ClioSport.net
Register a free account today to become a member!
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.
The TJM Project
- Thread starter obcuz
- Start date
Looks brilliant even after 120k miles!
182, 6r GTi
very nice ! were did you get the tailored cover from ? could really do with one myself
Yes, we made it to CSS this year, had a great time and really glad we went along, I'll be adding an update to this thread shortly.
"S C", The cover I got was 2nd hand, I can't remember the maker (something like "Classic Car Covers"), it does have a label, just it's wrapped and packed at the moment so not sure, it's one of those multi-layer ones, when I originally looked at these new they were around the £200 mark and they are specifically tailored for each model, you can get cheaper, but you should avoid those really cheap single layer ones, they usually rip to shreds during the first gale. Having said that, a friend had one of the expensive tailored covers on his Bentley and the mice ate it away in no time (the cover)!
"S C", The cover I got was 2nd hand, I can't remember the maker (something like "Classic Car Covers"), it does have a label, just it's wrapped and packed at the moment so not sure, it's one of those multi-layer ones, when I originally looked at these new they were around the £200 mark and they are specifically tailored for each model, you can get cheaper, but you should avoid those really cheap single layer ones, they usually rip to shreds during the first gale. Having said that, a friend had one of the expensive tailored covers on his Bentley and the mice ate it away in no time (the cover)!
Project update.
One of the recent highlights was a trip down to CSS at the Duxford IWM, by far the greatest distance I have driven the car, following the West Midlands convoy down was great fun and the time absolutely flew by.
This was a 230 mile round trip, although the missus was also happy to drive some of the way, this didn't happen as I was enjoying it too much, the car didn't miss a beat, and surprisingly I was not even tired when we got back home, a steady 70MPH on the M6/A14/M11 and was showing 39MPG at the end of the full journey much of this with the c/c engaged.
We thoroughly enjoyed the day, met some CS members, did a couple of tours of the paddock to admire the cars, and seen some incredible planes close-up.
I had not so far updated the project this year as not much has really been happening, TJM passed the MOT in February with no problems, just an advisory on a missing drive shaft gaiter clip which was easily fixed. I had taken the car cover off at the time for the MOT and before I could refit it (it needs a couple of dry days at least) - the snow came again, and lots of it, bah - so it stayed off the rest of the winter.
Like many others, I had a recall letter from Renault about the bonnet catch, I decided to do this myself, it looked OK, the catch had probably been replaced previously and it still was working well, but anyway I took the upper catch off and gave it a thorough clean and re-grease of all moving parts, this was quite an easy job and I certainly spent more time on it than they would have done.
Most of the other work has been cosmetic or replacing minor broken bits, like the nearside scuttle which had a broken clip on the underside, the rear seat belt clip thingy, the number plate lamp unit which is a cheap and easy fix to smarten this area as they do become discoloured, another rear number plate as the last one's laminates had separated after just a year, and replaced another windscreen washer pump.
The only other job needs doing before the end of the summer will be an oil/filter change.
Also collected a few spares for 'stock', including another new wheel and tyre, and that's about it.
It's a pity in the last two years that we have not used it much, only about 500 miles have been covered between each MOT, so £ per mile this is an expensive undertaking, its now at 121800 miles and still looks good although on close inspection there are all the usual signs of high mileage, e.g. stone chips, it still is pretty shinny which is usually remarked on wherever we go! "has it been resprayed"? or "What polish you using"?, etc.
Yes, sure I clean it ever week, inside and out including the hard to get at areas like inside the door jambs, a hose down and wash over with Autoglym, and about every three months or so use Autoglym resin polish, it does leave white residue in the stone chips and on the plastics so probably will look at some other possibilities in the future, but the resin polish does give a good shine.
The car at CSS-2013, a couple of hours on Friday cleaning was mostly destroyed by the journey down, a wet motorway, the spray, the blat - I did see several lads get out their buckets and sponges out of their boots when they arrived - must remember that next time!.
We left Duxford around 4PM, the rain wasn't easing and it was a fair old way back to the West Midlands, which was later hampered by a 1 hour holdup on the M6 - seen very few Clios on the way back compared to on the way down though.
During the winter, I was playing with the idea of a database driven application to store all my car related info, jobs, parts, service history and so on, I used to do this many years ago in written form in what now seems like another lifetime - back in the 1960s and 70s I was a diehard car enthusiast like you guys.
I had not found anything like it that was specifically written for cars, so developed my own application as I am not new to software development, I came up with "Classic Motor Log" (CML), this can record parts, jobs, service, repairs, MOT, suppliers, journeys with associated costs and general car details as well as pictures, it's possible to deal with multiple cars too.
It's working pretty well and have only made use of it myself so far, but may get around to a public release of this software at some stage as other car enthusiasts may find a use for it too particularly those engaged in restoration? - it works on PC/windows platforms only - it's NOT an 'app' for pads and iPhone.
Ohh, it will be free of course.
It was an interesting winter project when I couldn't do much with the car.
Anyway, thanks for taking the trouble of reading this through and hope I have not bored you too much, but I do enjoy keeping the project alive.
-Col
One of the recent highlights was a trip down to CSS at the Duxford IWM, by far the greatest distance I have driven the car, following the West Midlands convoy down was great fun and the time absolutely flew by.
This was a 230 mile round trip, although the missus was also happy to drive some of the way, this didn't happen as I was enjoying it too much, the car didn't miss a beat, and surprisingly I was not even tired when we got back home, a steady 70MPH on the M6/A14/M11 and was showing 39MPG at the end of the full journey much of this with the c/c engaged.
We thoroughly enjoyed the day, met some CS members, did a couple of tours of the paddock to admire the cars, and seen some incredible planes close-up.
I had not so far updated the project this year as not much has really been happening, TJM passed the MOT in February with no problems, just an advisory on a missing drive shaft gaiter clip which was easily fixed. I had taken the car cover off at the time for the MOT and before I could refit it (it needs a couple of dry days at least) - the snow came again, and lots of it, bah - so it stayed off the rest of the winter.
Like many others, I had a recall letter from Renault about the bonnet catch, I decided to do this myself, it looked OK, the catch had probably been replaced previously and it still was working well, but anyway I took the upper catch off and gave it a thorough clean and re-grease of all moving parts, this was quite an easy job and I certainly spent more time on it than they would have done.
Most of the other work has been cosmetic or replacing minor broken bits, like the nearside scuttle which had a broken clip on the underside, the rear seat belt clip thingy, the number plate lamp unit which is a cheap and easy fix to smarten this area as they do become discoloured, another rear number plate as the last one's laminates had separated after just a year, and replaced another windscreen washer pump.
The only other job needs doing before the end of the summer will be an oil/filter change.
Also collected a few spares for 'stock', including another new wheel and tyre, and that's about it.
It's a pity in the last two years that we have not used it much, only about 500 miles have been covered between each MOT, so £ per mile this is an expensive undertaking, its now at 121800 miles and still looks good although on close inspection there are all the usual signs of high mileage, e.g. stone chips, it still is pretty shinny which is usually remarked on wherever we go! "has it been resprayed"? or "What polish you using"?, etc.
Yes, sure I clean it ever week, inside and out including the hard to get at areas like inside the door jambs, a hose down and wash over with Autoglym, and about every three months or so use Autoglym resin polish, it does leave white residue in the stone chips and on the plastics so probably will look at some other possibilities in the future, but the resin polish does give a good shine.
The car at CSS-2013, a couple of hours on Friday cleaning was mostly destroyed by the journey down, a wet motorway, the spray, the blat - I did see several lads get out their buckets and sponges out of their boots when they arrived - must remember that next time!.
We left Duxford around 4PM, the rain wasn't easing and it was a fair old way back to the West Midlands, which was later hampered by a 1 hour holdup on the M6 - seen very few Clios on the way back compared to on the way down though.
During the winter, I was playing with the idea of a database driven application to store all my car related info, jobs, parts, service history and so on, I used to do this many years ago in written form in what now seems like another lifetime - back in the 1960s and 70s I was a diehard car enthusiast like you guys.
I had not found anything like it that was specifically written for cars, so developed my own application as I am not new to software development, I came up with "Classic Motor Log" (CML), this can record parts, jobs, service, repairs, MOT, suppliers, journeys with associated costs and general car details as well as pictures, it's possible to deal with multiple cars too.
It's working pretty well and have only made use of it myself so far, but may get around to a public release of this software at some stage as other car enthusiasts may find a use for it too particularly those engaged in restoration? - it works on PC/windows platforms only - it's NOT an 'app' for pads and iPhone.
Ohh, it will be free of course.
It was an interesting winter project when I couldn't do much with the car.
Anyway, thanks for taking the trouble of reading this through and hope I have not bored you too much, but I do enjoy keeping the project alive.
-Col
So glad I found this thread and read through every word of it!
The car looks fantastic and is in great shape!
A real mark of respect and I am sure your son would be hugely proud of your efforts!
The car looks fantastic and is in great shape!
A real mark of respect and I am sure your son would be hugely proud of your efforts!
Thanks for those comments Chris
The car is still going well, however I've not had much to update the thread with in the last few months
Just recently I have been very busy with his other legacy, my Son was very much an enthusiast and this is shown with the cars he owned, the other car you can perhaps vaguely see/identify in my Avatar. required and still does require a huge amount of work, I am fortunate to have the time, but unfortunate not to have the finance.
We hope to show the other car next year as well if I get it back together in time, it was a restoration project which he never got chance to finish - it's probably not correct to refer to it much on this forum though.
All I can say is, me and the wife get some peace and comfort from doing these crazy things which he can no longer do, however I am under no illusion as to what it achieves in the real world.
On a lighter note, I noticed the mileage when I got back yesterday.....
The car is still going well, however I've not had much to update the thread with in the last few months
Just recently I have been very busy with his other legacy, my Son was very much an enthusiast and this is shown with the cars he owned, the other car you can perhaps vaguely see/identify in my Avatar. required and still does require a huge amount of work, I am fortunate to have the time, but unfortunate not to have the finance.
We hope to show the other car next year as well if I get it back together in time, it was a restoration project which he never got chance to finish - it's probably not correct to refer to it much on this forum though.
All I can say is, me and the wife get some peace and comfort from doing these crazy things which he can no longer do, however I am under no illusion as to what it achieves in the real world.
On a lighter note, I noticed the mileage when I got back yesterday.....
Thanks for the comments Stu.
........."Mum what the $&@*#........."
Exactly our thoughts at the time, the wife has been reluctant to drive it since!
Stu & Simon, re: The software, well, I have not built an installer for it yet, but if there is any interest from you guys, I will get on with this in the next cupla weeks and can let interested parties have a beta if they want, strictly speaking it needs more input from other users to develop it further as I have just set it up to my needs and no more, which may not meet everybody else's requirements or expectations.
When something's ready for beta testing, I may make a post elsewhere, if not you can PM me, incidentally this will not be an 'app' for iPhone etc., only for a PC running windows.
........."Mum what the $&@*#........."
Exactly our thoughts at the time, the wife has been reluctant to drive it since!
Stu & Simon, re: The software, well, I have not built an installer for it yet, but if there is any interest from you guys, I will get on with this in the next cupla weeks and can let interested parties have a beta if they want, strictly speaking it needs more input from other users to develop it further as I have just set it up to my needs and no more, which may not meet everybody else's requirements or expectations.
When something's ready for beta testing, I may make a post elsewhere, if not you can PM me, incidentally this will not be an 'app' for iPhone etc., only for a PC running windows.
T.
Three years to the date, it doesn't get easier....
Nothing much to add to the project other than passed the MOT in February with no issues, a new oil filter and new Elf oil in, only 800 miles covered since the last MOT, raised a chuckle from the examiner though.
Still been really busy rebuilding the other RS which should be completed this summer.
The Clio is pretty well sorted now, is running well and remains with us.
Three years to the date, it doesn't get easier....
Nothing much to add to the project other than passed the MOT in February with no issues, a new oil filter and new Elf oil in, only 800 miles covered since the last MOT, raised a chuckle from the examiner though.
Still been really busy rebuilding the other RS which should be completed this summer.
The Clio is pretty well sorted now, is running well and remains with us.
Celebrating the old girl passing the MOT, so a bit of an update on what has been happening since the last update.
Well 2014 was a bit hectic and a serious drain on resources, the addition of a new garage extension and some considerable mess during the summer months, and together with getting our other RS finished for the shows, I have not had much time for the Clio other than some maintenance and repairs.
The demolition/building site in our back yard, this was back in June, below the finished projects.
With the new build finished, I could get on with some upkeep.
In November, the EML occasionally started flashing, the OBD2 code reader shows a misfire on cyl. #3, figure this was a faulty injector, so set about replacing that, ordered and fitted a new injector....
This little job as easier than though at first, and with the car back together and fault code deleted, all seemed to be back to normal, and certainly fixed the flashing EML.
Around Christmas time I have had a couple of instances where the ABS light came on for a short period, so thinking it may be reluctor, took it down to the local Renault specialist and he put it on clip for me, think it was the brake switch, had the faults cleared and it hasn't happened since, so will wait and see.
In January, 2015, started fix a few things ready for the MOT in February.
The old Exaltos on the rear had plenty of tread but were old and somewhat perished with a small amount of cracking around the sidewalls, I had already planned to replace with new PS3's this year to match those fitted on the front.
Got a pair of 205/45/16's from Black Circles and had them fitted locally, these PS3 are good tyres.
Next - the a/c heater motor had suddenly stopped working and I traced this to faulty resistor, the headlight washers had stopped washing, so decided to do both jobs together and replace the washer jets too.
Started collected the parts ready for the next job....
The offending resistor, these are a very common failure apparently, this is an aftermarket one though.
Had already replaced a couple of washer pumps in the past with the cheap and cheerful ones @£7, but don't seem to last long, so this time decided on a an OEM pump.
One of the most useful tools for a Clio!
This puller has had a lot of use, as the wipers have been on and off pretty regular.
Even after considerable poking - the jets were never 100%, so decided to replace them both.
These were not a great expense - I think they were about £8 a pair but the screen is washing very nicely now.
All done, and another years MOT, no advisories, and the car is still looking smart despite being kept outside.
Pity that last year we only did about 800 miles in the 182 and a lot of this mileage was short local trips, this is probably more than a pound per mile running cost, better not start thinking about it.
Unfortunately we didn't get to Cliosport Saturday last year, but did manage a couple of shows with RS2000, here we are at Silverstone at Ford Fair in August with the newly restored Escort, it was a great day, getting to be a proper enthusiast now!?
The Escort is down on performance compared to the Clio, as it has only about 160BHP and its a bigger car, it also lacks all the refinement and comforts of the 182, but it is VERY loud - just great.
I have a very hard job to choose between these two cars!
They are part of the family and will be with us for a long time yet....
Well 2014 was a bit hectic and a serious drain on resources, the addition of a new garage extension and some considerable mess during the summer months, and together with getting our other RS finished for the shows, I have not had much time for the Clio other than some maintenance and repairs.
The demolition/building site in our back yard, this was back in June, below the finished projects.
With the new build finished, I could get on with some upkeep.
In November, the EML occasionally started flashing, the OBD2 code reader shows a misfire on cyl. #3, figure this was a faulty injector, so set about replacing that, ordered and fitted a new injector....
This little job as easier than though at first, and with the car back together and fault code deleted, all seemed to be back to normal, and certainly fixed the flashing EML.
Around Christmas time I have had a couple of instances where the ABS light came on for a short period, so thinking it may be reluctor, took it down to the local Renault specialist and he put it on clip for me, think it was the brake switch, had the faults cleared and it hasn't happened since, so will wait and see.
In January, 2015, started fix a few things ready for the MOT in February.
The old Exaltos on the rear had plenty of tread but were old and somewhat perished with a small amount of cracking around the sidewalls, I had already planned to replace with new PS3's this year to match those fitted on the front.
Got a pair of 205/45/16's from Black Circles and had them fitted locally, these PS3 are good tyres.
Next - the a/c heater motor had suddenly stopped working and I traced this to faulty resistor, the headlight washers had stopped washing, so decided to do both jobs together and replace the washer jets too.
Started collected the parts ready for the next job....
The offending resistor, these are a very common failure apparently, this is an aftermarket one though.
Had already replaced a couple of washer pumps in the past with the cheap and cheerful ones @£7, but don't seem to last long, so this time decided on a an OEM pump.
One of the most useful tools for a Clio!
This puller has had a lot of use, as the wipers have been on and off pretty regular.
Even after considerable poking - the jets were never 100%, so decided to replace them both.
These were not a great expense - I think they were about £8 a pair but the screen is washing very nicely now.
All done, and another years MOT, no advisories, and the car is still looking smart despite being kept outside.
Pity that last year we only did about 800 miles in the 182 and a lot of this mileage was short local trips, this is probably more than a pound per mile running cost, better not start thinking about it.
Unfortunately we didn't get to Cliosport Saturday last year, but did manage a couple of shows with RS2000, here we are at Silverstone at Ford Fair in August with the newly restored Escort, it was a great day, getting to be a proper enthusiast now!?
The Escort is down on performance compared to the Clio, as it has only about 160BHP and its a bigger car, it also lacks all the refinement and comforts of the 182, but it is VERY loud - just great.
I have a very hard job to choose between these two cars!
They are part of the family and will be with us for a long time yet....
~
Thanks for looking.
Thanks for looking.
Jekyll
ClioSport Club Member
Thanks Mark for remembering this, and appreciate the comments from you guys.
The Clio is still in good health but has have very little work over the spring/summer, like last year, I have been busy with the other car, and that one has had the bulk of the resources as the Clio is pretty well sorted now.
I have to admit that have done even less miles this year in the Clio, in fact I think the last tank full of petrol was in July and the tank is still half full! pretty ashamed to say it as I REALLY enjoy driving the car, but with the winter coming even less likely to do anything other than local trips.
As mentioned in the previous post we have been showing the Escort again this year, four shows in all including Ford Fair, a prize for best in class at one of the shows was a highlight for us.
It's a pity that the Clio doesn't quite fit into the 'Classic' category, and a bit limited on what we can do with it, again missed CSS this year through family commitments.
Hopefully this will all change and can start to enjoy the Renaultsport a bit more again, I have one idea perhaps to put to the local group for next year.
As for future plans with the car, I don't really look much into the future these days, but the enthusiasm for the cars is still there, just to keeping 'em rolling is a big enough project for me at the moment, being retired I have the time I guess, but really admire younger folk and what they can achieve in a week-end - usually more than I can do in a year, sorry that the project is so slow moving.
Cheers -Col.
The Clio is still in good health but has have very little work over the spring/summer, like last year, I have been busy with the other car, and that one has had the bulk of the resources as the Clio is pretty well sorted now.
I have to admit that have done even less miles this year in the Clio, in fact I think the last tank full of petrol was in July and the tank is still half full! pretty ashamed to say it as I REALLY enjoy driving the car, but with the winter coming even less likely to do anything other than local trips.
As mentioned in the previous post we have been showing the Escort again this year, four shows in all including Ford Fair, a prize for best in class at one of the shows was a highlight for us.
It's a pity that the Clio doesn't quite fit into the 'Classic' category, and a bit limited on what we can do with it, again missed CSS this year through family commitments.
Hopefully this will all change and can start to enjoy the Renaultsport a bit more again, I have one idea perhaps to put to the local group for next year.
As for future plans with the car, I don't really look much into the future these days, but the enthusiasm for the cars is still there, just to keeping 'em rolling is a big enough project for me at the moment, being retired I have the time I guess, but really admire younger folk and what they can achieve in a week-end - usually more than I can do in a year, sorry that the project is so slow moving.
Cheers -Col.
Sorry for lack of updates on this project but been really quite with the Clio in 2016.
In June, fitted new Eibach Proline springs all round, plus new Renault OEM front shocks fitted, feels really good, not much else to report apart from replacing a reverse light switch!, really haven't been using the Clio much this year - just a couple of hundred miles or so -and I can only remember a few journeys where the engines got warm!, only 5k in five years - due to this I think it I will SORN for the first time at the end of the year until I can get motivated to do something more with it.
I would like to get the bodywork done as it is starting to show it's age so maybe that's a plan, but belts are due soon I guess, really dunno...
In June, fitted new Eibach Proline springs all round, plus new Renault OEM front shocks fitted, feels really good, not much else to report apart from replacing a reverse light switch!, really haven't been using the Clio much this year - just a couple of hundred miles or so -and I can only remember a few journeys where the engines got warm!, only 5k in five years - due to this I think it I will SORN for the first time at the end of the year until I can get motivated to do something more with it.
I would like to get the bodywork done as it is starting to show it's age so maybe that's a plan, but belts are due soon I guess, really dunno...
Jekyll
ClioSport Club Member
I was only thinking about this project the other day as well.
Massive respect for this project. Nice work Just keep it tidy and running and it'll be a classic soon!
Just keep it tidy and running and it'll be a classic soon!Well it's 2018, and realised I hadn't updated this thread for more than a year.
As my other posts have indicated, it's been another quiet year with the Clio and 2017 was pretty much uneventful apart from running costs, most of my time/money was soaked up by the RS2K which we continue to show around the Midlands.
I decided over the winter months to SORN the 182 for the first time and save a bit of dosh too.
I hope 2018 will be a new dawn for this car, and have big plans, I have already started sorting some of the mechanical issues...
New gearbox oil as it hadn't been changed during my ownership and had noticed that it did not look too good when replacing a reversing light switch.
Then new handbrake cables, I got someone to fit these for me, as crawling around under the car is getting more difficult for me these days.
The handbrake feels spot-on now.
I had noticed despite that rarely using the car in the rain, the rear discs had scored and rusted very badly, there was hardly any miles on them since the last time I replaced them - the fronts which were replaced at that same time are still fine though.
Anyway new discs and pads ordered a few weeks ago, apparently Renault branded rear pads are NLA, and Motrio pads are supplied by the dealer now.
When the rear brakes were being changed, I decided to refresh the rear shock absorbers even though there were no visual signs of wear on the old ones.
I got the shockers done when it went in for a new MOT a few days ago, it failed rather expectedly on front tyres, so I had already budgeted for a pair of new PS3 87W from Black Circles, these are more expensive than the PS3/83V which I have fitted on the back, the car has always had this configuration and handling has always been superb.
The old front PS3s were fitted in 2012 and only about half worn but the sidewalls were perished and cracking.
So it's been rather an expensive few weeks, and fear that this is just the start.
Planning on a cam/aux belt change as soon as it is taxed again in April, there's a few other little jobs which I can do myself when the weather is warmer and then I intend to get the bodywork up to show condition - the paint is starting to show it's age on some of the panels, other panels are still really fresh (after a good claying) e.g. roof, wings and tail, although the intention is to get a complete re-spray in the original colour, I'm still having a bit of a game finding a convenient place to do this at a sensible price and with the quality i'll certainly demand, maybe I will have to make some compromises, but compromises are not really me!
That's all for now and as always thanks for the comments and interest.
-Col
As my other posts have indicated, it's been another quiet year with the Clio and 2017 was pretty much uneventful apart from running costs, most of my time/money was soaked up by the RS2K which we continue to show around the Midlands.
I decided over the winter months to SORN the 182 for the first time and save a bit of dosh too.
I hope 2018 will be a new dawn for this car, and have big plans, I have already started sorting some of the mechanical issues...
New gearbox oil as it hadn't been changed during my ownership and had noticed that it did not look too good when replacing a reversing light switch.
Then new handbrake cables, I got someone to fit these for me, as crawling around under the car is getting more difficult for me these days.
The handbrake feels spot-on now.
I had noticed despite that rarely using the car in the rain, the rear discs had scored and rusted very badly, there was hardly any miles on them since the last time I replaced them - the fronts which were replaced at that same time are still fine though.
Anyway new discs and pads ordered a few weeks ago, apparently Renault branded rear pads are NLA, and Motrio pads are supplied by the dealer now.
When the rear brakes were being changed, I decided to refresh the rear shock absorbers even though there were no visual signs of wear on the old ones.
I got the shockers done when it went in for a new MOT a few days ago, it failed rather expectedly on front tyres, so I had already budgeted for a pair of new PS3 87W from Black Circles, these are more expensive than the PS3/83V which I have fitted on the back, the car has always had this configuration and handling has always been superb.
The old front PS3s were fitted in 2012 and only about half worn but the sidewalls were perished and cracking.
So it's been rather an expensive few weeks, and fear that this is just the start.
Planning on a cam/aux belt change as soon as it is taxed again in April, there's a few other little jobs which I can do myself when the weather is warmer and then I intend to get the bodywork up to show condition - the paint is starting to show it's age on some of the panels, other panels are still really fresh (after a good claying) e.g. roof, wings and tail, although the intention is to get a complete re-spray in the original colour, I'm still having a bit of a game finding a convenient place to do this at a sensible price and with the quality i'll certainly demand, maybe I will have to make some compromises, but compromises are not really me!
That's all for now and as always thanks for the comments and interest.
-Col
It’s great to see this car still seeing the attention and care it deserves, good work, and keep us updated!
First time I’ve seen this thread, but this is the joy of old threads being brought up to date as I’ve just read the entire thread and cried at the thought of my son passing away as this is something I’d almost certainly do too.
Much respect Colin and I hope we see more pictures in 2018 of your progress,
Also... did you ever release the software??
All the best for 2018 mate
Much respect Colin and I hope we see more pictures in 2018 of your progress,
Also... did you ever release the software??
All the best for 2018 mate
I've just read all this thread too. I recall the respray thread from last year but didn't know there was a full history of your journey with the car. It's a real credit to you and the shared passion for cars you had with your son. Maybe we'll see it at CSF one year?
Finally a day with no rain and a bit warmer, this was on the 'to do' list - the headlight units are a little cloudy in places, so I decided to see what I could do with an Autoglym kit.
The kit includes the rotary attachment/pads for the drill, 8x800, 8x1500, 1x2000 1x3000 grades, and the polish, even a microfibre cloth. There is no UV protector with this kit though.
The photo doesn't show up the poor appearance, and they were by no means as bad as some I've seen, but it's there right enough....
The whole exercise was a bit of a learning curve and went softly softly at first until I got a bit more confident, the initial 'arghh' when the rotary scuffs up the plastic!
The lights were spattered with minute stone chips and one or two more noticeable marks, the 800 grade was not up to removing these and I accepted that although was tempted to try a courser grade but ended up spending considerable time with the 800 using both dry and wet sanding, even resorted to hand sanding in places, eventually got a reasonable flattening and of course most of the horrible UV crazing/clouding that ruins these.
I ended up spending about one and half hours on each side.
The results are not perfect by any means, some strange marking appear to be actually 'in' the plastic rather than on the surface, and no amount of sanding is going to remove it, overall though it's a big improvement on both sides and pleased with the results.
I have also made a start on the fuel filler cap recess, this has some corrosion under the plastic surround and cap hinge, I've got both stripped off and started to remove and cure the rust, more on that when I'm finished.
The kit includes the rotary attachment/pads for the drill, 8x800, 8x1500, 1x2000 1x3000 grades, and the polish, even a microfibre cloth. There is no UV protector with this kit though.
The photo doesn't show up the poor appearance, and they were by no means as bad as some I've seen, but it's there right enough....
The whole exercise was a bit of a learning curve and went softly softly at first until I got a bit more confident, the initial 'arghh' when the rotary scuffs up the plastic!
The lights were spattered with minute stone chips and one or two more noticeable marks, the 800 grade was not up to removing these and I accepted that although was tempted to try a courser grade but ended up spending considerable time with the 800 using both dry and wet sanding, even resorted to hand sanding in places, eventually got a reasonable flattening and of course most of the horrible UV crazing/clouding that ruins these.
I ended up spending about one and half hours on each side.
The results are not perfect by any means, some strange marking appear to be actually 'in' the plastic rather than on the surface, and no amount of sanding is going to remove it, overall though it's a big improvement on both sides and pleased with the results.
I have also made a start on the fuel filler cap recess, this has some corrosion under the plastic surround and cap hinge, I've got both stripped off and started to remove and cure the rust, more on that when I'm finished.
My next little project was the filler cap recess, a bit of rust showing through the paint, and it'll only get worse.
Although the neck and plastic neck holder are relatively easy to remove, the cap hinge is a pain as the bolts rust on the inside, but eventually got it all off.
The extent of the damage can been seen once the surface is cleaned off, then started work on cleaning off and treating the rust.
The main damage was under the hinge and where the hinge attaches, it is only single skin here, so had to go lightly with that area, so as not to thin down the metal too much.
After the de-rust, sprayed the recess area with etch primer, followed by some high build primer, after a lot of sanding, it was ready for the base coat, this was only a rattle can job, I'm was not too concerned about the overall finish as the car is to be professionally sprayed later anyway, but was a good leaning exercise and got rid of the rust (for now).
After the base coat, finished with a few coats of laquer.
As I will want to remove again, I decided at this stage just to bolt the filler neck bracket rather than use rivets, when the car is sprayed, will pop rivet that back on properly.
I modified the hinge fitting by removing the integral plastic caps that are supposed to stop the bolts turning (they're pretty useless at that!), so filed and sanding those back flush and sprayed, I used stainless M5 nuts and bolts and should be a bit easier to remove net time.
Oh, although I didn't spend much time underneath the inner wing at this time, I did give it a good brushing and then plastered it with Waxoyl.
Another little job done.....
P.S. Does anyone know if there should be some 'buffers' fitted to those unused holes on the two turrets of the plastic filler bracket? - perhaps the align the flap properly with the bodywork -that would make sense, though never had any on there.
Although the neck and plastic neck holder are relatively easy to remove, the cap hinge is a pain as the bolts rust on the inside, but eventually got it all off.
The extent of the damage can been seen once the surface is cleaned off, then started work on cleaning off and treating the rust.
The main damage was under the hinge and where the hinge attaches, it is only single skin here, so had to go lightly with that area, so as not to thin down the metal too much.
After the de-rust, sprayed the recess area with etch primer, followed by some high build primer, after a lot of sanding, it was ready for the base coat, this was only a rattle can job, I'm was not too concerned about the overall finish as the car is to be professionally sprayed later anyway, but was a good leaning exercise and got rid of the rust (for now).
After the base coat, finished with a few coats of laquer.
As I will want to remove again, I decided at this stage just to bolt the filler neck bracket rather than use rivets, when the car is sprayed, will pop rivet that back on properly.
I modified the hinge fitting by removing the integral plastic caps that are supposed to stop the bolts turning (they're pretty useless at that!), so filed and sanding those back flush and sprayed, I used stainless M5 nuts and bolts and should be a bit easier to remove net time.
Oh, although I didn't spend much time underneath the inner wing at this time, I did give it a good brushing and then plastered it with Waxoyl.
Another little job done.....
P.S. Does anyone know if there should be some 'buffers' fitted to those unused holes on the two turrets of the plastic filler bracket? - perhaps the align the flap properly with the bodywork -that would make sense, though never had any on there.
I was about to say that the rubber buffers are missing, it is common that they get knocked off when washing or drying in that area.My next little project was the filler cap recess, a bit of rust showing through the paint, and it'll only get worse.
Although the neck and plastic neck holder are relatively easy to remove, the cap hinge is a pain as the bolts rust on the inside, but eventually got it all off.
The extent of the damage can been seen once the surface is cleaned off, then started work on cleaning off and treating the rust.
The main damage was under the hinge and where the hinge attaches, it is only single skin here, so had to go lightly with that area, so as not to thin down the metal too much.
After the de-rust, sprayed the recess area with etch primer, followed by some high build primer, after a lot of sanding, it was ready for the base coat, this was only a rattle can job, I'm was not too concerned about the overall finish as the car is to be professionally sprayed later anyway, but was a good leaning exercise and got rid of the rust (for now).
After the base coat, finished with a few coats of laquer.
As I will want to remove again, I decided at this stage just to bolt the filler neck bracket rather than use rivets, when the car is sprayed, will pop rivet that back on properly.
I modified the hinge fitting by removing the integral plastic caps that are supposed to stop the bolts turning (they're pretty useless at that!), so filed and sanding those back flush and sprayed, I used stainless M5 nuts and bolts and should be a bit easier to remove net time.
Oh, although I didn't spend much time underneath the inner wing at this time, I did give it a good brushing and then plastered it with Waxoyl.
Another little job done.....
P.S. Does anyone know if there should be some 'buffers' fitted to those unused holes on the two turrets of the plastic filler bracket? - perhaps the align the flap properly with the bodywork -that would make sense, though never had any on there.
You can not buy them on there own unfortunately, but a complete plastic filler is very cheap from Renault, about £15 or so I think
RB Clio 182
Looks like you’ve done a really smart job! I need to tackle mine soon as it’s showing the starting signs of rust! I believe there should be two rubbers to make the cap sit flush but i might be wrong! Mine are missing them too!My next little project was the filler cap recess, a bit of rust showing through the paint, and it'll only get worse.
Although the neck and plastic neck holder are relatively easy to remove, the cap hinge is a pain as the bolts rust on the inside, but eventually got it all off.
The extent of the damage can been seen once the surface is cleaned off, then started work on cleaning off and treating the rust.
The main damage was under the hinge and where the hinge attaches, it is only single skin here, so had to go lightly with that area, so as not to thin down the metal too much.
After the de-rust, sprayed the recess area with etch primer, followed by some high build primer, after a lot of sanding, it was ready for the base coat, this was only a rattle can job, I'm was not too concerned about the overall finish as the car is to be professionally sprayed later anyway, but was a good leaning exercise and got rid of the rust (for now).
After the base coat, finished with a few coats of laquer.
As I will want to remove again, I decided at this stage just to bolt the filler neck bracket rather than use rivets, when the car is sprayed, will pop rivet that back on properly.
I modified the hinge fitting by removing the integral plastic caps that are supposed to stop the bolts turning (they're pretty useless at that!), so filed and sanding those back flush and sprayed, I used stainless M5 nuts and bolts and should be a bit easier to remove net time.
Oh, although I didn't spend much time underneath the inner wing at this time, I did give it a good brushing and then plastered it with Waxoyl.
Another little job done.....
P.S. Does anyone know if there should be some 'buffers' fitted to those unused holes on the two turrets of the plastic filler bracket? - perhaps the align the flap properly with the bodywork -that would make sense, though never had any on there.
Great work. It seems this filler cap area is becoming more common now.
The flap indeed should have tiny rubber bung stoppers. I got some from a Laguna in a scrap yard years ago but am missing one again now
As stated Renault only supply the whole filler neck and the last time I asked they wanted £30 odd but maybe they've dropped in price now?
The flap indeed should have tiny rubber bung stoppers. I got some from a Laguna in a scrap yard years ago but am missing one again now
As stated Renault only supply the whole filler neck and the last time I asked they wanted £30 odd but maybe they've dropped in price now?
May/June Update 2018.
Taxed at the beginning of May, so we're back on the road.
Major job at end of May which I had planned for sometime, had the Cam/Aux belt changed, an expensive job and decided just for peace of mind to have the dephaser and water pump done at the same time, this is my second belt change and only 5K miles since first!
Running nice, so now hopefully good to go for another 5 years.
Still have a few more mechanical things to get sorted during the summer:
Air-Con needs re-gas.
Exhaust, want that fitted a bit better, it's slightly off centre, and haven't found a way to get it completely right, bugged me for years, so may have to have a bit or welding to correct it, it's also blowing/whistling from the Cat joint which I'll have done at same time..
Set of Injectors, going to replace these.
Wiring issue with the oil pressure switch, which I've only just become aware of, needs a bit of new wire and plug, (probably an oil change incident).
And in between, I've decided to have the o/s rear quarter re-sprayed, in leu of a complete respray, the rear quater is now very bad with laquer peel and pretty ashamed of it tbh, and the full respray may have to hang fire for some months as still not found anyone I trust to do it locally at a price I can afford.
Sorry no pics this time, not much to show for a belt change apart from a hole in the wallet, lol.
Thanks for your interest
Taxed at the beginning of May, so we're back on the road.
Major job at end of May which I had planned for sometime, had the Cam/Aux belt changed, an expensive job and decided just for peace of mind to have the dephaser and water pump done at the same time, this is my second belt change and only 5K miles since first!
Running nice, so now hopefully good to go for another 5 years.
Still have a few more mechanical things to get sorted during the summer:
Air-Con needs re-gas.
Exhaust, want that fitted a bit better, it's slightly off centre, and haven't found a way to get it completely right, bugged me for years, so may have to have a bit or welding to correct it, it's also blowing/whistling from the Cat joint which I'll have done at same time..
Set of Injectors, going to replace these.
Wiring issue with the oil pressure switch, which I've only just become aware of, needs a bit of new wire and plug, (probably an oil change incident).
And in between, I've decided to have the o/s rear quarter re-sprayed, in leu of a complete respray, the rear quater is now very bad with laquer peel and pretty ashamed of it tbh, and the full respray may have to hang fire for some months as still not found anyone I trust to do it locally at a price I can afford.
Sorry no pics this time, not much to show for a belt change apart from a hole in the wallet, lol.
Thanks for your interest
Bit of an update
As there is some building work going on next door, I've had to leave the car at a friends for much of the time, so not really had much chance to drive it.
But have been getting on with a couple of jobs in between.
One thing been bugging me for a some time is the tailpipes don't sit central on the cutouts.
So now with some adjustment, they sit better, a little high maybe but I'm sure they will sag a bit soon.
Another job just completed, although I hadn't noticed until someone put me right - the 'Oil OK' indicator on the speedo, which should show when ignition is first switched on had not shown for some time, our local Ren. man whos pretty good on the electrics,, fixed this - a mangled plug and some frayed wiring from the oil light sensor near the oil filter was the culprit, no doubt some over zealous filter removal at some point in the past to blame here.
Now good...…
Still some things to do, but good news is I have now found a spray shop who will do my paining at the quality and price I want, I'll have to hold-fire on getting it done until the building work has been completed next door, as it would make no sense with the dust they're creating, that may be a couple of months more to wait before it can get it away to the paint shop though, this'll give me the time to finish the mechanical work though.
As there is some building work going on next door, I've had to leave the car at a friends for much of the time, so not really had much chance to drive it.
But have been getting on with a couple of jobs in between.
One thing been bugging me for a some time is the tailpipes don't sit central on the cutouts.
So now with some adjustment, they sit better, a little high maybe but I'm sure they will sag a bit soon.
Another job just completed, although I hadn't noticed until someone put me right - the 'Oil OK' indicator on the speedo, which should show when ignition is first switched on had not shown for some time, our local Ren. man whos pretty good on the electrics,, fixed this - a mangled plug and some frayed wiring from the oil light sensor near the oil filter was the culprit, no doubt some over zealous filter removal at some point in the past to blame here.
Now good...…
Still some things to do, but good news is I have now found a spray shop who will do my paining at the quality and price I want, I'll have to hold-fire on getting it done until the building work has been completed next door, as it would make no sense with the dust they're creating, that may be a couple of months more to wait before it can get it away to the paint shop though, this'll give me the time to finish the mechanical work though.
