I really have to stop buying Clio's 
So, even though I have owned pretty much all sporty Clio's, from Mk1 RSi's, 1.8 16v's (2 of them), 16v Hybrids, 172's (3 of them) 182 - I have not owned a Williams.
So when I remembed Dan still had DUF, I offered to buy it, and the rest is history.
The plan? Duf will be a toy, and I hope to (slowly) clean it up and get it back into the best example I can.
So I collected it today, and as it has been sat for a good year, I drove over to work and got it up on a ramp to have a good look over it and give it a quick oil change.
After giving the underside a good going over, all I can say is Duf has been well looked after (!) as the underside is near completely rust free - there is some surface rust on a few bits of bodywork where the underseal has been pulled off, and a few bits where paint has come off the lips on the sills, but nothing some sanding and a new coat of paint won't solve.
The rear arches for a Mk1 Clio are good - o/s one has a bubble about the size of a 50p piece, and the n/s has a bit of surface rust on the lip, and some a little further up - my bodywork guy will be checking it out over the coming weeks, and see if I can get away with getting it sanded back, treated and sprayed, or if I will need some new metal - we will see.
Unfortunately the boot has the usual rust spots, the rear wiper hole is larger than it should, and under by the boot lock looks a bit terminal, so that will be treated until I can find a better condition bootlid. Door bottoms are solid.
It does have a few scratches and marks, and the front bumper is f**ked and is currently held on my bonnet pins lol, but Mr Colshe has a bumper I will be having off him to replace it with. I also have the grille to go back on, though I need to source some front fog lights.
The wheels are in good condition, but the wrong colour, so they will be refurbished later on in the year.
So, first impressions?
It is great to be back in a Clio, and I do love Mk2's, and for a daily car they are better, but the Mk1 does feel more raw as you would expect.
Duf is a little different, as it has some choice modifications (For those who don't know already)
The usual exhaust and air filter upgrade
Prowler exhaust manifold
Angelworks Cams and Cat pulleys
Gunnerchip (7100 rpm limit)
Complete 172 widetrack - 172 shocks, driveshafts, wishbones, hubs and brakes (280mm front discs) I think approx 30mm wider?
13 row Mocal oil cooler
I have done about 100 miles or so today, and although I have been taking it easy (As it was sat for a year Im being a bit gentle for now) it drives really well, and I still say Williams seats are the most comfortable Renault seats - plus the Mk1 driving position suits me quite well.
Turn in is awesome - my old hybrid was not like this, so I'm putting it down to the 172 setup - you can turn at any speed and it just goes, and it has a great 'feel' to it. Brakes are again brilliant, it is running OEM spec and to be honest for road use are perfect - testing the brakes from motorway speeds and it stops very impressively.
Only downsides I have found so far:
The rear is too low. It looks good, but I think the shocks are getting past their best on the back, and the back being so low makes that worse. Plus through the rear view mirror all I see is road lol.
The second is it could benefit from a map - the current chip (as far as I can tell and from researching) is not optimised for the cams - the idle is around 1300rpm, and it just doesn't feel as good as it could be.
It does need a new idle control valve I think, as the revs stick for a bit when you come off the throttle, but Il check out the throttle cable and tb before I look for another.
So thats it, sorry for the long read, I hope il be able to get Duf into great condition, and have fun doing it
Some pics from today:
So, even though I have owned pretty much all sporty Clio's, from Mk1 RSi's, 1.8 16v's (2 of them), 16v Hybrids, 172's (3 of them) 182 - I have not owned a Williams.
So when I remembed Dan still had DUF, I offered to buy it, and the rest is history.
The plan? Duf will be a toy, and I hope to (slowly) clean it up and get it back into the best example I can.
So I collected it today, and as it has been sat for a good year, I drove over to work and got it up on a ramp to have a good look over it and give it a quick oil change.
After giving the underside a good going over, all I can say is Duf has been well looked after (!) as the underside is near completely rust free - there is some surface rust on a few bits of bodywork where the underseal has been pulled off, and a few bits where paint has come off the lips on the sills, but nothing some sanding and a new coat of paint won't solve.
The rear arches for a Mk1 Clio are good - o/s one has a bubble about the size of a 50p piece, and the n/s has a bit of surface rust on the lip, and some a little further up - my bodywork guy will be checking it out over the coming weeks, and see if I can get away with getting it sanded back, treated and sprayed, or if I will need some new metal - we will see.
Unfortunately the boot has the usual rust spots, the rear wiper hole is larger than it should, and under by the boot lock looks a bit terminal, so that will be treated until I can find a better condition bootlid. Door bottoms are solid.
It does have a few scratches and marks, and the front bumper is f**ked and is currently held on my bonnet pins lol, but Mr Colshe has a bumper I will be having off him to replace it with. I also have the grille to go back on, though I need to source some front fog lights.
The wheels are in good condition, but the wrong colour, so they will be refurbished later on in the year.
So, first impressions?
It is great to be back in a Clio, and I do love Mk2's, and for a daily car they are better, but the Mk1 does feel more raw as you would expect.
Duf is a little different, as it has some choice modifications (For those who don't know already)
The usual exhaust and air filter upgrade
Prowler exhaust manifold
Angelworks Cams and Cat pulleys
Gunnerchip (7100 rpm limit)
Complete 172 widetrack - 172 shocks, driveshafts, wishbones, hubs and brakes (280mm front discs) I think approx 30mm wider?
13 row Mocal oil cooler
I have done about 100 miles or so today, and although I have been taking it easy (As it was sat for a year Im being a bit gentle for now) it drives really well, and I still say Williams seats are the most comfortable Renault seats - plus the Mk1 driving position suits me quite well.
Turn in is awesome - my old hybrid was not like this, so I'm putting it down to the 172 setup - you can turn at any speed and it just goes, and it has a great 'feel' to it. Brakes are again brilliant, it is running OEM spec and to be honest for road use are perfect - testing the brakes from motorway speeds and it stops very impressively.
Only downsides I have found so far:
The rear is too low. It looks good, but I think the shocks are getting past their best on the back, and the back being so low makes that worse. Plus through the rear view mirror all I see is road lol.
The second is it could benefit from a map - the current chip (as far as I can tell and from researching) is not optimised for the cams - the idle is around 1300rpm, and it just doesn't feel as good as it could be.
It does need a new idle control valve I think, as the revs stick for a bit when you come off the throttle, but Il check out the throttle cable and tb before I look for another.
So thats it, sorry for the long read, I hope il be able to get Duf into great condition, and have fun doing it
Some pics from today:
