Brittany 4L purchase

[23e Heure]

Hi All.

Very long time and infrequent lurker here.

I owned a GTL in France in the mid 90s.
In winter 94 I did a 4 day road trip across France via B and C roads, from the west of Brittany to Avignon (where I was living).
Bummed around Provence in it with mes amis for
And peddled it back again the following blistering hot summer of 95.
We eventually gave it away to a young lad living near my folks in Brittany, he had 4L trophy plans, don't know if they worked out.



I'm now researching 4Ls on Leboncoin.
My folks have lived long term in Brittany, I'm buying a car to live out with them for my family and I to use when we visit.

I've read the super helpful FAQs on this forum about what to look for when buying a car.
I'm now thinking ahead:
What are usually the notable / recommended performance upgrades?
Please feel free to point me to FAQs or other threads, I didn't get to grips with all the search functions yet.

I want a later car with potential to sport it up a bit.
I'm far too old for the 4ltrophy, and the 4alpes looks great but I'm unlikely to do that. And anywayI need back seats not a bed thanks.
But I'm thinking that some wider wheels, a roof rack, a rethink of the engine, some sportier front seats...

Some general Qs if you can help:
The 4L rather than GTL: is there a difference? 1987 if year is important. Just a more spartan spec (no bumper bars, no side strips)... and otherwise the mechanicals are the same as GTL?
What are common brake and suspension upgrades.
Can you just fit 5.5 inch rims with no adjustment, or do you need spacers / other? I've seen maxilite do repro alpine 5.5x13 rims.
Does it really matter if the motor is billancourt or cleon?
How easy is an engine swap with a Renault 5 unit?
What options are there for carrying bikes? If the 4L has a tow hitch does that help?

 

[Seabadger]

Remember that without jumping through hoops, about the only thing you're allowed to change on a car in France is the radio ! Not that people don't.. Different wheels, tyres and motor are "transformation notable" and should strictly be accompanied by the hoop-jumping.

 

[edwin]

Hi. Have a look at the grey cafe raid car in this quarters 4L magazine. Delicious !!
if you can’t get it let me know and I will take pics of the article and post them.
The magazine is called 4L magazine. It’s full colour, with half a dozen articles on owners cars, some mechanical features about particlar restoration issues, lots of ads from suppliers, specialist etc all the usual stuff. Lot of French and European club stuff. And ads. We should try and put together an article about our love of the car. They organise tours, current issue has one in Austria.

 

[edwin]

Just one more thing……….It’s in French!!

 

[23e Heure]

I'm now close to pulling the trigger on a 1987 GTL Clan in Brittany.
It's stock at the moment, but would not stay that way for very long if I do buy it!








It is used regularly by the current owner, has completed some long classic tour / road trips.
And he's done a lot of jobs on it since he bought it in 2012. Including a repaint 4 years ago.

The owner put it through its CT on Monday. One advisory:



I know that the rear suspension pick up points are a common area for issues.
How easy is it to determine how bad any rust is in this area when the body is on?
My folks will be inspecting the car for me (I can't make it over to France until next month), so I want to send them well briefed!

Edwin: I saw that grey car in 4L magazine... that one is just the ticket!

 

[angel]

If the failure reason description is accurate, it seems more like a faulty shock absorber rubber bush rather than a broken chassis. Plus, it's classed as a minor fault, which would not be the case if the chassis was concerned.

 

[Q plate]

I'm now close to pulling the trigger on a 1987 GTL Clan in Brittany.
It's stock at the moment, but would not stay that way for very long if I do buy it!

View attachment 32281


View attachment 32280

View attachment 32282

It is used regularly by the current owner, has completed some long classic tour / road trips.
And he's done a lot of jobs on it since he bought it in 2012. Including a repaint 4 years ago.

The owner put it through its CT on Monday. One advisory:

View attachment 32275

I know that the rear suspension pick up points are a common area for issues.
How easy is it to determine how bad any rust is in this area when the body is on?
My folks will be inspecting the car for me (I can't make it over to France until next month), so I want to send them well briefed!

Edwin: I saw that grey car in 4L magazine... that one is just the ticket!

Bought an 89 R4 this year the outer suspension mountings looked a bit scabby and after looking at the tonnes of information on here I was anticipating they might need doing another tell tale is the rear floor just forward of the wheel arch any rust in this area can be an indicator to whats waiting underneath. Attached a photo not my car but mine is similar. What has caught me out is the inner suspension chassis mount they appeared to be solid showing signs of an older seemingly good repair. Wasnt til I dropped the rear suspension off complete that I've realised its all shot in fact the repair panel sections have just arrived this week from Der Franzose. Not particulalry helpful but unless there's evidence showing it's been repaired it can be a bit of a lottery. Chances are though with the car being kept in that (good condition) any issues underneath have hopefully been addressed if needed.

 

[23e Heure]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
My dad will be inspecting the car on Monday.
Hopefully this time next week I’ll be a 4L owner again!

 

[JdeW]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
My dad will be inspecting the car on Monday.
Hopefully this time next week I’ll be a 4L owner again!

This site tells a lot about all the known issues that can affect all R4's regarding its year of construction.

Belangrijk bij aankoop

(NL) Voor een leek is een aankoop van een R4 vaak moeilijk omdat je niet weet welke punten belangrijk zijn en wat voor problemen er nog aan kunnen komen, en met foto's probeer ik uit te leggen wat...

renault4.weebly.com

The video hereabove is just a very small issue, I'm sure that the car has at least 7 or 8 more seriously affected area's.

 

[23e Heure]

Is this a silly question: w
Will an 87 4L run happily on modern unleaded fuels?
Or will it need an additive?
And how about these French fuels with high levels of Ethanol?

 

[jcarruthers2]

Hi

Here in the UK, I avoid E10 and opt for E5 plus an additive. There are threads on the corrosive aspect of ethanol and the damage it can do to fuel lines.

 

[23e Heure]

So you do need to add an additive to unleaded for a 4L then?

PS. I have other classics and learned all about ethanol corrosion on fuel lines and carbs... the hard way!

 

[23e Heure]

Bought!

 

[JdeW]

That's a nice good pristine looking R4 Clan the successor of the GTL Made from 1986 'till the end of R4 production in 1992.
Well done but keep in mind the well known things to look after that affects all the R4's regarding the year of construction!
Small question; what's that sort of cable running that crosses the throttle spring?

 

[jcarruthers2]

Hi


There are various views on whether to use an additive or not and which additive to use. I combine E5 with Redex lead replacement additive (purely because I still have a job lot of the stuff). It has worked well for me and the engine has run smoothly on the combo without any negative effects. A number of forum members champion the Millers additive. Do a search for E10 on the forum, a number of threads will come up with info.

 

[23e Heure]

 

[André4Renaults]

Only marginally cleaner than when it left the factory......

 

[sdvcatfish]

That's a nice good pristine looking R4 Clan the successor of the GTL Made from 1986 'till the end of R4 production in 1992.
Well done but keep in mind the well known things to look after that affects all the R4's regarding the year of construction!
Small question; what's that sort of cable running that crosses the throttle spring?

Looks like the LHD Speedo Cable, I think.