history
I have been meddling with old Renaults for 20 years now.My 1st A 1979 R15 gtl which over 3 years was rebuilt into a160bhp roadcar was showed and trackdayed around the UK
.In 1992 I purchased a R8 1100 from then fellow ROC member and Renault 16 afficionado Simon,which was for my then fiancee Elizabeth now the present Mrs Swan.This was transformed in the next 3 weeks with 4 new wings a set of mk2 cosmics and a colour change to 418 blue. I found I preferred to drive the 8 to the 15 and resolved to find a gordini, but in the meantime we warmed up the 8 with a 90 bhp motor the go faster bits coming from Salv (more on him later)
In 1994 I sold the 15 and bought an 8 gordini 1100 and it has been steadily downhill ever since.1995 brought marriage and a lack of cash ,but by 1997 the gord had been hotted up with a 120bhp 1397cc R5gordini (salv again) and with a rollcage bucket seat and harness my motorsport pursuits began with hillclimbing.1998 saw a full scottish hillclimb championship season and the Gord won its class. Liz caught the bug and in 1999 and did the full season ending up with the runner up spot.
I had taken the year out and had built a mk1 "Wheeler" box from R10 1300 casings with Renault 16TS internals and a "Quaife" ATB Differential for a lotus europa (Renault 16 backwards). Wheeler has got a lot to answer for and he will crop up again and again in this tale.This gearbox made the car feel slower because of the higher final drive,so the Monster Motor was commisioned in 99 and salv delivered 170bhp in fine style cost effective too! In this form the car was fast and lively and whetted my appetite for a "proper racing saloon".
In 2000 I only did a couple of events,but 2 wins and a new class record from 2 events seemed to be the best result possible.Liz did not compete in 2000 as she was expecting, and our son Malcolm arrived to an unsuspecting world in november as I was in the middle of sorting out Paul G's R8Gordini. I had built a home workshop in the back garden as "impending parenthood " was going to put paid to living in other peoples garages at nights and weekends.
2001,sadly,brought foot and mouth disease causing a virtual cessation of club motorsport,so what little time there was was devoted to finishing the 5 speed close ratio box another "wheeler "device comprising R8 casings, R16 crownwheel and pinion with R17Gordini gears and rearcase. this secured another couple of wins in2001 but culminated in the motor trying to eject the cam through the block resulting in a costly repair and rebuild (more on this later) in this guise the engine puts out 175bhp @ 7500rpm and 129lbs/ft of torque at 6500rpm but it will rev to infinity and beyond I limit it to 8000rpm max when circuit racing.
Liz's car had seen my old 1400 reconditioned (new pistons and liners) and a different cam profile from salv.This was mated to another big 4 speed box, in its current form it puts out 131bhp @7000rpm better than it ever was in my car!
2002 and the Gord is stripped to every last nut and bolt in an 11 month restoration,only the motor was not touched as it was still fresh (more on this later).Liz did a few events during 2002 and was still competitive. 2003 dissapeared in a blur of brake problems and I managed to break my gearbox "if it aint broke dont fix it "became a watchword for me after this fiasco.2004 saw a new start in circuit racing and a couple of hills good results all round and no mechanical problems for Liz and I.
2005 and no racing due to work commitments and a new arrival ! a1960 Renault Dauphine this was put on the road in standard trim with 13" wheels and racing tyres it felt like an R8 with a hinge in the middle,but as it is approx 150 kgs lighter than an 8 it will make a good racing car once it has been Proto'd. The highlight of the year had to be the Renault WSR round at donnington park, the owners parade flat in 4th on sunday morning was the best part. The season finished on a low point as the years triumph had been to build 2 sets of "delta mics" from an old avanti having the centres cast locally and machined by myself ,the rims came couretesy of les weller. I was very happy to see these on the car and they run as true as any wheel I have seen.Problems arose at the last round of the season,a double header at Knockhill,when in qualifying a low frequency vibration set in this was not as I suspected anything to do with the wheels but the output u/j had broken and bent the halfshaft soI had to forgo the race and sit on the sidelines annoying when I had qualified 5th out of about 14. The good news is that I managed to get a replacement "big u/j" from Dave wheeler which only needed grooving for circlips and a new centre fitted
.This put the Gord back together again so my attentions turned to big u/j manufacture.Phil gardiner found a gearcutting firm in wales who could recut the splines,so a batch of 12 were put together with the grooving and assembly work carried out by me( I am considering a second batch so if you are interested get in touch I would need your old couplings and about £100 per coupling)
I have been meddling with old Renaults for 20 years now.My 1st A 1979 R15 gtl which over 3 years was rebuilt into a160bhp roadcar was showed and trackdayed around the UK
.In 1992 I purchased a R8 1100 from then fellow ROC member and Renault 16 afficionado Simon,which was for my then fiancee Elizabeth now the present Mrs Swan.This was transformed in the next 3 weeks with 4 new wings a set of mk2 cosmics and a colour change to 418 blue. I found I preferred to drive the 8 to the 15 and resolved to find a gordini, but in the meantime we warmed up the 8 with a 90 bhp motor the go faster bits coming from Salv (more on him later)
In 1994 I sold the 15 and bought an 8 gordini 1100 and it has been steadily downhill ever since.1995 brought marriage and a lack of cash ,but by 1997 the gord had been hotted up with a 120bhp 1397cc R5gordini (salv again) and with a rollcage bucket seat and harness my motorsport pursuits began with hillclimbing.1998 saw a full scottish hillclimb championship season and the Gord won its class. Liz caught the bug and in 1999 and did the full season ending up with the runner up spot.
I had taken the year out and had built a mk1 "Wheeler" box from R10 1300 casings with Renault 16TS internals and a "Quaife" ATB Differential for a lotus europa (Renault 16 backwards). Wheeler has got a lot to answer for and he will crop up again and again in this tale.This gearbox made the car feel slower because of the higher final drive,so the Monster Motor was commisioned in 99 and salv delivered 170bhp in fine style cost effective too! In this form the car was fast and lively and whetted my appetite for a "proper racing saloon".
In 2000 I only did a couple of events,but 2 wins and a new class record from 2 events seemed to be the best result possible.Liz did not compete in 2000 as she was expecting, and our son Malcolm arrived to an unsuspecting world in november as I was in the middle of sorting out Paul G's R8Gordini. I had built a home workshop in the back garden as "impending parenthood " was going to put paid to living in other peoples garages at nights and weekends.
2001,sadly,brought foot and mouth disease causing a virtual cessation of club motorsport,so what little time there was was devoted to finishing the 5 speed close ratio box another "wheeler "device comprising R8 casings, R16 crownwheel and pinion with R17Gordini gears and rearcase. this secured another couple of wins in2001 but culminated in the motor trying to eject the cam through the block resulting in a costly repair and rebuild (more on this later) in this guise the engine puts out 175bhp @ 7500rpm and 129lbs/ft of torque at 6500rpm but it will rev to infinity and beyond I limit it to 8000rpm max when circuit racing.
Liz's car had seen my old 1400 reconditioned (new pistons and liners) and a different cam profile from salv.This was mated to another big 4 speed box, in its current form it puts out 131bhp @7000rpm better than it ever was in my car!
2002 and the Gord is stripped to every last nut and bolt in an 11 month restoration,only the motor was not touched as it was still fresh (more on this later).Liz did a few events during 2002 and was still competitive. 2003 dissapeared in a blur of brake problems and I managed to break my gearbox "if it aint broke dont fix it "became a watchword for me after this fiasco.2004 saw a new start in circuit racing and a couple of hills good results all round and no mechanical problems for Liz and I.
2005 and no racing due to work commitments and a new arrival ! a1960 Renault Dauphine this was put on the road in standard trim with 13" wheels and racing tyres it felt like an R8 with a hinge in the middle,but as it is approx 150 kgs lighter than an 8 it will make a good racing car once it has been Proto'd. The highlight of the year had to be the Renault WSR round at donnington park, the owners parade flat in 4th on sunday morning was the best part. The season finished on a low point as the years triumph had been to build 2 sets of "delta mics" from an old avanti having the centres cast locally and machined by myself ,the rims came couretesy of les weller. I was very happy to see these on the car and they run as true as any wheel I have seen.Problems arose at the last round of the season,a double header at Knockhill,when in qualifying a low frequency vibration set in this was not as I suspected anything to do with the wheels but the output u/j had broken and bent the halfshaft soI had to forgo the race and sit on the sidelines annoying when I had qualified 5th out of about 14. The good news is that I managed to get a replacement "big u/j" from Dave wheeler which only needed grooving for circlips and a new centre fitted
.This put the Gord back together again so my attentions turned to big u/j manufacture.Phil gardiner found a gearcutting firm in wales who could recut the splines,so a batch of 12 were put together with the grooving and assembly work carried out by me( I am considering a second batch so if you are interested get in touch I would need your old couplings and about £100 per coupling)
