The Hybrid 2004-06

[Winston]

It all started back in 2004 when i was looking for a Clio 1.8 16V to replace my stolen Fiesta 1.6 Si, At the time i spent months looking for 449 blue example, buying the Autotrader week in week out (it was pre ebay motors days lol)... After about 6months with no joy, I found a black 1992 Ph1.. 100% standard example with just 70k, minutes from my house, it was almost like it was ment to be
The clutch was on its way out but other than that at the time looked like it had no other problems... I paid £3000 for it, which at the time was a fair price (how times change lol)

I had plans to keep it standard but that lasted about a month before i purchased some 7x16's Prima Williams reps and a Ph2 grill & lights

Being a wheel ***** next mod was more wheels lol.. I got some Ronal turbos of my mates dub... why ahead of the game in 2004

 

[Winston]

Then I had lots of problems with the car and I did not having a clue, it was sent to a local garage for repairs as least once every month... Clutch, Core plug, altenator, it was problem after problem.. it cost a small fortune and was a down side to owning a Clio 16V

I then bought some more wheels lol... 7x16 & 9x16 Porsche Silver Rose Alloys, I had to wait 6months for custom H&R adaptors to come from germany.. IMO it was worth the wait

Then i found Cliosport.net.. the car got mixed reviews and the site was the wake up call i needed, more infomation than i could have wished for.. I read about a member u33db doing a Williams wide track conversion (first in the uk) I had a feeling the track was wider on a williams and from what i had read outside of Cliosport it made all the difference to handling on the williams

So next upgrade was wide track with JR coilovers, as the car needed lowering to pull the wheels off... I have no pictures of this tho

Soon after this the diff clip in the gearbox popped which ment i could select gears with out the clutch and there was no drive.. I sent it to the local garage and they said the clutch had gone, which was bollox as it had just had a new one 2k ago.. I put it down to a knackered gearbox, so the car came off the road till i could find the parts to have a crack at fixing it myself... garage bills were passed a joke

In this time i bought a 106 Rallye from a mate for cheap.. so the Clio 16V turned into abit of a project car

 

[Winston]

With the help of a fellow Cliosport member Gibbo... I found a Williams 3 engine and gearbox on.... as from what i had read F7R was the only way to go

 

[Winston]

Now at this point i was newbie to anything engine related, I got alot of help from my mate nick to do the widetrack (well he fitted it all lol).. but now he lent me his tools and threw me in at the deep end, I set about stripping the engine, ready to pull it out the car, so up went a gazebo in my back garden (my i add it was december when i started.. long jons FTW)

Nick came round and we got the engine out

 

[Winston]

Cleaned with a wire bush and with kitchen cleaner lol

Masked up

Painted with plasticoat super gloss.. recomended by Andy at GDi

 

[Winston]

Sump being painted

It was starting to look the part

I had been polishing cam cover and inlet manifold for months for the old engine, so finished them and new bits i needed arrived from BBTuning

 

[Winston]

Nick came round again and we got the subframe off, as it looked a mess compared to the engine

Subframe being painted

Built back up.. Inc Manual rack (in my mums kitchen, love you mum lol)

 

[Winston]

The gearbox cleaned and painted

The engine fitted with all the new parts, pretty much ready to go back in

The gearbox on and it up and ready to go back in (nicks help once again)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/Winston16V/Engine%
20conversion/Willycon070.jpg

 

[Winston]

Gibbo also came to lend a hand... so the 3 of us set about getting the engine back in, we were sure the williams engine was bigger.. such a tight fit lol

And its in

 

[Winston]

So i set about building it back up... It started first time, I was over the moon lol

Gazebo down

I sold the porsche wheels and bought some brand new Ronal Turbos and fitted PE2's with them fitted it went for the tracking set and General check over with a mate who is manger ATS

Being thrown in at the deep end was the best thing i could have ever done.. I could have never done it without my Friends or Cliosport.. Cheers all, It was time to start enjoying the car

 

[Winston]

The Hybrid at its first Cliosport meet

 

[Winston]

I then took the car to York drag strip for GTi spectacular.. The car ran a 14.9 on its first run and my best time at the end of the day was a 14.3 @ 99mph, I was more than happy with that

With FCS2006 coming ever closer.. I had formed a good friend ship with David16v owner of Carbonnut, I agreed to go on his stand and secured the first Carbon bonnet and door cards in the uk

 

[Winston]

The weekend before FCS I polished the engine up and wound the coilovers... only problem being the torsion bar was seized (to be sorted once i was down there )

We filled the boot with garden flags at David16v's house to lower the back end lol, the car had a rusty arch also but i was hoping this would be over looked as a full respray was planned... The car got a good response at FCS, I was more than happy

 

[Winston]

After FCS it was new wheel time.. so swapped my Ronal turbos for some polished Williams wheels

 

[Winston]

I attended the first Williamsclio club track day and it was my first too.. The car performed well and and was keeping than keeping up

 

[Winston]

With the carbon bonnet being a prototype it was not perfect.. thus i found out at 110mph on the M6 when i lost the top layer of carbon skin lol

I had to fit another bonnet... which gave it a kind of ratty sleeper look lol

 

[Winston]

Times started getting hard for me and i was forced to sell my wheels and run these rather rat looking 16v steels... went well with the bonnet, but it was pretty much down hill from here

Times got even harder trying to save a failed business venture and the engine came out to be sold ... The engine still lives on in another members car, it really was a freak of an engine

 

[Winston]

Then it came to an end... I sold most the parts but kept a few for a future projects

THE END... R.I.P 2004-2006

This is without a doubt the fastest car ive ever owned and no car i have built since has ever touched it for handling or pace... I was sorry it ended this way but sh*t happens and it led way to other Clio projects, coming to a project thread near you

Thanks for reading
Winston

PS sorry for some of the low quality of pictures.. cameras phones had only just come out lol

 

[*Danny*]

great write up mate looked an absolutely awesome car when it lived, lol at the carbon bonnet comeing off

 

[Christopher]

I remember my passenger ride... it really was a freak. Wheelspin in second, in the dry anyone? :approve:

If the R5's even half as cool as this was, it'll be a good 'un.

I still have the pictures of this car running on my old Cup Turinis.

 

[Winston]

Thats black mail LOL... thought those pics would never find there way out

 

[f0xy]

camera phones had only just come out....pmsl

good read!

 

[Naith]

i <3 u

pics outside XS bowling, god ur so much better than me

 

[B5 BDJ]

my eyes hurt, worth it for a good read though.

was a nice car winston.

 

[Winston]

It was better when it was GX super bowl

 

[Naith]

It was better when it was GX super bowl

did u used to go lazer quest n get a wimpy afterwards?

 

[Winston]

f**k yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jay Payne]

Love it, i think this one is my fav

 

[Coby.]

It was a Great Car RIP

 

[Martin]

leg-end ..