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Any coments on the r6?

nicky4tl

Enthusiast
Messages
190
Hi,
Im going to look at an R6 thats for sale on friday and was wondering if anyone had any tips on what to look out for in terms of "what this car is notorious for".
I know nothing about the r6 but have two r4s. Are they similar? I have a junked r4gtl and was wondering if any of the bits might be of use.

Anyhow any thougts would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Nicky
 
Welcome Nicky,

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Renault 6 in the flesh - but !'m pretty sure it shares the mechanicals and chassis of the R4 (and probably loads of little bits). If that's the case then chassis rot is probably going to be the major worry.

I'd be interested to hear how you find the R6 compared with your R4s. I'd guess the R6 would be quieter and more comfortable (being an up range model).

:clementi:
 
Hi

I'm old enough to remember the R6! A colleague had one from new as did my (older) sister.

Yes they were certainly more upmarket with a better level of trim and probably a bit wider, too.

I recently expressed an interest in one and the seller mailed me some pictures - these turned me off from what seemed a good description - and I'd be happy to mail them on to you so you can make a comparison.

PPD
 
The R6 was basically a bigger box to put the R4 mechanicals in. As with all Renaults of the period rust is the problem. If it's not rusty it should be OK.... they are very rare now (at least in the UK) parts availabilty isn't too bad considering.

The mechanical bits from your R4's should be the same, but thats about it.
 
Cool,
well i guess i'll bring along my screwdriver and do the usual digging around for rust and hopefully not end up loving the thing so much that i get blinded to the rot and buy it anyway (and more complaints from my mother about rotting wrecks in the driveway).
pinkpenguindog Id love to see the photos anyhow. I recently went to see an f6 for sale that i was fantasising about only to realise the f6 really doesnt have much of the charm of the r4 and f4 on which it was based. Seemed to have lost alot of the curves at the back. Hope the r6 doesnt turn out the same.
 
My uncle has owned two R6s, the last of them, however, over 20 years ago.

His first one - which I just barely remember - was a '75 R6 TL which he bought new. It was the facelifted model with square headlights, plastic grille, bigger bumpers and bigger rear lights. He sold it two years later (I was four by then...) to fund a new '77 R12 TS.

In the late '70s he bought a used pre-facelift R6 TL (maybe a '71?) to use as a "work horse". These earlier cars had round headlights and aluminium grille.


The R6 uses the same chassis as the R4. Therefore the same weakness is also its Akhilles' heel: the rear suspension mounting points.

Whereas the R4 has bolted front and rear wings plus front inner wings, the R6 is more "normal" in that only its front wings are bolted. Front inner wings are welded to the bulkhead and there's also a solid front panel welded between the fronts of the inner wings (i.e. the panel is not part of the bonnet like in R4). The rear quarter panel is one-piece from roof to sill, there's no separate rear wing (and thus no visible seam in the middle like in R4).

Besides the chassis rotting away, I remember that my uncle had to weld the back corners of the rear quarter panels where mud builds up. In an R4 this is a bit easier as the rear wings can easily be bolted off and changed for new ones, but as this area is one-piece in the R6, a patch must be made and welded in.

From what I remember, the R6 had a much better heating and ventilation than the R4. This is no surprise, as the heater matrix is situated under the windscreen and is almost as wide as the 'screen (at least in cars destined to Nordic countries). There are also two vent-outs in the D-posts, so it's a genuine "flow-through" cabin, whereas the R4 is like blowing air to a bottle from where it can't escape.

Equipment- and interior-wise, the R6 feels much more like a "proper" car in that it has wind-up windows front and rear, padded dashboard and thicker seats with adjustable backrests front (at least for the TL).

For me as a little boy, travelling in the 1108cc TL with its 47 bhp also felt like travelling in a rocket, especially when compared to my dad's 845cc and 27 bhp R4! :lol:
 
The R6 wasn't exactly the high point of elegant design Renault wise so if you think an F6 van is unattractive you might be disappointed by the R6.

Heres a 1980 6 TL anyway...

1980_r6tl.jpg
 
SAdly the r6 was not just a little ugly but completely rotten. A large pile of rust!! Thanks for your replies though. Back into the hunt for an R4. The guy selling the r6 had two r16s though. Id never seen one of them before. Gorgeous.. All most worth the days driving.
 
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