Homegrown Garage R8 Major 1965

[Homegrown]

Keep working on sized calipers.
Also need to buy shock absorbers, checked all my dampers. R8 dampers are petit. Have for 911, 2002-BMW and Alfa Bertone all are to big in all dimensions. Found four small ones in my storage that seem ok lengthwise. Two Bilsteins that I was pretty shore would fit and two Decarbone approximately the same size.
Everything seems great until I test fit them. The outer diameter I to large for the top fitting, likewise in the front. Instead of having two or four dampers to the car I have none!
Easiest is to order four new "standard " shocks, but I have plan to up all handling gear.
Hard to find uprated or competition dampers to the Major. Gordini is easyer to find problem is that they have four damper arrangement at the rear and mine more common two.
Find to Miss Major
Standard plenty of supply
Bilstein out of stock
Spax maybe
Someone have contacts?

Want to be sure they really fit my car.
On the caliper side I keep on fighting corrosion and sized hardware. Had to use the angle grinder on two nuts holding caliper piston free play mechanism. Making pads leaving the disc (but no more than a tad). Slowly I hopefully win over calipers in the end.

 

[Homegrown]

Put more time and effort to dismanle the calipers.
More oil and heat, so now is just handbrake assembly fighting back. The hexnuts on the bolt holding the cable and adjusting the handbrake pivot arm is more round than hex. I tried wise grip and put as much pressure I dared, I felt the clamping force wasn't enough. Anyhow I had faith that oil an head should unsize the treads steel/aluminium. The torque the wisegrip could apply wasn't up to the work.
I had to put in the bench wise, in welding garage I have a small wise but not small enough to grip the hex without also destroy cable holder. Took old speedsteel lathe cutters (like insert in the bench wise) to be able to clamp the hex with a considerable force, a lot of fiddling later (need three hands) forts rear caliper sit steady in the bench wise.
Finally after heating up the caliper around the bolt it unsized YES. It just moved 1/8 of a turn, more oil back forth, back forth and so on. When oil capillary gets all way through the threads Eureka bolt spins freely then carefully remove it from caliper, hand brake pivot needed the same attention under the process cos they are connected in the other end.

 

[Homegrown]

Last rear caliper done dismantling.
Like the others a considerably amount of force needed combined with heating on the aluminium ear where the bolt is protruding.
Inside the hexnut I'm squise in the bench wise there is a ball that need to be able to swivel holding the handbrake cable. That means I need to squise it hard and gently at the same time.
Finally I win. All calipers dismantled, completing them up with M7 14mm head nuts (I needed to trash with the grinder). File the threads with care where grinder bin unintended.
Put up in the lathe to remove some rust and stains, WD-40 and some polishing made them look nice.

 

[angel]

This is a great classic on these calipers - they seize very easily.

 

[Homegrown]

This is a great classic on these calipers - they seize very easily.

With regular maintenance they propably work fine, neglected they are catastrophic.
You know if pad return mechanism inside the pistons are needed when caliper o-rings go from round to square?
I think the square o-ring do the same job as the mechanism inside pistons.

 

[Homegrown]

Not much done on cars lately. Nice wheather made it possible to start up engine again. Last time I was happy it started so I forgot to check clutch and gearbox. Put some petrol in a glass jar (gas tank) and some snaps I the carb. Starts directly YES. Clutch seems to work, first gear ok, second ok, third ok, fourth hard to say maybe maybe not. Reverse goes in but not noise free (maybe clutch problem). Shift lever is very sloppy and imprecise so hard to determine if it's ok or not with car on jack stands and no wheels on.
Need to order some parts to miss Major. Need shock absorbers all around. Hard to get advise what to buy. Almost everything is advertised for the Gordini who has four dampers rear opposed to Majors more common two.
Want shocks that's firmer (competition) than standard hense I'm going in that direction with the car.
Tires with more grip, lowering and firmer stance, quick steering and good brakes is prio on the car.

 

[JdeW]

Lots of work ahead but a great job anyway and trully a nice Renault R8.
Maybe upgrading it with this true R8 Gordini engine https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_auto/2277268679.htm

 

[Homegrown]

Lots of work ahead but a great job anyway and trully a nice Renault R8.
Maybe upgrading it with this true R8 Gordini engine https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_auto/2277268679.htm

Thanks she is very nice object, need work almost everywhere but mostly solid.
Have sadly no Gordini engine cash over for this car, for starters she go with the 1300cc engine and an gearbox owner before me fixed.
Have been a bit of stand still due to body issues and work.

 

[Homegrown]

Spring comes closer quickly and I've been lazy.
Haven't order any parts for the car yet, know she need shock absorbers all around, fresh brake lines and repair kit for the calipers and head cylinder.
Autodok have a lot of stuff to older cars, when they had 41% discount I checked what they have to my car.
No shock absorbers what so ever but everything needed for the brakes, just need to know what master cylinder I have.
It was late in the evening so I realise there is no chance for me to get out and dismantle the master cylinder before discount ended. Two days later there is 40% discount. Got a kick in my ass and give her some treat.
Master cylinder is tucked away and seems almost impossible to remove. French ginuis made it quite easy to remove (if you know how to,or think like a Frenchmen. (I guess this is the reason lots of people hate french cars)).
With master cylinder out quick dismantle and chech dimension, then order repair kit for all calipers, the master cylinder one front brake hose and some brake line clamps.
Everything freight included 517SEK (~50€). If everything fits things brake wise should be sorted.

Shock absorbers are easy to find lots of to the Gordini (4-shocks at the rear vs mine with two) contrary the Major.
Standard shocks are easy to find but I want updated ones. Mecaparts have the lot but no guidance which will fit the Major.
Sent an email with questions what they recommend for my car. They have Koni, Bilstein and their own Competition.
Hopefully get answer soon so I can put an order.

 

[Homegrown]

Plan was to make car MOT worthy as easy as possible.
Now my plan change slightly. Engine and transaxle is going out.
Partly cos I newer done it before, want to know what space there is for alternative power plants.
Fuel tank needs to be cleaned inside (engine need to be removed).
There is at least an oil leak at the gear selector and there is oil grease all over the box (probably from old engine).
Rears subframe have surface rust all over, want to check there is nothing structural
Last the previous owner hade already made a transaxle that I think was going to replace the one in the car.
All I all powerplant is going out.

 

[Homegrown]

After weekend with long night shifts at work, she got some attention.
First time to remove engine from an R8, seen everyone use a hoist. I'm in my tiny garage so it's not an option, Porsche engines I always take out with jack so that's the way I need to use here also. Undo all bolts except two at the rear beam and two between engine and gearbox. Put jack where eye see gravity point and lift engine slightly. Undo last nuts on engine pinstuds, undo the last beam to engine mount bolts and the gently moving engine backwards some cm. engine seamed balanced on the jack so I roll out engine (no drama).
Managed to get engine under/around left rear quarter and rolled engine to a corner of the garage.

 

[Homegrown]

Got an email from PostNord that i have package from Autodoc to pickup at our grocery store.
Weather is a bit crazy this year in Sweden (climate change maybe), usually January and February is the coldest months with constant minus degrees C and lots of snow. Have been snow free and plus degrees daytime and some minus at the nights. Weather broadcasts says it keeps going like this two more weeks.
A quick 10min walk and the package is on my kitchen table. Seems to be the right things inside as well.

 

[Homegrown]

Time to start prepare for reassemble brakes.
All callipers have been treated with steel brusched in various machines to reach almost every place and some hand brusch also needed. Then in to the diesel filled parts cleaner and clean inside with dental tool and toothbrush. More in parts cleaner and over and over. Some weeks in diesel soaked environment combined with some scraping and brushing now and then seems to make the treat.
Same treatment for the master cylinder but only one session was needed, the bore was honed to a nice finish. Then some black dull aerosol finished the outside.
Think I got everything needed.

 

[Homegrown]

Assembly master cylinder was straightforward, only doubts was should I reuse the old one way valve or the new (read somewhere that all new doesn't work the way they are supposed to).
All rubber parts get lightly Girling rubber grease coating, the somewhat tricky part was to get the spring locking ring in place.
Calipers get a mix of old and new. I used round O-rings in all calipers. The front repair set ones had round and the rear repair set had square O-rings so I reused the old ones for the rear (they look like new).
I guess if the brake pistons without the piston relieve mechanism use the square ones and the original design use the round ones!
Some rubber grease on the O-rings, pistons and dust caps. Rotate pistons so the mark lines up with the bleeding screw. Tight the nuts holding the piston retractors. And reuse the bleeders (much better quality than new ones).
Will reuse the brake pads, so braking system hopefully finished.

 

[Homegrown]

Been a bit of a standstill again.
Started up my exercise habit again so it's competing with garage time, but propably a good investment long term.
Anyhow gearbox in car is leaking oil and tricky to change gears (maybe only a sloppy gear-lever mekanism), and previous owner had one that he "restored".
All gearbox mounts is new and all steel parts painted red (not my cup of tea) but all in all he seems to put some effort in it. Therefore I decided that it's going in the car.
Had to rearrange in garage to get to storage area. Have a pallet with Renault stuff,R4 Billancourt engine and three gearboxes and the "renovated" R8 transaxle. Very easy to move around Renault stuff thou everything is so petit.
Gearboxes you lift in one hand and the transaxle with two.

 

[Homegrown]

Had to order more parts, this time it's MecaParts turn.
Bought ther own updated shock absorbers front and rear. R8 Major have only two dampers rear compared to the Gordini that have four absorbers. Better technology nowadays there is no need to use four rear dampers, problem is that all updated shock absorbers have the constellation with four at the rear (bilstein, Koni etc).
Got input that MP own brand is up to it, hopefully they are satisfactory.
Also need an engine mount (found one new at home already).
44€ for tank filler neck rubber compared to other companies 15€ made me jump that.
A quick steer ratio makes wonders for these cars so a conversion kit was in the order.
All in all 693€ freight and tax included.
Think I have all big parts needed for getting car on wheels and a MOT.

 

[Homegrown]

Put the order in Sunday, delivery on Thursday.
Quick delivery from France!
Always tricky to order in a language you don't feel comfortable with. Just got an email that confirmed that I paid the good (in French) nothing about delivery day an such. Check my email daily to see if they send some information about delivery. Monday nothing Tuesday nothing Wednesday nothing Hmmmmmm. If I hear nothing on Friday afternoon I try to email and ask how things are going.
Surprised I got a text message in my phone Thursday morning saying, you have delivery from mecaparts latest 18pm on Thursday.
Got home at 15pm and my wife already signed the delivery.
Lots of money for such a small package, hopefully it ends up in a car fun to drive.
Mecaparts own front and rear "race" shock absorbers.
Quick steering rack conversion.
The missing engine mount (to get all engine and gearbox mounts new).
Now I can't complain about waiting for parts. If nothing happens then I'm lazy.

 

[Homegrown]

R8 wise it’s status quo.
Last weeks been working, training and prepare for trip to Thailand.
Finally we are here after 16 traveling hours in a big flat in central Bangkok. Our car is serviced and hopefully fit for fight (been unused for some years) we usually make 4-5000km each trip. 35*C and some clouds eating arraival breafast on the roof i took some pictures on the vievs in this crazy big capital.
We took train an Sky-train from Airport to hotel total sum 65bath (two euros).
Probably post some crazy car pictures and som old Renault.

 

[Homegrown]

Find no fun Renaults in Thailand usually there are same R10 and R8 but didn’t see a single one.
After getting home there have been a lot of work in the garden and some competition with my 911-72 Targa
My son find some cool Renault items to dress my garage.