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Clio 172 Cup - Track Project

146K views 305 replies 63 participants last post by  williamsclio1 
#1 · (Edited)
26/02/2015

So here we go again, this will be my third project thread and something a bit different to my previous ones:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=141157

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=348885

I used to own a Clio 172 Cup years ago, however being young and naive I bought one which was a Cat D and the car was visual very nice however the whole car was completely twisted and dropped gear boxes, drive shafts and wheel bearings, until one day I sold it at a huge lose. A lesson learnt.

Now here we are almost ten years later and its time to try again. I recently sold my 1.4 Civic run around and have put the money towards this Clio 172 Cup that I managed to get for just £1300.

Reason for being so cheap is that the rear hub is damaged and the rear disc has cracked.

Some back ground history on the car, only 54,000 on the clock with the important Cam Belt, Auxiliary Belt and Dephaser all replaced at the end of 2014, as well as a rebuilt gear box, no recipe of the clutch being replaced at the same time, so I am hoping to find out if it was from the previous owner.

Condition, well the exterior is generally clean but has got a number of car park dents which, I will look at having removed or having the doors replaced, however as the intention is to use as a track car I must remember that I don't need to keep it in the condition that I do of my FRP and Clio 182.

The front bumper has had a whack and has been cracked so I am already on the look out for a replacement, as well as two new front plastic arch liners.

Recently refurbished Turinis with 4 brand new Michelin PS3's so that a bonus, as recently had these fitted to the Clio 182 and they are incredible.

Interior, not really had a chance to have a look at the interior however not that it matters to much as most of it is being stripped out, eventually.

Here are a few photos of how the car stands at this time:











A friend of mine has sourced a rear hub and I bought these from eBay for just £60 delivered:



I am going to be fitting a none FIA approved cage, Bucket seats and harnesses, I did try to buy this set that recently came for sale, however I missed out. But it is pretty much the equipment I will have once all fitted.



The other thing I will be getting is the popular Renault Sabelt Steering wheel and extended boot carpet:





Fortunately I am self employed and work from home so I don't need to use the car as a daily so it will do very little millage, the main intention is to have the car as a track car, however I will not be fully stripping it as when I do use it to go places I don't want to be sat in a bean can.

To do:
Remove blacked out window tints
Move battery to rear of the car
Remove white engine cover
Full detail

To Buy:
Front bumper
Arch liners
Cage
Bucket seat x 2
Harness x 2
Extended boot carpet
Smaller front registration plate
Silver Tek bulbs

Long Term:
Suspension upgrade
Uprated brakes
Remove rear bench

Just one last thing a message of thanks to Jay, for sorting the car out for me and letting me have at his cost, owe you some details.
 
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#31 · (Edited)
The plastic are beginning to look faded so I treated them, I really need to get some more C4 Permanent Trim Restorer.









I decided it was time to fix the rear bumper as it was really bugging me.

How it started:




Once I got it removed I could see that it has been damaged from I'm guessing when all the scratches where done to the bumper, the bumpers are pretty flexible so with some gentle persuasion I shaped the bumper as it should be and refitted holding the bumper in the correct position when tightening the bolts that hold it in place:







The rear arch liner is completed buggered so I will be replacing this:



Also when removing one of the bolts snapped off in the arch.I have sprayed WD40 in it and hoping that I can get some long nose pliers on it when it comes to changing the arch.



Whilst a few of the bolts where off from fixing the bumper I threw a bit of paint over them:







Before:



After:



Anyone have any suggestions on how to remove the sticky residue left from the blacked out windows?



I have tried using this product but just isn't up to the job.



All finished, and looking MUCH better:







 
#44 · (Edited)
Left to do:
1 x Turini and tyre (arriving tomorrow) to be painted
2 x Rachet straps (arriving tomorrow) to hold down spare Tunrini
Investigate drivers side wing and sill and refit
Remove front bumper and spray grills and fog light surrounds black
Remove splitter and replace with Skoda splitter £13
See what interest there is on a group buy on the cold air feed for brakes.
decide if to get eBay bolt in cage for £200 or FIA approved cage from Tim Finch for £295
Purchase bucket seats
Purchase harness
Purchase Sabelt steering wheel

Long term:
Suspension
Replace front bumper
Replace door protectors - passenger side
Dent removal on doors and rear 1/4's
Possible set of cams and re-map
Exhaust upgrade
 
#46 · (Edited)
Okay 5th Turini arrived today and the straps.









Had a quick trial fit:





The intention will be to have the wheel professionally refurbished in the future when the other 4 all need doing as well, however for now I had some rattle cans in the garage so I tidy it up bit.





Then I repositioned back in the car ensuring that the wheel is against the rivet under the carpet and ensuring that the straps are really tight. When i am out on track the wheel will be removed and the car is only used once a week, so nice to have it on display. If the worse was to happen I am confident that the wheel is safe, furthermore once the cage is installed the wheel would not be able to get to me anyway. Lets just say its a risk I am willing to take.











 
#48 ·
Tried my idea with the straps then :) looks really smart with the blue

Any idea what seats your going for ? I love the recaro pole position seats but out of my price range lol
Yeah straps worked really well, its not moving anywhere.

Seat wise it will just be a pair of these for £300, not FIA approved but that doesn't really matter in my case.

http://www.corbeau-seats.com/motorsports-seats/ClubSport
 
#53 ·
HELP: Whilst driving along in my 172 Cup, I lost ALL power, lights everything, when I pulled over just as I jumped out of the car a large cloud of smoke came up from under the bonnet, strong electrical smell. The battery terminals are fine, so my question where to check first? I can see that a couple of the fuses have blown but no other damage that I can see there, where is best next to check?

Car should be back at home tomorrow and I want to take a look to see if there is anything obvious, I will remove airbox but other suggestions welcome please?
 
#57 · (Edited)
19/03/2015

Right then got the car back home and tried to figure out what the major electrical failure was down to.



As soon as I put the battery of my FRP on the Clio the earth strap between the gear box and the body started smoking, NOT good. The battery on the clio is completely buggered and will need to be replaced.

A friend suggested to me to check the starter motor cabling, which was okay, however after further inspection I came across the issue:









I cannot believe how close its located to the manifold, half of the cable was still in tact so as I didn't have the stuff to replace it I wrapped it up as a temporary fix and repositioned as far away from the manifold as possible. I also wrapped up that section in some sheet metal that used to be the bulk head heat shield for some further protection.



I have been having an issue occasionally where the car would not start and I was told it was probably the crank sensor



Removed the two 10mm bolts and ran some wet and dry over the end of the sensor:



Refitted and tested and the car starts first time every time.

Was then on to cleaning the arches, I also ran a wire brush over the callipers and discs, as time permitting I would like to stick a layer of Hammerite Silver Smooth paint on them just to freshen them up.











Noticed a broken spring, had heard a clunking at slow speeds so on the hunt for a replacement, would like to get coil overs but don't have the money at this time, annoyingly the cup springs are different to the standard 172 so will be a bit harder trying to source one.





Parts all power washed, grills ready for spraying and the arches ready for treatment before re-fitting.



Something that has been bothering me is the fact that the front arch does not sit flush with the door and after further inspection I think I have figured out why:



The next photo is of the sill and from what I can tell the jacking spot has been used and its damaged and pushed out the join, thus resulting in the arch being pushed out, I am not sure if I will be able to do much about it.



As you can see it actually broke the nut off up in the arch that holds the wing in



I might try and remove the sill and knock the gap between panels closer together and then refit, hopefully pulling the wing in flush.

All three cars all back at home for the first time:







Do really like the ride height on the misses car:

 
#58 · (Edited)
20/03/2015

Today I managed to remove the grills from the bumper and spray them up,

Masked up:



Primed:



Sprayed up:



Cleaned and treated the arch liners:



A bit of a comparison:



I didn't fully remove all the tar etc, it is after all a track car, but a good improvement.

Then on to cleaning the arches and a painting up the callipers and discs, probably won't last long but looks much better:



Refitted the grills back on to the bumper, looking much better however the bumper is a mess, looking forward to getting it replaced as really letting the car down:





Cleaned up behind the grills:



Bumper refitted:



Moved the car all was well:



Went on a quick drive:

















All back home:







Thats it for another day.

Next up, fit replacement rear arch liner, I have also sourced a heat shield for the starter motor.

Still in need of a replacement spring if anyone can help,

 
#59 ·
Cooksport springs are your best bet chief.

Lower a cup car 15-20mm

Renault normal ones are £115 each delivered.

I really didn't want to go lowering/aftermarket, but pleased I did.

Just don't go for the GSF/ECP 'fit any Clio' springs, they don't.

http://cooksport.co.uk/product-CooksportRSClioSprings.html

I know they are showing out of stock at moment, worth giving Josh a call and seeing when they will be ready.
 
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