ClioSport.net

Register a free account today to become a member!
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.

Mk1 F4R/172'd Track Car Project [Year 3 - Engine and Chassis Rebuild]



Anti Roll Bar, meet my friend...

August22,2009-StihlTS350ConcreteSaw.jpg


Needless to say it took 15mm off either end of the 182/Trophy ARB without any hassle at all. I then used a flap disk on a grinder to tidy up the ends. The bushes went on to the ARB fine, then fitted it to the subframe...

IMG_4880.jpg


IMG_4882.jpg


IMG_4884.jpg


IMG_4885.jpg


Sorted! Just put a quick coat of paint on the steering rack so I can fit it tomorrow, then fit the whole thing back to the car :)
 
Not sure why they were used, got them from a valver I had which had Williams widetrack on it. They fit on the 172 wishbones, not sure what they are meant to do other than add strength to be honest.

Subframe was fitted to the car before, no pictures though as it was going dark and raining. Probably getting the block and head back tomorrow if I have time, along with picking up rings and shells. Gaz Shocks called too saying my shocks are en-route back all complete :)
 
  ITB'd MK1
pretty shite with that headbolt, I had a DCI do something similar a while back which I put down to the halfords socket having a strange shape so points are not in contact all the way down.
 
Thats exactly the reason it happened I think, the bottom edge of their w*nky E-torx sockets is like chamfered and the teeth only start say 5mm into the socket. Although, ive always used the same one in the past and never had an issue so who knows. It seemed like the teeth snapped off rather than rounding, was very weird.
 
Got home today to a box from Gaz... Shocks have had new black bushes, new pistons, new adjusters, new seals and new covers...

IMG_4896.jpg


IMG_4899.jpg


Also picked up the Rings, Big End Bearings, Mains Bearings and Thrusts...

IMG_4902.jpg


Then this evening decided to go down to the car and give the engine bay another quick coat of hammerite to freshen it up now that the subframe is fitted...

IMG_4913.jpg


IMG_4915.jpg


IMG_4903.jpg


IMG_4906.jpg


IMG_4911.jpg


ARB is close to the chassis but just fits as others confirmed...

IMG_4917.jpg


Hopefully this will have an engine back in shortly...

IMG_4925.jpg


More soon!
 
OE spec as new, crank has never been touched and only on circa 38k as far as I know, looks very clean.

Going to be assembling it and checking with plastigauge as a precaution in the next few days, if all is good it will be built up. Only thing im waiting to find out about is thrust washers, ive got a pair of new OE spec ones as I dont have the ones from this block/crank, so I'm waiting to hear whether they have to be adjusted to suit the crank float or if OE is fine...
 

Cro

  Meg'd r27
Nice option on the subframe Jord. Did Gaz end up charging you any extra for the replacement parts they put in?

If you're feeling generous fancy taking pics of when you rebuild the bottom end back up? Could really help me when I come to do it to my spare block instead of having to leave it to someone else :)
 
Engine build starts tomorrow, got everything now after pulling in some favours from various people who will be mentioned as I go along. Picked the head and bottom end up earlier; head has been skimmed and dipped, bottom end has been decked and bores honed.

IMG_4929.jpg


IMG_4933.jpg


IMG_4930.jpg


Also picked up these the other day, bit of fun for this year (well, if its dry)...

IMG_4928.jpg


More updates over the weekend :)
 
Ive got a list of a few hundred more parts to add to it, just not got the time at the moment though. Its getting a fair amount of hits from this site and Google mind, so people must be finding it useful!
 
Dosent really make a difference as the numbers will super-seed to the nissan numbers for quite a while yet I would imagine
 
Update time... finished the short motor this afternoon/evening. Started with checking the ring gaps:

Fresh block/light hone...

IMG_4937.jpg


IMG_4935.jpg


New set of rings...

IMG_4940.jpg


To check the gap of the ring it needs to go into the cylinder, be squared then measured with a feeler gauge. Gave the bore a bit of WD40, and popped the ring into the top of the cylinder..

IMG_4943.jpg


Used the piston to square the ring up and push it down in the bore slightly..

IMG_4945.jpg


IMG_4946.jpg


IMG_4948.jpg


Then used the feeler gauges to measure the ring gap..

IMG_4950.jpg


IMG_4955.jpg


This was repeated for all the rings for each cylinder, noting each gap as I went along.

IMG_4956.jpg


IMG_4959.jpg


The Renault workshop manual specifies the following gaps..

Upper Ring: 0.225 ± 0.075mm
Sealing Ring: 0.5 ± 0.1mm
Scraper Ring: 0.9 ± 0.5mm

Mine came out at:

Cylinder 1 - Upper: 0.254mm, Sealing: 0.457mm, Scraper: 0.483mm/0.406mm
Cylinder 2 - Upper: 0.254mm, Sealing: 0.457mm, Scraper: 0.406mm/0.483mm
Cylinder 3 - Upper: 0.254mm, Sealing: 0.457mm, Scraper: 0.483mm/0.483mm
Cylinder 4 - Upper: 0.254mm, Sealing: 0.457mm, Scraper: 0.403mm/0.483mm

So considering they all within tolerance, I carried on. Removed the old mains shells from the block..

IMG_4960.jpg


IMG_4962.jpg


New mains bearings...

IMG_4966.jpg


Fitting them to the block...

IMG_4967.jpg


Using a straight edge to get them fully seated..

IMG_4969.jpg


New bearings in the mains caps..

IMG_4976.jpg


IMG_4974.jpg


All the new upper mains bearings fitted...

IMG_4971.jpg


Now that those were fitted, I wanted to check the clearance of the new bearings to the crank with some Plastigauge, so I could be sure it was correct to Renaults specification. Very simple stuff but works very well!

IMG_4977.jpg


IMG_4980.jpg


Gave the mains bearings a light dusting of WD40 to avoid any scuffing. The crank was then sat in the block, it does not need to move for these checks hence why it hasn't been oiled..

Laid a small piece of Plastigauge on each mains journal..

IMG_4981.jpg


IMG_4982.jpg


Then sprayed the mains caps with some silicone release agent to avoid the Plastigauge sticking...

IMG_4984.jpg


Fitted the caps and torqued them down to the correct setting...

IMG_4990.jpg


Then left it for 5 minutes. Came back and removed the caps to reveal the squashed Plastigauge...

IMG_4991.jpg


IMG_4992.jpg


Which tells us the clearance of the bearing. Using the supplied chart, it allows you to see a good enough measure...

IMG_4994.jpg


IMG_4998.jpg


IMG_4999.jpg


Comparing my results with Renaults specification, everything checks out...

mains.jpg


So I was happy to go ahead and build it up properly :)

Thanks to Rob I now had a tube of Graphogen assembly compound, something I wanted to use when building this up instead of plain old oil.

IMG_5002.jpg


Applied liberal amounts to the new mains shells..

IMG_5005.jpg


Then fitted the new thrust washers into the grooves on the 2nd journal...

IMG_5006.jpg


Sat the crank in place...

IMG_5007.jpg


..and applied more Graphogen to the caps before fitting and torquing them up to the correct specification..

IMG_5008.jpg


The flywheel end cap was sealed with..

IMG_5012.jpg


Next the Rings needed fitting, then the pistons into the block. Started with a bit of a clean up...

IMG_5016.jpg


...and some new big end shells..

IMG_5018.jpg


First up were the scraper rings. Its worth noting the gaps in the rings have to be in certain positions on the piston... I followed the Renault diagram...

IMG_5027.jpg


IMG_5029.jpg


Then the sealing ring which has a mark that goes on the top side...

IMG_5030.jpg


And finally the upper ring...

IMG_5032.jpg


Fitted the new shell to the rod...

IMG_5020.jpg


Then popped it into the block...

IMG_5022.jpg


IMG_5023.jpg


Which was then repeated for the other three pistons...

IMG_5034.jpg


After all the pistons were in the block, I turned it back over to fit the big end caps. I had already applied Graphogen to the rods before fitting the pistons into the block, so only the caps required it before bolting them up...

IMG_5035.jpg


IMG_5036.jpg


IMG_5039.jpg


Once that was done the oil pump drive cog and chain were fitted, along with the block end plate..

IMG_5040.jpg


Then the oil pump and windage tray..

IMG_5042.jpg


IMG_5045.jpg


...and finally cleaned the sump and fitted it to the block...

IMG_5047.jpg


IMG_5048.jpg


Finished by giving the whole thing another coat of paint, but thats pretty much it, one complete short motor :approve:

Will probably get on with the head tomorrow and get it bolted onto the block, ready to go back in the car. Less than two weeks until Mallory now :sleepy:
 
Last edited:
Cap 1 was injected down the sides early on Ben until it came out everywhere then left to set, I cut the tops off before putting the sump on as per the Renault manual. Ive never put any silicone on the Oil Pump before when fitting, where should it go?
 


Top