"Serial Renault Deviant" Adey's current Renault R8 adventure

[adey]

Here is a hilarious one...... took the car for a run, no issues, ran as well as it ever did. Did a compression check and all came in at around 8.5bar.....

With the spare gasket sat on the shelf I though I may as well pull the head for shits and giggles. I absolutely love this series of engine for its simplicity, and in an 8 there's loads of space to work.

What I found was a little shocking, but explain where the blow by was coming from.

Piston 1 to 3 all with damage, the top of the piston has gone to the top ring on cylinder 1, there are 2 holes down the side of piston 2 and 3 also has damage. Not sure what has gone through there but there was plenty of carbon build up before I cleaned it off. I'm wondering if a bit more of it came loose a few days ago causing more noise than normal. Either way its ruined inside and needs some hefty remedial work or a new lump throwing in. We will see what parts become available over the next week or 2 and go forward with a plan of action.

thanks for reading

[adey]

I may have a lead on a good 1108cc R8 engine. Should have more details in the next few days.

I'm still on the hunt for something bigger and better but ideally I want the time to build it all up properly. So if all goes well a replacement engine will go in and I will still be able to use the 8 until all the other bits I need become available to fit a 1390/1397cc.

[adey]

Had a chat with a guy called Brian Whiteside, who happens to have a good 1108cc engine (plus many other spares) so I will be picking that up on Sunday. I'm hoping to gain a few more ponies just by having and engine with no holes in the pistons

Have decided to make a weekend of the trip so the wife and kids will be coming along too, not that the weather is looking very good but still some fun to be had.

I decided to get cracking with the engine out job, this was more to check what gearbox and clutch setup I have. I'm not sure so hoping the gurus will chime in, but I think I have a mix mash of parts in there? could be normal though.

20 spline box but unguided release bearing (is that the right release bearing?)

Clutch looks like the carbon seal type that I had in my dauphine but I'm sure the release bearing was different

Anyway, engine is disconnected, its on the jack currently until I get my hoist back and either lift it out or lift the car over it (y)

 

[adey]

And we are home, and no messing, the engine is also pretty much in the hole.

Today saw us wrapping up our short family getaway, the route home was to now take us to Brian Whitesides house. Arrived to the engine loaded on a telehandler which made things nice and easy. Boot unloaded of all the holiday gear, engine slid into place and then the family and everything else reorganised on the inside. The trusty Clio doing its thing and plodding home, fully laden for a further 140miles. It surprisingly delivered 42.5mpg for the full trip (and to the annoyance of my Mrs, we put the hammer down a fair bit)

Once home I whipped the crane out, got the engine in the garage and started whipping some bits off. Spark plugs removed and some GT45 thrown down the holes. The clutch cover had some damage so I whipped the one off the old engine and threw it on this newer lump. I use the thicker of the friction plates. As I hadn't even unhooked it I slapped it straight in the car..... lined it up easy enough and is held onto the bellhousing with 4 bolts. Now its in there, I pulled the rocker cover off to be greeted with a clean top end. I've poured oil over everything and it spins nicely by hand. Fingers crossed its a good one. The engine plate suggests its a service exchange unit so no idea what the actual spec is.

I've got tomorrow off work so hopefully we will have it spinning on the starter and we can make sure the top end is getting oil before moving forward and getting it running. All being well I can have it wrapped up and ready for testing by the weekend 🤞

 

 

[adey]

Right, I think we are onto a winner.

Started the day by fitting up the engine cradle, this then bolts to the engine mounts and holds a everything steady. Next up was to get the starter motor in place so I could use it to spin the engine over and check for oil pressure and oil making its way to the rockers. This wasn't an issue and all went fine. Like for like engine means everything just goes back in as is.

Whilst at it I thought it'd be good to do a comp check... this is where things got a little odd. Compression was right down on 4 and 2.. (about 3 bar on each) I rotated everything over and found the inlet valve on 4 to be tight on the rocker. Adjusted it back to spec and comp jumped up a little. The other 2 were ok though still looking ropey (all low and the highest at about 6.5 bar) I'm not going to lie at this point I was very concerned, had I just picked up a duff engine.

In my head lack of comp could only really be a few things, more holes in the piston..... blown gasket, valves not seating or stuck piston rings. As it was already down I thought I may as well just crack on with what I had anyway. A bit of a run should highlight the issue. Slapped some ATF down the bores to help with the piston rings if it was them. Checked the dizzy drive gear to see it was out a tooth, so moved that around to spec. Fitted up my coil and the rest of the wiring. Sucked fuel through from tank to the carb top and poured some down the carb itself. Got to cranking it over and within a few turns she fired into life, and for an old hag that hasn't been ran for a while it sounded fantastic. Sprayed oil everywhere as I had the rocker off but still smooth, better than the old engine at least lol. I was shocked at how well it was running considering the previous results!

With no water pump hooked up I didn't run it for long, less than a minute at a guess. Out of curiosity I checked the comps again once. 10.5 to 11bar on all of them! 2 bar higher than my old engine. Ill take that

So next up is to drain the oil and fit the filter setup along with some fresh oil. I'm waiting on a water pump gasket, the old pump was knackered so I'm going to fit the "new" one from the old engine. Once that is done I will be able to refit the rad panel and get the system bled and working again. There's a few panels I need to refit but I want to clean them up a little first.

Once up and running I will make sure I set the timing properly (just in case it was det that contributed to the death of the last engine) maybe even a run on the dyno to make sure all is good. I'm hopeful that the better condition engine will have a few more ponies than the old engine had.

Cheers for reading

 

[Matty]

On 21/02/2026 at 03:39, adey said:

Here is a hilarious one...... took the car for a run, no issues, ran as well as it ever did. Did a compression check and all came in at around 8.5bar.....

With the spare gasket sat on the shelf I though I may as well pull the head for shits and giggles. I absolutely love this series of engine for its simplicity, and in an 8 there's loads of space to work.

What I found was a little shocking, but explain where the blow by was coming from.

Piston 1 to 3 all with damage, the top of the piston has gone to the top ring on cylinder 1, there are 2 holes down the side of piston 2 and 3 also has damage. Not sure what has gone through there but there was plenty of carbon build up before I cleaned it off. I'm wondering if a bit more of it came loose a few days ago causing more noise than normal. Either way its ruined inside and needs some hefty remedial work or a new lump throwing in. We will see what parts become available over the next week or 2 and go forward with a plan of action.

thanks for reading

To think that folk denounce old cars as crap. What they will do is take a rake of abuse that modern stuff wouldnt cope with and still somehow run. Seriously impressive that.

[delux]

Fantastic thread! I know nothing about these cars but I recognise the engine from other Renaults. Looks mean as fuck! 

Please keep fixing and updating.

[adey]

1 hour ago, Matty said:

To think that folk denounce old cars as crap. What they will do is take a rake of abuse that modern stuff wouldnt cope with and still somehow run. Seriously impressive that.

could have slapped it back together and it would have plodded along for sure

40 minutes ago, delux said:

Fantastic thread! I know nothing about these cars but I recognise the engine from other Renaults. Looks mean as fuck! 

Please keep fixing and updating.

thanks, this is only part way through where its up too currently. I will keep updating until you are all caught up 

[Brigsy]

Forgot about the damage to the pistons. Its crazy how well the old ohv renault engines run when basically totally knackered.

 

[Six-cylinder]

What a great project.

Reading it tonight has stopped me going out and vandalising any bus shelters!

[adey]

Not too much done today. Gave the tin work a quick hit with some cheap bed liner. Fitted rivnuts to the chassis and re fitted the bottom and rear panels. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get chance to finish the wiring and drop the oil out. Gasket looks to be arriving Friday so all being good I'll have it up and running this weekend where I can properly check how it behaves.

 

[adey]

Aaaaannnnnnnnd the gasket turned up already. So that was fitted to the pump with a light smear or sealant. Rest of the hoses were fitted and the wiring tidied up a little. There was a slight difference, the side plate mountings were differently spaced so only one hole was picked up on. Oil drained out and some cheapo 10w40 was thrown in. I think all I have left is to fit the exhaust and fill it with coolant, check for leaks and then it should be ready to go.

Pictures much the same as the others

 

[adey]

 

[adey]

 

[adey]

Oil turned up super fast from Opie Oils. Discounts are no longer working it seems though.

20w50 mineral oil thrown in and all seems quiet. I still want to put some miles on it then reset the tapits, but confident the right oil is in there now to do so (y)

 

[adey]

Made it to work and back with no dramas on Wednesday (y), gave it a squirt upto 70mph on the way home too.... which gets a little scary lol. Its super happy bimbling along at 50 though. Gave it a once over and all still seems ok. Car is now ready to head to Retro Rides Gathering this weekend. Looks to be 90 miles each way for me, so itll be a proper run out for the car. Hope to see some of you there.

 

 

[adey]

So I have been doing some research after my previous post back to Steve regarding the alignment. I've been wanting to swap out to a more modern adjustable track rods and ends. There are kits on the market but are either out of stock, and the ones that are cost a chunk when factoring in shipping to the UK. Not a problem, I was actually about to order when I thought id search for a more PMT/DIY approach. As per, the French guys have all the parts listed and its just a case of ordering the correct bits. Ive ordered some r4/r5/r6 inner track rods and some audi 50 track rod ends, there may be some slight modification needed to the thread length but for about £55 all in instead of nearing £200 ill give it a go.

Should allow for some better adjustment at the front end of the car. Tempted to start looking at some decent shocks soon, got some ideas on that too

I am having silly ideas about just straight chopping the front and rear off it and having a tube setup made, can design it to run with any front suspension and brake setup and any engine setup at the back.... bit extreme that though, more a dream idea (rear mounted 1.8t or PD on a flipped audi a4/vw passat gearbox would be fun though)

[adey]

What a run out and weekend. The car did its thing and did nearly 200miles with no issues (well nothing that stopped it running) super comfy and compliant on the flat, the wife didn't complain, only when on really bad roads does the height become an issue. The constant slight correction on the steering is a little tiresome but im hoping with the tracking sorted after adding the more modern adjustment that will go away.

Anyway we headed up in the sat to RRG to a little air bnb around the back of the circuit, meaning I had a 3 min trundle to the track on the Sunday, spent longer getting in mind... was great to catch up with all the usuals and some new people. The 8 ended up being awarded the "different" award for the whole show. Ill take that, not won an award a a show before so chuffed

Only things to note are a rotational/slight grinding noise from the rear right, seems to happen when hot or after driving some miles. And only noticeable at slow speed. Ill whip it all off and take a look. Could be a calliper hanging on but the wheel wasn't any warmer than the other when I got home. I think I may need a new temperature sensor too. It brought the light on the way home. When checking everything at the side of the road, there wasn't anything to suggest it was hot or over heating, I carried on home with the light on for 60 miles no issues. I'm still yet to go check her over this morning to see if there's anything obvious going on.

Anyway, thoroughly enjoyed driving it despite a very sweaty ass due to the heat 🤣

 

 

[adey]

Whilst at RRG I overheard some one made a comment about the car having some old school gentleman race car vibes. Its was a thought for a look I was tempted to try out for a while now, kind of Cafe Racer maybe.... I've been having some back and forth with @Paul B from diamond performance who helped me previously with stickers and decals on the daily and on the old Dope Dauphine. You would have seen him running around at the Quick60 event in his yellow MX5

He came up tops with these for me (y) I'm liking the look though I may remove the "8" off the bonnet one.

 

 

[adey]

Took a trip over to Caffeine and Machine with Renaultsport Wiltshire club. Car ran sweet as a nut, all the noises have gone so the brake clean and handbrake reset seem to have worked well. Covered 80+ miles, cruises around nicely at 50mph everywhere. I do have an issue I think. A small one, I've lost some coolant again, though I'm not currently sure where it is going ::)

here have some pics

 

[adey]

As some of you may know or have read, I've always wanted to fit a slightly bigger engine. With help from some of more knowledgeable of these old 8s I've been picking up odds and sods along the way. I do always keep an eye out for the right engine on Facebook and eBay just in case something crops up. I've had leads on a few engines recently, some further away than others, some more pricey than others but all needing some work. Until the weekend just gone when I spotted a c2j for sale on eBay. The description was vague so I fired off a message. It was a running (recently) c2j (1397cc) from an auto complete with everything still attached including a weber twin choke. 35min from my house and the cheapest id been offered one. It was half the price of the next closest one.

To top it off, the guy actually had it after buying the complete running car to chop up for his R5 GTT resto

Anyway, into action with the daily utility Clio RS, the youngest Ewok jumped in for the short road trip too.

I've managed to strip off all the excess this afternoon and have a quick look over it. Externally its a little dirty, whipped the rocker cover off and pulled the plugs and its super clean on the inside. Oil is dirty but looking good. Water pump is off and came off nicely, ill clean up the threads ready for the R8 pump. Looking at it all I just need to source a flywheel and clutch, swap a few bits over from the current engine and then maybe make an exhaust. When I go ahead and remove the old engine ill need to do a few gearbox mods too @Steve Swan is going to be helping me there (pleeeeeease :D)

Anyway here's some pics

 

 

[adey]

The engine I have is a C2J 7/81, so 9.25:1 comp and 68bhp, the TS version had a different cam which gave 4bhp more than mine. Not sure if I should bother going down the route of hoting it up or just making it work as is....

 

[adey]

Not much has happened with this at all. Managed to get a flywheel of the dimensions requested by @Steve Swan (apologies I haven't gotten around to posting back to you). I gave it a clean off, measured the friction face at 181mm to confirm it was the one I wanted then rummaged through my bolts drawer to find some flywheel bolts. Gave them a clean, some fresh loctite, fitted and torqued them up. Now waiting on a new clutch to arrive and we aren't far off needing to get the old engine out! New/old engine needs a clean up but I'm not to fussed by it looking show standard, just working is fine by me, I will get the rocker cover painted though.

On a side note, its not a good idea to let the flywheel fall off the engine and onto your pinky on the floor, even from a low height, a few kgs and a tooth edge does a decent amount of damage...

 

[155V6]

What a great thread,loving what you're doing with the car.

I have a real soft spot for the R8,my  Dad had several when we were growing up in the seventies,including an automatic.The remains of that one were still in the garden when we cleared the house a couple of years back.

I think the first non-driving school car I drove was an 8S,these were the days when my Dad would disappear & come back with another old Renault he'd found in the local paper 🙂

[High Jetter]

Didn't Renault have their own tuning dept back then when R8, 10 and Florides were rallying?

 

[wuvvum]

I think the tuning work was mostly done by Gordini in that era.

[adey]

20 hours ago, 155V6 said:

What a great thread,loving what you're doing with the car.

I have a real soft spot for the R8,my  Dad had several when we were growing up in the seventies,including an automatic.The remains of that one were still in the garden when we cleared the house a couple of years back.

I think the first non-driving school car I drove was an 8S,these were the days when my Dad would disappear & come back with another old Renault he'd found in the local paper 🙂

such a cool car to bomb about in 

19 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Didn't Renault have their own tuning dept back then when R8, 10 and Florides were rallying?

 

yep, Gordini 

18 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I think the tuning work was mostly done by Gordini in that era.

correct 

[adey]

Clutch has arrived so crank bushing put in and clutch fitted. I think next up i should start pulling the old engine so can swap over the parts i need to keep (pump alternator water pump ect). Need to clear some space in the garage though, it's stacked with parts and a complete mess.

 

[adey]

Started on the rip out, absolutely love the simplicity of working on these. Rad panel out and you have all the space in the world. Removed the hoses whipped the water pump off and the alternator out. Cleaned up and fitted the pump to the 1397 with a fresh gasket. Need to make a spacer up for the alternator but I can get away with shaving the spacer I made for the old engine, seems to be about 1mm of extra meat on the block compared to the old engine. Give it a week or 2 (and some good weather aligning with free time) and I hope to have it swapped over. Then the harder more intricate bits (manifold adapter and such) can be worked on.

 

 

[adey]

I think we are onto a winner. With Steve Swans expert guidance the later bellhousing is on along with the Steve Swan special input shaft (immediately puts the value of the car up, just wait till I get Salv Sacco on the list too for modding a dizzy or something 🤣 )

Old bell housing off, engine mount out of the way, hole drilled in the side to punch the scroll pin out holding the input shaft. Same hole used to refit the modded input shaft. A clean out of the box and the mating faces, some sealant. Bit of lube on the new lip seal and bish bash bosh the gearbox bellhousing is on.