Peppers Renault 4

[pepper]

Thought I'd better post my thread as its the hundredth post on my cheery little thread.

 

[ian Stanbury]

..Now its 101..

..and Pepper, you deserve a pat on the back from my chum Helga..

 

[pepper]

Hi Ian, how's the skiing going?

 

[ian Stanbury]

..Skiing was fab Pepper..

..and the apres ski was great fun as well. All in all it was all great fun except Kate crashed into someone and twisted her knee but the boys and I had a ball and met a really nice french family from Reunion and whose childern are at Uni in France - Toulouse et Nantes

The father was just like me - 57 years old, completely mad and ........downloaderises his own musique off internet and sends cds to all his chums, he builds houses in Reunion but, and this is a big but, he is far better looking than me (and much slimmer).

Club Med was fab but we had to try very hard to get them to play english rock and roll and I had to carry this sign all the time so when I got fed up with the normal slow romantique french song like Marielle Ginsborge singing Ma maison est tros grand pour moi or Denise Coultard singing Ma marie etait un banker and has perdu his bulot recentment, I would go up to the dJ and stick this sign in his face and...as regular as clockwork after 6 more french songs he would play the Rolling Stones Start me up and the dancefloor would fill up again!!

Needless to say I had to correct all the GO's english notice - chooses - Shoes etc

I also think the Chef of the resort was delighted to see the back of me as I would always go up and talk to him when I saw him with other people and speak to him in english with my stupid french accent!!

So just doing my bit I suppose..

 

[pepper]

Ian you're terrible but I like it!

Rolling Stones are waaaayyy better than the Beatles anyday.

 

[pepper]

Well today I have mostly been stripping the engine and gearbox out of BB in readiness for its new heart!

I had just got it up on axle stands in readiness for its waxoyling and I happened to check the oil and found I actually had a lovely mayonaisse instead.

So I'm swapping the engine and gearbox from the white car into this one, the bonuses are that the white cars engine has only done 70,000 miles and the clutch is sweet on that engine whereas BB's clutch is oil contaminated, which is the other main issue BB leaks oil like a seive and there's oil everywhere!

So all in all its a fair job to swap them over but the gains will outweigh the time involved.

 

[pepper]

Finally managed to get back into my workshop this morning after a nearly 2 weeks worth of snow! ITs wierd but I've driven all over the country in the past week but we're the only place with snow still laying everywhere!

I pulled the white 4 out from its hiding place and have started stripping it down in readiness to lift the engine out, its a lot quicker when you haven't got to worry about the surrounding bodywork isn't it?

I also realised today why BB went so well, it looks like its had the Hennessey hot up kit fitted to it already, the carb attached at the moment is far bigger than the carb on the white 4's engine, so it looks like I'll be swapping the inlet manifolds over before long too.

 

[pepper]

Ok finished getting the engine out of White car today.

A few questions if anyone could help please?

There was a little water in the bottom of the gearbox when I drained the gearbox oil out, will this do much harm?

If I swap the carb over from BB's original engine which is much much bigger will I need to swap the camshaft too or is it just the carb thats changed?

Anyone know where I can get a Rocker cover gasket from as I need to change the covers over as they have totally different bracketry?

 

[malcolm]

Sounds like BB was fitted with a Hennessy Hot Up Kit (Renault 5 carb). Well worth swapping that over to a new engine. That generally involves inlet manifold, water pump, rocker cover, carb and linkages. Doesn't involve a camshaft though - they were the same on Renault 4 and 5.

Local motor factors should do a rocker cover gasket. They are the same as R5 and early Clio (I think). Plenty around.

Don't know about the water - I'd be inclined to pull the top off the gearbox and look for rust. If it's rust-free in there it should be OK.

 

[pepper]

Thanks Malcolm. I have decided to just swap geaboxes over as the gearbox on BB was sweet in the first place, and I'm going to swap over the starter motors anyway as the one on BB was brand new and as its left hand drive they are far far less accessible than the right hand drive cars!

Am off back up the workshop to start swapping everything over, the list is long and involves nearly everything.

Starter Motor
Water Pump
Alternator
Inlet Manifold
Gearbox
Rocker cover

That'll do for the moment, laters everyone.

 

[ian Stanbury]

..You are like the Moulin Rouge Pepper..

..You never stop...just like Malcolm..

 

[pepper]

Well that was a little difficult, the bolts holding the water pump on BBs engine sheared off in 4 places, luckily the repacement engine bolts were all fine.

Everythings done apart from making a replacement gasket for the waterpump housing, which I'll do tomorrow night and then all will be ready to refit back in again.

 

[pepper]

Yeay! She's all back together again and running,

I finally managed the last hours worth of putting back together this evening and apart from a slight problem with the gear selector (the gearbox and engine came out of a crashed car). She was stuck in reverse for some reason but you could engage all the other gears too!!!!

I whipped the top cover off dropped reverse back into neutral and everything popped back into place sweetly, (note to self do not start engine with gearbox top cover off, gearbox oil flying everywhere is not a good thing).

 

[beagle]

Congratulations Pepper! Sounds like we are both having a productive R4 week. You don't happen to have a spare reversing light lens for sale from your donor car by chance?
Tim

 

[ian Stanbury]

..A message from Bluebell...

Pepper dear boy - This thread is going on and on and on and on and on and at last count had over 300 replies, even more than Ian's cumulative threads, which are slightly more varied though.

What I and my friend Captain Van Rouge would like to know is if you charged yourself out at £2.50 per hour how much have you spent on BB so far?

Are we talking £100 plus and if so would you be available to spend a few hours 'T Cutting' his...Van Rouge?

 

[pepper]

Erm it must be nearly £100 now!

Its only a bit of fun I've not spent that much time on the poor thing (am far too busy really but love having something to tinker with)

I was going to get it all looking really smart, but decided to F that and just get it on the road and enjoy it!

Beagle I'll have a look at the back of the car tomorrow, I think there may be one left but I know one was smashed when it had its accident, it was ramed from behind into the car in front so is quite badly damaged at each end.

 

[claude van rouge]

Pepper

Don't listen to Corporal Stanbury. I think that it's interesting to follow the progress of the renovation of a car.

Oh and I disclaim any involvement or connection with the above post by some bloke calling himself ian stanbury.

 

[pepper]

Sorry I don't mean to upset anyone! I just thought putting all my Renault 4 ramblings into one thread like a diary rather than start a new thread each time I wanted to say something about my 4 would be a neater idea?

If people don't want me to ramble on I'll shut up.

 

[malcolm]

I like this thread. It's Renault 4 related in places, and it's fun to see a project from start from start to finish.

How far off is the MOT? Might try for an MOT on Ornella soon, but as she needs track tods and driveshafts it might be worth replacing the terminally worn clutch if I can find a new one.

 

[pepper]

She's booked in for an MOT at the end of the month, only because thats the next nearest MOT day I can make!

I've only got to put some underseal on her which I was just starting to do when I realised the engine had some lovely mayonaisse in it!!

I reckon the engine liners were leaking as the water was coming through whislt it was sat there doing nothing!