Renault 4 Rear Suspension End Wrapping - Close off spaces for dirt

[alewis]

Has anyone any thoughts about this, is it a silly idea a bad idea or good idea?

I am proposing to wrap a peice of metal around the end of the suspension arm - this would result in a solid box with no places to hold dirt.

(The peice would fill in where the yellow line is)

 

[pepper]

It would be perhaps better to use a material such as ABS plastic, like modern wheel arch liners, I'm sure Malcolm has been trying something very similar with his Gordini.

 

[alewis]

Simular but not the same, looking at the pictures he designed his nicely from the begining. Im more looking to put this on to prevent the rust which will in the future occur!

So generally a good idea I guess then !?!

 

[reidalpine]

Very good idea. I am currently awaiting MalcolmMetal&PlasticsCo.Ltd. to start producing the first batch..

 

[Firstandbest]

Patent it! Meanwhile hose down weekly, Perhaps spray with waxoil?

 

[malcolm]

I would be reluctant to add a further double skin - they are the reason the suspension mountings corrode in the first place. Well worth sealing up any holes into the chassis member though.

Really it wants a cover on it to stop the mud collecting.

 

[alewis]

Ive sealed up the holes, still in two minds about putting the wrap around plates on.

It would make it easy to paint and clean etc so should prevent any rusting but then like everything, If it did rust you wouldn't see it

 

[tim1casa]

I go with Malcolm. You may prevent mud, but you won't prevent water, and its the trapped water that will cause rust. The best would be to replace the whole thing in thicker steel, plenty of waxoyl inside, and then well sealed holes.

 

[alewis]

Decided to leave it as it is and just fill the holes, Ive left one hole for waxoyl which I will then seal with a bung or something !

 

[reidalpine]

Sorry-but I couldn't resist! I'm ALL for rust-treatment as long as you only go for the thin penetratring stuff and renew at least once a year. Stay completely OFF the thick messy goo that in a fairly short time will sag due to it's own weight as this stuff mostly contains "filling-material" and leave air-pockets between goo and metal-remember Water itself isn't necessarily the enemy here.
Moisture is-Especially trapped moisture! I'll go along in closing the hole at the rear-part of the box-section but leave the rest (ALL of them) open so moisture have the best poss.chanse of evaporating And getting out.... You can put a water-hose in there with full pressure EVERY day -if it can get out-Fast,and the boxsection dries out,the section won't rust. If trapped -it will rust faster than you can say MitsuBitch!
I've seen terrible examples of socalled yearly rust-treated(Dinitrol/Tectyl etc.etc)All wortless treatment and waisted money with false feeling of security.after a FEW years it's a waist of time as there is so much rust under that fake treatment you would not believe it! THIN stuff and circulation is the ONLY viable solution to rustprevention.
I'll dispute this case till I die of rot-Not rust!! -R.

 

[alewis]

Hehe, I know where your coming from !

The way I see it is there are two methods,

1. Seal it up solid with weld so its impossible for anything to get it and hope its perfect.

2. Fill up the holes which let water in for no reason at the back but leave the rest.

My view was more to tidy off the end of the box section to prevent wet mud laying in it then do 2, dunno if thats any use or not.

Ive decided to go for option 2 with out the tidying which I think is what your agreeing with?

(Although something im doing on the doors is sealing the holes at the top where there are poor joins in the filler as water should only ever enter then as condensation (leaving the drain holes at the bottom of course))

 

[reidalpine]

if you just want to keep dirt and muck from entering via the rear-hole why don't you just cut a fitting piece from say an inner-tube to work as a splash-guard? using innertube you get the curves for free so it covers top and sides in one op.
it can be fastened onto the clip for the brakeline sitting on top of this sore toe....Pop out brakeline cut rubber to fit clip press on then lock in place w.brakeline.
Then you can keep the hole for best ventilation inside boxsection..Plus lots of penetrating Thin stuff on inside....next time you just lift rubber to get free access to hole

 

[reggie]

rust treatment

il second that-waxoyle too complete waste of money-drill two holes in top of the chassis front and back-drive your car up a slope and pour your old engine oil in- it will make a mess so not in your drive-town hall steps or somewere-it will leak out for days but you know its creaping out-them so called rust treatments just sit there-taught that years ago before any of that expensive rubbish came out
Reg

 

[alewis]

I think its kindof odd anyway, one side has one big hole the other two little holes. To be honest does that rear box need ventilation mine is pretty much open into the box behind it so that would provide ventilation from all its holes inside and outside the car ? It just seems silly to have a hole lined up with where splash from the wheel might go ?

 

[malcolm]

It is silly. Not sure why the holes were there but on later cars they were "sealed" with expanding foam. You definitely don't want ventilation at the point where all the mod and water sits.

 

[Firstandbest]

Silly, perhaps? But maybe built-in obsolescence - Wikipedea " in industrial design is a policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period"

ahhhh surely not!

...Even more determined that our Quatrelles enter their next half Century!

 

[reidalpine]

Oh ye souls of little faith.. Chez Renault wouldn't do that to us now would they..
Good advice on here so you have multiple choices how to approach it
all I can add is that Roffen the F4 don't show ANY rust inside boxsections -checked him 3weeks ago with a recto-scope(!) I have covered the rear-hole with dangling rubber splash-guard so as to keep hole out of direct splash, and still have max ventilation
Used long plastic-tube that went all the way in ,sprayed 1 can thin-stuff each side while slowly pulling tube out.spray-nozzle sprays in X-pattern so covers side/top and bottom nicely.put Roffen on ramps 24hr's front then 24hrs rear only a small puddle under so most stays nicely inside.
in my opinion,closing up a box-section like this or depriving it for best ventilation is like sticking your head in the ground
anyways -Best of luck! -R.

 

[reidalpine]

Object Any Cost -as opposed to Cost No Object....

OK-here's a No-Cost solution to your Sore Toe...
Pic 1. Jack.
you'll need two-Notice black sheetmetal-cover that's supposed to sit on top of jack (to make it look fancy?)These have been collecting dust in a corner as I need to take them off to get to the carry-handle of jacks so..........



Pic 2. The Sore Toe/Lhs R4 rear-swingarm.
seen here with rear boxsection (to illustrate)



Pic.3 Remember black sheetmetal-cover from jack?
This will fit like a glove on to the topsection (slanted part) of swingarm
-Piece can ofcourse be measured and fabricated but as this is mainly about
having something for nothing by using scrap-pieces-We'll use these....

Now you decide how far forward you want the covers to sit-There is an overhang upfront-so pushed as far as it gets water and muck won't get in.
You can even bend frontpart of cover upwards to further hinder water.At least here in Norway-land we tend to take it for granted water will run downwards.. 'Cept my neighbour living downhill from me was mad as H*** at me as water from my prop.ran down onto his.........................



Pic.4 outerpart of top part swingarm points outward /innerpart points inwards so cover can be SLID on from rear,then you bend or give it a precise adjustment -i.e a blow with a hammer along the edges so it won't slide backwards and off..
Covers can be mounted on with wheels on-IF you are fluent in FRENCH..Otherwise take wheel off first!



Pic.5 wanna get fancy???
Cut a couple V each side of cover,remove bits,bend so cover follows Cerule/rubber-joint
Superfancy???
remember my innertube? cut out fitting rubber splashguard screw or pop-rivet to rear end of cover.
Superduperfancy???
Heck!-you might even write RENAULT on it....



and now I'll go rest my weary head. -R.

 

[malcolm]

That's a very elegant solution. Hadn't thought of using the spring in steel to clamp a cover to the mountings.

 

[reidalpine]

I've done the thinking now you do the tinkering Malcolm. I see you a year from now sitting on the flybridge of your £2000000 yacht with a R4 dangling from the davits(?)
-R.