5 GT Turbo Phatty-The Return!

[Brucieboy]

As many of you will know Phatty was built about 12 years ago by myself and Gavin Allison. It started off as a trailer queen with chrome everything and won trophys and a feature in the first bi-monthly performance french cars magazine. I will dig out all the old pictures and do an original build thread. I then decided to make it more of a driver and sold the whole chromed engine bay worth of bits to a girl who was building her own show car. I then dropped in a megane F7R lump which i bought from a scrappy for £150 put a Williams manifold and K&N filter on it along with an adapteonic ecu. The result was a very driveable 150bhp and 136lbft torque. I drove it for a while and then changed in my personal life meant i needed to sell it after 6 years of ownership. Over the years i have missed it and tried to buy it back on numerous occasions from the guy i sold it to. Finally a couple of weeks ago he rang me saying he had been made redundant and needed to sell it. So 6 years after selling it i finally have it back. Although it is a lot rougher than when I sold it. Pics show how it looks now compared to when i sold it.

 

[Adey]

welcome back fatty, looking forward to updates bruce

 

[andybond]

Thats going to keep you busy over the winter months.

Still got the meg engine in it ? Any plans for boost ?

 

[Big Steve - Raider]

Good man @Brucieboy!! Karma has returned now you've managed to get her back!

She does look like a bit of TLC would be welcome now compared to when you sold it, but I know you'll get it back to form! So whats the plan? Are you going to stick with the F7R or are you tempted to be dropping an F4R in??

welcome back fatty, looking forward to updates bruce

@Adeyspec, it's Phatty with a P, don't want you offending Bruce

 

[Norwich Nick]

Looking forward to seeing this brought back to its former glory.

If I was a betting man I'd say the turbo engine from the Megan might make an appearance in a certain blue five maybe?

 

[fatroofer]

Good man @Brucieboy!! Karma has returned now you've managed to get her back!

She does look like a bit of TLC would be welcome now compared to when you sold it, but I know you'll get it back to form! So whats the plan? Are you going to stick with the F7R or are you tempted to be dropping an F4R in??



@Adeyspec, it's Phatty with a P, don't want you offending Bruce

Plus I thought I'd been tagged in a quote!!

Very nice though @Brucieboy nice to see a good news story once in a while! I'm sure you'll have it up to scratch before long!

 

[DaveL485]

 

[andybond]

@Brucieboy is it finished yet ?

 

[Chris Smith]

Remember this car getting started 12 years ago when I joined into the Renault world. ...

Good luck with it bruce, look forward to seeing the updates.

 

[DaveL485]

@Brucieboy is it finished yet ?

**taps fingers impatiently**

 

[Brucieboy]

Finished!!!!



Oh wait. No i have only just started.
Today the car was moved in front of the garage (which is now empty as i sold my valver)
I dropped out the engine/gearbox/subframe complete with the help of Gavin Allison. Won't be doing that again. Didn't take long but engine caught badly on master cylinder and alternator and radiator were jammed up at the front. It would have wrecked the rad if it wasn't already disintegrating. I then stripped the subframe completely as it is bent and twisted badly so will be replaced.

Jon Sadler, my nephew for those who remember him, helped me test the cooling system by blowing in the header tank while i looked for the leak. Turned out to be from back of plastic thermostat housing which is good as i was worried it might be the head gasket. So its just a case of clean it up and change the cambelt. My dodgy back decided it had done enough by about 3.30pm so i cleaned up and called it a day.

Very happy with progress so far and now the lump is in the garage i can tinker in the evenings or if its raining and do the car itself if weather is good.

Pics to follow when i upload them somewhere unless i can do it straight from my phone?????

 

[andybond]

unless i can do it straight from my phone?????

Why yes , yes you can.

Upload a file
Browse.
Find picture
Job jobbed

 

[Brucieboy]

Before I started.

 

[Brucieboy]

Bonnet off. Can't believe it still had the circlips on the hinges.

 

[Brucieboy]

Engine out. Can see the roughness in the bay.

 

[Brucieboy]

Subframe is scrap. Been jacked up on front and bent it badly and front corner is folded under where it hit the floor when wheel came off when previous owner had it.

 

[Brucieboy]

His welding skills were great as well.

 

[Brucieboy]

Interior is trashed as well. Still got all the stereo gear and double din console in it though.

 

[Brucieboy]

The wiring loom that took me 3 days to make is now hacked to pieces and bodged all over the place. The car ran (just) when i picked it up on the trailer but between then and unloading it the fuel pump wiring has died. I put 12v straight to it and it worked so i was able to drive it to the front of the garage after turning it round.

 

[Brucieboy]

Headlamp panel is wrecked. Anyone know if they are available new still?