Re: someph-ing different...........
I decided to give a proper update on the throttle BTM Performance, RS Fabrication Tour-De-Force ITB build. Bear with it as this is made up mainly of my projects words from the mag as I can’t be assed to re-write it all…enjoy.
These ITB’s were in the pipeline for a little while after doing a lot of research into what mods to go for.
The Clio went away back in November for the work to start and was planned to be away for a fair old time. However, if you went to Autosport the plan was for it to be there and you should hopefully have seen the true extent of the work the Clio’s getting treated too!
These ITB’s (Individual Throttle Bodies) are some of the finest you can get. They do the business and are quite pretty to boot. Jenvey Dynamics have a very good reputation for supplying throttle bodies for various makes and models and have a large selection of fitments and fittings with different sized trumpets and manifolds.
The ITBs alone should see me the better side of 200bhp but with the Cat Cams I hope for a bit more than that. It’s not all out-and-out power though, as the throttle bodies should add a good chunk of torque, too.
The throttle bodie set-up as supplied from jenvey, ready to go
For those of you that didn’t make it to autosport here is more info. It’s safe to say with the show and the feature there isn’t much to reveal on the Clio’s ITB build, but, I am going to use my projects over the next few months to explain how special this build is.
I mentioned last month that the Jenvey throttle bodies were the hardware of choice for the build, mainly for their build quality, great reputation and ease of application. You can chose various trumpet sizes dependent on your build and with their wide range of products you can be assured there is an application for your vehicle. So, I basically got these ordered and then posted to the brains behind this very different ITB project.
The intelligence belonged to a man called Fred. He has a very big brain indeed, which is full of knowledge and inspiration from his motorsport background and Biblical knowledge of the French tin cans we call Renaults. Fred is the man behind BTM Performance based in Birmingham. The company is still in its infancy but with the quality of work that occurs inside its workshop I can’t see growth being an issue. Fred has a very good reputation with the French car clubs for a very good reason. Services, belt changes and engine out jobs are just a few things that are second nature to him, but he loves getting into a good project.
So with all this in mind I dropped the car off at BTM Performance and went through the plans for the build. Fred showed me his ideas and some drawings of how the set-up might work. The thing that we both agreed on was that we were not to compromise. With the Clio’s you encounter various problems when fitting ITBs, such as obstructions by the radiator and the slam panel / bonnet catch. We were looking at ways to overcome this and produce something that would not externally give away what was at the heart of the build. So I left the car in good hands for the initial work to begin, the engine needed to be stripped of the standard airbox, the inlet manifold and various other gubbins before the ITB’s could be fitted ready for measuring for the next stage.
The clio tucked up at BTM
A quick trial fitting then ready to go
So the dismantling of the engine bay went well. Fred normally works alone, but when he gets very busy he calls in favours from his friend/assistant spanner monkey/drinking teacher/stripper pervert and skiing tow car driver, Paul Wood. A shout must go out to Paul as he did help quite a lot with the Clio… thanks, chap!
With the engine bay stripped down, the car had to make the journey from Birmingham down to Banbury for the next stage of work. Fred has worked with Russell from RS Fabrications before so knew what type of work to expect. These two automotive super-brains sat down over a brew or two and discussed the plans.
The idea for this build was to keep things pretty stealthy from the exterior view and to not compromise on quality. Fred and myself had both seen a fair few ITB builds where bits don’t fit properly, or radiators fowl the ITB filters, and so on – so we all wanted to make sure we addressed this correctly.
We agreed on three items for fabrication that would make this build very different to most others: an airbox, a radiator and a new slam panel. All of these would be made to custom fit the car.
By creating the single bar slam panel and bonnet catch we’d be able to open up enough space for the radiator and filter, and by doing it this way we wouldn’t have to use bonnet catches – keeping the exterior stealth. With the extra space gained behind the slam panel, the airbox could come into its own. Not only would this do a much better job of getting air directly to the ITB trumpets, but with a custom radiator turned on its side and shrunk a little – all possible thanks to a thicker core capacity – it would alleviate any fowling problems that could arise. So the ideas were there and ready to be put into practice – and I didn’t have to wait long before I saw visual proof that this was coming together. Excited? Bloody hell was I! Here you can see the beginning of the work.
You can see from the pics the backplate for the airbox in place, the custom radiator tilted sideways and custom slam panel giving loads of space for the airbox.
So with the radiator and slam panel already complete the next job was the airbox, the true extent of work that went into the airbox is something else.
The airbox was constructed in two pieces and has been fully fabricated, custom to the car. Amongst the obstacles to overcome was the alternator set-up just below. Plus there was the cross member that the box would have to sit behind and then bend underneath to bring the scoop out into the large recess already situated in the front bumper. Where the lower section (the scoop) and the upper section (the trumpet chamber) split, the box houses the air filter, which would most definitely be needed, what with the gaping intake now being sat just below it.
The paper filter was taken from a Hyundai Getz as this was a perfect size for the application. This was used to get the measurements correct but I wasn’t massively confident in its abilities. I decided to speak to the guys at ITG Performance Filters. I’d previously had an ITG filter in my OE airbox and I can’t fault the quality of the components, or there filters’ ability to do the job asked of them. I told the guys my issue and asked about a better foam filter for this application. They advised that the best way to go was with a custom filter, and that they could also make it out of a specific weight of foam. This would increase airflow without compromising on filter ability. I sent them the measurements and within two weeks the new filter was ready. Brilliant service to accompany my new special filter…
happy days!
The airbox was then all re-assembled with the new ITG filter tucked up inside. Perfect.
I must say a massive thanks to the guys at RS Fabrications for all their hard work. If you need any fabrication work – exhausts to engine parts – I can’t recommend them enough. The car moves into the final stages, some tweeks and then with the visit to Tour-De-Force for the custom ECU build and the final mapping.
Will keep this updated as best possible now, photobucket is trying to defeat me however…
x 100 ?!?!!!
