30 years old, some mega-mileage Renault erm... Alpine?
Discussion
So up at RATS the engine, gearbox etc had been dropped, plus at the front the fuel tank had come out along with the associated gubbins including brake servo etc etc.
The rationale in this was to get to the front cross-member whilst the tank was out anyway for the water pipes. This is a main part of the front chassis and joins the two front suspension turrets together whilst also providing the primary mounting point for the steering rack.
It's only been the last few years that these have really been highlighted as a potential problem area and they are crucial from a safety perspective. RATS has really lead the way with this work and Lee has probably seen more than he'd ever need to see in a lifetime now, so it was in safe hands.
The cross-member is 'protected' by being shrouded in fibre-glass (at least the top section is) but this means in many cases that the steel sweats and rusts out from within. There's little outward sign of this and the tub is strong enough that the car doesn't otherwise show any sign of the damage underneath.
This isn't mine, and isn't the worst of them (by a long way) but they can end up like this - branflakes! :
Interestingly mine wasn't really bad at all, certainly still structurally sound but it was a good time to do it. Proves that you can't really assume from mileage - mine has more miles than the Millenium Falcon but seemed in better condition than a lot of others.
Dropped suspension gave a chance to clean and repair any other areas of the front turrets:
Anyone looking at one these should really budget for this if the work hasn't been done, purely from a safety standpoint.
The rationale in this was to get to the front cross-member whilst the tank was out anyway for the water pipes. This is a main part of the front chassis and joins the two front suspension turrets together whilst also providing the primary mounting point for the steering rack.
It's only been the last few years that these have really been highlighted as a potential problem area and they are crucial from a safety perspective. RATS has really lead the way with this work and Lee has probably seen more than he'd ever need to see in a lifetime now, so it was in safe hands.
The cross-member is 'protected' by being shrouded in fibre-glass (at least the top section is) but this means in many cases that the steel sweats and rusts out from within. There's little outward sign of this and the tub is strong enough that the car doesn't otherwise show any sign of the damage underneath.
This isn't mine, and isn't the worst of them (by a long way) but they can end up like this - branflakes! :
Interestingly mine wasn't really bad at all, certainly still structurally sound but it was a good time to do it. Proves that you can't really assume from mileage - mine has more miles than the Millenium Falcon but seemed in better condition than a lot of others.
Dropped suspension gave a chance to clean and repair any other areas of the front turrets:
Anyone looking at one these should really budget for this if the work hasn't been done, purely from a safety standpoint.
On with the story. So Lee @ RATS had worked his magic on the cross-member which now looked like this:
Tank and wotnot obviously sit on top of that and new stainless pipes front to rear were in place. Gearbox had gone off for a full rebuild along with the new synchro rings and was fitted along with the clutch using the uprated pressure plate from the more powerful A610.
At the same time new fuel pumps were installed front and rear (the GTA Turbo uses a lifter at the front to a swirl pot and larger pump at the rear). Quite a few other bits and bobs but you get the general idea, including the final iteration of a very bespoke T3 hybrid turbo.
So by now the car is pretty much how I wanted it to be. Played around with a few things and ultimately changed out the chargecooler, going back to the standard plenums and just the intercooler. Logic for this was now that the turbo was that bit bigger the charge temps would be low enough for it not to be needed and pumping losses across the core probably cancel out any real advantage there.
Proof of the pudding was putting it on the rolling road and this set-up worked very well.
All success is short lived when it comes to classics though.... (hmm weird that when I purchased the car it wasn't one) and shortly after I got it back I developed a leak from the main front hose. Bit of a pain but I worked out where it was coming from - GTA hoses tee off from brass unions in a few places and these tend to be a weak point and sure enough that was the issue.
I was toying with cutting and splicing in an alloy tee when someone in the club mentioned they had a spare hose from the early development of the Samco kit. So back on its belly again and hose fitting time.
All very well and good, but now I have a longing for a full kit - which are properly expensive! Luckily around this time Lee puts a subset of a kit up for sale via the club, so I grab that and add on some matching wire reinforced silicone hoses to make up a hybrid of my own design.
Voila, my stuff for the bendy bits + Samco for the main pipes, joiners and twiddly bits. All for about half the price.
Wire reinforced means it can hold a bend and not collapse when it's in place, providing the radius isn't too daft.
No idea how this ever came to be on the car! Plumbing! Anyway, more cutting to size...
And what we end up with is two nice flowing pipes that curve gently and join up the oil cooler to the cooling system in an almost professional manner!
These were a pig - the two stubbies in the V of the engine that go to the water pump. I ended up stabbing the old one with my screwdriver to leverage it out. Fitting the new ones involved a lot of silicone spray and blood.
I'll skip over the pictures in between, but with the exception of one or two hoses at the front to the heater matrix I've gone totally blue silicone so another thing off the list and it was now just fancy stuff to tidy up. So I had some gold HT caliper paint left over and the cam covers were looking scruffy so as a bit of a steampunk experiment I went all Aventador. I'm sure Lamborghini charge a fortune for gold cam covers, but then they don't use a paint brush in situ.
However I think it looks ok...
So that just about brings it all up to date. Winter is nearly upon us so I might let it hide in the garage from the worst of the weather, but I think I can make 194K miles by Xmas.
I might message Renault and ask what prize I win when I get to 200K...
Tank and wotnot obviously sit on top of that and new stainless pipes front to rear were in place. Gearbox had gone off for a full rebuild along with the new synchro rings and was fitted along with the clutch using the uprated pressure plate from the more powerful A610.
At the same time new fuel pumps were installed front and rear (the GTA Turbo uses a lifter at the front to a swirl pot and larger pump at the rear). Quite a few other bits and bobs but you get the general idea, including the final iteration of a very bespoke T3 hybrid turbo.
So by now the car is pretty much how I wanted it to be. Played around with a few things and ultimately changed out the chargecooler, going back to the standard plenums and just the intercooler. Logic for this was now that the turbo was that bit bigger the charge temps would be low enough for it not to be needed and pumping losses across the core probably cancel out any real advantage there.
Proof of the pudding was putting it on the rolling road and this set-up worked very well.
All success is short lived when it comes to classics though.... (hmm weird that when I purchased the car it wasn't one) and shortly after I got it back I developed a leak from the main front hose. Bit of a pain but I worked out where it was coming from - GTA hoses tee off from brass unions in a few places and these tend to be a weak point and sure enough that was the issue.
I was toying with cutting and splicing in an alloy tee when someone in the club mentioned they had a spare hose from the early development of the Samco kit. So back on its belly again and hose fitting time.
All very well and good, but now I have a longing for a full kit - which are properly expensive! Luckily around this time Lee puts a subset of a kit up for sale via the club, so I grab that and add on some matching wire reinforced silicone hoses to make up a hybrid of my own design.
Voila, my stuff for the bendy bits + Samco for the main pipes, joiners and twiddly bits. All for about half the price.
Wire reinforced means it can hold a bend and not collapse when it's in place, providing the radius isn't too daft.
No idea how this ever came to be on the car! Plumbing! Anyway, more cutting to size...
And what we end up with is two nice flowing pipes that curve gently and join up the oil cooler to the cooling system in an almost professional manner!
These were a pig - the two stubbies in the V of the engine that go to the water pump. I ended up stabbing the old one with my screwdriver to leverage it out. Fitting the new ones involved a lot of silicone spray and blood.
I'll skip over the pictures in between, but with the exception of one or two hoses at the front to the heater matrix I've gone totally blue silicone so another thing off the list and it was now just fancy stuff to tidy up. So I had some gold HT caliper paint left over and the cam covers were looking scruffy so as a bit of a steampunk experiment I went all Aventador. I'm sure Lamborghini charge a fortune for gold cam covers, but then they don't use a paint brush in situ.
However I think it looks ok...
So that just about brings it all up to date. Winter is nearly upon us so I might let it hide in the garage from the worst of the weather, but I think I can make 194K miles by Xmas.
I might message Renault and ask what prize I win when I get to 200K...
Always loved these, remember reading about them in Fast Lane and other titles long since departed.
I used to pass one in a driveway in Ruislip on my way to work, it was there for years and I was very disappointed when I discovered that it had finally gone.
Keep up the good work clocking up the mileage.
I used to pass one in a driveway in Ruislip on my way to work, it was there for years and I was very disappointed when I discovered that it had finally gone.
Keep up the good work clocking up the mileage.
Great thread. Great car.
These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
rufusgti said:
Great thread. Great car.
These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
Thanks. What model 944 do you have? Very much a contemporary of the GTA really and it's interesting to look at the period reviews comparing the two. These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
Yes that Welsh car has been mentioned a few times on the club forum. I think there were a few other cars parked up with it for a while - original RS2000 and maybe a Quattro or similar from memory. I'd have to see if I can find the old pics.
Bit tragic as the cars look as bad as the hotel. I think the guy who owned them was approached but he wouldn't let them go and ultimately they will just reach the point where repair is well beyond anything economic.
Having said that there was a Le Mans barn find recently that is being fully restored and bidding went crazy for it on eBay even in the very poor state it was in. But where else are you going to find a genuine RHD one out of 26 ever made?
alpgta said:
rufusgti said:
Great thread. Great car.
These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
Thanks. What model 944 do you have? Very much a contemporary of the GTA really and it's interesting to look at the period reviews comparing the two. These have been on my favourite radar since i was a young lad and a neighbour of my auntie in Bath had one parked out on the street. Back then it wasnt really like anything else on the road. A very special design to me.
I guess being in the owners group you will have seen the abandoned one in West wales. Its been there 20 years and last time i saw it sat in the square of a tiny welsh village it was looking almost surreal. I have posted pics of it before but not sure where.
I am currently running an old 944 with over 200k on. Its amazing how cars can last if they are looked after consistently and from an early age. The car is a credit to you.
Yes that Welsh car has been mentioned a few times on the club forum. I think there were a few other cars parked up with it for a while - original RS2000 and maybe a Quattro or similar from memory. I'd have to see if I can find the old pics.
Bit tragic as the cars look as bad as the hotel. I think the guy who owned them was approached but he wouldn't let them go and ultimately they will just reach the point where repair is well beyond anything economic.
Having said that there was a Le Mans barn find recently that is being fully restored and bidding went crazy for it on eBay even in the very poor state it was in. But where else are you going to find a genuine RHD one out of 26 ever made?
Yes there was a silver E36 bmw parked up at one point with that Alpine. I know a lady from the village who's mother knows all the gossip. Basically a divorce that dragged on and on, nothing could be sold or saved. Very sad really, I was given the guys name but told not to expect much response. What the family lost on the cars they will have made tenfold on the properties as old places like that have rocketed in value in that area over the last 20 years.
Few pics from the Noel Blue event up in Orpington the weekend before last. Essentially a bit of promo for the new A110 but us old timers were made very welcome and fed many, many pastries and mince pies.
The new car really is a gem and seems to be selling quite nicely - 6 month waiting list currently.
Warming up prior to the drive up to Orpington through the cloudbursts:
A610 with Gottis
A310, GTA Le Mans and new A110 in blue.
New 110...
It has got some very nice detailing
The new car really is a gem and seems to be selling quite nicely - 6 month waiting list currently.
Warming up prior to the drive up to Orpington through the cloudbursts:
A610 with Gottis
A310, GTA Le Mans and new A110 in blue.
New 110...
It has got some very nice detailing
Latest mod. Decided to replace the old Clarion double din stereo and CD-changer with modern Sony double din. Lot less kit and I was surprised by how much lighter it was.
This has built in tom-tom sat nav interface, plus bluetooth etc and USB playback so mp3 all the way from a micro-USB slot on the front.
I wasn't sure if it would work with the 80s dash but I think it integrates well.
Sadly I lose my old 90s tapes...
Old unit
New unit
This has built in tom-tom sat nav interface, plus bluetooth etc and USB playback so mp3 all the way from a micro-USB slot on the front.
I wasn't sure if it would work with the 80s dash but I think it integrates well.
Sadly I lose my old 90s tapes...
Old unit
New unit
Edited by alpgta on Sunday 10th March 16:27
Somewhere in the attic I have an original stereo from an Alpine GTA complete with graphic equaliser and auto tape deck that plays both sides of a cassette without the need to turn the tape over.
Op if you are ever passing through Gloucestershire I have a few unopened 5 litre bottles of the correct Renault coolant that you can have FOC.
Op if you are ever passing through Gloucestershire I have a few unopened 5 litre bottles of the correct Renault coolant that you can have FOC.
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