A Retro Newbie

Newbie Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

[b]Introduction[/b]
Iâ€™ve been lurking around this site for a wee while as my quest for R19 16V knowledge has led me here. Iâ€™m a 21 year old student, living in Devon and with a passion for adrenaline sports and cars.

[b]The Tractor[/b]
Having previously owned a 1987 0.9 Ferrari AX (based on the Citroen AX but with a Ferrari badge stuck on) and a 1991 1.8 Vauxhall Cavalier, I decided to go the way of Renault as a 1.9 TD 19 came about for sale at Â£350 last year. Unfortunately the price was reflective of the car as the brake piping was bodged, turbo temperamental and had some engine component from a 1.9 TD Pug which I was told caused the camshaft to rip itself to bits. Despite itâ€™s premature death the 19 served me well for a year of cheap motoring and transported me and a pal to the French and Italian Alps. The car racked up thousands of reliable miles and handled very nicely.

[b]The Valver[/b]
Following the sad death of the black beast I decided I needed a proper Renault, an uber quick one, a wolf in sheepâ€™s clothing, a hot hatchâ€¦a Valver. A day after slaying the diesel came a 95 R19 16v Ph 2 Exec for Â£550 with 97k on the clock. Unfortunately the 16v started where the diesel finished as I needed AA help to sort out 2 immobilizer failures, a starter motor problem, a snapped clutch cable and finally an expensive new clutch from a garage.
The problems now seem to be ironed out as I have what feels to be a quick, cheap, practical and perfectly balanced piece of French artistry.
The R19 16V is a great blokes car as the leather upholstery, low driving position and throaty roar between 4,000-6,500 rpm, combined with slick handling and a fast top speed mean I canâ€™t think of a better car for under a grand.
The car really rewards my fast and smooth style on the rolling, pitching and picturesque roads of the South Hams and South Dartmoor where I live and gets me to and from work briskly and with a smile.

[b]Future Plans[/b]
Lowering and stiffening the suspension is an idea I am considering. This is because I feel the body roll is a wee bit more than I like when cornering loads start building.
Would fellow Retro-Renaulters recommend this, is it an easy DIY job for a relatively inexperienced tinkerer like myself to do and how much should it cost?
The car also has a tiny amount of rust developing. This is around the right real wheel arch, under the right, rear door and some under the 16v badge. Is the best procedure to sand it down to the metal, Curerust it, filler it, file the filler down, primer, spray and lacquer it?

[b]Pics[/b]
The beast is very much standardised, apart from a K&N and set off 15â€ alloys, however if you folks are interested enough Iâ€™ll plonk some photos online when Iâ€™ve time.

Site Subscriber Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 2929

a simple Hi would have been fine....... only kiddin. lol

Nice intro mate. get some pics up so we can see the motor.

Retroholic Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 3315

nice intro Thumbs Up!

pics are a must though Twisted Evil

Newbie Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

â€œThe problems now seem to be ironed outâ€

The damn clutch cable snapped while I was driving home. Fortunately it happened at the top of the hill where I live so I could coast home. Do all 19â€™s use the same cable or will I need a special, beefier one for a valver?

Was a bad idea to curse it earlier today.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

all use the same, go to renault and get a new one though, pedal may need done as well.

Level 8 User Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 270

just did mine on tuesday cable will cost Â£20.99 for a nice renault new one dont know about the pedal got mine off ebay a little while ago

Site Subscriber Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 502

Rust is coming through from the inside as they fold two panels together.
Clean it out fill it from the out side (Epoxy filler is best but doâ€™nt over do it as it very hard to sand. Finish with polyester). Spray WD 40 in between the two panels, then Blackson the inside of the arch.

Also spray WD 40 into the front of the bonnet from the inside as theyâ€™re is a fold in the front.

Leave the springs.

Upgrade the shocks.

I, ve got Konis on. Very good on corners but a bit stiff on confort

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

I would agree with r1916s about the springs, don't bother putting lowering springs on the front of your 19 unless you want to be launched from your seat everytime you hit a pothole, the only way to really do it is by having proper uprated shocks on the front end.
At the rear its a slightly different matter, you can get uprated shocks for the rear but you lower it by adjusting the torsion bar on the rear axle.
This can go very smoothly BUT more often than not, the torsion bar is rusted solid!
Neal from this forum had to replace the entire rear beam on his 19 hatch due to the torsion bar being rusted when he lowered that and his current project (a nice ph1 hatch) also has a rusted torsion bar.
4 out of the 5 hatchs i have owned have also had the torsion bars rusted solid.

Most garages wont even entertain the idea of lowering a clio or a 19 because of the rear torsion bars.

Site Subscriber Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 502

Springs and torsion bars then.

Its the dampers that count.

Newbie Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

As I predicted a Renault enthusiast internet forum site was always going to produce lots of great advice, so thanks.
After a fit of impulse insanity I have just bought a P3 Williams Clio. The car is completely unmodified and in great retro shape.
This now means I am now looking to sell the 19 to cover a fraction of the Willyâ€™s cost.
Iâ€™ll upload a couple of pics when I get my hands on the Williams next week.