RM04 MOR - Arctic Blue 182

[HaveaCuppa]

Evening all,

I've been eyeing up Clio 182's for bloody ages as i wanted something for the weekend and the occasional Friday blast to work. This one came up close by in Glasgow on Gumtree last month and after a few messages i chucked down a holding deposit until i was free to collect it.

Fast forward to the end of Feb and its time to pick her up. The seller (Scott) mentioned that its been in the hands of one or two ClioSport members and so say hi if you recognise the old girl.

Anyway, after an hour or so, i was bombing back to the Borders with a rather loud Clio, grinning away.

The basic spec is as follows:
FSH
108K Miles on the clock
Belts/Dephaser etc done at 92k in 2018
Recaro Trendlines on lowered seat rails - These are absolutely mint
K&N Induction Kit
BMS Short Shifter & Extender Kit
Milltek resonated cat back exhaust
Decatted
Speedline Turini's
A few carbon bits in the cabin etc

Prior to picking it up, Scott changed the rear shocks as he noticed a bit of misting on them. Nothing major but he's a perfection.
One injector was dodgy so 4 new ones went in as well as a new fuel rail.
He also did a front brake refresh and changed the following:
- Discs
- Pads
- Calipers
- Hub nuts, washers/bolts etc
All the above was purchased from George at RTR Part who seems to be well revered around these parts.
I did have plans for a 197 Brembo kit up front, but after the refresh, the brakes are keen enough and the pads & fluid can always be uprated if needed.

So, plans going forward?
Well just a few general things:
- Refurb the Turini center caps as they were covered in gorilla glue...
- Ditch the decat in favour for a sports cat so i can pass MOT's without hassle. I've been reading that the standard cat is a tight fit with the BMS shifter, anyone got both fitted?
- Steering wheel refurb as its past its best
- New set of front lights as mine seems to suffer from condensation
- Therese a small amount of bubbling under the fuel filler cap and a tiny bubble on the drivers rear arch. I'll get this sorted this summer and then get everything waxoyl'd.
If anyone has any recommendations for decent body shops in Scotland or NE England then shoot me a PM.

Here are a few quick pics on the run home from work today. I'll get some more once its not caked in sh*t this weekend

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Evening Chaps,

Quick update.
Managed to knock off work early today, so I thought i'd give the Clio a wash and a bit of TLC. Spent the best part of an hour or so getting her looking decent. This included hosing down behind the arches which were coated in a thick layer of sh*t.

Opened the boot to hoover and the boot carpet was soaked through. Bugger!
So after a quick read on here, i check the front and rear foot wells to find them both ever so slightly damp to the touch. Out came the tools and half an hour later, the rear is stripped and drying inside.

The torx bolt holding the rear bench in was an absolute git to get at.

All stripped. Rear seat bench was very slightly wet with slight pooling of water below the bench.

I'll check the drainage holes in the scuttle panel this weekend and hopefully the weather holds enough so i can get the wheels off to check the drainage holes in the sills.
I had some Tigerseal knocking about the garage, so the rear boot stops got a fair coating of the stuff as they were both loose and able to be turned. I know this is a common problem area, so hopefully this stops the bulk of it

Took it out for a hoon with the rear stripped and its a right laugh. Not sure i'd want to keep it stripped forever, but i'll be taking it to work a lot more while the rear seats and carpet are drying hahah

Have a few more pics from this evening anyway...

Oh and i definitely think the Turini's need a change of colour. They are far too dark. Anthracite or Silver i reckon...

 

[RustyMojo]

Nice looking whip! Love the seats, agreed slightly lighter colour on the wheels would suit it well.

 

[Cookson]

I do love a clean arctic blue. So close to mondial

 

[Krarl]

Nice, ain't this Rachels old one?

 

[rachel morrison]

Nice, ain't this Rachels old one?

yeah it is, I'd like my plate back which I was meant to get before it was sold! 🤦‍♀️

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Cheers for the nice comments chaps. The seats really do make all the difference.

Rachel, if you want the plate back then give me a PM. I’ve got a private plate going on this soon. I’m not sure on the process of giving a plate back but if it’s possible, I’m happy to do it
I’ll be getting the paperwork for my new plate posted at some point next week.

cheers,
Sam

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Right folks, a bit of a long overdue update. I'll split it into a few parts.

I really must keep up with this or i'll forget what I've done.

Anyway, after stripping the rear and tiger sealing the rear boot stoppers/bungs, i seem to have sorted the bulk of the wet interior. The rear dried out and has stayed dry. The front however, was still getting slightly damp in the drivers foot well next to the foot rest. A morning spent cleaning the drainage holes proved worthwhile as the center drainage pipe was full of sh*te.

The washer fluid reservoir was leaking like a sieve as one of the connectors wasn't fully pushed in. A bit of brute force and its in with no more leaks. Fingers crossed this sorts the damp issue in the front. If not, i'll be tearing apart the center console to seal up the heater matrix box....

All back together. Shout out to my dog for stealing the mat i was laying on and running off with half the tools

 

[HaveaCuppa]

With the rear still being stripped at this point, I though it would be worth a check inside the rear quarters to check the inner sills.

Drivers side pulled apart. I was admittedly sh*tting myself at this point as I was expecting swiss cheese as the scottish winters destroy cars stupidly quick.

There was a bit of grime there. A quick wipe down and it doesn't look too bad. Pretty solid in fact. The drainage holes were blocked though, so a quick poke with a screwdriver and we are sorted.

Once the warmer weather hits us, i'll be cracking out a few products from Bilt Hamber and getting this sealed up for piece of mind.

Looking down towards the front of the car, its solid.

Rear panel back on and it's time to check the passenger side.

Again, panel removed, torch on and take a deep breath...

Same scenario as the drivers side. Drainage holes blocked, full of leaves and crap. A quick two minute clean and shes looking solid.

I'm pretty happy with the these. Like i said, come the warmer weather, i'll treat both sides with some Bilt Hamber and we should be good. The blocked drainage holes make it look sh*te though!

Side panel back on and that takes us to the end of March 2020.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

So, the first decent weekend in April comes along and it was about time i gave the Clio a decent wash, polish and at least one coat of wax for a bit of protection.
Out comes the snow foam, but the pressure washer decides to pack up midway through. Bugger

.
After washing I went over the car with Infinity Wax Rapid Detailer. This gives a decent bit of shine and takes away the watermarks that you miss haha.
Once dry, a quick once over with Infinity Wax Dark Glaze to bring out the best in the paintwork and remove any fine scratches.

Here is what we look like at this point.

Not bad at all. Up next was a quick coat of Infinity Wax Super Gloss Wax. I swear by this stuff as it's bang for buck is mega. I only managed one coat of this before my arm gave up and the neighbors were giving me odd looks
Took her out for a quick blat to dry the brakes as they stick like feck after a wash and took a few pics.

I make no apologies for the picture whoring.

Oh and at some point during this i changed the bullets back to the 172 style in polished silver. The front and rear badges went back to the polished finish and the orange side indicators were swapped for some of ebay's finest clear ones for a fiver. It turns out they were sh*t and snapped. So it was back to the orange ones. The hunt for clear indicators that don't cost £20 each continued.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

And a few more pics.

The number plate is currently in the front window as i'm waiting on my private plate being transferred. With the current pandemic, it's taking a lot longer than usual and i'm not sticking my old plate back on for the sake of a 5 minute drive. It does look a bit "McDonalds Car Park" though...

Definitely need a set of lowering springs. The rear shocks have just been refreshed for 182 cup spec ones. The fronts will be getting a set of 172 cup shocks soon, so it'd be rude not to hit it with the low stick at the same time. It's a toss up between the Grams or the H&R's.

Took out the wee brother and he loves it. Big thumbs up which is good enough for me as he's a picky bugger.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Just a quick update on this. Spent the weekend doing bits and bobs to the Clio.
Finally got a genuine set of clear side indicators that sit perfectly in the wing. An eBay bargain, so chuffed with that.

Next up was to fit the new speedo backing. I used a guy on Instagram - SpinalStudios. Top work, quick turn around time and will do almost any design you want.
Iv'e always hated the front used on the standard Clio speedometer, it looks too much like that bubble writing you did in school.
Sent Spinal studio a message and 2 days later this arrived in the post.

Took the dash off....

Removed the speedo/rev counter, which was far easier than i though it would be. Also, the top of the dash has a fair bit of weight to it! I thought these french cars were made of fag packets and biscuit tins!?

Speedo cracked open

New face on...

And sealed up, ready to be put back in the car. I know it's not to everyones taste, but i love the yellow rev counter in the MK3

And here they are lit up. At some point,ill get around to changing the orange backing lights to white so the yellow actually looks errrr, yellow.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

I finally got round to changing the rear number plate light. I didn't realise how grotty it was until i compared the old and new.
Before

After

A quick comparison.... Grim.

And to finish off Saturday, a bit of engine bay bling. Bought a set of top mount covers as mine looked shitty. Cheap and make the engine bay look a little better.

So, Sunday i got the car on jack stands and took the wheels off. They are finally getting refurbed in Anthracite next week. The gunmetal was too dark and i hated it.

While the car was in the air, i thought i'd take the time to check everything over. Before i bought it, the car had new rear shocks. However, I've noticed the car would snap to the left under braking recently. The rears seemed fine.

Checked the front of the car and it turns out this was the culprit...

Snapped coil on the passenger side. Driver side seems OK, but if i'm changing one, i may as well change them all.
So, next week i should have a lovely parcel from KamRacing with a set of Cup shocks and a full set of Grams springs. It'd be rude not to lower it a touch and I've heard decent things about the grams.

Started pulling the shocks out. Drivers side came out fine but the shock bolts on the passenger side are tight. I've asked around on here and it was suggested that they were torqued to around 170 from the factory. Even with being rusty old things, they must have been over tightened as they've not moved a mm yet, despite my best efforts. Tried the usual impact driver, snapped a breaker bar and used a boat load of penetrating fluid.

So next on the list is heat, a bigger ugga dugga gun and if that fails, the angle grinder will be making an appearance.

That's me bang up to date. I'll update this later in the week once everything has arrived,
Hopefully, things will run smoother then. If not, does anyone near the Scottish Borders have a monster of an impact wrench?! haha

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Evening Chaps,

As always, a late update

After a battle with the aforementioned shock bolts, they finally came free after soaking for a few more days and a corded impact wrench.
Anyway, a huge thanks to @Kamracing for the properly quick delivery and ace service.
They delivered the following:

 

[HaveaCuppa]

New tophats
172 Cup front dampers
New shock protectors
New shock bolts
4 Grams Sport springs

I did order two new top mounts too, but these were out of stock. Once they are back in stock, i'll get them on the car, but a decent coat of copper grease made the old ones usable for now

Out with the old shocks

Arches cleaned, front calipers given a fresh coat of silver High Temp paint and shocks/springs back in.
Oh, and a huge thanks for RPD for sourcing me the ABS cable brackets that sit on the bottom of the shock as mine we not coming out. Cost me less than a tenner and came in a day or so.

The rears were a doddle. Took all of 10 minutes, although the car needs to be supported on the rear jack points while doing the springs. The horror stories of the jacking points don't fill me with confidence so thank fook it was a quick job.

Had a quick look at the rear beam and it looks decent. Bit of surface rust and grime but solid still. I'll freshen this up at some point over the summer and sort the terrible exhaust mount rubbers....

By this point the wheels were ready to collect after their refurb. Finished in anthracite, they look a million times better than the gunmetal they were before. New spigots fitted and they were ready to get on the car.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Got the wheels back on and fitted 4 new locking wheel nuts as the old ones were looking a little rough.
Managed to get the car down without the use of a low jack - Note to self, buy a low jack!!

Anyway, the car looks bloody good now. Handles far better too and i seriously impressed with the GramSports. I live in the arse end of nowhere and roads here resemble a 1980's safari rally stage. They are far more forgiving than i thought and in all honestly, ride better than the standard springs. Soft-ish when pottering around but nice and stiff when pressing on.

Went for a proper run to bed things in and the steering wheel wobble at 60mph and above was seriously hideous. Double checked the top mounts, the shock etc etc. Turns out the new locking nuts where slightly too long and thin. Not ideal but hey ho. Old lockers back in and new lockers sent back.

The plan for when the top mounts arrive is to refresh the track rods and ball joints. The front end has been tightened up a huge amount already but i may as well if the car is going on jack stands again.

Today's job. Old manifold off.

New manifold on.

I've got the fuel rail guard and engine mount cover in the same anthracite finish to go on. I'll get the fuel rail guard on tomorrow and the engine mount cover will have to wait until I've got a low jack to support the engine.

Any thoughts on the age old question of engine mounts? I could do with new ones and genuine stuff is eye wateringly expensive. I'd rather go powerflex but some folk say the vibrations are pretty noticeable in the cabin.

So whats next on the list?
Well, i need to get the tracking sorted and would like to set it up for fast road but that can wait for after the top mounts/track rods. A snappy wheel should be sorted by next month as i can't face that melted beast that is currently in it.
Hopefully RenTech in Edinburgh will be open soon-ish so i can get it in for a full serivice and the new cat put on.
Once all that is done, i'll be up to Edinburgh again for a bit of bodywork. The jacking points need to be straightened out so my skirts sit flush and that rust bubble on the rear arch needs sorted. But that's all minor stuff really.

It's impossible not to play around with these things. So much can be tweaked and modified, its bloody great fun.

 

[Jamess182]

Looking great fella! Are you planning on putting the front plate back on? Need to remove the tape if not!

100% invest in a lower gearbox mount if it hasn't already got one, there's a noticeable increase in cabin vibrations but completely worth it. The feel through the gear lever is so much sharper.

 

[Daz...]

Nice work on this.

If you want genuine mounts then buy the febi ones, they’re dirt cheap.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Looking great fella! Are you planning on putting the front plate back on? Need to remove the tape if not!

100% invest in a lower gearbox mount if it hasn't already got one, there's a noticeable increase in cabin vibrations but completely worth it. The feel through the gear lever is so much sharper.

Cheers
Yeah the front plate is now back on. It was a right state with all the sticky pads on the back. All cleaned up and a couple of Velcro coins are now fixing it to the front bumper.

Aye, I think I’m just going to have to do all three mounts. How noticeable are the vibrations? It’s not a daily but I’m not wanting it to be unbearable.

Nice work on this.

If you want genuine mounts then buy the febi ones, they’re dirt cheap.

Thanks mate
I’ll have a look into the Febi mounts, as the genuine Renault ones are steep. Cheers for the heads up

 

[Jamess182]

Cheers
Yeah the front plate is now back on. It was a right state with all the sticky pads on the back. All cleaned up and a couple of Velcro coins are now fixing it to the front bumper.

Aye, I think I’m just going to have to do all three mounts. How noticeable are the vibrations? It’s not a daily but I’m not wanting it to be unbearable.




Thanks mate
I’ll have a look into the Febi mounts, as the genuine Renault ones are steep. Cheers for the heads up

It's not unbearable by any means. My cup was my daily and it didn't really bother me. Gave it more of a race-car feel ha. But that was just the lower gearbox mount, I can't speak for the others.

 

[Jamess182]

It's not unbearable by any means. My cup was my daily and it didn't really bother me. Gave it more of a race-car feel ha. But that was just the lower gearbox mount, I can't speak for the others.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/gearbox-...407505?hash=item26384e3811:g:thAAAOSw6GBZcaXk
Easily the best £50 you'll spend on the car imo.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Another long overdue update on the car.

Booked it into Rentec in Edinburgh for a few jobs
Whilst it was up there, the chaps gave the whole car the once over and sorted anything that needed sorted.

Dropped it off Thursday 18th and by Friday morning I got a call from Barrie with a small list of odds and sods to sort. Parts were a ball ache to get as Covid had meant parts stores were running low or out of stock, but by Wednesday the next week, it was ready to pick up.

So the list of work done is as follows:

- New rear offside caliper (The old one was sticking like fook in the wet)
- New rear brake pipes
- New track rods and track rod ends
- Gear box leak sorted and gear oil flushed and replaced
- Ktec Sports cat fitted.
- Full major service - I'd do this myself but its got FSH so may as well keep it that way.
- New NS CV boot and seal
- New O2 sensor and EML light from the decat knocked out.
- Dodgy earth on rear lights sorted.

Car drives absolutely spot on now. Feels tight as a drum and the drone on motorways is no more. There was no issue with the BMS extended shifter either when fitting the sports cat.

I can't recommend the boys at Rentec enough and there was some tasty metal in the workshop. A couple of V6 clios and a Dimma kitted Renault 5

Once it was back home, it was time to clean the crank sensor as every now and then, it would just turn over and not catch unless you gave it a bit of right foot.

Air filter partially removed to get access to the sensor. At this point i was hoping and praying that it wasn't the old style sensor, as the thought of soldering in that tiny space sounds hideous haha.

Thankfully, its already the new blue connector, so that means no soldering and swearing.

Sensor out. It looked a little grimey and dirty.

Cleaned with WD-40 and contact cleaner. Anyone know if this is a genuine part? There was no part numbers stamped on it?

Fixed it back in, connected it up and it started first turn of the key. Happy Days.
Hopefully that little issue is now sorted. If not i'll get a new genuine sensor.

Took the car for a celebratory hoon around some of the local back roads to stretch its legs. I'll post the pics in the next post.

So that's us up to speed on the car.
Cheers to the chaps above this post regarding the engine mounts. Think i'm going to go for an up-rated lower gearbox mount and standard engine and upper box mounts.
Next on the list is fitting the top mounts that were out of stock when I changed the suspension
Looking into a set of spacers too. I've got ET40 speedlines and running 205's, so i'll start with 10mm all round first and see how we get on.
Oh, and I've sent a spare steering wheel down to the guru that is Snappy, so that should be with me at some point.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Pics from Sundays drive. New smaller front plate fitted and it cleans up the front end so much.

Xenons are currently removed while i fix them.

The Gramsports have now settled after around 200 miles or so. Looks ace wit ha little front rake too.

If anyone is passing through the Scottish Borders, get yourself on the B711 from Hawick and follow it through the Ettrick Valley to Langholm. Tight, twisty and so well suited to the Clio. Just watch out for sheep...

 

[Lomas933]

Car looks amazing!!! Must admit, i may have to steal the idea of the dashboard. It looks stunning!!

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Just a quick update. Long overdue as usual!
Lots of bits and bobs have been done recently.

Snappy re-trimmed the original wheel. What a difference it’s made.

I’ve got a new set of top mounts to go on the car once the weather is better as mine are a little old. May fit some camber bolts to the front too. Still undecided about that though.

Max at M.S Custom Engineering has got my set of inlets to port and paint, as well as rebuilding my throttle body. Should have these back soon ready to go on.

I was having terrible steering vibration at anything over 50. Turns out the plastic eBay spigots were warped. Speedline kindly set out a fresh set of metal spigots and the problem is gone. The eBay plastic ones lasted maybe 500 miles?!

old

New

The front drivers carpet seemed to be damp constantly too. I sealed the heater box in the scuttle and made sure all drains were clear. The problem was still there. Over Xmas, I ripped up the carpet and put talc down to trace the leak...

That’ll be the heater matrix rotted through and leaking coolant then!
RPD have sourced me a new unit overseas, so hopefully that’ll be here soon. Then I can spend a day swearing and dismantling half the car to fit it haha.

Still love taking it out for a Sunday run though. Seriously considering swapping the Cup dampers out for the Koni Adjustable dampers this summer. It’s certainly going to head down to EFI for a map too once things are back to normal.
Oh and I’ve a fresh set of xenons to go on it soon too. Replaced the snapped adjusters, just need a quick polish

Another pic of snappy’s handywork

Saw these two beauties at Rentec last year too when mine flew through its MOT. The blue 172 next to the V6 was gorgeous. Caged and immaculate. Anyone’s on here?

Cheers
Sam

 

[rachel morrison]

long shot but you still got this car ?

 

[RustyMojo]

Looks like it he only updates the thread yesterday

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Yup, still got it

 

[HaveaCuppa]

RPD came through with the Heater Matrix. Landed on my doorstep yesterday as they had to order iT from overseas. Hopefully it stops pissing it down outside this weekend so I can swap it out.

I spent an afternoon sorting my xenons too. I’ve currently got standard MK2 Clio non xenons in and they are awful. Bought a fresh set of grey insert xenons from a chap on here and had a black set that I took off to repair. All adjusters have been replaced and the lenses have been restored. Just need to get them coated in a 2k lacquer to stop the UV fade. One of the black insert lights needs a new middle clip, so I need to source that as the unit rattles a little as it’s only clipped in at two points, not three.
Anyway, a before and after.

Grey inserts.

Black inserts - although they look grey here.

Max from MS Custom Engineering started on my Inlets and TB today. The TB was knackered so he’s rebuilt it and it’s sorted. Hopefully all the above will be with me at some point next week.

 

[Asher172]

Good progress on the car!

 

[HaveaCuppa]

All the bits from Max at MS Custom Engineering were dropped off last week. Very impressed with the work. Sorted my knackered throttle body for free too. Top bloke.

Bought a new upper engine mount and upper gear box mount while I was at it. New gaskets for all the above too.
Just need to wait for the snow to bugger off before fitting this and the new heater matrix.

Finally caved and grabbed a bottle of C4 too. The black insert xenons are going to be lacquered by the body shop next door, so I figured I’d give this stuff a try on the grey inserts and see what happens. Hopefully it stops them yellowing again.

Been reading Frayz’s thread on his 182 recently and my jobs list has grown tenfold haha. Lots of bits to keep me going once the weather picks up. Once the heater matrix and inlets are on, it’ll be away up to Edinburgh for paint and the bubbling rear arch/fuel filler cap to be sorted.

 

[RustyMojo]

Top tip, don’t look at @frayz thread! It always makes me spend money and realise that I’m miles away from where I want the car to be! It’s even more depressing when you realise he uses his as a bloody daily! 😂

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Top tip, don’t look at @frayz thread! It always makes me spend money and realise that I’m miles away from where I want the car to be! It’s even more depressing when you realise he uses his as a bloody daily! 😂

Tell me about it His daily is spotless, cleaner than most ‘show cars’

I’ve been looking at Recaro Pole positions thanks to that thread. Must resist...

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Still snowed under here so the Heater Matrix, engine mounts and Inlets probably won’t be done until next weekend now.
In the mean time, I bought a front bonnet seal as mine went missing.

I need to adjust the fitment of my bonnet too as the shut line around the headlights is awful. In fact, looking at this pic, maybe it’s the Driver side headlight that needs adjusting? I’ll have a nosey once my Xenons go back in next weekend.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Well the weekend was a no go to do the heater matrix as the weather was awful, so I did the sane thing and bought more car parts. It’s going up on jack stands soon and I’ll spend a long weekend doing everything that needs done.

So, to add to the ever growing list of parts:

A set of Pro-Am exhaust bracket mounts. Decent bits of kit and worth the £50 tbh.
To go with those, a new set of hangers and KAM’s exhaust bush.

The old bushes were a git to burn out without a torch. I resorted to dowsing the bush in petrol

A powerflex dog bone mount to stiffen the gearshift up. Should go nicely with the new engine/gbox mounts. A set of washer blanks and a load of o-rings for when I pull the injectors to change the manifolds.
Renault wanted £15 per injector... Robbing gits! To be fair, the good folks at RPD did pre warn me that Renualt charge an arm and a leg.

Oh and a new thermostat too. Seeing as I need to drop the coolant for the heater matrix change, I’ll be picking up a new rad, coolant pipes and condenser while I’m at it. Seems the logical thing to do.

Replaced the clips on the boot panel as half were broken and used some foam to stop any rattles. Seems to have worked so far.
Replaced the boot struts too as they were dead.

Gave the car a wash for the first time in a while too, and then promptly took it out for a Sunday hoon, so it’s filthy again
I did feel like I was sat high when driving it though. The Recaros that are in are on standard bases, so once @JON FOZ is back up and running, I’ll be ordering a set of low bases to sort the seating position

I managed to mount a fire extinguisher under the front seat too, no pics as I’ll be re doing it soon. It’s currently using the standard plastic bracket which I’m not keen on, so I have ordered a metal one which should keep things secured should anything happen.

And finally, I’ve booked into a decent body shop near Edinburgh to have a look and quote me for a bit of work. Mainly the fuel filler cap that’s starting to bubble and the rear arch. April the 1st is the date so fingers crossed lock down is eased by then.

Slow progress as always and the mountain of parts continues to grow

 

[dave120]

Nice work. Are the tailgate struts really £65 ? Mines are on their last legs.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

Nice work. Are the tailgate struts really £65 ? Mines are on their last legs.

I just bought these from eBay for a tenner. Even if they only last a year, at that price, I can’t complain.

 

[HaveaCuppa]

I’m still putting off the heater matrix change. Mainly because I haven’t bought a new rad yet, nor have I decided if I want to replace the coolant pipes with silicone ones.
I’m undecided about picking up the MTC pipes or spending the extra and going for the Forge coolant pipes. I run forge silicone pipes on my daily and they are great, but they aren’t cheap!

Anyway, I’ve bought more parts. Shock horror! Once they arrive I’ll post them here. Jon Foz seat mounts are on the way as are a set of Whiteline rear beam bushes. Thanks to @RustyMojo for the heads up on these. Under £20 from driftworks, which is a bargain.

I managed to pick up a bootmat on eBay for £30, which is decent. There’s a bit of wear on it but I’m not really arsed as the KTEC mats are about £90!

It’s obvious I need a new cargo net too

Managed to finish work early today, and with a few bilt hamber products on order, I thought I’d start getting a stuck into the inner sills.
I checked these last year and they seemed ok-ish. Mainly pitting and surface rust.

Ive got a new set of dremel wire brushes being delivered tomorrow to tidy the work up as I was using a combination of a cheap wire brush and a grinding stone. Worked well enough mind!
I forgot to take A before pic, but this is the passenger side. It was pitted and quite brown before.

The drivers side was a little worse but should come up pretty well. Should have both sides done by tomorrow night, ready to be treated over the weekend

 

[HaveaCuppa]

The boot panel got a bit of a tidy too. I bought some thinner foam to kill the rattles and it’s done the job.
the top layer of foam had to be removed though as the clips wouldn’t ‘catch’. It’s certainly an improvement though.

 

[RustyMojo]

Thanks for the thanks mate, but someone else (I forget who) highlighted the bargain to me! So I can’t take the credit! Still not fitted mine, but dropped the beam off this week so won’t be long