The life of... SharkyUK's Trophy

[SharkyUK]

Good lord 😧

Actually, I wonder if He can help...

Mate you must be the most unlucky clio owner ever nothing seems to go smooth for you does it. Hope all gets sorted soon

Cheers fella. I thought things had been going far too smoothly over the last fortnight! It's one thing to affect me (I'm used to it with this car now) but it annoys me when it affects other folk who have kindly donated their free time and skills/experience to help me out. :rage:

You must've been a right b*****d in a previous life! Hope it gets sorted with no bother.

I'm beginning to wonder! Hopefully it won't take long to resolve and the seller won't be a knobjockey about it.

Sorry Andy, but lol.
And no, I'm not being funny.

:tonguewink: No need to apologise mate. It's just 'one of those things'. Again. And again.

You're the type of guy to win the lottery and then your house burns down with the ticket still inside. And your home insurance paperwork.

Ffs.

S**t happens mate, but what can you do? I wouldn't say no to a big lottery win. I'd buy everyone who's participated in this thread a pint for sticking with the story over the last however long it's been. Assuming the ticket isn't lost in a fire!

You're in the 1p club ain't you Sharky!?

Hahaha, yes mate - something like that!

 

[Christopher.]

Wow. I would say give up, but then I remember back to the last Llandow trackway where you took us out in it the night before. Even though it was playing up then it is still one of the most awe inspiring passenger rides iv ever had in a car. If just for that small moment of joy I would of said it was worth the wait.

This car will be back even stronger and better than then...... even for the chance of a quick ride in it again I can't wait....

Chin up Andy.

 

[JP83]

Bloody hell mate, what a rubbish time you're having with this!
Like Christopher said though, keep your chin up and keep slogging at it. It's a beast of a car!

 

[dablk]

Jesus Andy,
Of all the things You will probably still face. Teething errors, maps etc.. That's not one I was expecting. What's the score? You been ripped off? Mistake in advert? Mistake in packing?

I hope you get this replied asap.
Chris

 

[SharkyUK]

Wow. I would say give up, but then I remember back to the last Llandow trackway where you took us out in it the night before. Even though it was playing up then it is still one of the most awe inspiring passenger rides iv ever had in a car. If just for that small moment of joy I would of said it was worth the wait.

This car will be back even stronger and better than then...... even for the chance of a quick ride in it again I can't wait....

Chin up Andy.

Thanks Chris I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. I did, too... I managed to get more miles in during that evening than I did on track the following day! You're more than welcome to another ride once it's running again. I won't lie - I'm going to miss the sound of the bodies.

Bloody hell mate, what a rubbish time you're having with this!
Like Christopher said though, keep your chin up and keep slogging at it. It's a beast of a car!

I don't have much choice as I feel I'm in too deep! With a bit of luck this will be the last hiccup between now and completion. And if you/I believe that then... well... hahahaha.

Jesus Andy,
Of all the things You will probably still face. Teething errors, maps etc.. That's not one I was expecting. What's the score? You been ripped off? Mistake in advert? Mistake in packing?

As it stands - yes, it feels like I've been ripped off. The item pictured, priced and described in the advert is for the race variant that has additional channels, etc. for the features and warnings that we want to hook up. The item sent was for the cheaper and lesser spec variant that doesn't have the features we need (and paid for). I'm not sure if it's a mistake or what; hopefully it will become clearer as the dispute runs its course.

 

[raps]

Thought I'd just stick this in here as I'm here for he Beers. :tongueout:

Seriously though your luck has to change soon.

Bring on the lottery win and beers for all :beers: :up:

 

[ADS_V6]

As long as you paid paypal fees,you will be fine mate,so your car down at Dans a month ago.It was looking lonely,at least you go tthe best guys in the business sorting it take care.

 

[BoatNonce]

Wait, am I missing something or is the AIM MXL Strada not the cheap one? Pista and Pro are the more expensive ones with proper datalogging.

Not that the Strada is a bad dash, it's what we have in the Westie actually.

 

[SharkyUK]

Thought I'd just stick this in here as I'm here for he Beers. :tongueout:

Seriously though your luck has to change soon.

Bring on the lottery win and beers for all :beers: :up:

Haha, cheers mate. I've added your name to the beer-to-buy-for list (assuming my numbers come in of course...)

As long as you paid paypal fees,you will be fine mate,so your car down at Dans a month ago.It was looking lonely,at least you go tthe best guys in the business sorting it take care.

It was a purchase through ebay and everything is going through dispute fine The guy has apologised and the item returned (after which the money will be returned too). Sadly it means I don't have the dash but plan B is now in action

Yes - it's looking and feeling very sorry for itself at the moment. I'm informed that various wildlife and insect-life are benefiting from the shelter it offers them! It's going to need / get some serious TLC once home

Wait, am I missing something or is the AIM MXL Strada not the cheap one? Pista and Pro are the more expensive ones with proper datalogging.

I've got Mike on the case as he's sorting out the dash, wiring, loom, ECU, etc. As a result, the dash was delivered directly to him and - whatever it was - it wasn't the one paid for. I'm not sure what was sent through in the end but it's being returned and a new alternative dash has been sourced instead

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2015 - Update #1
Another quick update, in which I'm happy to finally report that the dash and ECU are now ready to go and with Mike for 'sorting out'

Thanks to Mike for the pics!

 

[ParisPeach]

Woo good news at last. Whenever there's an update in this thread I always fear the worst, lets hope it plain sailing from now on.

 

[SharkyUK]

Woo good news at last. Whenever there's an update in this thread I always fear the worst, lets hope it plain sailing from now on.

Things are still moving in the right direction mate and (touch wood) all is good.

 

[SharkyUK]

December 2015 - Update #1
A few more bits have arrived for the revised fuel system. Thanks to Dan (SJM) for the picture.

• Swirl pot (to prevent fuel surge and to be mounted upside down against the boot floor to avoid intrusion in the cabin)
• DEKA injectors
• AN fixings and fittings
  
• Braided fuel lines (Teflon to keep the smells away)

Hopefully there will be a few more bits arriving over the coming days, too...

 

[TimR26]

Nice, that's on my wish list as well :smiley:

How far is it from being finished?

 

[SharkyUK]

How far is it from being finished?

I'm not sure, Tim. I don't think the pistons have arrived yet. That said, the majority of the parts have arrived so hopefully it won't be too long before it lives. It also depends on folks' availability and weather! In the grand scheme of things it's not too far away (but I've said that before! LOL!) In the meantime I need to find myself a job as I'm currently out of work (but thankfully the budget for the car has already been set aside and hopefully I won't need to dip into it).

 

[Stefan.]

How come your out of work bud??

Hope to see the T up and running soonand for it to be theend of all the bad luck

 

[SharkyUK]

How come your out of work bud??

Hope to see the T up and running soonand for it to be theend of all the bad luck

Cheers mate.

It's been a crap few months to be honest. I left my job (which was secure, good benefits and paid well) to join some friends / former colleagues in their new tech-startup business. They have some great ideas and we've really moved things on in the time since I joined them. However... some expected money / investment didn't come through as planned and they now can't afford me. Hence, after only 8 weeks or so in the role, I'm now without a job. It's not the best time of year to be job hunting and on top of this I've been ill with poor health; I've had pneumonia and screwed up my lungs a bit (causing breathing difficulties and a visit to hospital). But - apart from that - all is good! LOL! :up: :tonguewink:

 

[Dan@SJM]

I'm not sure, Tim. I don't think the pistons have arrived yet. That said, the majority of the parts have arrived so hopefully it won't be too long before it lives. It also depends on folks' availability and weather! In the grand scheme of things it's not too far away (but I've said that before! LOL!) In the meantime I need to find myself a job as I'm currently out of work (but thankfully the budget for the car has already been set aside and hopefully I won't need to dip into it).

Car (weather depending!) should be on its way over to Mike tomorrow to have the loom done. Gearbox is off at Avanti but hasn't been inspected yet, (my fault for saying there was no immediate rush on it as he did say he had a few race boxes to get on with for preseason testing)

 

[SharkyUK]

Car (weather depending!) should be on its way over to Mike tomorrow to have the loom done. Gearbox is off at Avanti but hasn't been inspected yet, (my fault for saying there was no immediate rush on it as he did say he had a few race boxes to get on with for preseason testing)

Nice one, Dan - thank you. Bring on the nice weather... please! Give me a shout if you need anything from my end

 

[SharkyUK]

So... the Trophy moved today! A massive thanks to Dan for taking it over to Mike and a massive thanks to Mike for working on the loom and all it entails. I hope she behaves for once and doesn't throw up any more unexpected surprises. I owe you guys

 

[Jamie86]

Dan is that Avanti as in the same ones who used to do a lot on Italian cars?
Nice to know alternative places to agency as well...

 

[Dan@SJM]

It is. Frank is the ONLY person who I use for gearboxes now.

 

[davo172]

Cheers mate.

It's been a crap few months to be honest. I left my job (which was secure, good benefits and paid well) to join some friends / former colleagues in their new tech-startup business. They have some great ideas and we've really moved things on in the time since I joined them. However... some expected money / investment didn't come through as planned and they now can't afford me. Hence, after only 8 weeks or so in the role, I'm now without a job. It's not the best time of year to be job hunting and on top of this I've been ill with poor health; I've had pneumonia and screwed up my lungs a bit (causing breathing difficulties and a visit to hospital). But - apart from that - all is good! LOL! :up: :tonguewink:

Really sad to hear that Andy ! You have all the s**t luck there is ! Won't your old place have you back ? Hope 2016 is a MUCH better year :up:

 

[SharkyUK]

Really sad to hear that Andy ! You have all the s**t luck there is ! Won't your old place have you back ? Hope 2016 is a MUCH better year :up:

Cheers buddy. I can't complain when there are folks far worse-off than myself. Sure, it's been a bit of a crap year but I'm still hear and on the mend My old place won't take me back as I left so recently. I do have a few potential contract roles I'm looking at but it's unlikely these will happen until after Christmas now though (early into the new year).

 

[SharkyUK]

December 2015 - Update #2
Another brief update... the intercooler and pipework has arrived at Dan's workshop :smile: Here you can see it's already mapped out and ready to go! :tonguewink:

And here's Mike working on the loom... :tonguewink:

 

[cs_dave]

What size intercooler you gone for mate? Looking at getting a bigger one for mine

 

[SharkyUK]

I'll need to get Dan to check for me as I'm not actually sure off the top of my head mate!

 

[SharkyUK]

December 2015 - Update #3
What? Another update? Yes indeedy. Despite a somewhat crap latter half of the year, I'm feeling a little more in the festive spirit due to the ongoing progress of Le Clio B#$tard Rouge! I can't thank the people helping me enough, especially given their busy schedules and what is a very busy time of year.

Firstly, the gearbox. As I mentioned some time back I had a problem with the gearbox. I only managed a few hundred miles (if that) before I started experiencing issues with selecting third gear. I'd had it rebuilt (and a new LSD installed) and only managed a few hundred gentle miles (if that); hence I was a little concerned. I was planning on getting it looked at but then other issues started cropping up and I was without my car once again (whilst it went away to be fixed). Fast-forwarding several months to the current day...

Dan at SJM kindly took my gearbox over to a local specialist (Avanti) to get it checked out. After a recent visit he kindly grabbed me a pic of my gearbox that was in the process of being inspected.

Well, there's some good news. The damage (to the wallet) doesn't appear to be too bad at all. Basically the springs and balls on the selectors and synchro had gone weak and/or weren't replaced. New parts have been ordered (and already delivered) to give things a bit of a refresh and this will be happening early in the new year. It's a load off my mind knowing that I won't have to fork out a large sum when the gearbox bill arrives!

Secondly, the pistons. I was speaking with Mike today who had been speaking to Steve, the guy building my engine. The pistons were due to arrive today but failed to make an appearance. It's a bit of a shame but given the time of year I wasn't expecting much to happen until the new year had rolled in. That said, there is some good news regarding the engine itself. All other bits are ready to go and once the pistons arrive it will be all systems go. It is expected that the engine be ready within a couple handful of days of the pistons turning up.

Thirdly, talking of Mike, he's already made a start on planning the loom, sensor array, etc. for the build. There are a few bits and pieces that need to be checked and discussed but the basics are done. Temperature and pressure monitoring will be included and hooked into the dash via its configurable alarm interface. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks again to the guys for their ongoing help / support.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - cheers!

 

[markoc]

Merry Christmas and I hope that you get to thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your labour in 2016!!! I'm excited to see the Trophy when it's finished! Best of luck.

 

[cpaterson76]

December 2015 - Update #3
What? Another update? Yes indeedy. Despite a somewhat crap latter half of the year, I'm feeling a little more in the festive spirit due to the ongoing progress of Le Clio B#$tard Rouge! I can't thank the people helping me enough, especially given their busy schedules and what is a very busy time of year. :smile:

Firstly, the gearbox. As I mentioned some time back I had a problem with the gearbox. I only managed a few hundred miles (if that) before I started experiencing issues with selecting third gear. I'd had it rebuilt (and a new LSD installed) and only managed a few hundred gentle miles (if that); hence I was a little concerned. I was planning on getting it looked at but then other issues started cropping up and I was without my car once again (whilst it went away to be fixed). Fast-forwarding several months to the current day...

Dan at SJM kindly took my gearbox over to a local specialist (Avanti) to get it checked out. After a recent visit he kindly grabbed me a pic of my gearbox that was in the process of being inspected.

Well, there's some good news. The damage (to the wallet) doesn't appear to be too bad at all. Basically the springs and balls on the selectors and synchro had gone weak and/or weren't replaced. New parts have been ordered (and already delivered) to give things a bit of a refresh and this will be happening early in the new year. It's a load off my mind knowing that I won't have to fork out a large sum when the gearbox bill arrives!

Secondly, the pistons. I was speaking with Mike today who had been speaking to Steve, the guy building my engine. The pistons were due to arrive today but failed to make an appearance. It's a bit of a shame but given the time of year I wasn't expecting much to happen until the new year had rolled in. That said, there is some good news regarding the engine itself. All other bits are ready to go and once the pistons arrive it will be all systems go. It is expected that the engine be ready within a couple handful of days of the pistons turning up. :smile:

Thirdly, talking of Mike, he's already made a start on planning the loom, sensor array, etc. for the build. There are a few bits and pieces that need to be checked and discussed but the basics are done. Temperature and pressure monitoring will be included and hooked into the dash via its configurable alarm interface. Better safe than sorry. :smile:

Thanks again to the guys for their ongoing help / support.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - cheers!

I know it's costing you Andy, but it's nice to read about positive progress for a change......:smile:

All the best mate

 

[SharkyUK]

Merry Christmas and I hope that you get to thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your labour in 2016!!! I'm excited to see the Trophy when it's finished! Best of luck.

Thanks buddy! As much as I'd like to take credit I can't because it's down to the efforts of Dan, Mike, Steve, Chip and Russ (and probably others I've forgotten to mention, but to whom I'm as grateful!) It's their labour that I'm hoping to enjoy the fruits of as we head into 2016 :smile: Thanks for the kind words :smile:

 

[SharkyUK]

I know it's costing you Andy, but it's nice to read about positive progress for a change......:smile:

All the best mate

No arguments there, Craig. I'm looking forward to seeing your ongoing Trophy adventures in 2016. All the best buddy

 

[cpaterson76]

No arguments there, Craig. I'm looking forward to seeing your ongoing Trophy adventures in 2016. All the best buddy :smile:

Cheers mate, it has been tucked away in storage since October...... Killing me as on nights like this I could be having it stripped down and all the tedious tasks that take time done!!

Reading this just gives me more and more ideas.... I'm thinking of doing a good few track days down south next year (if work allows), including Anglesea in September with the Clio boys, so you might get to see it in the flesh (fingers crossed its in one piece 🙈).

 

[SharkyUK]

Cheers mate, it has been tucked away in storage since October...... Killing me as on nights like this I could be having it stripped down and all the tedious tasks that take time done!!

I'm guessing the weather is unseasonably mild where you are too by the sounds of it! It's all a bit strange here with plants still growing and insects flying around. Anyway, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder so you'll have so much love for those tedious tasks once the T comes out of storage! Haha! :tonguewink:

Reading this just gives me more and more ideas.... I'm thinking of doing a good few track days down south next year (if work allows), including Anglesea in September with the Clio boys, so you might get to see it in the flesh (fingers crossed its in one piece 🙈).

I'm glad that this thread can provide you with ideas but that doesn't mean you can go blaming me further down the line if things don't work out... just so we're clear on that! Joking aside, it would be great if you were able to head down this way next year. I might try and venture up to Anglesey next year. It's right at the opposite end of Wales to me but it's a fantastic drive up through the centre of Wales so I wouldn't mind in the slightest.

 

[cpaterson76]

I'm guessing the weather is unseasonably mild where you are too by the sounds of it! It's all a bit strange here with plants still growing and insects flying around. Anyway, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder so you'll have so much love for those tedious tasks once the T comes out of storage! Haha! :tonguewink:


I'm glad that this thread can provide you with ideas but that doesn't mean you can go blaming me further down the line if things don't work out... just so we're clear on that! Joking aside, it would be great if you were able to head down this way next year. I might try and venture up to Anglesey next year. It's right at the opposite end of Wales to me but it's a fantastic drive up through the centre of Wales so I wouldn't mind in the slightest.

I'm sure your trip would be easier than mine..... A quick a autoroute check shows me being 370 miles each way and hopefully Le Clio Ba@#ard Rouge will be making an appearance too looking at the progress this last little while:up:🙈

 

[SharkyUK]

I'm sure your trip would be easier than mine..... A quick a autoroute check shows me being 370 miles each way and hopefully Le Clio Ba@#ard Rouge will be making an appearance too looking at the progress this last little while:up:🙈

Yeah, I imagine it will. I don't think the drive down from your neck of the woods will be too bad (possibly), just a bit of a trek. And yes, I hope the progress can continue and the pistons arrive very soon. Despite the car being in good hands and progress being made, it's hard to get too excited as it's been such a long time with so many disappointments along the way!

 

[cpaterson76]

Yeah, I imagine it will. I don't think the drive down from your neck of the woods will be too bad (possibly), just a bit of a trek. And yes, I hope the progress can continue and the pistons arrive very soon. Despite the car being in good hands and progress being made, it's hard to get too excited as it's been such a long time with so many disappointments along the way!

Nah just a long drive on a trailer at 60, I'm sure the track time will make up for it :up:

...... I get excited just looking at the photos of your deliveries mate!! The wait, all be it long, and previous disappointments will soon be forgotten :smile:

 

[SharkyUK]

January 2016 - Update #1
So then... the pistons have arrived! Engine parts are ready for assembly. FULL STEAM AHEAD!!!! :car:
(Massive thanks to Chip for purchasing the outstanding Renault parts needed, to Mike for receiving and taking the parts over to Steve, and to Steve for putting the engine-y bits together).

 

[davo172]

Great news Andy any good to see again how everyone is helping out.Any idea when it will be ready ?

 

[JP83]

Woohoo! We can be "cars back on the road in 2016" buddies! 😂:up: