Haha I have had it about 5 years, but spent 2 years before i even finished the charger conversion overseas in South Africa. I've STILL got a few bits in the garage to fit, including the decat, the top mounts from russian_guy's group buy and a new set of engine mounts. Pleased that the exhaust only noise tested at 85 dB with the cat in, gives me an idea for other days.

I really enjoyed Bedford, it was about getting to know the car on a cheapish day, not too far from home, and building it up gradually to a pasting (plus, making sure I could pass a generous noise test). I'd been before many years ago in my Rover, must've been over 5 years ago as that's how long it's been gone. I was a lot faster in the afternoon than the morning, once I had a feel for the car and the naff tyres.

I totally forgot to play with the coilovers when I was there, I was so focused on other things (i.e. looking for niggles, or driving lol), that when i checked last night i found them only 1 click of about 40 clicks from soft. Would've undoubtedly benefitted from losing the cat, but I was afraid of destroying the lambda with no time to get a spare so just left the cat on. Tempted to keep an eye out for some other seats though.

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I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

Pics tbh!

________________________________________

I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

So, about time I made an update to this I suppose.

As per previous posts it seems that my beam was best taken apart looking at the state of the arm shaft and bearings. Blessing in disguise that I had reason to take it apart I suppose as it wouldn't have lasted long.

So, out with the outer bearings. One came willingly:


The other required a puller using some M14 stud and a backplate:


Which also worked nicely for pulling the inner bearings out. So it was obvious that there was some surface rust in the tube, so cue a handy wire brush with a cable tie and a length of airline...


That worked to clean the beam up a treat, and blew it out with an airline afterwards to clean it up.

Looking at my trailing arms I had a torsion bar stuck in the one trailing arm. Took it to work, and through judicious use of a BFOH and a Bigger BFOH the torsion bar was soon free. The penetrating fluid i'd been applying liberally had worked it's way through in most places, but was then leaking through the first full thickness path so no longer having much effect. Regardless, they both came out in the end:



I took the arm shafts to work and used the press to pop them both out, and brought the arms home so I could clean everything up.


Stripping the old seals and carriers off:


Now, I needed to knock the new bearings into the tube. You can use various tools to do this, but I happened to choose a sleeve for an English Electric 500MW emergency governor trip bolt, which happened to be the perfect size. I used no 1, but no2 would also suffice.





Outer bearings I just used a lump of ally I had kicking about which was perfectly sized:


Cleaned up the end plates ready for my hybrid arb. I noticed the new shafts were capable of accepting the 30mm ARB so i'm on the lookout for one of those casually.


Torsion bars powdercoated and greased up, arm shafts pressed in and all ready to go back together, I added in some solid beam mounts and used a dummy shock I got made at work to set the ride height aiming for a 30mm drop on 21mm VTS bars.

Just need to pick some new Nylocs up for the shock and mount bolts tomorrow and job done, had all the bolts on the wire brush on the grinder so all nice and clean. Very pleased with how it turned out even though i just threw whatever paints I had kicking about at it lol.



So in one hit i'll have solid beam mounts, lowered 30mm, VTS 21mm bars and a Hybrid arb.

Aside from that i've just been driving it really. Haven't had any bother from her at all and had been umming and ahhing about a track day when I had a nasty accident on my road bike which wasn't pleasant. I got a tax reminder on the mat this week reminding me she's due for an MOT, can't believe it's been a year already. I've gotta get it booked in for an MOT and then the beam can go on, along with my Russian guy top mounts.

Only frustration is my Magnex if making a right racket. Buzzes like mad at 4k which is the Baffles, but as it warms through i get lots of strange noises and it's generally very irritating. Going to have to cut it open and see what's what I think.

________________________________________

I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

Great write up Si & that looks well smart m8 ....

Just to make you smile ....my Magnex came off yesterday to be renewed with a bespoke jobby & the exhaust guy said have you been having any weird noises or sounds ?
I said yes & he showed me the front silencer was totally empty ...no wadding init at all EMPTY oval useless from Can

Well I suppose I better update this.

Car went for the MOT at end of May, passed with flying colours. MOT tester laughed at the response to the advisory on worn front brake discs last year, by complimenting the Brembos. I had to go away with work a couple times in June so pretty much just brought it home from the MOT and parked it in the garage out the Mrs' way.

I make a conscious effort to get a couple jobs done on it, so took a couple days off work this week to crack on.

Yesterday was the job of the rear beam. 21mm VTS bars, solid rear mounts, hybrid ARB going on all at the same time. Ummed and ahhed about doing it in the garage but rolled it out to be on the safe side, only for it to spend the entire f*cking morning raining, stopping, raining, stopping, raining, stopping. Basically meaning the floor was wet enough to be soaked through by the time i'd finished.


I'd done a beam before on my P3 HDi with EBD, so a bit of faffing around with the load compensator later, and voila - dirty old beam:



Had a few issues with a brake line that didn't want to play ball, but generally wen ok. Pleased with the result, here's a before and after:





Seems awfully close to the tyre on the right but the beam's not for going any further to the left so may have to get the persuader on the arch if it decides to rub. That was Thursday's mission complete anyway, no thanks to the constant showers.

Today brought the job i'd been dreading for a long time. Heater matrix. I had been driving through the winter in the Rallye and was plagued by a misting windscreen and had a small amount of coolant going walkies when checking the levels. I figured that the HG going had probably killed it off, or so I thought.

So, since I have a roll cage I knew this was going to be a lady garden of a job. And I was right. Took a bit of faffing and fiddling getting the front half of the cage to come out, but eventually won the fight. Into the engine bay, spending ages undoing the wipers, motor, dash bolts etc and the most ridiculous heater matrix connection ever. Into the car, spend ages using the force to find all the sodding bolts in random locations before eventually winning the fight:





It was at this point, that my heart sank a little. I realised that the bodge artist who owned the car before me (whichever person it may be) had obviously done the matrix before, since there were no screws holding the matrix into the blower unit and the plastic end cap of the matrix was not there. Had no time to do anything about that really as can't have the car in pieces for days. Still, confirmed that it was the source of my coolant loss as evidenced by the damage and sminge-filled housing.





It had loads of bits of leaves and s**te in there which can only be from when the monglet who owned it before me threw away all the trim and ran just with the rain guard over the fan intake. The bit of a fin missing bit off the end was me being a bit heavy handed taking it out as I was thoroughly frustrated at that point. But then the fun began, trying to get the matrix pipes to go in. A simple feat of plugging two pipes into two pipes but noooooooooooooooo. on the 57th attempt I managed to get the matrix into the bulkhead connector and then same fun and games again with the heater matrix hose in the bay! Dunno why the rallye matrix faq said to remove it really as it achieved nothing but wasting time!! Brake light switch was muchos fun, til I stopped and realised I was being a tit and did it from the drivers door in about 5 seconds lol.

Car finally back in one piece prettymuch. What I lost because I had a cage I gained by not having a full interior. Need to take a pic of the larger white plug in the drivers footwell though as I thought I unplugged something and need some confirmation whether it's unused on a rallye since I have no plugs to go into it - everything seems to work though.

Only snag of the day seems to be that my heater cable only goes to about 80% hot now, as I noticed when running the car up to temp. IT'll go all the way but springs back so obviously has found some extra resistance. I'm shattered tbh and can't be arsed to fix it now. Neither was a particularly fun job but deffo wouldn't advise anyone doing a matrix without some help. took me about 6 hours including the cage, which I haven't yet put back in because I want to paint it. Would have been uber to have an extra pair of hands to speed things up/pass tools/attempt frustrating jobs differently etc.

I feel like a cross between a contortionist and a sado-masochist after today. Arms as red as buggery!

________________________________________

I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

plastic end cap for the matrix?

thats just packaging.

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need a part number? get on here - http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

Bring on the Trumpets.

not too bad a job in a non ac car really, easier in s ZX though.

ac adds a lot more faff.

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need a part number? get on here - http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

Bring on the Trumpets.

Is that not when you sell up?

________________________________________

I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

Brilliant Si ....
When we going to see it & you out on the track ?

Shame I can't make Cadwell Sept

Cadwell on the 12th of September, should be a few of us going

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Goldie the track car.

Ok so i spent all night updating the links in my project thread, since dropbox decided to move them all (thanks for that Dropbox, appreciate it..)

Anyway, went to Bedford Autodrome on Monday for a trackday with Berger. It had hammered it down in the morning which means the track was very wet and very slippery. I just had road tyres on the car which although old, did well enough to have an absolute hoot of a day. Seemed that an entire Clio forum turned up for the day with everything from Phase 1 Turbos to Phase 3 197s. Even bumped into Oliver from here in his Blaze 6 which was giving him handling grief all day.

Good chance to try out the new beam and that, but sadly forgot my action camera to record the day. As the morning went on the track was drying out nicely and it was getting faster and faster. Shame then that over lunch it p**sed it down again and made the track even more wet than the morning. Ah well, still had fun.









Negative of the day for me was the jumped up pen!s in a TTRS driving like a f**king maniac all day, should've been thrown off the trackday in the morning.

________________________________________

I'm Si btw

Night Blue VW Golf GTD
Bianca LBSC Rallye - Track/Road Slag Project Thread
Sparkling Silver Mini Cooper D - Super Dooper - (The other half's wheels)

Looks good makes me miss my old white rallye