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Renault 4 Galvanized Chassis

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Stuart Morling

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I am looking into having a galvanized chassis made for my very rusty GTL "Lady Marmalade" i do a lot of work with stainless steel parts and am looking to work with a friend who runs a local engineering firm who make box frame chassis for trailers, they have said that they are going to attempt to use my original chassis to try and make a new one. This was mainly a a thread wondering if there would be any other people out there who would like one? it would also be nice if someone had a good chassis we could borrow to copy as mine may be a poor place to start... Obviously i have no idea on the price yet, but was just canvassing for support...

would there be any takers?
or advice?
Let me know
Stuart.
 
Hello, you have hit the nail on the head here and i would certianly for one like one, however this depends on price for example if they were similar to 2cv chassis i think you would not be able to make them quick enough but if they were in excess of maybe 2000 i think alot of people would keep on patching them.

Only my thoughts, michael
 
Stuart Morling said:
I am looking into having a galvanized chassis made for my very rusty GTL "Lady Marmalade" i do a lot of work with stainless steel parts and am looking to work with a friend who runs a local engineering firm who make box frame chassis for trailers, they have said that they are going to attempt to use my original chassis to try and make a new one. This was mainly a a thread wondering if there would be any other people out there who would like one? it would also be nice if someone had a good chassis we could borrow to copy as mine may be a poor place to start... Obviously i have no idea on the price yet, but was just canvassing for support...

would there be any takers?
or advice?
Let me know
Stuart.
Click to expand...

Hey, I'm also interes for this chassis
Peter55
 
I've nearly completed the repair of my chassis at a cost (welding & pannels) of around £1500. My guess is that a supplier could shift at least 20 new chassis PA, possibly a lot more, if the price was right.

Why not enquire how many 2CV chassis are sold annually? It would at least give a benchmark.
 
Is it poss to be kept upto date on this project process? as every MOT for the past few years has been on the chassis, and it fails this year, going chassis hunting, an Galvanized Chassis sounds a good replacement,
 
Just to let you all know, my chassias is being collected by a company in Yeovil via stuart so they can measure it and see if its viable to make them for production..should know next month sometime :p

cheers

Andrew
 
If we do not find a way to have new chassis for our beauties I think that, on the long way, this will decide the end of all r4s (or will reduce the r4 to a collectible car only, not an everyday car as we still use it)... It is not a big problem now that there is still plenty of cars to cannibalize and swap parts... but when the only r4s remained are in the hand of collectors, who will play the part of the donor?
The more pieces available, the more cars saved, the more money it is possible to earn selling pieces' reproduction... it is a sort of circular thinking...

Andrea scripsit.
 
I'm really surprised that someone in France isn't already doing these chassis? If they were it would be far more simple to import them.
 
^^^ as above however i think anyone in france (and uk) at the moment just by the sections they want and attaching them (because there is no other way unles you buy a southern rust free car).

Its a two way thing. One person may say i cant afford a new chassis, or i want to keep my original so i choose to spend the time (or pay someone) to fix it with new sections, (take the yellow gtl for an example) whereas another person might want a new chassis because its quicker to swap or because it contains no rust in it (maybe there's has gone completely)

Although im sure that if there were the same price as 2cv chassis alot would get bought

Only my thoughts
 
The problem in France is that they need to be 'd'origine'. One of our neighbours is a 2cv fanatic and knows of at least 2 2cv's imported from the UK with aftermarket galvanized chassis's for which it is impossible to get a CT as they are not identical to the original.
In the UK its relatively easy to change the chassis, or any other part come to that, but here its far more difficult, the highly modified R4 of Mr Renospeed caused quite a stir at Loheac a couple of years ago - much head scratching and incredulity that it was possible to do such things and then use it on the road!
 
The short answer is no.
Attempting to register anything not actually sold here can take years, require fluent french, the patience of Job, and very deep pockets. For example many of the grey imports from Japan that arrive in the Uk are almost impossible to register here, as are some imported campers (particularly American ones).
The french stick fairly rigidly to EU rules when it comes to vehicles, whereas in the Uk it seems to be 'if you can get an MOT on it - that's good enough'.
 
Same problem is in Croatia.
Any "new" chassis without certificate will take to much money and time to sort it out, and be legal on the road.

It is easier and cheaper to weld old chassis than buy new one without any certificate.

But as it is in Croatia, there is an grey zone in law that can be used in this situation, but I did not try it.

You can ask for new chassis number if your original one is rusted or unreadable.
People from CVH (like British MOT) take pictures, and give you permission to fix chassis. After you fix rusted chassis you came back to CVH with permission (in written) and get new chassis number.

There is possibility to be legal with brand new chassis. Instead of fixing old one you plant new one and get number.

But you did not hear this from me ;)
 
I think even in Italy the law is very firm as french one and it is no possible to swap your old chassis with a new one without a very expensive test at MCTC.
But we have a "revision" of the vehicle every two years, and no more, and in this MOT equivalent (I think) people are not so serious, just controlling, brakes, lights ("You have a stop not working, go and change the lamp. Here is your paper."), smoke and no much more.. I never saw anybody looking for a chassis number...
If you drive your car without this periodical control and police discover it, then you have to go and have a very serious control to MCTC, and it is quite severe and expensive...

Andrea scripsit.
 
What about if you were to keep the central cross member with the chassis number and build everything around it new - would that work ?
 
Here I suspect you would just go and buy a better car - there are still plenty around.
Its possible to buy new approved chassis for the 2cv here, but the parts availability for the 2CV / Mehari and to a lesser extent Dyane and Ami is far better (almost incomparably better) than for the R4.
Until the R4 acheives the same 'cult' status, and some firm takes on the remanufacture of parts in a big way it will be repair....repair....repair!
 
alewis said:
What about if you were to keep the central cross member with the chassis number and build everything around it new - would that work ?
Click to expand...

That will work in Croatia.
People are doing exactly that. Try to save VIN number on Chassis and change everything else.

Little bit silly but that's how it is

But to be honest no one in Croatia is ready to repair R4 if it is so rusted.

Only few enthusiasts are ready for this big reconstruction.
 
alewis said:
What about if you were to keep the central cross member with the chassis number and build everything around it new - would that work ?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't anyone in the Controle Technique suspect that you have just fitted a new chassis?

Here it is illegal to make repairs to or near the chassis number area, before getting permission from an MoT station equivalent. They will also stamp a different number (usually registration number) on another place on the chassis.
But as many repairs had been done in the past without getting this permission (not to mention "monkey" cars-a body with a chassis number from another car with papers, neatly cut and welded), the current owner may face a real problem when someone discovers it. But finally, and maybe with "something extra" ;-), the MoT will stamp the number and the car will be legal again.
With the R4s we have one more advantage, few testers remember the location of the chassis number, most of them (especially younger ones) are OK with the diamond plate.
 
I wouldnt be suprised in this country that chassias numbers and chassias plates wont match up with the tin worm we have to put up with
 
renault4mad said:
I wouldnt be suprised in this country that chassias numbers and chassias plates wont match up with the tin worm we have to put up with
Click to expand...

sounds like my motorbikes :)

paulandpat said:
The french stick fairly rigidly to EU rules when it comes to vehicles, whereas in the Uk it seems to be 'if you can get an MOT on it - that's good enough'.
Click to expand...

I see no problem here?

and i don't want to lose my car because the chassic has become more welds then metal £300 last MOT and on my wage, its a lot. But because of my job i can get a few back handers, airplane parts and car parts look the same in the paint shop :cool:
and we always have bits of waste materails prime for 'turning into swarf'
 
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