Renault 5 Prima Campus Restomod Project
Discussion
A successful trip all round today!
Collected the Clio this morning from Wiltshire and it has made it the 300 miles back to Norfolk, via Birmingham without any issues. The car has done 124k miles and comes with a decent wedge of history and 10 months MOT (only covering about 600 miles in the last 3 years). Timing belt was done 10k miles/5 years ago so is within the mileage it should be but just outside the time limit for a change so will do when the engine comes out. The bodywork is as expected with lots of lacquer peel on the nearside, roof and bonnet and grotty rear arches. Appears to have 4 new Uniroyal Rainsport tyres which seem to handle better than I expected them to. I quite like the wheels which I think are BBS for the PH1 exclusive and will probably use these at least to start with on the 5.
Mechanically the only issues that seem obvious are the tracking being out (pulls to the left), revs hunting slightly sometimes at tickover and an annoying aftermarket immobiliser that doesn't always disengage when the car is unlocked. From what I can see the car has a BMC panel filter in the standard air box, powerflex engine mounts (hopefully can re-use) and a fairly throaty aftermarket exhaust (will try and establish which bits and what it is). I suspect the car is lowered too but not sure.
Also collected the GT Turbo front subframe and on inspection this does have a full set of Powerflex ARB and wishbone polybushes which is a win as they seem in good condition and are worth more than I paid for the whole assembly.
Collected the Clio this morning from Wiltshire and it has made it the 300 miles back to Norfolk, via Birmingham without any issues. The car has done 124k miles and comes with a decent wedge of history and 10 months MOT (only covering about 600 miles in the last 3 years). Timing belt was done 10k miles/5 years ago so is within the mileage it should be but just outside the time limit for a change so will do when the engine comes out. The bodywork is as expected with lots of lacquer peel on the nearside, roof and bonnet and grotty rear arches. Appears to have 4 new Uniroyal Rainsport tyres which seem to handle better than I expected them to. I quite like the wheels which I think are BBS for the PH1 exclusive and will probably use these at least to start with on the 5.
Mechanically the only issues that seem obvious are the tracking being out (pulls to the left), revs hunting slightly sometimes at tickover and an annoying aftermarket immobiliser that doesn't always disengage when the car is unlocked. From what I can see the car has a BMC panel filter in the standard air box, powerflex engine mounts (hopefully can re-use) and a fairly throaty aftermarket exhaust (will try and establish which bits and what it is). I suspect the car is lowered too but not sure.
Also collected the GT Turbo front subframe and on inspection this does have a full set of Powerflex ARB and wishbone polybushes which is a win as they seem in good condition and are worth more than I paid for the whole assembly.
tvrfan007 said:
Uniroyals are great tyres. Very good weather tyre and often a wet trackday go-to. Used them for years on my Golf as you get a healthy chunk of Michelin performance, especially in the wet, but without the sobering purchase cost.
Having taken it for a decent back road blast I'm inclined to agree!Jhonno said:
Now try with a good tyre and you would be surprised..
Uniroyals are under the OK for the money.. Definitely better than bald. They are soft so are a bit better on light cars I would imagine. They don't do so well when tested against measurables.
Clio looks like a decent donor! A bit rough but mechanically sound.
Yeah I mean I normally run Pilot Sport 4s on the road and then semi slicks on track so I'm aware of what a decent tyre feels like. Just pleasantly surprised by a tyre that is budget/hadn't used before...Uniroyals are under the OK for the money.. Definitely better than bald. They are soft so are a bit better on light cars I would imagine. They don't do so well when tested against measurables.
Clio looks like a decent donor! A bit rough but mechanically sound.
Ok, so after a few weeks of being way too busy and hindered by the rain I have made some more progress today... this week ended with my Brother having his TT written off so the Clio has been called into courtesy car duties. At least it will get a consistent run out and more of a shake down than I would have given it. My brother was stationary in his TT and got ploughed into by an old lady doing nearly 50 in a 30 on an otherwise empty road! Fortunately no serious injuries for either.
|https://thumbsnap.com/55MF2X6a[/url]
The big job ticked off today was putting together a platform for the 5 with my brother. This way I'm up off the dirt and working at a better height. I will likely grab some sort of temp garage or gazebo to give some weather protection, especially once the shell has no glass and is on the rotisserie jig.
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I did make a start on pulling the GT Turbo subframe apart. The wishbones will need some heat and a bigger hammer but the ARB came off easily enough. Can see now that it has full Powerflex bushings that are in usable condition. Will aim to get the subframe fully stripped, seam welded and then off to powder coating with the rear axle within the next few weeks.
Hopefully the weather holds for the long weekend coming and I can start making some decent progress. Next the interior will be coming out and then the engine with the front end going onto stands.
|https://thumbsnap.com/55MF2X6a[/url]The big job ticked off today was putting together a platform for the 5 with my brother. This way I'm up off the dirt and working at a better height. I will likely grab some sort of temp garage or gazebo to give some weather protection, especially once the shell has no glass and is on the rotisserie jig.
[url]I did make a start on pulling the GT Turbo subframe apart. The wishbones will need some heat and a bigger hammer but the ARB came off easily enough. Can see now that it has full Powerflex bushings that are in usable condition. Will aim to get the subframe fully stripped, seam welded and then off to powder coating with the rear axle within the next few weeks.
Hopefully the weather holds for the long weekend coming and I can start making some decent progress. Next the interior will be coming out and then the engine with the front end going onto stands.
Small progress on collecting bits for the build... have agreed a price on a pair of Corbeau bucket seats with GT Turbo runners...
Once I get these the plan will be to get them re-trimmed using the original campus seat covers to make the centres with a grey alcantara or similar on the outside for a nod back to the car in it's original state.
I may be moving back to Australia in the new year so will need to start getting jobs like these done in parallel to stripping the car and doing other mechanical jobs. Hoping to make some proper progress on that front over the long weekend
Once I get these the plan will be to get them re-trimmed using the original campus seat covers to make the centres with a grey alcantara or similar on the outside for a nod back to the car in it's original state.
I may be moving back to Australia in the new year so will need to start getting jobs like these done in parallel to stripping the car and doing other mechanical jobs. Hoping to make some proper progress on that front over the long weekend
Finally, lots of progress today with a break in the weather and a day free. I have now stripped most of the interior, with only the dash and steering wheel left. The steering wheel doesn't seem straight forward to remove so will need to do some more research.
I was pleased to not find any areas of rot lurking under the carpets or trim along the inside of the sills.
I made sure to start labelling up the wiring loom/connectors. The plan is to use the Clio donor loom mainly, but I'm sure I will need to use the 5 connectors for things like the lights etc.
Moving to the front end, I removed the bonnet and have started disconnecting the ancillaries in preparation for taking the Campus engine out. Given I have the other subframe I am considering leaving the engine and gearbox on the subframe with the suspension etc. and lifting the shell off. I am thinking this will be easier given the lack of space to move an engine crane around the car.
Away from the car I did the fiddly job of unpicking and removing the Campus seat covers. The bucket seats should arrive this week coming so I am hoping I can get them away with the Campus covers to be re-trimmed quickly. I'm keen to keep jobs moving in parallel for the sake of progress.
I have now ordered the rollover jig so I am ready for when the shell is fully stripped. Was hoping to carry on tomorrow but weather forecast is rain, rain and more rain.
I was pleased to not find any areas of rot lurking under the carpets or trim along the inside of the sills.
I made sure to start labelling up the wiring loom/connectors. The plan is to use the Clio donor loom mainly, but I'm sure I will need to use the 5 connectors for things like the lights etc.
Moving to the front end, I removed the bonnet and have started disconnecting the ancillaries in preparation for taking the Campus engine out. Given I have the other subframe I am considering leaving the engine and gearbox on the subframe with the suspension etc. and lifting the shell off. I am thinking this will be easier given the lack of space to move an engine crane around the car.
Away from the car I did the fiddly job of unpicking and removing the Campus seat covers. The bucket seats should arrive this week coming so I am hoping I can get them away with the Campus covers to be re-trimmed quickly. I'm keen to keep jobs moving in parallel for the sake of progress.
I have now ordered the rollover jig so I am ready for when the shell is fully stripped. Was hoping to carry on tomorrow but weather forecast is rain, rain and more rain.
Finally had another free-ish day and some dry weather to crack on with stripping down the shell. Probably made the biggest step today dropping the engine, front subframe and running gear out (and all with a freshly cracked set of ribs!).
We decided not to lift the engine out separately and instead disconnected everything from the shell before lifting it off the subframe. This wasn't too hard in the end with the most awkward part being dragging the assembly out from under the shell and moving it away.
I also test fitted the bucket seats and runners and they fit completely fine meaning this part of the shell at least is identical to a GT Turbo (hopefully this is the case elsewhere for things like the bodykit etc.).
The plan for tomorrow and Monday will be to clean up the engine bay and remove final few bits of wiring etc. and then drop the rear axle assembly. Once I've done that it will be time to paint and assemble the rollover jig which has since arrived and get the car bolted up to it. The the bodywork repairs can start!
We decided not to lift the engine out separately and instead disconnected everything from the shell before lifting it off the subframe. This wasn't too hard in the end with the most awkward part being dragging the assembly out from under the shell and moving it away.
I also test fitted the bucket seats and runners and they fit completely fine meaning this part of the shell at least is identical to a GT Turbo (hopefully this is the case elsewhere for things like the bodykit etc.).
The plan for tomorrow and Monday will be to clean up the engine bay and remove final few bits of wiring etc. and then drop the rear axle assembly. Once I've done that it will be time to paint and assemble the rollover jig which has since arrived and get the car bolted up to it. The the bodywork repairs can start!
Another day of good progress albeit with much more of a fight from the car. Dropped the rear axle assembly and assembled and painted the rollover jig.
The rear axle would've been an easy job if the nuts on the underside weren't so corroded. I started by using the impact driver which budged the 4 nuts a little way each but I didn't realise the force of the driver was twisting a bracket within the car and cutting into the floor around the mounting points. Doh! This will have to be welded and plated and will probably be wise to strengthen these areas anyway. I'm annoyed at myself for making the mistake but nothing that can't be rectified. A mixture of heat, impact driver and long bar finished the job.
The rollover jig was easy enough to put together but the bracket for the rear of the car seems wrong. The holes where the bracket attached are the correct distance apart but need to rotate 90 degrees from what I can see. Without this I would have got the car onto the jig today but will now have to see if I can get the right one sent or modify the one I have.
At least it is loosely assembled and I used up a few old cans of primer and paint that were knocking around in the shed from old motorbike projects.
Weather looks poor tomorrow so I think that will be it for this weekend but good progress and almost ready to make a start on the bodywork repairs and modifications.
The rear axle would've been an easy job if the nuts on the underside weren't so corroded. I started by using the impact driver which budged the 4 nuts a little way each but I didn't realise the force of the driver was twisting a bracket within the car and cutting into the floor around the mounting points. Doh! This will have to be welded and plated and will probably be wise to strengthen these areas anyway. I'm annoyed at myself for making the mistake but nothing that can't be rectified. A mixture of heat, impact driver and long bar finished the job.
The rollover jig was easy enough to put together but the bracket for the rear of the car seems wrong. The holes where the bracket attached are the correct distance apart but need to rotate 90 degrees from what I can see. Without this I would have got the car onto the jig today but will now have to see if I can get the right one sent or modify the one I have.
At least it is loosely assembled and I used up a few old cans of primer and paint that were knocking around in the shed from old motorbike projects.
Weather looks poor tomorrow so I think that will be it for this weekend but good progress and almost ready to make a start on the bodywork repairs and modifications.
Backtobasics2 said:
Any news on this one OP?
Sadly nothing meaningful to update at the moment. The Clio only finished it's unexpected courtesy car duties last week so is parked up awaiting it's fate once again. As is the way sometimes life has got in the way on this one for now through one thing or another. I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks that I may seek some outside help to get this one progressing as I rarely have more than a couple of free hours free over the weekends at the moment.I did add some more V8 goodness to the fleet in the form of a C63s wagon so there has at least been some 4 wheeled fun while the Renault(s) sit.
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