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E-Bay Renault 4 TL 1975

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minisumner

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After initially looking for a RHD R4 GTL, which seems very thin on the ground in the UK, I eventually decided to buy (what I think) is a nice original 1975 R4-TL.

I bought the car off e-bay but made sure I went over to have a good look over her before I decided to bid/buy her.

The car (LVC) has been off the road for the last 10 years, the log book shows she has only had two previous owners and has been dry stored. She appears to be remarkably good condition with only 74,000 on the clock. She was originally a white colure but at some point someone decided to re-spayed her a dark Conounaught racing green, (very sporty) but left the interior the original white. It’s fair to say the spay job is not a good but there is something appealing about the colure scheme, which suits the car, I also like that it’s part of the car’s social history. More importantly the body tub and chassis looks remarkably sound.

Anyway the first journey LVC will be taking is on a low-loader down to Derek at Renospeed, who is being tasked with reconditioning LVC for the road. The plan is she is going to be my main mode of transport for the next 4/5 months as unfortunately I have to hand back my company car next week….

I will try to keep you all up to speed with the re-commissioning and how we get on as LVC being my new company car over the forthcoming months.

In the meantime if anyone has any kindly advice on what to look out for on the 70’s R4-TL model I would appreciate it.

Kind regards
David.
 
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Congratulations. Looks like a really beautiful car.
Wishing you many years of happy motoring together.
Nick
 
Thanks for your feedback Nick,

I am very lucky to find a nice car like LVC, I will be sure to look after her for posterity but I also intend to use her..

I am also really looking forward to getting behind the wheel, as its been way to long since I last drove an R4 TL...

Regards
David.
 
That is a very nice car !

Quick question any idea what the big round thing is on the bulkhead ? (It has the look of an ancient alarm I have)

Regards,
Andrew
 
Hi Andrew,

Thanks, for your kind comment.
In answer to your question, yes I believe it’s a very old alarm system, which is one of the things that I think will probably not be staying on LVC...
Does your old alarm system still work?
And was it an optional extra OEM part offered by Renault, when the cars were manufactured?
All the best.
Kind regards,
David.
 
No idea sorry the one we have hasn't been on a car as long as I remember it. I would be quite interested in having a look at it sometime if it is going to go in the bin as the one we have has a fancy tremble switch thing in it.

Will be very interesting to see your car progress.

Regards,
Andrew
 
Hi there. It looks like a very early Selmar car alarm, made in the 50s and early 60s. My dad sold these for the company to garages etc. They had previously made shock-absorbers and traded under the name of Rotaflow. The company was based in Shepards Bush in south-west London. I rescued one of these alarms from a Reliant Regal my dad drove in the 60s, and it is somewhere in my garage now. Well done for finding such a nice car David, hope you don't find too much rust. Excuse me, just leg-pulling.:smile:
 
Thanks Lobster & Brian.

I defiantly am going to need help and advice from all, as there is still plenty to go at on LVC...

The strange thing about the car alarm is it seems to have a key switch to activate it, but this is situated on the rear off side wing on the outside! Very strange.

The good news is that LVC is now booked in to go down to Derek’s at Renospeed, so he can re-commission her…

I spoke to Derek before buying LVC; his advice was that we need to be cautious with regards to getting her running. The problem could be that the rad could clog up very quickly with rust and sediment, as she has stood for so long.

So we need to flush the engine and rad out then run her, and then once she has run up the rad will need to be replaced. Hopefully this will clean the engine out but there is still a risk that more sediment could break free at a later date, which could potentially cause the cylinder head gasket to go…

Other bits that Derek will hopefully carrying out on LVC are as follows;

All the brakes and brake pipes need replacing, as does the master cylinder.

The fuel system including the tank will need to be fully flushed through and a new in-line filter will be needed.

The chassis needs to be filled with DINITROL RUST PROOFING CAVITY WAX or similar.

I also think it would be a wise time to take all four wings off and to just check the fit/joint between the wings, just to make sure there is not too much of an issue going on where one can’t see… Anyone’s thoughts here on this point would be most welcome.

Lastly, Brain no offence taken on the rusty minis as you’re not wrong, they are prone to the old tin worm...

Thanks for the kind comments.

Kind Regards,
David.
 
A separate key-switch points to the fact it could be a Selmar alarm. David, you are taking your new acquisition to the right man, there's not much Derek doesn't know about 4s, and how to get the best out of them. If you get a chance get him to take you for a spin in his Gordini engined 4, talk about a hot-hatch, nearly 100bhp, an interesting ride to be sure. He will do a super job on your car, and point you in the right direction to happy ownership. Regards Brian.
 
minisumner said:
Thanks Lobster & Brian.

I also think it would be a wise time to take all four wings off and to just check the fit/joint between the wings, just to make sure there is not too much of an issue going on where one can’t see… Anyone’s thoughts here on this point would be most welcome.
Click to expand...

Certainly worth doing, front wings not so much of a problem but the rears can be although ultimately everything is fixable.
 
R4

David,
Nice car, P reg ones are the best, well, OK, I've got one too so I may be a bit biased.
Derek will know this for sure but in 1975/1976 Renault saw fit to change the timing chain tensioner design, and it's crap!, they produced a replacement kit which is, guess what?, the old design!. You can check for wear by trying to move the cam pulley backwards and forwards. There's a good chance it's been done already, perhaps on warranty?. I have posted photo's of the old design on this forum, Mr Reno came to the rescue with a new old stock tensioner.
Enjoy your car, they're just great!.
Alan.
 
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