John’s Titanium 182 Track Project

Interior now pretty much completely back together. Very pleased with the way it’s turned out [emoji4]

That’s the interior finished. I think... I’m afraid to say anything is finished, because it never truly is [emoji849]







Engine, gearbox, running gear and wiring loom all back in today with new upper PMS mount and it fired up first turn of the key. Delighted.



All it really needs now is the windows fitted, coolant, gearbox oil and the brakes bled then it’s good to go testing. I also have a rear stub axle spacer kit to go on but if needs must that could go on at a later date.

I’m off work all next week, so I’ll hopefully get a few more good days like today spent on the car tidying and finishing bits and bobs. Windows should be back in tomorrow too.

Windows now refitted:







I ran wiring for the side repeaters and tidied all the wiring in the scuttle, refitted the heater motor and wiper mechanism then painted the blanking plate for the heater motor on the bulkhead and reassembled it all. No progress pics in the scuttle but I also wrapped and tidied the remainder of the wiring in the engine bay.



Bay looking quite tidy now [emoji4]

What an awesome read!
That PMS shifter found its way into the car pretty discreetly!
Looks bloody brilliant!

I’ve got to where mine is for £3k...however I bought the car for £220 and I’ve done NOTHING in comparison to this! So I’m going to say you’re north of £5k now

Few questions in regards to this build
what are your intentions, Racing eventually? Just track?

Are you going Fibreglass Doors at any stage? If they’re already fitted then I missed it!

Are you fitting EPAS?

How easy is the single wiper conversion?

I’ve got many more questions as this is VERY much the line I’ll be taking

Great build! Certainly be watching this

Looks awesome so far

20vKarlos said:

What an awesome read!
That PMS shifter found its way into the car pretty discreetly!
Looks bloody brilliant!

I’ve got to where mine is for £3k...however I bought the car for £220 and I’ve done NOTHING in comparison to this! So I’m going to say you’re north of £5k now

Few questions in regards to this build
what are your intentions, Racing eventually? Just track?

Are you going Fibreglass Doors at any stage? If they’re already fitted then I missed it!

Are you fitting EPAS?

How easy is the single wiper conversion?

I’ve got many more questions as this is VERY much the line I’ll be taking

Great build! Certainly be watching this

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Thanks for your comments! I’ve always had the PMS Shifter, but you’re right - I just fitted it one day and didn’t actually mention it in the build...

My intention is to enter a race series called Super Lap Scotland at Knockhill http://www.superlapscotland.co.uk/

As the class structure is determined by power to weight ratio I’m going to wait until I know this before deciding whether to go for fibreglass doors or not.

I’ve had the PAS removed for pretty much as long as I’ve had the car and noticed no problems without it so no intention of fitting EPAS.

My single wiper is really easy. I’ve simply removed the passenger side wiper arm and fitted it to the centre spindle. I then loosened the mechanism fitting to the motor and rotated it until the wiper parked in the correct place. @vroomtshh has a genuine single wiper conversion which is a lot more work but also a nicer solution.

Martin. said:

Looks awesome so far

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Cheers Martin [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is your steering really heavy without PAS?

My pal has just removed his and blanked off his rack and it has to be the worst steering I’ve felt.

If there’s another way around PAS than going EPAS, I’m interested (and not very knowledgeable in this stuff :grin: )

Got a bit more done today, starting with some carbon protectors for the cage door bars.









Had some assistance from Maggie in the quality control department. She approves but can’t understand why dad’s put all these bars in the way and she can’t get in!



Then I filled the gearbox with oil. FYI - Big syringe is THE way to do it!



Then I decided I would bleed the brakes. When I was stripping the front end to remove the engine a while ago I thought I would try the bleed nipples on the front calipers. I broke one and left the other one alone. I then picked up a pair of recently refurbished calipers and refitted them when I done the brake lines so I knew there would be no issues at the front.

So. Guess what happened today, went to the NSR first and, happy days - Not.



Tried to extract it to no avail, broke an extraction tool in the caliper so that was game over.



However, every cloud has a silver lining, (or so they say) not long after I got the car I was changing rear pads, and found the threads for the pad carrier to caliper bolt on that side to be stripped. I drilled the carrier out and tapped the caliper for a slightly larger (imperial thread) bolt, I always knew this wasn’t an ideal solution but it got me going at the time.

New caliper time then!



I primed and painted the pad carrier then fitted to the car.





After that I swapped all 4 bleed nipples for stainless steel items so hopefully have no more issues with that. Seeing how lovely the new caliper is on the NSR, I might need to get one for the other side, because I’m like that...

20vKarlos said:

Is your steering really heavy without PAS?

My pal has just removed his and blanked off his rack and it has to be the worst steering I’ve felt.

If there’s another way around PAS than going EPAS, I’m interested (and not very knowledgeable in this stuff :grin: )

Click to expand...

I guess it depends what you’re doing. I have a trailer so I only ever really drive the car on track, it’s not like I’m doing any parking or tight manoeuvres. That being said though I think I could probably still live with it on a daily basis.

Mine will get trailered to and from the track too.

The only thing I worry about is parking it up in the unit

Loving the updates

20vKarlos said:

Mine will get trailered to and from the track too.

The only thing I worry about is parking it up in the unit

Loving the updates

Click to expand...

Yeah I wouldn’t worry about it, the steering isn’t that heavy. Remember it’s a 900kg (ish) car with 15” 195 wide tyres so not a lot of weight or resistance.

20vKarlos said:

Mine will get trailered to and from the track too.

The only thing I worry about is parking it up in the unit

Loving the updates

Click to expand...

I drive mine to and from track with no PAS. Park it in a tight garage, have taken it to work etc. I don't have any real issues. You just have to be moving when you turn the wheel

So today I fitted the Pure Motorsport stub axle spacers. Discs and old stub axle fixing bolts came out with no real troubles.





Got a pad fitting kit:



And I couldn’t leave the horrible old caliper on the offside so I got another one, painted the carrier and fitted that up too.



I done a bit more, but ran out of time for photos. Hopefully another update tomorrow.

Looking really good John :up:
where did you get the carbon for the cage ?
Did you get the pad fitting kit from your work ?

neil a said:

Looking really good John :up:
where did you get the carbon for the cage ?
Did you get the pad fitting kit from your work ?

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Cheers Neil,

The carbon for the cage is here: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/152068598578

I got 2x 350mm and 2x 500mm lengths.

Pad kitting kit was actually from the place I used to work, but you’ll get it at Euro/Dingbro/TMS/whatever.

https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/...30e75d91a0904d671cc4faf8dbc30ff6c4e649&000416

Excellent build and a great read. Looking forward to seeing it up at knockhill this year.

It must be killing you inside @John Lindsay fitting those shiny parts to the rusty rear beam! My OCD wouldn't allow it

you out on the 25th for the TS day?

scotiamr2t said:

It must be killing you inside @John Lindsay fitting those shiny parts to the rusty rear beam! My OCD wouldn't allow it

you out on the 25th for the TS day?

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You’re right, I hate looking at the photos of it. I’m already on the hunt for a second beam to strengthen and fit with PMS bearings for swapping over at a later date.

Yeah, 25th will be the first outing, what about yourself?

So after I’d swapped the caliper over I set about wiring in the LED strip lights to put on the headlight blanks.

I finished that off today, bled the brakes, filled and bled the coolant (which was nice bright green stuff but has now turned beige. I thought I’d given it a good enough flush but obviously not.

So other than a few little odds and ends that’s it ready to go for the 25th [emoji7]

I even gave it a wash!







Then one of my new LED’s stopped working. ‍♂️



It came back on again though, so we’ll see how that develops.



Few wee videos:

Great to see it up and running again mate.

Unfortunately mine isn’t getting mapped until the 8th of April so I’ll have the car up on the 25th but just to be checked over and have it weighed @John Lindsay

So I’ve been lucky enough to get a few sponsors on board and I’m putting an entry in for Super Lap Scotland.

I’ve received a set of pads from George Snee at Road Track Race Parts - highly recommended, and excellent service.

Also got these sneak preview shots from the powdercoaters:







Looking forward to getting out on track on Sunday now, need to fit the pads and then just a final check over and it’s good to go.

Huge thanks to LRM Landscaping & Groundworks, LRM Grab Hire and F1 wheels for their support this season.

Would be much appreciated it anyone who reads this could give the Facebook pages a ‘like’

https://en-gb.facebook.com/LRMLandscaping/

https://en-gb.facebook.com/LRM-Grab-Hire-123398034983562/

https://en-gb.facebook.com/flwheelsltd/

https://en-gb.facebook.com/RoadTrackRaceParts/

A few finishing touches tonight, including new DS1.11 pads from George Snee at Road Track Race Parts, the OZ’s and a pair of silver skirts fitted.

Knockhill tomorrow!

Looks like it’s going to be a good day for it, enjoy!

Car looked to be going well John, I seen a few 59’s when not caught up in what was a very busy track day.
Did you any time keeping yourself?

Well - first time out with the car this season on Sunday at the Track Scotland track day, which was as usual thanks to Adam and Fiona a very well organised event.

Car went very well, took a bit of time getting used to it all again after bedding in the new brakes. Only a couple of problems, first one was fairly simple when the circlip for the gear selector fell out the bottom of the box and ended one session however this was a quick and easy fix for my pit crew on the day - thanks Allan and Garry. With about 20 minutes left I decided I would suit up and have one last session and after about 2 laps the clutch decided it’d had enough.

Despite that though it was faultless, and felt good. Looking forward to getting it put back together and ready for SLS Round 1! Lap timer on the phone suggests a 59.2 second best lap and whilst I have doubts over its accuracy it’s still encouraging.

Thanks again to the sponsors who have come on board so far to help out this year. Luke at LRM Landscaping/Grab Hire, Scott at F1 wheels and George at Road Track Race Parts. Currently awaiting graphics but there’s still a bit of space left on the car should anyone else be interested in getting involved with some sponsorship. Also thanks to my Dad Alex for his vehicle transportation and engine/gearbox removal assistance.

Here’s a couple of photos and a video from the day, thanks to Chicane Photography for the on track shots.

The clutch that failed this time was a brand new Sachs item. This was the second clutch to have failed in my ownership.

The first failure appeared to have been the original clutch, and had seen quite a lot of mileage and presumably abuse so was probably fair enough. The clamps which retained the diaphragm springs seemed to be at fault on this occasion:



I went for a Sachs second time around as it has a different method of attachment for the diaphragm springs as seen here:



However the part that has failed this time are two of the three tangential leaf springs:











I had a Valeo kit on the shelf, and under inspection I think the difference is fairly obvious.

Sachs:



Valeo:



So I think I’m going for the Valeo one this time.

Well, just over a week has passed since I stripped the car and I’ve changed my plans quite a few times.

I was originally going to refit the gearbox with a new Valeo clutch and I planned on doing the timing belt and dephaser because I had quite a significant oil leak from the cam cover. So I got in touch with Paul at RPD and he sorted out a cracking deal on everything required - plus a water pump, gearbox oil, coolant, and some new bushes and circlips for the gearbox selector.





I was then offered a good deal on a Sachs Performance clutch with 4 paddle drive plate, on the proviso that I helped remove it. So that’s what I did.



Unfortunately upon removal of the gearbox we found the drive plate to be damaged. I’ve got loads of photos of this but basically every paddle looked like this on both sides:





So whilst we decided what to do about that I negotiated a good deal on the gearbox I’d just helped remove - because I couldn’t help myself. So I’m now the proud owner of a broken Sachs Performance clutch and what is basically a brand new gearbox. Almost every component was replaced during the rebuild. As an added bonus it’s also fitted with a Gripper diff, 13/59 reduced final drive and a megane 5th gear, parts replaced during the rebuild included a full bearing and seal set, new style 1st and 2nd gear with shaft, replacement 3rd and 4th gears with synchros (£970 spent on brand new Renault parts when built), plus new casing and a couple more synchros midway through last race season.



After that Nick at Pure Motorsport sorted a replacement drive plate and I also ordered some rod bolts for peace of mind.



So thanks to @vroomtshh and @Fraser.J. and a late night last night it’s all back together and running sweet!





Ready to head up to RA Motorsport on Saturday morning for my SLS power to weight test before round 1 on Sunday 22nd April.

Top work John , the FD change in the box really makes them perfect for Knockhill.

Great work john, good to see it coming to together. Hopefully the car is reliable an produces the times as that a chunk of cash you have thrown at it

Very nice build this. I hate saying this out loud but @Fraser.J. is a gid lad really, once you pass all the Bs

Djw Dave said:

Very nice build this. I hate saying this out loud but @Fraser.J. is a gid lad really, once you pass all the Bs :tongueout:

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Naw he isnae 😂

vroomtshh said:

Naw he isnae 😂

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He’s really not. All he actually done last night was ate pizza and whined like a little girl all night.

scotiamr2t said:

Great work john, good to see it coming to together. Hopefully the car is reliable an produces the times as that a chunk of cash you have thrown at it

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Cheers mate, I hope so too!

I remember when it was a cheap track car [emoji23]

Was up to see Russ and Andy at RA Motorsport today for my SLS Test.

Absolutely delighted with the results. 163whp/193 crank and 1002kg. Which leaves me needing to add a touch of ballast to keep within my class.





Weighed in at 882kg without me in it - which tells me that I need to keep on the diet lol

Nice results John both in power and weight.

What spec engine are you now running ?

Just a standard engine to the best of my knowledge. It has some kind of map on it as it pops and bangs but I don’t know it’s origin.

Would appear I’ve got a good one. I’ve fitted rod bolts as a precaution and changed the belt, dephaser, water pump and all gaskets to try to keep it going

Forgot to update this thread for a while!

I picked up and fitted some coolant hoses:



The car became a proper race car with some stickers!





And was loaded up ready for it’s first competitive outing:



Arrived the day before to setup in glorious sunshine:







Had a quick run around the paddock and confirmed that all was okay, first time really driving it since it’s latest rebuild.

Super Lap Scotland Round 1 - 22nd April

Well, where to start? My first time in competitive motorsport was a blast! I've only done one track day so far this season, and the clutch let go - meaning the car needed a bit of work before the first SLS event. Managed to get up to Knockhill and set-up for the Sunday morning with thanks to Dad (Alex) and Fraser (Gazeebo Hire)

So the first time I drove the car in anger with it's new gearbox, gripper diff and reduced final drive was in the first 15 minute warm up session on Sunday morning. This for me was a bit of a learning curve - trying to work out how much of a difference these changes had made to the gear change points around the circuit and the way the car behaved. I put in 11 laps including a quick stop in the pits to check tyre pressure's. Pleased to find myself nearly on the pace with a time in this session of 1:00.229 - second quickest in my class, 0.670 behind Stevie McNab.





Back out for a 15 minute open practice session next. Again, still learning and trying different gears at different points to work out what was best. All was going smoothly until I have a bit of an excursion on the brakes coming into Scotsman corner, sliding one way, then the other and finally bouncing over the inside kerb and down the grass - all right in front of Michael Foster. A gentle lap after that to make sure that everything was still okay and then pressed on to the end of the session. Improved on my PB to a 1:00.088 but Stevie & Michael had also improved both now under the minute mark - leaving me third.









After that it was onto qualifying, and it had rained during the lunch break but cleared just as we were about to take to the circuit. So now I was driving what was a relatively unfamiliar car in quite unfamiliar conditions. Straight out the pits and I found out fairly quickly where the grip level was by having a big lock up into Duffus! I circulated for a few laps until I found some space and a dry line so attempted to put in a quick lap. Coming out of the chicane and changing into 4th but getting 2nd by mistake was a surprise and ruined the lap. I cruised round and then made another attempt. By this point I was over thinking and afraid that the gear linkage had been moved during my off in practice so couldn't properly commit to every gear change, with the track now clearly having a dry line my times were not improving - ending the session with a disappointing 1:02.556 and qualifying 4th.







Back into the pits and Garry, Allan and Alex quickly set about checking over the car and adjusting the gear linkage. I took the car for a run around the paddock and was much happier with the way it felt.

So out for the final, and having cleared my head of any worries I got out for my warm up lap. I was running on track behind Neil so had a pace car to follow. I knew that I'd have to be quicker than Neil so gauged the distance between us and worked on reeling him in on my flying lap. Everything hooked up nicely and the car felt good. I felt like it was a good lap but I didn't know the time, and I knew Michael and Stevie were still to run. After scrutineering I got back to the pits to find out I'd finally got under the minute mark at 59:663 giving me second place, only 0.345 behind the class winner Michael. (congratulations)











So all in all, for my first event I was delighted and the car never missed a beat all day. If someone had offered me that result in the morning I'd have grabbed it with both hands. Thanks of course to Iona for coming to cheer me on - the real reason I managed to pull it out the bag in the final!

I came home delighted with 2 trophies - one for second place, and Rory also decided I deserved the award from CSOC Scotland - so thanks for that







Now looking forward to rounds 2 & 3 on June 16/17th and hope to manage a couple of track days before then.

Huge thanks to my sponsors and everyone who helped along the way!

LRM Landscaping & Groundworks Ltd | LRM Grab Hire | F1 Wheels ltd | ACS Motorsport UK | Road Track Race Parts | Pure Motorsport | MAC Grafix Ltd | Turner Autosport Ltd. | David Kirk | Christopher Ewing

Looking at getting the pms 172 system for my 182 for the same reason as yourself. Out of interest what DB levels are you getting from yours? And also what options did you select when ordering with the decat/fitment type?

Not sure. The DB output is detailed on the website. It’s low enough as pass scrutineering though so shouldn’t be a problem.

I went for the non resonated 172 race system with link pipe to fit my 182 manifold (car is actually a 182 so allowed me to remove some unnecessary brackets from the boot floor.