Dashboard Blues...

[Spacenut]

I think so - the cable I used is a pretty good quality Shimano. It certainly runs smoothly, I just need a bit of mechanical advantage to convert the long travel of the rotary control into the short travel of the choke levers...

...Of course none of that happened today as the heatwave finally broke - we must have had a weeks worth of rain in one day! I've been cutting out fibreglass hexagons instead

Lauren

[Spacenut]

So, how’s the dashboard rework going, I hear you ask. Not as quickly as I would like, is the reply, but here’s where we are at…



I had the same problem with the dashboard texture as I had with the headlamp buckets – the finish was too spikey and snagged the fibre out of any cloth, leaving lots of mess. So I had to treat the whole of the dashboard to a light sanding with wet’n’dry, followed by a top coat of satin black. I also masked up the bodywork around the edge of the dashboard and treated that to some texture as well, which makes the view with the canopy open a lot tidier. Overall I think it has turned out pretty well…



...No matter which direction you look...



So it was time to move on to the next challenge – the canopy interior trim panels. Now I do have the two panels that finish off the inside of the canopy, but the problem is they fit very poorly around the dashboard ends, and with the new demister vents needing to line up perfectly I had to do something about it.

My solution was to make a former out of cardboard covered with resin-proof tape that would follow the line of the dashboard, covering the hydraulic ram fittings and the dashboard ends so that a vent can be embedded. Once the canopy is closed, the trim panel will seal around the vent hole in the dash so that all the heated air will exit onto the side window. The accurately fitted part will be at the front of the canopy, and my plan is trim the original side panels down so that they bolt in from the canopy hinge recess backwards.

With a thin scrim of fibreglass laid up over the former, I glued on sheets of foam and then shaped them to fit around the dash and windscreen A pillar. The overall result is not too bad, although I need to tweak the top line where the access to the canopy hinge bolts caused the former to sag a bit.





As you can see, I am still building up the level of the panel to match the inside contour of the dashboard end. The pencil lines indicate where the vent duct will sit.



Work in progress!

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

Hey Lauren, the dash looks great.
Texture looks very good and really comes together now it is all black.
Really well thought out. Super.

[KevJTD]

Loving the bespoke interior Lauren, did wonder how progress was getting on so glad to see you're still at it.

Dare we ask if it'll be out and about this Summer?

[Johnboy]

Attention to detail on point .it's going to look so cool when it's done

[Spacenut]

Loving the bespoke interior Lauren, did wonder how progress was getting on so glad to see you're still at it.

Dare we ask if it'll be out and about this Summer?

Hi Kev - I'd like to say yes, but we have been here before Nothing like the progress you have made on your many projects, but I am making some steady progress now. It would have been nice to get to Auto Italia in the Green Machine but I think that is pushing it a bit. But maybe later in the year. With the exception of the windscreen (needs to be bonded in) and the side windows (need to be cut and shaped, and a fixing method established) all the remaining work is essentially cosmetic. So yeah, never say never

[Spacenut]

A bit more progress on the outside...





The new access covers for the lights are in place. The nearside one has a pronounced twist in it to follow the contours of the wing...



As you can see, from the top they are almost parallel.



Overall I think they look OK, and obviously help to keep the weather out.



The Nova has such a great profile, I just couldn't resist taking another picture...



Windscreen in place. Second attempt to backfill around the edge was slightly more successful, but still a bit more to do before I am completely happy.

There's more news on the inside, but I will get to that another time...

Lauren

[Spacenut]

Detail of headlamp access cover...



Side windows fitted, albeit with only half the screws (I ran out of threaded brass inserts, more on order)...



Interior still not finished, but side windows look OK from inside, obscuration banding uses the same windscreen primer I used for the headlamp covers...



All of the exterior bits are now on, wipers, mirrors etc.



Can't really see in this harsh light, but I cleaned off the overspray and rust on the floorpan drops that are visible below the sill panels and applied black stonechip...



Open for business...



Wiper detail. Looks amazingly purposeful now, even though all I have done is changed the washer hose and relocated the spraybar onto the main wiper arm. Curvature of the screen makes it look like a Stratos



Contact plate you have seen before...



...But this is the other end. Lucas 17W single speed wiper motor with self-park, with the spring fingers that transfer power from the contact plate to the motor - when the canopy is closed!



10 points if you spotted the contacts are from a Series 3 Alfasud tailgate wiper.

A few final jobs to do before I try for an MoT - hoping to get to the Deers Hut show on June 16th, fingers crossed!

Lauren

[KevJTD]

10 points to me!
Looking great Lauren
You'll be using it this year at this rate ..

[Spacenut]

Thanks Kev - yes, I certainly hope so. Still fretting about the brakes, which I will check properly at the weekend, but hopefully I'm all set for the MoT...

[junior]

That has quite a shine to it and looks good now with the last few parts. They are a great shape, always admired the shape and hated the VW engine, so your is a winner in my book.

Good luck with the MOT

[Spacenut]

Well, the good news is that the Nova has passed the MoT with no advisories, although the new Ferodo brake pads need some proper bedding in (I was pretty much standing on the pedal to get some reasonable figures on the rollers - but at least both axles were nicely balanced left to right).

Still have to fill in a V10 form to get the car "taxed", and my local Post Office branch doesn't have any so I will have to download a copy and get the car officially on the road one afternoon next week. Plan is to be at the Deers Hut classic car show next Sunday, as its only a few miles away. I don't want to venture any further until I have replaced the camshaft belts and tensioner pulleys (on order from Parts In Motion).

I have also noticed that the engine doesn't reliably drop to idle as soon as you lift off the throttle - which to me suggests fuel is dripping into the venturi and keeping the revs up, so I have ordered a carb rebuild kit from Classic Carbs UK - man have they got some cool stuff! I would love to fit induction trumpets with gauze filters but I mustn't get ahead of myself

Quite a long snag list to sort out in spite of having an MoT, so I will keep the Dashboard Blues thread going for a bit longer...

Lauren

[Bluesuit]

Recognised that contact plate You need to keep it clean for good contact, I recall mine melting on my S3 when resistance built up. Just caught up with this thread - awesome work, stunning car!

cheers

Ian

[Kegsti66]

Excellent news Lauren, well done and so pleased for you preparing the car so well.
A few snags but an MOT proves your attention to detail was thorough.

[Spacenut]

Thanks guys, I completely agree regarding the MoT - although in principle I could apply for MoT exemption (and some Nova owners already have) I fervently believe that the new rules were never intended to apply to kit cars or custom/modified etc. I will therefore continue to submit the car for an annual MoT test.

One thing I did discover on the drive to the MoT was that my fantastic new "quartic" steering wheel is several splines off-centre. Confined to my driveway I was not able to determine this until I had fitted the wheel. I then discovered that the splines were on so tight I couldn't get the wheel off, and there is no tooling available to remove it!

All the websites advocate brute force as the only method of removal, which for various reasons did not work for me. So I had to drill two 5.5mm holes in the wheel boss, tap out to M6 and fabricate a hub puller out of steel box. With a constant force applied, a good tug was all that was needed to finally get the wheel free, but the old wheel has gone back on until I have a chance to centre the steering, and even then there will be lots of grease applied to the splines!!!

It's been a long and fraught afternoon...

Lauren

[KevJTD]

Great news Lauren, like my car that's a big hurdle overcome this weekend.

Re the steering wheel removal I find the bets way is to draw your knees up behind the wheel to apply a pulling force to the wheel then you have both hands free to either use a punch on the centre of the column or if you can get in a direct hammer blow, with the nut fitted flush to protect the threads of course!

Good luck with your "to do" list

[junior]

Yea ! MOT. Another step forward. Well done.

[alfadave]

An interesting application of Newtons third Law of motion by Kev.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction!

[Spacenut]

Re the steering wheel removal I find the best way is to draw your knees up behind the wheel to apply a pulling force to the wheel then you have both hands free to either use a punch on the centre of the column or if you can get in a direct hammer blow, with the nut fitted flush to protect the threads of course!

All completely impossible in the Nova I'm afraid - there is no room to draw your knees up behind the wheel, and the column stalks are directly behind the wheel so there is no way of applying pressure from the back. Just as well the bodged-up puller worked

Yes, first on the "to-do" list is fill in the V10 I downloaded today. Once I can legally drive the car onto the street I can work out exactly where the straight-ahead position is. Only then will I swap the wheels over.

Weather is looking pretty miserable for most of the week but the weekend is looking up, so fingers crossed!

[Sud 145]

Classic Alfa Track Day at Goodwood on Sat' or Deer's Hut on Sun' or both Lauren?

[Spacenut]

Classic Alfa Track Day at Goodwood on Sat' or Deer's Hut on Sun' or both Lauren?

Oooh! Classic Alfa sounds like a great idea

I will have to see how it goes - Saturday will be taking on fresh fuel etc. but a quick trip down to Goodwood could be on the cards. Thanks for letting me know!

[NEG]

Stunning looking car Lauren and great work in getting it back on the road!

[Spacenut]

Stunning looking car Lauren and great work in getting it back on the road!

Thanks NEG, I've still got a few things to do to finish it but at least the car is usable now. I'm looking forward to getting out and about again!

[Spacenut]

Here's a few pictures of the finished dashboard. Still some work to do in one or two places, but overall I am pleased with the results...



A decent image of the dash has escaped me up until now. It has changed a bit from my original vision in the interests of practicality and ergonomics, but the starting point for this adventure was the Alfa Romeo Eagle, which was just a concept car anyway!



Still very pleased with my secondary switch panel...



...And the centre console, with all the function switches and controls within easy reach.



It's a bit blurry...



...But apart from that you could be...



...Watching an episode of Knight Rider

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

Looks great Lauren, so good to see the results of all your labours.
This has been a real challenge tailoring the location for all your needed controls and achieving your desired look. Lighting looks really good as well.

[Veesix75]

That looks great, like the dashboard, cross between knight rider and something from a seventies sci-fi.

It all fits together really well, the colour, shape and style.

Wasn’t there an Alfa concept call a carabo, reminds me a bit of that.

You should be really proud of the car, it looks great.

[Spacenut]

Looks great Lauren, so good to see the results of all your labours.
This has been a real challenge tailoring the location for all your needed controls and achieving your desired look. Lighting looks really good as well.

Thanks Keith - you're right, this has been a long slog, but I wanted to make sure all of the lessons learned from the first dashboard were incorporated into this second iteration. I'm slowly building up the mileage on the car, so far no major surprises!

[Spacenut]

That looks great, like the dashboard, cross between knight rider and something from a seventies sci-fi.

It all fits together really well, the colour, shape and style.

Wasn’t there an Alfa concept call a carabo, reminds me a bit of that.

You should be really proud of the car, it looks great.

Thanks Veesix - you are absolutely right, the Alfa Carabo did the business on the outside, but Bertone were not so hot on their interior design, so for that I took inspiration from Pininfarina (Aldo Brovarone's Alfa Romeo Eagle) and Giugiaro (Alfa Romeo Iguana and Lotus Esprit S1). I suppose the first prototype LP400 Countach, serial number 002, was also an influence.

The exterior styling of the Nova was inspired by the Lamborghini Miura, Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark and Mk1 Ford GT40. However, the result is a completely unique design that looks for all the world like the missing link between the Miura and the Countach, which is apt given its launch date (early 1972), when the Countach shape was quite familiar but still 2 years from series production...