Clio 1.8 16v - "barn" find

[Optimista]

Here goes nothing

It’s been sitting in a forest in pretty much the same spot for seven years, and for the last three, I’ve been trying to convince the guy to sell it to me...

Well, today was the day.

So, here it is in all its glory: a 1991 Clio 1.8 16v (Phase 1 Diac), cat-less version, rotten as can be, but with paperwork and nearly complete.

The plan is to first give the car a thorough inspection—inside and out—to see exactly what’s there and what’s missing. I believe it was last registered back in 2013.

It is the Diac version, though it has different seats.

Anyway, it’s ideal as a donor car for parts—or for transferring everything to another chassis for homologation—but we’ll see how it goes.

 

[Optimista]

If this car could talk, I bet it would have quite a story to tell...

What puzzled me was that the car is grey, yet the engine bay and the entire interior are pearl white... I didn't get any answers from the owner, nor any photos of the car from the past, and I kept thinking it was a shame—I’d really love to know what the car used to look like...

So, I kept tirelessly Googling, trying to find old listings for Clio 1.8 16v models, and this one thread kept popping up: (Croatian Renault forum, thread for all clio 16v and williams in Croatia)

Renault Clio Williams i 1.8 16v

Pošto su ovi auti danas prava rijetkost, i skoro se više i ne viđaju na cesti, došao sam na ideju da zajednički napravimo popis Williams i 1.8 16v primjeraka koji su još na životu. Nadam se da se vlasnici neće ljutiti što sam posudio njihove slike. Evo da krenemo najprije sa primjercima koji su n...

www.renault-klub.eu

I hadn't opened it because I thought, "Nah, there's no chance it's in there..."
Just as I was about to give up on the search, I clicked on the thread, started scrolling through, and couldn't believe what I saw:

THE CLIO WAS IN THAT THREAD What are the odds... Two (or three) specific details match up, confirming that this is indeed the very same Clio:
The TSW Wheels sticker on the rear side window, the Williams sticker on the trunk trim, and, of course, the pearl white paint...

Unfortunately, there aren't many further details, other than a post by one forum member saying he knew the guy and had posted the ad for him; however, that member hasn't been active on the forum for a long time, so I doubt I'll get any more info from him...
What a car, what a story... truly. I took a closer look at everything today, and I’d say the car was professionally painted pearl white; someone really put in the effort, since the engine bay and the cabin were painted too...
I don't know how it ended up in its current grey color, but it was done poorly..

What a shame—things deteriorate so easily when they aren't taken care of...

Anyway, today I took out all the stuff that came with the car; I wouldn't exactly call it useful, but oh well... What the car is missing is the intake manifold and the VIN plate from the radiator support... I asked the previous owner, and he said he found that odd and would look for them again...
And yeah, the engine wiring harness has been cut in two places, and—of course—the cut-off sections are nowhere to be found... just great...
The car had been sitting at a friend of the owner's place, and all sorts of things happened there; who knows what went down, but the fact remains that a few—let's call them essential—parts are missing... hopefully, they'll turn up...
Since the car has been without an intake manifold for quite a while, the intake ports were in a bit of a state (see photos below), so I gave them a quick blow-out with the compressor and sprayed them with a mixture of ATF and acetone—I did the same for the cylinders after removing the spark plugs...






The engine turns over. It was a bit reluctant to start moving at first, but now it spins freely; I suspect the alternator seized a bit. I even managed to get it to crank, but it seems like the starter motor is on its last legs; it turns slowly and needs a tap just to get spinning...

I took a look underneath, too—the condition is bad, but realistically, what could one expect...

The engine and gearbox appear to be the originals for the Phase 1 model: F7P 700 and JB3 048.
I was actually surprised that the front sections of the rocker panels are relatively solid; I was able to jack the car up without any issues.

What next? wait for the owner to try and dig out the intake manifold & get a hold of engine harness.. And need to find a solid shell to part out for healthy metal for this rust bucket..
Good thing bordanova sport has replica rear quarters. I think the car is originally white, and thats quite rare here in Crotia, but since the car doesent have a plate underneath the hood, cant know how to check it..

Plan is, after all the metal work is done, to have a wide front track conversion, and tune up the F7P a bit, but long way to go still..

Cheers!

 

[ex-Chinese Dave]

That's a huge project you've taken on, good luck. It'll be a toss up between repairing the shell or getting a better shell to put the bits on. If you get a good shell that is easier to paint that may tip the balance.

 

[massivewangers]

Wow, that looks a big project! Really good that you're going to try and save it though, as they're lovely cars. Still the best looking sporty Clio in my view.

 

[Optimista]

Yea.. clio 16v are getting raaare in Croatia, very rare.. almost none on the streets anymore..
I dreamed about clio 16v for years after my brother bought one and drove me in it.. the intake sound, the interior, the exterior.. its nuts.. in my opinion better than 1x2, regarding the experience.

But since that was long time ago, I am thinking about sorting a test drive in a 16v to see if its just a memory or if the car is gonna give me the "chills" and motivation to throw money into building my own.

 

[16v_paddy]

The VIN is also stamped onto the suspension tower on the passenger side of the engine bay and I'm fairly sure the colour code for the paint is part of that number

 

[Optimista]

How to decode it?

 

[16v_paddy]

As for the metal repairs, sills are still widely available, the jacking points are as well but I only know of the ones available in the UK and obviously Bordanova for the rear quarters.
The inner sill structures will be the biggest issue with the repairs, you can use Renault 5 GTT repair parts which are available in a few places but it depends how deep the rust goes.

As an FYI, if you remove the outer skin of the rear quarters, the structure in there is exactly the same as all of the 3 door Mk1 Clio's so you don't specifically need a 16v shell as a donor

 

[16v_paddy]

How to decode it?

Good question
There is a guy on one of the Facebook groups that knows how to decode it, I can't remember his name though