Clio 1.8 16v RWD

[ScottRWDclio]

Hi I’m new to the forum, just bought my second ever mk1 valver. Used to have one around 15 years ago and loved driving it. I wasn’t really looking for another one as already have another car but bumped into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while that said he had a project I might be interested in. He had got it off someone he knew and it had sat in his garage for 5 years without him doing anything to it!
Long story short the price was way too cheap to turn down and I bought it on the basis of a couple of pictures. My friend even dropped it off for me to my other friends barn where it now sits.
So it’s an early 1995 1.8 16v with a difference. It used to have a Renault 5 gt turbo engine in the front but the previous owner decided to cut the rear floor out and for the engine in the back driving the rear wheels! It looks like he has done an amazing job of it fabricating front strut towers into the rear and using a modified front subframe in the back.
Unfortunately he sold the engine so at the moment its a rolling chassis.
This is where the project starts, it’s still filthy and there’s various parts all over the front seats. Next week I will go and give it a good clean and get some better pictures then make a very long parts list! Need to decide which engine to go for too.
Should be a fun project but will be very long term as time and cash is tight!

 

[16v_paddy]

I'm loving the roof mounted intercooler

There's a thread on here somewhere of someone's 172 with the engine in the back that might have useful info in it.

In the pile of parts, see if you've got the R5 engine mount brackets, those will make it easy to mount the engine onto the subframe and they can also be used on a Valver, Williams, Megane F7R or 1*2 F4R engines

Then get these mounts, I have them in mine & there's nothing as good or better for mounting an engine to these subframes

 

[Bluebeard]

Look forward to some clean pics and some detailed pics of the rear. It looks like an awesome bit of work tbf.

 

[Brigsy]

Im sure i remember this from years ago. Be interesting to see what engine you go for

A lad i know has a mk1 clio with a vr6 turbo lump in the back. Around 500hp from memory, from what he told me its a handful to drive

 

[ScottRWDclio]

I'm loving the roof mounted intercooler

There's a thread on here somewhere of someone's 172 with the engine in the back that might have useful info in it.

In the pile of parts, see if you've got the R5 engine mount brackets, those will make it easy to mount the engine onto the subframe and they can also be used on a Valver, Williams, Megane F7R or 1*2 F4R engines

View attachment 1711059

Then get these mounts, I have them in mine & there's nothing as good or better for mounting an engine to these subframes

View attachment 1711061

Thanks I will take a look in the project section will be useful to see what’s needed. Do you know if the valver and R5 subframes are the same?
Been looking at the turbo megane engine do they mount a similar way? Going to be a challenge getting the driveshafts to work etc.
those mounts do look good will have a look thanks.

 

[ScottRWDclio]

Look forward to some clean pics and some detailed pics of the rear. It looks like an awesome bit of work tbf.

Yeah hopefully next week I’ll get some better pictures. The bodywork is really clean looks like it’s had a quality respray at some point. The usual rust areas like the rear arches are like new. It does look like it’s been done to a high standard that’s why I couldn’t pass up on the project! 👍🏻

 

[ScottRWDclio]

Im sure i remember this from years ago. Be interesting to see what engine you go for

A lad i know has a mk1 clio with a vr6 turbo lump in the back. Around 500hp from memory, from what he told me its a handful to drive

You may well of done. I know of the guy that did the original build and used to see him driving it around where I grew up and spoke to him about the car. Must of been 15/20 years ago now though! It had a 300bhp R5 engine in the front with nitrous and a side exit exhaust. Still has the nitrous bottle holder in the car now and the switches on the steering wheel.

 

[16v_paddy]

Thanks I will take a look in the project section will be useful to see what’s needed. Do you know if the valver and R5 subframes are the same?
Been looking at the turbo megane engine do they mount a similar way? Going to be a challenge getting the driveshafts to work etc.
those mounts do look good will have a look thanks.

They're probably very similar but the Valver subframe needs an extra hole drilling in it to accept the front gearbox mount
As for the Megane turbo engine, they're completely different so that'll be some clever fabrication needed to get it to fit in there, from a mounting the engine perspective, it'd be a lot easier to fit 1 of the other engines I mentioned & convert it to turbo plus there's the added bonus of having plenty of room to have a decent exhaust manifold instead of the usual log type and a lot more options for turbos to choose from