Nova Goings On...

[Spacenut]

Gosh, it's a bit quiet in here this week isn't it?

So I thought I would liven things up a bit with an engine picture...



My old engine has been consuming coolant for some considerable time, in fact since the trip to Bicester last year NAD '22 was held on one of the hottest days of the year and unbeknown to me at the time, my fuel filter was clogged with rust deposits and so the engine was running lean for the best part of 2 hours at motorway speeds I tried some head gasket sealer but it had no effect, I am thinking a cracked cylinder block may be to blame. I will do a full post-mortem on that engine later, but to get me back on the road a bit faster I have fitted the engine shown above - this is an ex Bianco Racing unit, prepared for Class F competition (which I believe is bone stock but does allow blueprinting). Its a 1.5 Green Cloverleaf unit with single lobe camshafts. Finally in place as you can see

I have purchased a set of main jets, emulsion tubes and air corrector jets to bring the carbs up to Green Cloverleaf standard, and I have equipped the engine with a lightened clutch and flywheel from my Warrior engine kit. I am hoping for good things from this engine but I haven't got it running yet because I am redesigning my nearside exhaust manifold, this time with equal length secondaries as well as equal length primary pipes. Hopefully that should improve the efficiency, and maybe sound a little less like a Scooby turbo - apparently Subaru deliberately manufactured the exhaust with unequal length primaries to get a distinctive sound, which must be a first!

Anyway, I will bring you more news as it happens.

Lauren

[junior]

Looking good. Hope it works out as well as you hope.

[rsfruitbat]

All the best Lauren

Rsfruitbat

[Kegsti66]

Nice one Lauren, shame you had to pull the old engine.
So are you fitting your old carbs off the other engine, hence the new jets?
Fingers crossed for a successful first start.

[alfadave]

Please excuse my ignorance........

but what is the cable lying on top of the crank pulley?

And what is the hose near the dissy drive?

[alfadave]

Maybe clutch slave with non standard union?

[Spacenut]

Maybe clutch slave with non standard union?

Correct - the clutch slave hose goes to a union on the chassis and is hard line from there to the master cylinder. There is also a coolant hose just to the right which normally attaches to the water pump elbow. I dressed it back to get better access.

The cable sat on top of the crank pulley is the handbrake cable, which in my case has to come forwards to the handbrake lever located on the centre tunnel. I reversed the cable so that it exits on the RH caliper lever, and then goes under the RH cylinder bank.

[Spacenut]

Nice one Lauren, shame you had to pull the old engine.
So are you fitting your old carbs off the other engine, hence the new jets?
Fingers crossed for a successful first start.

Hi Keith - yes, I am rejetting the 36 IDFs using settings for a 1.5 Green Cloverleaf. I am hoping that standard carbs and jets will be enough for a Class F engine. If it isn't enough, I could rob the 45 DRLAs off of my Alfatune engine, but they will need a lot more fine tuning I suspect!

I finished the new LH exhaust manifold last week (convoluted doesn't do them justice), so I should be ready for a test run soon...

Lauren

[Spacenut]

A few more images of the engine install, including my new "Frankenhose" trial fitted.






Dr Frankenhose, I presume???



Just a hint of the new LH exhaust manifold visible behind the engine crossmember. Welding is up to me usual standards, i.e. bloody appalling, but it only needs to be functional, not pretty. The extra extra convolutions are there to allow the secondaries to be equalised in length, together with the primaries.

Does it work? Trial run was a success...

https://youtu.be/LZ3lqZCwjUU?si=GrGl3ErGUrzeLE54

...so hopefully once the cooling system is recommissioned the new jets will work too (130 mains, 190 air correctors and F11 emulsion tubes). In the meantime I can start to re-install the interior, now that I know it doesn't have to come out again.

More news as it happens!

Lauren

[alfadave]

Fettle up the welds with the grinder?

[Kegsti66]

Nice one Lauren, glad she is a runner again.
Love the intro to the video, we know where that came from.

[Spacenut]

Nice one Lauren, glad she is a runner again.
Love the intro to the video, we know where that came from.

Thanks Keith. "We have the technology"

[Kegsti66]

[Spacenut]

Yes, the very one - Northrop M2-F3, as it is now. The crash was in M2-F2 form, without the central vertical fin. Excessive roll couple. Amazingly Bruce Petersen survived the accident, without the need of biomechanical enhancement

Don't forget the release shot is the Northrop HL-10, another firm favourite.

Do I sound like an aerospace geek?

[Kegsti66]

You !! Spacenut , Nooo.

I remember you talking about the fact that the one that crashed was rebuilt and a third fin was fitted.

[looloosud1984]

Another one for Lauren. Check out “Hudson Auto Films” on YouTube he’s just bought a Nova with a 1500 sud engine mated to the std Beetle gearbox . He’s three videos. In and is about to start a restoration he’s got it running albeit a bit rough. he’s also got quite an eclectic collection of other kit cars.
Lou

[Spacenut]

Another one for Lauren. Check out “Hudson Auto Films” on YouTube he’s just bought a Nova with a 1500 sud engine mated to the std Beetle gearbox . He’s three videos. In and is about to start a restoration he’s got it running albeit a bit rough. he’s also got quite an eclectic collection of other kit cars.
Lou

Yes, I noticed! He's picked up a Carlton Carrera, which he described as an "abandoned prototype supercar", instead of "a Cortina based kit car with Capri windows" - although apparently it has a Jag engine.

I was frankly amazed when the Alfa engine fired - the car had been abandoned in a field for many years. But I am not sure how long it will last with the rear mounted radiator, and possibly not a reversed cooling fan (needs to push not pull).

We shall see!
Lauren