My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

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ikhan
Advanced Driver
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Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:02 pm
Currently Drives:: Megane 1.5 DCi (106)

My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby ikhan » Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:56 pm

I’ve been posting on this forum for about a year or so now, so I thought I’d add some pictures of my Megane and what I’ve done to her so far…

WARNINGthis post will be very long!

Here’s my Megane as I bought her – a late 2005 plate 1.5DCi 106bhp (sorry, photography is NOT my strongest point!):

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I still had my old car when I bought the Megane, so it spent the first few months on the drive until I was able to bring myself to selling the old car. Most of the mods were therefore done just to pass time whilst she sat on the drive.

So, onto the mods; firstly, I changed the interior mirror for an auto-dip type:

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Next, I changed all the interior lighting to LEDs (courtesy, luggage area, and glove box), and changed the white kerb lights to red LEDs:

Courtesy Lights (BEFORE):
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Courtesy Lights (AFTER):
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Kerb Lights (BEFORE):
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Kerb Lights (AFTER):
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I also changed the number plate lights to LEDs as well (no pictures of these or the glove box, or luggage area lighting, but you get the idea hopefully!).

With the interior lighting sorted, I set about doing some of the exterior, starting with the door mirrors first. I wanted to upgrade these to the powerfold type, so having sourced a set from a breaker, I set about doing the conversion. The mirrors were basically just swapped over:

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To get these to work, I had worked out all the wiring, but I then realised it would be easier to just swap the loom inside the door, which I did. Only the driver’s side was working so for now I’ve put everything back to how it was. I will get these working in the summer when the weather improves – not been able to check if the passenger side doesn’t work due to a wiring issue or if the motor has gone.

The other thing I did with the mirrors was to remove the covers (the painted bit) to spray these in black (to match the alloys I was thinking of eventually buying):

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Not having much luck with the alloys I wanted to get (Inovit Rapids in black with polished lip), I left the mirror covers off on a back burner just in case I bought alloys in a different colour (I had set my mind to painting the mirrors to match the colour of the wheels that I would eventually buy – black, hyper silver, or graphite grey).

The next mod was to change the rear lights to the Phase 2 lights. I wanted these to be slightly different to the standard though, so I set about tinting the white part (reverse and indicator) to a smoked effect using tinting film:

Phase 2 Rear Light (BEFORE):
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Phase 2 Rear Light (CLEANING / PREPARATION):
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Phase 2 Rear Light (AFTER):
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The results weren’t brilliant, but it was the look that I wanted and I was going to wait until the car went into the bodyshop to decide what to do with the rear lights. For now, I just fitted them to see how they would look and how the film would ‘wear’ on the outside when exposed to the elements!):

Before (OLD LIGHTS):
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After (NEW LIGHTS):
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Indicator Through Tint (the camera didn’t catch this properly but the light output was not affected at all):
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This was as far as I could go – the next stage involved the bodyshop that would prepare and paint the R26 bumpers (front and rear), the rear spoiler, the door mouldings, and some interior trim (front door grabs in body colour). I had initially bought a Phase 1 225 bumper, but promptly sold that and bought

The bodyshop guy (George) is a brilliant guy who does a brilliant job (he did my last car for me too), but he’s just a little hard to get hold of. The wait is worth it though – he works on the car as if it’s his own.

I removed the door moulding and dropped these and the other bits to be prepared and painted at the bodyshop. I stripped the bumpers bare so that he could just get on with the real work!

It was about a month or so later that he finally got down to it and I must admit I hated driving the car like this (by now I had sold my other car and was initially only driving this in the dark so no-one could see it :lol:). In the meantime, I had the car lowered 45mm on Spax SSX springs, and boy is it low! This took some of the embarrassment out of driving it.

So, the day came when I was to take her into the body to fit all the painted bits. George had opened up for me on a Sunday (having made me wait so long!) and I drove the car in to the garage looking like this:

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You can see why I didn’t want to be seen driving it, but with the weather getting bad (just before winter set in) I had to drive it to work as well!

Anyway, I got to the bodyshop, started taking off the old bumpers. Replaced the rear first, then started o the front, stripping off some of the stuff that I would reuse (fog lamps, front tray vertical bits – not sure what they’re called but they’re like the front splitter, only there towards the back of the bumper) and then replaced there headlamps and the front bumper with projector lights (Phase 2) and the R26 bumper.

I used this opportunity to fit HIDs to the new projector lamps that I was going to fit. I used H7C burners (6000k) and fixed the ballasts underneath the headlamp units. I also fitted LED bulbs to the side lights and chrome indicator bulbs.

Whilst I was refitting the bumpers, they guy at the bodyshop fitted the rear spoiler. At this point, I decided I also wanted the gear stick surround painted in body colour (to match the grab handles) and the tints taken off the rear lights and tinted professionally using coloured lacquer. So George started doing these for me whilst I completed the refitting.

I did attempt to split the front lights as well when I initially dropped the other bits off to the bodyshop as I wanted to paint the inside of these in black to match the black mirrors and the (potentially) black wheels that I was going to get – it would also have given it the R26.R appearance, but this proved too much work (unlike the headlamps on my last car) so I gave up and resealed the one unit that had started to pick at.

With the car out of the bodyshop, she was immediately booked into to have the exhaust fitted so that the only remaining item was the alloys. As far as alloys went though, the Rapids were out of stock in the whole of the UK with even Inovit themselves not being able to provide a confirmed date of reproduction. And 5 days after coming out of the bodyshop, some blind prat scraped the rear bumper whilst parking / pulling out from behind me and scarpered.

Anyways, I eventually got a production date for the Rapids for mid-January and I was put on the waiting list, however, I spotted a Megane locally with the Rapids on and I was put off them immediately – whilst the alloys looked brilliant in person (when viewed at a local shop that had a stock of non-Renault fitment Rapids) they did not suit the Megane (in my mind) whatsoever.

I started searching for a different set of alloys and came across Inovit Tarmacs in graphite grey. I really wanted these in black but these were only available in black with red rim, graphite grey, or hyper silver. Stocks on these were also low but I managed to source them in matt black (single colour) from a place in Ireland and ordered these in 18” fitment (ET38).

These fitted (with 225 40 18 tyres), the car now looks like this (taken today after a quick wash):

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So there we go. The car will get a smoked tint soon, and / or a change of interior if I can find something suitable at a reasonable cost, as well as the standard decals.
Renault Megane 1.5dCi (106)
Lowered 45mm (Spax)
RenaultSport R26 Front & Rear Bumpers, Spoilers, Door Bullets, & Exhaust
6000k HIDs (H7 & H11), LED Side, No Plate, & Interior Lights
18" Inovit Tarmac Alloys (matt black)

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Draggon
Passed Theory
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:46 pm
Currently Drives:: Renault Megane CC Dci 1.9 (120) Dynamique, Capsicum Red

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby Draggon » Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:04 am

Brilliant Post chap, very enlightening :)

I cannot wait to get the CC back from the garage (rear windows not working) and see what I can do with it.

I am hoping I can do the bumpers like Wandas CC but will have to research :)
In the meantime I am going to search on the LED replacements around the car....hopefully not too difficult and yours looks good.

Nice car btw.

Steve
2005 Megane CC 1.9 DCi 120
Capsicum Red

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Anthony
Rally Driver
Posts: 842
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:52 pm
Currently Drives:: 2005 Renault Megane 1.5 dci 100
Location: Preston

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby Anthony » Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:51 am

Very smart pal. I like those wheels :cool:
2005 1.5dci 100 Sport Hatch -Gone!

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iRenault
Learner Driver
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:45 am
Currently Drives:: Renault Megane II, ph. 1 (2004)
Location: Slovenia

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby iRenault » Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:20 am

Looks nice :)

Only I don't know if it's only me or; I like phase 1 better (rear lights and front bumper looks evil ;))
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Understeer is when the driver is scared, oversteer is when the passengers are scared.

jordanh3
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Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:36 pm

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby jordanh3 » Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:35 pm

that looks gorgeous fella, im looking to do the same but 3 door.... did you look into team dynamic pro race 1.2? i dont know how the'd look, and i was originally only going to get 17's but after looking at yours i think 17's would look too small..

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Anthony
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Currently Drives:: 2005 Renault Megane 1.5 dci 100
Location: Preston

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby Anthony » Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:14 pm

jordanh3 wrote:that looks gorgeous fella, im looking to do the same but 3 door.... did you look into team dynamic pro race 1.2? i dont know how the'd look, and i was originally only going to get 17's but after looking at yours i think 17's would look too small..


viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17143&start=15

Take a look here. Scroll down a touch :cool:
2005 1.5dci 100 Sport Hatch -Gone!

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ikhan
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Posts: 524
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Currently Drives:: Megane 1.5 DCi (106)

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby ikhan » Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:14 pm

Thank you for the comments :-)

jordanh3 wrote:that looks gorgeous fella, im looking to do the same but 3 door.... did you look into team dynamic pro race 1.2? i dont know how the'd look, and i was originally only going to get 17's but after looking at yours i think 17's would look too small..


I did look at the dynamic pro race alloys, but they didn't appeal as much - I found their spokes to be too 'curved' for my liking. I would have preferred absolutely straight spokes but these wheels that I have now are an exception in my mind :D
Renault Megane 1.5dCi (106)
Lowered 45mm (Spax)
RenaultSport R26 Front & Rear Bumpers, Spoilers, Door Bullets, & Exhaust
6000k HIDs (H7 & H11), LED Side, No Plate, & Interior Lights
18" Inovit Tarmac Alloys (matt black)

User avatar
iRenault
Learner Driver
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:45 am
Currently Drives:: Renault Megane II, ph. 1 (2004)
Location: Slovenia

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby iRenault » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:29 pm

Update us with some pictures :)
Chance for you to catch a sunny day for a photoshooting session :)
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Understeer is when the driver is scared, oversteer is when the passengers are scared.

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ikhan
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Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:02 pm
Currently Drives:: Megane 1.5 DCi (106)

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby ikhan » Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:36 am

Will do :D

The car needs a good wash at the moment and hopefully claybar and polish (Maguaire's 3-steps?)

I'm trying to change the foglamp to LED bulbs, but don't fancy taking the bumper off for it! Was hoping to be able to do it from the arch by removing the liner but doesn't look possible - maybe if I had access to 2-post lift I cold do it by removing the undertray?
Renault Megane 1.5dCi (106)
Lowered 45mm (Spax)
RenaultSport R26 Front & Rear Bumpers, Spoilers, Door Bullets, & Exhaust
6000k HIDs (H7 & H11), LED Side, No Plate, & Interior Lights
18" Inovit Tarmac Alloys (matt black)

joeishmather
F1 Driver
Posts: 1689
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 3:22 pm
Currently Drives:: 57 megane with roof, engine, wheels, doors... All the usual things.
Location: Sheffield

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby joeishmather » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:30 pm

ikhan wrote:Will do :D

The car needs a good wash at the moment and hopefully claybar and polish (Maguaire's 3-steps?)

I'm trying to change the foglamp to LED bulbs, but don't fancy taking the bumper off for it! Was hoping to be able to do it from the arch by removing the liner but doesn't look possible - maybe if I had access to 2-post lift I cold do it by removing the undertray?


Can't you push the bottom grill in to change them? And then pull it back in place?

That's what I did :-)
Image

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ikhan
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Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:02 pm
Currently Drives:: Megane 1.5 DCi (106)

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby ikhan » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:00 pm

Will give that a try in the morning - thanks
Renault Megane 1.5dCi (106)
Lowered 45mm (Spax)
RenaultSport R26 Front & Rear Bumpers, Spoilers, Door Bullets, & Exhaust
6000k HIDs (H7 & H11), LED Side, No Plate, & Interior Lights
18" Inovit Tarmac Alloys (matt black)

katonna
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:51 pm
Currently Drives:: Megane CC 1.6

Re: My R26 Replica - Mega Thread (With Pics)

Postby katonna » Thu May 08, 2014 11:46 am

Did you get the folding mirrors working in the end?

If so, how did you do it?


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