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The life of... SharkyUK's Trophy
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
There's still an open debate as to who that characterizes, sure as f**k ain't Mick
Hey, I never said I was a great character artist!
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
No contest, mate - the GT4 EVERY time. The Trophy is a great car and immensely enjoyable, but the GT4 is a different league.
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
True, it's not really a fair competition in my eyes but they are also two very different cars and experiences! There are times when I choose the Trophy keys over the Porsche and there are plenty of local roads that are far better suited to the Trophy, too.
davo172
ClioSport Club Member
TCR'd 172
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
If you had my 2 cars sat in your garage I'd be calling the cops!
In other news, I made a (belated) start on attempting to improve the paintwork today. After several hours I still hadn't actually gotten onto the paintwork.
At least the glass is contaminant-free, polished and clean. It will take a few days and, when done, I suspect it will be several shades of red and pink. But at least it will be clean and shiny red and pink! Assuming I keep it, I expect a full respray will be in its future at some point.
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
UPDATE // 07-JUL-2022
I decided to take advantage of the decent weather and the fact that I had a few days free. That meant addressing the paintwork on #165 and attempting to breathe some life back into the neglected paintwork, trim, interior, and other areas.
Day 1 was spent deep cleaning the exterior with a plethora of products, and a lot of patience. After the usual pre-wash, foam, and regular wash I then went a step further and applied fallout remover to get rid of unwanted tar, iron, and other crap embedded in the paint. Oh yeah, I also used the clay bar to remove a lot of surface contaminants and - eventually - the paintwork was looking a lot better. I also had to address the glass as it was in a poor state, too - so I pretty much followed the same steps. Ideally, the windscreen needs replacing as it's scratched to heck but that will have to wait. In truth, the rear window also needs replacing as something has damaged one side leaving pitting. Anyhow, the plastics and rubbers were also deep-cleaned and undressed.
Days 2 and 3 were spent on the paintwork with mostly my DA rotary polisher in hand and an assortment of cutting and polishing pads within easy reach. It's no show queen and some of the scratches and scuffs are a bit too deep for me to tackle without knowing the depth of the top coat (I don't want to cut too deep) so I just focused on removing the light stuff and bird-poop etchings. To be fair, it came up better than I expected... but also served to highlight the fact that the handles are now ridiculously pink and the plastics are a different shade of Capsicum Red to the rest of the shell! Oh well, it will do for now!
I had hoped to make a start on the interior, trim/rubbers on Day 4 but, in removing the plates, I found a little rust that needed treating on the rear boot lid. I gave it a quick sanding down, filled it, and it should be good for sanding, primer, paint and lacquer tomorrow. The rust wasn't too bad, just a little bit around where the previous plates had been screwed in. Talking of which, the screw holes were also filled and will also be sanded, primed, etc.
Whilst the painting/lacquering is being done I'll use the in-between (drying) times to tackle some of the other outstanding jobs. it's getting much closer to where I want it to be now.
I have a few bits ordered (or will be ordering shortly) - rear number plate light, headlights, that sort of stuff.
I decided to take advantage of the decent weather and the fact that I had a few days free. That meant addressing the paintwork on #165 and attempting to breathe some life back into the neglected paintwork, trim, interior, and other areas.
Day 1 was spent deep cleaning the exterior with a plethora of products, and a lot of patience. After the usual pre-wash, foam, and regular wash I then went a step further and applied fallout remover to get rid of unwanted tar, iron, and other crap embedded in the paint. Oh yeah, I also used the clay bar to remove a lot of surface contaminants and - eventually - the paintwork was looking a lot better. I also had to address the glass as it was in a poor state, too - so I pretty much followed the same steps. Ideally, the windscreen needs replacing as it's scratched to heck but that will have to wait. In truth, the rear window also needs replacing as something has damaged one side leaving pitting. Anyhow, the plastics and rubbers were also deep-cleaned and undressed.
Days 2 and 3 were spent on the paintwork with mostly my DA rotary polisher in hand and an assortment of cutting and polishing pads within easy reach. It's no show queen and some of the scratches and scuffs are a bit too deep for me to tackle without knowing the depth of the top coat (I don't want to cut too deep) so I just focused on removing the light stuff and bird-poop etchings. To be fair, it came up better than I expected... but also served to highlight the fact that the handles are now ridiculously pink and the plastics are a different shade of Capsicum Red to the rest of the shell! Oh well, it will do for now!
I had hoped to make a start on the interior, trim/rubbers on Day 4 but, in removing the plates, I found a little rust that needed treating on the rear boot lid. I gave it a quick sanding down, filled it, and it should be good for sanding, primer, paint and lacquer tomorrow. The rust wasn't too bad, just a little bit around where the previous plates had been screwed in. Talking of which, the screw holes were also filled and will also be sanded, primed, etc.
Whilst the painting/lacquering is being done I'll use the in-between (drying) times to tackle some of the other outstanding jobs. it's getting much closer to where I want it to be now.
I have a few bits ordered (or will be ordering shortly) - rear number plate light, headlights, that sort of stuff.
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
Thank you, mate! Hopefully, the finishing touches will be the icing on the cake in a couple of days or so...
Seriously, fella?!?!?! It's been several days of blazing sunshine here and the same again into the weekend. 24+ degrees C through to next week it seems...
massiveCoRbyn
ClioSport Club Member
Several
Yeah f**k painting it. Just used the crap out of it. I’d paint it before selling it, or before packing it away as a garage queen. They were built to be driven and you have some catching up to do in the old Girl…I say get a few bits tidied, sort door handles but otherwise a decent detail is all you want to be doing….besides given your luck with garages. Imagine the torment of a body shop! Which in my experience can be like running a lottery in the Wild West!
davo172
ClioSport Club Member
TCR'd 172
Daniel
ClioSport Moderator
Whichever has fuel
Thank you, mate! Hopefully, the finishing touches will be the icing on the cake in a couple of days or so...
Seriously, fella?!?!?! It's been several days of blazing sunshine here and the same again into the weekend. 24+ degrees C through to next week it seems...
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
Don't worry, mate - I am enjoying it! I'm not particularly precious about it anymore. If it gets chips, it gets chips. It's had the front end resprayed (new bonnet) anyway after the lorry that drove into it whilst it was parked up.
I'm in no hurry mate, just driving it and enjoying it as intended.
It's the daily - so shopping trips, runs to the tip, DIY supplies, you name it! Not the most practical of vehicles for that stuff but I don't mind. The Abarth will be replaced with something more practical in due course.I'm in no hurry to paint it! It's something I'm thinking of waaaaaay down the line.
Ain't that the truth!
It's being driven! I've done about 2000 miles over the last 8 weeks and it's been at Mick's being fixed again during that time!
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
UPDATE // 08-JUL-2022
Well, I think it's finally "done" for now. I'm waiting on a few parts to arrive but I think I'm just about there.
It's been another long day at the end of a very long week. A week in which I've made attempts to address many cosmetic areas of the car that I felt needed refreshing, addressing, fixing, or manly doses of TLC. It's not all gone to plan but, screw it, job jobbed.
The paintwork has come up nicely, as long as you don't stand too close. Several days of compounding/cutting, polishing, and other things I've heard detailers mention in their vocabulary. I've mentioned already that it will get a respray AT SOME POINT DOWN THE LINE but, as I have also said to some folks, I'm not massively precious about it. I'll look after it as well as I can but - ultimately - it's a red Clio that I want to drive and enjoy. And I am because #165 is my daily, even if not the most practical for tip runs, fetching DIY supplies, or lugging garden centre purchases. In fact, I did have a go at a bit of painting after treating the rust and filling the screw holes from previous rear number plates...
Trophy enthusiasts may want to look away now.
Ghetto painting at its finest.
Don't worry, it actually came up pretty good in the end! I didn't (and still don't) have a clue what I'm doing having never done any car paint/spray stuff before. Thank you, YouTube. Anyways, the area was rust treated, primed, painted, lacquered, etc. It took bloody ages, even doing it ghetto style. Thankfully, I managed not to cover any other areas of the car in fallout or overspray. Result.
With the paintwork clean and polished-up "nice and proper", I decided to have a crack at putting the new decals onto the sills. Hmm. I won't lie, that didn't go so well. Having decided to err on the side of caution, I mixed up a mild solution of soapy water (as advised) so that I could apply the decal and then have a moment or two to slide and move it into place. Or so I thought. I roughly placed the decal (both sill and decal sprayed with said solution) in the approximate position using the provided guidelines. F**k. The decal stuck instantly! FLOL! It just grabbed and I couldn't move the damn thing! As a result, I basically had to leave the decal where it was, and to my annoyance, it is very slightly lopsided. Not by much, but more than enough to annoy me. I think I'm going to buy another set and try again. Sure enough, I experienced the same issue on the other side. This time the decal was more or less perfect (I'd learned that my first effort was pretty much going to be my only effort to locate it!) The placement was much better but the letter "H" decided to be a pillock and slightly crumpled as it left the media and attached to the sill. With it sticking instantly I couldn't do anything about it so "H" now has a slight crease in it. Again, minor but enough to pish me off. Yes, I will definitely be buying another set and trying again.
Anyways, this is how #165 is looking at the moment - complete with new plates.
(Yes, I know "Trophy" is wonky).
(Yes, I know "H" is creased-up - but not in a joviality sense).
Thankfully, it doesn't look too bad from the front end. I don't have any centre caps on these wheels as these are actually my track wheels. The original Trophy Turinis I have are stored safely away. I can't wait for the new headlights to arrive (well, when I've ordered them) as they should really tighten and tidy up the front end nicely. Toight like a toiger.
The interior got a bit of Sharky-loving as well. To be honest, it doesn't scrub up too badly for a 100k+ miler.
Replaced the number plaque as well due to the old one looking a bit worse for wear. No, it's not the original plaque spec/design but... pfft. Modified innit bro'.
Here's a pic of the fleet as it stands.
I'm really not a fan of the Abarth though so I moved it out of the way and took a couple more pics of the red twins.
That's it. I'm knackered and aching. These delicate hands weren't made for car stuff. Other than the driving bit.
Cheers!
Well, I think it's finally "done" for now. I'm waiting on a few parts to arrive but I think I'm just about there.
It's been another long day at the end of a very long week. A week in which I've made attempts to address many cosmetic areas of the car that I felt needed refreshing, addressing, fixing, or manly doses of TLC. It's not all gone to plan but, screw it, job jobbed.
The paintwork has come up nicely, as long as you don't stand too close. Several days of compounding/cutting, polishing, and other things I've heard detailers mention in their vocabulary. I've mentioned already that it will get a respray AT SOME POINT DOWN THE LINE but, as I have also said to some folks, I'm not massively precious about it. I'll look after it as well as I can but - ultimately - it's a red Clio that I want to drive and enjoy. And I am because #165 is my daily, even if not the most practical for tip runs, fetching DIY supplies, or lugging garden centre purchases. In fact, I did have a go at a bit of painting after treating the rust and filling the screw holes from previous rear number plates...
Trophy enthusiasts may want to look away now.
Ghetto painting at its finest.
Don't worry, it actually came up pretty good in the end! I didn't (and still don't) have a clue what I'm doing having never done any car paint/spray stuff before. Thank you, YouTube. Anyways, the area was rust treated, primed, painted, lacquered, etc. It took bloody ages, even doing it ghetto style. Thankfully, I managed not to cover any other areas of the car in fallout or overspray. Result.
With the paintwork clean and polished-up "nice and proper", I decided to have a crack at putting the new decals onto the sills. Hmm. I won't lie, that didn't go so well. Having decided to err on the side of caution, I mixed up a mild solution of soapy water (as advised) so that I could apply the decal and then have a moment or two to slide and move it into place. Or so I thought. I roughly placed the decal (both sill and decal sprayed with said solution) in the approximate position using the provided guidelines. F**k. The decal stuck instantly! FLOL! It just grabbed and I couldn't move the damn thing! As a result, I basically had to leave the decal where it was, and to my annoyance, it is very slightly lopsided. Not by much, but more than enough to annoy me. I think I'm going to buy another set and try again. Sure enough, I experienced the same issue on the other side. This time the decal was more or less perfect (I'd learned that my first effort was pretty much going to be my only effort to locate it!) The placement was much better but the letter "H" decided to be a pillock and slightly crumpled as it left the media and attached to the sill. With it sticking instantly I couldn't do anything about it so "H" now has a slight crease in it. Again, minor but enough to pish me off. Yes, I will definitely be buying another set and trying again.
Anyways, this is how #165 is looking at the moment - complete with new plates.
(Yes, I know "Trophy" is wonky).
(Yes, I know "H" is creased-up - but not in a joviality sense).
Thankfully, it doesn't look too bad from the front end. I don't have any centre caps on these wheels as these are actually my track wheels. The original Trophy Turinis I have are stored safely away. I can't wait for the new headlights to arrive (well, when I've ordered them) as they should really tighten and tidy up the front end nicely. Toight like a toiger.
The interior got a bit of Sharky-loving as well. To be honest, it doesn't scrub up too badly for a 100k+ miler.
Replaced the number plaque as well due to the old one looking a bit worse for wear. No, it's not the original plaque spec/design but... pfft. Modified innit bro'.
Here's a pic of the fleet as it stands.
I'm really not a fan of the Abarth though so I moved it out of the way and took a couple more pics of the red twins.
That's it. I'm knackered and aching. These delicate hands weren't made for car stuff. Other than the driving bit.
Cheers!
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
Foonk you, that's ofyly kind of yoo.
ebay mate! Look here... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223597638715
Funny you should say that...
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
UPDATE // 10-JUL-2022
And so the updates keep rolling in... Don't worry, this will be a quick/short one.
Basically. F**k you, Trophy. Does anyone want to buy it?
Let's kick things off with a pic.
This was my driveway at 7am this morning. I had a car meet near Bristol and decided to take both the Trophy and the GT4 (missus kindly offering to drive the Trophy). As you will know if you've been following the updates, I've just thrown another load of money at this (getting it fixed) and spent the best part of a week detailing it and tidying it up. Hence I was on a high and looking forward to taking it along to the meet. I had deliberately targeted this date as well as it is a year since I got the car back!
So imagine my, er, mild annoyance(!) when it stopped again halfway down the drive. Yep, it's not parked there deliberately. FFS. Talk about a come down after all the efforts of recent days, weeks and months. I think it has just about broken me.
The suspicion is that the alternator has died and the battery is kaputt. I've grabbed a friend's meter and will be checking the battery and alternator in the next day or so. It can just stay there gathering bird poop for now; I can't be bothered pushing it back up the drive and, really, I don't have much care for it in my current mood.
And so the updates keep rolling in... Don't worry, this will be a quick/short one.
Basically. F**k you, Trophy. Does anyone want to buy it?
Let's kick things off with a pic.
This was my driveway at 7am this morning. I had a car meet near Bristol and decided to take both the Trophy and the GT4 (missus kindly offering to drive the Trophy). As you will know if you've been following the updates, I've just thrown another load of money at this (getting it fixed) and spent the best part of a week detailing it and tidying it up. Hence I was on a high and looking forward to taking it along to the meet. I had deliberately targeted this date as well as it is a year since I got the car back!
So imagine my, er, mild annoyance(!) when it stopped again halfway down the drive. Yep, it's not parked there deliberately. FFS. Talk about a come down after all the efforts of recent days, weeks and months. I think it has just about broken me.
The suspicion is that the alternator has died and the battery is kaputt. I've grabbed a friend's meter and will be checking the battery and alternator in the next day or so. It can just stay there gathering bird poop for now; I can't be bothered pushing it back up the drive and, really, I don't have much care for it in my current mood.
Gutted Andy. My alternator packed up a few months back after it’s start from winter storage. Guess these are old cars now and s**t is gonna break on them. They certainly don’t like not being used
Ocsltd
ClioSport Club Member
172 Cup & 182 Trophy
Andy, you're a lovely Guy, and like many on here, I've watched this saga unfold from the beginning.....
BUT, for the love of God, just get rid of the sodding thing!!! Despite the love, care, attention and not to mention money you've thrown at it, this car, for what ever reason, has got it in for you!!
I know you're emotionally invested with it, and on the odd time it works, it's enjoyable, but surely for those odd times, it's really not worth all this heart ache, surely??!!
BUT, for the love of God, just get rid of the sodding thing!!! Despite the love, care, attention and not to mention money you've thrown at it, this car, for what ever reason, has got it in for you!!
I know you're emotionally invested with it, and on the odd time it works, it's enjoyable, but surely for those odd times, it's really not worth all this heart ache, surely??!!
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
Thanks, mate - I'll post an update in a moment. Over the last couple of days, I've found time to sit down, relax, and calm down - basically ignore the red thing on the driveway! I also got hold of a meter and took some readings. I can be quite the gangsta mechanic when I need to be. Even if I did have to borrow the meter from a mate after reversing over my own.
I do actually recall changing the alternator a while back (7-8 years ago!) as I'm sure something had snapped or corroded. I can't quite recall. But yeah, a lot has happened in the intervening years and I don't even know who/when/if the battery had been changed.
Let's just say the patience is fag-paper thin at the moment mate and it wouldn't take much more for me to move it on! Possibly...
I was considering being the provider for this year's festival campfire! Hmm. Time to check out the Agreed Value on the insurance policy!
I knew I should have taken my friend's advice regarding those pre-nups...Mate, I'm not a lovely guy. I'm an idiot.
I don't know anyone else who would have put up with this s*tshow since, well, the beginning! I think the missus has had enough and I'm treading that thin line. I'm not sure how easy it would be to shift on, though - as the problems are quite well documented and, as a few people have pointed out, it will always be known as "Andy's Trophy" or "Sharky's Trophy". Unless I can find some unsuspecting buyer.HOWEVER...
Update incoming...
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
UPDATE // 14-JUL-2022
For the last few days, I have absolutely hated Trophy #165. Truly hated it to the point where my enthusiasm for it was probably the lowest it has ever been. And now, as I write this post, I absolutely love it again. Are all older French hot-hatches like this?
After spending a few days on the naughty step of the driveway (largely due to the fact that it was unable to move under its own power) it is now running once again. And very nicely, too. After getting the multimeter on the battery I found that it was reading a healthy 12.6V but I still could not get the car to start. I wanted to get the engine running to ultimately test the alternator but first I needed it running.
Yup, you've probably guessed already - it was a defective battery. Despite showing near-on full charge and reading a healthy 12.6V, it suddenly would drop to 10-odd volts as soon as any attempt was made to start the car. I don't have a jumper pack, nor could I find my jump leads, so I just popped down to my local parts place and grabbed a Bosch battery and swapped them over. Boom, straight into life and purring again.
With the engine running I then got the meter out again and took another reading - 14.4V - so it looks like the alternator is good (for the time being at least). To celebrate this simple fix I naturally had to take it out for a coffee run via the nice roads over the hills!
So, #165 has earned a reprieve and I'm really hoping this is the last niggle for a while! It's getting to the point where even stupid and simple things - like this battery issue - are really getting to me, as it feels as though it's one thing after another, after another, after another...!
For the last few days, I have absolutely hated Trophy #165. Truly hated it to the point where my enthusiasm for it was probably the lowest it has ever been. And now, as I write this post, I absolutely love it again. Are all older French hot-hatches like this?
After spending a few days on the naughty step of the driveway (largely due to the fact that it was unable to move under its own power) it is now running once again. And very nicely, too. After getting the multimeter on the battery I found that it was reading a healthy 12.6V but I still could not get the car to start. I wanted to get the engine running to ultimately test the alternator but first I needed it running.
Yup, you've probably guessed already - it was a defective battery. Despite showing near-on full charge and reading a healthy 12.6V, it suddenly would drop to 10-odd volts as soon as any attempt was made to start the car. I don't have a jumper pack, nor could I find my jump leads, so I just popped down to my local parts place and grabbed a Bosch battery and swapped them over. Boom, straight into life and purring again.
With the engine running I then got the meter out again and took another reading - 14.4V - so it looks like the alternator is good (for the time being at least). To celebrate this simple fix I naturally had to take it out for a coffee run via the nice roads over the hills!
So, #165 has earned a reprieve and I'm really hoping this is the last niggle for a while! It's getting to the point where even stupid and simple things - like this battery issue - are really getting to me, as it feels as though it's one thing after another, after another, after another...!
Stefan.
ClioSport Club Member
Cracking pics
Looks lovely
Looks lovely
SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
Thank you, mate.
Exactly! She's such a cruel mistress/temptress/tease sometimes, though!
Thanks, Andy. A few small things left to do now (such as new boot struts) and that should hopefully be it for a while. Time to enjoy it. I hope!
