Steves Megane conversion build - She's finally running (VIDEO inside)

[Sean197]

Cheers, good to know. Ive done engine swaps before, it's just the niggly little things I'm trying to find out as I do the research.
Funny thing is, I only intended to buy the guy's speedlines, he dropped them off at mine in his meg'd 197. He took me round the block and a week later I'd bought an engine, gearbox and ancillaries and was planning the conversion haha It really does turn the clio into the car renault should have made in the first place. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Stephenvenning]

Cheers, good to know. Ive done engine swaps before, it's just the niggly little things I'm trying to find out as I do the research.
Funny thing is, I only intended to buy the guy's speedlines, he dropped them off at mine in his meg'd 197. He took me round the block and a week later I'd bought an engine, gearbox and ancillaries and was planning the conversion haha It really does turn the clio into the car renault should have made in the first place. You won't be disappointed.

:lol: thats epic! its really surprising how well it fits in, just use the clio mounts and bolt them on the meg engine and it slots in. i would recomend getting the loom made up by SteC, has made my build a lot easier. I had a similar impulse buy, the engine came up for a good price just down the road. Was gonna keep it standard engine believe it or not :lol: 2 years and a lot of money later Im at this stage. Im starting to get excited now.

 

[Stephenvenning]

UPDATE:

Today I took a last minute day off to get bits finished off on the clio, getting very close now to starting her up. First on the list today was to assemble the shocks with some H and R springs, the shocks were painted gloss black and the rubber boots and top mounts were given a through clean, the springs were then installed using some springs compressors. Id imagine these will be swapped out next year for some BC coilovers but funds dont allow that at this moment in time :lol:

I have also started to finish off my fuel system today, Ive plumbed in the feed line and figured out how Im going to mount my fuel pressure reg. A new bracket will need to be made for the pressure reg. The return line will also be plumbed in when Ive got the car up at running before mapping. i wont need to the HP fuel pump on stock map and on running the engine in so no reason it to complicate it at this point, it will be one less thing to bed in and setup considering I have a new clutch, flywheel, engine internals, rebuilt gearbox and other bits.

Drive shafts were also given the OCD treatment and wire brushed followed by a coat of smooth black hammerite.

Tomorrow I should get the driver side suspension sorted like hubs, struts, driveshafts etc. Im then going to sort out positioning the coolant resouvior as I have a feeling another bracket will have to be made up. Ill update again sunday.

















Thanks

 

[Pav]

lovely..think painting them parts is a very sensible thing to do..i would like to do mine once of the car..keep them protected...as always thumbs up..

 

[Sean197]

Good stuff, getting really close now! I'll be keeping a close eye on how you get on with the clio radiator too. Do you have a scan gauge or similar to keep an eye on things?

 

[krash67]

Great job so far, but would it been wise to move the battery out the bay, giving more space for piping,fuel rig, coolant header tank and air inlet etc?

 

[Stephenvenning]

Great job so far, but would it been wise to move the battery out the bay, giving more space for piping,fuel rig, coolant header tank and air inlet etc?

That has been an idea tbh, but at this moment I just want the car running now. That's something that could be done on a weekend when it's all been mapped etc.

 

[Daverb]

Keeps the oem look too

 

[Stephenvenning]

UPDATE:

Haven't done much today due to mothers day. I did however manage to fit the drivers side suspension and driveshaft. The drive shaft went in easily and the retaining plate on the bracket was tightened up. Next I had to locate the top mounts and at the same time slide the drive shaft into the hub assembly, what a pain in the arse on your own cramped up against the garage wall. Anyway then the topmount was tightened up and the wishbone ball joint was located into the hub. The hub nut was now installed and tightened to spec. Loctite was used on all the bolts in the hub assembly. The drop link and anti-rotation arm was then bolted in making sure the threads were clean. I dont think the suspension has ever looked this clean :lol: should handle like a new car considering it has new lower ball joint, swivel joint, droplink bars, steering rack and springs.

yesterday I also finalised my intercooler position, Ive marked with a black pen where it meets the crash bar, Ill then weld it in place this week at work. Then I can properly install the rest of the front end. All that's left to do on the engine is fit the coolant reservoir and the air filter. Im going to go with a 182 coolant reservoir and mount it by the engine mounts to free up some room by the air filter.

This week Ill finish the other hub and hopefully fit that next weekend, mount intercooler, top up the gearbox oil and hopefully get her started up and maybe out of the garage for the first time in 2 months. Once out I can remove the front wings and get them resprayed as well as the front bumper and bonnet.













Shes looking mean now


Thanks as always

 

[Pav]

looks great..so clean.. :cloud9:

 

[krash67]

can relate to the cramped working space (literally your back against the wall!). how nice it would be to have a nice open work space.......those people that have double garages, don't know lucky they are!

 

[VolumeX]

Looking good, the finish line gets closer & closer.

 

[Raptor6767]

OCD level: Pro.

 

[Yiannis197]

It's so getting there, perfect! I wouldn't like to drive it on a wet day though!!

 

[Stephenvenning]

Thanks guys, it may now be a summer car :lol: I dont think it will be my daily anymore

 

[Stephenvenning]

UPDATE:

Every day i spend on this car the closer I get to that first drive

Today I have installed the passenger side hub and driveshaft, gave the driveshaft a good coat of hammerite again. This side has also had all the bearings replaced. The drop links though are the originals as they are in good condition. They are again painted in athracite to match the engine. I can now fill the gearbox with oil, Ill do this tomorrow and Im going to use Fuchs syntrax.

Most conversions I have seen use the 197 coolant tank and mount it behind the battery, I didnt like this as the air filter is completely blocked from the cold air. i have therefore purchased a 182 tank and Im going to mount it on the far left of the engine bay by the engine mounts. The tank needed a bit of filing to get it to fit but it now fits perfectly, Ill make up some brackets in the week to mount it more securely.

The mounting bracket that was supplied with the fuel pressure reg wasnt long enough to fit in my ideal position on the rocker cover, I therefore in the week constructed a bracket out of some aluminium. I have then polished it up to a miror, the pressure reg now sits nicely and almost looks like its meant to be there :lol: Ill plumb this up before mapping when I install my bosch 044 pump.

Tomorrow I hope to start the engine for the first time Ive got to install the callipers and bleed them, fill the gearbox with oil, finish the coolant system and fill with coolant, prime the engine with oil, install the brake discs, put the wheels back on and then I should be able to start it and get it out of the garage ready for installing the rear springs and finalising the exhaust system.

































Thanks

 

[Chris]

Yes that coolant bottle is miles better than the one from the 197!! Much more compact!

 

[Zuban]

really amazing work! everything just looks so well thought out!.

 

[Tutuur]

Coming along nicely mate!

 

[litchy]

That's where my coolant bottle is...