Paul's Nimbus 197

[Paul.M]

Hi all!

Well the full circle has got me again, this is Clio number 5 but my first mk3.

Recently sold my Integra and had an E91 325d which proved to be a bit of a pain so I moved that on too. Wasn't really sure what to buy so started browsing the various groups and ended up seeing this.

My fiance has a Grande Punto Abarth (ish) and said that she wanted to try a little bit of track time here and there, I've wanted to do a Meglio build for ages so man maths told me that this would be perfect for both.

Sent a deposit over the next morning and headed Oxford way to pick it up one evening after work.

It's really tidy for its age, really happy with the condition of it for a random purchase.
It's on 93k.
Has the 'renaulstport' front splitter, side skirts and spoiler.
Clio 200 rear diffuser.
Lowering springs that I haven't managed to name yet, it has a receipt for grams springs but I was under the impression that they weren't black.
Toyo manifold.
Generic open cone filter.

Firstly the outgoing E91 and Integra:

And onto the Clio:

The night of pick up:

 

[Paul.M]

Started doing a couple of little bits:

Powerflex torque mount insert.
Powerflex lower engine/dogbone mount.
New plugs (old ones didn't look too healthy!).
Thermostat.
Standard airbox.
Whipped the bumper off to sort the driver's headlight that was pointing towards the ground. The two clips attaching the inner section to the shell had popped off so was an easy fix.
New tidy plates.

 

[Chocice]

The stance on that looks really good.

 

[PP200t]

Nice few bits in that! Will look nice when clean. Lol
Interested in come pics of the abarth! Miss mine in a way.

 

[Paul.M]

It then got its first clean in my ownership, it will get fully detailed in summer but for now standard washes will keep it looking tidy.

Really happy how it looks, I have some 20mm spacers to go on but I really like the look of Rota SS10 (shock horror!) wheels on these so may just go down that route as I'm not overly keen on spacers.

Immediate plans are a front end refresh, have new front shocks, drop links, anti rotation links, top and bottom swivel hub joints and all new bolts etc to go on. A friend of mine who is a Renault tech is going to sort it all for me once it's all here and ready to go. It does current have a pretty loud squeek on lock to lock turning which is a little embarrassing 😅.

One I'm happy with the maintenance side of things the fun can start with buckets and an SW half cage all being well.

Then really long term plans will be a meg engine, got to get our wedding in May out of the way first so maybe next winter I'll start to look into that.

Thanks!

Paul

 

[Paul.M]

Nice few bits in that! Will look nice when clean. Lol
Interested in come pics of the abarth! Miss mine in a way.

It currently looks like this, it's a very hated car in the Abarth world hence the (ish) which is a bit of a running joke.

There's a small thread here:

Thread 'Thought I would try a bit of Italian' https://www.cliosport.net/threads/thought-i-would-try-a-bit-of-italian.813675/

 

[PP200t]

Ah I remember the thread now! Car looks awesome! I had a red AGP and did enjoy it, but stupidly got rid.

 

[Paul.M]

Ah I remember the thread now! Car looks awesome! I had a red AGP and did enjoy it, but stupidly got rid.

I think my fiance will be taking this one to the grave, we have tried to put it up for sale twice and she got cold feet both times 😅.

She's had it 4 years and other than the usual rear bearing and calipers replacements they all seem to suffer with it's been pretty faultless.

 

[Paul.M]

Time for an update...

Firstly the car had an awkwardly loud creak turning lock to lock which I assumed was the swivel joints. I ordered a bunch of replacements bits as made sense to do the lot whilst it was apart.

The car got the following:
Upper and lower swivel joints.
New none cup shocks (knew I had some rough trips coming up so made more sense for my use).
Drop links.
Anti-rotation links.
New replacement nuts and bolts.
I do also have the wishbone ball joints but the garage I used didn't have the tool for doing it so I'll be taking it somewhere else local that does for those to be done at some point, I spoke with a small local garage round the corner from me who I have used for a couple of bits on other cars and they said they would give it a go, to be fair to them they seem to have smashed it.
I also had a fresh alignment done after this work was completed.

The car also had a replacement windscreen due to an existing chip that had started to grow.

We then got married and had a road trip round Scotland as a stay at home honeymoon for now.

1400 miles, 2 people, 1 dog, 8 days of supplies for the 3 of us, the car didn't miss a beat, it was fantastic, my wife really enjoyed driving it too.

A couple of random pictures from the trip:

 

[Paul.M]

Couple more pictures to finish off:

If anyone is thinking about doing a Scottish road trip just get it booked and do it, this is our second one and the place is incredible.

The last few jobs have obviously paid off as the car sailed through its MOT, first car to do that for a while!

In other news we have sold the Punto! Currently on the look out for a replacement but not too sure what we are going to end up with at the minute, for now the dependable clio is our only car.

Thanks

Paul.

 

[Paul.M]

Couple of updates coming:

The car had an oil and filter change and I replaced the split weather trims on the rear windows.

It then got some new front pads and a fluid flush, as this is used mostly for road I opted for simple Mintex M1144's and ATE type 200. I then went out and did the bedding in procedure.

I also ran this set up in my last 182 and they squealed like mad during low speed stopping however they haven't squealed once in now approaching 2500 miles so either the brembos make a big difference or I did a terrible job at bedding them in last time.

It seems to provide what I wanted feel wise despite it being a low end set up so I'm happy for the price.

 

[Paul.M]

The wife had got me a voucher for 3 sisters for Christmas on the understanding that we use it as a day where she can be an additional driver to try and get an introduction to track driving (funny how that works!)

We booked for a day at the start of August and the weather was perfect.

Car didn't miss a beat and my wife appears to have got the bug, it's only a small go kart track so not massive speeds involved so quite well suited to the clios.

It used to be a tyre killer of a track but it seemed to be a bit better since being resurfaced a while ago.

Cheesy picture 1:

Cheesy picture 2:

 

[Paul.M]

After the day spent at 3 sisters I was itching to get back into things a bit more 'properly'. Cue a text to my now retired dad, we booked a trip to the ring for 2 weeks later.

Have the car a good pre trip clean:

In total the trip was 1400 miles, the car was perfect, didn't show any sign of any issues, in fact the only casualty was as a result of my own lazyness.

My driver's side arch liner was a bit loose, should have sorted it before I left but I didn't...it only took 1 lap to burn through it so that was 'solved' with cable ties.

A couple of pictures from the trip:

Disclaimer: The oil stains were already there 😅.

 

[Paul.M]

A couple of Racetracker images:

I have since also cleaned the seatbelts which were horrendous:

The ring was full of Meganes everywhere, I've fancied trying one for a while and Jen was still on the lookout for another car.

Ideally 5 door and more sensible....so I've bought a Mégane that I'm picking up tomorrow and I've given Jen the Clio....problem solved in true CS fashion.

 

[Chocice]

that's a massive update, how much was the suspension refresh I'm thinking of changing from my rock hard coilers?

 

[imprezaworks]

Looks superb, great updates. Which megane.

 

[Gally]

Great spec. Nimbus is a godly colour in the flesh. @seb

Why did you change the Integra?

 

[Paul.M]

that's a massive update, how much was the suspension refresh I'm thinking of changing from my rock hard coilers?

For the front shocks themselves they are sub £60 each whether you go for cup or non-cup ones.

There is a bit more of a difference on the rears, £50 for non-cup vs £75 for cup ones.

I ordered from Renault parts direct as usual, the front shocks were out of stock at the time so probably just worth checking if putting an order in.

I already had eibach springs on there so just reused them but they probably aren't too bad price wise either. Labour was covered by having the swivel hub joints done at the same time.

Looks superb, great updates. Which megane.

I've gone for a white 250 cup, was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase but looking forward to it!

Great spec. Nimbus is a godly colour in the flesh. @seb

Why did you change the Integra?

Nimbus is a lovely colour when clean yes! Really mixes well with the 200 diffuser too.

In terms of the Integra, it's a car that I've wanted for as long as I can remember so I think I had over hyped it way too much in my head and it was always going to struggle to meet my expectations because of that. I wouldn't say I was disappointed as I loved it but I just don't feel that they are worth the value they are currently holding (controversial opinion). I've had just as much fun in the 197 for a third of the price.

 

[imprezaworks]

Very nice indeed. Where did you get the megane from?

 

[Paul.M]

Very nice indeed. Where did you get the megane from?

I got it from a chap on the meganesport Facebook page, met up with him last night to pick it up, it's a mega car!

The guy was also awesome to deal with, there's a massive difference in dealing with people through the owners group...most of the time 😅.

 

[MattRS182]

I owned this 197 a few years ago

Great car