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Chassis bits again!!

Chris

Enthusiast
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33
Hi everyone!


Having finally bought an R4 last week, I've been spending every spare moment fiddling with it, cleaning it, etc etc.

I've washed & polished it, and wax-oiled the wheels and the chassis, plus any little rusty bits on the bodywork, to try and get the car through winter without any further major corrosion.... Does anybody have any tips on what else I could do???

On to the main topic! The front cross-member of the chassis is quite badly corroded at the ends where the bumper os bolted on. Basically, it looks like someone has had a little knock on each side in the past, slightly bending the bumper back at each 'corner', and thus the cross-member as well. It's rusty and bent back where the bolts for the bumper are attached. The chap I bought it off said that this will need welding at some point - just cut off the end bits, attach weld, screw bumper back on. Would that suffice for an MOT?? How about a 'new' cross-member? If so, where could I get one and roughly how much would it cost???

Oh, and while I'm here, any advice as to the availability of GTL wheels and their cost...???


Thanks!



Chris
 
Chris,

I believe you can still buy the front cross member from Renault. It's the outer part you'll need - the smaller inner section that supports the gearbox mounting will hopefully be OK. If not, it's an easy repair by a competent welder.

The cost of the front cross member is around £50. They rust at the bottom of the box section and at the ends. Remove the bonnet and front bumper complete with irons. Vigourously wire brush around the area where the cross member has been welded to expose the spot welds. Grind off the welds or use a spot weld drill bit. Cut away the small tabs that are welded to the front chassis legs either side. Remove the old cross member and make any repairs to the inner section including grinding out any surface rust. Clean back to bare metal all exposed areas where the new cross member is to be welded.

Drill or punch 3/16" holes an inch apart in the new cross member where it is to be welded on, not forgetting to clean the primer off the little tabs at the side. For MIG welding, all metal needs to be clean.

Offer the new panel up to where the old one was welded on, and clamp tightly the two sections together. Its then just a case of filling in the 3/16" holes with a MIG welder and tacking the side tabs to the chassis. Grind off all excess weld, use plenty of Hammerite and inject that box section with plenty of Waxoil.

Steve
 
Renault can still supply new steel wheels (or at least they could last year), they're about £30 each + VAT.
 
Thanks guys.


The front cross member will be sorted out, and I'll check if Renault can still supply those GTL steel wheels...



Chris
 
Chris again.


Went down to my local Renault dealership here in Plymouth and yes, they can get hold of steel GTL wheels - £24.39 each. I've ordered my set and they'll be put on next week.

No such luck on the chassis front cross-member, though. Apparantly, Renault can't do them anymore.
 
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