Clio Williams 2: Mechanical Refurbishment/Overhaul

I've made this page to show the progress of the massive amount of work going on with my Williams 2.

They aren't cheap cars when they go wrong, but whilst the clutch is being changed and the engine is out, I've decided to change anything which is likely to cause me hassle later on. If they're changed now, it saves hours of work afterwards.
It's also having whatever's included in a major service.. Cambelt (and Tensioners) etc..

If Mat wasn't going to do this for me, I would probably sell it as-is, so, a big thanks to him.. !
Oh, Jay for his fantastic work also ;)

So, here's a picture diary of events.. (oh, and a bit of explanation on what's going on!)

Car is trailed to Mat's ready to be worked on. Looked quite cool on the trailer, I must admit, hehe.
Unfortunately, the photo's were in the dark so not great.

Car is waiting to be done. 
Still making a list of all the parts which need to be done.  A few are problems with the car, others are just things which can be done easily whilst the engine is out; it makes sense to change the majority of stuff in the engine bay whilst it's empty!

Car is now in the garage.  Can now start getting things done - first thing, get the engine out! (After removing the bonnet, grill, headlights, bumper, wheels etc.. hehe.)

Start of engine coming out.  Headlights, bumper, grill, bonnet and wheels have been removed.  Car is also stood on axle stands.
Starting to get hold of parts also; not cheap at all.. but hey, has to be done!

Engine is out and sat on the floor.  Looks well odd now!. 
The bay is in mint condition really.  No rust where it normally is.  Needs a good clean though - you can definitely see where the nearside driveshaft has been spilling oil!

New tyres fitted to the alloys.  A539's in 195/50/15's now - had 185/55/15's before which I didn't get on with.  Dunno if that's because of the size or the make of tyres; just felt like jelly to me.   

Some engine work being done!
New Cambelt fitted (as well as the tensioners) along with the new water pump, new rocker cover gasket, new leads, new plugs, new rotor arm and dizzy cap and also the new alternator and belt. 

Got some extra stuff done as well, but no pics.  The heater matrix has now been changed.  This is a really bad job.  I was there holding the dash whilst Mat's head was behind the heaters trying to get the old matrix out.  Took a while but got there in the end.  New matrix was put in and the dash put back together. 
Put the new steering column in as well, so that should hopefully get rid of the play in the steering.
Got my stereo and hands free kit in.  So many wires which all had to come out to do the matrix.  Fitted in quite nicely as I found a new place to put the hands free control unit - just above the fuse box; it was behind the stereo before, so was pretty tight.

Whilst the engine is out, also took time to clean the whole bay.  Used some Autoglym Engine Degreaser to start with.. but I felt it left the painted surfaces quite dull.  It did clean it very well though, especially the subframe.
The dullness of the paint didn't look right, so I got out some polish/wax and gave it a good clean; looks mint now.. all the painted surfaces are smooth and shiny, ready for the engine.
As you can see from the pics, there isn't any rust under the windscreen either. They rust there usually, so quite happy with it!

Also got some new brake pads from GSF Car Parts the other day. Getting some new discs put on (Brembo Max) so thought I might aswell change the pads at the same time!
Some other bits also here ready. Got some new Philips Power2Night bulbs in the hope that they work a lot better than standard items; they sound good so hopefully they will be. I've had Philips Blue Vision before and they were really good bulbs, so hopefully Philips have done good with these too!
Also ordered a new fob case for the alarm, as mine was broke. Got two new buttons at the same time so hopefully the fob will work great when I get it back! The buttons on mine arn't in the best condition.

Engine is semi-back in. It's supported by two mounts; dog bone mount is ready to go on though.
Also got the fuel filter changed and the handbrake cable.
Got the heater matrix apart to see if it was blocked; it was quite badly. Very sludgy inside. Quite glad it was really cus' after changing it, and getting a new one in.. if it was fine, then all the work would have been pointless; and it wasn't an easy job to do!

All of the interior is back together again.. got the top dash fitted, steering wheel surround bits etc..

Not that much to do now.. just random finishing things off (and changing front brake discs/pads). Then, get everything connected and get it running again.

So, we finally got it back on the road a few months ago. Was so so so sweet to get it back.. was awesome - felt quick too which is always nice.
No sloppy steering, good brakes, useable clutch, no random alternator light flashing; all the problems - Fixed. Also had a new plate dedicated to the car.. which is nice :)

Felt like a Williams should - just right.. :)