Rutger from the Netherlands!

[Rutger-peer]

Hey everybody!

I am Rutger, 22 years old and I live in Groningen, in the North of the Netherlands. I'm studying Psychology at the university there, I live on my own with the occasional roommates ofcourse ...

I'd been walking around with the idea of buying a classic car for quite some time but was never really seriously considering it because of the costs it would bring with it. It wasn't until something like half a year ago that I came across the idea of buying a Renault 4. They seemed pretty cheap relative to Beetles and 2CV's (let alone Citroën DS, Volvo amazon etc.). So I got into the topic, started looking around for info about the Renault 4 on the internet. I also came across this forum, since it can't be missed when searching R4-info . I subscribed some time ago, have been eagerly following DavidN's restoration and ofcourse the Gordini project of Malcolm (as well as all his restorationprojects). And also some other projects on this forum.

So, having seen enough info about the ins and outs of the R4, a while ago I bought a 1984 Renault 4 GTL, which I want to restore to perfect condition this summer. I bought the car for 400 euro's (330 pounds). The car's got some problems with the body but is in great shape for this money. I drove it home from the other side of the Netherlands, which was a 350 km journey, which is about 217 miles if this converter is right . It did so without any problems.

It's got no MOT currently (called APK here), it didn't pass the test due to some rot in the chassis (and some minor issues) but I'll take care of that anyway when I restore the car.

Currently the car is at a friend's place. He lives on a farm so there's plenty of space to do the restoration and I am very glad they can and want to help me out. He is willing to do the welding on the car, since I can't weld myself (or at least, I never tried and I'm not really from a DIY-family with the tools, space and stuff like that). Also he and his dad are very skilled in making things themselves etc. so they'll be able to help me out, should I get stuck or encounter problems I can't solve myself!

Anyway, I subscribed to this forum so that I can gather info, conversate with other enthusiasts, admire other R4's etc. and maybe once myself help others out!

I will start my project the 16th of June, since I have my last test then and from then on have quite some spare time to work on the car. The car is going to be completely taken apart, even the engine will be revised. The plan is to get the car like new in the end so it will be prettier still that it is now and totally reliable (as well as totally rust-proof so I don't have that nasty feeling about the car rotting from underneath my ass when I drive a wet road or in rainy weather, which we know very well here in the Netherlands, just like you guys do in Great Brittain). I'd like to finish the car about halfway August. Maybe that's a little bit ambitious but I can at least try right? I've got no further obligations or anything else to do this summer so I can work on the car almost non-stop!

I'll post a picture later on (the car is also in the paint-guide, color is 341B so if you can't wait to have a look, have a go at the guide!).

I hope that I haven't made any stupid mistakes in my English, if I made mistakes, please say so. I'm really an fan of the English language so I am trying to get very well at English (since I'm also writing a lot in English).

Well, I guess I can now start to trouble you guys with lots of questions!

Regards,

Rutger.

 

[pepper]

Hello and welcome to the forum, can't wait to see the pictures of your lovely little four and good luck with your restoration.

Don't worry about your english (which is fantastic) just keep posting and keep us upto date with all your hard work.

 

[Rutger-peer]

Hey Pepper, thanks! I'll post a few pictures just now!

And yeah well, I'm always looking to improve my English so ... there's always more to learn.

But thanks! Let me have a look on my hard disk...

 

[Rutger-peer]

The butterflies will be removed, don't worry!

And at my parent's place.

At first I disliked the color and wanted to paint it something like Malcolm's Gordini but gradually I started to like it, because it's a distinct colour, it stands out a bit from the rest (basically, there's practically nothing as eye-catching on the roads here as something like a yellow-orange R4! ).

I hope I can have it replicated well. The car's gonna get a new bonnet so I can hopefully take the old one to a painter who can replicate the colour.

 

[pepper]

It's a great colour, in fact I sprayed a Toyota Celica in a similar colour back in the early nineties!

Here's a scan of a photograph of it

It was a lot brighter than it looks there in reality!

The colour code for that was 1988 Lotus Camel Yellow, if I ever do another car then I will spray it in the same colour!

Yours looks great mines just a very boring ex french police blue, which so far I've been unable to find the colour code of.

 

[Rutger-peer]

Haha, that's a coincidence! But indeed, it's a beautiful colour! It sometimes looks like orange and sometimes more like yellow (just like on my photographs), depending on the light that falls on it.

Nice car by the way!

 

[Bobble]

Hi, well i think it's a great colour and you should keep it, if only to be different, i like the wheels also which are unusual, and hope there's not to much tin worm or problems for you.
You'll find everyone on here very helpful and informative good luck.

 

[jjad]

Hello! Good luck with the restoration. Do post pictures as you are going.

Best wishes

 

[Rutger-peer]

Thanks Bobble and jjad! I will certainly keep a restoration thread, I always enjoy them myself and they can prove very useful too so you'll see it appear somewhere around the 16th of june!

(PS: The rims are Speedlines, real light-metallic rims for the R4 )

 

[angel]

Welcome Rutger, have a nice time with your R4 restoration!

I like both the colour, and the butterflies! :-D

 

[Rutger-peer]

Hi Angel,

Thanks! And the colour will get back on (hope I can have it replicated well). The butterflies will not come back though .