Mat's Iceberg 172

[MatGleds]

So guys, finally got my hands on a Sport! Been waiting for this for a while but couldn't bring myself to spend the money, until a lass at work offered me hers for £1000, an offer I couldn't refuse! Needs a bit of tidying up, both mechanically and aesthetically, but looking forward to getting it looking and driving tip-top

Here's how it looked when I got it home:

As you can see just from these pictures it needs a bit of tlc, and it's definitely going to get it!

 

[MatGleds]

So plans for the 172 so far:

Mechanically it needs:
New tyres;
New exhaust;
Handbrake fixing;
Speedo fixing;
Rear discs and pads.

Aesthetically it needs:
New steering wheel;
New gear knob;
New mats;
Callipers spraying;
Clear indicator caps;
Silvatec bulbs;
Tax disc holder;
Better stereo;
Parcel shelf clip;
Dash clock bulbs;
Horrible tow strap removing;
Bullets repainting;
A damn good wash!

Some of these things i'm going to take off my last Clio (indicator caps, stereo, mats, Silvatec bulbs) so they'll be sorted quickly. Otherwise i'm going to take my time restoring this beauty to all it's glory and enjoy every minute of it

 

[MatGleds]

So as soon as I could (worked all weekend so couldn't get started straight away) I made a start on my list. First thing to do was swap the bits over from my old Clio;

Reg. plate light (wasn't on the list but needed doing);

Crystal clear indicator caps and Silvatec bulbs (pics of caps to come later);

Along with the mats and stereo. Also removed a sticker advertising some garage i've never been to that was on the rear window along with the ariel.

 

[MatGleds]

Next thing to do was give it a really good wash, inside and out. The exterior felt like it hadn't been polished for years, so i'm booking it in to get machine buffered hopefully by the end of the week. In the meantime i gave it a good going over with a sponge, then cleaned the insides of the doors, boot and the underside of the bonnet as well as the engine bay with a cloth. Finally I wiped down the interior, which was filthy, hoovered and polished the glass and the dash. All in all took me about three hours but it was definitely worth it!

Interior before wash (check out the sill );

Underneath bonnet during wash (left half has been wiped down);

And finally the car after all my hard work (notice the silly tow strap has gone, and the indicator caps);

Liking the Cup wheels

Not liking the wonky twin exhaust

And that's it for now! Still needs a lot o' lovin', I think the previous owner really didn't care for it at all, but it'll be ship-shape in no time. Already ordered the rear discs and pads, as well as the parcel shelf clip (the devil is in the details) and Silvatec bulbs for the front lights. Like I said already it will also be getting machine buffered hopefully at the end of this week, as well as getting the rear discs fitted (provided they've arrived) and possibly the handbrake looked at and the tyres changed! Phew! I'll keep you posted

 

[ABOO]

Whats history like mate? Looks like a grand well spent. Iceburg has really grown on me over last couple of months...

 

[GSKingsbury]

Looks good mate, deffo going in the right direction. Looks similiar to mine tbh.

Is it lowered by any chance ?

 

[just-that-ek]

Looks good, makes me want to get rid of my tints even more!

 

[MatGleds]

Whats history like mate? Looks like a grand well spent. Iceburg has really grown on me over last couple of months...

Well as mentioned I don't think the previous owner cared for it all that well, but other than that it seems to be okay. Belts were done a year ago and it last had a full service in '09. Not much of a fan of silver cars but yeah for a grand can't complain

Looks good mate, deffo going in the right direction. Looks similiar to mine tbh.

Is it lowered by any chance ?

Cheers, still some work to do but yeah it's going the right way It is lowered yeah, it's actually got coilies on for which I was pleasantly surprised Going to raise it a bit though as it's a little too low for me, and scrapes the tyres when going over bumps

Looks good, makes me want to get rid of my tints even more!

Ha ha thanks!

 

[MatGleds]

Some photos from a drive last night:

My favourite of the night

 

[MatGleds]

By the way, anyone got any suggestions for an exhaust system? Mine is f*cked and looks a bit s**t And has anyone experienced problems with their speedo cutting out randomly? Seems to be when I speed up really quickly, it just drops to zero and stays there for a bit before coming back to life :S

 

[Howell]

Icebergs are growing on me lately, looks like you had a good deal mate!

 

[Adam D]

Looks well, will keep my eye on this thread

 

[Daz.]

New speedo sensor - pretty cheap to buy and a piece of piss to fit.

 

[MatGleds]

Cheers Daz, will look it into it

 

[Whitey172]

By the way, anyone got any suggestions for an exhaust system? Mine is f*cked and looks a bit s**t And has anyone experienced problems with their speedo cutting out randomly? Seems to be when I speed up really quickly, it just drops to zero and stays there for a bit before coming back to life :S

Had same issue, new sensor off ebay, swapped over and problem solved

 

[Greeny.]

By the way, anyone got any suggestions for an exhaust system? Mine is f*cked and looks a bit s**t And has anyone experienced problems with their speedo cutting out randomly? Seems to be when I speed up really quickly, it just drops to zero and stays there for a bit before coming back to life :S

Depends what you want, if you want fairly sutble and extremely well made then a BTB Stealth.

 

[MatGleds]

Wouldn't mind something with a bit of a growl actually ...

 

[GSKingsbury]

All depends what style tail pipe u want really mate, stealth so its hidden or you could get a Yozza or if u fancy some thing small like a rally car then a grp n Oreca or an OMP Inox but there pretty rare.

 

[plymcl172]

I would go with a stealth exhaust, it suits the 172 back end perfect.

I went for standard although k tec do a good stealth exhaust system

 

[Rhauri]

Check out the KTec recessed exhaust too. Requires a little bit of cutting, but it looks great (see below). You won't be left with a horribly cut plastic bumper either as KTec make a piece of trim that makes it look very professional or even OEM if you paint it. I do think 172's do lack the look of a sporty exhaust at the back.



Check it all out below
Exhaust: http://www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=2069&appid=2
Trim: http://www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=2923&appid=2

 

[MatGleds]

Cheers for the suggestions guys, i'll mull them over and let you know what I decide!

 

[MatGleds]

A few updates: handbrake is sorted (needed bolting back to the floor); exhaust is no longer blowing, though still needs rear and centre mounts (was cable tied into place ); speedo sensor has arrived, just needs fitting; rear discs and pads have been changed; parcel shelf clip has been sorted. Will be getting the tyres changed tomorrow, as well as sorting out a machine buffer :approve: Oil filter and pollen filter have been ordered, will be ordering spark plugs shortly and getting both front driveshaft boots changed sometime in the near future as they're both split. Whew! The list keeps on going ...

 

[MatGleds]

Hi guys, haven't posted for a while, so here's a few piccies followed by an update

So, here's a rundown of what I've done so far, and what still needs doing.

Done:
Cleaned inside and out, top to bottom;
Changed tyres and balanced wheels;
Bolted handbrake back onto interior floor and tightened;
Changed speedo sensor;
Replaced rear brake discs and pads and front pads;
Replaced rear and centre exhaust mounts;
Changed oil and filter;
Changed spark plugs and pollen filter;
Removed peeling leather trim from gear knob;
Changed mats to genuine Clio mats (though not Sport mats unfortunately);
Removed ariel;
Removed a window sticker advertising some local garage;
Changed indicator caps to crystal clear ones, along with Silvatec bulbs front, sides and rear;
Swapped stereo for a decent one with Ipod cable;
Replaced a missing parcel shelf clip;
Replaced the bulbs in the dash clock;
Removed the chavvy tow strap;
Fitted the gear stick gaitor back into the base;
Stuck a Town sticker in the back window and Sonic stickers on both rear side windows.

Phew! Quite a lot of stuff there, though a lot of it is small, quick stuff that will nevertheless hopefully add up to making my Sport look tip-top!

However, there are still a few things left on my list to do:
Get her machine buffered;
Replace both front driveshaft boots;
Possibly get the steering wheel re-trimmed (any ideas/advice appreciated);
Paint the callipers (going for Hammerite yellow);
Replace the tax disc holder;
Repaint the bullets (sticking with anthracite but needs re-doing, also will be doing the lettering silver);
Possibly replace the engine bay fuse box cover as the clips have snapped;
Possibly get an engine cover as for some reason mine doesn't have one;
Possibly at some point change the exhaust as the current on is a bit chavvy.

Then I think that might be it! Though no doubt other things will crop up

 

[MatGleds]

Hi guys, want to run something past you all to see what you think – i'm painting my callipers yellow (that's a definite) and am in the process of painting my bullets, though i'm not sure what colours to go with. Now the background is definitely going to be anthracite to match my wheels, but as for the lettering, i'm wondering whether to paint them silver to match the car and the badges, or yellow to carry on the theme from the callipers? What do you guys think?

 

[MatGleds]

Well it took me a while, but I finally got my bullets done, and I'm very happy with the result Painted them myself by the way.

So with them sorted I decided I needed to get my callipers done, which I did yesterday/today:

Only got the rear ones done so far but am liking what i'm seeing Just need another couple of days off together and I can hopefully get the front ones done.

 

[YoungyWHU]

Those bullets look class mate. Really good job. I also like the yellow. Suits the car really well. Im still toying with what colour to do mine on my iceberg.

Keep up the good work!!

 

[MatGleds]

Cheers mate!

 

[MatGleds]

Couple of updates (haven't been any for a while). First off, I sorted that chavvy twin pipe out thanks to ExhaustsUK who fitted a new tailpipe for me:

Also (after a lot of deliberation) I splashed out on some RenaultSport mats, couldn't not really ...

And just today I added a little something to continue the yellow theme. What do you think?

 

[MatGleds]

Looking out for an exhaust surround to tidy up the rear bumper and a CUP spoiler, and i'll be happy (for now)!

 

[LiamR172]

The yellow stickers are too much.

 

[MatGleds]

Thanks for the criticism, I'm rather pleased with them.