Sebring Nova car #??? Build

[Nailz]

Hello all,

I’m Nailz.. First off I have loved the Sterling Nova since I was about 9 and saw it in Deathrace, and Cannonball Run, and Immediatly fell in love with it. It became my “affordable” (relative term) dream car. In the coming years it fell by the wayside, as school, GIRLS, and jobs came and went. I began to attend a cyberpunk festival in the Mojave Desert in California, and someone had one there. It rekindled the spark. It was not running and a decorative set piece, but I spoke to the owner and he had plans to get it up and running at some point. Over the next few years I would periodically check Marketplace to see if there were ant up for sale, but it was hit and miss. I did not know about this forum, the Sterling FB pages, or the kit car pages at the time. I attended the event the following year and this year it was painted and running. The spark glowed brighter. I talked with him a bit more on occasion, told him I was thinking about getting one, asked what some of the pitfalls were, the to-do’s and the not to-do’s. Looked again throughout the year…
Finally found one in the Jacksonville area that was within my budget. I was stoked! The only problem was I was planning to attend the festival again and could not get it till I got back. I told the seller that if he had another buyer, to take it, but I wouldn’t be able to get it till I got back in a month.
I attended the festival and was sooooo excited to talk to the owner absolutely the car BODY I was planning on getting. “Does it have a windshield?” “No.” “Well, you will be hard pressed finding one, and if you do they are about 1500 bucks.” But I’ll help any way I can. I told him that I loved the paint job and concept and asked if I could copy/duplicate it and make the beginning of a “squadron” so to speak I would put a 02 on the roof. He told me you can make one and put a 01 on it, because he’s repainting it. Well I guess I’ll have the squad car at the futuristic cyberpunk event.

The first pic is his car. I don’t know the number

The Second is the one I bought when I brought it home.

 

[Nailz]

Once I got it home, I began the search…… for parts,….for people that understood kit cars,… for ppl like all youz!

I joined this forum…I joined numerous other vw, and kit car groups on FB, and finally, in one of them I met RatRog!

He has been an invaluable asset and plethora of information and help! Neumerous times he has shot me an add or some such, and said “is this in your budget? This will work for your car”.
Hence the ad he sent me regarding a chassis. “Hey man, it’s listed at 500, but if only the pans need replacing, negotiate it.” So, I contacted, I went, and got it for 350 with a title. I brought it home,……and it sat…..in my yard for about a month and a half. I had the body under cover, but the chassis, not so much.

I needed space in the shop to start the build, so I started cleaning, reorganizing, selling crap that has been building up over the years. A friend was helping me move crap, and I was staring at the floor. “whatcha thinking?” “Well, I think I wanna raise the floor up. (current concrete floor is a hodgepodge of pours and NOTHING is level) “How long is the car gonna take?” “2-3,….maybe…more likely3-7.” “So it’ll be 7 years before you see that floor again….kinda makes it a simple choice huh?” So I spent a week drilling, pinning, forming, pouring and finishing a section of my shop for the chassis to sit on to be worked on.

Fast forward a few weeks, and RatRog sends me a message about a Sebring Bremen. Saying nothing will fit my car, except possibly the windshield. It was listed at a grand, I sent him a msg for 500 and I’ll get it tomorrow. He took me up on it. RatRog asked if I got it, and of course I said yes. He had been thinking it over, and since all I needed was the windshield, he needed a new project (like a hole in the head) and would trade a Sterling windshield for the Bremen…DONE! I saved a grand and got a windshield and a body out of the yard.

After delivery, and some visiting, and ooohh-aahhhh how’d you do that’s on my part, I dropped it off and headed home.A friend helped me push the chassis to get operating table and so it begins………

 

[Nailz]

Saturday after delivery, I removed all the dirt, grime, rust, old cables and wires, and got her a bit cleaned up.

Removed the pedal assembly, brake cylinder, and the driver floor pan.

 

[Nailz]

Sunday started early, and I removed the passenger floorpan, and cleaned up all the factory spot welds, and removed all the surface rust from the tunnel and the old funky seam seal on EVERYTHING. Don’t worry it will all be replaced, before “Rhino-lining” the frame. All other parts will be media blasted and powder coated.

Also added a coat of rattle-can because….well…..Florida

The look I am going for is a futuristic police squad car. Nothing will say police/law Enforcement/sheriff or anything. I have checked with local municipal police, county sheriff’s, and a state trooper as well as doing the internet scouring on what I can, and cannot do. The list of cannons is much shorter so we will go with that. Black body, white canopy. Digital futuristic dash, large screen/ IPAD console, laser rifles (prop) typical police gear in the passenger area, no passenger seat. (Still, up in the air about it. May make one interchangeable/mountable)

 

[Nailz]

Monday August 8th

Spent a few hours after work tearing down the front beam for cleaning, media blasting, and powdercoat.
Removed wheels, drums, backplates, shocks, tie rods, sway bar, fuel pump, and spindles.

Probably get the rest broke down tomorrow.

 

[ratrog64]

Lets not forget about the 1/3rd of a car I donated LOL

 

[Nailz]

Ahhh yes, the body of the Nova i got has been butchered by numerous previous owners and i will have to repair it. While talking to RatRog and sending pics back and forth, he graciously offered some salvage donor pieces that will help me repair a lot of compound curves. Especially in the trunk area.

The white pieces sitting on the chassis (to get a feel for the look) are the donor pieces. The rest is my headache.

 

[ratrog64]

That was the sad result of trying to build a custom chassis for a sterling when you have no skills, budget or common sense. #516 RIP. All I got was less the $40 for the scrap steel when I brought it to the recycler. At least maybe parts of it get to have a second life in this build.