Project: Subtle & Sweet (BG FF 182)

[Jon46]

Hi,
I've been looking for a nice little fun second car for a while now. After looking at many different cars, I finally settled on a 182 :smile:
Managed to find a really nice, low mileage Full-fat Black 182 last month.
I've owned it for a few weeks now, and I'm about to start making some subtle changes to it. Nothing drastic, just a few little tweaks here and there.
The car is currently 100% standard, except for a S/Steel exhaust and stereo.

Current modifications:-

• KTec / Janspeed catback S/Steel exhaust.
• Alpine headunit

My planned modifications:-

• 2No Powerflex rear exhaust mounts (Bought, not fitted yet)
• 520mm x 84mm front number plate (Bought, not fitted yet)
• Personal Grinta Polyurethane 350mm steering wheel (with PCD adaptor)
• OMP / Sparco / KTec steering boss, with airbag resistors (to order and fit)
  
• 2No rear Cup spec shock absorbers (To order and fit)
• Change the front door speakers and possibly the rears.
  
• Polish the headlights as they have become hazy over the years.

I see this cracking little car, as something fun to drive after work/weekends.
I'm not about to strip it all out, and go down the track prep route.
If these cars start to gain in value, and I decide to sell it, I want to be able to quickly and easily return it back to standard. With the current meteoric rise in Trophy values :wink:, I recon it could be worth £15,000 by the end of the year :laughing:

I'll add some pics over the weekend

 

[Clio_fool]

BG rules! Where abouts are you pal? Did I read your Yorkshire somewhere?

 

[Akay]

I have a dished suede steering wheel pretty much brand new if you are after one

 

[Jon46]

BG rules! Where abouts are you pal? Did I read your Yorkshire somewhere?

Im in Halifax :smile:

I have a dished suede steering wheel pretty much brand new if you are after one :smile:

I've just ordered one on driftworks.com. Thanks anyway bud :up:

 

[Jon46]

Took a few pictures earlier today.
Bodywork is in very good condition, not immaculate but good enough for me. Only washed it so far, will give in a proper polish soon.

Exhaust rear mounts are shot at! Got Powerflex replacements going on today.

The headlights are cloudy around the indicators, and will be getting sorted soon.

A few stonechips on the front, to be expected for a 12 year old car. Small front plate to fit today.

Might spray the grill, as it looks strange on an all black car, to have a faded/grey looking grill.

The wheels are in good condition, a few minor marks and one thats got some marks on the spokes. Nearly new Toyo Proxe's all round

Engine bay is nice and tidy.

Interior is nice and clean. Seats are in very good condition. The steering wheel will definately be going!

 

[Jon46]

Had a go at headlight restoration today......................with toothpaste :tongueclosed:
Watched a few reviews on youtube, and a few appeared to get good results. Thought why not give it a go.
I got some Morrisons Whitening 'gritty' toothpaste for £1, wetted the headlight after a quick clean.
Then attacked it with a cloth, and a large amount of elbow-grease.
Not much was happening, so added some baking soda and I have to say, it has cleaned off some of the yellowing.(not really visible on the pics, but I can see some improvement)
Not going to muck about anymore though, going for the wet 'n' dry sandpaper or a proper resto kit next time :smile:

Fitted my smaller plate, cleans up the front nicely.

Also fitted one of the Powerflex exhaust mounts (N/S). The KTec S/S back box mounting hook doesn't fit 100%, as its obviously designed to replace OEM.
It has improved the tailpipe alignment, and more importantly the support is much, much, much better than the standard flimsy item.
I'll just have to get busy with a drill bit to make a small indentation (not cut) into the powerflex mount, so it all lines up perfectly.

 

[imprezaworks]

Yeah I'm not sure what lights people are using toothpaste on but with the clio you are lightly pissing in the wind. Car looks great btw.

 

[Jon46]

Yeah I'm not sure what lights people are using toothpaste on but with the clio you are lightly pissing in the wind. Car looks great btw.

Yeah, I was sceptical and wasn't expecting miracles. Worth a shot though.
Thanks :up:

 

[haimsey]

Get one of the 3M kits for your lights, work a treat!
(If you want the belts doing or anything like that give Dryclough Lane garage a call. They're RenaultSport friendly/enthusiasts)

 

[Christopher]

Great little project!

 

[Jon46]

Get one of the 3M kits for your lights, work a treat!
(If you want the belts doing or anything like that give Dryclough Lane garage a call. They're RenaultSport friendly/enthusiasts)

Yeah they look decent, I've got a few others on my eBay watch list

Are they? That's useful info, is that dryclough Halifax or Huddersfield? Belts have been done recently but I will need rear shockers fitting next month, plus the front brakes have started to get squeaky at really, really low speed just as the car stops. Annoying in traffic. Going to copper grease the pads first myself

 

[Clio_fool]

Rear shocks are easy to swap over mate, no need for a mechanic.

 

[Jon46]

Yeah I know. I swapped all 4 shocks and springs on my old 200sx, but that was in a garage with a pit and a full garage of tools.

Now I'm doing stuff in a car park by my flat

I have bought one of these this week
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BAHCO-138...487245?hash=item5b1bbe680d:g:QO8AAOSw9mFWM3-7
Really impressed with the quality, and comes with a lifetime warranty like Halfords Professional sets. The reason I opted for this set, was the sockets all grip the faces of the bolts, unlike Halfords 12-sided sockets. Less chance of rounding a nut in my experience

 

[Jon46]

Personal Grinta Polyurethane wheel was delivered this week, along with a 12mm spacer so I can mate it to a Sparco/Momo hub
Ordered a hub from Ktec today so hopefully get this fitted next weekend

 

[Jon46]

Fitted the Grinta wheel today.
Its made such a difference over the standard wheel.
Gripping hold of something that feels like a wheel, rather than a fridge door handle :smile:
Fitting was very simple, I followed a guide written by LeeRS :up:
Once the battery was disconnected, it was all done in about 45 minutes.
KTEC hub fitted like a dream, splines matched up perfectly.
Trickiest part was sorting the airbag resistors, and the horn. Took a bit of fiddling to get the resistors seated properly.
Then as I pushed the horn into the wheel centre, it short circuited, and I had a very small ploom of smoke 😊
No drama, quickly took it apart and found the burn't wire. My fault, trapped the horn (live) wire against the hub as I pushed in the horn.
I've ordered a cruise control unit from @iamjoel so will investigate once I get this next week :smile:

 

[iamjoel]

Fitted the Grinta wheel today.
Its made such a difference over the standard wheel.
Gripping hold of something that feels like a wheel, rather than a fridge door handle :smile:
Fitting was very simple, I followed a guide written by LeeRS :up:
Once the battery was disconnected, it was all done in about 45 minutes.
KTEC hub fitted like a dream, splines matched up perfectly.
Trickiest part was sorting the airbag resistors, and the horn. Took a bit of fiddling to get the resistors seated properly.
Then as I pushed the horn into the wheel centre, it short circuited, and I had a very small ploom of smoke 😊
No drama, quickly took it apart and found the burn't wire. My fault, trapped the horn (live) wire against the hub as I pushed in the horn.
I've ordered a cruise control unit from @iamjoel so will investigate once I get this next week :smile:
View attachment 189020

Thanks for the mention, I look forward to seeing my bracket on your wheel! I'd like to mention its very common for those horn buttons to short as the metal pin touches the wheel which earths it and can cause a fire relatively easily. I would highly recommend you get a 6 button bracket from me rather than the 4 button so you can have the horn on the bracket, which is much safer and less prone to failing.

 

[Jon46]

Fitted some new front speakers this weekend.
Same as these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-T...837037?hash=item58b98842ed:g:OMIAAOSw0vBUeETU
Not impressed if I'm honest. Fitted one, then used the fader to compare with the OEM, and OEM sounded better!
When I cut the wires, both drivers and passengers sides had different colours?
I'm no ICE genius, and expected to get sound when I put + to + and - to -, yet I got them same sound when I crossed them over and tried both variations.
I've used proper spade connectors, an Alpine CDE 113BT headunit........further investigation needed......

 

[Jon46]

Got my cruise control assembly from @iamjoel this week, really pleased with it, Thanks Joel :up:
The quality is very, very good. Wiring all nicely soldered to the 6No button's, which means I have 4 simple connection's to make. 2No for the horn & 2 No for the cruise control
Sadly I could only test fit it today, as the extra thickness of the assembly (3-4mm), mean't that the supplied Personal steering wheel bolts didn't seat into the hub properly.
I got all 6No to bite, but only 1 -1.5 full turn's each. I'm not going to drive the car with a wheel like that :tongueclosed:
Easy fix, I'll order longer allen bolts when I find out the exact pitch and size.
Because I have a Personal wheel, the 6No bolts are rotated 30 degrees, compared to the more common Sparco/Momo wheels.
I spoke to @iamjoel about this, and he can do modified assemblies.
I got his standard version, so I have to place the 6No button assembly, behind the supplied 12mm spacer, so it's set back a small bit. (see the last pic)
This work's for me, because the design of the wheel, and @iamjoel assembly are at slightly different angles.
I can touch all 6No button's easily, no problem, but without the spacer they would have clashed.
I'm looking forward to getting this fitted properly, with longer bolts next week :smile:

 

[New2RS]

Car looks good mate. I'm only round the corner from you in Bradford.
Doubt I'll try the toothpaste polish trick but I hear pile cream is good for sorting radiator leaks :smile:

 

[Jon46]

Car looks good mate. I'm only round the corner from you in Bradford.
Doubt I'll try the toothpaste polish trick but I hear pile cream is good for sorting radiator leaks :smile:

Thanks.

Hahaha :smile:

Pile cream = Noooo! 2No eggs in the radiator is an old trick haha

 

[imprezaworks]

If your into detailing buy a das pro 6.

 

[New2RS]

View attachment 190446 If your into detailing buy a das pro 6.

Wish my teeth were that clean :smile:

 

[Jon46]

View attachment 190446 If your into detailing buy a das pro 6.

I'm not to be honest. Clean car yes. Detailed No.

Yet I have to say your headlight does look slightly sexual :tongueclosed:

 

[imprezaworks]

They do small pads for the das pro.

Reference teeths btw

 

[Jon46]

They do small pads for the das pro.

Are you one of those people who line up tins in the cupboard, labels front? :tongueclosed:

 

[imprezaworks]

Ingredients to the front so I know what I'm eating.

You don't?

 

[Jon46]

Ingredients to the front so I know what I'm eating.

You don't?

No I freestyle.

I like to let calories take me by surprise. A bit like Kato in the Pink Panther films........its a battle :smile:

 

[imprezaworks]

Living on the edge, brave.

 

[Jon46]

Living on the edge, brave.

I like to live life, as a fly using his balls as brakes, on a razor blade :smile:

 

[iamjoel]

Thanks for the order. Worth noting the bracket is one that's tailored for the OMP wheels so that's why it doesn't sit perfect on your wheel, as you've mentioned, we could have gone for a custom one to get it sitting nicely on that one but you chose not to. I'd definitely recommend changing to an OMP one at some point to go well with the buttons.

 

[182_steve]

Great project this, car looks very nice and original....... sounds like your going down the more oem+ route, same as me with my 182. I do like that steering wheel, never seen or heard of personal before but looks great quality :up: I too have one of the brackets from Joel but mines a 4 all black button one to go with my 330mm Sparco wheel with centre horn push. If the budget will stretch, try some Audison speakers for the front, fantastic sound! Have these with the separate tweeters in the front and Hertz energy in the back, much much better than standard.

 

[Jon46]

Thanks for the order. Worth noting the bracket is one that's tailored for the OMP wheels so that's why it doesn't sit perfect on your wheel, as you've mentioned, we could have gone for a custom one to get it sitting nicely on that one but you chose not to. I'd definitely recommend changing to an OMP one at some point to go well with the buttons.

You're spot on there Joel. We discussed a custom bracket but like you said, I got the standard version and it does work very well indeed
I'll never change this wheel, its far to nice :tonguewink:

Great project this, car looks very nice and original....... sounds like your going down the more oem+ route, same as me with my 182. I do like that steering wheel, never seen or heard of personal before but looks great quality :up: I too have one of the brackets from Joel but mines a 4 all black button one to go with my 330mm Sparco wheel with centre horn push. If the budget will stretch, try some Audison speakers for the front, fantastic sound! Have these with the separate tweeters in the front and Hertz energy in the back, much much better than standard.

Personal made Ayrton Senna's wheels, plus numerous other F1 world champs For £103 I think its an absolute bargain. Very solid and great quality, even though its Polyurethane rather than leather (which are almost £200).

I've put some Pioneer TS-G1331i coaxials in the front, and I'm not impressed to be honest. I didn't get very good connections for the wiring so I need to investigate further. I've looked at Audison speakers, and they look like quality kit but they're a bit too much for me

 

[Jon46]

Did a headlight refurb today, and I was surprised by the results.
When I tried toothpaste :laughing: after watching too much youtube, I noticed both the outside and inside of the lense seemed damaged.
Bought an Autoglym resto kit and went to work.
If you're going to do this yourself, you'll need:

• Cleaned & dried headlights - bucket, shampoo, hot water, towel etc.
  
• Headlight restoration kit - Autoglym, M3, Meguiars or whatever takes your fancy.
• Masking tape.
• A combi-drill with a speed of 1200-1600rpm.
• Half a dozen clean clothes.
• Water bottle with trigger.
• Patience and a steady hand.

The outsides feel very smooth, almost glass like. A small amount of discolouration is still evident inside the lights. But overall, I'm very happy with the results

 

[New2RS]

Big improvement.

 

[imprezaworks]

Yep looks great.

 

[182_steve]

They've come up lovely :up:

 

[Jon46]

After the headlight refurb, the orange indicators look pants. So I've ordered 4No Philips Silver Vision PY21W indicator bulbs, for the front and back. Plus smoked side repeaters and a new number plate light as the old one was looking tired.
Hoping it will freshen the look a bit, without going for the full LED approach, which does look good but I've been reading they can be troublesome.
They should all arrive this week, so I will fit them as soon as :grinning:

 

[Jon46]

Finally got around to fitting the new bulbs today.
Got 2No pairs of Philips Silver Vision, all in they were £26 off ebay.
Got a pair of smoked side repeaters for the front wings too, from eurocarparts.
Also got a new number plate light too, old one was looking tired, I will fit this once the new brighter bulb turns up.
Side repeaters http://www.eurocarparts.com/search/477745051
The side repeaters need cutting down though. There are 4 small plastic fins, that support the bulb tunnel thingy. I butchered them with a stanley knife to get them to fit, easy and quick to do so no drama's.
Number plate light http://www.eurocarparts.com/search/482740011
Used the discount code and got the lot for less than£12.
Pics are a little too close, does look much better from a distance, very subtle, just what I wanted :smile:
The red around the new front is not from the bulb, its a reflection from a red car opposite.

 

[imprezaworks]

Looking good

 

[182_steve]

Looks smart that :up: