R4F6 '85 restoration...

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Hello

Some time ago, I put photos of my R4 on gallery, the blue-white R4 from Poland.

After 5 years from buy Her (Her = R4), it's time for a major overhaul - not simple repair things what I see.

I started to work practically in the last year, but my work (lorry driver on my own company) and weather - bloody winter, I hate her - forced me to postpone the work until spring

My R4 F6 is from september of 1985 (She's about 5 months younger than me )...after buy Her, I've maked the restoration with my father (She was a birthday present)...but nobody expected that, so long She'll be in my hands - my wife tells people that the R4 is my "first true love and She is my "woman" not her" :mrgreen:

To yesterday, R4 stops on my garden...but my wife's brother has agreed to share his garage for work (I've only to take about half of garage, but this satisfy me) - yeah, I've got a roof

I've only "bla bla bla..." - time to photos - click on photo will make the photo enlarge

#1. on garden before ride to garage (about 250 meters on line also behind Renault - Kangoo)



#2. some R4 stuff...two pair of front doors...R4F4 back door...two engine bonnets...some interior plastics and electric...also I've the brand new front fenders - cost 50 euros (free delivery)





#3. at garage...today I only removed front doors and all glass (front and side)




The restoration preparation under bonnet - the red labels have information about electric connection (as to what connect)


and the cleaned ignition apparatus...the regenerated fuel pump is mount on the engine




Greetings from Poland

 

[pepper]

Good luck, it looks a damm site colder there than here in the UK. It was bad enough for me last night trying to fit a new Parrot Blue tooth in my Renault Master, my hands were barely able to hold the small screws to get the trim back in again properly!

 

[DavidN]

It's always nice to see other restoration projects.

Good luck with the work!


David

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Good luck, it looks a damm site colder there than here in the UK. (...)

well, now it's realy hot a few days ago was

and about 1m snow on garden...now it's about 3-6 C at day and -1 to +1C at night and the snow desapear realy quickly

now I'm after breackfast (yes, breakfast at. 4 P.M. - my job is not easy, but I like it) and I take the tools and go for "R4 work".


DavidN - my reconstruction is inspired by yours...I did't think that, I can accumulates so much enthusiasm after reading your topic


See you later


EDIT:
I didn't do too much - it is really cold today (already is -4), and the garage has no heating and it's make by sheet metal...brrry

I've only removed the dashbord (with all things), wipers engine, write the electric instalation on cabin...



and I've got a problem - how I can take the electric instalation from engine and front lights into cabin - I think the hole is too small for this


tommorow is free day (from work)...I think I can make some more with R4, but first my lorry lights need to fix them and cabin need some clean

 

[angel]

Good luck with the restoration, Maciek! Awaiting photos of the progress.

 

[DavidN]

...
how I can take the electric instalation from engine and front lights into cabin - I think the hole is too small for this

Maciek,

you can feed all the cables from around the engine through the opening into the "cabin" (I suppose you mean the inside of the car) and remove it as one unit. There are a lot of connections/connectors in the engine compartment that can be separated so you don't have to feed every little cable and connector. But don't forget to mark them before disconnecting!

Keep us posted!

David

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

"one phone, and You're gone" - thats my wife words about my job...and it's true

Saturday I think I'll have free and I can make some work with R4, but on friday evening the phone was ringing and I'm at home now (time of post writting)...but before some Polish roads I make some on the garage

removed electric instalation from engine and cabin (the front part - for back lights is still on and it'll be to the end)...all writed and photographed for my "insurance"



then I've removed collector and carburetor



and for dessert - almost new switchboard fuses (my has some broken fuses handles)


Tommorow my father will give me the heat gun for heating the glue between frame and body

now I'm look after Mig Welding machine...I've the electrode welder, but I heard that weld after mig welding is better and not rust as fast as weld of electrode welding

 

[malcolm]

By electrode welder do you mean an arc (stick) welder? An arc welder has 300mm electrodes. Arc welds don't rust any more than MIG or TIG, but much too hot for car bodywork and would blow holes in the body.

If you buy a MIG try to avoid the cheapest Chinese ones - they don't work. At the least try to buy one with a minimum output current of 30 amps or less. There are some good ones made in Hungary that are sold as Classic MIG over here, and some others sold as Butters, Parweld and SWP which are better. Maybe you can buy them for less money in Poland. Most of the Italian made MIGs are OK as well.

"one phone, and You're gone" - thats my wife words about my job...and it's true

That sounds like bad news. It's a bad time. I changed career last year (I was an engineer).

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

By electrode welder do you mean an arc (stick) welder? An arc welder has 300mm electrodes. Arc welds don't rust any more than MIG or TIG, but much too hot for car bodywork and would blow holes in the body.

- Yes, the electrode stic wleder. The holes...I know some about this from my "home learnig" of weldng.

If you buy a MIG try to avoid the cheapest Chinese ones - they don't work. At the least try to buy one with a minimum output current of 30 amps or less (...)

- Thanks about Mig welders...I look after some with specyfication like this:
# 230 V power supply
# Max. welding current: 120 A
# Wire diameter: 0,8-0,9
# Max. Spool size: 1 kg
# Rated voltage of welding: 20V
# Idle voltage: 30 V

That sounds like bad news. It's a bad time. I changed career last year (I was an engineer).

I'm also engineer but on logistic and transportation...and I work on my own transport company - I'm a director, secretaty, driver, service man etc.

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Today ... I did not do anything ... I sleep standing up, and it may better that nothing I did, because the effects could be damaging to the work

but I got a heat gun...it must wait for tommorow

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

After weekend and some time...finally I have some time for R4

Today:
#1. brake pump was disassembled...also the steering column with the pedals



#2. then I take the heat gun and heat the glue over the fender (I can't find better translate), and he also went on the pile of already diverted parts


Tommorow - the right side will be detach...and on the weekend my father and two brothers propably will help me with the body - to take it off

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Photos from thursday - the right side of front is detached


It's weekend...My younger brother arrived and we make some work on garage...after 1 hour we've detached the right side of body - the left side is still holding strong





and for the evening - the carburetor will be cleaned


Now it's dinner time, then I'll go to fight with glue on left side and back stringers...

DavidN - it was so difficult to detached the body form frame

 

[DavidN]

...DavidN - it was so difficult to detached the body form frame

It takes some time.
The rubber sealant will give up.
Lift the whole car up, secure it with jackstands under the rear of the body (not the chassis!) and with a beam under it's roof (through the open doors) and let it "dangle" for a few hours. The chassis will slowly drop by it's own weight.

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Thanks DavidN

after dinner I've done with the left side - it's detached

but the back stringers are still guled - I'll make them tommorow by Your way

 

[malcolm]

A hot air gun works well. It softens the adhesive sealant and allows the chassis to drop away.

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Yeah...the body is detached - it takes about 1 hour with lift body and cut 2 bolts on the end of chassis - near the back bumper mount place

sorry about photos from telephone...my the camera "died" and I didn't have a charged battery




but I think I'm not "Strong Man" to take body off...but I'll try do this my self ...

 

[John Doe]

I could lift body of a saloon car and I am not too strong either

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Glue even today, extending yesterday's had already been suspended and the body was completely severed from the frame - unfortunately I have to wait until the weekend - I can't move (by my self) a body to my lorry for transport it into my garden...if I'll have the whole garage for work, I can move the body back - it's not as heavy as it seen

now - I'm working on carburetor (sorry I haven't got a time for it on weekend)

 

[Maciek R4 (PL)]

Today we - I mean, me, wife's brother and one friend - take off the body ant transport it to my garden (now it's waiting for some sun, higher tempereature and end of snow)...the frame - is on the garage

I need to make a winch to remove and then put the engine...and I've a big problem - wife's brother told me, that his electric instalation in the garage can't make the welding - it's too weak for it :cry:

so I have to do the subframe of the angles on the main frame and then transport it near my shed with tools and a good electric instalation and weld it with sheet


the clean parts (the ignition coil is new) :

(I haven't time for something more on week)

on the evening I'll post some photos of frame


EDIT:
snow - Who ordered it ? ! (phone is only for show how much it was fallen on 2 hours)


and he frame...and some some work




next work on R4 frame on next weekend or on friday - it's time to work (some kilometers to drive)

 

[angel]

Wow, that's a lot of rust! :-(