1979 4GTL - Sybil

[Tripyrenees]

R4 gtl 1979

This car collecting thing is getting to be an addiction and watching too much Discovery Turbo over the winter break has not helped at all.

I have just gone out and bought another 4L. Saw it on the Bon Coin for €900 with Contrôle Technique and it was quite close to me, so we took a drive out and had a look.

Looks in pretty good shape, slight bang on the drivers door and some tiny spots of rust. Underneath looks solid but it was raining heaving so I didn't get to check it out in great detail (was lying on an old towel in the mud with my torch). Then I drove it and wow!, a lot faster that my 4TL - this has a 1128 motor in it and the difference is huge, just on the feel etc. Everything works correctly and with 2 years full MOT it was a steal at €900. But as I mentioned, too much Wheeler Dealers and Fast & Furious over the past few months has honed my bargaining skills.

Offered €600, then €650 and settled on €700 cash, drive it away now - deal done. I had to wait while he took all his tools and stuff out first, then the obligatory café while we did the paperwork. (don't you just love France)

Good fast 80 Km test drive home in the pouring rain - tested those brakes out and now I know that drums do lock up specially round wet hairpins :eek::eek:

Will get it in the garage tomorrow and have a good look but pretty cheap motoring for 2 years whatever the case. I am officially a 4L collector now


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

 

[Snoopy1974]

R4 GTL, certainly, but "Clan 1979" ???... Impossible, the beginning of the Clan production was 1986

 

[quatrelle87]

Wow - that's a bargain. Looks good, too. Look forward to hearing more.

 

[Tripyrenees]

hmmm, I am not disagreeing as I haven't a clue but the Carte Gris has R4Clan. I just took a look and no badges to say Clan, only GTL.

Has got the 688 engine though which I am pleased about.

 

[Tripyrenees]

Did a 240 km round trip in the 4 GTL today. I was pleasantly surprised of the performance (compared to my 850 TL). I took a GPS and it did say 130 km/hr plus but I am not sure of that. Are these cars capable of that.

I cruised at about 110 and it felt great.

I had to pick my son up from the airport and had not told about this car - I walked past it and said, look at this 4L. While he was looking round it I opened the boot and put his bag in it - he was a little surprised.

Good times

 

[quatrelle87]

Be good to see more photos when you can. Am really enjoying my 4TL, now that it's had a full service and a few mechanical problems dealt with. Have even got used to the loud squeaking from the boot catch. Not sure my TL will ever match your GTL's cruising speed of 110, but she's happy sitting at 90 on the flat!

 

[Tripyrenees]

It has started - the restoration project.

Will post photos as I go but stripped most oft he bits out of thee engine bay this afternoon. Engine will come out tomorrow - can the engine come out without the gearbox:?: I would like to leave that in.

Hoping to be finished before christmas...... Wish me luck.

 

[mojobaby]

Looking forward to seeing the photos. Good luck with your project and I hope you have heating in your garage; nothing worse than frozen fingers when you're working on a car.
How far are you planning to go or will you just play it by ear?

 

[Tripyrenees]

First thing I have bought for the garage is a diesel fired heater - it is like a jet engine and nearly melted my leg when I tested it.

This is not going to be a concourse car, I just want to practise and completely renovate the body (chassis is good) and respray to the colour choice of my wife (it is her car). I have collected a lot of new chrome parts to put back on the car and have already done the roof so it will be a clean tidy little car for her to run around in.

I will also give the engine a good seeing too with a a good service, gasket replacements etc and see what is waiting for me when I open it up.

This is the before (the now) and I will post up my progress - please tell me if I am going wrong anywhere, looking for a lot of help here


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

 

[Tripyrenees]

Engine out

I must say the Haynes Manual is absolute crap - the reproduction of photos and the text is just awful.

Anyway I got the engine out today. The only struggle was with the engine mounts not know it was just to small nuts underneath and not the 4 bolts holding the mount to the chassis - as the bolts are too long to push through. But I got there in the end.

It is all looking a bit of a mess at the moment but I suppose that is normal at this stage. Onwards with the strip down tomorrow - front to back.


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

 

[Tripyrenees]

Engine is safely on the bench. Quite heavy compared to my little 2CV van engine which I just pull out by hand


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

The inside of the car is next which included the dash and the heater assembly. All went fine but I have some rot behind the heater assembly. Also rot on the bottom left and right of the windscreen ridge. That is it so far.


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

So now the whole engine bay is empty. I want to put the wheels back on - how hard is the car to steer when it does not have any steering :?::?::eek: Just so I can take it outside and power wash the crap out of it (literally)


Untitled by Tripyrenees, on Flickr

 

[pepper]

The only thing I'd say is I never take engines to pieces if they don't need it!

My favourite motto is; "If ain't broke don't fix it".

Oh and what colours it going to be?

 

[Tripyrenees]

The engine is spewing out a very wet oily mess from the exhaust when it is started. I wanted to at least change the head gasket. I won't be going any deeper than that, as you say, I don't want to introduce any amateur errors.

The colour that has been chosen (by the wife) is the Fiat 500 olive green PGA -

 

[mojobaby]

Looks like the same colour as your 2CV, perhaps a shade lighter?

 

[Tripyrenees]

2CV is a sandy cream at the moment - will become a dark grey very soon.

 

[Tripyrenees]

Grease Nipple Garage

As half my year seems to be put over to doing up cars I thought I would give my little amateur garage a name. If any of you watch Discovery Turbo you might recognise the similarity

 

[Tripyrenees]

I am back on to the project again. Been away on holiday after a very busy season of work (cycle tours in the Pyrenees, Alps, Corsica and Italy).

I have now stripped the car bare. I have decided to take the car to get the spray job done professionally as originally I was going to try it but with the winter now in I don't want to risk painting and having it fail wasting time and money. So I will get it to a decent stage of repair and then let the body shop do the final prep and paint - need to find a good body shop though and that is the next task.

This will then let me get all the other parts repaired, cleaned and painted ready to be fitted when the car returns. Including the engine but that is just going to be a few gasket changes and a check up, no complete rebuild.

She does look a little naked now

 

[Tripyrenees]

I have messed up buying some replacement doors for my '79 GTL. I was so tasked at looking for rust and damage I totally missed the fact that there was a different hinge system on the Savane doors I bought (rear rayon is OK though with a working heated window).

Has any one swapped over the hinges or fitted later doors onto a younger car - how did you do it and is it worth the hassle. The current doors have lower rust on them and are tatty, the new doors have scratches and dents but rust free. So work is needed on both but now with the added hassle of hinges..... is it worth it?? (and now looking at this profile..... are they different??)

 

[pepper]

What's strange is that your car has the earlier type of doors (Angel will probably be able to tell you the exact year and month they were changed over to internal hinges!

If the cars supposed to be 1979 the body work (or at least the A posts are earlier)!

Most odd especially as it has the GTL side panels on it.

Oh and I'd certainly be looking at selling those doors back on and finding a set that fit correctly in the first place, was easier job!

 

[Tripyrenees]

Does anyone know if you can get fit in replacement sections for the front window edges. Mine have some big holes in which previous owners filled with silicone - took me ages to fish all that crap out. How are these normally repaired ?