# never seen one of these before on here.....have you ever seen one on the road



## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

so

a real hark back to the 80`s

nova cabrio..what you mean you never seen one 

Hutchinson did the work for vauxhall on these,the owner says there are around 20 left of these left on the road:doublesho

wanted the swirls getting rid of and a general freshen up,ready for the summer and the show`s

some deeper marks had to be left ,as there was no clearcoat on here,
the paint varied in thicknes and finish as well,but not too bad really for the age

if you look at the pads later you can see the paint transfer
in fact i had to clean the pads every half a panel etc,also went through a fair few cloths

after a wash,i cleaned the roof,with a general cleaner and cloths only,this to be honest needs recolouring,something the owner can now do

the car was clayed,and rewashed,dried
the first day i tested on the boot lid,for a workable method,settled on the flex vrg with lake country hybrid pads ,and wolfgang swirl remover,later refining with scholl s 40 on a farecla black pad
wiping down with eraser as i went along
then a layer of polishangel escalte 
finished off with wolfgang fuzion wax

day two so me working around the rest of car with same products etc

so onto the pics

hope you enjoy this bit of nostalga

the befores











scratches and swirli ness all over



door pillar 50/50 ,getting rid of ingrained dirt



clay from the drivers door only



swirly boot lid





after wolfgang swirl remover...but before refining with s40 on the flex rotary and farecla black pad



after all the refining etc



not looking too bad now







onto the bonnet,befores





after wolfgang swirl remover stage



after refining with s40





missed a bit...never mind hit with s40 again



half done



all done



onto the wing





various others


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

Wow , great job on that rare ride !


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

nice work though, paint looks a lot nicer is the finished shots......

:thumb:


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

You've done a great job there :thumb:

I was going to ask if that was a factory jobby? Then saw the promo pics!


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

The Cueball said:


> nice work though, paint looks a lot nicer is the finished shots......
> 
> :thumb:


come on cuey...ya know yer want one

better with hood off..but owner loves it and that all that matters


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

steve from wath said:


> come on cuey...ya know yer want one
> 
> better with hood off..but owner loves it and that all that matters


I'm sure a guy round the corner from me had a brown one....I'm on eBay as we type... :doublesho 

but indeed buddy.... the owner is the only one that matters, and you've made their car look a million times better...

:thumb:


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## Rabidracoon28 (May 31, 2012)

Unbelievable 50/50s. Didn't realise that swirl remover was THAT good; very impressive.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Correction is done to a very high standard, love this thread :thumb:


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Rabidracoon28 said:


> Unbelievable 50/50s. Didn't realise that swirl remover was THAT good; very impressive.


this paint was so soft,look at it the wrong way and it would swirl up
i used a lake country hybrid light cutting pad,with the wolfgang total swirl remover
and refined with scholl s 40 0n my fave finishing pad a black farecla pad

the paint also varied in thickness all over,also had no clearcoat,so it put up a few battles


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Trip tdi said:


> Correction is done to a very high standard, love this thread :thumb:


thank you

had to leave a few little deep marks in the paint.really should have been wetsanded and polished back
but time wasnt on my side

overall very happy with the finish,and the gloss acheived


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## Short1e (Apr 5, 2009)

Great work as always Steve...


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## 007Fluff (May 27, 2013)

Nice Job, a bast from the past.

007Fluff


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## Kiashuma (May 4, 2011)

Like it, what a great turnaround.

Love the interior :thumb:


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I had completely forgotten I used to own a Nova but had no idea they did a soft top version. Anyway, very nice work and impressive finish


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Suberb work. 

May be only 20 left but this is the shinest of them all.

Thanks for posting.


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## shaunwistow (May 13, 2011)

Superb work Steve, top notch. I'm not keen on the car, but obviously the owner is proud of it.

Keep up the good work


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Great turnaround..the reflections are great:thumb:


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## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

my eyes!!
Cracking turnaround :thumb:.....but whatever possessed the designers to come up with that :doublesho


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## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

What a great little care, nice a rare. Great work and thanks for sharing with us! :thumb:


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## G105ALY (Dec 6, 2006)

Awesome. As rare as rocking horse sh!t!


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

Haven't seen one of these for a while! Just like a Corsa convertible. 

Great work.


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## jamie crookston (Aug 30, 2010)

Thats amazing. Never seen one of those before. Great work.


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## dubber (Oct 2, 2011)

Superb job there, rare car these :argie:


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## JwilliamsM (Dec 20, 2011)

amazing job on the paint looks brilliant!
never knew they did a nova convertible, never seen one ever.


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## huvo (Dec 14, 2009)

Love the reflection shots. Getting very artistic :thumb:


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## Porkypig (Jun 20, 2012)

Nice work dude. 

Have to admit, i went out witr a chick who had one of these many many moons ago, she was a game lass and didn't bulk at a bit of night time roof down in car bedroom gymnastics!!! :doublesho:doublesho


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

fair play iv never seen a topless nova before and what a fine job you have done in bringing it back to life steve


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## Dingabell (Apr 9, 2008)

Cracking job that Steve nice to see a bit of history brought back to life

Colin


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## willwander (Nov 30, 2012)

Great job. Never seen one of these, even back in the day, used to love my old SR


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Short1e said:


> Great work as always Steve...
> 
> But not keen on the car


looks better with roof off



007Fluff said:


> Nice Job, a bast from the past.
> 
> 007Fluff


thanks



Kiashuma said:


> Like it, what a great turnaround.
> 
> Love the interior :thumb:


mmm brown velour,no power windows etc,no power steering even



lowejackson said:


> I had completely forgotten I used to own a Nova but had no idea they did a soft top version. Anyway, very nice work and impressive finish


thanks ,according to owner there were 200 made



Soul Hudson said:


> Suberb work.
> 
> May be only 20 left but this is the shinest of them all.
> 
> Thanks for posting.


cheers appreciate it



shaunwistow said:


> Superb work Steve, top notch. I'm not keen on the car, but obviously the owner is proud of it.
> 
> Keep up the good work


cheers shiney shaun,owner loves it and best thing is hes only 19:doublesho



tonyy said:


> Great turnaround..the reflections are great:thumb:


thank you,i took around 200 pics and had loads of reflections ,hard to pick which to use sometimes



Beancounter said:


> my eyes!!
> Cracking turnaround :thumb:.....but whatever possessed the designers to come up with that :doublesho


early 80`s differnt times



JMDetailing said:


> What a great little care, nice a rare. Great work and thanks for sharing with us! :thumb:


many thnks



G105ALY said:


> Awesome. As rare as rocking horse sh!t!


up there with hens teeth



Puntoboy said:


> Haven't seen one of these for a while! Just like a Corsa convertible.
> 
> Great work.


cheers appreciate it



jamie crookston said:


> Thats amazing. Never seen one of those before. Great work.


best thing is i was in dewsbury this afternoon and we saw a nova saloon of all things



dubber said:


> Superb job there, rare car these :argie:


thanks



jayz_son said:


> amazing job on the paint looks brilliant!
> never knew they did a nova convertible, never seen one ever.


owner says less than 20:doublesho



huvo said:


> Love the reflection shots. Getting very artistic :thumb:


cheers,appreciate it



Porkypig said:


> Nice work dude.
> 
> Have to admit, i went out witr a chick who had one of these many many moons ago, she was a game lass and didn't bulk at a bit of night time roof down in car bedroom gymnastics!!! :doublesho:doublesho


hah ,has to be the best comment ever.....love it:lol:



bazz said:


> fair play iv never seen a topless nova before and what a fine job you have done in bringing it back to life steve


appreciate it,it was a tricky job at times



Dingabell said:


> Cracking job that Steve nice to see a bit of history brought back to life
> 
> Colin


life in us old creatures still



willwander said:


> Great job. Never seen one of these, even back in the day, used to love my old SR


cheers old skool classic


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Been looking forward to this since we spoke about it. Great work and finish, nice to see the vrg earning its keep :thumb:


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## Wout_RS (Jun 13, 2012)

Curious car! but great work on it!


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

stangalang said:


> Been looking forward to this since we spoke about it. Great work and finish, nice to see the vrg earning its keep :thumb:


paint was sticky,thick thin,no clearcoat,a right bugger at times,so soft as well,vrg and wolfgang and soft paint,made short work,then a refine withT`other flex rotary and s40 left a nice finish



Wout_RS said:


> Curious car! but great work on it!


cheers

im going to put up a little video of the correction stage ,in a different thread soon,so come back for a look at that.....please


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

WOW, first one I have ever seen. The irmscher alloys are bonnie!! they set the whole car off a treat :thumb:


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## deano_uk (Apr 29, 2007)

Its definitely a bit of an ugly duckling but you have certainly made it look the best it can be.


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## griffin1907 (Mar 4, 2006)

gotta be single figures left on the road by now.

Great job.


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Derek Mc said:


> WOW, first one I have ever seen. The irmscher alloys are bonnie!! they set the whole car off a treat :thumb:


was offered a lot of cash to sell these....but no way



deano_uk said:


> Its definitely a bit of an ugly duckling but you have certainly made it look the best it can be.


beauty is in the eye of the beholder..they say...owner loves it ,thats the most important bit

but cheers Dean,made it the best i could



griffin1907 said:


> gotta be single figures left on the road by now.
> 
> Great job.


cheers,owner says less than 20 ,so who knows


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## -Simon- (Oct 29, 2010)

Hmm not exactly pleasing on the eye...but great work on the paint!


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

-Simon- said:


> Hmm not exactly pleasing on the eye...but great work on the paint!


have alook at the video ive just posted up showing the correction


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## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Absolutely fantastic work and correction 
What a proper retro vehicle 
Nice one


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Tabbs said:


> Absolutely fantastic work and correction
> What a proper retro vehicle
> Nice one


many thanks

you all fixed back together now simon

did you see the video i uploaded as well

steve


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## iamrichard123 (Apr 29, 2012)

nice work once again mate but dont people understand you work on any colour car not just black :lol:

i do like the car but lots better roof down.
what was condition inside interior like?


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## jamesgti (Aug 9, 2007)

Great work.


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## witcher (Nov 25, 2010)

Very good job. You made the difference for sure.
Although the Eighties were generally crappy. 
Peculiar fashion, strange haircuts, cheesy music, and ugly cars


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## taz007 (Dec 31, 2007)

:O ahahah epic!


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

iamrichard123 said:


> nice work once again mate but dont people understand you work on any colour car not just black :lol:
> 
> i do like the car but lots better roof down.
> what was condition inside interior like?


insides very good,brown velour,real old school but in keeping with the age



jamesgti said:


> Great work.


thank you



witcher said:


> Very good job. You made the difference for sure.
> Although the Eighties were generally crappy.
> Peculiar fashion, strange haircuts, cheesy music, and ugly cars


80`s were the best good music,cheaper beer,:thumb:
but the car came up well



taz007 said:


> :O ahahah epic!


thank you ,very happy with the finish


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Excellent work mate. However, it seems to look like a Victorian pram.


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

President Swirl said:


> Excellent work mate. However, it seems to look like a Victorian pram.


haha a pram

thanks


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## Lloydy (Jan 13, 2009)

Just seen this in person at PVS @ Santa pod!

Looks really good Steve!! Nice work


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Lloydy said:


> Just seen this in person at PVS @ Santa pod!
> 
> Looks really good Steve!! Nice work


thanks

just had word from the owner his battery died ddi you mangae to get any pics by any chance

thanks for comments


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Fantastic correction work Steve, never seen one of those before! :thumb:


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## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

steve from wath said:


> many thanks
> 
> you all fixed back together now simon
> 
> ...


As fixed as I can be, got 3 ribs that have not fixed together properly :doublesho which give a little pain and just building strength back in my shoulder now :thumb:
Yeh saw the video too


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## Mikey093 (Jun 16, 2013)

excellent work on the car steve :thumb:
I didn't realise how mucky the car was when I dropped it off for you :doublesho feel slightly embarrassed about that, much better now though


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

I've never see one in the metal ,only pic's of one that had been stolen from a Vauxhall show. Not bright really stealing a car that sticks out like a sore thumb . you made a beautiful job of it though


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Mikey093 said:


> excellent work on the car steve :thumb:
> I didn't realise how mucky the car was when I dropped it off for you :doublesho feel slightly embarrassed about that, much better now though


pleasure Mike

see you soon

anything you want opo down



zippo said:


> I've never see one in the metal ,only pic's of one that had been stolen from a Vauxhall show. Not bright really stealing a car that sticks out like a sore thumb . you made a beautiful job of it though


certainly different, i think there are around 20 left

Mike will be able to tell you more


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## Mikey093 (Jun 16, 2013)

zippo said:


> I've never see one in the metal ,only pic's of one that had been stolen from a Vauxhall show. Not bright really stealing a car that sticks out like a sore thumb . you made a beautiful job of it though


I know which car you mean. it was a white Irmscher Spider stolen from billing and it was the only right hand drive one in the UK, maybe even at all I believe. but they are 4 in the UK now all left hand drives.


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