Slow progress lately. Lots of organising, researching and buying of parts. Loads of silicone pipes bought along with new clips everywhere to get rid of those annoying sprung clamps.

 

Engine is out now. I'll be stripping the head off the engine mid-week and inspecting to see how it's wearing. Then a bit of tidying up followed by new head gasket, PD150 bolts, cambelt & water pump.

 

Today I stripped all the front suspension and brakes off. I bought some M10 female blanks for the brake pipes which save the a mess of fluid everywhere. The angle grinder had to come out to play for the track rod ends, bottom ball joints and the backing plates. Took ages!

I found what was making the big clunk in the car... a completely knackered track rod. Old ones are now unscrewed and ready for the bin! I'm keeping hold for now so I can set the new track rod ends roughly correct.

 

 

 

 

Also went to Yorkshire last night to pick up a FSM long ratio gearbox for the Quaife to go in...

 

 

 

Tomorrow's jobs will be to strip the rear brakes and bearings. Then I plan on cleaning the engine bay and inner arches with degreasant.

 

After that I need to make a custom bracket for the TIP to weld on, along with modifying my 1/8" NPT bushes that I've bought to weld directly onto the turbo and EGR plate. Monday I should be sending all this to get welded, along with a custom inlet pipe. So... lots of cutting and filing!

 

 

So much to do that it's pretty difficult to get a critical path drawn up in your head! Good job I've still got 4 weeks off work!

Edited 29 October, 20178 yr by alex_e3

More destruction today it seems...

 

Rear shocks, brakes and bearings are out. I also removed the backing plates to chuck in the bin. There were some seriously tight bolts back there!...

 

 

 

I also removed the exhaust system so that I can paint the rear part of the system with high temp black so that it's a bit more discreet. In the process, I decided to take off and ditch the long heat shield...

 

 

 

 

I'm keeping the heat shield that covers the fuel tank for obvious reasons!

 

I've also decided that I'm going to give the underside a good protect with wax oil once I've blasted underneath and let it dry. Might as well seeing as I've come this far.

 

 

Workshop is getting very cramped now. Parts absolutely everywhere in some sort of organised chaos!...

 

 

 

 

Today also consisted of taking my front hubs and new bearings to a competent garage who was capable of doing the job the correct way, so as to not knacker the bearings. Plus more parts were bought again.

 

 

I think today is the maximum point to which everything will be tore to bits. Only other thing left to come apart is the top of the engine. So next job for tomorrow is to get underneath the car and blast as much crap out of there as I possibly can. Then I can wax oil and start to rebuild the suspension in preparation for the fully rebuilt brakes.

 

Can't even believe how far this has now gone!

Edited 29 October, 20178 yr by alex_e3

Ooh, great work Alex

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Who's is the Clio?

Some serious skills there Alex. You're in way too deep to go back now! Lol

Who's is the Clio?

 

 

Did I not mention that I used to be a bit of a French car fanatic?! More specifically Renault's...!

 

That Clio was a right little machine in its day! Stripped out with a 2.0 16v conversion, Catcams, Supersprint manifold, adjustable Koni's and Wilwood 4 pots  Used to be an absolute go-kart!

And you don't use it because lol

And you don't use it because lol

Christmas tree dash started to wind him up?

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Because I split from my long-term partner at the time and couldn't insure this and the Fabia. Plus it had to be retired because the arches were getting rusty (common thing) and it had a high idling problem that I needed to diagnose and it was due MOT and wouldn't pass because of it.

 

Bit of a waste I suppose. I've been meaning to strip the parts for ages, but other things always seem to come up! I will do it soon!!

 

I did consider rebuilding it. I have nearly all the parts needed for a turbo conversion sat in the boot too!!! However... the bodywork would annoy me and it really would need a bare shell strip and rebuild including new arches and sills. Not worth the time. Plus in a straight line the Fabia wouldn't be any slower, and still does 50mpg on a run! Plus I'm a biker and have that too ha ha! Enough reasons John!?

 

The 16v's and Williams' rank as two of my all-time favourite cars! Just fantastic motors.

Because I split from my long-term partner at the time and couldn't insure this and the Fabia. Plus it had to be retired because the arches were getting rusty (common thing) and it had a high idling problem that I needed to diagnose and it was due MOT and wouldn't pass because of it.

Bit of a waste I suppose. I've been meaning to strip the parts for ages, but other things always seem to come up! I will do it soon!!

I did consider rebuilding it. I have nearly all the parts needed for a turbo conversion sat in the boot too!!! However... the bodywork would annoy me and it really would need a bare shell strip and rebuild including new arches and sills. Not worth the time. Plus in a straight line the Fabia wouldn't be any slower, and still does 50mpg on a run! Plus I'm a biker and have that too ha ha! Enough reasons John!?

The 16v's and Williams' rank as two of my all-time favourite cars! Just fantastic motors.

Get it rebuilt :P lovely machine

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Give it to me lol

Get it rebuilt :p lovely machine

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Jesus don't say that!!  How much I would love to bare shell rebuild it in a lovely gloss white colour, stripped out with a full cage, buckets and harnesses, and a 240bhp turbo motor up front  Plus how many of these do you see these days!? I think they still look absolutely fantastic even today! Just so aggressive. Only panels that weren't different for the 16v's and Williams' were the doors and roof!

 

Stop it ha ha!!

 

 

 

Give it to me lol

 

I never took you for a lover of old French cars John?!

Jesus don't say that!! How much I would love to bare shell rebuild it in a lovely gloss white colour, stripped out with a full cage, buckets and harnesses, and a 240bhp turbo motor up front Plus how many of these do you see these days!? I think they still look absolutely fantastic even today! Just so aggressive. Only panels that weren't different for the 16v's and Williams' were the doors and roof!

Stop it ha ha!!

I never took you for a lover of old French cars John?!

It'd be stunning mate. Rare and something that is an occasion to drive

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Only the certain hatchback ones

Wish I kept my r19 16v saloon :(

Only the certain hatchback ones

Wish I kept my r19 16v saloon :(

Got a Clio Sport iirc ?

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So hands up who thinks he shod bin off the furby and rebuild the Clio

No chance

Got a Clio Sport iirc ?

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No but the wife has a nice blue one

P*ss off both of ya

 

 

John come and rebuild it on your time off...

 

 

I had 2 R19 16v's also! A phase 1 and a phase 2. Not a saloon though... I have taste :P

So hands up who thinks he shod bin off the furby and rebuild the Clio

Keep both on for the road one for the weekends, may be on classic insurance now depending on age?

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Yes but I have a bike too!

 

Too many toys!!

I had 2 R19 16v's also! A phase 1 and a phase 2. Not a saloon though... I have taste :P

Touring car was a saloon

Better pull your finger out old man! You'll be shopping for all your back to school bits soon

Ok, so more updates today.

 

When I fitted the 2260, the standard TIP no longer bolted onto the original mounts. So as a temporary fix I cable tied it in place. So I loosely bolted the turbo and inlet manifold back on today so I could get it lined up. The originally TIP has the brackets welded on, so I cut both of these off with the grinder and filed them down fairly smooth...

 

 

 

 

I then made a bracket from aluminium and bent it into shape so that the TIP will now bolt nicely onto the original mount. It will be going to get welded soon...

 

 

 

 

 

Other than that, this happened today...

 

 

 

The car has been running 2.5 bar of boost on standard nozzles for over 12k miles now.

 

Pistons look absolutely fine...

 

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The valves all look spot on after an initial inspection. There is the typical cracking around all the injector holes though. An example...

 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll be stripping the head down completely, as I want to check that the cracks haven't gone down into the valve seats. If not I've been reliably informed that it's fine and it happens even to standard low mileage cars. The crap that was on the surface of the pistons and valves literally just wiped straight off. So it seems it's been running well. Plus I had zero running issues.

After it's stripped I'll be sending it to the machine shop to get a very very light 'truth' skim, just to make sure the seal is perfect.

 

On initial inspection, the head gasket was perfect on both sides around the pistons. Not quite sure where it's been losing the coolant, but I need to have a closer look at the oil and coolant jackets on the gasket.

 

 

Oh and a big thanks to Ben (a.k.a. flanders off here) for dropping off the brand new Superpro ARB bushes that I bought off him

Edited 29 October, 20178 yr by alex_e3

No worries Alex. Nice to meet and have a chat!

 

Hope the rebuild goes without a hitch!