172 Cup (HK52 ZFH)

[S33blo]

Hi! Collected a 172 Cup in mondial blue last week so thought I’d start a project thread. The cars been on the forum previously. It was rebuilt with high compression Wossner pistons, CatCams 438 cams, ARP bolts, poly bushes and some other goodies 20k ago. My plans are to cosmetically tidy the car up then take it on some track days.

so far I’ve replaced the ITG filter, replaced the steering wheel for the original Cup one and replaced a few other little pieces of trim.

looking forward to getting stuck in.

 

[Poopensharten]

Looks great, also looks to have the original splitter on it which is rare!

 

[S33blo]

Had a spare few hours today, I’d ordered a few OEM parts from KAM Racing to freshen things up a little. Fitted a new grille as the old one had broken clips and was discoloured, new genuine wiper blades to replace the horrible aero wipers (controversial opinion), new Clio mats, new 172 cup stickers on the doors.

I then removed the rear bumper and wing mirror caps, dropped those off at the body shop. The BTB Ninja exhaust system is still in great condition.

also replaced the drivers side check strap as the noise was so annoying. The bonnet mechanism also needed replacement as I couldn’t open the bonnet without someone holding the leaver inside (not ideal).

 

[Colin-S]

+1 Another one here who hates the look of those aero wipers. Lovely Cup great work.

 

[S33blo]

+1 Another one here who hates the look of those aero wipers. Lovely Cup great work.

Glad it’s not just me then! Thanks it’s coming along.

 

[S33blo]

over the weekend I fitted new spark plugs and changed the oil, spark plugs looked past there best! Then I cleaned behind the bumper ready for the return of the bumper which came back today along with the mirror caps. Cars actually starting to look tidy now. Still need to get the wheels refurbished, find a replacement front fog light and then I can start on the upgrades.

 

[S33blo]

Ended up buying two genuine front fog lights from Renault parts direct, small change but they look much cleaner. Also ordered the gaskets for the inlet as I didn’t change them when I did the spark plugs. I’ve no idea how old they’re. Next I’d like to take the car to the Dyno engine dynamics aren’t far from me so I think I’ll go to check the map. A wheel refurbishment and some new tyres are also high on the list. Then the modifications can finally begin

 

[Richyy182]

Looking good mate - nice car!

 

[S33blo]

Looking good mate - nice car!

Thank you!

 

[S33blo]

Done a few more bits to the Clio over the weekend, changed the plates for plain ones with a smaller front plate.I ordered these ages ago but accidentally entered the wrong registration number! Ouch.
replaced the Renault Elf sticker in the back window and the gear knob H pattern that was missing.

I then decided to remove the side skirts, I already knew that there has been some questionable jacking up in the cars life time, this had left the sills a little bent unfortunately. I knocked them back, wire wheeled the surface rust, treated the areas with rust converter then etch primed, base coat and some clear coat. Looking a lot better. Also cleaned up the side skirts machine polished and replaced the rivets with Riv-nuts and stainless hardware for ease of removal in the future.

I’ve ordered a pure motorsport rear ARB so awaiting and a few other parts.

hopefully get the dyno booked this week

 

[Stefan.]

Nice work

 

[S33blo]

Few more little bits done on the clio, removed the rear door cards to check the rear quarters. Luckily there’s no rust! Treated with some cavity wax, good clean for the door cards and rear seats.

also replaced the speed sensor as the speedos been intermittent for the last week, thankfully that cured the problem.
Replaced the wheel bolts for some fresh ones, looks a lot better. Dyno runs booked in for next Tuesday so hopefully all goes well.

pure ARB should be delivered tomorrow so I’ll get that fitted over the weekend.

 

[S33blo]

It’s been a busy week for the clio, Firstly got the PMS rear ARB Fitted. Was a bit of a pain having to drop the rear subframe but got it done.

fitted some powerflex steering rack bushes, another job I wouldn’t want to do again!

I then went down to engine dynamics for a dyno run and data logging, unfortunately this revealed the cars rather down on power. Only made 160BHP Ouch! Luckily this is purely down to the map and bad timing. The plan going forward is to fit a K-Tec sports cat, get the cams timed more aggressively and get a fresh map. This should see 190BHP with the high comp pistons. Disappointing but exactly why I got the car checked!

 

[S33blo]

Did some more bits over the last week. Fitted powerflex black series wishbone bushes, new ball joints, brake calliper slider kit from big red and a new selector bush. Has tightened the front end up a lot!

next on the list is track Rod ends and powerflex top mount bushes.

Ordered the K-Tec sports cat, unfortunately that’s not going to be in until next week at the earliest.

 

[S33blo]

Haven’t used the clio since the last post! I decided to remove the old Cat ready for the K Tec sports cat, which took over a month to arrive!!

on the bright side, I sold the stock cat for £500! So the sports cat was free lol

fitted the new sports cat with a new fitting kit, unfortunately on first start up it sounded like it was leaking urgh! Ended up taking it off and using the original fixings! Much better

Think I’m going to replace both lambda sensors as they look past there best!

hopefully I can finally get it back down to engine dyna

 

[S33blo]

It’s been a while since I’ve done anything with the Clio. Had a problem with the front lambda sensor, someone had changed the plug luckily managed to get a replacement

Lambda sensor woes

Hi all! I’ve got a 172 cup, just fitted a new K-Tec sports cat and whilst taking the old front pre-cat lambda/ O2 sensor out it got damaged. I’ve read everywhere that front and back sensors are the same. However my front one is very different front lambda/ O2 plug anyone seen this before...

cliosport.net

replaced the top mounts and cleaned under the front arches (still need to do the rears)

got the tracking done the other week, as you can see from the print out it was all over the place after replacing the front suspension parts

Before

After

Rears a little out for some reason but at least it’s the correct way, a shim should sort that.

also managed to find an allusive ECU bracket/steady feels sturdy enough now

now the suspension’s sorted, I’ve booked it back into engine dynamics for group N timing and remap to hopefully get the full potential out of the forged engine!

 

[S33blo]

Well where to start….

there’s been some up’s and downs with the cup in the last couple of months.

firstly I dropped the clio off at engine dynamics for mapping and group N timing, this really transformed the drive! So much smoother and useable was really impressed.

after this I decided to treat the car to some new trim pieces direct from Renault I got the window screen seals, engine bonnet seal. Then I changed the bonnet realise cable as it took two people to open the bonnet.

the shell then ticked over 100k miles

I then decided it was time to take it on a track day…. Brands hatch was booked.

 

[S33blo]

Did some track day prep, new Motul engine and gearbox oil with a genuine filter even though it’s only been 3k miles since I changed it last.

arrived at brands hatch after some pretty bad traffic

unfortunately it was pretty wet and greasy so didn’t get many decent laps in. The Toyo’s weren’t great either, to be expected!

this is where it all went wrong! I was on a cool down lap and as I pulled into the pits I heard what I thought was a driveshaft or wheel bearing knock, after taking my helmet off it was pretty apparent that it was my engine! Nightmare!

after some frantic calls and a 4 hour wait I got the car recovered. Dropped the oil this morning and unfortunately there’s a bit of metallic substance in the oil. Looks like the main bearings have gone.

 

[Andyano12]

I'm so sorry to hear this, hopefully there is not too much damage to the engine internally. The car looks great so don't give up, you could always find another standard engine to drop in the car whilst the original engine is being rebuilt, could still use it for the odd track day etc?
Hoping for a positive outcome!

 

[Mr Underhill]

@SharpyClio

 

[Mr Underhill]

Did some track day prep, new Motul engine and gearbox oil with a genuine filter even though it’s only been 3k miles since I changed it last.

arrived at brands hatch after some pretty bad traffic

View attachment 1620593

unfortunately it was pretty wet and greasy so didn’t get many decent laps in. The Toyo’s weren’t great either, to be expected!

View attachment 1620588

this is where it all went wrong! I was on a cool down lap and as I pulled into the pits I heard what I thought was a driveshaft or wheel bearing knock, after taking my helmet off it was pretty apparent that it was my engine! Nightmare!

View attachment 1620589
View attachment 1620590
View attachment 1620592

after some frantic calls and a 4 hour wait I got the car recovered. Dropped the oil this morning and unfortunately there’s a bit of metallic substance in the oil. Looks like the main bearings have gone.

After all that great work as well. The extra stress that a track day brings unfortunately kills a lot of these old cars. Hopefully, you don't lose faith and can keep her on the road.

 

[S33blo]

I'm so sorry to hear this, hopefully there is not too much damage to the engine internally. The car looks great so don't give up, you could always find another standard engine to drop in the car whilst the original engine is being rebuilt, could still use it for the odd track day etc?
Hoping for a positive outcome!

Yeah that’s definitely an option! Currently pretty deflated with the car, the plan is to park it up for a couple of weeks then make a decide on its future.

After all that great work as well. The extra stress that a track day brings unfortunately kills a lot of these old cars. Hopefully, you don't lose faith and can keep her on the road.

I also knew it would be a risk buying an older forged engine, unfortunately it didn’t pay off. Had a few months of fun with it so can’t complain too much

 

[hopgop1]

Noob question, but does group N timing put any more stress on the engine, or purely coincidence? Would've thought a forged engine would cope. Car looks lovely though!

 

[S33blo]

Noob question, but does group N timing put any more stress on the engine, or purely coincidence? Would've thought a forged engine would cope. Car looks lovely though!

from what I know about it, it advances the timing only a small amount. So not enough to make the valve or pistons contact so in theory shouldn’t stress the engine anymore. It could potentially put more stress on the belt and dephaser but in my case they were changed very recently and not the reason for failure. The engine was built 10 years ago by a company that no longer exists, from what I hear they didn’t have the best reputation towards the end. Even though this engine was build around the time they still had a good reputation. It’s been through a few owners since then as well, I’m guessing not all of them treated it as well as I did. Thank you!

 

[Cookson]

I'd be pulling that engine apart to make sure it's actually the forged set up you were sold it as. Wouldn't be hard for someone to swap that out for a standard lump before selling it, especially with it only making 160bhp initially

 

[S33blo]

I'd be pulling that engine apart to make sure it's actually the forged set up you were sold it as. Wouldn't be hard for someone to swap that out for a standard lump before selling it, especially with it only making 160bhp initially

yeah that’ll be the next step, not that I can do much if it’s not. It’s definitely got cams as when they were timed it was confirmed, as for the pistons that’s anyone’s guess

 

[S33blo]

So today I decided to pull the engine, didn’t really take any photos as it’s been quite cold. Surprisingly easy engine to remove, the only thing that didn’t play ball was the power steering line, ended up cutting it as it was already leaking. spoke to engine dynamics over the weekend and looks like they’ll be rebuilding it, unfortunately they’re booked up until February so will be a bit of a wait but there’s plenty do do in the mean time.

nearly ready to pull…

out and front end bolted back up.

sits quite high without an engine!

Not really what I had in mind for a winter project but it is what it is, engines in the back of the van ready to be stripped. Plenty of parts ready for refurbishment.

 

[S33blo]

Did some work to the Clio this weekend. stripped a few parts off of the engine, Got a whole load of bits to send off for aqua blasting and powder coating. be rude not to whilst the engines out! I’ll get photos when they’re back. After taking off the bottom inlet it does appear there’s been quite a lot of porting done to the head. A good sign for the rest of the engine but we’ll find out once it’s stripped.

the lower and upper inlet have also been port matched, not sure what gains you get but looks like nice work. Engines being dropped off at engine dynamics Tuesday. It’ll be next year before it gets stripped. Next job is to start tidying the engine bay up.

 

[S33blo]

Dropped the engine off at engine dynamics last week, also dropped the first lot of parts off at aqua blasting and powder coating.

Before…

After…

dropping the rest of the stuff off at the powder coating guys this week.

a little over the top for a clio but may as well make the best of a bad situation. In an ideal world I’d get the hardware zinc plated but can’t justify the cost.

started cleaning a few bits in the engine bay, I’ll update this at the weekend.

 

[S33blo]

Slow progress. The weather has been terrible! -5 degrees and snow. Not an ideal time to be working on the car so haven’t got much done

Started cleaning the engine bay, I want to get a few bits stripped out to be blasted and powder coated.

Removed the bulk head sound deadening, degreased the subframe and bulkhead. Plenty more still to do but it got dark and cold quick!

picked up the parts from powder coating. Reassembled them and wrapped them up ready for assembly, Shame about the rusty hardware but that’s a rabbit hole I don’t want to go down lol. Next up is to heli-coil the lower inlet from someone previously over tightening it.

 

[Ocsltd]

What’s your plans with the bulkhead sound deadening?

 

[S33blo]

What’s your plans with the bulkhead sound deadening?

I was originally going to repaint it with black dye, unfortunately it basically disintegrated when I removed it. I think I’ll leave it off, it’s not a daily so a little extra noise won’t hurt.

 

[S33blo]

Happy 2023 everyone!

not a lot has happened to the Cup lately, gathered a few parts and completed a couple of small jobs.

first up a set of genuine 172 Cup shocks with bump stop rubbers and the spring plates, these should freshen things up. looking into some lowering springs to keep things simple.
after all this I don’t think I’ll be doing another track day in a hurry lol

Secondly the high pressure power steering line kit from Advocult. I destroyed mine taking the engine out (It was leaking anyway) seems a better solution and well made.

had some bad threads in the inlet from someone over tightening them over the years, got a heli-coil kit and all bolt up nicely now.

lastly I got myself a cheap-ish car cover to hopefully keep the worst of the weather away, Fits pretty well for a generic one.

hoping to hear about the state of the engine by the end of the month then I can start to make a plan.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Stick a couple of dehumidifiers in there as well. You’ll be amazed how much moisture they collect. You can pick up a pack of 5 for under a tenner on Amazon. Well worth it.

 

[S33blo]

Stick a couple of dehumidifiers in there as well. You’ll be amazed how much moisture they collect. You can pick up a pack of 5 for under a tenner on Amazon. Well worth it.

I’ve currently got 4 in there, They do a great job.

 

[S33blo]

Got a call from Andy at engine dynamics about the engine, unfortunately cylinder one’s main bearing had failed. On the Up side it did indeed have Wossner forged pistons! unfortunately the crank is now scrap, There’s some scoring on the bore of cylinder one, too much just to hone out so will need to be re-bored. This means I need to buy oversized pistons. Apart from that the head and Cat Cams are still good.

I’ll update once I’ve figured out what I’m going to do…

 

[alistairolsen]

Is the piston badly scored? If not it might be cheaper to replace the block and bore to suit your current pistons.

 

[S33blo]

Is the piston badly scored? If not it might be cheaper to replace the block and bore to suit your current piston

apparently the pistons are fine and will go again, so this is one of the options, however apparently finding a stock block on standard bore isn't that easy.

 

[alistairolsen]

Obviously your engine builder knows more as they have the bits, but when the engine was first build I'd hope it was bored to suit the new pistons?

So any used block that still runs should also be suitable to take to the first overbore size. Unless someone just honed it and fitted stock size pistons

 

[Krarl]

Before putting it back on the road you'll need new wheel bearings. The weight of the car will have shagged yours as the shafts aren't in

Looks spot on though. The soda blasted parts look minty