1986 Vauxhall Nova Antibes

Early sr would be worth big money now👍 sad the majority of cars from back in the day, even from when i started driving in 2001 at 17, are all disappearing into the past.

Nothing of any interest in the scrapyards here these days, mk4 golfs are even getting a bit sparce lol mk3 non-existent.

I tried c-quartz dlux on my 16v mk2 bumpers years back, cleaned them with iso, kept dry, applied the treatment, left to cure in parents garage for 24hrs (they were on holiday) but it didnt last long 👎

The gtechniq i think was dearer at the time. Buy cheap buy twice lol

Cant find any pics of nova bumpers being brought back to see how dark they should actually go

Fingers crossed man 🤞

I think my only way into one these days would be to get handy with the electric sparky stick and rebuild one 😄

Maybe give the gtechniq stuff a go, don't have indoor storage for the nova though but spring/summer might come round here eventually 😄

A friend of a friend has recently rebuilt a white one with a very in your face blue interior. Quirky little motors, nice find you have there.

My mate had mentioned about a flap (or something) on the airbox may not be functioning, and that I presume is for what you are describing. It is definitely getting too cold, new stat will be fitted along with the pump and timing belt. Once the mk2 is ready and set for the weekender I can get back on to the nova, and the VR6 mot...

Will have a look at the Haynes book of lies that came with it see if can get any more info. Wish my daft dad hadn't thrown all his old ones out and I could have used the same one he used when working on their Nova 

If anyone has any further tips or info on the above please let me know, only carb engine I have worked on and was chuffed enough getting the new carb on and choke set up again 

i cant see the engine bay in full, but from memory there should be a heat shield / collector bolted to the exhaust manifold, which has a round throat on it, then a short bit of alloy convoluted pipe between that and the air cleaner trumpet.

then in the air cleaner trumpet a flap, at cold starts the flap should be diverting air so its only sucking from the manifold, then gradually open so that it blends from the trumpet at the grill and the manifold. there should also be a vacuum hose to the carb which snaps the flap open under hard acceleration, so that it only takes air from the front grill, for, err, "performance"

p.s i have a really old version of vauxhall EPC (the software they would have used in dealer parts store in the mid 1990s) which is a great resource, 9 times out of 10 i look up the original vauxh part number, bung that in ebay and get an alarming choice of parts (seriously, the parts supply seems to be getting better year on year) anyway my point is, ask away if you need some leads

On the subject of colours, I've only ever seen the white cars with the same blue interior here.

If memory serves, there's a tiny section of stove pipe that should sit between the heat shield and the air cleaner intake. Being only an inch or so long, it tends to disappear.

Final update from me as the Nova has been resting under its cover the last week.

Took car to work last sunday and on the way up the road spied a clean mk3 cavalier i had seen about here. Brass necked it and followed the chap to get some pics of it and the Nova

You can definitely see the styling cues for the MK2 nova in the Cavs front end and the MK2 Cav styling in my nova.

well throw another barina on the barbie mate

Nova has had a wee months rest, between bad weather, dad duties, work and jobs on the mk2, it has been resting under its cover.

Wife was having a wee moan about all the cars today, so with some sunshine after lunch and decent forecast for the rest of today, I decided to take it to work. 

Driving it instantly lifts my mood and I went in to work smiling from ear to ear