Hostler's 172 ph1 track/weekend toy

[hostler]

Thanks @Greeny.

Actually, I've been having issues with my brakes as you can see here: https://www.cliosport.net/threads/i-keep-boiling-brake-fluid.816376/

Can't really comment on the brake fluid as I've boiled it again. I kind of narrowed this down to a sticky caliper though. RC6 pads are amazing. They do not fade, ever. No issues with delaminating pads either (I use them on the street as well, but not daily anymore). My old RC5+ pads did break down a little after driving them on the street for a long time.

Last minute hard braking is better than medium long braking since you build up a lot less heat.

Will probably me going for RC6 pads again with the Brembo calipers.

 

[hostler]

Got the calipers back from the machine shop. They charged me €45,-. 5mm has been machined off from the mounting points.

Brembo HC discs also came in. Still not sure on which pads to buy though.

Will test fit them soon I think.

 

[hostler]

Testfitted the brembo's on one side. They hit the wheel weights so will have to get those moved. Might need to grind some material off the top and bottom sides (facing the inside of the wheel) but I couldnt test fit them properly due to the wheel weights. Getting the wheels balanced this saturday and then I'll try to fit it again. Is grinding the sides of the calipers needed when they're already machined? I had 5mm taken off from the mounting points.

Atleast it looks cool.

The wheels are OZ f1 15" and the spacers are 20mm.

 

[hostler]

Test fitted the Brembo's one last time. With a bit of grinding they clear the 15" OZ f1's. Will smooth the grinding marks out with some sandpaper before painting them. Probably going to be yellow. Heatresistant stickers already came in. Pretty fun to actually make something fit instead of just using bolt on parts.

 

[hostler]

Took the engine out today.

What a mess

Sadly found some issues and broke some bolts. Three headbolts snapped off so I couldn't take the head of to inspect further.

Also the camshafts are quite badly worn. Will need to source replacements.

Sent the engine to a shop that can drill those broken headbolts out. We'll see from there. Kind of disapointed that I need to replace cams and followers as well.

 

[scullyg40]

At least now you have an excuse to upgrade the cams. :smile:

 

[hostler]

Wasn’t planning on it. Engine went out so easily so it really sucks that s**t went wrong when we opened the engine up. Shop will take a look at drilling those bolts out early next week so then I know what the state of the rest is. Hopefully the crank still looks good. So definitely need replacement camshafts and new followers. Don’t really want to spend the money for catcams so might just order new Oem ones if they are cheap. Or some good looking second hand ones. 197 cams are also a possibility but not sure how that works with setting the timing.

 

[hostler]

Been cleaning a few bits here and there. Engine bay looks nice and tidy now:

Will be painting the brake booster/servo since its pretty crusty. Other than that no rust anywhere and no signs of previous damage which is good.

Subframe needs doing but will do that when I have acces to water. Using a jerry can isnt ideal.

Valve cover came out really well. Almost looks like it's been in a cleaning bath.

More parts... Also broke the pulley of the alternator so will need to sort a replacement pulley for that. When putting the engine back I'll mount the alternator after everything is bolted down.

Also recieved a new engine mount from a member on here. Will be looking for uprated upper mount and gearbox mount as well.

Ordered a new gasket for the dephaser solenoid as well as it had a slight leak and ordered a new chain and sprocket for the oil pump from Renault.

Thats about it! Can't do much without the engine... Haven't heard anything from the machine shop that's supposed to drill those broken head bolts out. Hopefully they get around to taking the head off this week. Want to have it all back together mid may but not sure if I'm going to make it...

 

[hostler]

Finally heard back from the machine shop. They drilled out the head bolts and got the engine dissasembled. They quoted me a fair price for the bottom end rebuild so I came by and collected the head. Also dropped off the oil pump, chain and sprocket so they can install that as well.

They measured the crank and cylinder walls and everything was within spec so they will only need to polish the crank and hone the cylinder walls. They also already cleaned up the pistons and crank.



Should've asked them to remove the valves when I collected the head... Oh well. Head doesnt need much doing so thats good. Cams and new followers will arrive soon and everything needs a really good clean (there are metal shavings all over the place from drilling).

 

[hostler]

Got a few more things done. Nothing mayor since the bottom end isn't back yet. Machine shop told me it should either be late this week (but tomorrow is a national holiday) or early next week. Will probably start assembling everything on the 18th of may and engine should go back in on the 22nd of may. Then all that needs doing is mounting the Brembo 197 calipers, alignment and MOT (APK).

Since my cams were worn badly I sourced some different ones. Relatively low miles. Didnt want to spend the money for uprated ones.

Also got new cam followers

Removed all the valves, springs and valve stem seals to give the head a good clean. Some of these stem seals were a b#tch to get out. There were many metal shavings in there due to the head bolts having to be drilled out. The head came out really well but needs another clean to make sure there aren't any shavings in tere anymore.

A while back I received some 172 cup wishbones with black powerflex bushes from a member on here. Decided to spray them. I had some rice red brake caliper spraypaint laying around so decided to use that. Came out good for the little effort I put into sanding them. It will be interesting to see if these cup wishbones make much of a difference in driving. I also have some new balljoints to go with them.

 

[hostler]

Picked up the bottom end last friday. Finally!

New bearings, arp conrod bolts, new main cap bolts, crank measured and polished, new piston rings, cylinders honed, new oilpump + chain and ofc all new gaskets.


Then started to prep the block for paint. I've seen people put painters tape over the block and then rolling a screw driver over the edges to make the perfect cut so I thought I'd give it a go. It worked perfectly.

The bottom end was quite rusty so it took some time to remove all of it. Used a wire wheel and a wire brush. Never again.... Should've had the block blasted.

After that I put some anti rust stuff over the worst parts.

Painted the block the next day with some flat black heat resistant spray paint. Looks decent. The anti rust stuff kinda makes the "front" of the engine look meh but whatever.



All painted. Much better than the rusty mess.

 

[hostler]

I miss driving this car... It's starting to look like a barn find soon.

 

[hostler]

Decided to send the head off to the machine shop to have valve guides replaced and the head resurfaced. Will also replace all exhaust valves as some had some deep scratches in them. And they will cut the valve seats so they are perfectly flush with the valves.

Meanwhile I did some painting on some parts to make it look nicer.

That's it for now! Next update will probably be when we're going to put it all back together.

 

[hostler]

Should've probably updated this a long time ago. Anyway. Everything is put back together and the car started on the first try. One injector decided to die so that was replaced. Had a hard time with the timing but managed to time it up perfectly anyway. Sadly I got shafted on the gearbox which was supposed to be in perfect condition. The bearings in the diff make a horrible noise and i actually heard it crunch from 2nd to 3rd once. There's a small crack in the sump but thats not a really big deal. Valve cover isnt sealing properly so it has a bit of a leak there. Since I have to replace the box AGAIN anyway I'll just take the engine out again. Sadly I don't really have the motivation and time anymore so I'm not sure when. The car is in storage again... I was really looking forward to enjoying the car this summer but I don't want to risk being stranded with an exploded box.

I did drive the car for about 2000km and the engine feels really good. Oh well.

 

[scullyg40]

About time you gave us an update. Sorry to hear about the gearbox. All I can say is, hold your head up, take out the engine, solve the oil leaks and have the gearbox rebuild. It's your only option really. ?

 

[hostler]

Yeah I know @scullyg40 . Just cant be bothered right now honestly. Put the car back in storage. New place. Less spidery c***s to deal with. Also cheaper than the old storage unit. The car has good company though.

Will be on the hunt for a box. Short list of what needs doing:
Box
Valve cover leak
Replace sump
Pads for 197 brembo's
new suspension
Mount cup wishbones
Alignment
Seats
Harnes for both sides
Cage
And fix the horn because it sounds like a 1920's car

 

[hostler]

Really lost interest in this. What a ride it's been. Parked the Clio in storage and wanted to forget about it but started watching some old clips of it on track and ugh, I just need this stupid french pos back in my life. So lets start on the basics...

The sump was cracked so that was up for today. It leaked so bad I had it parked up without any oil in it since the last post.

Surprisingly we didn't strip any of the bolts but even with the engine jacked up we couldnt get the sump out. Decided to loosen the subframe on the passenger side (UK drivers side) to get one or two more extra centimeters. This did the job and we could wiggle it out. Looked nice under there, which isnt too strange since it's only been driven for 1000km after the rebuild. No sealants or anything in the oil pickup so atleast we did something right during the rebuild.

Buttoning everything back up was a much simpler process. After putting fresh oil in it, it started right up. Drove it for a tiny bit on some private property and everything seems to be alright.

The car is back in storage now. Been really busy with a lot of things and have a few holidays planned so can't really do anything to it. Main thing now is the valve cover leak and broken gearbox. Will sort that sometime early next year just before the season starts again.



For anyone interested, my new daily is an Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.3JTDm. Perfect for the 100km combined drive to and from work. It's slow and some might not like the looks but it's cheap the maintain and relatively fun to drive.

 

[scullyg40]

At least there's some progress.

 

[hostler]

Please don't confront me with my poor life choices lol

 

[scullyg40]

Well, this two hour job has taken you a couple of months, so I'm positive I will see this car on track again, somewhere next year? ?

 

[hostler]

Well, this two hour job has taken you a couple of months, so I'm positive I will see this car on track again, somewhere next year? ?

2 hour job? I’ll call you next time. Took me 4 hours!!!!!

You’ll see my taillights on track next year

 

[scullyg40]

? I hope so.

 

[hostler]

Alright so it's been a little while. Personal life took over and this project has, yet again, been put on hold. No worries though, the car is stored safely and in an isolated warehouse. A few spiders made the underside of the poor ph1 their home though. Oh well.

Anyhow, do you guys remember how like 3 years ago I bought some Brembo calipers? Yeah me neither, but I finally installed them. I used Brembo HC discs and some OEM 197 Brembo pads (for the time being). Pads will eventually be swapped out for Carbone Lorraine RC5+. Love those pads. They always worked really well for me on the stock brake setup. For brake lines I used custom made ones since the already existing braided lines didn't fit. I obviously went for braided lines again. I also used the famous Mr. Pink Brembo pins. Quality stuff. For brake fluid I used Motul RPF600. I had already used this stuff many years ago so that was easy enough. For brackets I used the Tessa Motorsport brackets. They work well. I might want to change the bolts holding the bracket to the hub on for some longer ones since the bracket itself didn't come with one. The bracket adds roughly 4mm thickness. It will probably be fine but for my own peace of mind I'll be swapping those for some longer and stronger ones. As seen on the pic below, the calipers fit nicely under the OZ F1 wheels since the calipers have had some machining. And also some grinding lol.




The car is going to be sent away next month to a friend of mine who is very experienced with these cars (racing 197's) for a few things. The plan is to have the car ready late this summer for a roadtrip I'm doing to Switzerland. We shall see.

 

[hostler]

I wanted to edit my previous post but I guess that's not possible. Anyway here's some pics of the car. This was a temporary spot so I could give it a good clean before putting it back in storage.

 

[hostler]

The car is on it's way to a friend to get some work done. It'll probably be a while before I see it again but then again, it's already been sitting for over a year. A little bit longer won't really matter.

Things that are getting done:
fix valve cover leak
gearbox rebuild
fix broken fusebox housing under bonnet
Possibly replace flywheel for lightweight one
Install keyed crankshaft pulley
Replace cambelt cover where the engine mount bolts into (I still need this part!)


Then when the car is back the following needs doing before I can register the car again:
New tyres (Federal 595RS-PRO 195-50-15)
Alignment
APK (MOT for most of you)


So there's actually stuff happening now which is very exciting. Below a pic while the car was being strapped down.

 

[hostler]

There's stuff happening in the background. Engine is out again and there are a few things that stood out. The wrong type of sealant was used for the valve cover, one cam seal was completely destroyed and the starter motor wiring is getting too hot because there doesn't appear to be a heat shield (looking for this!!)

Here are some pics:

I've got a fresh gearbox that will be going in, ordered 4 new semi slicks (Federal 595RS-PRO), flywheel is going to be lightened and resurfaced just a tiny bit and I've found a new cambelt cover since one of the threads was stripped.

Good things are happening. Will update when there's more to share.

 

[hostler]

Well it only took 2 years but she's back! The following has been done since it was last on the road:

Engine out again
All new seals in top end
New timing belt
Keyed crank pulley installed
Renault rebuilt gearbox (low miles, tried and tested)
4 new Federal 595RS-PRO tyres
Wheels balanced
Alignment
Oil and coolant
Good once over
Engine bay tidy up
OEM starter heat shield installed
APK (MOT for you guys)

Gave the car a good clean and applied some collnite 845.


I've ordered some parts to build the "fatty induction kit" which should arrive sometime this month. Will also be needing new front brake pads (recommendations welcome, they're 197/megane Brembo calipers).

 

[Kev@KAM]

I'm running Winmax on my Clio. I prefer a more progressive bite to the CL Brakes RC6 yet want to stick with metallic pads for the heat benefits.
I work the brakes hard and they never miss a beat and they dont wear as fast.
I can help with supply if you go that route. I use Winmax W6 on the 182 but I'd start with Winmax W5 when trying them for the first time

 

[scullyg40]

Well it only took 2 years

Finally. 😚

 

[hostler]

I'm running Winmax on my Clio. I prefer a more progressive bite to the CL Brakes RC6 yet want to stick with metallic pads for the heat benefits.
I work the brakes hard and they never miss a beat and they dont wear as fast.
I can help with supply if you go that route. I use Winmax W6 on the 182 but I'd start with Winmax W5 when trying them for the first time

I'll shoot you a message!

 

[hostler]

Going to have some work done coming Saturday. I suspect there to be some air in the ABS pump as the pedal goes soft and squishy after a bit of thrashing on backroads even though I'm currently running OE Brembo pads on the 197 calipers. There's no way I cooked the RBF600 fluid with these pads. Need someone with Renault Clip to activate the pump so I can do a thorough bleed. Will also have him put a slightly longer belt on since the belt is rubbing on the tensioner due to a slightly larger alternator pulley being used.

Once this is done the car will be free of any mechanical issues, apart from the AC pump having a leak. But that's next years problem. The car will go in winter storage on the 5th of December. I'm planning on taking it out of storage around late March.

Planning on buying an apartment next year so I had to make some choices regarding what my plan for the car is going to be.
- Install Winmax W5 front pads
- Replace rear pads
- New AC pump and seals (mostly o-rings)
- New coilovers
- Upgrade to a 197 brake master cylinder
- Have OZ F1's powder coated
- Install less droney exhaust

 

[hostler]

So it turned out that there was indeed air in the brake lines. It's now fully bled by also turning the ABS pump on with Renault Clip. I used RBF600 again since I still had 4 new bottles. The pedal feels great and stays firm, even after a good thrashing. I'm keen to find out how the brakes feel with uprated pads. There was also an issue with the aux belt being too tight due to a different pulley being used on the alternator. I'm now also using a 1670 aux belt instead of the standard 1660 so it no longer rubs against the tensioner.

Found some stuff that needs taking care of early next year when I take it out of storage again:
- Front left jack point needs welding
- Rear beam bushes are shot


I've also sourced a brand new ph1 172 front fender for only € 140,- . It's unpainted and straight from Renault. Never opened. My front right fender has a small crack under the side repeater so I figured I might as well get a new one since I could get my hand on one.

 

[hostler]

"Fatty" induction installed. Make a simple L bracket to support the 90 degree bend. The sound is alright but I feel like I'll get bored of it quickly.

 

[hostler]

Installed a battery and intake cover. Also painted the ECU bracket and whatever that other bracket that goes over the battery is called. Also give some stuff a bit of a clean.

 

[shitbox172]

looks awesome landgenoot

 

[hostler]

Put the Clio in storage, I promise that it won't take me 2 years to get it out again this time. Planning on taking it out of storage late March.

 

[hostler]

Took the car out of storage and started doing some things. I first had to diagnose the high idle issue I've been having. After lots of brake cleaner spraying, head scratching, gasket replacing I just couldn't figure it out. I've replaced the MAP and air inlet temperature sensor as well but this didn't fix the issue at all.
I had a spare throttle body and sent it off to get enlarged and rebuilt so in my last attempt to fix it I've installed the new throttle body. This completely fixed the issue I've been having so that was pretty nice.



Another issue I had with the car was rust. Someone dented the floor while improperly jacking up the car and it was never fixed properly by the previous owner. A new piece from Renault will soon be welded in. Since I have no clue on how to weld properly I'm having some else do it. I'm also having new PowerFlex black rear beam bushings installed since mine had some play in them.


This is the car as it now sits:

 

[hostler]

Managed to scoop up a brand new Bilstein B14 set of coilovers for the Clio from Autodoc for only 673 euro's. That's 580 pounds. Great deal. The funny thing is that on the website it was listed for 750 euro's, and through the app it was 673 euro's,

I just remembered that I still need to take some pics of the rear axle powerflex black bushes. The difference is really big. The old ones were properly knackered. I'll update this thread with a few pics in a few weeks when I have to chance to put it on a the lift again.

So I've got the following parts laying around to be put on:
Bilstein B14 coilovers
New top mounts
DS2500 197 pads for front brembo's
Ferodo performance rear pads
CUP wishbones with black Powerflex bushes (current bushes are also powerflex but they are properly fucked)


Trackday planned for the 11th of may, if the weather allows it, for circuit Assen. Much excite!

 

[hostler]

i hate cars

Put the Ferodo rear pads in. Stripped one of the threads on the right rear caliper........ Turns out someone has already been in there before and it was already tapped once with a larger bolt put in so no point in trying to fix it. Going to put a new caliper on soon. Thinking I might as well just do both sides.

Sliders were also seized on both sides but got them loose eventually.

Powerflex black rear beam bushings:

A very nice box came in a few days ago:

 

[hostler]

Got busy installing some parts today. Lots of new but also a few used bits went on:
Cup wishbones with Powerflex Black
New ball joints
B14 coilovers with new OEM top mounts
DS2500 front pads
New right rear brake caliper
Oil change with Renault filter
Alignment



Cup wishbones installed with new ball joints:

New right rear caliper:

New B14 coilovers:

DS2500 front pads installed with Mr. Pink pins:

Also had a full alignment done but not too happy with the result. For some reason the camber bolts I've got only allowed them to go about 1.32 degrees of negative camber. Going to have to look into different bolts. I believe mine were from H&R. I know a place relatively close by that does a lot of motorsport alignments so I'll probably go there to have it corner balanced and to have another alignment done.


The alignment (first one is before, second one is current):

There also seems to be a pretty big difference in caster. 2.48 on one side and 1.54 on the other side. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Subframe possibly not on straight or something? Would also love to hear some recommendations for camber bolts that I should be using.

Anyway, the difference between these Bilstein's and the old crappy FK Technix that was one there is massive. It rides so much better. Well worth the money imho.


Onto the next job.