Engine donor dodging, mile munching HDI

[allye]

Firstly, if you're expecting a exotic high power rebuild look away. This is nothing more than a story of a scrap Yard bound 306 that dodged a bullet and pressed into daily action! 

Purchased this car about 2 years ago from a lady off gumtree for £250 with a "knackered 3rd and a cracked windscreen" as I was towing it away she said she's sad to see it go as she bought it brand new! So a 1 owner 306. Any way, gearbox is fine just a noisy release bearing which has since gone silent after regular use. Originally the drivetrain was destined for the 205 van.



Couple others when I got it (apologies for the terrible pictures throughout, never intended to do a thread!)





Think we can agree a crap colour with crap amount of doors, but a really honest looked after car.

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The car was parked up for about a year as I changed my Mind on the engine for the van, if you've read my van build that's now a rotrex powered 306 engine, 306's taking over the drive...



It's only when my mums evoque got written off I offered up the spare car, so I actually had to do some work on it!



I get the impression the previous owner was running it into the ground, required new pads and discs all round, one track rod, full service and a rear caliper rebuild and she flew through the MOT.

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It had some running problems after being in use for a while and after quite some time I sorted that, new LP pump and brown relay, also did the earthing mod, chucked some 4tec diesel cleaner through it as well as 4tec oil cleaner with the service. I now regularly get between 60-65mpg, un mapped! At 180,000 miles that's pretty good.

As a reward for daily duties I spent a day with the mop. Wash, clay bar, Polish, wax. I'm no detailer and that's as far as my cleaning goes, scrubbed up well though. Had the most tar I'd ever seen on a car though, few hours with petrol and a rag as autoglym wuldnt touch it!

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If you were wondering what the roof rack is for,



It's called a ocean racing ski, worth ten times the car and weighs 12kg. Right now it's rolling on a hot new wheel as one of the tyres was illegal and cyclones going on it a couple weeks, spare wheel still with new tyre!



And to bring us up to date, cambelt is a complete unknown at the moment so I'm doing that next week along with water pump, aux belt and tensioners, crank pulley, drop links and ARB bushes, replacement head lights and fogs.



Before I head to France for a 10day trip some cyclones and a spoiler are getting on, some sort of stereo to replace original, extra USB charging port for road trip duties and maybe a remap of time allows!

Despite its horrible colour and amount of doors I just can't find a good enough reason to get rid.

[Eeyore]

looks in really good condition. Presume thats a kayak roof rack. So the 4tec diesel and oil cleaner works well?

[allye]

It's a type of kayak yer, closest thing to them is a K1 racing kayak.

4Tec is bloody good, little pricey but you'll notice a improvement for sure. It's the only one my mechanic mate uses on customer cars, oil comes out like water!

It's not bad, laquer peel on the rear bumper (not valance) and typical high mileage front valance stone chips. Interior is extremely good, just normal drivers bolster and steering wheel.

[Dum-Dum]

Good luck on the France trip, I've loved the high milers I've had especially the quarter million mile estate.

[allye]

Cheers. A mechanic friend says the high miler diesels just get better!

I'm pretty certain this one is all original, gearbox, turbo etc.

[Toms306]

I've not had a good high miler yet, luck of the draw I guess.

Do like the colour of this tbh, not many in that colour!

[allye]

I've seen a picture of one in this colour on cyclones and it looks a hundred times better, with a dturbo spoiler it should look presentable!

[Toms306]

Cyclones, spoiler and splitter and you'll be surprised how good a 5dr can look!!

[DeeTurbo]

I've not had a good high miler yet, luck of the draw I guess.

Do like the colour of this tbh, not many in that colour!

Wasn't Simon's china blue one not any good?

[allye]

I've only just noticed there is no splitter! Add that to the list.

[Toms306]

I've not had a good high miler yet, luck of the draw I guess.

Do like the colour of this tbh, not many in that colour!

Wasn't Simon's china blue one not any good?

No! I changed half of it and it still felt like a knackered high miler, first time I drove it I could barely use the clutch so that was first on the list, Simon hadn't even mentioned how bad it was so I guess didn't realise. Plus either the engine was worn or it had a bad map, easily the slowest stage 1 I'd had. I sold it within a month iirc for a lot less than I'd put into it. Exhaust fell in half just as I was selling it as well. Shortly after that a hidden rusty brake pipe gave up and tried to kill the new owner. Now Bash is having a lot of issues with rust in weird places and various other things from the sound of it...

I'm sure Simon had got used to it over the years and believed it to all be good as things slowly get worse, and I'm certainly not blaming him in any way for it, but I'd say we have different ideas of 'decent', it was very noticeably a high miler compared to the 1.8 306 it replaced, it's not even like I was comparing to anything new. I wouldn't have bought it if I was able to test drive it, but I wasn't and am very grateful for Simon delivering it, even if it didn't turn out to be so good in the end.

Out of interest, how miles is your DTurbo on now? Must be over 320k by now?

[bashbarnard]

To be fair the high miler ive got isnt that bad its just the rust on the bulkhead which for me is sortable. Ill replace all bushs etc anyway so no worries there


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[Toms306]

To be fair the high miler ive got isnt that bad its just the rust on the bulkhead which for me is sortable. Ill replace all bushs etc anyway so no worries there


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Isn't that bad...but currently got no dash or engine...

[DeeTurbo]

I've not had a good high miler yet, luck of the draw I guess.

Do like the colour of this tbh, not many in that colour!

Wasn't Simon's china blue one not any good?

No! I changed half of it and it still felt like a knackered high miler, first time I drove it I could barely use the clutch so that was first on the list, Simon hadn't even mentioned how bad it was so I guess didn't realise. Plus either the engine was worn or it had a bad map, easily the slowest stage 1 I'd had. I sold it within a month iirc for a lot less than I'd put into it. Exhaust fell in half just as I was selling it as well. Shortly after that a hidden rusty brake pipe gave up and tried to kill the new owner. Now Bash is having a lot of issues with rust in weird places and various other things from the sound of it...

I'm sure Simon had got used to it over the years and believed it to all be good as things slowly get worse, and I'm certainly not blaming him in any way for it, but I'd say we have different ideas of 'decent', it was very noticeably a high miler compared to the 1.8 306 it replaced, it's not even like I was comparing to anything new. I wouldn't have bought it if I was able to test drive it, but I wasn't and am very grateful for Simon delivering it, even if it didn't turn out to be so good in the end.

Out of interest, how miles is your DTurbo on now? Must be over 320k by now?

I'm only on around 334k now, I don't do anywhere near the miles I used to do. I also started lift sharing to work so that almost halved the annual miles for three year and now having the estate and '6 that'll keep some miles off.

It's a shame I should have let you drive the Dturbo that time I popped round. I feels so much more better then the '6 in terms of ride quality, feeling tight with no knocks, bangs or rattles. It does feel a little slow though but better since changing the cambelt as the garage had the tension too tight. I was really surprised how much of a difference that made.

[allye]

Well, currently this one has a whiny aux belt tensioner and knocking drop link. However once they are sorted it's a very nice drive. Lightish clutch, good brakes, drives straight, steering wheel is straight, interior is completely un molested, hand brake now works well!

Can't complain at all.

[C2K]

Was all original and flew through its last mot in my hands. Had some niggles, but doing 35-40K p/a does that to a car.

Never gave me any troubles. Died recently of aux belt eating cambelt.

[allye]

Bask in my glory for solving the single most annoying 306 issue.

[MY95]

Bask in my glory for solving the single most annoying 306 issue.

How did you manage that? Said all 306 owners

[allye]

My coffee and water bottles doesn't constantly make a break for freedom!

[allye]

Did the cambelt today.



Belt kit, water pump, aux belt, idler, tensioner and crank pulley (my new pulley wasn't machines right so wobbled so stuck the old one back on and will get a new one tomorrow)

Well over due I'd say, a few of the bearing were knackered, water pump had slight play and the crank pulley rubber thing is starting to let go!!!

[allye]

Got some cyclones from me Stef in need of a refurb, got half a day into DIY paint job and took them to the powder coating place!





Did the drop links and ARB bushes, metal links to replace plastic and febi bushes.



Removed front bumper to replace fogs, gave all lights a polish and its lifted the front of the car nicely. Repaired all 3 support things at the bottom, and put in a couple of riv nuts to get rid of those shitty clip/plugs.





Fitted a extra USB charger in the console which is really handy as I hate using the cig lighter.


Repaired and put on the bloody bell pan! That's right, it's a 305 with all splash guards.

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Good clean, had 4x new budget 195/55's fitted, properly balanced with weights on the inside and tracking done, only slightly out, slight camber on one of the rears so a beam might be on the cards next spring (not in the country over winter)




All ready for 1000miles around north France this week. Although the bloody crank pulley is speaking after 2 news ones being crap still on the original, have just bought a 2nd hand 307 item so that should cure that.

Have a spoiler to fit to as well as a spitter, attempting to make the 5dr look less shite!

[bashbarnard]

5 doors look good imo. then again i like all 306s. i hate those bloody bottom pullys. i always replaced them with 307 items and never had an issue. Nice looking clones you have how much did they set you back??

[allye]

£50 a wheel, he's a proper wheel specialist and has done some magnesium wheels for me in the past, cleans up the mating faces etc. He'll be doing the Rallye steels for my 205 too.

I can't believe the difference the wheels have made, the spoiler and splitter should make it look better again.

[allye]

Should have done that a long time ago!

[Mattcheese31]

super care and attention you're putting in, i like to see people putting the mechanicals right and not just silly mods, car looks great, shame about the lacquer peel and oh, get rid of those godawful Meridian badges will ya?

[allye]

Thank you kindly! She's a keeper and just munches miles really so no intention of silly modification, sound proofing, a new speaker set up and a mild remap is as far as it'll go. You just can't beat these motors for cheapness and reliability!

The van is there for silly engine and silly speeds!

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And yes Laquer peel is annoying, I'm going to rattle can the bumpers in the spring.

In two minds with the badges, might be different colour green underneath!

[MY95]

Car looks good, as does the clones, not sure why youd spend £200 on refurbing cyclones then putting budget tyres on though! Probably only another £50 extra tops for a set of mid range much better tyres! Bit silly if you ask me, considering they are the only thing that comes in contact and keeps you on the road at the end of the day.
Did the decat make much difference to noise/performance?
As above get rid of the meridian badges and get a ph2/3 rear spoiler on and your onto a winner!

[Stef205]

Car looks good, as does the clones, not sure why youd spend £200 on refurbing cyclones then putting budget tyres on though! Probably only another £50 extra tops for a mid range much better tyre! Bit silly if you ask me, considering they are the only thing that comes in contact and keeps you on the road at the end of the day.

Dont say that he'll make me take them off again

[allye]

Why the tyres? I drive at 65mph on motorway and just cruise around the b roads! These actually have a pretty good wet rating and a low DB. I'm not wanging it around corners.

[MY95]

Stopping distances are proven to be longer, for example if there's a cyclist round a bend and a car on the other side of the road, I wouldn't like to stop from 40-0 or any speed on budgets in a hurry come rain or dry! Tyres are the last thing you should skimp on not the first, just putting yours and others lives at a higher risk on the roads, not worth it for the £50 you save supposedly (you'd claw that back from fuel savings and tyre longevity) just think its a bit silly you've spent £200 on refurbishing a set of wheels then bought budget cheap tyres rather than decent ones.