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Fred and James’ Clio 182 Racecar Project
- Thread starter FrogJam Motorsport
- Start date
-
- Tags
- 182 race racecar track track build
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Cheers guys!
On a mission to get the thread up to date so expect lots of posts over the coming weeks.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 61
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 2 – Dry Sump Tank and gearbox oil cooler pump bracket
With the 3MO gearbox being slightly fatter (although shorter) than the standard JC5 the previous bracket for the drysump oil tank clashes with the gearbox. So the tank needs moving up, And to give more room for the shifter linkage will move it outboard slightly too. Very similar idea to the previous bracket but just moves the position.
Already had a CAD model of the previous bracket so could use this as a template for the new one. Had already scanned the chassis leg and gearbox for the gearbox mount. So can use this as a guide to make sure the new bracket clears the gearbox.
The old print and trace method at work again. Would love to have access to a laser cutter!
With the pieces cut out I mocked it up on the car to check the tank was going to work in the place before welding it together. The return port on the tank was going to get rather close to the strut brace so needed to make sure this would actually clear.
The feed line port originally came out of the RHS on the tank (LHS in picture). This was fine with the standard gearbox but this is right in the way of the linkage for the 3MO gearbox. So a bit of head scratching but have a plan! As the tank is a splitable tank the bottom section can be rotated. Therefore my plan was to rotate the bottom 90 degrees so the feed line would come out the front.
Bracket welded up and now time to have a sort of the tank and see if its going to work.
Took the tank apart and gave it a clean out. Wasn’t particularly dirty but just has a bit of black oil residue sat in the bottom. Was also pretty cool to see exactly how the tanks are put together with the internal baffles. Tank back together with the base rotated 90 degrees.
Think this feed port position will be much better for the hose routing. But won’t be doing the hoses until later on but have to think how and where the hoses run.
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 2 – Dry Sump Tank and gearbox oil cooler pump bracket
With the 3MO gearbox being slightly fatter (although shorter) than the standard JC5 the previous bracket for the drysump oil tank clashes with the gearbox. So the tank needs moving up, And to give more room for the shifter linkage will move it outboard slightly too. Very similar idea to the previous bracket but just moves the position.
Already had a CAD model of the previous bracket so could use this as a template for the new one. Had already scanned the chassis leg and gearbox for the gearbox mount. So can use this as a guide to make sure the new bracket clears the gearbox.
The old print and trace method at work again. Would love to have access to a laser cutter!
With the pieces cut out I mocked it up on the car to check the tank was going to work in the place before welding it together. The return port on the tank was going to get rather close to the strut brace so needed to make sure this would actually clear.
The feed line port originally came out of the RHS on the tank (LHS in picture). This was fine with the standard gearbox but this is right in the way of the linkage for the 3MO gearbox. So a bit of head scratching but have a plan! As the tank is a splitable tank the bottom section can be rotated. Therefore my plan was to rotate the bottom 90 degrees so the feed line would come out the front.
Bracket welded up and now time to have a sort of the tank and see if its going to work.
Took the tank apart and gave it a clean out. Wasn’t particularly dirty but just has a bit of black oil residue sat in the bottom. Was also pretty cool to see exactly how the tanks are put together with the internal baffles. Tank back together with the base rotated 90 degrees.
Think this feed port position will be much better for the hose routing. But won’t be doing the hoses until later on but have to think how and where the hoses run.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 61 continued
Next part to sort was where the gearbox oil cooler pump was going to go. Previously it was mounted on top of the gearbox but now the main oil feed line was going to be running straight through this area. So was trying to find another home for the pump. (This was a couple weeks after doing the previous work, at this point James was on building the engine, hence no engine block in the picture. But gearbox was going to be close enough to the final position on one mount and the jack stand to sort these sorts of things).
Decided to try and mount the pump underneath the dry sump tank. Thought it would keep the pump out the way, make the engine bay look neater and think the routing of the oil lines would work nicely too.
Need to fit the filer pre pump so used the same arrangement as previous with the 90 degree fitting and mounting the filter to the pump. Then added a simple bracket to the bottom of the oil tank bracket.
Same as the tank, will sort the hoses for the pump a little later on once the engine is built and have more of the ancillary parts attached. Will show more pictures of this once I start assembly all the parts rather than just at this more mock up stage.
Next part to sort was where the gearbox oil cooler pump was going to go. Previously it was mounted on top of the gearbox but now the main oil feed line was going to be running straight through this area. So was trying to find another home for the pump. (This was a couple weeks after doing the previous work, at this point James was on building the engine, hence no engine block in the picture. But gearbox was going to be close enough to the final position on one mount and the jack stand to sort these sorts of things).
Decided to try and mount the pump underneath the dry sump tank. Thought it would keep the pump out the way, make the engine bay look neater and think the routing of the oil lines would work nicely too.
Need to fit the filer pre pump so used the same arrangement as previous with the 90 degree fitting and mounting the filter to the pump. Then added a simple bracket to the bottom of the oil tank bracket.
Same as the tank, will sort the hoses for the pump a little later on once the engine is built and have more of the ancillary parts attached. Will show more pictures of this once I start assembly all the parts rather than just at this more mock up stage.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 62
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 3 – Driveshafts
With the engine and gearbox in place with the new mounts, I went about measuring the required driveshaft lengths using the CV joint we had chosen to use. James had done a lot of research to find what CV joint options we had rather than using the 3MO tripods for the inners. Bought one of each and picked the ones we thought were best for both inner and outer.
Annoying I didn’t take many pictures of measuring the shafts but did a fair bit of work to measure lengths at design ride height. And then calculated and measured the lengths at full rebound and jounce. So was pretty confident they would work. Sent the drawings off and got them back from being made and was crunch time to check if they work.
So was pleased to have the driveshafts sorted as they can have a fairly long lead time. Then had a bit of a curveball. Had posted pictures on Instagram about fitting the gearbox and was contacted by a guy in Scotland who was also fitting a 3MO box to a Mk2 Clio but for rallying. He was keen for us to sort his driveshafts out. Was nervous about whether the measures would be the same between the cars as the shafts have to be pretty much bang on. And seeing as the ride heights could be different too. So we had a visit to his garage and clio to check and take some measurements. In the end we sold him the set of shafts we had made for ourselves as he was closer to needing them. So built the shafts up for him and sent them over a week after our visit once we knew we could get another set made in time.
This really isn’t intended to be a shameless plug but if anyone is fitting a 3MO box to a Mk2 Clio (niche I know) we now sell the driveshafts as a full kit on our website. We have a spare set of shafts in stock just in case anyone needs a replacement quickly as well as stocking and selling the CV joints separately. So if the worst was to happen we could get a replacement shaft out the next day and I am sure I could be convinced to deliver it in person if really needed.
https://frogjammotorsport.co.uk/pro...arbox-driveshaft-kit-renault-clio-mk2-172-182
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 3 – Driveshafts
With the engine and gearbox in place with the new mounts, I went about measuring the required driveshaft lengths using the CV joint we had chosen to use. James had done a lot of research to find what CV joint options we had rather than using the 3MO tripods for the inners. Bought one of each and picked the ones we thought were best for both inner and outer.
Annoying I didn’t take many pictures of measuring the shafts but did a fair bit of work to measure lengths at design ride height. And then calculated and measured the lengths at full rebound and jounce. So was pretty confident they would work. Sent the drawings off and got them back from being made and was crunch time to check if they work.
So was pleased to have the driveshafts sorted as they can have a fairly long lead time. Then had a bit of a curveball. Had posted pictures on Instagram about fitting the gearbox and was contacted by a guy in Scotland who was also fitting a 3MO box to a Mk2 Clio but for rallying. He was keen for us to sort his driveshafts out. Was nervous about whether the measures would be the same between the cars as the shafts have to be pretty much bang on. And seeing as the ride heights could be different too. So we had a visit to his garage and clio to check and take some measurements. In the end we sold him the set of shafts we had made for ourselves as he was closer to needing them. So built the shafts up for him and sent them over a week after our visit once we knew we could get another set made in time.
This really isn’t intended to be a shameless plug but if anyone is fitting a 3MO box to a Mk2 Clio (niche I know) we now sell the driveshafts as a full kit on our website. We have a spare set of shafts in stock just in case anyone needs a replacement quickly as well as stocking and selling the CV joints separately. So if the worst was to happen we could get a replacement shaft out the next day and I am sure I could be convinced to deliver it in person if really needed.
https://frogjammotorsport.co.uk/pro...arbox-driveshaft-kit-renault-clio-mk2-172-182
JamesBryan
ClioSport Club Member
What are your thoughts on using the Redline CV2 grease on tripod joints as opposed to the thinner NLGI 1 grade greases like GKN Tripode Grease?
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Unsure to be honest, the consensus certainly says the GKN tripod grease is the better option but then been using the Redline CV-2 on the 1 tripod with the JC5 and then these two with the 3MO and not had a problem with them so far. So more working on the principle of aint broke don't fix it.
Have you had had any issues with one or the other?
JamesBryan
ClioSport Club Member
I've only ever used the GKN grease on tripods.
Good to know you've not had any issues with CV grease. Certainly cheaper than the GKN stuff 😅
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
If one does break we'll be straight onto the GKN grease and will be eating my words mind!
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 63
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 4 – Water Pump + Oil cooler relocation
Water pump was going in the same place as before because the front mounting location is machined to be the same as the JC5 however, the water pump needed to be rotated so a new bracket was needed. The water pump was to be rotated as the laminova oil cooler needed to be slightly lower due to the gearbox being slightly larger.
Engine and gearbox back in the car to mock up the laminova brackets, at this point the block and head were together but oil sump was still to be sealed up.
Connected the hoses to the outlet of the pump, inlet to the engine and the oil cooler inbetween to start to make the brackets. Because the package is so tight between the engine and undertray/subframe the brackets have to be exact so only way to make them really is in place and jiggle things about to get them right.
Started with the RHS mount, closest to the engine inlet. Took a bit of playing around to get the clearance between the oil hose and undertray.
Next was the other side with the laminova tight up against the gearbox. Two part bracket and tacked up so it still had a bit of give so could bend the welded joint to be perfect and then once right fully welded it and cleaned the edges up.
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 4 – Water Pump + Oil cooler relocation
Water pump was going in the same place as before because the front mounting location is machined to be the same as the JC5 however, the water pump needed to be rotated so a new bracket was needed. The water pump was to be rotated as the laminova oil cooler needed to be slightly lower due to the gearbox being slightly larger.
Engine and gearbox back in the car to mock up the laminova brackets, at this point the block and head were together but oil sump was still to be sealed up.
Connected the hoses to the outlet of the pump, inlet to the engine and the oil cooler inbetween to start to make the brackets. Because the package is so tight between the engine and undertray/subframe the brackets have to be exact so only way to make them really is in place and jiggle things about to get them right.
Started with the RHS mount, closest to the engine inlet. Took a bit of playing around to get the clearance between the oil hose and undertray.
Next was the other side with the laminova tight up against the gearbox. Two part bracket and tacked up so it still had a bit of give so could bend the welded joint to be perfect and then once right fully welded it and cleaned the edges up.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 63 - Continued
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 4 – Water Pump + Oil cooler relocation
To get enough space around the engine oil connection to the laminova the subframe needed to be notched. Cut the bit of subframe out to give clearance and then welded in a bit of roll cage tube, worked out pretty neat.
Was glad to get that done. Had spent a long time seeing if there was a better way to mount the laminova but the hose routing was just getting overly complicated. Would prefer not to have the laminova so low and close to the subframe but think the undertray should protect the laminova well enough. Next up is the shifter.
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 4 – Water Pump + Oil cooler relocation
To get enough space around the engine oil connection to the laminova the subframe needed to be notched. Cut the bit of subframe out to give clearance and then welded in a bit of roll cage tube, worked out pretty neat.
Was glad to get that done. Had spent a long time seeing if there was a better way to mount the laminova but the hose routing was just getting overly complicated. Would prefer not to have the laminova so low and close to the subframe but think the undertray should protect the laminova well enough. Next up is the shifter.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 64
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 5 – Gear Shifter
Nothing too fancy for the gear shifter really, just a bit fiddly but thought we would end up with something just as good making it ourselves rather than buying the 3MO shifter. Followed the 3MO instructions, well more just a diagram with the gearbox wanting a +/- 15mm movement in the linkage.
Started off with the shifter being the same length as the FJM JC5 shifter, feels pretty natural so going to be a good starting point. The idea was to have two ball bearings at the bottom to provide the pivot with a couple bolted brackets to mount to the body. Then the linkage mounts roughly in the middle.
Mounted a coolerworx gearknob to the shifter. We like the previous shifter feel so why change it.
Then linkage time. One end needed a clevis as a rod end threaded into the gearbox selector shaft. The other (inside) would just have a threaded hole. The estimating of the hole position was pretty spot of too.
The linkage went straight through the control panel frame, so the frame needed a bit of hacking. Wasn’t really interested in doing a perfect job with this can make a pretty one at a later date if I ever got really bored. Raised the panel up slightly and then dog legged round the linkage.
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 5 – Gear Shifter
Nothing too fancy for the gear shifter really, just a bit fiddly but thought we would end up with something just as good making it ourselves rather than buying the 3MO shifter. Followed the 3MO instructions, well more just a diagram with the gearbox wanting a +/- 15mm movement in the linkage.
Started off with the shifter being the same length as the FJM JC5 shifter, feels pretty natural so going to be a good starting point. The idea was to have two ball bearings at the bottom to provide the pivot with a couple bolted brackets to mount to the body. Then the linkage mounts roughly in the middle.
Mounted a coolerworx gearknob to the shifter. We like the previous shifter feel so why change it.
Then linkage time. One end needed a clevis as a rod end threaded into the gearbox selector shaft. The other (inside) would just have a threaded hole. The estimating of the hole position was pretty spot of too.
The linkage went straight through the control panel frame, so the frame needed a bit of hacking. Wasn’t really interested in doing a perfect job with this can make a pretty one at a later date if I ever got really bored. Raised the panel up slightly and then dog legged round the linkage.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 64 - Continued
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 5 – Gear Shifter
So with this adjusted it was all connected up with the frame in place. Looked like it was going to work just perfect.
A few more details left to sort however. First was a tube to mount a boot to the bulkhead to seal the hole up. Think there must be a better way of doing this but haven’t seen anything else yet. But made an extra part which I bolted and tiger sealed it in place.
The gearbox has a reverse lock out cable, this is to stop you going into neutral from first gear by mistake and then need to use it to go into reverse too from neutral. The cable travel had to be pretty accurate so used the actual 3MO cable handle and mounted it to our shifter.
Reverse cable lock out handle and load cell mounted and in place. Time for some paint but will show this in a later post. Had quite a bit to paint in the end before assembling everything for the final time.
3MO LC776 Gearbox Fitting
Part 5 – Gear Shifter
So with this adjusted it was all connected up with the frame in place. Looked like it was going to work just perfect.
A few more details left to sort however. First was a tube to mount a boot to the bulkhead to seal the hole up. Think there must be a better way of doing this but haven’t seen anything else yet. But made an extra part which I bolted and tiger sealed it in place.
The gearbox has a reverse lock out cable, this is to stop you going into neutral from first gear by mistake and then need to use it to go into reverse too from neutral. The cable travel had to be pretty accurate so used the actual 3MO cable handle and mounted it to our shifter.
Reverse cable lock out handle and load cell mounted and in place. Time for some paint but will show this in a later post. Had quite a bit to paint in the end before assembling everything for the final time.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Cheers guys! Appreciate the comments and makes it all worthwhile writing it up.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 65
Mk3 EPAS Column
After many attempts to get the Mk2 EPAS column working it was time to make a change, unfortunately its simply not up to the job both from a power and reliability point of view. Which isn’t really surprising when the column is meant to be used on the 1.2 dci Mk2. The Mk3 column is off a 197/200 model hence in theory is much more up to the job, aswell ruskiweldfab has done the change and says its much better.
The only down side to the Mk3 column is that it is quite a bit bigger than the Mk2 column and doesn’t package quite as nicely.
Started cutting brackets off the column to clean it up. Thought about keeping the adjustment but both James and I are happy with the shared steering wheel position so no need for the adjustment really.
Rear mount was nice and easy, had some mounting holes in the perfect place, so a small bracket and all lines up with the existing mounting point.
Came up with a new plan which meant more brackets could be cut off the rear section of the column. This would mean making a new mounting face between the 2 sections.
Welded the rear bracket up once I had checked it was all going to fit and work.
Mk3 EPAS Column
After many attempts to get the Mk2 EPAS column working it was time to make a change, unfortunately its simply not up to the job both from a power and reliability point of view. Which isn’t really surprising when the column is meant to be used on the 1.2 dci Mk2. The Mk3 column is off a 197/200 model hence in theory is much more up to the job, aswell ruskiweldfab has done the change and says its much better.
The only down side to the Mk3 column is that it is quite a bit bigger than the Mk2 column and doesn’t package quite as nicely.
Started cutting brackets off the column to clean it up. Thought about keeping the adjustment but both James and I are happy with the shared steering wheel position so no need for the adjustment really.
Rear mount was nice and easy, had some mounting holes in the perfect place, so a small bracket and all lines up with the existing mounting point.
Came up with a new plan which meant more brackets could be cut off the rear section of the column. This would mean making a new mounting face between the 2 sections.
Welded the rear bracket up once I had checked it was all going to fit and work.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 65 - Continued
Mk3 EPAS Column
Used the same steering angle sensor setup as before just with a new bracket to fit the new column.
Once painted it all looked better than I thought it would do. Not quite a neat at the old column but much more important to have it function better.
Last part was to sort the lower column/linkage between the column and rack. Did this by welding the Mk2 rack end to the Mk3 column end of the linkage. This meant that we kept the collapsible part of the column.
Engine build coming up next.
Mk3 EPAS Column
Used the same steering angle sensor setup as before just with a new bracket to fit the new column.
Once painted it all looked better than I thought it would do. Not quite a neat at the old column but much more important to have it function better.
Last part was to sort the lower column/linkage between the column and rack. Did this by welding the Mk2 rack end to the Mk3 column end of the linkage. This meant that we kept the collapsible part of the column.
Engine build coming up next.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 66
Engine Build - Part 1 – Strip Down
Time for the engine build posts. Thought some people maybe interested in seeing what condition the engine was in after a couple of years and I think it had done a total of about 6,000km. So lots of pictures of taking the engine to bits.
Cam cover off and not too much going on. Cams, followers and tappets were all new a couple years back so still all looking good.
Wanted to check the valve guides were all happy as these were the originals. So measured valve wobble. Measured at 20mm (meant to check at 25mm) and was around 0.8mm of play which is too much. So valve guides needed doing and we leave them the full length.
Sump had a fair bit of muck in it so that needed a good clean, nothing bad just oil residue. The oil pick up tube filter had a small amount of liquid gasket, so no problems there either, probably need to be a little more careful when putting the sump back on.
Bottom end all stripped, main bearings and big end bearings both had a small amount of wear but nothing unexpected.
What was probably more unexpected was the wear on the cylinder walls. Measurements taken in 6 locations per cylinder and values ranged between 7 and 25 microns over nominal. The block had been honed for the first rebuild and was on the limit so now time for a rebore.
Next up is the plan for the rebuild.
Engine Build - Part 1 – Strip Down
Time for the engine build posts. Thought some people maybe interested in seeing what condition the engine was in after a couple of years and I think it had done a total of about 6,000km. So lots of pictures of taking the engine to bits.
Cam cover off and not too much going on. Cams, followers and tappets were all new a couple years back so still all looking good.
Wanted to check the valve guides were all happy as these were the originals. So measured valve wobble. Measured at 20mm (meant to check at 25mm) and was around 0.8mm of play which is too much. So valve guides needed doing and we leave them the full length.
Sump had a fair bit of muck in it so that needed a good clean, nothing bad just oil residue. The oil pick up tube filter had a small amount of liquid gasket, so no problems there either, probably need to be a little more careful when putting the sump back on.
Bottom end all stripped, main bearings and big end bearings both had a small amount of wear but nothing unexpected.
What was probably more unexpected was the wear on the cylinder walls. Measurements taken in 6 locations per cylinder and values ranged between 7 and 25 microns over nominal. The block had been honed for the first rebuild and was on the limit so now time for a rebore.
Next up is the plan for the rebuild.
SharpyClio
ClioSport Club Member
I've been following this build since I joined. Its amazing. id love to be able to do something like this such an epic thing. love it.
Renault clio mk1 1.8
Wow! Just read your whole build from the start (it’s taken me around a week 😂). What an amazing piece of engineering. Can’t wait to see it all back together and looking forward to more engine build pictures.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Cheers guys, appreciate the comments. Got some cool stuff in the works too.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 67
Engine Build - Part 2 – Machine work
Once the engine was stripped the block, head and crank assembly went off to the machine shop we use.
The following work was carried out on the block:
The following work was carried out on the head:
The crank shaft was also polished and the crank assembly was balanced.
Had the cam cover aqua blasted to have all the paint removed. Found on the last rebuild the bolts kept backing off slightly and pretty confident it was due to the paint, paint kept flaking off around the bolts. Preferred the look of the raw aluminium finish too but was mainly just from wanting the bolts to stay torqued. Had all the other aluminium components blasted at the same to freshen them up, made sure that they were spotlessly clean before being assembled however.
Engine Build - Part 2 – Machine work
Once the engine was stripped the block, head and crank assembly went off to the machine shop we use.
The following work was carried out on the block:
- Bored and honed with a torque plate to suit the JE pistons.
- Resurfaced but only took 1.5 thou off not to cause any problems with compression ratio or piston to head clearance.
- Replaced oil squirters.
- Removed and replaced oil gallery plugs.
- Rubbed down, washed and painted.
The following work was carried out on the head:
- Replaced and hone valve guides.
- Reface valves and valve seats to 3 angle.
- Reface head face – 2 thou.
- Decoke and lap valves.
- Rub off gasket faces and wash cylinder head.
The crank shaft was also polished and the crank assembly was balanced.
Had the cam cover aqua blasted to have all the paint removed. Found on the last rebuild the bolts kept backing off slightly and pretty confident it was due to the paint, paint kept flaking off around the bolts. Preferred the look of the raw aluminium finish too but was mainly just from wanting the bolts to stay torqued. Had all the other aluminium components blasted at the same to freshen them up, made sure that they were spotlessly clean before being assembled however.
Mr Underhill
ClioSport Club Member
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
You can have a look if you don’t laugh, function over form on this one.
Welded a plate onto the pms bracket and drilled a hole for the sensor. Has worked a treat since doing it a couple years back.
Need to add a bit of clearance for the toothed abs ring as I think they usually come with magnetic rings.
Hollidog
ClioSport Club Member
182
Doesn't matter if it works!
Did you manage to get the original sensor out or did you by new?
What did you do about the reluctor ring? PMS say they don't fit on the disc.
Did you end up going to that BMW module?
Sorry for the 20 questions - red flag in the grand prix!
Did you manage to get the original sensor out or did you by new?
What did you do about the reluctor ring? PMS say they don't fit on the disc.
Did you end up going to that BMW module?
Sorry for the 20 questions - red flag in the grand prix!
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Can’t remember on the old sensors, was a long time ago since taking them apart. Need to find which exact rings we used in the end, but just measured the out diameter of the rear discs and found some which fit and then made the weld on blocks to suit. Yer using the bmw unit but not sure it’s necessary. Spoke with someone who had got the Clio unit working without the standard ecu and uch which we didn’t think was possible, not that we tried but sounds like we should have given it ago.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 68
Engine Build - Part 3 – Block Assembly
Have already gone through the engine spec plan a previous post. Not much changed apart from we eneded up removing the oil squirters. The below gives a fairly brief summary of the work that goes into assembling the bottom end – what isn’t covered is the many many hours, if not days, of measuring, re-measuring and cleaning!
Fitted the Mk3 Clio crank using ‘R3’ ACL main bearings which have the centre tangs (ACL 'R3' Main Bearing) and ACL thrust washers (ACL Thrust washers) – used these bearings as they give a smidge more clearance and we are fans of ACL race stuff. Mk3 Clio crank was used as it’s a bit heavier and a bit more robust vs the mk2 cranks – it was designed to rev at 7.5k from factory too!
Everything is measured with bore gauges/micrometers first but as a final confirmatory sense check we check the bearing clearances with plastigauge too. Measurements showed main bearing clearances in and around 0.06mm – here the plastigauge confirms this.
JE pistons (Hyperlink) and K1 rods (Hyperlink) trial fitted next.
Rings gaps sorted using a manual ring grinder and checking the gaps with a feeler gauge. Make sure you actually measure your slip gauges with a micrometre before using them, our set were slightly different probably because they were just a cheap. The trick here is keeping the filed edge of the rings square and also remembering to deburr the filed edge once finished.
There was a few measurements that we checked during the trial/test fitting of the piston and rods – due to using a large camshaft we needed to be sure nothing was going to clash! Piston to head clearance (P2H), piston to valve clearance (P2V) and compression ratio.
P2H was both measured with a dial gauge and plasticine. P2V was measured both with a dial gauge and plasticine on the top of the piston to check the radial clearances. Will go into more detail of valve/head measurements in the head build post. The piston volume for the compression ratio was measured with a burette and a plate of perspex with a hole in the middle – safe to say it matched the piston’s spec sheet!
During the trial fitting of the pistons and rods James noticed that the oil squirters were actually touching the piston. Due to the asymmetric shape of the piston skirts the oil squirter just catches the webbing. So had to make a decision on whether to adjust the oil squirters or remove them. We tried tweaking the nozzles over to clear the piston and managed to get them clear but they were getting pretty close to the rod. We had already contemplated removing the oil squirters like they do on the formula engines so decided take the plunge and give it ago - partly as we were intrigued to see how much of a difference it makes to oil pressure & cylinder wear. Wouldn’t recommend this on a stock engine though - the strong 2618 alloy of the JE pistons is more suited to the task than the cast OEM pistons.
Measured a genuine oil squirter diameter and had some blanks turned down to fit.
Usually the oil squirters are drilled and tapped to remove them, however the block needs thoroughly cleaning to make sure no swarf is left in the oil galleries and didn’t want to have to re do the oil gallery plugs after then had only just been done. So found another way to remove them.
Tried welding an M6 bolt to the top of the squirter and then made an adaptor from the M6 bolt to the slide hammer. I say an adaptor, random solid bar that was kicking around with the tapped hole in one end. Bolt welded on nicely with a couple tacs using the tig welder.
So tried it on the squirters in the block and worked a treat. Nice and quick and more importantly doesn’t make any mess. Used James as a bolt holder whilst I (Fred) tacked the bolt on.
Tapped the blanking plugs in to the same depth as the original squirters and fingers crossed when they see 6-7 bar of oil pressure when cold.
Once this was sorted the crank, rods and pistons could be finally assembled into the block for good.
Engine Build - Part 3 – Block Assembly
Have already gone through the engine spec plan a previous post. Not much changed apart from we eneded up removing the oil squirters. The below gives a fairly brief summary of the work that goes into assembling the bottom end – what isn’t covered is the many many hours, if not days, of measuring, re-measuring and cleaning!
Fitted the Mk3 Clio crank using ‘R3’ ACL main bearings which have the centre tangs (ACL 'R3' Main Bearing) and ACL thrust washers (ACL Thrust washers) – used these bearings as they give a smidge more clearance and we are fans of ACL race stuff. Mk3 Clio crank was used as it’s a bit heavier and a bit more robust vs the mk2 cranks – it was designed to rev at 7.5k from factory too!
Everything is measured with bore gauges/micrometers first but as a final confirmatory sense check we check the bearing clearances with plastigauge too. Measurements showed main bearing clearances in and around 0.06mm – here the plastigauge confirms this.
JE pistons (Hyperlink) and K1 rods (Hyperlink) trial fitted next.
Rings gaps sorted using a manual ring grinder and checking the gaps with a feeler gauge. Make sure you actually measure your slip gauges with a micrometre before using them, our set were slightly different probably because they were just a cheap. The trick here is keeping the filed edge of the rings square and also remembering to deburr the filed edge once finished.
There was a few measurements that we checked during the trial/test fitting of the piston and rods – due to using a large camshaft we needed to be sure nothing was going to clash! Piston to head clearance (P2H), piston to valve clearance (P2V) and compression ratio.
P2H was both measured with a dial gauge and plasticine. P2V was measured both with a dial gauge and plasticine on the top of the piston to check the radial clearances. Will go into more detail of valve/head measurements in the head build post. The piston volume for the compression ratio was measured with a burette and a plate of perspex with a hole in the middle – safe to say it matched the piston’s spec sheet!
During the trial fitting of the pistons and rods James noticed that the oil squirters were actually touching the piston. Due to the asymmetric shape of the piston skirts the oil squirter just catches the webbing. So had to make a decision on whether to adjust the oil squirters or remove them. We tried tweaking the nozzles over to clear the piston and managed to get them clear but they were getting pretty close to the rod. We had already contemplated removing the oil squirters like they do on the formula engines so decided take the plunge and give it ago - partly as we were intrigued to see how much of a difference it makes to oil pressure & cylinder wear. Wouldn’t recommend this on a stock engine though - the strong 2618 alloy of the JE pistons is more suited to the task than the cast OEM pistons.
Measured a genuine oil squirter diameter and had some blanks turned down to fit.
Usually the oil squirters are drilled and tapped to remove them, however the block needs thoroughly cleaning to make sure no swarf is left in the oil galleries and didn’t want to have to re do the oil gallery plugs after then had only just been done. So found another way to remove them.
Tried welding an M6 bolt to the top of the squirter and then made an adaptor from the M6 bolt to the slide hammer. I say an adaptor, random solid bar that was kicking around with the tapped hole in one end. Bolt welded on nicely with a couple tacs using the tig welder.
So tried it on the squirters in the block and worked a treat. Nice and quick and more importantly doesn’t make any mess. Used James as a bolt holder whilst I (Fred) tacked the bolt on.
Tapped the blanking plugs in to the same depth as the original squirters and fingers crossed when they see 6-7 bar of oil pressure when cold.
Once this was sorted the crank, rods and pistons could be finally assembled into the block for good.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 69
Engine Build - Part 4 – Head Assembly
A few decisions made prior to the build based on some research and calculations. Regarding cams, wanted to go for a non vvt cam shaft and didn’t want it to be too peaky, was also concerned about piston to valve clearance so decided on 433 catcams in the end. In the middle of how aggressive you can go (432, 433, 431, 434).
Another was springs. The initial plan was to put the Supertech double titanium springs in. However, due to not going particularly aggressive on the cams it was not necessary to go for that high a spring rate. Therefore, decided to go for the single cat cam springs. The Supertech springs are 4.35kg/mm and the Catcams are 3.25kg/mm, so a decent bit less stiff which should mean less power loss but still plenty safe enough for the cam and rpm choice. Oh and they are gold, must make them better.
As the 433 are non VVT cams the dephaser solenoid is no longer needed. So instead of just leaving it disconnected we wanted to make a blank to stop the oil flow. The solenoid clearance is actually quite high so must see some oil loss past the solenoid. So measured the bore in the head and had a plug made. Made it with a diameter where by it would push in by hand but certainly tighter than the standard solenoid.
Lots of measurements taken with the cams using the Catcam timing tools which include clamps so the cam cover is not needed. Important to get accurate measurements, therefore need to be able to lock the tappets out otherwise they could compress with no oil pressure and change the results. Welded an old tappet together and then shimmed the tappet to zero lash.
The Catcam timing tools allow you to set the timing from actual cam measurements rather than the standard end slots.
And now the head can go on the block and the engine will be ready for the rest of the ancillary parts. Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel!
Engine Build - Part 4 – Head Assembly
A few decisions made prior to the build based on some research and calculations. Regarding cams, wanted to go for a non vvt cam shaft and didn’t want it to be too peaky, was also concerned about piston to valve clearance so decided on 433 catcams in the end. In the middle of how aggressive you can go (432, 433, 431, 434).
Another was springs. The initial plan was to put the Supertech double titanium springs in. However, due to not going particularly aggressive on the cams it was not necessary to go for that high a spring rate. Therefore, decided to go for the single cat cam springs. The Supertech springs are 4.35kg/mm and the Catcams are 3.25kg/mm, so a decent bit less stiff which should mean less power loss but still plenty safe enough for the cam and rpm choice. Oh and they are gold, must make them better.
As the 433 are non VVT cams the dephaser solenoid is no longer needed. So instead of just leaving it disconnected we wanted to make a blank to stop the oil flow. The solenoid clearance is actually quite high so must see some oil loss past the solenoid. So measured the bore in the head and had a plug made. Made it with a diameter where by it would push in by hand but certainly tighter than the standard solenoid.
Lots of measurements taken with the cams using the Catcam timing tools which include clamps so the cam cover is not needed. Important to get accurate measurements, therefore need to be able to lock the tappets out otherwise they could compress with no oil pressure and change the results. Welded an old tappet together and then shimmed the tappet to zero lash.
The Catcam timing tools allow you to set the timing from actual cam measurements rather than the standard end slots.
And now the head can go on the block and the engine will be ready for the rest of the ancillary parts. Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel!
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 70
Final Assembly and first turn over – Part 1
Time to get everything put together for the final time and fitted into the car. Not too much to say as most of the items have been covered in the previous posts but lots and lots of pictures so going to be a picture heavy post.
Time to paint many bits! Went with an alloy wheel silver and clear lacquer, try to make it tie in with the gearbox and head.
Swapped the ECU over to the EMU Pro from the EMU Black. Pretty much solely for the addition of the closed loop gear control but also the software is much better than the EMU black, I’m sure there will be other improvements I find during setting it up.
New clutch and flywheel fitted. Also made a paint mark on the engine and flywheel so that timing can be checked before startup.
After the alternator issues last year we bit the bullet and bought a WOSP alternator. Had this ordered a while back but as they didn’t make this sort it had to be made for us.
Engine pretty much ready for the gearbox now.
Found it easier to fit the gearbox whilst the engine is on the work bench and then can engine hoist both off the work bench. Makes it nice and easy to line the clutch up and torque the gearbox to engine bolts up.
Final Assembly and first turn over – Part 1
Time to get everything put together for the final time and fitted into the car. Not too much to say as most of the items have been covered in the previous posts but lots and lots of pictures so going to be a picture heavy post.
Time to paint many bits! Went with an alloy wheel silver and clear lacquer, try to make it tie in with the gearbox and head.
Swapped the ECU over to the EMU Pro from the EMU Black. Pretty much solely for the addition of the closed loop gear control but also the software is much better than the EMU black, I’m sure there will be other improvements I find during setting it up.
New clutch and flywheel fitted. Also made a paint mark on the engine and flywheel so that timing can be checked before startup.
After the alternator issues last year we bit the bullet and bought a WOSP alternator. Had this ordered a while back but as they didn’t make this sort it had to be made for us.
Engine pretty much ready for the gearbox now.
Found it easier to fit the gearbox whilst the engine is on the work bench and then can engine hoist both off the work bench. Makes it nice and easy to line the clutch up and torque the gearbox to engine bolts up.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 70 Continued.
Final Assembly and first turn over – Part 2
The last items to go onto the engine which cant be fitted on the work bench is the engine and gearbox oil cooler laminova and dry sump pump pulley.
Engine in the car for the final time!! All the oil hoses work nicely now with the dry sump tank rotated 90 degrees.
Made a little bracket for the clutch release bearing hose and bleed line.
Gearshifter painted and load cell fitted.
Filling up the gearbox with oil so can turn the engine over to check oil pressure. Have to stick the oil on a radiator to help it flow as its so thick. So fill the funnel up and leave it for 15 minutes to sort itself out. Need to sort a larger diameter filling hose out really.
Time to turn the engine over and check for oil pressure. Gearbox hadn’t been turned over yet so was keen to check everything was going to be ok.
Oil pressure looks all good even after a short turnover.
Next post will be the first start.
Final Assembly and first turn over – Part 2
The last items to go onto the engine which cant be fitted on the work bench is the engine and gearbox oil cooler laminova and dry sump pump pulley.
Engine in the car for the final time!! All the oil hoses work nicely now with the dry sump tank rotated 90 degrees.
Made a little bracket for the clutch release bearing hose and bleed line.
Gearshifter painted and load cell fitted.
Filling up the gearbox with oil so can turn the engine over to check oil pressure. Have to stick the oil on a radiator to help it flow as its so thick. So fill the funnel up and leave it for 15 minutes to sort itself out. Need to sort a larger diameter filling hose out really.
Time to turn the engine over and check for oil pressure. Gearbox hadn’t been turned over yet so was keen to check everything was going to be ok.
Oil pressure looks all good even after a short turnover.
Next post will be the first start.
JamesBryan
ClioSport Club Member
Bet you're only a £1 behind them in money put into a Clio 😂
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Post Number 71
First Start
Radiator fitted and flushed the coolant system just to make sure it was all clean.
Vacuum filled the coolant system to make sure the water pump is bleed/primed properly. Then ran the pump to check its happy.
Then pressurised the system and left it for an hour or so to check if there were any leaks.
Decided to have a go at making a new exhaust centre section, not really sure why, think more just fancied giving it ago (turns out a complete waste of time when it blew 116db at croft, but that’s for a later post).
Here’s a video I sent James whilst doing the exhaust as he was asking how the back purging works.
Found some new discs to put on the car, old ones had a decent lip on them. Keeping them as a spare however and will try and find somewhere to re face them.
Spent a fair bit of time copying all the settings over from the EMU Black to the EMU Pro but there was also a lot that needed setting up from scratch as there were quite a few differences such as DBW settings, idle settings etc. Too much to go through in a post about the map really. Perhaps a video going through it all would be more useful. Unsure if anyone would be interested in that or not?
But before starting it up I needed to get the logging working directly from the EMU Pro. So made a USB connector which has a DTM connector on the other end, makes it nice and neat.
Then it was time for the first start! Had a fair bit we wanted to check before heading to mapping but also didn’t want to run the car for too long with no load on it so we can make sure bed the rings in properly on the dyno. So minimum that was needed was getting all the fluids up to running temperature and going through all the gears. Needed to get the idle and start settings there or there abouts too.
Ran through the gears once the engine was happy and it would idle on its own.
Chris at EFI had a cancelation 9 days after the first start so had to have a shift on and got everything checked and back together in time.
First Start
Radiator fitted and flushed the coolant system just to make sure it was all clean.
Vacuum filled the coolant system to make sure the water pump is bleed/primed properly. Then ran the pump to check its happy.
Then pressurised the system and left it for an hour or so to check if there were any leaks.
Decided to have a go at making a new exhaust centre section, not really sure why, think more just fancied giving it ago (turns out a complete waste of time when it blew 116db at croft, but that’s for a later post).
Here’s a video I sent James whilst doing the exhaust as he was asking how the back purging works.
Found some new discs to put on the car, old ones had a decent lip on them. Keeping them as a spare however and will try and find somewhere to re face them.
Spent a fair bit of time copying all the settings over from the EMU Black to the EMU Pro but there was also a lot that needed setting up from scratch as there were quite a few differences such as DBW settings, idle settings etc. Too much to go through in a post about the map really. Perhaps a video going through it all would be more useful. Unsure if anyone would be interested in that or not?
But before starting it up I needed to get the logging working directly from the EMU Pro. So made a USB connector which has a DTM connector on the other end, makes it nice and neat.
Then it was time for the first start! Had a fair bit we wanted to check before heading to mapping but also didn’t want to run the car for too long with no load on it so we can make sure bed the rings in properly on the dyno. So minimum that was needed was getting all the fluids up to running temperature and going through all the gears. Needed to get the idle and start settings there or there abouts too.
Ran through the gears once the engine was happy and it would idle on its own.
Chris at EFI had a cancelation 9 days after the first start so had to have a shift on and got everything checked and back together in time.
JamesBryan
ClioSport Club Member
The Milltek res section isn't that expensive from memory.
