics added by Nova "pirate" Don Law in the late '70s).

Twin radiators in the nose certainly make a lot of sense in that they help to balance the weight of the engine at the back, bringing the CofG forward. Doesn't help the polar moment though, but Alfa transaxle cars had the same issue!

Lauren

[islandman]

The cooling system is a pair of rads from an Austin mini fitted at an angle in the front pan under the headlights, had to reposition the inlet/outlet pipes and fit electric fans which

would be great to see some photos of that install, its one I've been contemplating for my Scooby Nova, and I especially like the anecdote about the lights not misting up