P4 Replica

15. Drive shafts and tail pipes

October 2023 A quiet-ish time at work between catalogues and a spark of enthusiasm ignited by our acquisition of a rather special, part-built Ultima GTR has got me going again...

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14. Brakes, Inlet plenum, Rocker covers, Throttle cable and Air Filter

November 2021. Bad news first. Three months ago, I approached 'Hi-Spec Motorsport' in Dartford to supply a rear brake set-up with an electric handbrake to match the front brakes that we bought from them a decade ago. They said, 'No problem', so I paid them two thousand pounds up front and delivered my assembled rear uprights to their facility. Long story short,...

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13. Gearbox clean and fit. Home Powder Coating. Engine loom. Inlet Plenum Mods. Making the Fuel Tank, Cooling plumbing.

A little nostalgia. On the left is me and Matthew with the Renault V6 Turbo engine for our first P4 in 1990. On the right my Grandson, Isaac, is removing the exhaust studs from the engine of our final P4 in August 2021. Before refitting the gearbox I thought I'd spend a little time dressing the adapter plate. I'd machined the straight...

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11. Chassis finished and assembly begins

Well, I've just about exhausted the list of jobs that I can do before assembly proper begins so it's time for final chassis snagging before it goes off for blasting and powder coating. My eyesight and agility are not what they were ten years ago when we first made this chassis, so our mate Dave from AEON sportscars is coming round to...

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12. Suspension, AirCon, Brakes, Flocking, ICE

It feels strangely comfortable and familiar to be back in, what we call, our No.4 building, putting this final P4 together. My workspace is beginning to feel right - it's warm and dry with plenty of light and enough room to work all around the car. There's carpet on the floor, parts are on racks and my most-used tools are close at...

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9. Chassis Prep, Air Con choice, Oil Pan Mods, Seat Belt Mountings, Fitting Headlamps and Headlamp Covers with Nut-plates, Nose GRP mods and prep.

The engine will be moth-balled until the chassis is ready but there's one more job to do first. The standard sump projects below the chassis by about 50mm making it a prime target for speed-bumps and rutted roads - and there are plenty of those around here. Aftermarket, 5" 'Shallow Oil Pans' are available for this engine but that would still leave...

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