Kit's Ph1 172

[KitsonRis]

Ahh might change the cable to start with. Step dad says he changed it when he owned the car before me, but can't remember. Can't be that expensive or hard so I may as well do it. So you bought a "new" TB and that solved it, after the gasket issue?
I put new gaskets on when I swapped inlets so I don't think it's that

 

[Jekyll]

No, I bought a new gasket for the old TB! My symptoms may not be the same as yours as I had a slight air leak which after some investigation turned out to be the gasket. New throttle bodies are about £350!

New cables are around £30 from Renault, less for a pattern part.

 

[KitsonRis]

Front suspension on. Looks proper smart.
Rear suspension not on.....chuffin' rear anti roll bar. Can't undo one bolt to remove the rear beam. Who thought of the design as they don't have a torx/hex head inside the car so you can't grip it. Looking like it will have to be cut and then left until next week and I can sort a bolt to replace it.
If it wasn't for that set back then it would be done!!!

 

[KitsonRis]

New suspension, rear anti roll bar and solid top mounts are on!!!!
However......can't use the car as had to cut one of the bolts that holds the rear beam on. The worst design ever for a bolt. So it currently has two in so when I find one tomorrow/this week it will just slot in and be fine!!!! Just annoyed as it was a bolt that has stopped progress.
Car needs to be driven, adjust the ride height and then wheels aligned. Hen it's good to go!!! Pleased with the progress of it this winter. Few other jobs to tinker with the coming months.
Will post pictures tomorrow, and of the offending bolt.

 

[KitsonRis]

Some picture updates from the weekend, because it doesn't count unless pictures are taken 😂
Car sat on axel stands within an hour of being back on the road, this time on another driveway!

Front shocks came out with ease. Glad I changed the top mounts as this is what the one looked like:

Rears were even easier to remove. I think I would be happy doing it all on my own now, have that bit of confidence to do it.
Then set about putting the new stuff on. Glad the shocks came with lower mounting bolts as the ones I had ont here were passed their best.....aka they were an innocent victim in an anger rage trying to get the hub to fit when I changed the bearing over the summ, whoops :grimacing:ersevere:

Top mounts look the business!!! I hope they make a difference.

The fronts were on within an hour, including measuring and drilling for the top mounts. The rears on the other hand were a bit longer due to a bolt holding the rear beam on. Wanted to put the RARB on so it is all done in one job, wish I didn't bother now! I don't know who approved the design of those bolts, but they seriously need a lesson! Captive bolts.....fine....but into a square hole that is in a thin sheet of metal, like wuuuuut :triumph::rage: so it turned and rounded the hole off so that was it fubar'd. As the bolt doesn't have a hex or torx head you can't undo it! After an hour of hitting it, struggling to grip it with a spanner on the top (m anged to get a spanner to the square part) me and my brother gave up and hacked it off with the grinder

In total this set us back about two hours (with a small lunch break!!). But managed to finish it minus this bolt. Need to source something that will fit before I drive it as I don't really fancy driving it far without the rear beam properly secured! But it sould be a two minuite job to put the bolt back in and do up. I should have butchered the daily Clio for the bolt......
So more bling....rear anti roll bar fitted. It's the 22mm PMS one. I think it looks tidy and a lot better than the Whiteline one.

rear dampers and springs were replaced

JOB DONE!!!! If it wasn't for theat bolt it would have been driven and then the ride heigt set, but it got dark. Couldn't get any pictures of the car how it stands now. But a simple test there is about between 2-3 finger's gap between the wheel and arch. But need to drive it to let things settle before I sort that out.
My brother was very complimetary about the kit that went on, he does know wahat he is on about too. So that makes me happy!!! Hope this will make a difference to the handling and feel of the car, which was the plan for the winter.

While under the car my brother was about to say "looks like you may have some rust on the sills" but I stopped him before he could jinx it!! From the inside the sills don't feel soft, I used some Kurust on them over the summer and painted it to try to help it to some extent but I know the inevitable will happen one day. However, luckily the girlfriend's dad is a fabricator so I know he can weld. And I saw him rebuild his sills on his Discovery so I know he can do sill! When I say rebuild sills, the B pillar wasn't attached to the car and there was nothing under the bottoms of the door!

As always the next few jobs are:
* Sort the throttle out - replace the cable to start with
* Attach the hazard light switch
* Get windscreen replaced as it is cracked and put a sun strip on it. Get a window tint on the inside so it doesn't catch on the wipers
* Wrap the roof black as the paint work is crap....burnt water marks into the lacquer :tired:
* Fit fire extinguisher and battery isolation switch
* Poly windows
* maaaayyybbeeee get all the bushes replaced
* use and abuse it on the track!!!!!
* save up for a new engine with added noise and power....cams and ITBs :tongueout:

 

[JonC219]

Good update bud

Don't you dare touch that daily though haha I'll be after you !

 

[KitsonRis]

Don't you dare touch that daily though haha I'll be after you ! :wink:

Haha luckily the car wasn't with me so it was safe :tonguewink: I actually had to spend money on it the other week which annoyed me; a bulb blew which involved removing the bumper to swap it :neutral:

 

[JonC219]

Haha luckily the car wasn't with me so it was safe :tonguewink: I actually had to spend money on it the other week which annoyed me; a bulb blew which involved removing the bumper to swap it :neutral:

No refunds [emoji23]

 

[KitsonRis]

Bolts turned up today to fix the rear beam back on...thread isn't long enough ffs. Brother is taking them to work tomorrow to lengthen the threads.
Throttle cable ordered so will fit that Friday. Hopefully this will solve the throttle issue.

 

[KitsonRis]

My brother is a hero, get a picture from him with the bolts in a lathe as he is extending the thread. Then I get another text from him last night saying they are in and it's all done. I am not lazy, I just can't use a lathe and the car is on his drive way!
Few bit of touch up with the paint inside as it got a bit scratched last weekend.
Now to fit the throttle cable today, and the way other jobs on this car have gone, what other bad luck will that bring me :neutral:

 

[haimsey]

What method did you use to position the holes without the strut brace, I plan on fitting a set but not using the brace

 

[barnesautos]

What method did you use to position the holes without the strut brace, I plan on fitting a set but not using the brace

What method did you use to position the holes without the strut brace, I plan on fitting a set but not using the brace

That is a very good question : purely because if you get the holes not even near the correct position , you ain't getting the strut brace on at a later date. Wouldn't want more than the recommended 3 holes I can tell ya.

With regards to initial position - I'd drop the mount in upside down into the hole in the turret and then mark it for drilling . Just make sure the the forward facing bolt is facing the front [emoji12]

 

[KitsonRis]

What method did you use to position the holes without the strut brace, I plan on fitting a set but not using the brace

Put the bolts in the wrong way so they poke up, put the top mounts in the wrong way and use a piece of string going across the back two bolts on the one side to the other side. This will make sure they are level and in a line so the bolt at the front is in the right place. This with a bit of an engineer's eye made sure they were right.
I didn't fit the strut brace because of money, didn't need it at the point so will do it later when I don't have other things to buy in a month.
When drilling, make sure you have a centre punch and pilot it as the drill will wonder. Didn't have a centre punch to hand, but my brother had a set of letter stamps we used instead!!

 

[dann2707]

Car looks great and that update was good dude. I'd be sourcing some covers for the top mounts though as mine have got quite a build up of crap on them. Not sure how you'd do it though. Someone must have some kind of design.

ARB looks like a decent bit of kit too! Wonder if it's much different in performance to the whiteline one.

 

[KitsonRis]

Car looks great and that update was good dude. I'd be sourcing some covers for the top mounts though as mine have got quite a build up of crap on them. Not sure how you'd do it though. Someone must have some kind of design.

ARB looks like a decent bit of kit too! Wonder if it's much different in performance to the whiteline one.

Thanks! Hope it is worth the effort and money when I come to abuse it on track, need to book Llandow for March and CSF. Yeah, I probably should try and find something to cover them, but they look so nice!!!!!
My ARB is 22mm so should be stiffer than a Whiteline, aren't they 19mm? I've not driven with a a Whiteline so I ant compare.

Throttle cable replaced! Pedal feels loads better. Didnt turn the car on as I had to fit an exhaust to my step dads car before mother came back....however led under the car and all I can see is mum's shadow looming over me, she wasn't best pleased :confounded:

 

[KitsonRis]

Given the car a bit of a drive, feels a lot better and the steering is immediate. Very happy with it.
However....exhaust could be blowing :weary: this could be an excuse to get a whole new system though with added noise!!!!

 

[Jekyll]

Suspension all OK?

 

[KitsonRis]

Suspension all OK?

Yes! It seems to do the job. I still need to drive it a bit more and set the ride height. Although I don't want to go too much lower as I think you had the height spot on, plus I won't be able to get on the drive!!! How was your damping set up? I read you had 10clicks from softest, not sure if that is too soft, but I need to just use it to find that out.

 

[Jekyll]

I changed regularly. Sometimes I had it on full soft, then 10, 7, 25, 30, etc. Just whatever I fancied on the day. The good thing is you can adjust them easily due to the access. All are at the top so just pull over and twist! I found that a really nice touch for the fronts and the rears, whereas a lot of kits have the fronts on top but the rears at the bottom of the shock.

As for the height, I thought it was spot on too. Low enough to look good and handle well but not to low to be impractical.

 

[KitsonRis]

Ahh ok, I will give it more of a drive and drive it how it will be used and then take it from there.

 

[@Josh]

@KitsonRis where did you get the topmounts from please mate?

 

[KitsonRis]

@KitsonRis where did you get the topmounts from please mate?

Direct from Pure Motorsport, £140 including the delivery charge. Bought from their website

 

[JonC219]

The suspension should settle quite a bit

So once you've put a few hundred miles on them they'll probably need adjusting again [emoji106]

 

[KitsonRis]

The suspension should settle quite a bit

So once you've put a few hundred miles on them they'll probably need adjusting again [emoji106]

I'm taking it up to see the girlfriend in North Wales next week, so the 4 hour drive there and another 4 hours back should give it time to settle, then I'll fanny around with the ride height. I can see myself getting proper OCD setting it up, and it taking all day to get it just right haha.
Oh and you have sold me a duff car....had to spend more money on it this weekend on windscreen wipers as the rubbers fell apart. Shock horror :fearscream:😂 haha joking, it's going well.

 

[KitsonRis]

Should really learn how to upload pictyres direct from my phone instead of having to wait to come home to use the computer!
The throttle cable change was a sucess! Did lose skin from my kunckels as I was removing the arch lining and slipped. But I think this may have been to do with the problem, the spring thing wasn't seated properly and didn't want to go back together. Also the cable that was on only had a rubber casing about half of the length, so the metal insert was all rust. Not good. Genuine Renault part went on, so that was good. And tip DO NOT DROP THE SPLIT PIN THAT SETS THE PEDAL TRAVEL. My step dad did and it took ages to find it in the engine bay.

Also found a really rusty water pipe when looking for that pin, I may need to get that sorted out before something bad happens. Its the one under the clutch cable.

Now some bling pictures because why not!!!

From this picture the rear could be dropped a bit more.

Then I had to give the daily some love with new wipers, no expense spared - The Range's finest quality!!!!!

 

[adir]

hey mate..
what kind of spring rate did you take with these bc ?
i have on mine the stiffer ones ( 5 kg front ) was wonder how it compare to the soft ones, 4 kg .
as mine is a bit stiff for me at day to day drive, and also feels like the front is struggle to have grip no matter what tire i have..
btw, love how the car looks

 

[KitsonRis]

I have no idea what spring rating they are sorry!! @Dr Jekyll may know as they were his before me.
What other suspension upgrades have you done, as I put solid top mounts on too and a rear anti roll bar and it feels stiff, but that is what I wanted for track use. Driving down small lanes is now a bit of a chore as I am looking out for pot holes and such to avoid!
Thanks!! The car is getting there slowly, mechanically it is sound just the exterior lets it down when you inspect it close up. But I want a drivers car, not a show car!

 

[adir]

Currently, black powerflex all over the car.
pms solid top mount
rear white line rear arb.
tires - hankook rs3
about bc setup.. i find out that 6 clicks rear and 13 clicks front (from hard )
work the best for me.

 

[Robclio98]

Excellent project @KitsonRis and those headlights look ace!!

 

[Jekyll]

I don't know either. They was the standard set that came with the coilovers from new. Sorry guys.

 

[KitsonRis]

about bc setup.. i find out that 6 clicks rear and 13 clicks front (from hard )
work the best for me.

I am yet to set mine up, I am not certain on the ride height that I have let alone damping! Will take it out on track and then decide.

Excellent project @KitsonRis and those headlights look ace!!

Headlights were very simple - heat them up with a heat gun and prise the plastic lens off. Then wipe the chrome off with a damp cloth (think I had white spirits/IPA on the cloth too) and then put back together and heat up to help the rubber warm to get a good seal.

 

[KitsonRis]

May have just gone through two front tyres......balls. Need to decide what to get as I fancy a change from the T1R's, any suggestions??? . Probably should get 4 of whatever I have and go matching on the back as they are some semi budget things. An expense I didn't want to have this month! Oh and actually get my wheels aligned, driven to North Wales and back so the suspension should have settled now, didn't fancy getting the wheels aligned and then the suspension change and settle and needed it again

 

[Jekyll]

ADO8r's. Perfect for track use and road use.

 

[JonC219]

AD08r's are very good. Have run them all winter in fact

If on a budget the NS2r's are nearly as good in the dry but not very good in the cold and wet. Not undriveable but definitely need more care

 

[KitsonRis]

Quick look on blackcircles.com and the AD08r's are £75 each fitted. I could go for two this month and the rear two next month. Is that a good price? I just need to see if the garage I was going to get my wheel alignment done is a black circles fitter or they will fit tyres not bought from there, or they will supply the AD08r's.
Although the NS2r pattern is a lot nicer! Haha the car needs to be function over form! Lol

 

[KitsonRis]

Gave the car it's first clean since Semptember! This was the state of it after driving it to North Wales and back

Looks a lot better now after a wash and less of a sorry state.
Did get up to 48mpg on the drive up, but did do the M6/M56 junction in an excitable manner so it dropped to 47mpg when I stopped

So it is also going to cost me a bit of money this week!! Need two front tyres, 4 wheel alignment, crank sensor and the exhaust is blowing!! May go for a custom + fitted exhaust as I really can't decide what to have off the shelf, and I can also see it being a pig to fit after looking at the condition of the bolts that hold it together, years of heat may have not done it any good!! Like the noise of the PMS and Oreca Group N, but needs to be under 100dB.

 

[KitsonRis]

I have a strong feeling I am going to fall out with the car today.....the EML has now come on. Need to get the code reader out when I get home and see how much this is going to cost me. Then I need to try and sort the exhaust out as a temporary fix.

But getting tyres fitted atm, been told have 3deg of toe in!! No wonder my tyres were fubar!!

 

[KitsonRis]

Apparently it is a "Random Cylinder Missfire". Great! All spark plugs look ok, cool pack looks fine and so do the HT leads. Need to check the injectors next. Could this be a crank sensor issue?

 

[imprezaworks]

How much was the pms rear bar?

 

[KitsonRis]

How much was the pms rear bar?

I bought it second hand unused. I paid £160 for it. I think they are £190 new. Is it for your RB? As I don't suggest getting the 22mm one like I have! It's quite stiff! The 19mm is probably a lot better for normal road use.

After a bit of looking I the engine bay....crank sensor look fine. I may replace it anyway. All injector connections seem fine. Tempted to replace the coil pack and HT leads, I think they are the originals when the car was new. Car is fine and doesn't feel like a 3 cylinder, hope it was a random thing!