WELL!!!!! It's been a bloody long time since i updated this but I think it's about time I filled in some of the gaps and adventures the car has had in the last couple of years.
Sorry if things are a bit breif and probably in the wrong order etc, but its been a long very eventful time lol
Fortunately we haven't been too pressy with the car once it was finished and have just managed to use it!
After the first outing of the car at USC, we got the car to Trax that year at Silverstone which was the first time we managed to get it on a track, with a 15 minute session!
The car instantly showed that we had built the car right as it seemed to be a complete demon on the track! Even though my talents at the time needed to be raised upto the standards of the car lol.
With old school glass headlights we had to tape them up (uber cool lol)
Then a couple of pictures of the car out on track stretching its legs, not the best but we were new to all this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_L1BB5_LIQ
As I said, the car seemed to be so good on track and I enjoyed it SO much it seemed rude not try to get it to as many trackdays as we could get to/afford.
Next up was a trackday round Bedford with my brother
My brothers Rallye did suprisingly well out on track too, especially for a 1300 with skinny little tyres
First PROPER track time did show up some slight issues that did need addressing, the first one was that third gear isn't the best, jumping out of gear on occasions, but more importantly the car is very very noisey which, as anyone who's done trackday will know, is not a good thing. Luckily they were being leanient with us.
Next up was a feature in Redline magazine!
After being contacted by Ktec about a feature in Redline magazine, we jumped at the oppertunity. Especially as my brother old Saxo had already had a magazine feature, and sibling rivalry and all that! lol
Next up for our dads 63th birthday we arranged a suprise track evening at Bedford Autodrome (busmans holiday and all that lol). So we rocked up with the Clio, my brothers bog standard Saxo VTS and a standard 172 we just happened to have at the time lol
Unfortunately there don't seem to be any pictures from on track of that day evening, but after the engine mount failing on the standard 172, the white Clio and the gold Saxo spent the evening faultlessly going round and we also managed to get some videos
On board in the Clio, not going the best owing to the usual noise problems and still getting to grips with the Clio as it's honestly SO alien compaired to a road car lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKu5TFP6gJU
Next up onboard in the Saxo looking back at the Clio, I could have easily passed but it was the end of the day and we were just pissing about tbh lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FxXwSZoMeQ&feature=relmfu
Then onboard in the Saxo with quite a big moment towards the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmZDcRFUR9M&feature=relmfu
And this is were things changed, for the worse!
We'd arranged another trackday and being pretty sure the car seemed to be holding together we decided that we were going to go all out as fast as we could, taking as much curb as we can etc! So to get used to the car I decided to take it to work the week before!
2 days before the trackday coming down Chicheley Hill I was gunning it past a Kia of some sort (of all things), suddenly had a huge lack of power and missfire, and then I looked in the mirror there was a LOT of smoke.
Managed to get it into a layby, called my brother and waited for him to arrive in the 306 diesel to tow me home. Fearing the worst but we were both oddly calm!?
Looking in the bodies cylinder 3 had a lot of oil in it and a fair bit of metal, so we both knew it was terminal
ot the car home and managed to pull the head off in well under half hour lol and our worst fears were confirmed
It had dropped a valve destroying pretty much everything
Not being phased by this, luckily I had some savings at the time, which were all entirely swolled up, but we managed to source a 172 engine off eBay, got some pistons, contacted our close friend Dan (sideways dan) at 519 automotive and set about another engine build to similar spec to its predecessor, just with stronger valves.
This was all on a very tight time scale to get the car ready for a mates birthday celebration once again at Bedford Autodrome.
So the pistons arrived Monday morning, a couple of late nights to get the engine built.
Followed by another late night the get the engine fitted (something we HAVE done before lol)
Another late night to plum it in, followed by an early morning jolly down to a rolling road to get the engine mapped!
All very tight time wise, but somehow achieved!?!
Once again I don't think there are any pictures of it on track, but there is a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znv0iU5DG9k
Right next up was a show we'd desperatly wanted to get the Clio to for quite some time now!
We made it to French Car Show!!!
Managed to get a short amount of track time round Rockingham also which was fun barging through the traffic
Now finally getting upto date a bit more with this, the last time we got it on track was round Donnington at an eventful Clio club trackday with my brother in his ITB 106 Rallye
2 days before the trackday, in my infinate wisdom I decided to pull the gearbox out and fix a small oil leak we had from the rear main on the new engine
Luckily all went to plan and we made it to the trackday
Once again some issues with noise and got black flagged by a marshell TWICE thinking my fibreglass bonnet was coming off as it flaps slightly at speed! lol
Onboard in the Clio with Coops having to short shift as usual owing to noise issues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-HOKtqSdfA
Following the 106 Once again could have easily passed but we were messing around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIBknma34OA
Unfortunately the biggest event of the day wasn't the best, though now we look back at it and laugh
Onboard in the 106
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLcaVojSlHo&feature=relmfu
And this is the tracktime of the Clio up to date.
So we have now been working over the winter to try to sort a few things out that have been bugging is/shown not to be up to spec etc in the years use
First thing that needed addressing is the noise, so after talking to some airbox manufacturers, I got some dimensions and made a mock up 'cardboardfibre' airbox to see what room we had.
Then decided to bite the bullet, get some shorter trumpets (as the 120's would never fit with an airbox) and order an airbox!
Very sexy, just need to do a bit of modifying of things to get it fitted
We have also managed to get hold of a Mongoose exhaust, for free for fitting an exhaust to a Focus St, to replace the awful Powerflow item it had on it, which should also help keep the noise down
THE BUMPER WAS CUT BY POWERFLOW WHEN THEY MADE THE ORIGINAL EXHAUST!!!!
Finally we have got round to laquering the roof, which has needed doing since the car was orignially built, and looks amazing for it!
Thats is all for now I think!
Cheers for looking
If someone could EMBED the Youtube videos for me, that would be greatfully recieved xxx