AJ BG 182

[ajracer]

Thinking we are getting close to the end of the petrol head era of this planet before EV’s finally takes over. I’ve finally convinced the wife that I now have the ultimate garage of dinosaur vehicles and there will be no more so this project will be my last and all will be keepers.
540bhp supercharged 350z racecar.
Yamaha Vmax, carbs and 150bhp on boost!
So after many months of searching I’ve bought the most fun car I’ve driven since(old git time) the new 5GT Turbo of 89!
First pic when I got her home after a clay bar and polish.
So the stupidity of modifying a car begins once again for the last time.
K-Tec racing panel filter,carbon front splitter.
Calipers painted blue,DAB radio and Miltek exhaust on order. Remap next and.....
More news soon.

 

[ajracer]

Had a spare day today and fitted 18 mm front hub centric spacers, arches filled better now,I have new rear Brembo discs and pads on order so will fit the rear stub axle spacer kit at the same time next weekend. Also fitted new positive battery terminal cover which was missing when I bought the car. Finally I gave the front grill a coat of C4 which looks much better but maybe a second coat would give a darker look.

 

[imprezaworks]

Looking good

 

[ajracer]

Found some time today to start fitting the new suspension parts I’ve bought over the past couple of months.
B14s rear done today with new bolts and Powerflex bushes.
Front shocks, bushes, new wishbones, track-rod ends, eibach camber bolts, HC discs, pads and a wheel refurb next.

 

[MLB]

Looks like a nice clean car! I do love black cars..

Had a black 350z roadster myself, still regret selling that, awesome car, can only imagine what a 500+hp charged example must be to drive!

 

[ajracer]

Looks like a nice clean car! I do love black cars..

Had a black 350z roadster myself, still regret selling that, awesome car, can only imagine what a 500+hp charged example must be to drive!

Thanks.
To be quite honest the Z is too much for the road as letting go in third puts you into prison food territory! She is now a show,track day car.
The Clio is so rev happy and much more fun.
Going to sort the ride out and then give the Bodywork some attention.
My brother has an M4 and went out with me the other week and was smitten.
He picks up a white 200 Gordini Saturday!!

 

[MLB]

I get that, that's where we're going with current gen hot hatches and in the near future eV's. Everything has got 350+ bhp, and goes from 0-60 in under 4 seconds.

Cool statistics but I think Tesla already got sued for making a car that's too quick for the road!

The Clio performance is so usable on the road without doing too silly speeds! And the rattling and clunking makes it feel way faster than any M/AMG/RS car when doing only 60

 

[ajracer]

Us builder types get a couple of weeks off over Xmas so I got cracking on the front end refresh on Friday and with a full Hunter alignment booked for Monday 10am,simples!
What I thought would be a days work spread over the weekend tinkering with the old girl didn’t go quite as expected. Both disc retaining screws rounded off so I had to drill them out, track rod ends had to be cut off, lower wishbone pivot bolts and swivel totally seized which took 2 hours with penetrating spray, socket and hammer to free up(no wonder the car was firm over the bumps)!
Finished this afternoon and fitted the new front wheel arch liner and took her out for a shake down. I’m sure the camber and tracking is well out but wow what a difference the new parts and the Bilsteins make.
Well impressed with the refurbished wheels too!
The new year will see some attention to the front end paintwork , a set of wheels and tyres for competition use and maybe 438 cams/remap.
Loving this little car!

 

[ajracer]

Turinis bought from a well known nice chap on the forum and today fitted with NS-2R rubber. I knew the offset on these wheels is greater and I also have 20mm stub shims.I was hoping to get away without rear arch rubbing.Wrong!
Need to lift the car by 10mm or so.
Love the look though.

 

[ajracer]

Thought the side decals would look better in anthracite.
She is booked in to have the bumper ,new bonnet and roof painted next week.
Also as a customer who owns a garage owed me a favour and remapped the ECU with Flashmap.
Definitely feels stronger at lower revs and pulls harder at the top end. Racing at Clay Pigeon on the 15th.

 

[MLB]

I agree with anthracite looking better!

What do you think of the NS-2R's?

 

[ajracer]

I agree with anthracite looking better!

What do you think of the NS-2R's?

Thanks. The NS-2R tyres have a lot of grip even when cold but are considerably more noisy than the Michelin’s. Glad I can swap between the two.

 

[ajracer]

New windscreen fitted today.
Bouncing stone from a 6 wheeler cracked it last week.
Off to the paint shop on Monday and her first sprint meeting Next Sunday.

 

[ajracer]

Paintwork to roof, bonnet and front bumper sorted and first sprint this season at Clay pigeon today. Pissed it down all day and was slippery as hell! Took this pic at 8.30am before the rain. After many years of competing in the the charged Zed it was the first time I’ve drifted a front drive car! Got to learn more how to get the best from this little car. Gurston Down test day in two weeks. Hope it still on and dry.

 

[ajracer]

Looks like I may be one of the few racers that have done an event this year! Not looking too good for some time.
My mate Matt look these pics which makes me look much faster considering how slippery the track was!

 

[ajracer]

Due to lock down I’m bringing next winters project forward.
I’ve pretty much been through the whole car refreshing parts where necessary but the rear axle/beam is very corroded and I’ve no idea what condition the bushes are in so new powerflex ones were delivered today.
Many thanks to renparts for sending me this in 3 days! Busy weekend on the sandpaper!

 

[ajracer]

I know I could have paid £200 for a professional to shot blast and powder coat it but as I have the time to cover myself in rusty dust and paint I hah a go myself. I was surprised as to how much of the horrendous looking corrosion was actually only surface rust. Still took a couple of afternoons and several Halfords sanding wheels and emery discs to complete.

Three coats of hammerite later it looks ok.

I already have powerflex bushes and spring pads but am struggling to get the solid brake pipes and the rear beam bolts from Renault due to the lock down so fitting is on hold for now.

 

[ajracer]

Still no sign of the brake lines and bolts I need to put the rear beam in but hopefully Renault will start back soon. The interior is in fantastic condition for a 15 year old car but I’ve been going nuts over the door cards which had very bobbly alcantara. I can only presume that someone previously had tried to scrub them with a kitchen scourer or the like to remove stains.
They looked like this.

I have been looking for a while for a pair in good condition and last week bought some. I was expecting to see some rust inside the doors but they were as new. I decided to spray some Dymax S50 along the bottoms to make sure they outlive me!
Think they look much better now.

 

[ajracer]

AJ BG 182

Thinking we are getting close to the end of the petrol head era of this planet before EV’s finally takes over. I’ve finally convinced the wife that I now have the ultimate garage of dinosaur vehicles and there will be no more so this project will be my last and all will be keepers. 540bhp...

cliosport.net

 

[ajracer]

Still waiting on bolts and a brake line from Renault so I can start the rear beam rebuild.
I have never been sure what coolant she has as the expansion bottle is the usual opaque colour. The service history Is spot on but i thought it best to do a full hose pipe flush out.
New expansion bottle, genuine thermostat and we are now green!

 

[ajracer]

I am ocd when cleaning my cars but I also know my limitations when it comes to detailing.
Black metallic is probably the worst to remove swirl marks and contamination by hand.
I have new and original paint so want to get the best look I can without a full respray.
Dropped her off tonight for a full machine polish and sealant tomorrow.

 

[ajracer]

Picked her up after work yesterday and was very impressed with the results. I took these pictures in the workshop with all the light coloured floors, walls and bright lights which any clean car would look good.

The sun went down about an hour ago so I reversed her out for a real world photo.

Cover on and see me ever driving the bloody car again as it looks so good. I need help as I bought this car to thrash to death on track!

 

[Greeny.]

Looks great and I love the wheel colour against the mint paint

 

[frayz]

Black looks superb when clean like that. Agree, the anthracite Turinis really suit it .

 

[ajracer]

Thanks for the nice comments guys.
During lockdown I thought about selling her on and buying a Trophy to be a keeper ,but trying to find a quality car with a production run of 500 would be difficult,time consuming and with it being basically the same car I would be faced with many of the same upgrades I've already done on the BG.
On closer inspection of the underside and looking inside the interior panels she has virtually no corrosion for a 15 year old car,the interior is almost as new, engine is spot on so I'm sticking with the FF 182.
Didn't think I'd like this little car so much!

 

[ajracer]

After seeing Stefans stunning trophy fitted with the itg maxogen intake I could not resist!
It is by far the best looking induction kit available ,beautifully made and the online instructions are very clear including modifying and disconnecting the vacuum solenoid behind the front bumper.
Took her out for a blast today with my brother in the car and we both felt the motor feels so much more eager low down and also wants to keep on revving beyond 7k.
The induction noise is minimal at usual speeds but when you floor it there is a deep but subtle roar especially in the first two gears.

 

[Optimista]

How would someone compare this filter to a ph1 STD airbox?
And how much does this filter cost?

 

[ajracer]

They do look similar in design/shape to the V6 air box but have a cone filter inside.
They are not cheap at £400.

 

[Optimista]

ouch.. pricey

 

[ajracer]

My seat belts were the usual grubby grey after 15 years. Who the hell at Renault HQ signed off the great idea of silver which would look good on a new car for about a week! Rant over. Multiple buckets of Vanish Oxy and they are as new.
Drying photo looks like a Santa pod parachute finish! Lol

 

[ajracer]

Just a couple of new parts fitted. They have been annoying but not essential. Rusty bonnet catch and damaged switch which periodically set the alarm off!

 

[ajracer]

I have an aftermarket Sony head unit which is great with all the usual Bluetooth, CarPlay etc but the stock speakers were never really up to much with a magnet barely bigger than a pound coin!
Fitted 4 of these this morning and I’m well chuffed as the improvement especially in bass is quite startling.

 

[Aph3x]

What model are these boss? As you say standard are dismal!

 

[ajracer]

AP5. Fit perfectly and all holes line up.
Just need to get the adapter plugs unless you don't mind cutting the wires.

 

[ajracer]

Small update but I’m sure any other members with OCD will sympathise with me on a wonky Renault boot badge! Also will look back fondly on this thread while in sunrise senior living!

Not sure if a vino filled french chap on a Friday afternoon stuck it on in the factory or if the previous owner was Stevie Wonder! Got the old ones off and gave the panel a good polish.
Three bloody expensive chrome plated plastic badges later I’m happy!

 

[ajracer]

Our local shopping centre is being rebuilt in stages. Took full advantage of Socially distanced parking in the newest area!

 

[ajracer]

Dropped her off at K-tec for an engine refresh.
438 cams, rockers, matched inlet, sports cat, remap.
She has a full service history but thought it would be wise to get the belts, dephaser and water pump done at the same time.

 

[Asher172]

Super clean work. Love the audio upgrade, I do enjoy the subtle upgrades like that

 

[ajracer]

Super clean work. Love the audio upgrade, I do enjoy the subtle upgrades like that

Thanks mate. I modified the hell out of the Zed which is what the Jap scene is all about.
I'm going to keep the Clio as stock as possible but improve where obviously Renault had budget restrictions.

 

[MLB]

Looks nice and clean, the boot badges make a big difference, nice to clean behind them as well!

Think I need to upgrade the head unit as well now I've upgraded my phone to one without 3.5mm jack.. Where did you get the speakers from? Direct fit?