Newbie and my 172 Cup

[cattlerustler]

As a bit of an impulse I have bought a 53 plate 172 Cup, however I am not in touch with all things Clio, so I have some questions and issues with the car if peope might be able to help?
I have a Lotus Exige track\road car at the moment, and after 2 days at Spa with a friend we decided to buy a Clio cup. With a very small budget we found a scruffy car (ideal) to strip out everything bar dash, door trims and seats, then add a roll cage.
We paid £1250 for the car with 107,000 miles on it, however it seems to have some issues.
When cold it goes into limp mode and the MIL light is on showing a TPS P0120 code (we are going to replace the throttlebody)?
the 2 long blue dash trim are missing, anybody know where to get them?
The glove box lid is broken? where to get one?
What phase is it? I think it is a phase 2?
Who is good locally to me (Southend on Sea) to do the cam belt? It seems important and I have no history of when it was changed, but it must have been by now?

The steering wheel is a bit knackered (seems normal) how easy is it to change to a Sparco or similar and make sure the airbag light stays off?
Can you also change the seats for buckets and keep the airbag light off?
We need a cheap roll cage, is there a good (cheap) supplier?
Finally I was thinking of strut braces and better roll bars to start with, any good choices of either?

Thanks in advance.

Adrian

 

[Sarah]

if its a cup ph2

1250 is cheap for a cup

Have a search the the problems

If you pay your £10 you can have full access to our for sale section you should get the parts you need there

Steering wheels is a known problem, happens to most of them

You can change the buckets and turn air bag light off iirc

not too sure about roll cage , but i think ktech do one

strut braces some people thing there an improvement some people dont, depends on there opinion. i had a sparco one on mine i think when i had it

Welcome to CS

 

[cattlerustler]

Thanks for the welcome, going to be fun turning this into a track car

Hope to get all the answers I need, shame about having to spend £10 to get to the for sale section

 

[Kneel]

Hi mate, welcome to CS. The problem with it going into limp mode might be worth asking or searching through this section. In terms of the other bits and pieces then it would probably be worth paying the tenner, it'll get you access to the marketplace where you'll find the bits you need and the membership will also get you access to the guides that show you how to safely change the steering wheel and seats etc.

 

[Soot1e]

It's worth it. I saved £10 in the first month by buying parts at German Swedish French at West Thurrock. Have a look at the benefits of membership. Trusted Reno specialists are Mark Fish at Harlow, Ren O Tec at Chelmsford. There are otherFrench car specialists around south essex but non that have been verified on this forum that I've seen.
Have alook on the suspension and Engine forum, plenty of ideas and answers there.

 

[Porkie]

Get Mark Fish in Harlow to look over the car and tell you what it needs doing. He will also do the belts for you.

This posts a bit weird actually.... as I wanted a new wheel, buckets and a cage as soon as I bought mine!!

must be the Essex in us!!!!

Mark fish did it all for me. Wheel, Cage and the seats and Harnesses!!! TOTALLY transformed the feel of the car. Its a bit of work to get the seats LOW enough in a Clio. As they are sooo high as standard. Marks knows all the tricks etc...

Marks a LEGEND with these Clios. SOOOOO pleased with all he has done to mine. Tell him Lee sent you

You are Welcome to come and view my car first and see how it feels on road with cage, wheel and seats etc and all the suspension work mark has carried out? I am in Billericay

or if you wanna see how they go on track. I am at Ring this weekend, Bedford monday and Snetterton Tuesday if you fancy popping down. let me know.

Hope that helps.

Mark Fish is THE MAN with Clios. THE END. his number is 01279 431628

heres some BAD pics of my interior now. come and see it... much better in real life.

Hope that helps.

 

[cattlerustler]

Thanks all, I have paid my £10 to become a member, been hunting through loads of posts and advice on the issues with the throttle body and I'm going to change it as a first try to fix it.
I am going to do most of the work myself but will use somebody to do the belts so as not to worry about them.

Porkie, the pictures look good, but I suspect me and Steve are going to be going with less interior than you, who needs carpets

Might ring to discuss cost for the cambelt job.

 

[Soot1e]

Get Mark Fish in Harlow to look over the car and tell you what it needs doing. He will also do the belts for you.

This posts a bit weird actually.... as I wanted a new wheel, buckets and a cage as soon as I bought mine!!

must be the Essex in us!!!!

Mark fish did it all for me. Wheel, Cage and the seats and Harnesses!!! TOTALLY transformed the feel of the car. Its a bit of work to get the seats LOW enough in a Clio. As they are sooo high as standard. Marks knows all the tricks etc...

Marks a LEGEND with these Clios. SOOOOO pleased with all he has done to mine. Tell him Lee sent you

You are Welcome to come and view my car first and see how it feels on road with cage, wheel and seats etc and all the suspension work mark has carried out? I am in Billericay

or if you wanna see how they go on track. I am at Ring this weekend, Bedford monday and Snetterton Tuesday if you fancy popping down. let me know.

Hope that helps.

Mark Fish is THE MAN with Clios. THE END. his number is 01279 431628

heres some BAD pics of my interior now. come and see it... much better in real life.

Hope that helps.

Very nice, you could say its a gentlemans version of a track car. Your a busy guy on the tracks, time for anything else?

 

[Porkie]

Carpets! me.... done the stripped out track car thing to death.

Just makes them horrible to drive on road. For the amount you save... rather just keep it a little refined to make journeys to and from track that much easier!

I even have carpets in my Westfield! lol!


well worth getting the belts done. Enjoy building the car. get it checked over by Mark Fish and go from there.

My names Lee. Pm if you need my number or wanna have a go of my car etc.

 

[Porkie]

Very nice, you could say its a gentlemans version of a track car. Your a busy guy on the tracks, time for anything else?

Any major sporting event worldwide... you can pretty much guarantee I am there

I do occasionally squeze some work in as well... as all the trackdays and events take some paying for!

 

[sumner2k3]

hows that a cup if its got climate control?

 

[ilovewilly]

hows that a cup if its got climate control?

Is an option on later cars IIRC

 

[Muzzman]

Hi Adrian

Yours sounds a surprisingly similar story to mine, must be an Essex thing, i've got a well set up Elise with quite a few hp. I was at Brands last Tuesday sliding around all over the place in the wet and noticed that the cars having most fun were fwd hatches being wrung to an inch of their lives. So spur of the moment i went out and bought a 172 cup and collected it on Friday, not quite as cheap as yours, £2300, 72000 miles.

Anyway as Porkie recommended, i've booked mine into Mark Fish on Saturday week for an hours while you wait once over to ascertain whats fooked and whats not and then go through recommendations for turning her into something a bit more tasty, reckon i'll leave engine std and work on suspension (KW Coilovers maybe) brakes, etc. Mark was also talking about the roll cages they make, don't know costings though, i'd bell him and have a chat, seems really nice fella who's genuinely interested.

By the way my steering wheel is horribly manky and needs replacing too.

I'm in Billericay as well.

 

[Muzzman]

Carpets! me.... done the stripped out track car thing to death.

Just makes them horrible to drive on road. For the amount you save... rather just keep it a little refined to make journeys to and from track that much easier!

I even have carpets in my Westfield! lol!


well worth getting the belts done. Enjoy building the car. get it checked over by Mark Fish and go from there.

My names Lee. Pm if you need my number or wanna have a go of my car etc.

Porkie, any reason for keeping the back seats in place, not that you shouldn't i've just noticed that most people remove them when adding the full cage

 

[Porkie]

Porkie, any reason for keeping the back seats in place, not that you shouldn't i've just noticed that most people remove them when adding the full cage

they don't weigh alot. They keep it quieter.... but the biggest reason is that they are perfect for keeping 4 wheels and slicks (or wets) securely in the back when on the way to a track day.