Hostler's 172 ph1 track/weekend toy

[hostler]

I’ve been around this forum for a while, but never really started a project. I’ve owned a Clio before my current 172 ph1 but it was nothing special.
My ph1 is now my track/weekend toy.

My history with French cars
I’ve only owned French car. My first car was a Citroën Saxo 1.1i. Great car but incredibly slow. I never modified it.
After one year I traded it for a Clio mk2 phase 2 with as 1.6 k4m engine. Great car but I’ve had a loads of problems. Repairs far exceeded what the thing was worth.
Sold that troublesome Clio and got another troublesome Clio. My current 172 ph1. The previous owner already did some work to it. Wheels, coilovers, v6 airbox, fastchip custom map and Powerflex Purple wishbone bushings.

The car when I first got it:

When I first got the car I did some yellow fogs and changed the ride height a bit. After a while i decided to do some maintenance, like change most of the gear linkage bushings. This made a huge improvement.

New bushings:

Upgrade the engine mounts:
After a while I started upgrading the engine mounts. The dogbone was up first.

And then changed the upper engine mount to a powerflex insert. Can’t really seem to find a picture but you know what it looks like :wink: Also changed the actual upper engine mount for a new oem one. Did the same for the one under the battery.

Orbisoud rear silencer:
Fitted a genuine Orbisoud cup rear “silencer”. It’s loud…

New steering wheel:
The previous owner installed a horrible QSP JDM DRIFT YO steering wheel. The suede was fcked so I bought a new steering wheel. I’m a fan of the Renault Sport version but I can’t justify that much money for something which will look s**t after a couple of months. Got this one instead.

Removed the logo and added Renault Sport

Driving on the Nurburgring:
After the changes above I did a few laps on the Ring. I really enjoyed it. Did a total of 4 laps that day. It really pushed me towards improving the handling and braking performance.

After 4 laps on the Nordschleife:
My brake pads were OEM and didn't survive the Ring. One caliber was also sticking so something had to be done.

The front brakes were properly fucked. Decided to change those asap. Went for K-tec discs and Ferodo performance pads. Also fitted some refurbished calipers on both sides.

Gearbox rebuild:
Sadly, I needed to do some very expensive maintenance tot he car. The gearbox started to make noises and crunched in 3rd. It was time for a rebuild.

Box out:

Gave the subframe some love:

Freshly rebuilt box:

Also fitted some new rollbar bushings:

Sadly I didn’t document the things I’ve done to the car very well so there are some things missing. I did keep a list of everything that has been modified.

Recent modifications:
Finally installed the 182 inlet manifold I had laying around. It’s a nice and cheap mod which I recommend to every 172 owner. While i was in there I did a compression test. The results were very good :smiley:

Decided to use wheel studs since it makes your life a lot easier when changing wheels.
Studs installed

Removed the rear wiper. It’s a stupid thing and looks much better without it imho. Painted it black too.

Fitted a custom made rollbar/half-cage:

Painted the rear which was a horrible job but well worth it:

That's about it. Other modifications are either not documented or I forgot them. I'll put some of my favorite pictures below. If you're wondering what happend to all the stickers, I was planning on selling the car but decided to keep it anyways. After that I did the half cage etc so there isn't really a way back now :smiley:

Last year on the Nurburgring:

Somewhere:

Current mods:

• Custom map by FastchipHEL Brake Lines Blue Stainless Steel Braided
• FK Highsport coilovers in front
• Bilstein B8 shocks in the rear + FK Highsport FK88ha springs
• 250mm LTEC suède wheel
• Quick release hub
• Extended wheel hub
• LED interior lighting
• Smoked blinkers
• Omni competition 20mm spacers front
• Omni competition 16mm spacers rear
• Rota Circuit 10 wheels
• Powerflex purple wishbones bushes
• Powerflex purple swaybar/rollbar rubbers
• Powerflex red exhaust rubber
• Powerflex yellow dogbone
• Powerflex yellow upper engine mount
• Skoda Fabia front lip
• Hill Power sillicone inlet hose
• Mid silencer removed
• Orbisoud CUP rear silencer
• KTR (K-tec) racing slotted discs in front
• Ferodo performance pads in front
• Wheel studs
• Custom rollbar

Short term plans:

• Semi slicks (R888R)
• GAZ GHA coilovers

Long term:

• Proper seats and harnesses
• Flocked dash
• Cams

I'll keep updating this topic :smile:. I'd also love some input, idea's etc.

Thanks for reading :smiley:

 

[carl-clio172]

looks great.. inspiration for my own 172 weekend toy / track car :up:

 

[hostler]

Good to hear!

Got some black gold mirror caps/covers from the wreckers. These replace my already wrapped caps. I just think that painted ones look better. Still undecided if I want to put the ELF sticker on it. I still have two yellow ones but I also have two white ones.

Cleaned her up a bit. Put the Rota's on again.

Took a quick photo with a friend:

Getting an alignment done next week. They will weigh the car, adjust the coilovers, install the PowerFlex camber bolts I had laying around and do a full alignment on the front.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the rear. Might use a little spacer and a camber shim.

Also, thinking of gettings these carbon "covers" for the rear.
http://carbontec.pl/en_US/p/Carbon-door-cards-for-Clio-172182/129

 

[Coops Mk1]

Another odyssey! Lovely!

 

[hostler]

Painted my track wheels white. Didn't bother to make them 100% perfect but it turned out pretty nice anyway. I think the white wheels will work well with the blue paint.
Before:

After:

Still not sure what semi slicks to use. R888R's seem very interesting and they aren't that expensive either.

 

[hostler]

Ok, so I seriously neglected this topic. A small update:
Did some trackdays with the car, felt great. Upgraded the discs and pads to Brembo HC and Carbone Lorraine RC5+ pads. I can highly recommend these. What a fantastic compound.
Also put some NS2r tyres on the white wheels from the previous post. Loved the amount of grip this gave, but due to the grip I noticed a few problems. The coilovers are way too soft and I need bucket seats.

A lot has happend since then. I wanted to get rid of the Clio and buy an MX-5, but after looking at a lot of them (and not even bothering to test drive most because of rust) I decided to keep the Clio...

The interior is mostly returned to stock. I sold the rollbar and put the interior back in. It is still my daily driver, but that is about to change. Also, the construction of the rollbar wasn't the best imho.

I sold the white OZ F1 wheels and got some originals. Also sold the 16" Rota's. Wrapped the "new" f1's in Federal 595rsr.

So what is the new plan for this car? I want more torque... So I decided that I want to go turbo. For that to happen I need to freshen up the engine because it has a lot of miles. I am planning on starting that in a few months. Because the car is (or was) my daily driver, I needed something else. So I got a Clio 2 phase 2 1.2 as my new daily. It's not fast but it gets the job done. This also allows me to focus on the rebuild and turbo.

I was actually planning on doing Catcams first, but after reading that it would only gain torque/bhp at high RPM i lost interest. A turbo would be the best option imho.

I was also having problems with my gearbox (which I had someone rebuild a while back). I bought a JC5-129 cup box with roughly 80.000 KM so that should be in decent shape. Still debating if I want to have someone check it over, but there aren't many trustworthy specialists in the Netherlands.

Because I'm removing the engine and box anyway, I'll be doing some preperations for the Engine Dynamics 230Bhp turbo kit. I've recently ordered their 5puck clutch kit and oil return kit so that neither the oil pan or gearbox needs to be removed when I will install the turbo.

So a small list of things that I am doing this winter:
Engine refresh
Change box
Turbo kit from Engine Dynamics

Possibly after winter:
Better coilovers
Bucket seats
Harness
Strip interior
Full cage
Paint entire interior white
And some other small bits like replacing a couple of worn rubbers.

So that's pretty much it. I'll post more updates when there's something to share.


This is how it sits right now:

 

[Coops Mk1]

still looking clean and tidy, I like!

 

[mintno1]

Looks great, looking forward to see the work you have planned, have you bought the turbo kit already? Direct from Engine Dynamics?

 

[hostler]

Haven't bought the turbo kit yet, as I first want to rebuild the engine. Since the engine has quite alot of miles I am hoping the cylinders aren't worn too much. Else I might have to source a new bottom end or low mileage engine (which is a struggle in the Netherlands), since I don't want do buy oversized pistons. I know PMS sells a new bottom end. The only way to know if the cylinders are worn is to open her up and check, so I can only speculate.

In other news, I picked up my "new" 1.2 for this winter:

I polished the headlights, but that's about all the love she'll get:

Now back to the ph1, I received my uprated clutch from Engine Dynamics. Also ordered the oil return kit so i can fabricate some sort of plug since I want to drill and tap the oil return feed while the engine is out.
The clutch looks like a decent bit of kit. Very excited to get started...

Hoping to start the engine rebuild somewhere next month. The turbo conversion is planned for early next year. I'm not really in a hurry since it's no longer my daily.

 

[Inequality Street]

@hostler what paint did you use for the interior? Looks amazing

 

[dylan172]

There is a low mileage engine for sale on marktplaats

Prachtige auto trouwens!

 

[hostler]

@dylan172 Yeah but he wants way too much money for that. And I would still need to check everything. For that money I might as well buy a rebuilt engine from Engine Dynamics lol. I saw another one on facebook with around 98000 KM, but I don't really want to buy an engine without checking mine first. Bedankt!

@RyG It's gloss white Hammerite. If you use a roller it doesn't come out too shiny so it was perfect for me. It does smell though... Would just stick to spray cans if I were you.

 

[dylan172]

@dylan172 Yeah but he wants way too much money for that. And I would still need to check everything. For that money I might as well buy a rebuilt engine from Engine Dynamics lol. I saw another one on facebook with around 98000 KM, but I don't really want to buy an engine without checking mine first. Bedankt! :smile:

@RyG It's gloss white Hammerite. If you use a roller it doesn't come out too shiny so it was perfect for me. It does smell though... Would just stick to spray cans if I were you.

That's Fair enough I guess! Will definitely be a weapon when it's finished! *awaits the finished project in patience*

What part of the Netherlands are you from?

 

[hostler]

That's Fair enough I guess! Will definitely be a weapon when it's finished! *awaits the finished project in patience*

What part of the Netherlands are you from?

Yeah very excited to get started. Will be doing the rebuild myself (but under close watch of a mechanic).

I'm from Overijssel. Near Zwolle.

 

[dylan172]

Yeah very excited to get started. Will be doing the rebuild myself (but under close watch of a mechanic).

I'm from Overijssel. Near Zwolle.

That's amazing. Would love to be able to do stuff like that myself!

Even though it's quite the drive, might need to drop by once it's finished to admire it

 

[hostler]

Just thought I'd share something while we wait for some actual progress

It's a little story about the kind people you meet at the Nürburgring.

A while back my mates and I were going to the Nürburgring for three days. We decided to stay at Hotel Rieder, which is a fantastic hotel. After unloading all of the stuff we went to do some laps on the Ring. All was fine until I noticed a slight noise coming from the front left side. As my arch liner has some rubbing issues, I thought it was just a piece of plastic that would eventualy fall off. I decided to go for another lap. The noise was still there but I didn't notice anything wrong with the car. Everything felt great!
Eventually I decided to have a look and noticed that some of the the studs (did the conversion a while back) had come loose. I could undo two by hand! Not ideal, to say the least. I baby'd the car to the hotel and we decided to try and fix it. I brought some basic tools and a friend of mine luckily brought spare wheel bolts. He only brought regular bolts that wouldnt fit when a spacer was installed. Also, there were still two studs in the hub that didn't budge. Ofcourse I didn't bring the right tools with me so I was stuck. F*ck.

At our hotel there were some lads from the UK with RX7's. I'm not really the person to walk up to a stranger and ask them for anything, but I didn't really have a choice. Luckily they were very nice and after some hate on Clio drivers they gave me some tools to sort my mess out. I managed to remove the two other studs, remove the spacer and bolt the wheel on with my mates wheel bolts. All was fine for the left side. But what about the right side? I didn't want to run the studs on the front anymore since I couldn't trust them. I wanted them out! But since the spacer needed to be removed first, I was stuck again. The little bolt holding the spacer on wouldn't budge. We tried almost everything, but we also had to be carefull not to strip it. There was no way we could remove the studs with the spacer on since my mate had only brought the OEM short bolts. I had no choice other than to leave the studs and spacer on the right side in place.

Me being the stupid pr*ck that I am, I wasn't going to just sit around the ring. I wanted to drive!. Keeping a close eye to the studs on the right I did a few laps but decided it wasn't worth it. The car pulled a little (lol) when braking because only one spacer was fitted but other than that it felt fine. When I look back on it now it was a very stupid and possibly dangerous thing to do.

Of course I still wanted to properly solve the situation by removing the spacer and studs from the right side because I wanted to lap the car on sunday too! On saturday afternoon, when hanging out at Adenauer Forst, I met some crazy drunk Germans. We started talking and I explained that I was having some issues. Luckily they knew a place not too far from the Ring. They called the shop's owner for me and made sure I could visit the next day. The name of the shop is Custom Racetec. On sunday morning I drove over there. He had the spacer and studs off in around 10 minutes lol. The guy even fixed my slightly sagging exhaust. I paid the guy and left. I think I did around 5/6 laps after that. The car felt fantastic.

You truly meet the most amazing people around the Nürburgring. People are allways willing to help eachother out. You just have to ask! Language, culture, colour; None of it matters when you share the same passion.




(Sorry for any grammar mistakes )

 

[hostler]

My brake pads felt kinda bad so I decided to get some new ones. Good think I replaced them as the old ones started to fall apart :/ In their defence, they have been through a lot of heat cycles.

These Carbone Lorraine RC6 pads replace my RC5+ front pads. I was really happy with my old CL pads so I decided not to get the DS2500's like most do.
These are even more agressive than the RC5+ pads.
The box says "Not for road use", which means it must be good, right?
Also bought a tyre pressure guage.

Left side pads were not looking to good...

Right seemed relatively fine but also started to crumble.

New shiny brake pads installed

After bedding them in they felt great. They brake so hard that you feel your face moving forwards lol. Sadly, no track testing until next year...

 

[hostler]

Did some little things. Also need your help!

First changed the smoked side blinkers to oem orange.


Decided to clean the front arches as it was quite dirty. Saw this stupid plastic guard thing flapping around again. It always comes loose for some reason. I was fed up with it so decided to drill a hole and screw it in. It's not going anywhere:


Then I proceeded to clean the entire car, but ofc it started to rain when I was done. The only upside to this is that I didn't need to dry it off. :/


I need some advice regarding the build. I was planning on completely rebuilding the engine myself (under close watch of a certified mechanic) as it has roughly 133k miles on it. Compression is still very good but it does burn a little oil when used hard, but this might be normal. Things that really need doing are gaskets (except for headgasket), aux belt, pulleys, waterpump and might as well do the cambelt. Oil pump would be nice since it does have some miles on it.
Of course I do not know the state of the bearings, cylinder walls, cams etc. My reasoning behind doing a rebuild is that I can learn a lot from it and it will allow me to freshen everything up in preperation to the turbo build. It is quite expensive though.

Compression on the current engine is:
1: 12,5 bar
2: 13 bar
3: 13 bar
4: 12,5 bar

It did 147hp to the wheels on the dyno when mapped a few years ago with standard ph1 intake, standard 172 intake manifold, standard exhaust.
Dephaser was done 2 years 37k miles ago.


I can get a somewhat rebuilt engine for 620 pounds. Should have around 50k miles on the bottom end. The head is a rebuilt phase 3 head according to the current owner. Needs head bolts (the head is not assembled to the block), most gaskets and all new belts, pulleys etc. I don't really know the story behind it other than that it was owned by a German renault mechanic and that he started to rebuild it before the current owner got it. Cylinder walls look really good.

Should I freshen up my engine with gaskets and all the other stuff it needs or do a complete rebuild or get the other 50k mile engine?

I would really like to hear some of your opinions.

 

[scullyg40]

I would just proceed with the turbo build , and see how everything holds up. When something breaks down, you fix it/upgrade it/rebuild it.

 

[hostler]

I keep overthinking things. What if s**t goes wrong etc. I still think it would be best for the build to open it up but not sure if really necessary :/

 

[hostler]

Received some new parts these past few days. Will post more on this later.

Had a look at an engine for sale with 80.000 KM. This one turned out to have some valve damage in the cylinders. Real shame.

Sadly, there has been an unexpected setback. The guy I was planning to do the rebuild with has some family issues so I won't be starting this saturday, which was the original plan. Not sure when we're going to start pulling the engine out. Hopefully this year. Will probably do a trackday this saturday to finally say goodbye to the already fuuked gearbox.

Thinking of going forged if cylinders are worn. Would be a long project though.

 

[hostler]

I've been slowly gathering a few parts, these came in recently.

CUP wishbones with PowerFlex BLACK series bushings from a member on here. They will need some love though. Interested to see what the added castor does for me.

And some other various parts:
Aux belt kit (New from a member of this forum)
New spark plugs
New Valeo waterpump
New balljoints
New interior ac filter

On top of those I have found and received a few new centre caps for my OZ f1 wheels. The centre caps are becoming quite rare as they often break so I thought I'd just get them before anyone else does.

Still looking to buy the following:
Headgasket set
Bottom end gasket set
Dephaser (although this was done 2 years or 70.000 km ago)
Cambelt kit
New damper pulley
Oil pump
Toothed crankshaft bottom pulley with intergrated key
ARP conrod bolts
Head bolts

Any suggestions where I can get them the cheapest? Looking for OEM parts (but doesn't have to be in a Renault box obv.)

Also having major second thoughts on the turbo kit as I really like to beat on my car hard. I usually put it through hell, as it's currently just a toy for me. From track use to almost Gumball style rally's, it needs to do it all reliably. Therefore I did a lot of reading and I think that an ITB kit would be the better option. Although the ITB kit would not offer the same performance as a turbo kit, it will make the drivetrain last a hell of a lot longer and you can't beat the sound of ITB's...
The only "turbo" bits I've already bought is the 5 puck clutch, but that could be used for a ITB kit too, and a oil return kit from Engine Dynamics.
It's a difficult decision to be honest. I think I would love the relatively big torque and horsepower gains, but I don't want to be even more gently with the already fragile Renault gearboxes.

Also still no new starting date by the way Really hoping that it's going to be this year but it's currently out of my hands. It does leave me with a lot of time to slowly collect parts, find the best prices and thing about the turbo vs itb choice...

 

[hostler]

Forgot to mention that I did a "trackday" at Assen recently. @scullyg40 was there too, which was fun. It would've been the day we started the work on the engine but as stated previously things kinda got moved around so I decided to grab my last trackday of the year.

Can't say I am too happy with @scullyg40 clearly having an advantage with his ridiculous weight saving . You can see it in the second video at 3:07 and 5:40. All good fun though.

Really loved the feel of those CL RC6 pads on track, but I think I might have boiled my brake fluid. The brake pedal feels kinda squishy on my way home so it will need a full flush again. Going with ATE Type 200 this time.
Other than that the car felt great, can't fault it on much really. Could do with new suspension and brake cooling. And more power.

Session 1 Assen 25-11-2017:


Session 2:


As you can clearly see it keeps popping out of third which was a huge pain in the ass. Replacement box is sitting in the garage though.

Don't rate my driving I am stil learning a lot (and could to with tuition to be honest), getting a better understanding of what the car is capable of. It was my second trackday on Assen.

 

[Djw John]

Skip the ATE200 and go straight to Motul RBF600, wish I had years ago

 

[hostler]

Skip the ATE200 and go straight to Motul RBF600, wish I had years ago

Ordered 2 litres of this! Thanks

I've never thought brake fluid would turn to shite this quick during trackday, as it's quite new. Probably down to those CL RC6 pads creating a lot of heat. Will look into brake cooling asap...

 

[Djw John]

Good man!

 

[Raceface_13]

whats caused the gearbox to go bad so quickly? didn't you have it rebuilt in march?
loving the progress, keep the updates coming

 

[hostler]

whats caused the gearbox to go bad so quickly? didn't you have it rebuilt in march?
loving the progress, keep the updates coming

Not sure, bad rebuild, lack of mechanical sympathy from my end or just bad luck.

The company who performed the rebuild only rebuilt mine because of the issues I had with their JC5-129 box. They had a JC5-129 for sale which I bought since they had rebuilt that one. I traded in mine (JC5-089) as you usually do. The 129 turned out to be shite as I couldnt properly get it into 2nd gear and I could hear a faint whine coming from it. After talking to the company who sold me the box they suggested to rebuild my old 089 and swap them over. I think they just cheaped out on the rebuild and only replaced a few synchro's.

A year later the box started to pop out of 3rd gear and crunch when going from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd to 4th.

Luckily I already have a replacement box in the garage. And another one in my storage unit.

 

[hostler]

Received the new brake fluid a while back. It will hopefully last me longer than previous fluids. I keep boiling it.

Ordered a brake cooling kit from eBay. The price was a bit high but it's a nice bit of kit. Includes everything you need and has good fitment. Only need to fabricate some sort of deflector plate. Might do it out of some kind of heatshield.

Also found a Whiteline RARB for sale for only 65 pounds. Jumped on it and got it delivered. I believe its the older version but for that money I can't complain. I installed it and the difference is noticable. It's still on the softest setting but it's too cold/wet for a proper drive anyway. (pic below on hard settings but changed that obviouslly)

The car was in storage and I only took it out to install the Whiteline RARB. Gave the car a good clean and put it back into storage. Will start serious work on it in the beginning of february. The engine should be out on the 3rd.

Due to other costly things the turbokit will probably be pushed to somewhere in april/may. Car will be properly prepared for it anyway so should all be a bolt-on job.
Also thinking of geting the BC racing DR coilovers which are currently on sale at KAMracing. Probably 8/8kg springrates.

 

[hostler]

Decided to get the car out and install the brake cooling. I talked about this previously. Hopefully it will help, but I still need to make some kind of deflector plate.
Installing the cooling was relatively easy. The horns could be bent out of the way so the left side was done quite quickly. The right side is where the carbon cannister lives. I tried routing the hose around it but eventually gave up. Decided to get rid of the carbon cannister It's quite easy to do but still have got to finish it up. I wasn't planning on removing the cannister so I didn't buy a 22/23 ohm resistor. Also didn't have a one way valve for the tank breather to go to. For now its just venting in the wheel arch. Plugged the engine side off with a sillicone cap, which works great.

Received a new oil pump, which will be added to the pile of new parts for the rebuild.

 

[hostler]

Major update! Replaced the inlet temperature sensor. Had some issue where the idle would be very lumpy for about 5 seconds on cold startup. Replace the damn sensor and fixed!

Amazing.

Found some pics from a little while back. One is on the Nürburgring when I took the car for it's first flight and the other is on Assen where my brakes overheated

Starting work on the car this Friday! Really excited about that as we should've started a few months back... I have taken a few days off from work so I can put in the hours.
Also ordered a new OEM headgasket set, OEM crank pulley with key, OEM head bolts, and OEM cambelt kit.
Along with the intake temperature sensor (which I already fitted) I also received a new coolant pipe that sits on the block as the current one is a bit old and I would sleep a lot better knowing it will be replaced along with everything else. So, all the parts are currently waiting and sitting to be installed.

The bottom end will be sent off to a machineshop where the bearings, rings, gaskets etc will be done. Block will also be honed, and ARP rod bolts will be used. Will be doing the head myself but will probably get it pressure tested when I pick the bottom end up just to be sure.

 

[green]

Snap!

Are your ducts the eBay kit?
They made such a difference it’s the tyres giving up now!
Good luck with your build

 

[Danith]

This is awesome. I bet it's not as cheap to do this over in Holland either? We take it for granted over here with used cars and parts.

Love it, best colour (after sunflower) and best 1*2 version.

 

[hostler]

@green It is yeah. Choose the stealth one though. Did you make some kind of deflector plate? I feel like it needs it but obviously haven't tested anything on track yet.

@Danith Parts are available but they only come up for sale every so often, but luckily most of the guys on here are happy to send over parts which helps a lot. These cars are not as cheap as in the UK over here either. One with low milleage will set you back close to or over 3,5/4k pounds. Crazy.

 

[Danith]

@green It is yeah. Choose the stealth one though. Did you make some kind of deflector plate? I feel like it needs it but obviously haven't tested anything on track yet.

@Danith Parts are available but they only come up for sale every so often, but luckily most of the guys on here are happy to send over parts which helps a lot. These cars are not as cheap as in the UK over here either. One with low milleage will set you back close to or over 3,5/4k pounds. Crazy.

Ha. For a clean phase 1 you'd need to spend 3 here now!
I really want another ph1, not keen on the ph2

 

[green]

@hostler ive just vented into the wheel well..I cut the hole in the inner arch so the air goes between the wheel and arch when driving straight. I did think about doing the deflector plate but I never get any fade on track with the way they are..not even after 30mins. I’m running 4pot Brembo’s ds1.11 pad.

 

[hostler]

I should change this topic title to Slow Progress because sadly we aren't going to start work this friday. I was completely ready. All the parts are here and I took time off from work but sadly the father of my mate/mechanic I'm doing this with passed away so he closed his shop untill he's ready to start working again.

Gutted. I don't blame him but I'm still very dissapointed that we have to delay this again... Obviously familiy is way more important than a project like this so I really shouldn't complain.

I wish I had the knowledge, tools and space to do everything myself :/

 

[Raceface_13]

Sorry for your friends loss and sorry the projects on hold bud. Is there any bits that you feel confident enough to tackle yourself?

 

[hostler]

Decided to buy some parts. Found some pretty cheap Brembo's for sale so decided to jump on it. It's a nice upgrade imho.

I want to keep using 15" wheels so I went with 280mm Tessa brackets. The calipers are currently at the machine shop to have 5mm machined off from the mounting points.

Also got some MrPink pins:

And PMS brake lines:

Also changed out the bonnet catch as they tend to fly open by themselves:

Thats kind of it for now. Did a trackday on Assen again which was a lot of fun. Finally got to experience what they call lift off oversteer. Fun to watch at 0.25 speed :tongueout:


Engine out date is 6/7 april. We'll see though...

 

[Greeny.]

Car looks great, hope all goes well.

How you finding the new fluid and the RC6's? Im also running RC6's, braided lines and Motul RBF600 and constantly boil my fluid, although I do need to sort out my cup racer ducts so they actually point more at my calipers but as I have my front bumper off all the time it makes it abit of a pain to sort out, or I guess it might be that I just brake last minute constantly... :/