Dashboard Blues...

[Johnboy]

That is so cool

[Kegsti66]

You beat me to it.
That looks really good Lauren, it is really coming together.
Will you prime it all up or just paint it?
It will look great when it is finished. Spot on.

[KevJTD]

amazing work lauren.
i get confused by a simple wiring loom so what you're doing is way beyond anything i understand

[Spacenut]

Thanks guys!

The blackboard paint was just to get the whole dash into one colour so I can see where remedial work is needed. I have got some textured paint that is normally used to freshen up pick-up truck liners. One of our Californian club members has used it to good effect on his dashboard design. The overall finish will be satin black rather than flat matt. If I'm not happy with that I will get the whole lot professionally trimmed (I need to get the steering wheel done anyway, the rim is too thin without something to cover it, and all of the PU filler needs to be concealed). I've been advised to take the whole lot over to Oxted, they do all the trimming for Caterham (don't laugh); they also trim out executive jet aircraft, which is a better set of credentials...!

Lauren

[PETROLHEAD]

Fan'bloomin'Tastic Lauren.

I cant wait to see it completed but even the teasers are brilliant

Fab work

[Spacenut]

OK, time for another update on the Nova interior design challenge – a series in far too many parts, and one in which the winner gets to enjoy the end result (hopefully).

You probably weren't aware that the main engine bulkhead behind the seats is made from aerospace grade stainless steel honeycomb. And why would you – it's been covered in carpet for the last 10 years. Time for a makeover, methinks...

So, here is the recipe for success. First, get a hexagon cake tin off ebay, 6” across flats will do...



Then, get your trusty blade (in my case an angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc) and remove the base, leaving a perfect hexagon shaped cookie-cutter...



Now cut out some rigid polyurethane foam using the cutter. 10mm thick slices are fine. Use a flat file to bevel the edges all around and bond to the bulkhead panel using high temperature contact adhesive. Leave a 2mm gap between each tile, this will help with the next stage.

With me so far? Good. Next, mix up a slow cure of fibreglass resin and lay a sheet of tissue mat over the entire panel, making sure that the resin is thoroughly stippled into all the gaps. Next, realise that there is too little catalyst in the mix and that the fibreglass might not cure at all. Add more catalysed resin with the correct mix this time, and encourage the mix to go off with a heat gun (the last two steps are optional).

Finally, trim excess mat from around the edge once fully cured (phew).

Next, trial-fit into the chassis and fix in place using tri-lobed handwheels with 6mm threaded shafts obtained from everybody's favourite online auction site...





Admire your creation, and take particular pleasure from the recessed cut-outs that accommodate the seat backs and handwheels...





Remove panel from chassis, clean up and coat with etch primer. Then apply two coats of UPOL PlastX No. 4 coarse texture paint, and allow to dry.



Next, top coat with UPOL PlastX No. 5. and leave to cure...



Finally, refit into chassis, stand back and admire!



More progress soon!

Lauren

[KevJTD]

that looks really great Lauren, proper 80's futuristic vibe to it

very inventive

[PETROLHEAD]

Brilliant idea, fantastic execution, well done Lauren, spot on!


Typical of me though, my eyes were immediately distracted to your turbo compo's in the background!

[Spacenut]

I wondered if anyone would spot that! I haven't forgotten your offer, I'm just prioritising getting the car back on the road as soon as possible, so the Compos have gone on the back burner for a bit (not too long, obviously - can't have the magnesium catching light!).

Thanks guys, I think I am getting there now. I need to make a pair of infill panels to cover the battery and hydraulic pump areas, which will continue the hexatile theme out to the sides, then all I need to do is develop a proper rear window tunnel moulding to top it off. And finish the dashboard of course!

I would like to continue the hexatile theme throughout the cockpit, but that would be a lot of work (and time), so black carpet it will have to be...

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

Love the method Lauren.
As Kev says, carries on the futuristic theme perfectly.
First class.

[Johnboy]

That's got Blake 7 all over it ! Love it . Great imagination

[junior]

Great, just great, keep going.

[Spacenut]

Thanks guys. Your wish is my command!

...Although there will be a slight hiatus this weekend, as I am hoping to blag a lift to Auto Italia at Brooklands on Saturday. It's the biggest event of the year in this neck of the woods.

Lauren

[Alfasixnut]

Nice work on the hexagons Lauren - what a busy Bee you are!

[Spacenut]

Thanks Phil - got the bit between my teeth now. New rear window tunnel has been mocked up and a fibreglass plug made, weather last weekend was great for watching fibreglass cure!

[Kermit]

That's got Blake 7 all over it ! Love it . Great imagination

As I'm obviously not as old as "Johnboy" I was thinking more like Space 1999 LOL

When will she be "coming out" ??
H

[Spacenut]

That's got Blake 7 all over it ! Love it . Great imagination

As I'm obviously not as old as "Johnboy" I was thinking more like Space 1999 LOL

When will she be "coming out" ??
H

Hi Kermie - the answer is, as soon as possible!

Cutting a few corners now - the original green canopy will go back on for the time being, as the orange one needs a lot of remedial work before it is ready to fit. So I will have to suffer a leaky windscreen for a bit longer.

I could be back on the road by the end of the summer, all being well. But it wouldn't be the first time that I have made a wildly optimistic prediction!

Lauren

PS - I'm pretty sure Space: 1999 pre-dated Blakes 7, but I was a big fan of both...

[Kermit]

That's got Blake 7 all over it ! Love it . Great imagination

As I'm obviously not as old as "Johnboy" I was thinking more like Space 1999 LOL

When will she be "coming out" ??
H

Hi Kermie - the answer is, as soon as possible!

Cutting a few corners now - the original green canopy will go back on for the time being, as the orange one needs a lot of remedial work before it is ready to fit. So I will have to suffer a leaky windscreen for a bit longer.

I could be back on the road by the end of the summer, all being well. But it wouldn't be the first time that I have made a wildly optimistic prediction!

Lauren

PS - I'm pretty sure Space: 1999 pre-dated Blakes 7, but I was a big fan of both...

Na my 4 year older brother liked blake 7 so much he change his name from steven smith to blake 7
Unfortunately the goverment office that deals with this changed it to Blake Seven

Like a good wine you should never rush an Alfa

Mine is just over 4 1/2 and the only tarmac she has seen is mine and Kev's drives

H

[Spacenut]

A bit more progress on the Green Machine.

I have arranged for a more skilled fibreglass fabricator to graft the sunroof from my orange canopy into my green one. The orange canopy has been quite badly abused in the past, the factory bonded windscreen was hacked out, sunroof panel was badly crazed and needed a new outer skin (thanks Alex!) and over the years some type of settling has occurred, preventing the front corners of the canopy from mating flush with the bodywork, like a sandwich that is curled up at the edges.

I managed to remove the glass side windows the other day, and I was keen to see how the green canopy would look back on the car, before I send both canopies off for the sunroof swap. I can't begin to express how great it was to see the car with a windscreen again – it changes the look of the car completely. While I was at it, I quickly connected up the instrument panel as well, to check for reflections in the screen. Anyway, here are some pictures...



Almost driver's eye view. The +9V series regulator has eliminated all of the EMC issues I had with the tachometer display. I have also taken the indicator tell-tales out of the PWM brightness control circuit so they work even with the ignition off. The row of warning lights are visible in the windscreen, but well out of the driver's normal field of view. I could virtually eliminate them by fitting some horizontally oriented privacy film. The telecam monitor, tachometer, speedo and all ancillary gauge displays do not reflect in the screen at all.



To make the hazard warning switch more visible, I made up this natty little switch panel out of fibreglass sheet. It is basically half-recessed and half proud of the side panel, so that you don't bash it with your feet on the way in. I swapped the 12V filament bulbs in the switches for modified ultrabright LEDs linked into the PWM controller, so they dim with the sidelights, same as the rest of the dashboard displays.



With the top of the dashboard in grey primer you can clearly see where the reflections are. I have been experimenting with UPOL PlastX #4 fine texture paint on the secondary switch panel in the sill – it gives just the level of low reflectivity that I think I need for the dashboard top.



View in through the driver's side window aperture. I love the lack of glazing in the sides, I'd like to make up some removable aluminium framed windows with different apertures depending on the weather – fully open, half closed etc. Maybe one day...



I can't believe some of the Nova guys didn't like my hexatile rear bulkhead – I think it looks terrific! I can't wait to finish off the matching filler panels (you can see the passenger side one in progress) and the rear window tunnel (the raised centre section is needed to clear the induction trumpets on the Alfatune engine).



The shutlines are soooooo nice compared with the orange canopy...



Sill panel has been off on this side to facilitate the wiring...



Obviously it looks super clean without the windscreen wiper and mirrors. I need to keep an eye on the dash top once it is finally bolted in place – it looks a bit left hand down in this view.

That's yer lot for now.

Lauren

[junior]

Good effort and interesting to see you struggle with a different set of problems to myself and others.

[Kegsti66]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222190914059? ... EBIDX%3AIT


Great progress Lauren, funny I found this on ebay tonight and thought how much more modern your car looks to this one.
Looks great with the green lid on it and it looks soo much sleeker.
I think they are mad not liking the Hexagonal effect you created on your bulkhead.

[Spacenut]

Wow - the "boat tail" Nova! I remember seeing this at kit car shows in the late 90's. I think what dates it most is the "Testarossa" side sills, they were made by a club member when the big Fezza was all the rage. That boat tail back end is truly hideous, but reflects a common problem with these cars - how to hide the wrong type of engine, located in the wrong place! It seems most owners would rather compromise the styling than admit they have a Beetle lump in the back. It's not like you can disguise the noise when it's running, so why bother?

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

A Minari has turned up as well !!

[PETROLHEAD]

I think yours looks 300 times better than that boat-tail Lauren, and those that don't like the hexitile panel need there heads testing!


Jealousy lauren, thats what it is i reckon.

I don't need to see anyone else's Nova to appreciate that yours will truly up their with the very very best of them, well it has a decent engine for starters, but the idea's going into yours, the work that's going in, is in true keeping with the whole Nova ethos but with evolution into something greater. I don't get why they wouldn't like it, so it must be jealousy, and they need to get a grip!

Tell them i said so,

Bores!





Plus, i tell you something i find a little strange,

looking at the pictures of yours, but only yours, sat with its steel wheels on etc, it looks thoroughly modern again. i think a lot of the lines and details look better today than they did way back then, when i think most found them outrageous!

[Spacenut]

looking at the pictures of yours, but only yours, sat with its steel wheels on etc, it looks thoroughly modern again. i think a lot of the lines and details look better today than they did way back then, when i think most found them outrageous!

It's funny you should say that, as with the exception of the reversed nostrils in the bonnet (which was done for entirely practical reasons), I haven't messed with the original styling one bit! OK, it's got projector beam headlights and LED matrix indicators but other than that, it looks exactly the same as the 1971 prototype.

Thanks Shrew, I will give them a piece of your mind when I next get onto the Nova forum - not sure what's going on at the moment, it's been down for a week now. Perhaps they've been overwhelmed by messages of support for my hexatiles...

[Spacenut]

OK, so this week I have been doing a full mechanical and electrical fit check of the interior. This entailed removing the seats and seat runners, fitting the centre tunnel, installing the Nav computer and heater controls into the centre console, hooking up the control cables (not an easy task), re-installing the seat runners and seats (just the driver's side for now) before bolting down the dashboard to check clearance around the canopy and wiper motor, as well as heater/demister and face vent functionality.

So how did it go? Not too badly I think. With the dashboard bolted down there was just enough running clearance between it and the base of the windscreen, and the wiper motor should clear the recess in the dashboard once I replicate the slightly more snug fitting I designed for the orange canopy. The heater control valve works in reverse, so I will have to swap the red and blue dots on the control console (no biggie). Face vents work well, footwells too. Demisting is a little harder to judge, it's not gale force but there is airflow onto the windscreen. I put gaffer tape over the demister slots to reduce their surface area and increase velocity. I will come up with a more elegant solution later.

I had to swap the outputs on the SGI-5 to get the speedo and Nav odometer working simultaneously. The only thing that doesn't seem to be working is the fuel flow sensor – with the engine running and in-gear (the driveshafts aren't installed yet), the instantaneous mpg reads full-scale, about 6,500. When it is in metric mode (litres/100 km) it reads zero. So there is no fuel flow registering. The unit was secondhand, and could have been clogged with rust and muck for all I know. So the hunt was on for a replacement...

...Which amazingly, I found in an Italian Alfa parts shop on ebay. It turns out that the fuel flow meter unit used in the Rover SD1, Ford Granada Mk2, Mk3 Escort and Ford Orion (Floscan model 264) was also used for the trip computer in the Alfa 33!!!

As the unit in question is NOS I bought it immediately – should be here next week. My Alfa 33 workshop manual shows how the flow meter is plumbed into the fuel system, but there are no diagrams showing where the unit is mounted, particularly its orientation, which is important on these devices. Has anyone here got a 33 with a trip computer?

Anyway, here's a few more pictures from the fit check...



I had to trim a little off the bulkhead to get the tunnel to fit. I need to leave a bit of a gap as the bulkhead has to tilt forward to remove, but this looks a bit unsightly, so I will make up a shroud to bridge the gap and bond it to the bulkhead.



Fibreglass shifter plate in place.



Centre console contains telecam and Nav computer controls, heater controls, Nav computer readout and above that the Nav keyboard.



Here's a look at the complete centre tunnel and console.



Zoomed out view.



Shame it all has to come apart again.

OK, you're up to date now.

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

Central tunnel and consul looks great Lauren. I like the textured effect you have achieved.
You have been very busy. looking good.

[Alfasixnut]

Just caught up with this Lauren - Well done! I bet it is finished now?

[Spacenut]

Er... not quite! It all goes in fits and starts, although I have just finished fabricating a pair of windscreen demister vents. That's the trouble with these bespoke builds, you have to develop everything from scratch. This time I have learned that it is velocity, rather than vent aperture size, that makes all the difference...

[Alfasixnut]

[quote="Spacenut"]Er... not quite! It all goes in fits and starts, although I have just finished fabricating a pair of windscreen demister vents. That's the trouble with these bespoke builds, you have to develop everything from scratch. This time I have learned that it is velocity, rather than vent aperture size, that makes all the difference...[/quote
I'm making no comment about that size comment Lauren!
But glad that progress is being made