Clio Liberte

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

So i bought the clio off an old school friend in febuary 2005 for when i pass my test. I knew it needed work from the start it had starting problems,overheated quite a bit..but me doing a mechanics course at college i thought a challenge would do me no harm.

Heres a pic of it on the first day-
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/beforeclio.jpg Click For Pic

As you can see the previous owner did not take care of it at all ....first thing my sister did was take that horrible sunstrip off it.

Interior-
So the previous owner of the person i bought the car off of decided to spray the dash and doorcards a lovely silver without using primer or laquer..so i thought ill try it myself and spray them black...big mistake..it came out worse :lol:

Heres a pic of the dash - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/olddash.jpg

Here is also one of the doorcard - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/olddoorcard.jpg

P.S the seat covers were temporary ...but have now been binned as they looked tacky as hell lol.

So i got a phone call from a friend saying...my mate is wanting rid of a clio ...so off i went to dunoon and took the dash out of that clio..it also had a rev counter which was a bonus. Which i got for free.

Here's some pics of it fitted to my car -
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/sidedash4.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/sidedash1.jpg

Rev Counter-
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/revcounter1.jpg

My clio had an imobiliser but the new dash didnt so i done a wee bit of customisation(spelling lol) heres a pic -
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/immobiliser.jpg

I also got some new doorcards from a 5door clio which had no cloth for 10 pound,i do not have pics of them at the moment.

Exterior -
As you problably noticed from the first pic there is some front end damage.

The light skirting looked like this on one side..it also cut my hand when i washed it if i remember correctly lol heres a pic - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/lightwithbrockenbit.jpg

There is also no grille so i was generally browsing renaultsportsclub and saw a user was breaking clio's so i chanced my luck and pm'd him for bits..only asked for one side of the light skirtings and got both sides along with a ph1 grille heres a pic of the front end..im sure you will agree it looks a bit better -http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/cliogrill.jpg

Post continued :D

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

With the clio the rear lights where sprayed black...which im told could fail an MOT so i didnt want to chance it and i went on ebay and had a look and got a set of rear lights for 8pound which i recon was a bargain.

Heres a pic of it with the old lights - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/oldpicback2.jpg

Here is a pic of the clio with the new rear lights - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/newrear.jpg

Which im sure you will agree that it looks far better.

The bonnet had a bash in it as somebody that previously owned it decided they wanted to meet a lampost haha -

Here's a pic of the damage - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/oldbonnet-1.jpg

So off i went to a scrappy in paisley and picked up a silver bonent for 25pound which was slightly scratched heres a pic of it - http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/MyClio-1.jpg

I also tried my hand at respraying my bumper as it was all chipped and scratched...ive never sprayed a car before for my first attempt i recon it was pretty good(its in the pic above with the new bonnet)

What im in the middle of doing at the moment is fitting a new downpipe as it snapped right before the cat ..also fitting a radiator as the old one burst as cause of overheating as there was no thermostat.

Ill keep you lot updated..i kno its only a 1.2 but ive got to start somewhere |:)

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

was it scot street scrappy you went to? bunch of tossers in there. The new bonnet looks dented as well.

I have edited both your posts so people can now view the pics.

Don't use the url tags etc, just copy the link and paste it.

Liek I said mate you need anythign ask me first, I may have it or if not shoudl get you it cheaper.

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

Cheers chris

It was hawkhead scrappies in paisley i went to...the bonnet i got from there is now majorly damaged ....was doing work on the car and it fell...leaving deep scratches in it :lol: so im not gunna bother getting another bonnet till ive finished the work on it lol.

Im looking for an alternator for my clio..possibly one that will take more abuse as im adding amplifiers to my sound system :)

I wont know till it goes through an MOT of what it needs haha. Im unemployed at the moment so cant afford to put her through its MOT..its been off the road since August 2005 :( So its rusting away :lol:

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

yeah scots road, bunch of bawbags.

I can have a look over it and get a ticket on it as well.

Stock alt is fine tbh, just fit a decent battery. I had a huge one in the clio, had to remove the bit of plastic ont he battery tray and it touched the ignition module it was that big.

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

aye i think my alternator is buggered anyway..as ive fitted a heavy duty battery to it and that battery drained itself..thats how im coming to the conclusion my alternators fooked :lol: As ive ran the clio at least once a week.

Ah the joys of owning a clio :lol:

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

I have one somewhere.

Since your unemplouyed, get your arse iover here and give me a hand with choppign bits out of the exec, take whatever parts you want as well.

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

i would help you out...just ive got no way of getting over there lol im also waiting on a processor for my p.c coming (bloody royal mail Laughing

)

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

get a bus! bloody youth!

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

Just a wee update on whats happening with the clio.

Got the downpipe fitted and the car started after 3weeks of sittng. Exhaust is fine..no leaks at all...no pics at the moment as my mum took the camera on holiday :lol:

Fitted the radiator and thermostat ...got the radiator off Chris H off here :D
So put the coolant in and made sure there was no air locks...left it running and noticed it was overheating. The fan wasnt coming on..so we ran a wire straight to the fan and the fan came on..so i found out it needs a new CTS. When the fan was on it continued to overheat..so we turned the car off and got the thermostat out and tested it..it wasnt openening ..it was brand new from a local parts shop aswell.

So still to come CTS and another thermostat.

While fitting the exhaust i straightened the exhaust up a bit.

Here's a before shot - [img]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/oldpicback2.jpg[/img]

Heres how it looks now - [img]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e167/Bass777/back.jpg[/img]

I will keep you all updated when more things have been done to it :wink:

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

you mean the radiator temp seder. I have one you can have.

you didin't fit the stat back to front did you? how did you test it?

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

the good old boiled water method...i fitted the thermostat the same way the haynes manual showed me :lol:

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

were you boiling it on the cooker?

pouring it out of the kettle will not get it to open.

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

a kettle...but we took it out the car straight after it we turned it off and it was still jammed shut lol

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

how could you take it out? you got asbestos hands?

the gold wax capsule should be on the engine side not the hose side, its easy to fit backwards and this will cause it to get very hot.

Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 16

i didnt take it out...my mate the mechanic did lol ..used a set of plyers to take it out.