James' 172 Cup Project

[Jamess182]

Hi guys. Signed up to this forum what feels like 40 years ago when I had a gold Clio 1.2RT as my first car, but never posted anything.

Anyway, I'm back now with a 172 Cup. Got it back to mine yesterday so haven't even had a chance to clean it yet, never mind start changing things. Here's a few photos for you!

Bodywork in great condition, barely a scratch on it. Turinis in almost new condition! Just needs a good clean up!

Interior in lovely condition. Don't worry, I've already got a new steering wheel on order!

Engine bay can do with a little TLC but the engine and box itself feel tight as a nut.

It's currently running on Coilovers and has Sparco buckets and an aftermarket steering wheel, but apart from those, it's pretty much standard.
Got a few plans for it, but mainly going for fast road / daily spec.

Plan to keep this thread pretty updated so watch this space!!

Thanks, James

 

[MrBlonde]

Nice mate,good to see another cup!:up:

What sort of plans are you looking to do?

 

[imprezaworks]

Looking good.

 

[mintno1]

Looks good, love a cup, I am bias though :smile:

 

[Smiffyboy1990]

Love a Cup.

 

[Jamess182]

Cheers guys.

Nice mate,good to see another cup!:up:

What sort of plans are you looking to do?

Thanks matey, Got a Sparco steering wheel on order, looking forward to fitting that. Also needs an aftermarket stereo with AUX in etc.
Also planning on painting the brakes, probably yellow?
Then will soon be after an induction kit and decent exhaust.

 

[MrBlonde]

I wouldnt paint the brakes yellow,but thats just down to personal preference,i done mine black.

Yeah defo get the induction,i would recommend the fatty set up even just for the noise!!

 

[Jamess182]

I wouldnt paint the brakes yellow,but thats just down to personal preference,i done mine black.

Yeah defo get the induction,i would recommend the fatty set up even just for the noise!!

Too late, yellow paint purchased!! Inlet & rocker covers needs doing as well, Will probably go for black / yellow engine.
Quick question, I can take the inlet off to paint - but do people paint the rocker covers in situ? Saves me taking them off and trying to reseal them - which I've always been awful at.

If it looks too tacky/chavvy then I'll redo them, but I think it'll look pretty good. Better than typical 'go faster' red brakes

 

[MrBlonde]

Yeah you can take it off to paint,obvs dont paint the gasket end etc & yes upto you if you want to paint the rocker cover,i did mine.

 

[Mr R.]

Too late, yellow paint purchased!! Inlet & rocker covers needs doing as well, Will probably go for black / yellow engine.
Quick question, I can take the inlet off to paint - but do people paint the rocker covers in situ? Saves me taking them off and trying to reseal them - which I've always been awful at.

If it looks too tacky/chavvy then I'll redo them, but I think it'll look pretty good. Better than typical 'go faster' red brakes

Do not try and take the cam cover off, it holds the cams in place and you won't be able to remove the cover without taking the Cam belt off and the pulleys.

 

[Mr R.]

Yeah you can take it off to paint,obvs dont paint the gasket end etc & yes upto you if you want to paint the rocker cover,i did mine.

View attachment 1334934 View attachment 1334935

That bay is crying out for a new coolant bottle.

 

[Jamess182]

Do not try and take the cam cover off, it holds the cams in place and you won't be able to remove the cover without taking the Cam belt off and the pulleys.

Good man, thanks for the heads up.
Spent the last 4 years playing with only 106 GTi's so still got a lot to learn with Clios !

 

[MrBlonde]

That bay is crying out for a new coolant bottle.

Haha yep i know mate,its high up on my list.Just waiting for when i do a coolant change very soon before winter.

 

[Jamess182]

Been busy over the weekend!

Gave it a good clean. Would like to get it professionally detailed soon, but is there much point considering winter is coming and it's not a garage queen?

(You can see my trusty assistant on the left!)

Brakes painted yellow, as promised :relieved:

(And again!)

Unfortunately it unexpectedly started pissing it down just after the 2nd coat on the rears, which obviously splashed up and completely ruined the finish. Will have to redo those at some point. :unamused:

Typical French stickers applied to the front grill, along with front badge painted black & yellow tints to the fogs.

Sparco wheel fitted. Makes a huge difference to the whole interior in my opinion!

Also sprayed the rear badge black.

That's it for now. Won't be on the road until next week due to insurance, but properly looking forward to it!! :up:

Thanks for reading, James

 

[Jamess182]

Changed the Oil & Filter last night, took me an hour and a half including flushing the engine-not too bad considering it was my first time and I spent ages scratching my head how to actually get to the oil filter! Swapped the murky black oil for some fresh Shell Helix, should hopefully help it run a little smoother. Next up - NGK Spark Plugs to hopefully tame it's lumpy idle.
One important lesson learnt though - never drop any bolts or spanners into a Clio's engine bay. You'll probably never see them again.

 

[Jamess182]

Not getting many comments but may as well keep updating this thready just for my sake!
Started stripping down the engine bay in order to change the spark plugs, clean the throttle body and begin to painting the inlet & rocker covers.

Seems most of the engine and the bay need de-greasing and then painting, but I'm confident it will come out pretty well over the weekend!

 

[Clio_fool]

Yeah that would definitely benift from a good clean[emoji23].

 

[Cerrone]

What colours are you thinking for the bay mate? Coming along nicely

 

[182_steve]

Looks a good base for a little project this :up::up:

I had my callipers professionally painted silver on my Arctic 182 but then I have silver Turini's, I think the yellow there doesn't look too bad at all with the darker wheels! Just the yellow tint on the fogs i'm not so feeling haha but who cares, it's your car chap and enjoy. Good work getting your hands dirty and stuck in.

 

[Jamess182]

What colours are you thinking for the bay mate? Coming along nicely

Still undecided, Was thinking blue rocker covers and black inlet mani. But maybe yellow and black to go with the brakes? Not sure!

Looks a good base for a little project this :up::up:

I had my callipers professionally painted silver on my Arctic 182 but then I have silver Turini's, I think the yellow there doesn't look too bad at all with the darker wheels! Just the yellow tint on the fogs i'm not so feeling haha but who cares, it's your car chap and enjoy. Good work getting your hands dirty and stuck in.

Thanks man. Yes I'm happy with how the callipers turned out.
Doing the work yourself is so much more rewarding, and cheaper! Plus keeps me busy now the nights are drawing in.

Just looking forward to getting it on the road!

 

[Cerrone]

Blue and black sounds good to me! But I'm sure it will look good no matter which colour!

 

[Jamess182]

Yeah that would definitely benift from a good clean[emoji23].

Definately, engine de-greaser at the ready. Strange seeing as the exterior and interior as so well looked after but the engine bay forgotten about!

Blue and black sounds good to me! But I'm sure it will look good no matter which colour!

Bought some blue & black high temp paint. Will crack on this weekend, fingers crossed it comes out well!

 

[Jamess182]

Got the engine painted up with some VHT paint, not the best job in the world but looks about 1000x better in my opinion!

After an absolute nightmare putting everything back together, including snapping manifold bolts and getting mixed up with HT leads so it started running on 3 cyclinders (or less), I finally got it running again nicely.

Looking forward to getting it on the road!

 

[Jamess182]

Got the all-important ClioSport sticker on after signing up for the yearly membership

 

[Jamess182]

Finally on the road, took a few quick pics to celebrate.

As always with french cars, there's something to bother you. Got an annoying knock/rattle from the rear n/s corner. Sounds likes something is loose so hopefully an easy fix. But apart from that, this thing is a little rocket! Handles brilliantly, dare I say better than my old VXR, which was 8 years newer.
The buckets along with the Sparco wheel gives it that proper 'go-kart' feel. Love it..

 

[shiftspark]

Looks nice.

 

[182_steve]

Nice one! Does look very smart in the photos............. I had a stage 3 Astra VXR myself and although quick, it was heavy...... these are indeed little go-karts in comparison lol!

 

[mintno1]

Looks great, bet you are happy now it's on the road, their is always something with a Clio :up:

 

[SamMas93]

Awesome looking car mate, very nice base to start with too!

 

[Jamess182]

Thanks for the kind comments lads.
It's crying out for an exhaust though, I've heard PMS stealth systems are the best way to go for the 172?
I'll be keeping an eye out in the for sale section for one, need a bargain though!!

 

[CFAB]

I really rated my ktec recessed/hidden system and de cat was awesome it picked up so well. Pms are very good though.

Engine bay looks better, nice little touches like new bolts here and there, polish what you can makes it pop nicely.

 

[mintno1]

Thanks for the kind comments lads.
It's crying out for an exhaust though, I've heard PMS stealth systems are the best way to go for the 172?
I'll be keeping an eye out in the for sale section for one, need a bargain though!!

Love my PMS exhaust, sticks out of the back rather than stealth, they don't seem to come up for sale that often, well worth the money, it did get quite a bit louder with the 182 manifold but not ridiculous, although glad I've got the centre silenced

 

[Jamess182]

I really rated my ktec recessed/hidden system and de cat was awesome it picked up so well. Pms are very good though.

Engine bay looks better, nice little touches like new bolts here and there, polish what you can makes it pop nicely.

Love my PMS exhaust, sticks out of the back rather than stealth, they don't seem to come up for sale that often, well worth the money, it did get quite a bit louder with the 182 manifold but not ridiculous, although glad I've got the centre silenced

I like my exhausts loud, as long as they're not boomy. I had a decat Peugeot Sport exhaust on my old 106 GTi and a decat Remus on my old VXR! Nothing better than a good raspy exhaust note!

 

[MrBlonde]

Theres one in the For Sale section mate :up:

 

[CFAB]

You should get the ktec then. Here's mine inside a stripped out 182 cup.

 

[mintno1]

I like my exhausts loud, as long as they're not boomy. I had a decat Peugeot Sport exhaust on my old 106 GTi and a decat Remus on my old VXR! Nothing better than a good raspy exhaust note!

Not boomy or droney at all, I actually replaced a Ktec unsilenced on my first Ph1 with a PMS as the Ktec I had was much to droney & noisy when cruising around especially on motorway, great when out for a blast though

 

[scottishjon]

looking good buddy , just got a 182 myself after years of xr's n rs's

 

[182_steve]

looking good buddy , just got a 182 myself after years of xr's n rs's

Good man, i'd come from years of RS's too and this is my first Renault Sport........ never had an XR tho!

 

[Jamess182]

Theres one in the For Sale section mate :up:

Yeah noticed that one, bit too far away from me unfortunately!

Not boomy or droney at all, I actually replaced a Ktec unsilenced on my first Ph1 with a PMS as the Ktec I had was much to droney & noisy when cruising around especially on motorway, great when out for a blast though

Okay mate thanks, I'll see what comes up

 

[scottishjon]

i have a miltek non res with decat n its feckin loud , still to drive the car so hoping its not as bad when moving