renault trafic t1000 (pic heavy)

[Haz]

Thought it was about time i added another project thread. i'll firstly bore you with details of how this came about. whilst doing my house up and having the 21 in bits i decided i needed a van again. i've had an extra which i converted to a b18ft. it was a great van but this time i figured i should get something bigger, and as always had to be a renault. the newer trafics look great as far as vans go but just not retro enough for me, so the hunt began. i spent a couple months looking and it seemed that the blue ones were alot rustier, and the diesels were, well gutless! so with that it had to be white, and the 1700 petrol version.
eventually i found one and as with most old stuff it needed some work. it was advertised with overheating problems amongst other niggles but thought it was worth a punt and headed to oxford with scoff to collect it.
had a quick look over the van and tbh it was alot better than expected but after a test drive realised it also had a slight slipping clutch but since it was tidy, bought it anyway. this is how it looked when i got it home



i set about sorting some of the running problems. as there arent many of these vans on the road, more so the camper versions, there isnt alot of secondhand parts availible so i removed the rad to give it a good clean out as i figured that was the cause of it running hot, only to find it was almost completely blocked. gave it a good flushing out but appeared the rad had corroded internal so was replaced with a laguna one. now it runs cooler than it should as i suspect the previous owner had removed the thermostat. apart from the slipping clutch, the other niggles were copeable for what i wanted it for so have just let them be for now.
although the sign writing added to the retro look i was going to just remove the phone number but decided to remove all of it for a more subtle van



after using the van as my daily and got most of the bulky housework out of the way i thought it was time to sell the van on before i got carried away as i usually do. it was advertised for sale on here as i felt there could have been members interested in it cheaper than other trafics and would be capible of changing the clutch when it finally gave up, although it hadn't worsened during my ownership.
i thought it would be best to tidy up the front bumper due to a good sized hole on the passenger side, which after poking about looked like this







it seems its harder to find a replacement than i thought so i thought it crack on. since there wasn't much metal left i decided fibreglass was the best way to repair so it was buzzed back to bare metal and in went the resin



i have got the bumper all fillered up with some textured paint over the top, but dont seem to have any pics. the plan is to do the same with the rest of the plastics.
as i ran out of time to sell the van before the tax ran out, and with little interest on here i thought i should also get the clutch replaced to help with the sale so bought a gtt clutch from a fellow member and out came the lump



the engine appeared to have a few oil leaks so quite grotty





despite the bellhousing having oil in it i can only assume that the clutch had seized on and when it freed off smeared the friction plate onto the flywheel. it could have been cleaned up but as i had the clutch it wasn't worth it.
so while it was all out i thought it was best to give it all a good clean up





again, while it was all out i decided to splash some hammerite about but first i had to tackle the rust spots













and chopped the rougher bits out and cleaned up prior to welding

















then set about gettin the welding done



















followed by some filler work



and then some stone chip. i'd normally only stonechip the lower sections on cars but as its a van and looked a little rough i thought it best to do the lot











now as i'd gone this far i thought it was wrong to hammerite it so thought i'd clean up the underside of the bonnet to get a decent coulour match



and hammerite up the wheel brace while i was at it



once the paint arrived i made a start, much better finish than hammerite









as the engine was out i wanted to make the clutch pedal that much softer so fitted a 172 fork but as the cable/box is a different arrangement to the gtt i had to use a spacer, a bit overkill but easiest way was to use the original and add to it



and of course, hammerited



and fitted, much longer

[Haz]

my attention then went back to the engine . . finally! i'd noticed a few problems, the sump had a few leaks, along with the rocker cover. the exhaust manifold had 2 large cracks in it and the exhaust blew on the join. it wanted the clutch and could do with some new plugs and leads too, basically gaskets and a good service.
i had took the van to scoff's when i first got it where it made a whopping 56hp with the slipping clutch!



now as i sold my volvo setup from the 5 and have fitted a gtt lump back in there and then bought the setup back i have sold the upgrade bits to markey mark and as the engine needed a fair bits to sort it out it seemed a bit rude not to make use of the engine, so i eyed it up.
its not a direct fit, but not difficult so carried on. the first problem was the mounts as the engine is mounted longitudinally, and the volvo engine has the oil return at the back of the block it was in the way. so out came the drill, nice and snug



and then in it went



the next problem is the inlet manifold, luckily there an access hatch in the bulkhead so looks like the boost run will be going through the cab!





its on hold while i await for some standard bits as i want some fuel economy but extra poke so it will be on standard setup but running 1bar so i'll update progress when i get to do a bit more

[Moggy]

CLASSIC!!!!!!!

you need to put "haz's french bakery - rue de grease monkey - Paris'ish" on the side of it!!!!!

knew that manual I emailed you would come in handy!

[Alex]

This is building up to be an amazing project - love it!

[CoooL]

DUDE!!!! That is an AWSOME project!

[GTphil]

Definatly won't be gutless now

Good work so far mate!

[Markey Mark (BD)]

I have an inlet manifold with the throttle body on the opposite side sat in the garage doing nothin

Great project mate, looks real retro!

[Tutuur]

Wow! Awesome, love these kind of retro builds!
What gearbox is it, is it a but strong? (probably not!)

[andybond]

Slam it into the weeds Haz!

[Haz]

thanks for the comments, i tried to keep it hush and get it to scoff rollers day but got let down with bits and couldnt resist putting some pics up.
moggy, i was after the manuals as wanted to see what running gear would swap over from other things like the espace, mainly the front struts in case i want to lower it, and the rear beam as it cant be done in the conventional way with blocks but i cant seem to work it out from the manuals as it just lists stuff for the vans.
i was going to ask you about that mark but guessed you were using it on the red one, now you know why i didn't bring it sunday. think i've sussed the pipe run but it would be easier. does it have the 2ltr tb on it and i'll leave this one on?
its a ne3 box from memory, not sure how strong it will be but presume it'll be ok as its designed for heavy loads. not sure what i'll do if it breaks but i'll deal with it then as i dont think the ratios will be great anyway.

[Ron]

This was cool with 56hp and a slipping clutch. I can't see it staying standard for long

[Tutuur]

Maybe you can replace it with a 21T box?

[Moggy]

na the traffic has quiet a strange box

the shafts are...well easy way to describe it, is the shafts come out infront of the diff! rather than behind with most normal cars

plus the box is quite small, and UN boxes are well.... huge

it should be ok, i remember a campervan coming into the workshop with no oil in the box and it had been like that for years!!!!

[Haz]

its staying std ish, bout 175bhp lol. i want to keep it like that as sticking with the volvo ecu's, injectors and turbo so i can keep some economy. gotta be miles better than the carb tho. sold the bits to mark to stop me doing that.
i'd thought about the un1, along with fitting the j7r too as i think the diesel version shares the same block but its just a budget build so it can still have a sensible resale value when i'm done i may have a buyer lined up once its done but at least i'll enjoy it if not.

[rs250nut]

Best project thread I have seen in years. Big turbo and external gate needed

[Tony Walker]

Brilliant, wish it could of made the rr day

[gtmatt]

Happy days Haz man

[Slammed 66]

This gets my full approval



Ross

[phase i 16 v turbo]

Excellent effort

[chris]

really great project and its nice to see something different. its funny how things always seem to snowball from just fitting a clutch to welding to all the work prepping the bay and now fitting a new engine it looks really good

[Haz]

thanks

yeah its got carried away. i've tried to resist since i bought it but as work has been slow its filled up some time and gets some spares out the garage. i'm trying not to go too ott with it so it doesnt turn into a massive project. wanting it back on the road asap and will tweak it as i go. looking forward to the first test drive

[Ricardo]

Off the hook!! Awesome, love it!!

[GTphil]

A Renault trafic getting the nocturnal treatment........

I have to say Haz, I think it's coolest project I have seen in a long time.

You have to be possably the only person in the world who would attempt or indeed could be arsed with a project like this!

[Trevhib]

To echo everyone else, this is a hugely exciting project! I can't wait for the next episode

[Brigsy]

Looks sweet haz! Nice frontera intercooler here for it

[Haz]

phil, i think you mean daft enough! thanks brigsy but wasn't sure what to do with the piperun, althought that was an option.
ive managed to get a bit more done after spending a some time weighing up the best way to do things. as its a budget build i decided to just work with what i had rather than making too much bespoke parts.
i figured i should start by bolting a few more bits on to see what else doesn't fit properly so on went the manifold and turbo, that too was close



i also made use of the std volvo downpipe and exhaust so set about chopping it up and using what i could





and ended up with the front section, which is enough to get the van running and the rest will be made at a later date. i plan to heat wrap it too .



i then started on the air intake run



and ended up like this



the boost run is where it gets a little complicated as the plan was to take throttle through the cab then back out under the turbo but there's not much room i thought i'd get the hot side done first. started from the turbo at the back



along the front of the engine



and into a s2 escort ic



its alot samller than i wanted to use but will do for the time being as needed both posts to be on the same side but there isnt the space for a gtt ic. i may change this at a later date if something else crops up.
i've also plumbed up the fuel system using an audi pump, gtt fuel filter and new fuel hose as the original ones were plastic and thin. i have a concern that as it was carbed, the ports on the pick up may be too small causing either a restriction to the the pump, the fuel return or both, but again i'll deal with that if becomes an issue. no pics as yet until i've sorted some brackets.

[Tony Walker]

Amazing to see this finished

[Sparkie]

you'll start suffering from what the gordini turbo boys get when they convert to a gt turbo carb.
the feed from the tank is too small and the return is too restrictive.
some fit bigger lines, some go the swirl pot route.....
which one is better....only one way to tell.

[Shane P]

[Haz]

All the fuel system is how I'd run it on a gtt, pump, filter and 8mm lines but the pick up ports are smaller than a campus where you can just swap the senders over. Have thought about a surge pot as the tank isnt baffled. Not sure if there's an alternative sender but until I take it out I don't if it can be modified or whether I'll need to fit some extra tails into the tank instead.

[Blocky]

Excellent project m8, Looks like your making good progress too. Can't wait to see it finished :-)

[Sparkie]

All the fuel system is how I'd run it on a gtt, pump, filter and 8mm lines but the pick up ports are smaller than a campus where you can just swap the senders over. Have thought about a surge pot as the tank isnt baffled. Not sure if there's an alternative sender but until I take it out I don't if it can be modified or whether I'll need to fit some extra tails into the tank instead.

gordini return is 6mm..... i think you might be ok

[Alan]

your insane

[Woznaldo]

This could be the coolest big Renault since the Williams F1 Espace!

Methodical as ever Haz.

When I'm next in UK I'm gonna have to pop up to see you and Scoff. You guys are the ones bringing all these ideas to life. Love it!

[Scoff]

your insane

Tell us something we don't know

Woz, anytime, kettle's always on

[Haz]

not sure it will be as 'cool' as and f1 espace, maybe more of the retro version?

well i've got a bit more done this evening. carried on with the water system. i still had to bypass the matrix until i can source a replacement and cant decide whether to bother with water cooling the turbo but it can be added in if need be. have tried a few other rads i had but in the end stuck with the one i was originally using



and a pic from the top looking almost complete



i went back to looking at the fuel pick up again, definately not happy with the ports they were about 6mm and 4mm (the top left is a peice of 8mm tube)



so i thought i'd see what could be done as the backplate was metal too so chopped of the return and soldered in a replacement



seemed to take pretty well so replaced the pickup too. its a bit pikey but a wanted to retain the fuel sender so soldered and kinked the original and added the new one





that should do the job nicely now. there is still some concern that there may be fuel starvation as the tank isn't baffled but so long as it doesn't run low i cant see it being a problem

[Trevhib]

Cool.

It's crazy that with so much space in the front there are so many places where it's really tight!

[GT Josh]

Chris mate, you know my views on this. Awesome idea.

[Haz]

i've had a few spare hours this week so have cracked on with the van. the wiring loom has been chopped about to work in the engine bay along with being mated up with the original and i've got a few more bits back in the bay. i've had to extend the airfilter pipe but there's still enough room for the jack.



i'd tried to go with the original plan of the throttle at the back but as it was very tight for the boost run so it had to be differently, and markey mark had dave's old plenum which seemed made for the job so on it went



i didn't want to use samco's, not yet anyway but was all i could find that would do the job, even if the 'reducer' is a little pmt. battery back in to test the wiring.



and fitted the heater scoop to check for clearance



after cranking but no fuel pump firing up, its an early engine with later loom but early ecu's, the ecu required the extra live (thanks for the reminder scoff) and with that its fired up

still a few more bits like the exhaust and a few tweeks to do and then build the front end up before a test drive but shall update progress.

[TNT ANDY]

The Tits

[Mart]

Love it! Great project Haz

13's at Pod?

[Tutuur]

Awesome!

[GTphil]

Good progress! The pure thought of it on the road suprising people makes me

[Matt Cole]

Legend Haz!

Need more crazy **** on the board to keep us all sane!

[Haz]

Thanks. Looking forward to the test drive. Doubt it'll get anywhere near 13's if I ran it at pod, it's pretty much standard apart from the cam and throttle body and boost will be set to 1bar so will make approx 175bhp but it weighs about 2 tonne! It did feel quick for a van originally but the ratios are very short and it used to top out at 80mph. I'm guessing the van cam/revs won't be as high as the Volvo as it doesn't have a rev counter, yet, so be interesting to see if that helps top end.

[Haz]

after building the van up i though it was best to tax it as i figured once the exhaust was made i'd want to drive it so dug out the paperwork to find out that the mot was also due meaning i had a couple of extra jobs to get done.
anyway, i'd already used most of the volvo system for the downpipe, the guy who removed it had kinked it over the axle and the back box sounded like it had fell apart interenally so order another centre section and over axle peice. i wanted a silencer as want to keep it descreet so tried to find out which one it was i had used in the past, luckily scoff had also bought one at the time and wasn't being used so was adapted in and ended up like this









and off i tootled to the mot station. the exhaust although deeper at idle doesnt seem to be loud, in fact i think quieter than the standard item. engine runs alot smoother with the efi. boosting 7psi atm so not fast by any means but enough to spin the wheels with a hard launch

a couple of minor faults, the waterpump weaps when there's alot of pressure in the system and the crank seal also weaps. nothing too excessive but will want doing.
the paddle clutch is also not ideal. trying to crawl away from the lights is not an option. although its soft with the 172 arm the bite is so severe and with the added weight of the van just judders off unless you give it half throttle. i think it wants a new std clutch really but see how it beds in again.
idles high but to be expected until i get the tps fitted.
other than that it has an advisory for some new wipers and it has a fresh mot, and tax. done a few local runs here and there and all seems good, quite amusing. gearbox ratios are a bit short, and very clunky making it drop of spool between chenges but something i may look into in the future?
get the niggles sorted and then some more boost

[Haz]

well after a few days of using the van i thought i should give it a proper run out so last night i headed over to scoff's. despite the leaks and the exhaust clunking like mad when feathering the clutch is runs good. on the old engine it used to be screaming along the motorway at 75mph, i'd even managed to crack 80mph downhill! with the volvo lump its cruising along at 75mph just off boost, with some poke for overtaking if need be. not overly impressive but i guessed that was due to the aerodynamics and the extra weight, afterall its the same as a 5 towing a clio!
although not ready to up the boost until i change the actuator and sort the niggles it went on the rollers to check things over





it wasn't right, its richening up and power is just dropping off before 4k, even at std boost and its hunting at idle. after trying a few things, exhaust off to check that wasn't restrictive, adjusting afm, adjusting throttle, checking ecu mod etc and not much luck. as a test the vac pipe was removed from the ecu, this stops the ecu retarding on boost when its sees the preset limit, but also doesnt advance off boost. instantly things improved, but still gets rich and drops off. one of the better runs (click on pic to watch)



(and no, i haven't finished the bumper yet!)
there was only so much to test without exchanging parts so called it a night, thanks scoff. i think it ran 116bhp @ 9psi, down on the orignal engine from 120bhp, but 60bhp more than standard so still happy even thought there's more fiddling to be done before the engine comes back out.
before i left scoff couldn't resist having a little test drive, think he hates the clutch too! (clivck on pic to watch)

[Moggy]

thats classic!

[Big Steve - Raider]

Just WIN!

[Trevhib]

Gold. Even at that power/boost, you can tell when it moves away that it's nothing like what you expect to hear/see.

EDIT - for some reason this brings up memories of Andy's Twingo. Gutted we've not seen that project continue with vids etc.