View Full Version : Decision Time!!
Right you lot....many of you might remeber me, but I would presume most of those around back then might of moved on...but nice to see some names I recognise at least.
After almost 12 years of ownership, the crunch time has come to finally decide what the heck to do with my Willy2.
It has just sat there outside in my driveway for the last few years not moving anywhere at all.
It is pretty much a standard car, but prior to my move out to Finland (some 5 years ago now) I did a major refurb on it, which got new gearbox, pumps, filters, pipes, brakes, suspension, bushes, wishbones, arb's and full waxoil....etc..
Almost a complete strip down and re-build. Even the seat covers went for a spin in the washing machine!!
But I have newer (and dare I say better) cars to play with that take up my cash...so what do I do...I have to re-kindle some spirit for the poor thing otherwise it is just gonna rust from the inside out.
All I can think of are 3 options...
1 - Sell it, but that means a trailer trip back to UK.
2 - Strip it and do a proper nut n bolt job rebuild and keep it in the museum!!
3 - Strip it and try to rally-cross it or track it.
Body, wheels and general chassis are perfect..just common issues really.
Needs new alternator, rear caliper sticking, interior fan motor bushes have gone, steering rack play and the dials don't work (usual speedo issue - not wobble though)..so easy fixes all round if I can be arsed.
what to do.... :cry:
LEIGH-ANNE
10-05-2010, 15:30
I remember you, doubt ur remember me tho lol
Id go for option 2 or 3. I wouldnt consider selling it. From the way its sounding i cant imagine your get an awful lot of money for it....and trailering it bk to uk will cost a fair bit too. Your only regret it....seen it loads of times.
Keep it!
LA
I reckon your best option is to turn it into a track car.
Make the most of what you have and use it to its fullest.
Make the most of the amazing roads and stages im guessing you have over there.
Not a good time to sell at the moment. And keeping it and doing nothing with it would also be a shame.
Good luck deciding!
If:
1) The car is like a well-loved family member.
2) Your significant other is not complaining about it.
3) You have somewhere protected to park it.
4) No major impact to your current finances & transportation needs.
5) And a good chance of getting it back to proper running order for a small fraction of the price of a used hot-hatch.
Then, keep it.
Get it back on the road in it's original glory when you are good and ready, or take it to the grave with you. :)
PS: Am in similar situation as you, so I know the gnawing feeling quite well.
Mod it. Track it. Mod it more.
yep, sure is like a family member alright....had it long enough.
Yep its in decent nick, apart from the minor niggles which I am sure we have all experienced at some stage or other. Not difficult to fix, but a pain in the ar$e all the same.
Can't really say I fancy slaggingg it, as it won't be fast enough. Sure it would be alot of fun, but I just love the 4 wheel drive on the gravel roads out here. I also run a heavily modded impreza WR1, so the little willy won't stand a chance next to that.
I think my best option is to get it back to original, but spend time on it and strip it to component level again and bare shell...then build it up from scratch with all new parts. Maybe an engine re-build and another gearbox build for the hell of it.
Would it be a wise choice during re-build to go for OEM parts, or use uprated stuff? Don't mind either, but if going for true rebuild then surely OEM would be better even if slightly crappy...or does any of the newer Renault stuff drop on now? Like brakes...cause they are sh$te.
Pic of it as now...
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c106/anders_UK/Clio/WillyinSnow1.jpg
pic of its bigger brother
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c106/anders_UK/Xmas%20Day/100_1236.jpg
very nice indeed.
i love snowy pics. You should deffinatly keep it either way.
3.
strip it track it......above all....enjoy it.
these cars should be driven hard....thats what they were built for at the end of the day. anything else would be like buying a kettle and trying to cook micro meals in it imho.
so how much we talking to prep it properly for the track then?
I am guessing the bottom end just needs balancing out, but then the heads need a bit of work with a set of proper cams with throttle bodies and a Motec M800 ECU or similar. Plus an LSD would be nice and for sure a stronger gearbox, cause the standard JC5 bearings are made from chocolate. Uprated brakes, suspension and ARB's the list could be endless.
By my reckoning then we are talking upwards of 5k...as I like to do things properly and up here I would have to assemble it myself and send all machine work back to UK...is BenR still knocking about as Angel Works??
The scooby took over 15k in various mods, so in comparison this would be a cheap and somewhat disposeable track car. I told the mrs the Atom would be for the track...scoob for me/rally and the disco for family...clio for nostalgia.
or free to a good home if you come and get it!! road trip anybody?? :lol:
Just strip weight, make sure brakes work and everything works as normal then go track.
More speed? Then suspension, better brakes then more power.
Stripping it is cheapest and effective method though.
nice to see the cars still going well. What is the value of the car over there ?
Justin..
10-05-2010, 20:49
oooh i remember seeing this at a meet, i was in my naples valver :)
so how much we talking to prep it properly for the track then?
I am guessing the bottom end just needs balancing out, but then the heads need a bit of work with a set of proper cams with throttle bodies and a Motec M800 ECU or similar. Plus an LSD would be nice and for sure a stronger gearbox, cause the standard JC5 bearings are made from chocolate. Uprated brakes, suspension and ARB's the list could be endless.
By my reckoning then we are talking upwards of 5k...as I like to do things properly and up here I would have to assemble it myself and send all machine work back to UK...is BenR still knocking about as Angel Works??
The scooby took over 15k in various mods, so in comparison this would be a cheap and somewhat disposeable track car. I told the mrs the Atom would be for the track...scoob for me/rally and the disco for family...clio for nostalgia.
or free to a good home if you come and get it!! road trip anybody?? :lol:
tbh mate. no need.
stick a set of decent pads in, uprate the susp if you want. but not exactly needed. iv been glued to an elise on std suspension, the cams/chip helping me past him after a couple laps of him not moving over.
gearbox, just replace as/when it breaks. the 4th mount is definately advisable tho.
theres no need to spend thousands on it imho. iv been lapping a couple seconds slower than the nana, in a car that costs less than the headwork on the nana, and me on road tyres nana on semis.
its all about having fun driving it.
and as for ben r.....stay as far away as possible...or you will need to spend thousands on it...to fix the fukups that are par for the course when he gets hold of a car
no love lost there then....I guess at least the story and theory sounded good.
I don't wish to speak ill of the little blue thing, but stripping it and only slight mods it still won't be a patch on the scoob. The only thing that would interest me really into tracking it would be to do it right and slap in a full sequential gearbox, lsd ad cage etc... Then I would perhaps enjoy the build too.
Just removing stuff for weight without any major power mods doesn't really cut it for me.
The scoob is running a fully forged Cosworth 2.1l stroker kit on a WRC spec block closed deck block. Trust me when I say the clio will never be that fast!!
Yes it would be fun to throw around, but when you compare 150bhp to more than 540bhp..I know which one I would rather be driving!
Value here is zero, as it is right hand drive...and the only other cars which are right hand drive are the post vans (so they don't have to get out of their vans when its -25!!)...
I think I have a plan...strip it anyways because 2 or 3 need it anyways, then see where it takes me during the build back up again.
I take it all parts are still available?
what you seem to be forgetting tho mate....540 bhp...a nice figure. but in a car that weighs in at around 2 tons......then theres the power sapping 4wd system....;)
in a car that weighs less than 1/2 that, the power would only need to be 1/2 that too to get around the same power/weight ratios.
granted, 150 in a 900kg car isnt going to break any land speed records....but it wouldnt need to be all that much more to put the same kinda smile on your face i dont think.
get it stripped, get it on track have some fun, upgrade/renew as and when you see fit.
ThRaXaIR
12-05-2010, 22:37
i'll come and get it from finland on a freebie! lol
2live speaks sense they are super fun! mines fully stripped and only used for track, not as quick in a straight line as a scoob obviously but, nailing every corner on a track is mega satisfying!!! plus it would be more unique in finland!
the scoob comes in at just over 1400kg (obviously excluding the fat ar$e driver)...it has the lighweight shell and is pretty much the Spec C with ally panels and forged wheels, plus have taken a lot of weight out already and no roll cage to put the weight back in again.
Had to plumb in a swirl pot and dry sump to stop fuel surge and oil starvation during acceleration and hard cornering.
As said above...I think I will strip it anyways...and then during the build up see what funds are available for 'tweaking'...
could even use the old scoob turbo (VF35) and see about doing something with that...but that would just stop any Williams connections at all, and then it just becomes another hybrid really - which is half the battle I face.
Sometime's this stuff would be a lot easier if I had of bought a valver instead!! These limited editions play havoc with my head...do i keep standard or not! aaarrrggghhhh
as long as it can be put back to how it is i dont see a problem tbh.
dont think anyone is gunna chastise you for eng/susp/brake mods with a cage thrown in
and it is 'only' a 2 ;)
anything beats it just being sat there tho. they dont like it lol.
true, it is 'only' a 2 indeed.
but it is in very good nick to say it is 15 years only now.
rest assured I will do something with it....but need to finish off a few things first before work can start in earnest..
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