R4 Dakar Replica from Mallorca to UK

[CDubs]

Hi, this is my first post. I have stumbled across this forum and think you all might be exactly what I need to help me in my mission to bring a Renault 4 Dakar replica to the UK.

On a recent long weekend to Mallorca, I spotted a R4 poking out from a garden. It's a 1983 TL 1100cc, which has been converted to look like one of the Dakar cars. It is super cool (obviously) and I fell in love with it immediately.

The owner was away but I got his contact details and over the course of the last few weeks have exchanged enough details to agree to buy the car and a deposit has now been paid. Hurrah!

This has all been carried out via whatsapp's translation function (I don't speak Spanish, nor he English), so I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what I've let myself in for. My plan is to get a 1 way plane ticket, fly over and 'simply' drive it home to Northumberland...

I've not seen the car run, but I have seen it start and drive in videos and whilst it has done 240,000 km, it seems to run ok! As for the rest of it, I really don't mind that it's pretty rough around the edges. It hasn't got rust and I love the patina it has.

My questions are:

- Am I being stupid to think I can make the trip back to the UK in an unknown, untested, 43 year old R4, from Mallorca over 3 days?
- To give me half a chance of making it, what spares should I pack in my hand luggage to fly out with? [It has the '688' engine]
- What common problems should I expect, and do you have any advice for preventative measures that I could take to avoid them or learn in advance about how to fix them should they occur?

Many thanks!

 

[Andy McGhee]

It sounds like a real adventure!
3 days might be pushing it (in both senses) a bit - a car that hasn't been used much recently/for a while might not take too kindly to prolonged motorway speeds. If you can drive back through France along the D roads, you'll talk to more people along the way than you'd believe possible.
Has the car been serviced recently? It'd be worth checking, and even worth paying the seller to get it done before you pick it up - an oil change would be a good idea, at the very least.
How are the brakes?

Spares? A set of plugs, the two drivebelts and distributor parts - rotor arm, cap, points, condenser, ignition leads (I presume the car's Spanish-built - if so, it's likely to have a Femsa distributor). If you could get some photos of the engine plate and the distributor and post them here, it'd be a great help. I can send you the Intermotor numbers of the ignition parts. Perhaps a thermostat, too. Plus a few spanners (the piece of string gets longer...).
You'll need the usual bits and bobs for driving through Spain and France - hi-vis jacket, warning triangle(s), etc - plus headlamp deflectors for Dover(?) to Northumberland. There's an excellent guide here on how to convert headlights from LHD to RHD: https://www.renault4.co.uk/tech-headlamp-conversion.htm

When you get the car, check that the radiator fan kicks in when it should.

Good luck!

 

[trichens]

When are you planning on doing this trip?
What's your route across the Channel?

Will this engine need some fuel additive? Lead replacement/ethanol enhancer?
It's going to be a good 1200 miles across Spain and France; it could be a bit warm.

A couple of 5 litre fuel cans for emergencies if you're not going to be on the motorways.
I've had to sit waiting for staff to return from lunch before I could get fuel on more than one occasion when driving in France; having some backup fuel would be useful.
Get one or more apps for your phone that will show you where you can get fuel ( I use Stations Carburant), and also apps for Formula1 and Ibis Budget hotels (Accor), Premiere Classe and hotel-bb unless you intend to sleep in the car!

And stay away from Rouen if you are going on the Le Shuttle!
I find it's a horrible place to drive through and your R4 won't be Crit' Air compliant.

And take plenty of cable ties!

 

[CDubs]

Thanks both for the replies.

Andy, that list of spares etc is very helpful! I will attach photos here of the engine plate and distributor. Guidance on exactly what type it is would be very welcome!

Trichens, you make a very good point about the drive. I expect autoroutes might be a struggle so we’ll be on the smaller roads. Will take some petrol cans! As for when I’m hoping to do it - within the next couple of weeks ideally.

 

[CDubs]

Here are some photos of the distributor, engine plates and engine

 

[jcarruthers2]

Hi

Would it be possible to take a photo of the distributor with the distributor cap off so that we can see the rotor arm/contact set set-up?

(distributor caps look too similar to distinguish which type of set-up you have but the rotor arms and contact sets are quite distinct).

As your R4 is Spanish built you are likely to have a Femsa distributor but this is not a given.

 

[trichens]

Trichens, you make a very good point about the drive. I expect autoroutes might be a struggle so we’ll be on the smaller roads. Will take some petrol cans! As for when I’m hoping to do it - within the next couple of weeks ideally.

OK... F1 Grand Prix at Monaco 5th - 7th Jun, F1 Grand Prix at Barcelona 12th - 14th June, Le Mans 24 Hours 10th-14th June.
That means ferry crossings and EuroTunnel will be very busy around those dates especially for Le Mans; Eurotunnel on Monday 15th will be very, very busy based on my previous experiences.

On the up-side there will be lots of UK cars on the roads should you find you need some assistance.

 

[Andy McGhee]

It looks like a Femsa to me. If it is, it'll have 'Femsa' on its body, and the baseplate/points will be like these:


One thing, though - in the photo you sent, it looks as though one of the cap retaining clips is missing (arrowed in this photo of my Spanish van):

These are the Intermotor numbers for Femsa distributor bits:

Points: 23360
Condenser: 35680
Cap: 46590
Rotor arm: 48690

You should be able to find all of these fairly easily on eBay.