About to get my first Renault 4, asking for advice!

[malcolm]

My 73 had a black dashboard. Maybe it was late 73.

 

[angel]

Maybe he replaced the front part of the sump gasket (it's a 4 piece gasket) with a rope seal?

If it was built after July 1973, it's a 1974 model year and has black dashboard, and new style gearbox. Again, oval plate number would be a big help to determine actual model year. Swedish import makes sense since it has the newer style of pedal assembly.

 

[Andy McGhee]

My 72 UK-spec TL has a black dashboard and a front bumper with a starting-handle hole; the gearbox has no dog.
My first R4 was a 1970 TL - beige dash, and starting handle dog (much used..).

 

[angel]

1972 models have beige dashboards for sure.
The hole on the bumper was deleted along with the gearbox dog on 1972 model year cars. The bumper must had been replaced at some time with an earlier one.

 

[Andy McGhee]

1972 models have beige dashboards for sure.
The hole on the bumper was deleted along with the gearbox dog on 1972 model year cars. The bumper must had been replaced at some time with an earlier one.

UK brochure:



The brochure was finalised for printing on 31/12/72, so presumably 1973 model, but the 72 is to all intents and purposes identical. I had another 72 TL in the 90s - black dash/seats, but without the hole in the front bumper. It was an 'L' reg. The 72 (K reg) I have now looks just like the one in the brochure, but with the hole in the front bumper. I imagine Renault just used up the stock of bumpers they had.
I'm pretty sure that these details varied; the point of my message was to suggest that it's unwise to date a car on such details, particularly as they varied so much from country to country. It'd be great to see some photos of the underbonnet plates....

 

[Zaliago]

Alrighty-o, so, Update number 2:
I got in contact with the owner again and asked him about the leak, he said it was comming from the "Shaft seal from the side of the gearbox".
Not sure if that helps in any way, but either way, I doubt I'll be able to get much more into on it until I see the car by myself.

On that note, I talked with my father and it seems like it would be possible for us to go and see/buy the car the next weekend, likely on the 16th (if everything goes right).
If that happends, I'll do my best to answer all the questions as soon as I bring it back home!

Oh, also, the owner mentioned that the repair on the car was documented on a facebook page so maybe it'll come in handy:

Project R4

Project R4. 282 likes · 1 talking about this. Project R4 zajmuje się odnawianiem starych samochodów, główną marką którą się zajmujemy jest Renault a model to oczywiście Renault 4, zapraszamy �

www.facebook.com

You can sort-of see the oval plate there, but aside from "R1125" it seems quite illegible to me.
Also also, here is the link to the original listing:

Piękne Renault R4 (1123), druga seria, 1973r, zabytek! Gdańsk - Sprzedajemy.pl

22 900 zł: Uwaga, ciekawa oferta nabycia pięknej Renówki z 1973 roku Ogłoszenie wystawiam na prośbę mojego znajomego, jest to R4 które od 2019 przeszło gruntowny remont podwozia (naprawa ramy wraz z zabezpieczeniem dołu + wymiana

sprzedajemy.pl

There are a few photos of the insides of the car (including one of the plates under the bonnet), so I imagine it might come in handy in trying to figure out what it exactly is.

I'll keep you all updated if anything new comes up!