Time to start a thread for my 16v.
Headlines:
160bhp in a 1060kg car = fun and games.
Underrated 80s hot hatch, superb suspension (making it faster than the equivalent Pug 405 Mi16) compromised by complex suspension... meaning that many got scrapped early.
Also a serious problem in that 205 boys like to buy them and break them for the engine. (I don't mind this; a 205 Mi16 is a hell of a car. What I object to is that so many got broken for their engines, and said engines were then left to rot in Barry's front garden in Essex, i.e. they never actually made it into the 205 they were bought for...)
Plan:
I took it off the road planning to make a track car, but I've changed my mind; plan now is to return it to OEM+ spec with only a few minor changes from standard.
Hoping to get it on the road and MOTd for this summer, then probably off the road to commence various strip downs and rebuilds. Unless I've completely lost my BX mojo by the end of this project!
First thing to do, start it up and clear all the spares out of it.
Have a dig around and investigate the crusty bits if there are any... oh yes. There are.
That's going to need weldage at some point.
This is the tax disc from when it was last on the road.
Is there anything sadder than a pair of soaked furry dice? Oh well, in the bin they go...
...along with the number plates. Shame to lose the dealer plates but the front one was knackered. Not many people know that although the bodywork of 80s French cars is made from cake tin material, the important bits like the number plate screws are a Tyrillium carbonic alloy from the future. There's no drilling that out, so it's out with the Mole grips...
Time to have a look at the hydraulicky bits. Put car in HIGH:
Get underneath. Unfortunately the height corrector at the rear doesn't seem to be working. I'll probably have to address this when the rear beam comes off so I contented myself with dousing the moving parts in WD40. The puddle of LHM, and the fact that the rear of the car doesn't drop when it should, suggests that there's something wrong on the return side. I have a lot of pipes to make up. At least it still goes up as it should, even if it is a bit reluctant to come down again.
Then on to more fun things, new discs and pads to go on all round. They are in a state;
Hardly surprising considering how long it's been stood. It really warrants a full strip and recondition of everything, but time doesn't allow that this year, I just want to get it MOTd and then I'll think about that sort of thing over winter.
Jack it up. Hmm, the rear comes up too! Magic. I'd like to think this is because the back of the car is so light, but equally it could be because there's something not right with the suspension... I know the rear arms need doing, which is why I'll be dropping the rear beam off.
Right, well, anyway, on with disc and pad replacement. I had to deploy my full range of expletives to get the job done (as well as a large hammer) but eventually;
Finally a bit of easy cosmetic work; remove the newer-style green tinted rear lights, as shown...
...and replace with the correct old skooooooool style with actual orange bits on:
Next thing is rear discs and pads.
By the way, it's currently wearing 195/45/15 Yoko A539s which I don't need, as they are too small for the car. Buy them here! retrorides.proboards.com/thread/164624/yoko-a539s-used-195-set
Headlines:
160bhp in a 1060kg car = fun and games.
Underrated 80s hot hatch, superb suspension (making it faster than the equivalent Pug 405 Mi16) compromised by complex suspension... meaning that many got scrapped early.
Also a serious problem in that 205 boys like to buy them and break them for the engine. (I don't mind this; a 205 Mi16 is a hell of a car. What I object to is that so many got broken for their engines, and said engines were then left to rot in Barry's front garden in Essex, i.e. they never actually made it into the 205 they were bought for...)
Plan:
I took it off the road planning to make a track car, but I've changed my mind; plan now is to return it to OEM+ spec with only a few minor changes from standard.
Hoping to get it on the road and MOTd for this summer, then probably off the road to commence various strip downs and rebuilds. Unless I've completely lost my BX mojo by the end of this project!
First thing to do, start it up and clear all the spares out of it.
Have a dig around and investigate the crusty bits if there are any... oh yes. There are.
That's going to need weldage at some point.
This is the tax disc from when it was last on the road.
Is there anything sadder than a pair of soaked furry dice? Oh well, in the bin they go...
...along with the number plates. Shame to lose the dealer plates but the front one was knackered. Not many people know that although the bodywork of 80s French cars is made from cake tin material, the important bits like the number plate screws are a Tyrillium carbonic alloy from the future. There's no drilling that out, so it's out with the Mole grips...
Time to have a look at the hydraulicky bits. Put car in HIGH:
Get underneath. Unfortunately the height corrector at the rear doesn't seem to be working. I'll probably have to address this when the rear beam comes off so I contented myself with dousing the moving parts in WD40. The puddle of LHM, and the fact that the rear of the car doesn't drop when it should, suggests that there's something wrong on the return side. I have a lot of pipes to make up. At least it still goes up as it should, even if it is a bit reluctant to come down again.
Then on to more fun things, new discs and pads to go on all round. They are in a state;
Hardly surprising considering how long it's been stood. It really warrants a full strip and recondition of everything, but time doesn't allow that this year, I just want to get it MOTd and then I'll think about that sort of thing over winter.
Jack it up. Hmm, the rear comes up too! Magic. I'd like to think this is because the back of the car is so light, but equally it could be because there's something not right with the suspension... I know the rear arms need doing, which is why I'll be dropping the rear beam off.
Right, well, anyway, on with disc and pad replacement. I had to deploy my full range of expletives to get the job done (as well as a large hammer) but eventually;
Finally a bit of easy cosmetic work; remove the newer-style green tinted rear lights, as shown...
...and replace with the correct old skooooooool style with actual orange bits on:
Next thing is rear discs and pads.
By the way, it's currently wearing 195/45/15 Yoko A539s which I don't need, as they are too small for the car. Buy them here! retrorides.proboards.com/thread/164624/yoko-a539s-used-195-set
)
