Classics Monthly

[Sage103]

The March edition has a 4GTL restoration article with some nice pics - haven't read it yet so can't say how informative it is.

 

[MrMick]

Hello , yes and its our Vincent modica s Red 4gtl on show

 

[Paul Narramore]

Mick, I bought a copy of the magazine this morning and it's rather a good article. I first met Vincent at last year's Bromley Pageant, apparently the World's largest one day classic car event, and his R4GTL was the only example there. For those who may not know (or who may not get the magazine (£4.40 at your nearest newsagents), Vincent in 1979 was a teenager and worked for Renaults in Wexford, Ireland, where he helped to assemble R4s, and he's owned various R4s and other Renaults in the intervening years. He is still assembling cars, but these days, they are Caterhams in their Dartford factory. The article tells the story of him buying an R4 as a spares car but soon found that A342CMO was in better condition than the car he was restoring. One photo shows the rusty hole in the chassis close to the forward jacking point, and which seems to be common to our cars. My own car also has rusty holes here and surprisingly got through her last MoT like it. Their apparent reasoning being that this was not a structural member of the chassis.

I must get them repaired but really don't want to raise the bodyshell to gain access to the area. I have heard that the lower bodywork can be cut, bent upwards and the area repaired before bending downwards again, but this seems a bit drastic to me. What do you think of it?

 

[pepper]

That's how I've done my past two, cars, although I actually use a very thin cutting disk, cut it off, repair the jacking point, then weld the bottom of the A post back on. The original A post is far better than the replacement panels and I do not want to be lifting the body off.

 

[Paul Narramore]

I don't know if you are familiar with Sikaflex but it's an industrial strength adhesive which I understand is used by Lotus to attach the body panels of their cars. As this corrosion is not regarded as weakening the car's strength - I am quoting the last MoT people- I might try it.