Glacier White 200 Cup
- Thread starter burrellbloke
- Start date
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I did think about getting a swan neck spanner but I am sure that I will put the go through ratchet set to other uses.
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I finished cleaning the B14s today. The rear dampers were very easy to clean and did not need much attention at all. The front dampers were crusted with road grime and salt in the 6,000 miles that they had covered on another car. Before they were cleaned they looked like this.
Now they look like this.
I have used a lot of Autosol and grade 0000 wire wool. The threads of the coilovers is now cleaner and free of any dirt. The dark colour of the thread on the top damper above is residue from the autosol that has now been wiped off. New original Bilstein nyloc top nuts are on the piston rod ends. I also managed to find some Bilstein decals from Impact Decals.
Although I have managed to find the decal for the lower part of the damper I am struggling to find the silver sticker that goes just above the other decals that is usually silver, has the yellow and blue Bilstein logo and then says tested at Nurgburgring. I think the problem is that the original stickers have a serial number on them and are unlikely to be available elsewhere. I have had a look online but all I can find are similar style stickers that are too big.
The rear dampers have still got the silver sticker on them.
Now they look like this.
I have used a lot of Autosol and grade 0000 wire wool. The threads of the coilovers is now cleaner and free of any dirt. The dark colour of the thread on the top damper above is residue from the autosol that has now been wiped off. New original Bilstein nyloc top nuts are on the piston rod ends. I also managed to find some Bilstein decals from Impact Decals.
Although I have managed to find the decal for the lower part of the damper I am struggling to find the silver sticker that goes just above the other decals that is usually silver, has the yellow and blue Bilstein logo and then says tested at Nurgburgring. I think the problem is that the original stickers have a serial number on them and are unlikely to be available elsewhere. I have had a look online but all I can find are similar style stickers that are too big.
The rear dampers have still got the silver sticker on them.
Addison
Paid Member
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I have had a delivery of parts ready for the weekend install. In Essex the snow is starting to clear so hopefully the ground might be dry by Saturday.
Drop links, anti-rotation links, front hub pinch nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts to attach the rear dampers to the rear beam, rear damper Powerflex bushes, and the large box is Powerflex rear beam bushes.
Drop links, anti-rotation links, front hub pinch nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts to attach the rear dampers to the rear beam, rear damper Powerflex bushes, and the large box is Powerflex rear beam bushes.
burrellbloke
Paid Member
The suspension install is moving along nicely. On Friday @EthanMenace set the car up on axle stands and sprayed liberal amounts of liquid wrench on all the nuts and threads that we needed to undo.
On Saturday it was literally freezing outside and we made a start on removing the old suspension equipment. We decided to start on the front drivers side as the hub had recently been replaced and we thought that most of the parts that needed to come off should undo reasonably easily. Off came the anti-rotation link and the drop links. That job was made so much easier due to the go through ratchet set that I had recently purchased. Then we cut down a set of spring compressors for a more customised fit and compressed the spring. The next task involved lots of banging the hub with a rubber mallet protected by a bit of wood.
I used an impact driver for the first time to do the suspension and I am not sure why I had not got one before - it made life so much easier.
The drivers side damper refused to come out of the end of hub even though the hub was as low as it would go without out dropping the subframe or taking the hub off. Off came the arch liners to free up some more room. We managed to remove the top mount and have just enough room in the suspension turret to get the top mount out through the turret and on to the floor. That then made enough space for the original cup damper to come out of the way.
The drivers side B14 then went in together with a SuperPro drop link and a new genuine Renault anti-rotation link (together with new nuts).
We finished off for the day on Saturday by loosening off the drop links and anti-rotation links on the front passenger side.
On Sunday we thought that as Saturday had progressed well that the front passenger side would be fairly straight forward to do - it was not. Although the pinch bolt was easy to get out of the hub the cup damper did not want to come out of the hub at all. We tried the method of banging the top of the hub whilst shielding it with a bit of wood but that only moved the damper down by about 20mm.
We moved on the rear suspension and that took all of 30 minutes to do. The dampers were undone at the top mount and the bottom of the damper whilst a jack held the rear beam up. When the jack was moved away the rear beam tilted down and out fell the springs. The B14 rear dampers had new Powerflex bushes put on top. The washers with the Powerflex mounts caused no issues. The new nyloc nuts that I got from Bilstein for the rear dampers were shorter than the original Renault nuts so despite Powerflex using thick washers there was a lot of thread left on the rear top mounts.
There was a tiny amount of surface rust near to the passenger side rear top mount in the wheel arch. That was given a quick blitz with a metal brush on a drill to get rid of the surface rust and then it was sprayed with some etch primer to seal it.
We then returned to the passenger side front damper.
I went out and bought a blow torch to see if heating up the hub would help expand the joint and free the damper - it did not. As it was starting to get dark and cold I decided to compress the springs and simply hit the spring cup on the damper with a club hammer in an upward action. This moved the front passenger damper. After a bit of wiggingling the whole damper and top mount came out of the turret.
Both @EthanMenace and I are not working tomorrow so we can put the front passenger side damper on the car.
Once all of the dampers are on the car I will set the ride height at about medium and put the wheels back on to make sure that there are no obvious knocking noises and that the wheels are all pointing in the right direction.
I have got the week off work so hopefully the weather will be dry enough to allow me to give the car a good scrub under the arch liners, clean the arch liners and give them a bit of dressing with some Auto Finesse Dressle before they go back on to the car. Once the arch liners go back on I can check the ride height to make sure there is no rubbing on the arch liners or the arches as the car has 20mm spacers on it.
On Saturday it was literally freezing outside and we made a start on removing the old suspension equipment. We decided to start on the front drivers side as the hub had recently been replaced and we thought that most of the parts that needed to come off should undo reasonably easily. Off came the anti-rotation link and the drop links. That job was made so much easier due to the go through ratchet set that I had recently purchased. Then we cut down a set of spring compressors for a more customised fit and compressed the spring. The next task involved lots of banging the hub with a rubber mallet protected by a bit of wood.
I used an impact driver for the first time to do the suspension and I am not sure why I had not got one before - it made life so much easier.
The drivers side damper refused to come out of the end of hub even though the hub was as low as it would go without out dropping the subframe or taking the hub off. Off came the arch liners to free up some more room. We managed to remove the top mount and have just enough room in the suspension turret to get the top mount out through the turret and on to the floor. That then made enough space for the original cup damper to come out of the way.
The drivers side B14 then went in together with a SuperPro drop link and a new genuine Renault anti-rotation link (together with new nuts).
We finished off for the day on Saturday by loosening off the drop links and anti-rotation links on the front passenger side.
On Sunday we thought that as Saturday had progressed well that the front passenger side would be fairly straight forward to do - it was not. Although the pinch bolt was easy to get out of the hub the cup damper did not want to come out of the hub at all. We tried the method of banging the top of the hub whilst shielding it with a bit of wood but that only moved the damper down by about 20mm.
We moved on the rear suspension and that took all of 30 minutes to do. The dampers were undone at the top mount and the bottom of the damper whilst a jack held the rear beam up. When the jack was moved away the rear beam tilted down and out fell the springs. The B14 rear dampers had new Powerflex bushes put on top. The washers with the Powerflex mounts caused no issues. The new nyloc nuts that I got from Bilstein for the rear dampers were shorter than the original Renault nuts so despite Powerflex using thick washers there was a lot of thread left on the rear top mounts.
There was a tiny amount of surface rust near to the passenger side rear top mount in the wheel arch. That was given a quick blitz with a metal brush on a drill to get rid of the surface rust and then it was sprayed with some etch primer to seal it.
We then returned to the passenger side front damper.
I went out and bought a blow torch to see if heating up the hub would help expand the joint and free the damper - it did not. As it was starting to get dark and cold I decided to compress the springs and simply hit the spring cup on the damper with a club hammer in an upward action. This moved the front passenger damper. After a bit of wiggingling the whole damper and top mount came out of the turret.
Both @EthanMenace and I are not working tomorrow so we can put the front passenger side damper on the car.
Once all of the dampers are on the car I will set the ride height at about medium and put the wheels back on to make sure that there are no obvious knocking noises and that the wheels are all pointing in the right direction.
I have got the week off work so hopefully the weather will be dry enough to allow me to give the car a good scrub under the arch liners, clean the arch liners and give them a bit of dressing with some Auto Finesse Dressle before they go back on to the car. Once the arch liners go back on I can check the ride height to make sure there is no rubbing on the arch liners or the arches as the car has 20mm spacers on it.
RSRowe
Paid Member
They can be a right bugger when they’ve not been apart for a while.
I generally pull the whole lot out when doing them now, as at that point it’s only the driveshaft nut which needs to come off. Just isn’t worth the effort mauling with a hammer
I’ve seen pics of someone using a small scissor jack between the spring platform and the hub before too
I generally pull the whole lot out when doing them now, as at that point it’s only the driveshaft nut which needs to come off. Just isn’t worth the effort mauling with a hammer
I’ve seen pics of someone using a small scissor jack between the spring platform and the hub before too
burrellbloke
Paid Member
Is the driveshaft nut the 34 or 36mm nut? I did think about it for a moment but as we did not have a large enough socket we just carried on banging with the mallet.
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suj
Paid Member
This, I had to buy them both for the Clio as I had 33, 34 and 35mm...for previous cars....sod's law!
Definitely worth having both, especially the 36mm, for rear discs!
Also good work on the rest of the suspension, will be great.
burrellbloke
Paid Member
The passenger front damper is now on and the car is on the ground.
I have tried to find some before and after photos. These two seem to be the best to compare. This is before:
This is after:
The arch gap is definitely smaller at the front and back. I have measured from the floor to the top of the arch gap on each wheel and the car is about 20mm lower all around.
@EthanMenace and I took the car out for quick spirited drive earlier and the car definitely feels more compliant, the turn in is quicker and the car seems to hold the road when cornering better. The arch liners are still not back on the car but so far there have been no terrible noises coming from the wheels under cornering or braking. The tyres have not started rubbing the arches yet. I will probably put the arch liners back in tomorrow and then give it another test drive to make sure there is no rubbing.
Another job I have added to the to do list is to book the car in to check the alignment. I have not touched the steering track rod ends and the car still seems to drive in a straight line without pulling to one side.
I have tried to find some before and after photos. These two seem to be the best to compare. This is before:
This is after:
The arch gap is definitely smaller at the front and back. I have measured from the floor to the top of the arch gap on each wheel and the car is about 20mm lower all around.
@EthanMenace and I took the car out for quick spirited drive earlier and the car definitely feels more compliant, the turn in is quicker and the car seems to hold the road when cornering better. The arch liners are still not back on the car but so far there have been no terrible noises coming from the wheels under cornering or braking. The tyres have not started rubbing the arches yet. I will probably put the arch liners back in tomorrow and then give it another test drive to make sure there is no rubbing.
Another job I have added to the to do list is to book the car in to check the alignment. I have not touched the steering track rod ends and the car still seems to drive in a straight line without pulling to one side.
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I spent a day in the rain finishing off a few things today.
I had not put the arch liners back in after putting the coilovers on the Clio. I cleaned the wheel arches out.
The rears were given a clean as well.
I cleaned up the arch liners by giving them a god scrub with some Oblitarate. They were all speckled with large lumps of tar.
The arch liners all scrubbed up okay.
As the rain got worse I put the arch liners back on the car.
Once the arch liners were in I double checked the height on the front coilovers was equal and then took the car out for a drive to make sure that the tyres were not rubbing in the arch liners. Success, they tyres are not rubbing so far.
I had not put the arch liners back in after putting the coilovers on the Clio. I cleaned the wheel arches out.
The rears were given a clean as well.
I cleaned up the arch liners by giving them a god scrub with some Oblitarate. They were all speckled with large lumps of tar.
The arch liners all scrubbed up okay.
As the rain got worse I put the arch liners back on the car.
Once the arch liners were in I double checked the height on the front coilovers was equal and then took the car out for a drive to make sure that the tyres were not rubbing in the arch liners. Success, they tyres are not rubbing so far.
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burrellbloke
Paid Member
I took the Clio to have the wheel alignment checked today.
These are the before measurements.
These are the figures after the wheels had been aligned.
I was told by the garage that the front left camber and rear left camber measurements are just outside of the tolerance thresholds so are not worth worrying about. Hopefully that advice is correct.
These are the before measurements.
These are the figures after the wheels had been aligned.
I was told by the garage that the front left camber and rear left camber measurements are just outside of the tolerance thresholds so are not worth worrying about. Hopefully that advice is correct.
suj
Paid Member
It's measured in degrees and minutes, so 1 degree and 29minutes, so you have 9 minutes more on the front (0.15degrees more) so that isn't that noticeable.
Rear is 25 minutes, so around 0.42degs, so a bit more worrying, but it's not like one side has 1 degree and the other 3 degrees lol.
Front you'd need camber top mounts, for that small difference doesn't matter.
Rear you'd need shims, again unless it's pulling massively or driving really badly I wouldn't worry too much.
Maybe weight distribution / height isn't as level, unless you get it corner weighted etc, you'll never properly know.
Don't worry too much.
Rear is 25 minutes, so around 0.42degs, so a bit more worrying, but it's not like one side has 1 degree and the other 3 degrees lol.
Front you'd need camber top mounts, for that small difference doesn't matter.
Rear you'd need shims, again unless it's pulling massively or driving really badly I wouldn't worry too much.
Maybe weight distribution / height isn't as level, unless you get it corner weighted etc, you'll never properly know.
Don't worry too much.
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I might invest in a PMS shim to even out the rear camber.
www.pure-motorsport.co.uk
I am thinking that if I get a 30 minute shim and put that on the right hand side I should end up with about 2 degrees of negative rear camber on each side.
Camber on the front wheels will have to wait until I can afford to replace the OEM top mounts with camber adjustable ones that will work with the B14s. Something like these.
www.kamracing.co.uk
Clio 3 RS Camber/Toe shim
Rear camber/toe shim for Renaultsport Clio 197/200. THESE SHIMS ARE SOLD SINGLY NOT AS A PAIR!
www.pure-motorsport.co.uk
I am thinking that if I get a 30 minute shim and put that on the right hand side I should end up with about 2 degrees of negative rear camber on each side.
Camber on the front wheels will have to wait until I can afford to replace the OEM top mounts with camber adjustable ones that will work with the B14s. Something like these.
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burrellbloke
Paid Member
The sun was out today so I gave the Clio a wash 'n wax. I purchased some Gtechniq C4 months ago and had been waiting for some good weather to apply it. The instructions suggest you need at least 12 hours of dry weather after applying it for it to cure properly.
The plastics on my Cup were a little faded. The door strips had developed a stripe effect on them which varied between grey and charcoal. The door handles were a shade of charcoal and the wing mirrors were definately not black.
I opened up the box of C4 to discover a tiny bottle inside with some applicator pads.
After applying the C4 the plastics on the Clio did look a lot better - in fact they looked blacker than I have ever seen them.
The wing mirrors are also looking good.
The real test will be to see if the trim stays black over the next few weeks. I have used other trim restorers in the past that have not really worked - they look good when they go on but after a few weeks and a couple of rain showers they start to fade and leave streaks on the car.
I then used most of the remaining C4 on @EthanMenace Clio Trophy to brighten up his faded plastics.
As the weather was still good after the wash 'n wax I went out for a quick blast with @EthanMenace to the local reservoir to take a few photos of the clean Clio - it was in good company.
The plastics on my Cup were a little faded. The door strips had developed a stripe effect on them which varied between grey and charcoal. The door handles were a shade of charcoal and the wing mirrors were definately not black.
I opened up the box of C4 to discover a tiny bottle inside with some applicator pads.
After applying the C4 the plastics on the Clio did look a lot better - in fact they looked blacker than I have ever seen them.
The wing mirrors are also looking good.
The real test will be to see if the trim stays black over the next few weeks. I have used other trim restorers in the past that have not really worked - they look good when they go on but after a few weeks and a couple of rain showers they start to fade and leave streaks on the car.
I then used most of the remaining C4 on @EthanMenace Clio Trophy to brighten up his faded plastics.
As the weather was still good after the wash 'n wax I went out for a quick blast with @EthanMenace to the local reservoir to take a few photos of the clean Clio - it was in good company.
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