The front end has been stripped down, all the glass has been removed with the front window winding mechanism and all thrown away, as we are going to replace all the glass with perspex. The interior has been stripped down. The fire extinguishers have been removed and sent for testing and re-dating.Work has started on getting the car prepared for some welding work to add triangulation points and strut tops before painting.Parts in the engine bay have been removed to help access to the strut tops for welding, these will be moved to different positions
  in the car when refitted to help weight distribution.The car is now being totally stripped down, inside and welding has been started. A new fibreglass bonnet and rear hatch door have arrived, the carbs have been sent for servicing, new parts are now arriving and being stored in the attic at home (it's straining under the weight !). The original roll cage is to be modified to give a more comprehensive cage and add stiffness to the shell.Liam has removed the dashboard and stripped out the wiring loom to remove all unused wires before re-wiring. It looks like spaghetti junction, I hope he knows where it all fits back onto the car !Liam has stripped down the engine bay and is now ready to remove the engine and gearbox (when he gets back from holiday !)Engine & gearbox now removed, transport loaded and car taken to Matt Wood for improvements by a Nova / Corsa expert.Whilst the car is away all the removed items (if being re-used) are to be cleaned up and given a coat of paint ready for refitting.The shell has now been shot blasted to allow the seam welding and Harry Hockley strengthening kit to be welded into place.Front roll cage triangulation extensions to the top of the strut mounts has been completed.Rear beam re-furbished with new racing polybushes, new wheel bearings, new discs, new wheel studs and new Bilstein Group A rear shocks fitted, this is now ready to be refitted onto car.Liam has been spending his money and bought a 1600 16 valve engine which has been uprated for more power to fit in the new car, further details (and photos) to follow. The shell was almost ready for painting but now will require more modifications to fit the new engine into the Nova's small engine bay !Liam 's been spending again ! - This time on bigger carbs (he's bought twin 45s) and a lightweight racing alternator, its amazing whats for sale on ebay if you can sort the bargains from the junk.New sills have been welded onto the car, the twin 40 carbs, 8 valve engine and associated items have been sold to raise more money for the ongoing build.The front four pot brakes have been stripped down and new pistons and seals fitted.The shell work is almost completed (end Jan 2010), just the seat rails to weld into place and a few minor cosmetic patches. Seat rails have been fitted, along with two new floor plates under the car, so it can withstand the forest rallies for years to come. A modification for mounting the fuel pumps in the spare wheel well has been completed.The engine has been test fitted into the car before spraying, minor mods of the engine mounting position is reqd.A new MBE engine management system and loom has been purchased ready for the car rebuild. Liam is continuing work on the new wiring loom, whilst he decides what colour to spray the car !The shell preparation work is complete (at last), the car has gone for its blue spraying, then it just a matter of putting it all together !The car has been returned to the workshop fully sprayed. We have started to rebuild it into a rally car ! So far the suspension and underside of the car has been refitted (its now a rolling shell), whilst bolting on various small items the engine is being checked over with a new paddle clutch and cambelt being fitted, before the engine is mounted into the car. A new pair of Redtop fuel pumps have been fitted, with the next job being to pipe up the pumps and braking system of the car.After adjustments to suit the driver, the power steering column has been fitted and secured into place, along with its associated electrical components. Liam is working on the constuction of a wiring loom, whilst Pete is doing lots of small jobs that seem to take ages to complete ! All in all the build is coming on but there is still a lot to complete before we can get it out.The wiring loom has been modified, stripped down to essentials and is now back in the car, connecting up all the wires in the correct places is Liam's job ! Also fitted and piped up to the carbs is the filter king, when the fuel hose arrives this is the next fitting job to complete. The new exhaust has arrived, all we need is a manifold to connect it to !!!A new rose jointed gear linkage has been fitted to gearbox and the interior gearshift setup ready to go. A slight modification to the front beam was required before fitting the oil cooler, this is now complete, so the oil cooler radiator, the new aluminium water radiator and slimline fan have all been fitted and secured into place. Liam is still working on the wiring loom inside the car ! The twin fuel pumps, filers and valves have been fitted and the braided hoses put into place. The water system is now hosed up, complete and ready to fill up. Work is continuing on the wiring loom, also the polycarbonate windows have arrived ready to be fitted.The cooling system is complete and filled up (after curing a leak on the thermostat housing). New automatic fire extinguisher pipes and nozzles have been fitted along with new pull cables inside and out.The fibreglass rear hatch door has been fitted, but its not as good as expected so we may yet refit the original door. The rear quarter polycarbs are fitted, we are awaiting rubbers for the front windows. Liam has done a lot of work on the wiring loom, its now mostly completed, just a matter of putting in the dasboard and connecting the switches etc (sounds simple !) New coil springs have been fitted on the front bilsteins and on the rear beam, when new wheel bearing have been fitted to the hubs the front suspension will be ready for refitting.The MBE engine management system (in a protective steel box), along with new crank sensor and loom to the new coil is now fitted. The auxilliaries are still to wire up when Liam decided on the final dashboard layout.The front suspension is now fitted with new wheel bearings, track rod ends, bottom ball joints and refurbed 4 pot brake calipers.New brake pads and securing pins have been fitted all around so the car can now have wheels fitted !!! Little jobs having been taking a long time ! like making and fitting small blanking plates and brackets etc.A bulkhead connector has been fitted and the wiring is completed enough to fit the newly flocked dashboard. After this it will be a matter of fitting all the switches, relays and fuses, then the new dashboard clocks. We are now awaiting the delivery of various electrical items and new dashboard clocks, along with a new heated windscreen and its associated wiring loom.We have decided not to use the fibreglass rear hatch door due to its poor fit, so we will be refitting a lightened standard door.The new heated windscreen arrived - Broken ! So until an exchange item arrives, a standard screen has been fitted, lets hope it doesn't rain or the car will steam up and we wont know where we going !New driveshafts have been fitted, but the drivers side shaft is very tight in the hub so we have to remove the hub and investigate.The carbon fibre dashboard sections have been fitted into the main dashboard, the dash layout has been finalised and the dials have arrived so they are now being fitted and coupled up.Carbon fibre door cards are being made and fitted, the navigators side is complete ( so thats the important side done ! )Navigators side seat and harnesses fitted and bolted up, this side of the car is now complete.The dials have all been connected up and fitted into the dashboard, it's starting to look like a car now !!The exhaust manifold has been fitted with heat protective wrap and fitted onto the engine, though it may need to be removed again to give access for modifications to where it fixes onto the main exhaust section.Liam has connected the battery and has been testing the electrical circuits, so far all seems ok !The car was taken for testing and set up on the rolling road, different size jets were fitted in the carbs plus some other adjustments gave a figure of 160 bhp at the flywheel, thats about 130 bhp at the wheels.After last minute mods to the sump guard and fitting stickers, it's off to Manby Airfield for our first rally, the only small problem remaining is the Liam hasn't actually driven the car yet, so SS1 start will be his first time !!!

As you will know from the "Updates" section, the first event will be the last for a while for the 1600 engine. So its time for an extension of the "New Car Updates" Section.The 1600 engine has been removed and inspected, which showed damage to the pistons and valves.The 1400 8 valve engine has been fitted, and is in the process of being adapted to our engine bay, not a major task as the Nova originally had an 8 valve engine, but we made alterations for the 16 valve engine. Our original differential and gearbox has been fitted, now its mostly just work on the engine ancilliaries to complete.The replacement engine is in. We took the car for a test day at Blyton and all appears well, lets hope it stays that way !!!