Diablo 306 HDi Project

[dhdcdarchy]

Yo!
Not long since joined, I thought it was time I added a project thread for my current Diablo HDi & a little history on myself.

Previous car was a stage one HDi in silver @ 11 owners and 165k on the clock. As my first car it got more than its fair share of abuse from me and its previous owner (a mate who I’d had it off).

Picture of her in her 'prime':


I was in love with this car and my original plan was to engine swap for a 2.0 16v Derv - DW10-RHR but I never pulled the trigger due to limited experience.
After owning the car a year the clutch finally gave out from the relentless ragging and I decided to park it on my mums front garden indefinitely.

As she looks today, being used as a shed:


Shortly after this I spotted a cheeky little Diablo Red HDi for sale via Facebook reasonably local, at 100k miles and really clean it seemed like it had been looked after I decided to view it and despite it sounding like a tractor (Aux tensioner) and a scratch on the front wing it was perfect, needless to say I bought it.


I found the car had previously had a shitty aftermarket alarm fitted so whilst fitting a new DAB head unit and dash trim I decided to rip all the remnants out.
(I would later regret this as ironically the Sub I was wiring in would get stolen in the future due to lack of alarm)


The car was lowered, front lights swapped, dewipered the rear, pressed plates, wind deflectors and headlight protectors added then other than spraying the front badge black, giving it a much needed clay, wax and polish this is how I ran it for around a month:


Only notable additions after this time was a decat and Sportex 3” outward rolled tip backbox and despite how good 306’s look with cyclones I wanted to make it look a little different; cue the 106 rallye steels…



It was shortly after this that I went a little bit mental and decided to purchase a MK1 Volvo S40 T4 because it came up at a nice price having had 2 very OCD owners from new, it came with a massive folder full of receipts including its delivery note from when it was purchased brand new in 1998 (24K!) and despite looking a bit tired on the outside I knew mechanically it was bang on.


This 250bhp ‘toy’ no doubt hindered my progress with the pug…it sat parked up with my silver HDi on my mums driveway


Over the next 3 months I neglected both beloved 306s while the Volvo set about emptying my wallet via 99RON. Every time I visited I fell in love all over again… (Ignore the pink hoover)


With about 3 weeks to go before French Car Show I decided she’d been mistreated enough and rescued her from (I'm really trying not to say my mother’s overgrown bush) ..yeah


I re-insured her and set about spending the best part of 5 hours cleaning her up.


With such little time to go before FCS14 I figured that would be that but then fueled by what I can only assume was going from 250bhp > 90 I decided to make a ‘to-do’ list and it was very Ambitious .


I began gathering parts for this endeavour:


And got to work mere days before FCS bestowing upon my poor 306 some of the pikeiest pipework – bumper/engine cover cutting the world has ever seen…



This seemed to hold, for now. Time for a map!

I decided to use a fairly new local company ‘Pullin Power’ due to hearing good things from a few of my friends as well as the fact that they were cheap and nice guys! They took the standard map off my car and matched it to a stage 2 one, then added values for my intercooler capacity and boom! Ever since then I've been chasing an annoying leak when on full boost.


The rest of the work was literally done the night before FCS, me and my friend Tom finished work the Friday before at 4pm, we started the finishing touches at around 5pm and while he was polishing and waxing, reapplying number plates and general bits and bobs I was mutilating the base of my tanned full leather front cabriolet seats (which I thought were a straight swap) The last bolt in the driver’s seat at 9.00pm (don’t ask me what I’m going to do about the back seats because I didn't think that far ahead, all I know is the fronts look cool as f*ck) and we set off on a 160mile journey to the hotel.


Back home after the show, without a hitch all weekend, only used £45 worth of diesel too.


Thanks for reading !

[crumpy]

Great thread and story pal. what power figures has the map given you? I have heard of the company.

[dhdcdarchy]

Great thread and story pal. what power figures has the map given you? I have heard of the company.

I don't know figures as the car is largely untested, once I've got the boost piping fully holding I plan on a dyno visit, pretty pointless atm as its leaking power.

[cameronjames29]

smart that mate! looks deadly with the FMIC!

[dhdcdarchy]

smart that mate! looks deadly with the FMIC!

Cheers !

[attachment=17344]
New wheel venture
Probably gonna go white

[dhdcdarchy]

Okay so I thought this deserved an update….

Starting where I left off; I sold all the sets of wheels I had (of which there were many!) And decided Cyclones for the win, for now at least.

I took a trip down to Custom Pipes and had them make me some new boost piping which is considerably less pikey than the first iteration J it contains fewer joins and is thinner by a quarter of an inch which makes it neater and easier to secure.
(I’ll add a few pictures later)

Upon fixing the boost leak which I had come to love so much, I now discover that my standard clutch doesn't much like the extra power, big surprise .

After contemplating whether to just get a Sachs, or go for a paddle clutch I began looking at the paddle options available and finally decided on a CG Motorsport '5 puck' after reading good things. After purchasing I started to regret this as I have also more recently found some not so good feedback and I also didn't like their after-sales either, despite me emailing to ask about a flywheel that was listed on the site the guy I spoke to denied it existed and offered me no advice. Oh well I guess we'll see!



I also bought a new flywheel to have lightened and balanced but I’m unsure whether I’ll be doing so or just leaving the standard one as it is. Either way the clutch will be going in over the next few weeks so I can get a more aggressive Stage 2+ map   .

Moving onto the interior I got myself a new Fusion Sub (to replace the one the C**ts stole) as well as 2x Vibe Slick 6x5 Components for the front and 2x Vibe Slick 6x9s for the rear stealth shelf.

I got some Hydrodipped interior trim for cheap on Facebook and put it in, still deciding if it’s too chavvy for my taste or not:



I have been sending off for leather samples trying to match the colour of the front seats so that I can I can re-cover the rear bench, however matching ten year old leather is not the best idea, I realise.

I have largely been neglecting my car as I have had other projects on at the same time as well as university and work, however coming up to summer I am definitely going to be more focused to get things done.

I have a brand new set of Bilstein dampers for the rear beam and Polybush Black edition mounts, as well as brand new discs and pads all round which are ready to fit.

I’ll also be servicing, replacing the Auxiliary belt and tensioner and possibly waterpump and cambelt.

My list for french car show looks like this:



Since she made an appearance in the beginning of the thread I’d just like to use this opportunity to mourn the death of my beloved silver HDi. Despite me bringing her back to life with a new clutch and rear beam, I entrusted her with my mum and after only a few months the coolant system decided it didn't want to do its job anymore and then subsequently neither did the headgasket. She’s been stripped for parts and headed to the scrapyard in the sky.


R.I.P

[Eeyore]

So it got a stage 2... but you dont know how much power?

[dhdcdarchy]

I'm waiting until I get the clutch in for a more aggressive map before a dyno, the map I have at the minute is very weak for a 'stage 2' like I said the company I used for the current map weren't very established , currently only running around 140bhp which is obviously only an estimate.

[Poodle]

Looking good, i'm sure i've seen this somewhere before, possibly in last years fcs pics now i think about it... I'd leave the flywheel as it is, is reputed to cause issues with timing and won't be much benefit as throttle response on these is governed by mapping, not bottom end inertia.

[dhdcdarchy]

Looking good, i'm sure i've seen this somewhere before, possibly in last years fcs pics now i think about it... I'd leave the flywheel as it is, is reputed to cause issues with timing and won't be much benefit as throttle response on these is governed by mapping, not bottom end inertia.

Thanks  and it had a tiny picture in the magazine from the show last year 




I think I will probably just leave the flywheel standard and sell the one I bought.

---

I spent the day today giving her a much needed detail, since I've been piling the miles on her and the salt and grit from this terrible weather had her looking sorry for herself, I used this opportunity to snap my new pipes.




Also got rid of my Angel Eyes and went with some standard Black Masks



HDR mode on my phone makes the Diablo Red look more like Diablo Orange 
*Turns off*

[Poodle]

That wouldn't be where i've seen it, those magazines are full of 95% crap so i don't waste time reading them lol, i meant in the club photo section. Maybe it's just another member with a similar car and plate.

[dhdcdarchy]

That wouldn't be where i've seen it, those magazines are full of 95% crap so i don't waste time reading them lol, i meant in the club photo section. Maybe it's just another member with a similar car and plate.

Ah possibly Crumpy's old HDi! 

[crumpy]

Looking good mate this will shift with a full fat stage 2 😀

You may have been thinking about mine as we had very simular cars

[Eeyore]

Looks good. Yeh Im just surprised you went to a tuning company instead of getting an off the shelf map from whippy or pro steve.

[dhdcdarchy]

Looks good. Yeh Im just surprised you went to a tuning company instead of getting an off the shelf map from whippy or pro steve.

In hindsight I would've, I kinda just rushed into it before FCS14.
When the clutch is done it'll be going to Dervtech for some love.

[Frosty]

Looking good chap. I like the direction your taking with this.

I got a CG 5 paddle in my hdi. I had a few issues with CG, any chance of a pic of the pressure plate you got of the top side of it

[dhdcdarchy]

Looking good chap. I like the direction your taking with this.

I got a CG 5 paddle in my hdi. I had a few issues with CG, any chance of a pic of the pressure plate you got of the top side of it

Cheers





The top side?

[7057sam]

Looks lovely mate

Black masks look alot better than the angels

[dhdcdarchy]

Looks lovely mate

Black masks look alot better than the angels

Cheers  
And yeah took me a while to acquire some, I've tried making sets twice and ruined them both! 

No patience and a heat gun is not a good combo 

[dhdcdarchy]

Following some time off from Uni assignments for easter I have taken advantage of the nice weather and got some bits done on the car.



Starting with front discs and pads, which are staying standard spec for now so not all that exciting.





I then swapped out my very tired rear dampers for some nice shiny new Bilstein ones. While I was under there I decided to rip out the spare wheel and carrier and also replaced all my exhaust mounts.





I also managed to get the inlet bend from a C5 to replace my 406 one that annoyingly had the little plastic valve etc attached. While changing this I also threw on an EGR blanking plate.








I tried making the standard airbox fit but it refused with my intercooler piping in the way. So I'll have to make do with my terrible cone for now and cold air feed.





On the inside I decided to get rid of the crumbling old boot floor matting and replaced it with some new soundproofing carpet stuff (thanks td163). I also added some soundproofing to the front doors and tidied up wires etc as I was sick of them rattling/buzzing.








In the next week I'll be ordering Bilstein struts, fitting my new Febi crankshaft pulley as well as getting slam panel and other engine bay bits power coated.


Also since its been lovely weather, I decided to spend some time getting her clean...








I love Diablo Red but I've started to notice more lacquer peel on the front end so I'll be looking out for new bumper, hockey sticks and grille.

[highwayman306]

VERY nice geezah, good choice of car, good choice of colour and masks are loads better Looking mean with that FMIC and good call with the inlet elbow, I just trying to get the balls to do my FMIC... got all the parts but lacking the bottle haha

Got your spoiler painted yet? Might as well do all the front plastics at the same time innit

[dhdcdarchy]

VERY nice geezah, good choice of car, good choice of colour and masks are loads better Looking mean with that FMIC and good call with the inlet elbow, I just trying to get the balls to do my FMIC... got all the parts but lacking the bottle haha

Haha cheers! 
As for the FMIC just do it  took me a while to get all the pipework how I wanted it (still not 100% mind), but last year at FCS it was running a pretty chronic boost leak since id used a universal pipe kit and had like a dozen joins, but the sooner you get on it the sooner you'll have problems like these ironed out and more power!

[highwayman306]

VERY nice geezah, good choice of car, good choice of colour and masks are loads better Looking mean with that FMIC and good call with the inlet elbow, I just trying to get the balls to do my FMIC... got all the parts but lacking the bottle haha

Haha cheers! 
As for the FMIC just do it  took me a while to get all the pipework how I wanted it (still not 100% mind), but last year at FCS it was running a pretty chronic boost leak since id used a universal pipe kit and had like a dozen joins, but the sooner you get on it the sooner you'll have problems like these ironed out and more power!

I would man but its my daily and I am a very slloooowwww worker hahaha, I don't have anyone to help me either to make it a quicker job...also, last time I tried I hit snags with it then I broke the original inlet elbow and had to watch my car be towed to garage to change everything back to standard I have no luck but bad...


*Nudges* Where about in the midlands are you from?

[dhdcdarchy]

I'm sure you could have it done over a weekend if you really tried
Hardest thing is finding a nice route with the pipes you have with the least joins, I'll grant you that its a bit of a ball ache :')

I ended up going to a custom exhaust place and having a few pipes made to length and shape, made it a lot neater, less joins.

[highwayman306]

I'd considered going and getting pipes made up, its cost as well lol you got a map of your pipe route available...main thing is the bloody a/c thats in the way of everything...since I've had the car, the a/c hasn't worked and I know its leaking and don't fancy replacing parts to make it work, so I'm contemplating removal...that could free up some space

I haven't been near an HDi with FMIC to have a butchers for myself. Ive read threads and that but i find a hands-on approach and in person to be the best way to see what to do...

Also, outta curiosity...is yours a Dturbo 5dr or meridian ??? I saw the spoiler and in earlier photos I noticed badges on the door...

[dhdcdarchy]

I'd considered going and getting pipes made up, its cost as well lol you got a map of your pipe route available...main thing is the bloody a/c thats in the way of everything...since I've had the car, the a/c hasn't worked and I know its leaking and don't fancy replacing parts to make it work, so I'm contemplating removal...that could free up some space

I'll definitely be removing my air con at some point but mine actually works so I'll wait till after summer  plus I've just bought a new standard aux belt for when I replace my pulley.

From what I've seen a lot of people have their intercooler upside down so the in and out are closer to the top then run both sets of pipe to the right hand side. Alternately get a twin pass.

Mine has a 180 degree on each side, one leading up from the right side to the inlet and the other leading between the sump and gearbox to the turbo.
My pipes weren't that expensive, although I wish I'd have not wasted money on a universal kit.

---

Mines a meridian, it came with the spoiler, half leathers, leather wheel etc.

[highwayman306]

I'd considered going and getting pipes made up, its cost as well lol you got a map of your pipe route available...main thing is the bloody a/c thats in the way of everything...since I've had the car, the a/c hasn't worked and I know its leaking and don't fancy replacing parts to make it work, so I'm contemplating removal...that could free up some space

I'll definitely be removing my air con at some point but mine actually works so I'll wait till after summer  plus I've just bought a new standard aux belt for when I replace my pulley.

From what I've seen a lot of people have their intercooler upside down so the in and out are closer to the top then run both sets of pipe to the right hand side. Alternately get a twin pass.

Mine has a 180 degree on each side, one leading up from the right side to the inlet and the other leading between the sump and gearbox to the turbo.
My pipes weren't that expensive, although I wish I'd have not wasted money on a universal kit.

---

Mines a meridian, it came with the spoiler, half leathers, leather wheel etc.

I didn't think they came with spoilers as standard
Yeah I got a universal kit off ebay and got all the necessary pipes e.g. elbow, plastic turbo pipe, rubber top pipe etc. and got some mikalor clamps... just didn't follow it through lol after the mis-hap like. I would prefer twin pass but the cost is silly high and i got a single pass.

If ever you come over west midlands way could i have a butchers at your machine

[dhdcdarchy]

I'd considered going and getting pipes made up, its cost as well lol you got a map of your pipe route available...main thing is the bloody a/c thats in the way of everything...since I've had the car, the a/c hasn't worked and I know its leaking and don't fancy replacing parts to make it work, so I'm contemplating removal...that could free up some space

I'll definitely be removing my air con at some point but mine actually works so I'll wait till after summer  plus I've just bought a new standard aux belt for when I replace my pulley.

From what I've seen a lot of people have their intercooler upside down so the in and out are closer to the top then run both sets of pipe to the right hand side. Alternately get a twin pass.

Mine has a 180 degree on each side, one leading up from the right side to the inlet and the other leading between the sump and gearbox to the turbo.
My pipes weren't that expensive, although I wish I'd have not wasted money on a universal kit.

---

Mines a meridian, it came with the spoiler, half leathers, leather wheel etc.

I didn't think they came with spoilers as standard
Yeah I got a universal kit off ebay and got all the necessary pipes e.g. elbow, plastic turbo pipe, rubber top pipe etc. and got some mikalor clamps... just didn't follow it through lol after the mis-hap like. I would prefer twin pass but the cost is silly high and i got a single pass.

If ever you come over west midlands way could i have a butchers at your machine

I'm not sure mate tbh on spec, if it's been added by previous owner it's been done properly, has the rear washer etc. 

Are you going FCS?

[Toms306]

Meridians didn't come with a spoiler as standard. They take 5 mins to fit though, and finish off the rear end nicely so it's a common mod.

[highwayman306]

I didn't think they did, and the rear washer is a standard phase 2.5/ 3 ting

I don't think i will be attending FCS I'm considering pugfest though Cheaper and I think the missus will enjoy it more...just gotta talk her round haha...wish me luck lol