rttam's flame red 172 project

[rttam]

thought id get a project thread going on my new project car
havnt got many pics as i have misplaced my camera atm but heres a couple to get it going
bought it 2 weeks ago its an 04 plate 172 with 57k on the clock overall fairly good but needed a really good clean and polish and lots of little bits as im fairly ocd with cars
heres what it started off like:

bought it on a sunday evening so it sat on the drive for a week before i could even start messing with it
first job was to give it a good wash. i then gave it a going over with iron-x and some clay and cracked the machine polisher out.
second day i stripped the whole interior out and scrubbed and cleaned it all up.
it now looked like this

starting to look good now
the car came with a milltek cat back exhaust, cup spoiler and retrimmed steering wheel which was a bonus
have done few other jobs including:
fitting my ipod headunit
led interior bulbs
halogen sidelamp bulbs
removed n/s headlamp and fitted adjuster correctly
fitted a fattys induction setup
new flappy wipers
new pressed plates
sorted the sticky boot lock out
cleaned up the headlights with my 3m goodies
fitted a new rear exhaust mount
sorted sticky bonnet latch

have also ordered
silvatec indicator bulbs
alloy aerial
flame red engine cover (birthday pressie from my folks)
auxillery belt kit
full service kit

wont be any work going on with the car this weekend as im off to the autosport show but hoping to finish all the jobs the weekend after and get it insured and on the road aswell as lowering the other halfs 172

future plans atm are:
turini wheels
eibach sportlines
some carbon goodies.

trying to stay subtle but doubt it will i have a tendancy to go overboard lol heres so of my previous cars:

my e36 ti

my old gti 180 with gt kit

mk1 clio

renault extra van

206 gti wannabe

range rover offroader

all of these were bought standard so you can understand what i mean about getting carried away haha

more photos will be added soon hopefully

 

[Iain C]

Looking good dude. Some interesting cars there.

 

[Iain C]

Looking good dude. Some interesting cars there.

 

[rttam]

cheers mate yeah i'v had quite an eccentric selection of cars haha!!

 

[rttam]

got some more work done on the 172 now its on the road :smile:
got a non repairable puncture the first day i drove it and found the spare was a bit ropey so whacked 2 new pirelli pzeros on to match the 2 already on there had these on my old gti 180 and found them pretty good.
then did the following:
fitted my painted engine cover
fitted eibach sportlines
fitted alloy aerial (is more pink than red so have ordered a short black one lol)
fitted silvatec bulbs
complete service including all the gearbox oil, coolant, pas fluid, brake fluid etc just got the auxillery belt left to do
painted my front diamond satin grey (still got the back to do)
swapped the kenwood headunit out of my beemer before i sold it
fitted the storm motorwerks alloy 12v blanker from my beemer

sold my beemer friday night so had a little shopping spree have ordered:
fabia splitter
carbon washer blanks
wind deflectors
new boot badge
new aerial to replace the stupid pink not red one i bought
powerflex dogbone bushes

also treated the missus's 172 to some new mats, silvatec bulbs and some carbon wiper blanks which should be here next week and finally fitted the eibach sportlines i bought her for xmas so im in the good books for now :smiley:
gave them both a wash this morning to and we went for a drive in the sun and took a few photos :smile:

grilles need spraying badly on both will be done soon and both will be getting new wheels soon kate's getting the grey fox ones that kinda look like rota grids, im undecided on mine yet probably some turinis or pro race 1.2's

 

[welsh.Z.S.]

Looks smart mate, just bought a flamer myself

 

[rttam]

cheers mate got a few nice updates for it just gotta sort the photos out

 

[imprezaworks]

Love a flamer

 

[rttam]

right finally got around to doing an update :smile:
plenty of mods happened since the last one:
did a bit more to the bay

redid the induction kit with a red silicone bend and silicone breather pipe and mini filter
fitted some black strut top caps and alloy engine bay bolts from dan @ m.a.d.

got some red footwell mats and had a boot mat made up to match but without the logo

fitted the wind deflectors, carbon wiper blanks and fabia splitter

finally got my new wheels on :smile:

also fitted but no photos of:
powerflex dogbone mount
bought a personalised plate (nothing special just has my initials at the end) and got some fresh plain plastic ones as wasnt keen on the pressed ones
peugeot 607 stubby aerial to replace the lame metallic red/pink one i stupidly bought

did a major detail of it and whacked some gtechniq on the plastics as they were driving me mental lol

few pictures of it out and about :smile:

also popped down to a local rolling road meet last weekend to see what its putting out. despite being terrified it was either gonna blow up of fall off the rollers (we've all seen those videos lol) it put out a rather respectable 177.1bhp which im pretty chuffed with.

half way through painting up some inlets and a fuel rail at the moment and have just ordered all new genuine rear brakes and some leather stuff just to make the drivers seat perfect again so their the next things to do. and bought a cup spoiler in the right colour to go on the other halfs 172 so iv got out of doing the dishes this week haha :tongueout:
also hoping to get an rs tuner box soon to do mine and the other halfs :smile:

 

[rttam]

did some boring maintanance work on the flamer this weekend:
new genuine rear discs,pads,bearings and nuts
straightened my wonky exhaust and fitted new mounts
replaced the auxillery belt and tensioner/idlers as it was due
cant believe what a nightmare job it was had to take pretty much the whole car to bits haha

at least its done now shame i ran out of time to wash it
got some 182 cup rear shocks coming this week and need to swap one of the old 172 wheels with the bent one in the spare aswell
gonna get some 172 cup front shocks shortly too and debating weather to go for solid top mounts too or weather they will be too harsh for my 50 mile a day comute on countryside roads or not??
wont be a lot done to this for a while as the missus's 172 is due a full service, auxillery belt change and a few little maintance bits next month so our money will be going on getting that one all up to scratch before anymore mods are done to either need to fit her cup spoiler and induction kit that have been kicking around in the spare room too lol

 

[rttam]

not sure if anyones actually reading this??? lol anyway more updates......
fitted new cup rear shocks and swapped the bent spare for one of the good ones i had in my garage (cleaned it all up nicely first too)
finished my inlet manifold off just need to get an rs lower one to widen the ports on now.
fitted the cup spoiler i bought for the other halfs 172 on for her
made up a nice induction kit and breather piping for the other halfs (no pics of this she wouldnt let me take any till we have tidied up the rest of her bay lol)
and we gave them both a good detailing

also did a bit of retail therapy ordered:
richbrook alloy gearknob
black leather gaiter with red stitching
new genuine gaiter (to take the frame off as mine is broken)
smoked side repeaters
grey sprayshack bullets with flame red 2.0 16v
some bits to sort out the exhaust mounts as the wonky exhaust is driving me mad!!
some plain black plastic door pulls to replace the sticky standard grey ones
wind deflectors for part of the other halfs birthday present

 

[rttam]

also thought id take my drivers seat apart today and see why it doesnt flip forward. turns out the cable had just popped off put it back on and works fine now. bonus!!

 

[Kchristmas]

Both of the cars are looking well, good choice of alloys they both suit well, what's the quality of the carpet material on the mats like as I'm after some?

 

[rttam]

Both of the cars are looking well, good choice of alloys they both suit well, what's the quality of the carpet material on the mats like as I'm after some?

cheers mate they are pretty good quality to be fair although they dont have a heel pad so will wear a bit quicker than the genuine ones but then they are less than half the price plus i wanted some more colourful ones

 

[LeeRS]

looking good mate. Have you got the RS tuner ordered yet? Will make a big difference to the car.

 

[rttam]

looking good mate. Have you got the RS tuner ordered yet? Will make a big difference to the car.

cheers mate havnty ordered it yet im unsure at the moment as thinking about more engine mods later down the line and dont want the issue of the ecu being locked to the rs tuner :/

 

[rttam]

my sprayshack bullets came today so got those whacked on after work

 

[rttam]

been a while since i updated this so thought id sort that
been busy just enjoying the car and taking it to shows
done a few more little bits:
matt grey rear boot diamond
mk4 clio rs boot badge
sorted my terrible wonky milltek (made up new mounts)
smoked side repeaters
battery cover
fitted my inlet and fuel rail guard
loads of little detailed bits/nuts and bolts under the bonnet
new lower arms
non sport door pulls

heres a few photos

currently have loads of dash parts being carbon dipped and a flocked dash on its way so more updates soon

 

[rttam]

Been going a bit mad on the interior recently
full black flocked dash
red flocked dash strips
various anthracite flocked trim parts
carbon dipped dial surround and switch panels
recaro trophy trendlines
richbrook gearknob
black leather gaitor with red stitching

have black flocked boot lid trim, rear speaker covers and fusebox lid on their way.
also dewipered the rear with carbon blank

 

[imprezaworks]

Lovely car mate.

 

[The Beardo]

Blacksheep flocking dashes are awesome

 

[rttam]

havnt updated this for a long time so thought id share my progress :smile:
first of all did the loooong roadtrip upto pfc expo show at donnington with the other half and her 172 aswell

this gave me a bit more inspiration to carry on with the project so have done the following since:
removed rear seats and belts
fitted full length boot carpet in black with red edging
had my inside boot panel and rear speaker covers flocked in black
fitted a red rear strut brace
fitted a bolt in half roll cage
had my steering wheel redone by snappy in black with red stitiching and top marker
had cruise control buttons carbon dipped and red decals done
the other half kindly bought me a dashcam for my birthday (lots of idiot drivers on my commute to work)
got my private plate on inc a 3/4 front plate
fitted a stainless front tow eye
removed the rear wiper and fitted a carbon blanking plate
fitted powerflex upper engine mount insert
fitted an omp front strut brace
swapped my alloy strut covers with the other halfs black plastic ones so they dont foul the strut brace
fitted a bailey stainless header tank
fitted a full set of red silicone coolant hoses
fitted some nice new led sidelight bulbs

also had the whole rear quarter panel on the o/s, and the rear bumper completely redone as they were letting the car down. also had my boot button done and they touched in some small chips on the ends of the doors from clumsy previous owners.

maintance wise its ran like a dream :smile: my milltek rear mount started to break away so chopped that off and welded it on better and moved it slightly so the tailpipes sit up nicely under the bumper. also had to replace the heater matrix which is a ballache of a job anyway but even more so when i only had the dash out 6 weeks before to change it for the flocked one!!!

also got some aerocatches to fit when im brave enough and picking up a whiteline rear arb next weekend :smile:

anyway enough waffling heres some pictures

and a little photo of mine and the other halfs 172's to show how they have changed in the last 12 months :smile:

they are terrible random photos as the weather has been terrible as im sure you all know but will make an effort to take some proper ones soon :smile:

 

[Stay Puft]

Really nice car mate. Other than the exhaust, I really like all the mods youve done.

 

[rttam]

cheers mate must admit the exhaust came on the car and its not something i would of chosen if i was buying one for it but it is just the right amount of noise for me, although the twin pipes have grown on me a little i did buy a ktec stealth cat back which looked great but was silly loud as it was the one with no centre siliencer so took it back off and sold it for a bit more than i paid for it secondhand so no losses. have contemplated cutting out the boot floor and fitting a full 182 system as i have the facilities at work to easily acheive that but i just think its quite handy having the spare wheel in the well, my previous 206 gti 180 had no spare which caught me out a few times and cant be arsed with that again haha

 

[Stay Puft]

Ktec recessed is a good option (have on my mine). Nice size and sound and looks oem.

 

[jamesC172]

You've brought this a long way mate, looks great.
Who do you use for your flocking?

 

[rttam]

Ktec recessed is a good option (have on my mine). Nice size and sound and looks oem.

yeah thats one of the nicer ones wouldnt mind that with a carbon trim is yours the one with a centre silencer too?

You've brought this a long way mate, looks great.
Who do you use for your flocking?

thanks mate
matt @ blacksheep flocking did all my flocking he's a top bloke!!

 

[Stay Puft]

@rtta
I think so, it's a cat back.

http://www.cliosport.net/threads/davys-172-flamer.678858/

 

[PP200t]

Wow the transformation is immense!! Well done. Such a lovely looking car now and top marks on the interior.

 

[Saamjohn]

That flocked dash looks awesome mate!

 

[rttam]

thanks guys!!
picked up a whiteline rear arb today have ordered some bits to chance the drop links on it to rose joints. also have a new slightly larger air filter to go on and some aerocatches

 

[Paul.M]

This looks great, I really like it!

 

[rttam]

thought i should really update the last few years of ownership so here goes!
took the car to french car show at castle combe in 2016 got a spot in the show and shine paddock and stupidly decided to take the car on track as its something iv always wanted to do

had a great time on track until this happened!

to be fair the clutch had been stiff for a while and i think the added stress of driving on track was the end of it.
although i was clearly extremely slow and nervous i really enjoyed it and this started a expensive journey into turning the car into a more track orientated car.
the car was currently still my daily and i was going on holiday the day after fcs so this left me in a bit of a predicament.
i had the car recovered by the aa back to my parents house and i got this from my sister as temporary transport.

the car then had quite a bit of work carried out now i didnt have to rush to get it back ino everyday use
i finally fitted my aero catches, a new clutch assembly, new engine and gearbox mounts, 4 new injectors
my friend had just bought a 182 with mint sparco buckets in which he didnt like for daily use so i snappped these up and fitted them to my car along with a smaller omp steering wheel

 

[rttam]

i then fitted the recaros into our other 172 along with the snappy steering wheel and carbon dash trims (didnt get a photo of this) and gave it a good clean

i also bought myself a sensible cheap daily driver for my 50 mile a day commute the red clio was now becoming a full track car!

i booked my next track outing at llandow i stuck on some ad08r tyres which made a huge difference.
had a great time although i didnt take any photos other than this. the car survived the drive from devon to wales and back aswell as the trackday and made it home with no issues what so ever which was a great relief after the disaster of my last track outing

 

[rttam]

i then finally cleared my garage out so i could squeeze the red clio in

i then booked some more track time at combe. had a great time and started to really improve my driving and not be the slowest car out there

 

[Djw John]

Nice mate, looks great. Unfortunate way to start track days but shows addictive they are that it encouraged you to do more!

 

[rttam]

i finally finished my headlight intake

i booked the csoc weekender track day and set off on the massive 7 hour drive to get there. was a mixed weekend had issues with a sticky caliper on the way which i managed to free off and my starter motor decided to pack up so had to keep bump stating the car all weekend. i stayed in a hotel on the way back and managed to persuade the receptionist to very kindly push me out of the car park to get it bump started and had to do the same in a petrol station on the way back. very embarassing but the track time was fun and i made it home in one piece.

got the car back in the workshop turns out the sarting issue was the terminal 50 wire on the start wasnt making a good connection so fitted a new connector along with replacing a split cv boot ready for its mot. i also finally fitted my cup racer tow eye which had been sitting in the garage for months

also took the other 172 on a little driving holiday and had to stop at cheddar gordge on the way back for a photo

 

[rttam]

set off on the trek upto donington for french car show 2017 and booked some track time.
had some issues when we got to the hotel with a leaking bottom radiator hose but luckily it was just a loose hoseclip
other than that had a great time on track with no issues and definately want to head back to donington at some point.
i did realise at this point the eibachs just wernt cutting it and were far too soft.

 

[rttam]

booked some track slots at the action day at castle combe next
had a great day with some mates and this was my first experience of driving a properly wet track it went ok and gave us some great track time as nobody hardly went out. it dried off in the afternoon but the track was then ridiculously busy and had to queue for ages to get out. this was my last ever action day due to the amount of cars on track and standard of driving i decided to stick to proper track days only.

fitted some new ds1.11 pads for track, braided hoses and super gold fluid

booked a full day at combe with my dad. was very very wet in the morning, had a nice quiet track and could really explore the limits of the car on a wet track had a few slides but no offs. think i may have turned my dad green a few times but we both enjoyed it. luckily it dried off later on and was really starting to push the car. i decided that i desperately needed better suspension so went home to plan that.

 

[rttam]

finally sorted the suspension!
went for bc racing ds series with 8kg springs all round and dampers valved to suit
i also went for their solid adjustable top mounts. the wheel alignment was set with 2.5 degrees of camber and 1 degree of toe out
i sourced some secondhand but brand new 15" versions of the autec wheels i already had with brand new ns2r tyres
wasnt sure on the orange but i kinda like it just for track.
i swapped the ns2r for somr nankang ar-1 as some mates had recommended them
i also stripped the rear interior out

i had the car rolling roaded locally as some friends were getting theirs done.
the guy told me these cars never get stock figures even when modified and not to be dissapointed. the car drove fine and i wasnt really worried more curious to be honest.
the car ran 188bhp and even the tuner said that was amazing power considering it only had a pure motorsport exhaust and an induction kit!