Denk's 2001 1.6 vtr

[Denk]

Hey guys.

only been on here a short while so I suppose I better keep track of what i'm doing to this car of mine.



So... i got the car a month or two ago for ?1000. not a bad price i suppose, had just over 70k on the clocks, 2 old women owners from new, full service history and all the bits you'd want to hear. Clutch was a LITTLE dodgy but nothing that i'd be worrying about...

So off i went. fantastic car is all i can say... handles amazingly well and has enough power to surprise most!

The plan of action is to mod a load of bits to the car a month at a time. i'm figuring a nice spend of ?430 will do this month...

This will include:

Alloys all round with tyres from my mate who owns a garage... ?10 a wheel!
new brake system. discs, pads and braided lines... just because i can.
Service. Plugs, filters, oil, cam belt... also going to put a K&N pod filter on it.
'performance' exhaust. nothing too mental, just something with a nice rasp to it.
tinted windows on the rear and sides.

i'll also have to do something about the drivers side electric window because the regulator has done it's party trick and got itself in a muddle. new one is needed but they seem to be about ?100 so it can wait till next payday 

i'll post updates as i do them... should be fun!

Cheers

Denk

[Griff]

Look's like your on the right line with ideas.

Don't worry, the Xsara will eat your cash.

[Floyd]

What engine is it?

[Denk]

Its the 1.6 16v

[Denk]

Well i had a fight with the car and we're no longer friends.



So it looks like i now NEED lowering springs rather than just wanting them.

Anyone got any suggestions on what ones to get? ones on ebay are a 40mm drop, and i'm not sure that's such a good idea on this car... i was looking more at dropping it 30mm, but would 40 be okay?

Cheers

Denk

[mickeyxsara]

40mm is OK, if you want 30mm then try and get some standard VTS springs.

[Denk]

40mm it is then.

Here's a better pic of the damage.



I'm sure it'll.... spring... back to life in no time

[mickeyxsara]

Lucky it didn't go through the tyre.

[Denk]

It did go through the tyre. One brand new tyre shredded, and I can't even free up the bolt to get the spare out. What a nightmare!

[The Wrinkly Ninja]

Get some PlusGas on the thread for a good soaking for as long as you can, then clear as much space as you can in the boot and get a good self-tightening wrench on the head of the bolt. Forget that stupid curved slot in the top.

You might also get a Stilson on the thread down by the hook or possibly you can force/lift the tyre sufficiently to unlatch the hook. A bottle jack or proper trolley jack under there would likely free it so you can retrieve the tyre.

Last resort - hacksaw the long bolt, but that's crude, so don't say I told you. Final thing, when you've shifted it, plenty of copper grease slathered on the thread for next time, when you get caught in a thunderstorm.

PS - best thing - replace BOTH springs - if one's gone the other one's suspect and the car will never sit really square if you only replace one.

[Denk]

Managed to get the spare tyre out today, which was difficult but i got there in the end. and I was glad to find the (unused) jack inside the spare.

Anyway, got all my goodies yesterday.





So i first toyed around with the filter, just to hear how it sounded...



decided i like it..... very much.... so i'll be re-locating it somewhere it can get a decent flow of air.

Secondly, i started on the spring.

managed to get this far

and then i got stuck.

The drop-links on the anti roll bar were a nightmare to come off, so in the end i just snapped the top off. i'll replace it on monday when i take the springs to get fitted.

so now i'm left with just this to do



then just the same for the other side.

Noticed that when i pulled the strut off, the driveshaft started spewing out oil. need to get the gearbox oil topped up before i go anywhere.

Cheers

Denk

[The Wrinkly Ninja]

Exactly, and you'll need to pick up a decent spring compressor  while you're out there, too.

Hope you know what you're doing with one of those - they are quite lethal, you know.

[Denk]

i'm not fitting the springs.

A mate of mine owns a garage a few miles from mine, so i'm taking the strut and spring up to him and he's gonna fit them for me.

I've been told they are lethal, so don't worry, i ain't gonna kill myself trying to do it with a few sets of mole grips and duct tape   

[The Wrinkly Ninja]

Good way of scaring off the neighbour's moggy tho' - 15 lbs of spring hurtling past it's left ear'ole at 150mph does clear 'em off.   

[Denk]

So today i fixed the suspension issue and got it lowered by 40 mil.

took the strut and spring up to the garage, 3 minutes later the new spring was on.



Went to the trade place nearby after a quick call from the garage for a cash sale, got 2 new drop links for ?17. a bit pricey considering they can be had cheaper but i got them anyway.

an hour later and the second one was off, and taken up to the garage to get fitted.

I did notice the spring on the offside was actually brand new. looks like that side had snapped and was replaced, but they never did the other side. so that snapped. oh well, it's done now.









I also got some goodies in the post....


 

When i was at the garage he showed me a set of 17 inch wolfrace alloys that should fit. he'll be sticking some low profile tyres on and wants ?10 a wheel... can't complain at that!

Just need to check the offset and the like is all right to avoid it scraping the arches

I've also ordered some of those aero wipers, the flat ones, as the ones on the car are getting on a bit and aren't clearing the screen properly anymore.

I'm also waiting on the film to get the windows tinted just now, but i'm not sure how long they'll take to get here.

The new exhaust will get fitted at some point in the near future, and the pod filter i have on it just now makes the car sound brilliant!

Chuffed with my purchases so far.

And before anyone mentions, i'm well aware the car needs a clean. i've just not had the time to do it yet

Cheers

Denk