Clio 197
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Steves Black 197 soon to be boosted!!
- Thread starter StephenVenning
- Start date
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- 197
Clio 197
I wish I had thought of that when I painted it. I'll remember that for the future
Clio 197
UPDATE:
As promised Ive got another update as Ive been pretty busy this weekend on the engine. Today I sprayed the alternator mounting bracket and bolted and torqued that up, marked all the bolts with tipex to show that its torqued. The alternator was then bolted in with one bolt, the other will be installed when putting the aux belt on. The AC pump from my clio will be used as I still like my creature comforts
The oil cooler was pretty filthy and ive been putting it off to clean for a while. I cant shot blast like most things on this build because grit will most likely get lodged in the fins and plates within the cooler, this could cause engine problems on first start up. Therefore out came the wire brushes and degreaser. Once clean the cooler was etch primed, then sprayed gloss black followed by 3 coats of lacquer. Ill install it once its dried sometime this week.
Pretty much finished now, the box of bits and bolts is getting less and less
Thanks
As promised Ive got another update as Ive been pretty busy this weekend on the engine. Today I sprayed the alternator mounting bracket and bolted and torqued that up, marked all the bolts with tipex to show that its torqued. The alternator was then bolted in with one bolt, the other will be installed when putting the aux belt on. The AC pump from my clio will be used as I still like my creature comforts
The oil cooler was pretty filthy and ive been putting it off to clean for a while. I cant shot blast like most things on this build because grit will most likely get lodged in the fins and plates within the cooler, this could cause engine problems on first start up. Therefore out came the wire brushes and degreaser. Once clean the cooler was etch primed, then sprayed gloss black followed by 3 coats of lacquer. Ill install it once its dried sometime this week.
Pretty much finished now, the box of bits and bolts is getting less and less
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
As has been proven with these megane conversions that once you reach the 300hp mark the fuel pump starts to run out of puff and you risk running the engine too lean. Hence you have to run an upgraded in tank pump or what I'm doing and that's an inline HF pump with a pressure regulator on the return feed. Two big problems with the clio's 1: They dont have a return line as standard 2: The access hole for the fuel pump sender is stupidly small which makes access impossible.
I have already showed in previous sections that Ive made a custom rail for my return line and ive also made the access hole bigger. Today I set about removing the pump sender unit in order to be able plumb in a return fitting and also convert the push fit pump outlet to an6 fittings, so I'm to be able to fit braided fuel line. The push fit was firstly taken care off with a "Torques" adaptor fitting, you simply push it onto the existing outlet on the pump until it clicks (Some modification and trimming was required to the retaining clip in order to fit it). For the return line I just drilled and tapped a m12 x 1.5 hole into the top of the sender unit, then another Torques m10 to an6 adaptor fitting was screwed into the hole with a bit of silicon sealant. The sender unit was then installed again into the tank with a new seal. This will now make it easy to fit my complete fuel system once the engine is in.
I have also started to make up a stainless steel cover plate to replace the plastic one that used to cover the original fuel access hole. I have bent the cover to fit the contour of the body work and then radiused the bottom edges to match the contour of the old cover. Ill now radius the other edges and drill some grommeted holes in it for fuel lines and the pump wires.
Thanks.
As has been proven with these megane conversions that once you reach the 300hp mark the fuel pump starts to run out of puff and you risk running the engine too lean. Hence you have to run an upgraded in tank pump or what I'm doing and that's an inline HF pump with a pressure regulator on the return feed. Two big problems with the clio's 1: They dont have a return line as standard 2: The access hole for the fuel pump sender is stupidly small which makes access impossible.
I have already showed in previous sections that Ive made a custom rail for my return line and ive also made the access hole bigger. Today I set about removing the pump sender unit in order to be able plumb in a return fitting and also convert the push fit pump outlet to an6 fittings, so I'm to be able to fit braided fuel line. The push fit was firstly taken care off with a "Torques" adaptor fitting, you simply push it onto the existing outlet on the pump until it clicks (Some modification and trimming was required to the retaining clip in order to fit it). For the return line I just drilled and tapped a m12 x 1.5 hole into the top of the sender unit, then another Torques m10 to an6 adaptor fitting was screwed into the hole with a bit of silicon sealant. The sender unit was then installed again into the tank with a new seal. This will now make it easy to fit my complete fuel system once the engine is in.
I have also started to make up a stainless steel cover plate to replace the plastic one that used to cover the original fuel access hole. I have bent the cover to fit the contour of the body work and then radiused the bottom edges to match the contour of the old cover. Ill now radius the other edges and drill some grommeted holes in it for fuel lines and the pump wires.
Thanks.
Clio 197
UPDATE:
A big week this week in terms of my fully forged engine build.....IVE FINISHED IT
Just needs timing up.
The breather cover that was chipped and ruined when the bolts were tightened was re-shotblasted and cleaned. It was then repainted in the metallic black paint thats colour coded to my clio. Bolted it down this time with no issues. Looks better than before IMO.
I also recieved some new turbo oil return seals/gaskets so these were installed.
In the week I bought some forge sensor brackets, I wasnt very impressed when they arrived. The dimensions were okay and they held in the sensors like they should but the surface finish was shoddy to say the least. For £25 I at least would expect them to be polished a bit. I took it into my own hands to go over them with my DA and an old pad with some autosol. I few passes later and they were mirror like, really happy with them now
So that was the engine done, just need to time it up next weekend and then fill it with oil.
I moved my attention again onto the replacement pump sender cover. Today I drilled 4 holes around the outside of the plate. The plate was then placed over the sender hole and I marked with a black pen to hole positions. These were drilled out to 6mm to take a m4 hank bush. This enables a thread to be inserted in sheet metal. A series of holes were then drilled with a step cutter for the fuel lines to go through to the swirl pot, grommets were installed in these holes. I may however slot out the two centre holes to fit the factory wire grommet, then re drill two other holes further up the plate for the fuel lines.
Next week I hope to finish the pump sender cover and rebuild my gearbox.
Anyway here are some photos, Ill get better ones soon of the engine with my DSLR.
Thanks as always.
A big week this week in terms of my fully forged engine build.....IVE FINISHED IT
The breather cover that was chipped and ruined when the bolts were tightened was re-shotblasted and cleaned. It was then repainted in the metallic black paint thats colour coded to my clio. Bolted it down this time with no issues. Looks better than before IMO.
I also recieved some new turbo oil return seals/gaskets so these were installed.
In the week I bought some forge sensor brackets, I wasnt very impressed when they arrived. The dimensions were okay and they held in the sensors like they should but the surface finish was shoddy to say the least. For £25 I at least would expect them to be polished a bit. I took it into my own hands to go over them with my DA and an old pad with some autosol. I few passes later and they were mirror like, really happy with them now
So that was the engine done, just need to time it up next weekend and then fill it with oil.
I moved my attention again onto the replacement pump sender cover. Today I drilled 4 holes around the outside of the plate. The plate was then placed over the sender hole and I marked with a black pen to hole positions. These were drilled out to 6mm to take a m4 hank bush. This enables a thread to be inserted in sheet metal. A series of holes were then drilled with a step cutter for the fuel lines to go through to the swirl pot, grommets were installed in these holes. I may however slot out the two centre holes to fit the factory wire grommet, then re drill two other holes further up the plate for the fuel lines.
Next week I hope to finish the pump sender cover and rebuild my gearbox.
Anyway here are some photos, Ill get better ones soon of the engine with my DSLR.
Thanks as always.
Clio 197
Haha yes you do have a point. Ill have to do something with the outside of the clio to match the engine lol
Clio 197
Little bit of progress today, managed to finish the fuel pump sender cover. I did originally in my previous post say about slotting the middle two fuel line holes to fit the factory wire grommet. Did that today with a hacksaw and a file. Im very happy with it and the fuel lines sit better now. Ill have it painted when Ive finished my fuel system.
dann2707
ClioSport Club Member
Full of win!
Loving this build, great reading.
Clio 197
Very nice project mate. The engine is looking amazing. Doing something similar with mine. What paints did you use ?
Clio 197
Thanks mate, appreciate it. I used some e-tech alloy paint for the rocker cover and just halfords metallic paint that is colour matched to my car for the black bits. Then just some heavy duty lacquer over the top.
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Big week this week parts wise. Now the engine is done Im concentrating again on the transmission.
On wednesday my Helix 4 Paddle clutch arrived with pressure plate. It should handle the torque fine. I know it wont be ideal for around town driving due to its "ON OFF" feel, Im sure Ill get used to it. Lovely bit of kit and Im glad Ive gone overkill on the clutch, the last thing I would want is for it to slip after all the work Ive put in to anything else.
Today my gearbox parts finally arrived, so excited. They look to good though to put in my gearbox
They have been Cryo frozen, shot peened and super finished, this should result in a 40 % stronger and smoother gearbox with less losses.
Over the weekend Ill start rebuilding the gearbox so Ill keep you updated.
Thanks
Big week this week parts wise. Now the engine is done Im concentrating again on the transmission.
On wednesday my Helix 4 Paddle clutch arrived with pressure plate. It should handle the torque fine. I know it wont be ideal for around town driving due to its "ON OFF" feel, Im sure Ill get used to it. Lovely bit of kit and Im glad Ive gone overkill on the clutch, the last thing I would want is for it to slip after all the work Ive put in to anything else.
Today my gearbox parts finally arrived, so excited. They look to good though to put in my gearbox
Over the weekend Ill start rebuilding the gearbox so Ill keep you updated.
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
A lot had happened this weekend with the gearbox rebuild. First off I cleaned all the parts with solvent degreaser to make sure there was no debris on the gears, especially on the journals and oil holes on the shafts. I concentrated on the output shaft first. The gears were laid out on the previous drawing I had made when I took it apart. The gears could now be assembled, being very careful of the orientation of the gears. The replacement synchro rings were checked that they were gripping the gears correctly and the synchro teeth lined up without any "Point to point" contact. The rest of the gears need to be pressed onto the shaft, Ill do this tomorrow at work.
Next up was the input shaft. Like before they were cleaned and laid out on the drawing. They were assembled in the same manner, checking synchro's correctly, particularly on the 3rd and 4th synchro, Ive changed to the steel ones to see how they fair. If they fail after a while Ive got some ideas to re-design the synchros. The curclips on this shafts were a particular pain in the arse. They tended to ping off the pliers and I would spend the next 10 minutes trying to find it
The next job I achieved was bolting the pinion gear onto my quaife atb LSD, I'm unsure of the torque spec for this but have found other similar car gearboxes and they all seem to be around the 100N/m area. If anyone can clarify the correct torque setting that would be great.
The slave cylinder was also bolted into the bell housing and loctite used, you really dont want a bolt to work its way loose in this area.
Some pictures as usual.
Thanks
A lot had happened this weekend with the gearbox rebuild. First off I cleaned all the parts with solvent degreaser to make sure there was no debris on the gears, especially on the journals and oil holes on the shafts. I concentrated on the output shaft first. The gears were laid out on the previous drawing I had made when I took it apart. The gears could now be assembled, being very careful of the orientation of the gears. The replacement synchro rings were checked that they were gripping the gears correctly and the synchro teeth lined up without any "Point to point" contact. The rest of the gears need to be pressed onto the shaft, Ill do this tomorrow at work.
Next up was the input shaft. Like before they were cleaned and laid out on the drawing. They were assembled in the same manner, checking synchro's correctly, particularly on the 3rd and 4th synchro, Ive changed to the steel ones to see how they fair. If they fail after a while Ive got some ideas to re-design the synchros. The curclips on this shafts were a particular pain in the arse. They tended to ping off the pliers and I would spend the next 10 minutes trying to find it
The next job I achieved was bolting the pinion gear onto my quaife atb LSD, I'm unsure of the torque spec for this but have found other similar car gearboxes and they all seem to be around the 100N/m area. If anyone can clarify the correct torque setting that would be great.
The slave cylinder was also bolted into the bell housing and loctite used, you really dont want a bolt to work its way loose in this area.
Some pictures as usual.
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
I hope everyone had a great xmas. I spent mine largely rebuilding the gearbox
Anyway the gearbox is done. On Monday I pressed on the last remaining fixed gears onto the output shaft. Simply got a thick piece of aluminium tube and placed it over a gear and gently applied pressure until it was in place, this was repeated for every gear and the taper roller bearing at the top. The retaining curclip was then installed above the bearing. Now was the tricky bit and was to get all the shifter-fingers, shafts and diff/final drive gear, reverse idler and barrel shift mechanism all in place at the same time. I achieved this by loosely placing the diff, shafts and fingers into the case, while holding everything inline I wiggled the case and everything fell into place. The input shaft was then pulled out a little bit so I had enough clearance to install the reverse idler and its shifter finger. The last step was to install the shifter mechanism, easiest part of the install, just make sure that the spring is in the correct position otherwise the shifting action will be sloppy. Once all this was in the magnet was cleaned and intalled and a bead of silicon sealant applied to the case mating surface, the other half of the casing was placed on top of the mating half, you have to rotate the shifter bracket at the same time to engage it into the barrel mechanism. The bolts were intalled and torqued to 24 ft/ib, left for 24 hours to settle and then torqued again. All parts inside the gearbox were coated in zx1 to aid lubrication on first start up.
gearbox is now finished and it shifts lovely and smoothly
Now with all the gearbox and engine done its time to remove my old engine, today i cleared out the rest of the garage and finally parked the clio in there
the conversion starts now.....
Thanks
I hope everyone had a great xmas. I spent mine largely rebuilding the gearbox
Anyway the gearbox is done. On Monday I pressed on the last remaining fixed gears onto the output shaft. Simply got a thick piece of aluminium tube and placed it over a gear and gently applied pressure until it was in place, this was repeated for every gear and the taper roller bearing at the top. The retaining curclip was then installed above the bearing. Now was the tricky bit and was to get all the shifter-fingers, shafts and diff/final drive gear, reverse idler and barrel shift mechanism all in place at the same time. I achieved this by loosely placing the diff, shafts and fingers into the case, while holding everything inline I wiggled the case and everything fell into place. The input shaft was then pulled out a little bit so I had enough clearance to install the reverse idler and its shifter finger. The last step was to install the shifter mechanism, easiest part of the install, just make sure that the spring is in the correct position otherwise the shifting action will be sloppy. Once all this was in the magnet was cleaned and intalled and a bead of silicon sealant applied to the case mating surface, the other half of the casing was placed on top of the mating half, you have to rotate the shifter bracket at the same time to engage it into the barrel mechanism. The bolts were intalled and torqued to 24 ft/ib, left for 24 hours to settle and then torqued again. All parts inside the gearbox were coated in zx1 to aid lubrication on first start up.
gearbox is now finished and it shifts lovely and smoothly
Now with all the gearbox and engine done its time to remove my old engine, today i cleared out the rest of the garage and finally parked the clio in there
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Little update today, got a lot done on the whole engine removal. Took the bumper,crash bar and lights off first, easy job, only takes 10 minutes. The next bit was a bit trickier, I had to drain the coolant and remove the radiator, as it always goes the coolant went everywhere and soaked the garage floor. i plan on installing a thicker radiator or another one in parallel to try and solve this cooling problem that plagues these conversions. With that out the way the inlet manifold was unbolted and the airbox was removed, just requires a short sharp pull and you should be able to remove it, the battery tray was then unbolted. This is as far as ive gotten today.
Tomorrow I plan on removing the drive shafts and suspension struts, I can tell its going to be an arse of a job.
Thanks
Little update today, got a lot done on the whole engine removal. Took the bumper,crash bar and lights off first, easy job, only takes 10 minutes. The next bit was a bit trickier, I had to drain the coolant and remove the radiator, as it always goes the coolant went everywhere and soaked the garage floor. i plan on installing a thicker radiator or another one in parallel to try and solve this cooling problem that plagues these conversions. With that out the way the inlet manifold was unbolted and the airbox was removed, just requires a short sharp pull and you should be able to remove it, the battery tray was then unbolted. This is as far as ive gotten today.
Tomorrow I plan on removing the drive shafts and suspension struts, I can tell its going to be an arse of a job.
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
After a few days hard graft practically doing all the work on my own, the engine is out! Wasn't too tricky, the hardest part was removing the drive shafts. For that I undone all the droplinks, took the calliper off and the brake line mounting bracket, undone the lower balljoint, track rod arms undone. Now I unclipped the ABS sensor from under the wheel arch liner, the 3 top mount bolts were then removed. The whole suspension strut and hub now can be lowered, I then pryed the drive shafts out of the gearbox with a crowbar from underneath. The hubs will now be stripped and cleaned and also a snapped suspension spring will be replaced with lowering springs. Two drop links will need to be ordered as the bolts had seized solid so had to be cut off, also Ive noticed the inner drive shaft gaitor has split so will need to be replaced or if I cat find a proper gaitor Ill get a new drive shaft.
Anyway once the driveshafts were removed it was really straight forward, just disconnect the loom, gearbox linkage, clutch line, exhaust manifold and engine mounts and she could be hoisted out of the bay.
Ill now clean up the engine bay and adress some rust thats appearing on the front chassis rails and then Ill get the new engine bolted in.
And the standard "Hey look no engine"
Thanks
After a few days hard graft practically doing all the work on my own, the engine is out! Wasn't too tricky, the hardest part was removing the drive shafts. For that I undone all the droplinks, took the calliper off and the brake line mounting bracket, undone the lower balljoint, track rod arms undone. Now I unclipped the ABS sensor from under the wheel arch liner, the 3 top mount bolts were then removed. The whole suspension strut and hub now can be lowered, I then pryed the drive shafts out of the gearbox with a crowbar from underneath. The hubs will now be stripped and cleaned and also a snapped suspension spring will be replaced with lowering springs. Two drop links will need to be ordered as the bolts had seized solid so had to be cut off, also Ive noticed the inner drive shaft gaitor has split so will need to be replaced or if I cat find a proper gaitor Ill get a new drive shaft.
Anyway once the driveshafts were removed it was really straight forward, just disconnect the loom, gearbox linkage, clutch line, exhaust manifold and engine mounts and she could be hoisted out of the bay.
Ill now clean up the engine bay and adress some rust thats appearing on the front chassis rails and then Ill get the new engine bolted in.
And the standard "Hey look no engine"
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
With the engine out it became apparent that the subframes and front chassis member needed some attention. They were disgustingly dirty with caked on grease and dust, they had to have some attention. I also noticed that on the front chassis member there was rust starting to appear probably due to to water sitting there between the member and sump guard. Anyway I needed to take the subframe off anyway in order to replace my steering rack so in the end I removed the entire subframe and chassis member and will in turn shot blast them and paint them, I may also take this opportunity to replace all the bushes with powerflex ones.
As most of the engine bay hadn't been touched since it left the factory in 2007, the engine bay was filthy and I couldnt let it stay like this especially when so much attention has been spent on the engine. Therefore today I set about giving it a thorough clean. Starting with auto glym engine degreaser and a detailing brush I aggitated all the dirt, this was then jet washed off being extra careful around the wiring loom. It was then shampooed with my wash mitt and then washed again, followed by paint correction on the parts you will see and then a final wax using collinite 476s. Looks sparkly now and is in fact the cleanest part of the car at the moment
Some pictures of half a clio
Thanks
With the engine out it became apparent that the subframes and front chassis member needed some attention. They were disgustingly dirty with caked on grease and dust, they had to have some attention. I also noticed that on the front chassis member there was rust starting to appear probably due to to water sitting there between the member and sump guard. Anyway I needed to take the subframe off anyway in order to replace my steering rack so in the end I removed the entire subframe and chassis member and will in turn shot blast them and paint them, I may also take this opportunity to replace all the bushes with powerflex ones.
As most of the engine bay hadn't been touched since it left the factory in 2007, the engine bay was filthy and I couldnt let it stay like this especially when so much attention has been spent on the engine. Therefore today I set about giving it a thorough clean. Starting with auto glym engine degreaser and a detailing brush I aggitated all the dirt, this was then jet washed off being extra careful around the wiring loom. It was then shampooed with my wash mitt and then washed again, followed by paint correction on the parts you will see and then a final wax using collinite 476s. Looks sparkly now and is in fact the cleanest part of the car at the moment
Some pictures of half a clio
Thanks
Good progress mate, what power are you aiming for on your custom turbo?
Also do you have a guide for changes needed to the wiring, been considering doing this conversion for a while.
Also do you have a guide for changes needed to the wiring, been considering doing this conversion for a while.
Clio 197
Thanks, I hoping for around 340hp as the cams will limit me seeing 380/390, next winter Im hoping to install cams, funds wouldnt allow it this winter.
Im sending mine off to SC autos, he does an amazing job of the looms, makes it much neater.
Clio 197
UPDATE:
With the engine out focus has been drawn to the subframe. On Monday I shot blasted the wish bones and then painted them in black hammerite to keep them looking nice for a bit longer. Tuesday I took the subframe to work and shot blasted that, took a while to get into all the areas, Ill paint that this weekend and then hopefully get it bolted back onto the chassis, from then I can test fit the engine.
Ever since the conversions had started as shown by litchy and choppen it seems cooling is an issue, therefore I decided to delete to AC in my build after having chats with Choppen, I could have gotten the standard renault cup delete AC bracket but that isnt me
Ive got to have something shiny
therefore I opted for Pure motorsport's new delete bracket, beautiful bit of kit, billet machined bracket which will finish off my engine a treat
From day one of ownership of my car it has had the dreaded clunking of the steering rack, Ive replaced inner and outer track rod ends as well as tightening the U joint bolt, but to no avail, new rack was on the cards then. I ordered a newer and quicker 200 steering rack, should make handling a bit better. I also picked up some new drop link bars and a new abs sensor.
It will look brand new by when I'm finished
Thanks
With the engine out focus has been drawn to the subframe. On Monday I shot blasted the wish bones and then painted them in black hammerite to keep them looking nice for a bit longer. Tuesday I took the subframe to work and shot blasted that, took a while to get into all the areas, Ill paint that this weekend and then hopefully get it bolted back onto the chassis, from then I can test fit the engine.
Ever since the conversions had started as shown by litchy and choppen it seems cooling is an issue, therefore I decided to delete to AC in my build after having chats with Choppen, I could have gotten the standard renault cup delete AC bracket but that isnt me
From day one of ownership of my car it has had the dreaded clunking of the steering rack, Ive replaced inner and outer track rod ends as well as tightening the U joint bolt, but to no avail, new rack was on the cards then. I ordered a newer and quicker 200 steering rack, should make handling a bit better. I also picked up some new drop link bars and a new abs sensor.
It will look brand new by when I'm finished
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Small update today, first off I got my Loom back from SC autos, great service with Steve, posted it Tuesday and got it back today. Also got my ECU coded at the same time so it should now be essentially plug and play
Also started painting the subframe with hammerite, coming up lovely, a few air bubbles but these eventually burst when the paint dries. Hopefully get all the subframe completed this weekend
Thanks
Small update today, first off I got my Loom back from SC autos, great service with Steve, posted it Tuesday and got it back today. Also got my ECU coded at the same time so it should now be essentially plug and play
Also started painting the subframe with hammerite, coming up lovely, a few air bubbles but these eventually burst when the paint dries. Hopefully get all the subframe completed this weekend
Thanks
NorthloopCup
ClioSport Moderator
I can't help but feel that the loom would've been better if it had been finished with a covering of raychem. Considering the amount of time and effort you've gone too already, the loom would've been worth the additional effort imo.
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Another weekend of long days on the clio. First was I finished my subframe, it was given 3 coats of hammerite smooth black, turned out pretty good considering it was brushed on. On saturday I assembled all the subframe, wishbones, ARB and new steering rack. It looked better than when it came out the factory. Today I bolted the subframe in position and connected the U joint to the steering rack, this was a right pain in the arse job getting everything lined up while curled up by the pedals, must have been at it for at least an hour. Once that was sorted the subframe bolts could be torqued up and the wishbones could be properly torqued on the to spec. I have to say I am really chuffed with how it turned out and the steering rack knocking issues are now sorted
Later on today I stripped down the hubs and struts ready for reassembling and painting, this is where the problems started. First off Renault seem to be obsessed with torx bolts, there great when they are new but after 8 years of grime and corrosion half of them just stripped as soon as I turned them, so had to be drilled out. The second bit of bad news that there is play in the swivel joints and upper ball joint so Ill have to replace them to save a job later down the line, @Raptor I may need you for this
Next week Ill start getting the hub swivels stripped and Ill finally get the engine ready for mounting in the engine bay.
Another weekend of long days on the clio. First was I finished my subframe, it was given 3 coats of hammerite smooth black, turned out pretty good considering it was brushed on. On saturday I assembled all the subframe, wishbones, ARB and new steering rack. It looked better than when it came out the factory. Today I bolted the subframe in position and connected the U joint to the steering rack, this was a right pain in the arse job getting everything lined up while curled up by the pedals, must have been at it for at least an hour. Once that was sorted the subframe bolts could be torqued up and the wishbones could be properly torqued on the to spec. I have to say I am really chuffed with how it turned out and the steering rack knocking issues are now sorted
Later on today I stripped down the hubs and struts ready for reassembling and painting, this is where the problems started. First off Renault seem to be obsessed with torx bolts, there great when they are new but after 8 years of grime and corrosion half of them just stripped as soon as I turned them, so had to be drilled out. The second bit of bad news that there is play in the swivel joints and upper ball joint so Ill have to replace them to save a job later down the line, @Raptor I may need you for this
Next week Ill start getting the hub swivels stripped and Ill finally get the engine ready for mounting in the engine bay.
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Earlier this week I set about stripping the hub carrier with the aid of an oxi-acetaline torch and a press. The low ball joint was pressed out which was relatively easy actually, hopefully pressing the new one in is just as easy. The pinch bolt that holds strut tower in was siezed in so required some heat, a few minutes of heating and the bolt knocked out pretty easy. The hub assembly was then completely shot blasted, being sure to mask off critical areas. Ive now only managed to get the hub carrier painted, looks miles better than it did before and the paint should provide some corrosion resistance.
As I will be pushing over 300hp Ill need to have a high flow fuel system like mentioned in previous posts. Well today i set about running the lines, Ill be using AN6 teflon braided lines throughout my build. Luckily the clio has a spare slot for another line under the care, so this made is pretty straight forward. The hardest part was trying the wiggle the fuel line up the side of the fuel tank and through the fuel sender access hole that I have made bigger. The lines were run above the subframe along the heatshield into the engine bay, Ive then run them under the brake line junction box and along by the battery tray. Ive used aluminium clamps throughout and will sleeve the lines in heat shield material just in case.
Ive also this week bought some zircoflex heat shield material which Ill be installing once all the engine bay is finished. Some V-band clamps have also arrived which will allow me to attach the megane centre section to my cat back system and make it pretty much the same as the clio's stock system.
Also fitted my AC delete bracket
Thanks
Earlier this week I set about stripping the hub carrier with the aid of an oxi-acetaline torch and a press. The low ball joint was pressed out which was relatively easy actually, hopefully pressing the new one in is just as easy. The pinch bolt that holds strut tower in was siezed in so required some heat, a few minutes of heating and the bolt knocked out pretty easy. The hub assembly was then completely shot blasted, being sure to mask off critical areas. Ive now only managed to get the hub carrier painted, looks miles better than it did before and the paint should provide some corrosion resistance.
As I will be pushing over 300hp Ill need to have a high flow fuel system like mentioned in previous posts. Well today i set about running the lines, Ill be using AN6 teflon braided lines throughout my build. Luckily the clio has a spare slot for another line under the care, so this made is pretty straight forward. The hardest part was trying the wiggle the fuel line up the side of the fuel tank and through the fuel sender access hole that I have made bigger. The lines were run above the subframe along the heatshield into the engine bay, Ive then run them under the brake line junction box and along by the battery tray. Ive used aluminium clamps throughout and will sleeve the lines in heat shield material just in case.
Ive also this week bought some zircoflex heat shield material which Ill be installing once all the engine bay is finished. Some V-band clamps have also arrived which will allow me to attach the megane centre section to my cat back system and make it pretty much the same as the clio's stock system.
Also fitted my AC delete bracket
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Not a huge amount of work this week, just the bits that Ive been putting off
First of was the passenger side drive shaft. When I was stripping the engine out I slipped with the crow bar while levering out the driveshafts and split the inner rubber boot. I then searched for a genuine gaitor and could only find the outer ones and a new one from renault was £65, screw that for a bit of rubber. Anyway I decided to buy these universal boots that stretch a lot more so you can slide them over the CV joint easily. Well it all went very well, and hopefully Ive just saved myself a bit of money. If it fails then Ill replace the shaft, wont be very hard as everything shouldn't be seized that time round as I use copper slip on everything!
In order for the megane engine to fit you have to use the Clio's cam cover and associated engine mounts, but i couldnt leave these in the state they were in considering there at the top of the engine. I took them to work and shot blast them so they were to base metal. I then etch primed them making sure to mask of all the rubber bushes, after 2 hours I followed my usual procedure of hitting it with 3 coats of colour coat and then 2 coats of lacquer as I dont want it super glossy looking. Ive done the Cam cover and upper arm link in the same black as my clio and then the other engine mount and plate in the gun metal colour that the rest of the engine is painted in. It looks OEM but with a different look.
The scuttle panel area is always a settling point for dirt and grime and mine was disgusting, 8 years of rotting leaves and dirt
however I didnt want to use the jet washer as it will drench out the garage and already cleaned engine bay that has exposed wiring. I opted for a £20 steam washer from argos and it worked a treat! I agitated it first with a detailing brush and Auto glym quick detailer and left it to dwell for 5 minutes. I then went in with the steam cleaner and it got most of the ingressed dirt out, I repeated this process until I was happy, now its all sparkly and ready for the fresh engine to go in
While I was cleaning out the scuttle panel i removed all the trim from around that area. One thing that has always bugged me with the engine bay is the heat resistant material sagging around the scuttle panel. While this trim piece was out I might as well rectify it. I used some EVO stick spray glue and drenched behind the heat resistant material with it. Then using some G clamps and some bits of wood I clamped it down and left it for an hour, now it doesn't sag. I didnt stop there though, as the turbo will be sitting right below this trim I decided to give it a bit more heat protection. By using the zircoflex heat shield material I cut out a strip and stuck it down onto the trim piece and cut off the excess with a sharp knife. Ill get some rubber edging from work to neaten it up a bit this week.
The link pipe was then wrapped with the same DEI titanium wrap the downpipe is wrapped with, a V band clamp was also tacked onto the end.
This week I hope to re-route the brake booster vacuum line as to the meganes brake servo is the other side to the clio's it has to be made longer. I also fit the heat shielding to the engine bay and make final prep for the engine to go in. I also still need to time up the engine
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Other pictures:
Thanks
Not a huge amount of work this week, just the bits that Ive been putting off
First of was the passenger side drive shaft. When I was stripping the engine out I slipped with the crow bar while levering out the driveshafts and split the inner rubber boot. I then searched for a genuine gaitor and could only find the outer ones and a new one from renault was £65, screw that for a bit of rubber. Anyway I decided to buy these universal boots that stretch a lot more so you can slide them over the CV joint easily. Well it all went very well, and hopefully Ive just saved myself a bit of money. If it fails then Ill replace the shaft, wont be very hard as everything shouldn't be seized that time round as I use copper slip on everything!
In order for the megane engine to fit you have to use the Clio's cam cover and associated engine mounts, but i couldnt leave these in the state they were in considering there at the top of the engine. I took them to work and shot blast them so they were to base metal. I then etch primed them making sure to mask of all the rubber bushes, after 2 hours I followed my usual procedure of hitting it with 3 coats of colour coat and then 2 coats of lacquer as I dont want it super glossy looking. Ive done the Cam cover and upper arm link in the same black as my clio and then the other engine mount and plate in the gun metal colour that the rest of the engine is painted in. It looks OEM but with a different look.
The scuttle panel area is always a settling point for dirt and grime and mine was disgusting, 8 years of rotting leaves and dirt
While I was cleaning out the scuttle panel i removed all the trim from around that area. One thing that has always bugged me with the engine bay is the heat resistant material sagging around the scuttle panel. While this trim piece was out I might as well rectify it. I used some EVO stick spray glue and drenched behind the heat resistant material with it. Then using some G clamps and some bits of wood I clamped it down and left it for an hour, now it doesn't sag. I didnt stop there though, as the turbo will be sitting right below this trim I decided to give it a bit more heat protection. By using the zircoflex heat shield material I cut out a strip and stuck it down onto the trim piece and cut off the excess with a sharp knife. Ill get some rubber edging from work to neaten it up a bit this week.
The link pipe was then wrapped with the same DEI titanium wrap the downpipe is wrapped with, a V band clamp was also tacked onto the end.
This week I hope to re-route the brake booster vacuum line as to the meganes brake servo is the other side to the clio's it has to be made longer. I also fit the heat shielding to the engine bay and make final prep for the engine to go in. I also still need to time up the engine
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Other pictures:
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
This week not a lot has been done mostly because of waiting for the last bits to arrive and being so busy with uni work and working 10 hour days all week. Anyway this weekend I managed to time up the engine finally! I rented some genuine Renault timing tools and began timing it yesterday, I first found TDC on piston 1, I installed the crank pin into the designated slot, I then checked this with a DTI gauge to increase precision and reduce the chances of power being lost through the timing being out. The cam locking tool was then installed to allign the slots in the end of the cam shafts. The belt was then installed and the Cam pulleys locked into position and the pulley nuts torqued to 30 N/m, the tensioner was rotated clockwise with an allen key until the marks lined up, the tensioner was then torqued to 8 N/m. All the locking tools were then removed and the engine turned over for 2 revolutions, the tools were then installed again to check everything still lined up. The blanking rubber seals were then installed.
This week Ill hopefully get the vacuum lines re-routed and I should finish a custom braided fuel vapour venting line to use up the line of the fuel line that I brought. The heat-shielding can then go on.
The plan is to get the engine in by next weekend, then I can concentrate on the suspension again and then get it finished.
Thanks
This week not a lot has been done mostly because of waiting for the last bits to arrive and being so busy with uni work and working 10 hour days all week. Anyway this weekend I managed to time up the engine finally! I rented some genuine Renault timing tools and began timing it yesterday, I first found TDC on piston 1, I installed the crank pin into the designated slot, I then checked this with a DTI gauge to increase precision and reduce the chances of power being lost through the timing being out. The cam locking tool was then installed to allign the slots in the end of the cam shafts. The belt was then installed and the Cam pulleys locked into position and the pulley nuts torqued to 30 N/m, the tensioner was rotated clockwise with an allen key until the marks lined up, the tensioner was then torqued to 8 N/m. All the locking tools were then removed and the engine turned over for 2 revolutions, the tools were then installed again to check everything still lined up. The blanking rubber seals were then installed.
This week Ill hopefully get the vacuum lines re-routed and I should finish a custom braided fuel vapour venting line to use up the line of the fuel line that I brought. The heat-shielding can then go on.
The plan is to get the engine in by next weekend, then I can concentrate on the suspension again and then get it finished.
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
This week was a big week with the with the project/conversion, the engine is finally in!!
Anyway, on Friday I picked up all my bolts from zinc plating like Ive done with all the engine and gearbox bolts, makes a big difference in the appearance of the engine bay. I also set about that evening re-routing my brake booster line and vapour line. I'm routing the brake booster line around the engine bay using the old AC pipe brackets/clamps to keep it neat and tidy. The vapour line ive made out of some spare braided line and fittings to make it look more in keeping with the engine bay (Im a sucker for for braided lines
)
Saturday I installed some heat shielding to protect the fuel lines and bulkhead from the increased heat of the turbo, it looks however Ill need some more to protect the re-routed brake booster hose. It looks okay, a bit messy in places but im useless with stuff like that, you should see my present wrapping skills
With that sorted attention went to getting the engine ready, all there was left to do was put on a new aux belt and fit the flywheel/clutch and gearbox. Aux belt was easy to do, 5min job with the right tools. However the clutch was a bit trickier, first thing was the fact there was no clutch aligning tool supplied with the clutch, I had to make an aluminium one out of a bit of scrap bar. With that sorted the flywheel was fitted and torqued to 30Nm + 60 degree's, the clutch was then bolted on using the aligning tool. The clutch plate was torqued down to 30Nm and blue loctite was used. Now the tricky bit, especially when there was only me. The starter motor was bolted to the gearbox and then the box was offered up to the engine, jesus gearboxes are heavy
all bolted up and the engine was ready to go in. Anti seize was used on all the bolts. The loom was also now connected.
Now the even trickier bit, with the hoist I carefully positioned the engine and gearbox in the bay, the exhaust link section was then put through the exhaust tunnel and then bolted to the downpipe flange. After this the engine was wiggled into position and the engine mounts tightened up. The gearbox mount plate will need to be removed in the week to be painted as i forgot to last week and today it was too late to do so.
Anyway the pictures:
Thanks
This week was a big week with the with the project/conversion, the engine is finally in!!
Anyway, on Friday I picked up all my bolts from zinc plating like Ive done with all the engine and gearbox bolts, makes a big difference in the appearance of the engine bay. I also set about that evening re-routing my brake booster line and vapour line. I'm routing the brake booster line around the engine bay using the old AC pipe brackets/clamps to keep it neat and tidy. The vapour line ive made out of some spare braided line and fittings to make it look more in keeping with the engine bay (Im a sucker for for braided lines
Saturday I installed some heat shielding to protect the fuel lines and bulkhead from the increased heat of the turbo, it looks however Ill need some more to protect the re-routed brake booster hose. It looks okay, a bit messy in places but im useless with stuff like that, you should see my present wrapping skills
With that sorted attention went to getting the engine ready, all there was left to do was put on a new aux belt and fit the flywheel/clutch and gearbox. Aux belt was easy to do, 5min job with the right tools. However the clutch was a bit trickier, first thing was the fact there was no clutch aligning tool supplied with the clutch, I had to make an aluminium one out of a bit of scrap bar. With that sorted the flywheel was fitted and torqued to 30Nm + 60 degree's, the clutch was then bolted on using the aligning tool. The clutch plate was torqued down to 30Nm and blue loctite was used. Now the tricky bit, especially when there was only me. The starter motor was bolted to the gearbox and then the box was offered up to the engine, jesus gearboxes are heavy
Now the even trickier bit, with the hoist I carefully positioned the engine and gearbox in the bay, the exhaust link section was then put through the exhaust tunnel and then bolted to the downpipe flange. After this the engine was wiggled into position and the engine mounts tightened up. The gearbox mount plate will need to be removed in the week to be painted as i forgot to last week and today it was too late to do so.
Anyway the pictures:
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Sorry for not posting last Sunday, I have been really busy, I have however mad some time in a few evenings and this weekend to put time aside to concentrate on the car.
First thing that needed to be sorted was the wiring and to plug all the sensors, coilpacks, injectors etc in, thanks to Steve at SC autos who made me a custom loom, everything lines up and makes it very easy to plug everything in correctly. There were however a few alterations to be made, first off was the fact i was using the newer style lambda sensors used on the clio 197 but not on the early megane 225's which is what my engine is from, this means the plugs were different. To solve this issue I bought some Tyco 4 pin plugs and rewired the lambda sensor and loom to match, hopefully Ive got it right and they work
another change was the fact that the clio 197 vacuum line sensor is located on the left of the engine bay and most conversions keep it in this position. I on the other hand have located it where the megane has its sensor to save making more custom vacuum lines, because of this I had to extend the loom to compensate, I have run the extension under the inlet manifold along with the brake booster vacuum line that Ive made to further compensate for the brake servo being on the opposite side to the meganes.
With the loom 90% installed I turned my attention to running the coolant pipes, the pipes were cleaned thoroughly and flushed out. One thing that needed doing here was modifying the heat matrix inlet as it is larger on a meganes. This was done by slipping a section of silicon hose over the barb fitting/inlet, then i could fit the meganes coolant pipe over the top and clamp it down, it shouldn't leak, if it does Ill have to think of another solution. Another problem that i ran into was because im using the clio gearbox when you secure down the secondary coolant pump it hits on the gear linkage and you cant get it into 2nd, 4th and 6th, I have therefore secured it in a higher position to clear the linkage, most people dont have this problem as they use the megane box. The battery tray could now be installed and luckily it hides most of the wiring and coolant pipes, it all looks rather neat
Today Ive cleaned out the radiator ready for some modification to aid cooling. The shocks were also stripped ready for servicing and to replace the springs with H and R ones. Top mounts look okay but I may replace them later in the year with some more suspension upgrades.
Its looking now more like a car again
by next weekend i hope to have the engine side of things pretty much completed, i can then concentrate on the suspension again and get it completed.
Jobs to do:
- install air intake
- finish fuel system
- finish suspension and driveshafts
- get front end resprayed (summer job)
- finish coolant system
- route the intercooler piping and secure intercooler
Photos:
Thanks
Sorry for not posting last Sunday, I have been really busy, I have however mad some time in a few evenings and this weekend to put time aside to concentrate on the car.
First thing that needed to be sorted was the wiring and to plug all the sensors, coilpacks, injectors etc in, thanks to Steve at SC autos who made me a custom loom, everything lines up and makes it very easy to plug everything in correctly. There were however a few alterations to be made, first off was the fact i was using the newer style lambda sensors used on the clio 197 but not on the early megane 225's which is what my engine is from, this means the plugs were different. To solve this issue I bought some Tyco 4 pin plugs and rewired the lambda sensor and loom to match, hopefully Ive got it right and they work
With the loom 90% installed I turned my attention to running the coolant pipes, the pipes were cleaned thoroughly and flushed out. One thing that needed doing here was modifying the heat matrix inlet as it is larger on a meganes. This was done by slipping a section of silicon hose over the barb fitting/inlet, then i could fit the meganes coolant pipe over the top and clamp it down, it shouldn't leak, if it does Ill have to think of another solution. Another problem that i ran into was because im using the clio gearbox when you secure down the secondary coolant pump it hits on the gear linkage and you cant get it into 2nd, 4th and 6th, I have therefore secured it in a higher position to clear the linkage, most people dont have this problem as they use the megane box. The battery tray could now be installed and luckily it hides most of the wiring and coolant pipes, it all looks rather neat
Today Ive cleaned out the radiator ready for some modification to aid cooling. The shocks were also stripped ready for servicing and to replace the springs with H and R ones. Top mounts look okay but I may replace them later in the year with some more suspension upgrades.
Its looking now more like a car again
Jobs to do:
- install air intake
- finish fuel system
- finish suspension and driveshafts
- get front end resprayed (summer job)
- finish coolant system
- route the intercooler piping and secure intercooler
Photos:
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
An early update this weekend mainly because there have been issues. Today i tried to test the starter motor and that the immobilizer had been decoded okay. Bad news the engine was solid and wouldnt turn over by hand whatsoever. Looked at a few things like the starter motor, cambelt etc, couldnt find anything wrong. A quick phone call to SteC and he told me that the fly wheel bolts may be too long and fouling on the crank case. This meant the engine had to come back out to get the gearbox off, in 30 mins it was out, fly wheel off and the bolts inspected. My mistake is the fact I ordered megane fly wheel bolts which are 2mm longer than the clio's bolts. This evening I turned down the bolts by 2.3mm so hopefully should get the engine in tomorrow and cranking over to check oil pressure etc.
I have also this week completely assembled one of my hubs with new swivel bearings and zinc plated bolts. I simply pressed them in at work. next week Ill strip and refurbish the other sides hubs.
I will update again tomorrow, with hopefully better news.
Thanks
An early update this weekend mainly because there have been issues. Today i tried to test the starter motor and that the immobilizer had been decoded okay. Bad news the engine was solid and wouldnt turn over by hand whatsoever. Looked at a few things like the starter motor, cambelt etc, couldnt find anything wrong. A quick phone call to SteC and he told me that the fly wheel bolts may be too long and fouling on the crank case. This meant the engine had to come back out to get the gearbox off, in 30 mins it was out, fly wheel off and the bolts inspected. My mistake is the fact I ordered megane fly wheel bolts which are 2mm longer than the clio's bolts. This evening I turned down the bolts by 2.3mm so hopefully should get the engine in tomorrow and cranking over to check oil pressure etc.
I have also this week completely assembled one of my hubs with new swivel bearings and zinc plated bolts. I simply pressed them in at work. next week Ill strip and refurbish the other sides hubs.
I will update again tomorrow, with hopefully better news.
Thanks
Clio 197
UPDATE:
As promised I have an update about the current situation. I bolted up the flywheel again with the modified bolts and turned the engine over by hand and success it turns over once again
i was listening out for any grinding and could hear or feel any. Bolted up the clutch like before and installed the gearbox, a lot easier this time as my dad was on hand to help. Within an hour the engine was bolted back in the car and started connecting up the loom, clutch line, coolant hoses, gear linkages and exhaust and also bled the clutch with new ATE fluid, I was now at the point I was yesterday and ready to give the engine a crank, but wait another problem, the dash wasn't lighting up but the interior lights were and the ignition wasnt coming on, 20 mins with the multimeter and still no ideas on what it could be. I then checked the postive terminal plug and it appears there is a fuse inside this, it separates the interior/aux electrics and the engine electrics. My guess is the motor drew too much current when it wasn't able to turn the engine over yesterday and this was enough to blow the fuse, doh! Anyway a new one is on order, I linked out this fuse just to test the starter motor and immobilizer, and it all turns over lovely.
Ive now given the front sub-frame a quick coat of hammerite to cure a bit of rust and then bolted that in. The radiator was then bolted up and hosed up, this will probably be changed out with a megane rad later in the year when I have more time. Intercooler was now quickly mocked up and secured with zip ties so I can figure out some brackets to hold it securely. She starting to look a bit menacing now
Pictures as usual:
Thanks
As promised I have an update about the current situation. I bolted up the flywheel again with the modified bolts and turned the engine over by hand and success it turns over once again
Ive now given the front sub-frame a quick coat of hammerite to cure a bit of rust and then bolted that in. The radiator was then bolted up and hosed up, this will probably be changed out with a megane rad later in the year when I have more time. Intercooler was now quickly mocked up and secured with zip ties so I can figure out some brackets to hold it securely. She starting to look a bit menacing now
Pictures as usual:
Thanks
dann2707
ClioSport Club Member
This. Is. Unbelievable.
Proper perfectionist work. Love your dedication mate.
Proper perfectionist work. Love your dedication mate.
Clio 197
Thanks mate, hopefully be running soon
Clio 197
UPDATE:
Today I took a last minute day off to get bits finished off on the clio, getting very close now to starting her up. First on the list today was to assemble the shocks with some H and R springs, the shocks were painted gloss black and the rubber boots and top mounts were given a through clean, the springs were then installed using some springs compressors. Id imagine these will be swapped out next year for some BC coilovers but funds dont allow that at this moment in time
I have also started to finish off my fuel system today, Ive plumbed in the feed line and figured out how Im going to mount my fuel pressure reg. A new bracket will need to be made for the pressure reg. The return line will also be plumbed in when Ive got the car up at running before mapping. i wont need to the HP fuel pump on stock map and on running the engine in so no reason it to complicate it at this point, it will be one less thing to bed in and setup considering I have a new clutch, flywheel, engine internals, rebuilt gearbox and other bits.
Drive shafts were also given the OCD treatment and wire brushed followed by a coat of smooth black hammerite.
Tomorrow I should get the driver side suspension sorted like hubs, struts, driveshafts etc. Im then going to sort out positioning the coolant resouvior as I have a feeling another bracket will have to be made up. Ill update again sunday.
Thanks
Today I took a last minute day off to get bits finished off on the clio, getting very close now to starting her up. First on the list today was to assemble the shocks with some H and R springs, the shocks were painted gloss black and the rubber boots and top mounts were given a through clean, the springs were then installed using some springs compressors. Id imagine these will be swapped out next year for some BC coilovers but funds dont allow that at this moment in time
I have also started to finish off my fuel system today, Ive plumbed in the feed line and figured out how Im going to mount my fuel pressure reg. A new bracket will need to be made for the pressure reg. The return line will also be plumbed in when Ive got the car up at running before mapping. i wont need to the HP fuel pump on stock map and on running the engine in so no reason it to complicate it at this point, it will be one less thing to bed in and setup considering I have a new clutch, flywheel, engine internals, rebuilt gearbox and other bits.
Drive shafts were also given the OCD treatment and wire brushed followed by a coat of smooth black hammerite.
Tomorrow I should get the driver side suspension sorted like hubs, struts, driveshafts etc. Im then going to sort out positioning the coolant resouvior as I have a feeling another bracket will have to be made up. Ill update again sunday.
Thanks
Can't believe how little attention this is getting. Such a well documented build.
Love it, keep it up!
Love it, keep it up!
Yeah I agree. It's certainly slipped under my radar! Fantastic project, can't wait to see the end result!
