New Nova owner (UK)

[Toddyboy]

Just got ownership of a non runner 1968 Nova.
Needs a new windscreen, new wiper mechanism, and I need some advice on how to fix the canopy opening and closing mechanism. It currently jerry rigged with a battery and some dodgy wiring you have to connect to the terminals, then the pump groans and struggles to lift the thing up. Connect another wire and it lets it go down ugh! It’s a real pain.
I got the engine running today. Sounds ok.
I’m eventually going to convert this car to EV and rip out the interior and really jazz it up all futuristic!
Any help on finding a windscreen and wiper mechanism would be appreciated, and also how to rewire up the canopy switch gear so I can operate it standardly would be really helpful. At the moment it sounds like cow giving birth and can only be operated from the front of the vehicle

 

[Nic]

Hi There! Welcome. I HIGHLY recommend you join the Euro-Nova site as well. They'll be able to help with sourcing local bits - http://www.euro-nova.co.uk
Windscreens are bespoke and $$$. I'm not sure what they are in UK but in the states they're about $1500 if I recall.
There are some build manuals on this site and on Euro-Nova site that can help with the canopy up/down wiring.
Your side windows are very interesting, do they open at the back or the front?

 

[Toddyboy]

Can anyone tell me where is the switch usually located that lifts and lowers the hood canopy? The wiring on mine has been jerry rigged. There is a wire from the pump going into a relay sitting right next to it. There is another wire with an alligator clip on it. There are four green wires coming out of the pump.
There is another relay in the dash that seems to make the relay next to the pump click on and off. I’m confused.
I need to find where the original switch was so I can trace back from there

 

[Toddyboy]

Hi There! Welcome. I HIGHLY recommend you join the Euro-Nova site as well. They'll be able to help with sourcing local bits - http://www.euro-nova.co.uk
Windscreens are bespoke and $$$. I'm not sure what they are in UK but in the states they're about $1500 if I recall.
There are some build manuals on this site and on Euro-Nova site that can help with the canopy up/down wiring.
Your side windows are very interesting, do they open at the back or the front?

Thanks. I’ll check em out. The side windows don’t open.

 

[Nic]

Can anyone tell me where is the switch usually located that lifts and lowers the hood canopy? The wiring on mine has been jerry rigged. There is a wire from the pump going into a relay sitting right next to it. There is another wire with an alligator clip on it. There are four green wires coming out of the pump.
There is another relay in the dash that seems to make the relay next to the pump click on and off. I’m confused.
I need to find where the original switch was so I can trace back from there

There is no "usual" place unfortunately. You're probably going to have to crawl under the dash to locate something. Now it is possible they had it hooked up to a wireless remote and so there were no switches per se, just the remote. If you can't find any loose wires in the boot and nothing under the dash, I'm going to assume that's what was done.

Make sure you post pictures to the UK forum, most of those folks have been around the Nova scene for a while and might even be able to tell you who the previous owner was, if you don't already know. Either way, they'll be chuffed to see another Nova recovered.

 

[Toddyboy]

I think I’m getting there. There’s a wired key on the exterior of the drivers side but there is no key. It’s wired up to a push switch which has been half disconnected. My guess is the key got lost so someone decided to bypass the whole system and jerry rig the wiring to the pump in order to be able to raise the canopy. Now I need to somehow reconfigure it back to the way it was.

 

[Toddyboy]

Ignition timing on a Nova.
Can anyone help me regarding the timing marks. On a standard Beetle they’re on the pulley wheel which is easy to locate. On the Nova there is only the cooling fan visible at the back so where do I find the tech marks so I can strobe time i

 

[ratrog64]

Welcome.

 

[Brett Proctor]

Ignition timing on a Nova.
Can anyone help me regarding the timing marks. On a standard Beetle they’re on the pulley wheel which is easy to locate. On the Nova there is only the cooling fan visible at the back so where do I find the tech marks so I can strobe time i

What motor do you have in it

What I've found out about these cars is there is no standard equipment or location for things.

Its totally up to the owners choice of what to use and where to put it.
As time goes on the original parts that came with the kit are no longer available so the owners substitute those parts for more current types that are readily available.

There is a company in the UK that still makes the windscreens. The Nova site has their address

 

[Toddyboy]

What motor do you have in it

What I've found out about these cars is there is no standard equipment or location for things.

Its totally up to the owners choice of what to use and where to put it.
As time goes on the original parts that came with the kit are no longer available so the owners substitute those parts for more current types that are readily available.

There is a company in the UK that still makes the windscreens. The Nova site has their address

The engine is a 1600 Beetle engine with a twin port carb
Re timing, That’s what I figured. Guess I’ll have to do it the old school way - Find tdc on cylinder #1, mark up the fan flywheel and strobe it using that.

 

[Toddyboy]

Oil for 1500cc VW boxer engine in a Nova:
My 1968 Nova has a separate oil filter. I need to change the oil in the engine but I’m not sure what to put in?
Standard Beetle engines had no oil filter, just a crud collector at the bottom of the sump plate, removable with 6 bolts. The oil was old school Castro or similar - no synthetic back then. Now, I heard that some early VW engines were converted to dry sump with an external oil filter.
Just wondered if anyone could throw some light on this for me before I go filling her up with the wrong stuff