Silver 182 - 172 cup spec

[Usr117063]

Randomly searched for sabelt seats on ebay the other day and found this for a bargain, really good condition and feels perfect, a lot more comfy than I thought and back is nice and upright. Will be getting the Jon Foz mounts soon for this!

New brake routing, had it routed in the car through the boot but wanted to get the seats back in, decided to go back out the bulkhead and under the car along the same oem route using the orignal flexi line which then goes into a T on the beam.
Is that rust bad??!

Dont have the canon right now so crap lighting

Once the seats in ill be able to start getting the ergonomics down, the pedals are all over the shot, way to far to the right but have been getting them more level with spacers behind throttle and between servo. Am going to get a weld on quick release done and as want to keep hpas I wont be switching columns so will be set, also going to see about getting the 2 further column mounts fab'd so the wheel is more perpendicular, I just find my natural wrist position is a littler more upright. With that Id ideally like to have the stalks removed and a switch panel made up sort of just left the column maybe, just as teh space of the knees even with the column surrounds removed I still hit my knee sometimes and it f**king hurts lol. Might see if I could do a custom thing so I can have indicators close by or something

 

[Usr117063]

I already had loads of fittings so just got what I needed to route underneath

Cover off while sorting out the valve

Probably been used once in their life

Very rough idea

 

[william...]

Hi,

how was the feeling in steering withe the PMS Correction Kit?


Why did you changed to the other Kit?

 

[Usr117063]

@william...

It was a big improvement, it hardly changes direction when hitting bumps or potholes, if the road is cambered combined with the negative camber setup it will turn, not a lot though... Unfortunately the stock dampers have too much droop so the rose joint was fouling, the spacers were really damaged and was trouble getting them off. The japspeed has a lot more room for movement

 

[william...]

Thanks! I will mount them! Thanks a lot for your experience!

 

[iyrix]

Nice work! Given me a couple of ideas!

 

[Usr117063]

No opinion yet as is too far right so new mounts ordered. Need to lower the steering again and although it was already a problem but now my arm is really hitting the arm rest, need to see if I can cut out a chuck of the original one and try and keep it looking oem. Can feel that stability I was after though!

 

[Usr117063]

Steering was vague so got new inners and its sorted it

Mots now booked tuesday as all lights are off due to 172 cup forward loom. Will put the ds1.11 back in now that all the steering and brake stuff is sorted as well.

Still not happy with the car though ?? At what stage do you enjoy what you have?

 

[Brigsy]

Japspeed bump steer kit looks good, did you drill the hub to suit the spacer?

 

[Usr117063]

@Brigsy

Yes to 12mm, had to originally for the pms one. Doesnt protrude loads but catches plenty of the nyloc!

Wasnt sure but I think the evos are 10mm so would be straight fit if you got the evo one, not sure about the taper though

 

[Brigsy]

@Brigsy

Yes to 12mm, had to originally for the pms one. Doesnt protrude loads but catches plenty of the nyloc!

Wasnt sure but I think the evos are 10mm so would be straight fit if you got the evo one, not sure about the taper though

Thanks for the reply will have a look into it ?

 

[Usr117063]

Been in a battle with the car for months, missed multiple mot's, was late to one, reschedule 4-5 times... Went in and failed a couple weeks ago due to a brake leak, turns out it was just excess fluid in the bleed screw under the rubber nipple, no leaks obviously.. Steering has gone vague again, brakes are inconsistent, love this car so much. If it was cleaner and a bit more put together id probably sell it, but then maybe I wouldnt want to if it was put together. Have never driven another sport so have nothing to compare to but the amount im putting into It I would of thought it would start to come together.

Bought this though, was gonna keep the cable for clutch but get the 2 tilton mcs for brakes. Cant deal with the servo dead zone, dont understand how that is normal operation its a joke! Will see if I dont clean up the car, put a few things back to normal but keep a few additions and sell it ?

 

[Usr117063]

good job I had the arch liner in

 

[Usr117063]

After realising the bottom uj was causing a lot of the play, I was going to look at getting it welded locally but I ended up calling pms and now have this! It has a rapfix qr welded on which is very nice and is generally a very solid piece of kit! Thanks to Nick for sorting it out.

I have a 30mm spacer which will need to be shaved off as it protrudes from the centre and wont fit, that with the column a tad lower will be perfect. Column is non adjustable (on the fly) but with the qr it wont matter if theres not much space to get in/out anyway

Thinking of relocating the ignition to the CC panel and buying a basic spec one too not ruin this one

Hopefully be getting the tilton box up and running soon! I dont have the ability to the make the mounts for it so end up holding on it as even for someone to do them I need to try and mock things up first which is a bit of hassle with the limited space

Also have a fomex sheet to do the door card which will neaten things up nicely

 

[Usr117063]

Drilled out the 'squib stalk holder' so could mount it to new column

Now nice and close whereas before it was miles away as had the spacers

Feels like paddle shift ?

 

[Usr117063]

Have done loads today and a few little jobs in the last week, decided to bin the aircon and a full 172 cup setup was ordered which arrived today so got to work and am pleased with how much I managed to do, was having fun for once as things were going smoothly! Getting the loom out was a bit crap though ?

The other day I gave it some fresh oil and had another look at the rear gaz golds as I tried to lower them but it just made them s**t so had to give loads of pre load again :| They do work very well they just arnt that capable, they wont go low on 300lb springs it feels like old oem dampers and shocks without pre load, not sure how much 5mm of pre load adds but thats what needed. Still, they handle good..

Lovely

Cup blower

Bit of a waste but oh well!

 

[Usr117063]

Tomorrow will finish up the job with the matrix and loom. Just needs the cup alternator setup now!

Also been trying to mock up the pedal box and it will work its just mega tight, Ive had to order a couple of master cylinders that are a small body to clear the column. Ordered some aluminium L brackets that I will hopefully use to get a solid draft mount, have zero fab skills so this will be tricky but I can see it in my mind..

 

[Usr117063]

 

[Usr117063]

Loom in but have had to order door looms and centre console as different connections!

Some goodies have arrived

As space is limited ive had to order the smallest one I could find which was this ap racing one, as the clutch and rear brake mcs are super close to the column. The bigger one is for the fronts as theres plenty of space and it was a good deal! Will hopefully be getting another if I win the ebay bid for the rears

Although the fittings and hydraulic clutch stuff might be on hold just a little bit as Ive got something big lined up! Collecting them this week

 

[Usr117063]

Started on the wishbones a couple days ago, pms strengthening plates and powerflex camber adjustable bushes!

Just needed to torque down everything and had hit the lower joint pin too high into the upright so went to sort that and the ds boot decided to tear ? not pouring out but will have to drain box and all that so waiting on parts now..
Decided to take everything apart

Seized! Difficult to get to though tried to get my impact on it with some swivel attachments to see if it would budge but nothing. Will be getting an angle grinder as dont have one, I think it will be needed, rather than using brute force I cant be bothered

Also removed carbon canister, waiting for the resistor and valve to finish that. Another mc arrived today as well so can now properly mock up the brackets, space is tight.. even with the tiny mcs.

Things dont go smoothly sometimes but its all learning, considering last year id never done an oil change Im pleased with the knowledge Ive gained doing all this!

Just waiting on the looms to get the interior back together and will come back to the pedal box shortly. Will sort out the wishbones and ds so can then fit the new coilovers!? Will be looking at booking a track day soon hopefully, only a couple things after this before I feel like the car is solid and fresh and willing to be pushed

 

[Usr117063]

Door looms fitted so locks and windows work now, well the doors lock but dont unlock which has been for a while think the uch needs sortin'

Managed to get the old wishbone off after cutting the bolt. Never even used an angle grinder before, not rocket science I know but happy that these sort of things on the car dont hold me back any more

?? proper stoked for these! Had pretty old oem top mounts on as well so with the ast mounts it should really tighten the steering up

Will have to make new lines for both rears though as they are inverted rather than the upright gaz and foul

Luckily I have a custom hel line thats perfect for the o/s and ill swap the the current one to n/s which will give plenty of space

 

[Usr117063]

Will need grinding down

Set at full camber so should be around -1 without top mounts or damper top bolts changed, when I get it aligned ill go for 1.6 or more, its used on road so need to be fairly considerate ?

Need to torque everything down, fit the breather for fuel line, re fit dash and coolant! Although had warning light on just now so plugged into clip and there some bad earths.. Dont know where as all in dash are fastened down so will come back to that

 

[Brigsy]

Ast's look great i need a set of fronts for my Kangoo when money allows. I would keep an eye on the camber adjustable bushes the megane ones they done were terrible and kept moving. I would be tempted to add negative camber on the strut bolts instead.

 

[Usr117063]

Ill keep an eye on them and make sure they are tight ? Ill let you know how they perform! I think no more clunking is the best bit about solid mounts

 

[Usr117063]

Done these last week to wrap everything up and get it on the road

Grinded down block for d/s clearance

Dash fully in

Had a bit of a f**k up though! When I put the new drive shaft in I didnt seat the boot correctly and lost a litre of oil Ordered another litre which was estimated delivery last friday, it came friday but I was a bit anxious it wouldnt turn up as had to drive the car later in the day and hadnt driven it in 2 weeks

How it sits now with the new ast's

Though its just a tad too low ? scraped first time up the drive and not just a skim :O

First impressions were that the rears need to be stiffer, possible up the rebound will help but might get them re valved for closer to 500lb, currently 400 all around. Though they were buttery smooth, car was a joy to drive and straight line acc is very solid, doesnt wonder at all. Though the cars very unstable into corners under braking especially, definitely need to look at the rears I think as was having some understeer as well. Would like to go less on the front spacers, currently at 16mm so ideally just enough to clear brembos. It was talked about but no clear answer as to whether 5mm would clear with oem wheels but easy to check my self if i cba ?

 

[ripp]

Sorry if I missed it but how come you had to grind the block to clear that driveshaft?
Great work otherwise! ?

 

[Usr117063]

Sorry if I missed it but how come you had to grind the block to clear that driveshaft?
Great work otherwise! ?

The J&R shaft is not designed so well as the boot is too big. Theres a pic up of the contact further up


The Asts are being sent off tomorrow for the new springs and service! Going 110n rear and 90n front (628lbs and 513lbs) which should be ideal. Was looking at around 500r 450f but I dont think there would be a big difference by 100lbs on the rears so just gonna send it :S

 

[Usr117063]

Asts are back! Rears are now equipped with 110n springs which are nearly 630 lb. Have front 90n springs to go on as well

Got some anti knockback springs for when I do my brake over haul, they are the lightest 4lb ones, have no idea what to expect but should give better consistency and feel.

 

[Usr117063]

A while since the last update! I had fit the asts shortly after I posted but decided to wait until I had them setup properly to make any comment about them.

Yesterday I drove down to Balance Motorsport for corner weighting and alignment, I didnt know what to expect and the outcome was definitely a lot better than I could of imagined. I made a thread a short while ago about the potential of the clio and this has answered that question for me.

This was the how the car was when I got there, not good.. Julian who runs the garage said it would of been okay if it was used for right handed oval racing!

This is after the first adjustment before alignment

How it was aligned as It arrived. Difficult to see but left was +4.78 caster -2.27 camber and +0.11 toe Right 4.6 caster -1.92 camber and + 0.34 toe

Rear camber is pretty good, just need a shim for left toe and it will be pretty good. I think ill shim both sides to bring it closer to parallel but not sure yet, the car was very good but its not an expensive or difficult thing to do so easily reversed..

Max amount of caster possible, -2.6 camber left and 2.56 right. I decided factory toe but at 70+ it was a bit too responsive, its good for now but if I were to go on a fast track Id want it less

Then it was back onto the scales for final adjustments!

Ride height was raised a bit, he said the car really needs the roll centre corrected, have wanted the laguna/cup racer setup for a while and its more than just a roll centre correction so will be a worthwhile mod!

First thing I noticed was how well the car went over bumps, it felt like each shock was working equally, hence 'corner' balancing, it used to shoot off left or right or roll about, its very straight and true now. I purposely braked in the corner and it was very balanced, more so than braking in a straight line before! It was evening and the roads were wet but it was an animal, it was comical how easy it was you could have it pinned one handed and it was no more effort than a volvo sunday drive. Realized why people rave about diffs as you could really feel it working but the car would only go where you aimed it, didnt wonder at all.

Theres a couple of 'niggles' to sort out in other areas but Ive got a lot more motivation to do them now as the cars worth all the trouble. It needs semi slicks and an arb aswell, and a diff.. and bodies.. uh oh?

Jokes aside it does need the yanoo stiff shift as the play is too much, Im trying to solve some rack issues as well but Im still deciding on the quick rack, would definitely need less toe If I got one or it'd have to be feathered on the motorway.

I did fit some non sport trim pieces though while I was bored?

 

[Usr117063]

One of the mcs was bought second hand but un used, I couldnt turn down the price but the thread was too short and it was metric not imperial which the balance bar is. Found this thread extender and now have loads of thread available

First bought the pedal box back in the summer so has been collecting dust but as soon I can ill set things up. Just need fittings and a slave cylinder and its good to go.

 

[Simon@ASTUK]

Hi Zach,

Glad you had a good experience at Balance Motorsport and are happy with the service we provided. If you do go to the CUP racer setup, we have the front dampers to work with that hub on the shelf in the UK.

Simon @ AST Suspension UK

 

[JamesBryan]

Total weight about 1130kg?

Heavy ain't it ?

 

[Usr117063]

Total weight about 1130kg?

Heavy ain't it ?

That was with me in it (71kg)

But even so it could do with a diet, its still bloody quick though and for now I think it would need a diff way before engine upgrades, theres a lot more that can be had with the stock motor!

 

[JamesBryan]

That was with me in it (71kg)

But even so it could do with a diet, its still bloody quick though and for now I think it would need a diff way before engine upgrades, theres a lot more that can be had with the stock motor!

Oh haha that makes sense ?

Gonna say mine was 1070kg when I last weighed it without me in it.

Yeah a diff is worth it, I've got a Quaife in mine.

 

[Usr117063]

I was driving a couple days ago and an idea pop'd into my head ? I had a look at heater and brake ducting and ordered some 2" from car builder solutions, came the next day and made this!

Looks a little neater than in the pictures but its still just a rough thing for now. I cut the tube that normally connects to the vent and taped the silicone tube inside, a couple of zip ties and wallah.

It works well and my hand can rest on my leg and have heat super close, much better when you hands are cold like this than the normal vents as they are too far away, your hands are always near the wheel this way!

Still a couple things to do like trim back the squib as theres lots of un needed plastic underneath which will give the tube more room, also would like to make the angle neater as im just using some old sound deadening to angle it right now.

Tomorrow after leaving it for ages Im going to cut out the door card as well. My aim is to make the car as comfortable to be in as possible as well as being fully capable for track!

 

[Tomo3292]

Cracking work pal. Best way is to throw yourself in at it

 

[Usr117063]

@Tomo3292 Thanks mate. Yup completely agree, wouldnt have done a lot of this if I didnt just think screw it, whats the worst that could happen? So far Ive snapped a bolt and wasted some gearbox oil so its not going too bad!

 

[Usr117063]

Just before Christmas I fit the pure motorsport hydraulic quick rack, took me a while to fit but its been faultless since the 1st startup. It really is a massive improvement for general road driving as well as high speed, I cant wait to take it on track as I think it will really shine. Ive been looking at 16" track tyres and the yokohama advan A048s seem the best option for cost (used) and performance, cheaper than buying 15's and tyres.

Managed to get the car in at my dads. It was used as a gym before he moved in and had a wall and small door covering the garage door so we tore that down, its a slope getting up to the garage and with a couple ramps the wheel still span a bit and nearly shot a board off behind

Missing sidelight, quick rack is far more important though ?

After removing the driveshaft and lower bj I used some flexible crows foot spanners but had a helluva time cracking them open, perhaps because I hadnt done this job before but I was under the impression the high pressure line fitting would spin like the others, to give me plenty of room I decided to drop the subframe, something I hadnt done before. I was greeted by this.

I tried to get a spanner on it but even my makita could only spin a turn or so. I didnt want to waste energy or time so we went out and got a cheapish angle grinder and I ground the head off, ordered a new high tensile bolt and a nut from renault. It was around £13.50, although the card machine at renault wasnt working and we only had £13 cash and got let off 50p lol

Just realised Id got the rack out before dropping the frame

Im always looking at making things easier and better, when I replace or mod something I want it to have multiple purposes. Didnt like the idea of re using the old lines so bought some line and fittings to make my own. The high pressure line is made from earls fittings and is specifically designed for power steering, the other is just ptfe -8 from ebay, I still opted for braided as I wasnt sure what heat or pressure its under espeically so close to the exhaust. Both with fire sleeve as well!

Fast forward, heres the 2 lines, I needed nearly 2 metres for the HP line, it wasnt cheap ? But for the sake of ease and longevity, its worth it.

 

[Usr117063]

When mocking the lines the space was an issue, for the lines as well as the fittings, they were basically touching and I thought Id have to grind down one of the corners, luckily I didnt need to.

This way just wouldnt work because of the exhaust

I thought as there's nothing moving to come in contact this would be the best and only option. And they will be wrapped in heat sleeve which will protect from any rubbing as well

I didnt take any more pictures as I was in a rush, made the lines, tightened them onto the rack and onto the subframe, subframe back on with everything bolted up and the new bolts and nut. I gave everything a check and a made sure it was all torqued down.

The next day I put fluid in and bled the system, on first startup I was pretty nervous as it was close to christmas and I really needed the car to be functioning!

Zero problems... Fluid all bled, no leaks, everything how it should! Wasnt really excited at this point just relieved it all worked. Though the wheel was off by about 150deg, I span the wheel round but as mines a welded column the splines are off, not really a problem and the next thing in the works is customising the oem column anyway.

Couple pictures I took just now

Had no alloy spanner so the fitting got beat up a bit but its only visual. I tied down the lines so they were well away from the exhaust, Ill get a pic of that soon.

Shot I took before I did the work. I have a door card thats 95% done and makes things look much neater, just need to do the door handle and finish the screws

Just received the 10min shim from pure, which will bring my n/s toe to 0.20, the same as the o/s! The camber already being really close will make this a good beam.

 

[Usr117063]

I had thought about this a while back and made a post then. I just need to figure out who can do the work! The rear mounts on the column need to be welded lower to make the wheel more perpendicular, the column needs to go to the right more and closer to me so all of the mounts need be be bigger, this will give more space at the pedals for the pedal box. Ill re use the custom rack and get the column cut and bored out to fit and be welded onto the oem. Be ashame cutting it up but the new design will be much better for me.

A rough idea, theres more space than I thought when I had a look the other day

If anyone knows of someone that can do the work south east let me know.

Of course I strolled through google looking at all the le man and gt cars for inspiration. Anyone know what that is on the column? Adjustable resistance/feel?