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CLAYTONJONES

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Everything posted by CLAYTONJONES

  1. Nothing overly exciting has happened to the car as of late, done an evening session at Snetterton recently which was a huge success, the best the car has ever felt for sure. I’ve just fitted the latest version of the Sprogley Motorsport airbox, this time it’s 3D printed with Carbon infused material so the finish is just incredible. I also bought another set of wheels, I used to have a set of 15” OZ Ultraleggera’s and I always regretted selling them. Seeing them on my partners car made me want another set so I finally bought my first ever set of brand new wheels! They look amazing, wrapped in Nankang AR1’s ready for a Nürburgring trip on 23rd August for a week :)
  2. Couple of nice little upgrades recently that have made a big difference! The first one is something I’ve wanted to sort for quite some time but never found a solution but after the Prescott hill climb with the tight hairpins I was determined to try find a solution. So with these cars on a 195/50/15 tyre, because they have very little castor from the factory, the tyre catches the rear of the wheel arch on 3/4 lock or more. I found out that the MK4 R32 shares the same front rear wishbone bush as the Lupo GTI, which Whiteline makes a castor bush kit for. So I ordered that up hoping it could be a solution, I removed my wishbones and which already had a Powerflex bush fitted to, rather than removing that and having to press the new Whiteline one in, I used the eccentric centre in the Powerflex bush which worked a treat. Got it all fitted back on to the car and instantly noticed the wheel was 15-20mm forward which has sorted out the issue I was having! Then went and had the alignment checked, I now have around 3.2° castor over the factory 1.5°! The next upgrade is a Polyurethane gearbox mount to match the already upgraded engine side. I’ve been waiting for someone to make this for a long time now and a good friend in Germany has provided the goods. The factory bush is 50 shore vs this is 80 shore so a good chunk stiffer. I was worried at first that it may be a bit to harsh but it wasn’t! There is obviously a bit more vibrations on idle but I can live with that for the extra benefits it gives. Gear changes are sooo much crisper and on/off throttle accelerations feels crisper with no engine swing.
  3. Yeah only cosmetic, I had a Kbrace that connected the two shock towers and that done nothing so got rid of that.
  4. Not all that much has been happening lately. I ordered some Silver Project adjustable top mounts to try increase the Castor as Lupo’s come with hardly any from the factory. Upon removal of the KW coilovers I noticed the front right shock had failed, it had depressurised. So I’ve sent the front pair off to Cornering Force to have them rebuilt, typical they had ran out of warranty by a month! But they have done just over 2 years, 20k+ miles and many trackdays and Nürburgring trips so I’m not too bothered.
  5. This is one of those things I've wanted to do for a while, since fitting the ompracing strut brace, getting the cap off the expansion tank isn't possible so after seeing how small they are on the MK8 Golf Hybrid I had an idea! Looks so much better, more like the size a Lupo one should be haha!
  6. Latest little update on the Lupo is I’ve swapped out the steel Recaro sidemounts for some Recaro Aluminium sidemounts, whilst I was at it I also made the seat based out of T3 Aluminium as well to save a bit more weight. In total I managed to lose 16kg which is more than I thought I would, very close to sub 900kg now!
  7. Latest little addition to the Lupo is the Cargo net and bar from JC Clubsport. I am really pleased with how it looks, it fills a void in the back of the car and completes the clubsport look I think!
  8. Found some time over the weekend to get the wheels on, safe to say I couldn’t be happier with how they look! a1 host
  9. This has probably been the longest I haven’t updated this. Been pretty busy with life and holidays. Still got a few things done to the Lupo recently. My missus recently got herself a set of Red Pole Positions for her car, so I thought it would be rude not to try one in the Lupo to see what it looks like. I love the way it looks with the doors open looking in, but not 100% sure when looking for outside. The difference in Red sets my OCD off. I’ll probably stick to Black. Whilst the seats were out I noticed the backs had started to get a bit scuffed from when the car is packed full for Nürburgring trips, I got the polisher out, now they look as good as new! I then had a new spoiler painted as the standard one had started to bubble, very common problem. Fitted this with a brand new 3rd brake light which is a rare part in itself. Up next was a trackday at Cadwell park, the car was faultless! Had so much fun chasing my mate round in his 182 track car, he was surprised that’s for sure. They were pretty much identical. I’ve also decided to put the bumper caps back on for a bit of a change, I forgot how clean it looks with them, I’ll leave a picture below with and without, let me know what you prefer. And the most exciting purchase, I finally managed to hold of a set of ATS DTC’s in 4x100 only! As far as I’m aware one of only two sets in the UK. So happy to get them after searching for years, not on the car yet though. They came with some AD08RS fitted, I’m not a fan of the new compound so I removed them and fitted some Michelin PS3’s, the best road tyre in 15”. Some picture below!
  10. Yeah more than likely why! Mine could definitely handle another 50bhp I’d say especially if it was NA. Yeah I said to the other day I’d either spend it on another car or when/if the engine let go again
  11. Yeah it was definitely nerve racking, everytime I got to the corner the engine let go last time I got nervous😂 Mine runs around 45psi hot and Sullys is a tiny bit higher, I’m not sure what that is in bar. K20 is the first engine that comes to mind but also is getting common in engine swaps, obviously for good reason though. I’d just like some where around 220-230bhp. Yep Coolerworx is a big transformation, I’ve never had any issues with 4th to 5th though. Wayne is a busy man I know👎🏼 Hopefully your guy is just as good!
  12. Another very successful Nürburgring trip last weekend! I’d go as far as saying my best trip over there so far. Me and the missus took both our cars this time, I managed 17 laps and she done 14 laps on her first time driving the track! 1100 miles each without a single issue to either car. I only done one lap on my own, every other lap I took someone new out in the car, which Is all part of the fun for me, people experiencing a car most of the time they haven’t before. Everyone was surprised that’s for sure! The Lupo felt so good with its fresh engine, having the oil pressure and temp gauge now is definitely a great addition to keep an eye on things. The missus Polo was fantastic too, I took it for a lap myself and it’s really made me want more power though lol. It’s 240bhp and 290ft/lb so it just has way more pull out of every corner and the uphill sections. But with the current engine it’s not that simple to get any more power now, reliably anyway. Never been to into engine conversion too much but if it was you, what engine would you swap into the Lupo? I’d have to keep it NA too. First thing that comes to my mind is K20. I’ll leave some pictures from the trip below :)
  13. As some of you may have noticed recently I’ve been using @yumcars_official products for the last couple of months testing them for myself. After speaking to Nick & Kelly and realising they are perfectionist and want nothing but the best, I soon realised how good these products are. Not only their products are great but their accessories are the very best in the world imported from the US and Switzerland. I am mega proud to say they have sponsored me and the Lupo, 90% of you know I wouldn’t be using them on my car if they weren’t the very best the market has to offer. They have given me 10% discount code off all liquids, towels & some accessories. Use ‘CLAYTON’ in coupon box at checkout. Also, if you order any 500ml Interior product you’ll get a free exfoliator pad too which are amazing
  14. After what seems like forever, the Lupo is back on the road running better and stronger than ever. It turns out a rod had stretched so it spun another bearing immediately, so we completely stripped the whole engine down the the bare block, had the bores honed, rods, crank and flywheel re balanced. All new bearings with gaskets and seals and it’s done a successful 500 miles without any issues, not even a slight oil leak! Can’t explain how happy I am to have the car back, I really did forget how good the overall package is. The KW suspension always amazes me how complaint it is but also has the ability to stiffen then up for track use. I’ll leave some pictures I’ve took over the last week.
  15. It’s been a while since I’ve updated this, simply because I still don’t have the car on the road and I’ve been busy getting stuff done. So, I got back from Germany, waited a month for the car to arrive home, insurance breakdown takes forever but it didn’t cost me a penny so I can’t complain. As soon as the car arrived home, the next day I pulled the engine out, took it to my mates to rebuild the bottom end. I had already gathered all new bearings and shells from VW. Upon inspection we instantly noticed it had spun a bearing on cylinder 4 (as expected). The crank was also damaged but I had a spare one that had been polished ready. We checked, cleaned and reassembled everything thinking it was good to go. I put the engine back in the following day, installed an oil pressure and temperature gauge whilst I was in there to keep and eye on things. Got the whole done by myself in a day, fired it up and it sounded perfect, over the moon I was. It was late that evening and I was filthy so I waited for the next day, Sunday morning to go for a drive. Jumped it, fired it up and it sounded great. Pulled it out of the garage and down the driveway and instantly noticed the oil pressure looked low and then I heard a very minor bottom end knock again. At this point I wanted to scrap the car lol. But obviously not the case. I then pulled them engine back out AGAIN! Took it to my mates to inspect again, spun bearing on cylinder 4! So we have come to the conclusion the rod was at fault, it’s currently being completely stripped down and cleaned, every bolt is being zinc plated also. Hopefully when it goes back in we are all good this time. I’ve also installed a new 10 row Mocal oil cooler too. The Lupo also got an awesome feature in PVW magazine, go check that out if you haven’t already👌🏼I’ll leave some pictures of that below. Whilst mine has been away I’ve been busy with my missus car, a Polo GTI 1.8t. That’s received a whole host of goodies in the last month including a set of ST XA adjustable coilovers, a Quaife LSD, AP Racing 4 pot calipers, Creation Motorsport TIP, Full Miltek decat exhaust, battery relocation kit and a set of Nankang NS2R’s as she does plan on getting it on track. It’s going to Devil Developments for a map next week, should see around 230-240bhp which is more than enough in a car that weighs around 1100kg.
  16. I’ve only had the piston rings changed so the bearings are the original which have done 134k. I had it mapped at around 97k miles so a good 37k miles ago👍🏼
  17. I'm back home from another amazing Nurburgring trip, this time I done a private trackday as well as I felt I started to get comfortable on the track after around 65 laps now. It was an extremely busy weekend as it was Car Freitag and the first time in over 2 years its been covid free. The atmosphere around the place is just something else, truly a special place. The trackday was on the Tuesday and after doing a few TF laps over the weekend I was feeling confident I would beat my BTG time around there comfortably. I actually done that on my second lap with an 8.27! The car felt the best it's ever felt for sure! BUT, it didnt end as well as i'd of hoped, 6 laps into the day and my engine let go. Coming down through Brunchen (youtube corner) I changed into 4th and immediately felt the engine bog, let off the thottle and knew there was damage to the bottom end. I haven't got the car home yet to investigate further but it doesn'd sound too bad and hoping a quick rebuild will get it back on road and track fairly soon. Overall, a trip I will never forget for good and bad reasons lol. Hope you enjoy some of these photos and the video of the lap. I'm back home from another amazing Nurburgring trip, this time I done a private trackday as well as I felt I started to get comfortable on the track after around 65 laps now. It was an extremely busy weekend as it was Car Freitag and the first time in over 2 years its been covid free. The atmosphere around the place is just something else, truly a special place. The trackday was on the Tuesday and after doing a few TF laps over the weekend I was feeling confident I would beat my BTG time around there comfortably. I actually done that on my second lap with an 8.27! The car felt the best it's ever felt for sure! BUT, it didnt end as well as i'd of hoped, 6 laps into the day and my engine let go. Coming down through Brunchen (youtube corner) I changed into 4th and immediately felt the engine bog, let off the thottle and knew there was damage to the bottom end. I haven't got the car home yet to investigate further but it doesn'd sound too bad and hoping a quick rebuild will get it back on road and track fairly soon. Overall, a trip I will never forget for good and bad reasons lol. Hope you enjoy some of these photos and the video of the lap.
  18. Thanks mate. iIt was actually the doorcards, they were finished a few days after the video was shot😅
  19. Thankyou. It is the TT version I have, they are the same👍🏼 I got mine originally from a UK company but they don’t sell them anymore. A friend recently got one from the USA and it is the correct one.
  20. This is something I am very proud of, if everyone could give this PistonHeads video a watch it would be greatly appreciated, over the moon with how it turned out! Doing Lupo GTI owners proud👊🏼
  21. This has been one of those things on the list for so long, finally got the door cards retrimmed in Black Alacantara with Black stitching to keep things subtle, 2mm neoprene for the extra cushion. Tom @eastcountycustoms has absolutely nailed these, came out better than I ever imagine👏🏼 That’s the interior 100% complete, never thought I’d say that🤣 rip instagram pictures
  22. Managed to get a few spare hours after work today before the light went so I got my Wilwood calipers off to give them a fresh rebuild, the dust boots had started to split and deteriorate so I thought I’d get it done before more track action this year. New seals, dust boots and stainless bleed nipples
  23. Another fantastic day at Snetterton yesterday with Opentrack despite the weater. Once again the Lupo was brilliant, amazing how good it is in the wet with how short the wheel base is. I ran on my Michelin PS3’s and they do a good job in the cold and wet. I noticed a clicking from the passengers side CV joint towards the end of the day so that’s something to sort. I’m back there on the 25th for one more day before my trackday at the Nürburgring in April with Circuitdays. [/url]
  24. As I said, I don’t know the science behind it but I’m sure race teams have done some testing with all metals🤷🏼‍♂️
  25. I’m not clued up on metals but I know a race team uses titanium for it and it seems to be the popular choice, i copied this from another site👍🏼 The reason for the titanium brake pad shims has nothing to do with strength or expansion, it has to do with the fact that titanium transfers far less heat than aluminum, steel or stainless steel.
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