Raider restoration

[lee1707]

I bought this Raider back in May after years of looking for a decent original car.
Brief history. Three owners from new, FRSH, Original Renault Gamma fitted Alarm

I owned a standard phase 1 electric blue some 10 years ago and have always regretted selling it.

This car has been stripped back to more or less a bare shell over the last 2 weeks in preparation for shot blasting of under side and a full re-spray in original raider colour.

Over the past few months I have bought lots of Genuine Renault components and tried to plan the work as best as possible around my job to allow this project to be completed within a sensible time frame. I hope to have the shell rolling again when i return back from working overseas in March.

The over all condition of the shell is excellent with 3 small areas of rust.
1) Around lower edge of windscreen
2) 1 1/2" area on drivers sill
3) Passenger rear arch.

I'm sure after shot blasting of underside and arches some more areas may be found.




My plan is to restore it to as close as original condition as possible whilst also adding a bit more power to the engine.
Current items bought for engine and upcoming work are
Woosner pistons and rods
Steel Liners.
Knifedged and balanced crankshaft
Fully bottom end balanced by Agra precision engineering
Piper BP 285 cam, springs and pulley
Up-rated gaskets.
Turbo still to be decided.


I want the engine bay to remain as original looking as possible and understand that the boost pressure run will have to remain within the limits of the standard intercooler.

As for the chassis, new poly bush kit, wishbones, Bilstein suspension and Brembo disks with Ferodo pads have been bought.

I will update progress when I return back to the UK in 3 weeks

[Bigfoot]

Good to see another Raider being restored. Should be getting mine back this week with a new fresh paintwork ready to put back together to original state.

Just wondering though spending a lot of money on the engine just to fun original IC and within sensible boost, why is that when most of those will be not needed for running that sort of PSI

[lee1707]

I had a bad experience a few years back with my 11 turbo when it decided to drop its guts over the road, I had spent a lot of money on components from so called Renault tuning companies only to find out that they did not hold up as they said they would.

Just decided to build in a bigger safety factor this time and also have the potential in-case i want to take it that bit further

[lee1707]

An update and advice required

When I first started this build the plan was to keep as close to OE spec as possible but as normal for me that was too hard!

Due to extended length of time working overseas since starting the restoration I was beginning to see that progress was moving very slow and if I wanted to get the car finished this side of Christmas I would need to bite the bullet and send things out for re-build etc.

I collected my Engine last week from Agra Engineering after almost 3 months in build. If nobody has heard of them they are an Engineering company based in Dundee that have a long history of race and rally car engine development along with up to date Dyno and flow benches etc. During my teenage years I had raced cars/go-karts etc and had spoken to many people that could only say good things about them. So I decided to put my trust in them.

Work carried out:

Head and block fully disassembled and chemically cleaned.
Gasket faces machined
Cylinder head valve guides replaced with new shortened units.
Valves re-cut and port throats cleaned
Valve spring seats machined to accept Piper valve springs after measurements had been taken and talks with Piper due to compressed length and Piper 285 spec Cam supplied. To be honest if you buy a billet cam and springs etc you would think they would fit correctly straight out of the box as designed.

Engine Block
Gasket faces machined
Wossner std comp pistons
Steel liners, Liner standoff measurements taken and machined to allow uniformed height against cylinder head face.
Crankshaft bearing journals polished, heat treated (tuftride coated)
Cam follower faces machined and also heat treated, Tuftride coated
Fly wheel lightened, (4.1kg) and balanced, (timing ring gear removed as have gone with EFI set up)
Full bottom end balanced
Piper 285 billet cam fitted with vernier pulley.
Reconditioned oil pump with new internals.
Baffled Sump

To be fitted next time I return home,
Tubular manifold purchased from Group Buy.
EFI set up purchased/ built
Loom for engine along with sensors etc bought from Scoff to run Adaptronic ECU





My issue with the engine the now is what turbo to select. The car will be used as a weekend car when the weather is good, sprints and hopefully to attend some shows and meeting etc.
I know some members have used a similar set-up and will be able to tell me the turbo to use, I have been looking at garret GT2554R and turbo technics stage 2 or even 3 but don’t know enough to understand the Maps supplied for these units.
What would be best suited for good power and little lag?

Update on the shell is after being let down many times it has finally gone to shot blasters and when I get back should be heading to coachworks to see what they recommend to be replaced. My gut feeling is driver’s sill, front passengers inner arch panel, repair around windscreen and possibly a passenger rear quarter unless anybody knows where to source an arch repair panel?

Sub frame, Rear axle, Engine covers etc are also being blasted and powder coated
I also have purchased full Koni Suspension set-up
Poly bushes to be fitted to new wishbones.
New Front and rear Brembo disks, wheel bearings, Ferodo DS 2500 pads, HEL braided brake lines and am contemplating going with a 2 ½” side exit. What do fellow members suggest?

[Alastair]

Sounds like you are doing things properly Mate, sounds awesome!

As fOr a turbo I would speak to AdamL on here, the t25 RB blower he sells is fantastic, I shall post up the specs later when I get home. Low lag and garrett core. Win win.

[lee1707]

Does anybody know how to get in touch with AdamL as he is not accepting mail?

[Trevhib]

I hadn't see this thread until now. I hope the outcome is as good as expected, keep us updated with pics.

The only concern I have here as soon as I saw steel liners in the spec I immediately thought, are they standard pistons and rings going in there? Does the 'steel liners eat standard rings in very short order' issue apply here? I hope not.

[lee1707]

With regards to the Piston rings i hope not!!! i had spoken to Agra many times and also PEC with regards to supplying rings suitable for the Piston/Liner combination.

When i return back to the UK after my 7 week sail to Cape Town i will did out the build sheet and info on Ring manufacturer and see what people have to say about them.

As for pictures of the strip down and build i think i have more pictures of my car with clip, bracket and harness run locations than i have of my family etc.

Would be good to get thoughts/suggestions on turbo spec people suggest so i can keep the build progressing while i'm out the uk

[Trevhib]

[lee1707]

Well after 7 weeks sailing across the Indian Ocean I managed to get home and inspect the 5 after it being shot blasted.
To be honest it’s not that Bad!!! Or at least it wouldn’t be if the shot blaster had not managed to dent both doors, nearside sill and left rear quarter along with the roof lining. You can imagine how P***ed off I am.
With the damage and the findings from shot blasting I decided to order.
R7751463516 Right rear quarter £164.99
R7751463515 Left rear quarter £163.36, None in stock in UK or France but seems to think he can locate one
R7751626972 Windscreen panel £198.86, None in stock in UK or France but also seems to think he can locate one
R7701463136 Right sill £129.40
R7701463137 Left sill £129.40
R7751621720 Right hand jacking/cross member £46.83
R7751621719 Left hand jacking/cross member £45.96.

I should have these before the end of the week.

Will post photos up over the next few days

[lee1707]

Collected my panels today apart from the previously mentioned.

R7751463515 Left rear quarter £163.36, none in stock in UK or France but seems to think he can locate one
R7751626972 Windscreen panel £198.86, none in stock in UK or France but also seems to think he can locate one.



Does anybody have a new near side/left rear quarter panel they would be willing to part with?????? Money waiting. I know it’s a big ask but is the one i need to get the build back on track. If not it will mean trailing breakers looking for a good quarter I can cut off and re-use.



Renault informed me today that nobody has requested one for over 4 years.

Also can anybody put me in contact with a French member that could possibly source one from a dealer in France that might have stock sitting around? The guy I’m dealing with here has listed it on some Renault search engine but is unable to post on the French dealer’s site.

[lee1707]

Looking for some advice.

As renault are unable to supply a gt turbo near side quarter does anyone see any reason why a standard renault 5 would not fit?

I know the obvious trim bolting holes and the fact the arch is cut slightly higher but any other issues before i purchase from france?

Thanks

[markey b]

Looking for some advice.

As renault are unable to supply a gt turbo near side quarter does anyone see any reason why a standard renault 5 would not fit?

I know the obvious trim bolting holes and the fact the arch is cut slightly higher but any other issues before i purchase from france?

Thanks

as far as i'm aware the only differences are the ones you have already mentioned

[lee1707]

as far as i'm aware the only differences are the ones you have already mentioned

Many Thanks Mark

[phase i 16 v turbo]

Renault informed me today that nobody has requested one for over 4 years.

Not true.

[lee1707]

Not true.

I did think he was perhaps talking crap. Looks like im now going with a standard renault 5 rear quarter and have it cut to accommodate the turbo trim etc.
Does anybody do aftermarket panels ie rear quarters inner wings etc as the guy i have been dealing with also tells me inner wings are now obsolete.

[Big Steve - Raider]

A lot of panels are now obsolete mate which is a sad affair But as the GTT's are 20 years out of production now it's to be expected.

I reckon by the way your thread reads that you doing this restoration properly , the bodyshop you are using will be able to repair the panels easily enough!

It sounds as though you're not too happy with the blasters you used, but out of interest, I wonder how much it cost?? Maybe you'd be good enough to PM me the cost of the blasting?? I'm thinking of getting my next project blasted??

Keep up the great work Lee!

[lee1707]

To begin with i had just given instruction to the blaster to do all arch edges up about 3" from the lips, full sills, inner wheel arches front panel, engine bay and full floor. We never spoke about a cost but when i arrived home after 7 weeks at work and my car being collected by a friend i found out the cost was 180 pounds and he had only done sills, arch lips and front end of the car.

I had a previous quote of 300-400 for the same job from a different blaster further from home.

As you can imagine i wish i had just taken the time to travel to his unit instead of the one closer to home.

The one good thing is the blaster found areas on the car that had previously looked to be good and may have just been painted over and appear at a later date which would have been very frustrating after spending a lot of money on the refurb.

Due to the rubbish weather at home i have not been able to roll the car out the garage and get some pictures of it yet

[lee1707]

Gents i have 2 questions that i would like some advice on.

1) i remember a topic on gear boxes sometime ago that related to 11 turbo and 5 turbo differences. If you had a choice what box would you use in a five and for what reason?
I seem to remember people talking about the 11 turbo box being better!

2) What would people suggest on intercooler or charge cooler? I don’t want to cut away any bumper for a large front mount so i know that limits choice. What about Pace or PWR charge cooler set up and if PWR what size of core?

[BluntyR5GTT]

cosworth 2wd fmic fits nice and doesnt require any bumper cutting etc

[lee1707]

May sound like a silly question but what is people's thoughts on powder coating the internal surfaces of rocker covers, sumps and timing chain covers. Has anybody had issues with it flaking etc.
I don't want something that sounds trivial to cause me big problems down the roads after spending so much time and money in.

[Tony Walker]

i personally wouldnt touch internal surfaces, not worth taking the risk, clean metal surface has worked fine for 20+ years, painted surface inside could crack and goose alot of hard work and money.

[lee1707]

I have had them sitting in bubble wrap for a few months since getting them back from when i had the chassis blasted. I was so p****d off whith the damge he caused to the car that i never bothered checking the covers, just another thing to get sorted!

[lee1707]

Some long awaited photos of the build.



These are the results of the shot blasting and the new panel i received from Renault. As you can see on the rear quarter he managed to run a forklift into it!



I also managed to get the shell up onto the roll over spit and started to remove all the under seal in preparation on weld repairs and panel replacement. I must say what a job that is proving to be. Heat gun to soften it and scraper to remove before it gets to sticky and gooey.



My aim is to have the floor zinc primed and under sealed prior to painting in original Raider Blue in the new year.



Sub frame, anti-roll bar wishbones and axle etc are currently getting blasted and painted. I hope to get the shell rolling again in the new year .



To help complete this project which seems to be getting bigger and bigger i managed to purchase a new Spot welder to help with the rear quarters and a spot weld mill set along with new Snap on Mig welder as my old SIP just gave up the ghost.

[TNT Tricky Nicky]

You can do mine when you've finished yours if you want, you're further into then me and i started over a year ago

keep up the good work

[lee1707]

Some long awaited updates of what i have managed to carry out since i got home 3 wks ago.

Removed nearside rear quarter and sill, replaced damaged areas of inner sill. Buffed all areas back to bare steel, etch primed and then zinc primed all areas prior to assembly.

Removed most of the under seal from the floor ready for zinc priming, stone chipped and paint in Raider blue when it heads to painters end feb, start of march.

Also started to stich weld the chassis legs and will continue with rest of chassis and sub frame to help stiffing the chassis up a little and allow the suspension to work a little better with less torsion in the chassis, (something I learned during various XR2 and super salon car builds I helped with in my younger years after kart racing)



The new SIP spot welder i bought last month has been excellent and well worth the money.



After removing the damaged nearside front panel from strut tower to slam panel and cross member i noticed the cross member had a bend in it. I managed to get a complete front end assembly including slam panel, light surround, cross member and front inner wing sections ordered from Renault this morning and have it freighted overnight so should get that prepped and fitted soon. I also looked through the history I have for the car that I managed to put together after various discussions with a previous owner who owned the car for 14 years, first 2 years being his company car and then he went onto own it fully in mid-1992. Ex-girlfriend reversed out a parking space and managed to clip car next to her! Receipts for repair also confirm wing and arch trim repair.



I was hoping to get onto the offside sill and rear quarter replacement next week but due to me heading to Ireland on Monday to collect my new toy and the wife being 9 month pregnant my time is going to be short now. Still aiming to have the car ready for paint early march and re-built in time for my first National day!

[lee1707]

some other photos, damaged front panel, zinc primed rear quarter panel prior to seam sealer and spot welded in place along with my new toy.

Bought from a private collector Who is only selling due to the purchase of an Homoligation car, wish i had a garage for 2 cars never mind an uder floor heated garage fro 25 car!!!