Clementine's Garage
Clementine the Cat
 
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Yellow R4
 
Réparateur d'automobiles

Started the Gordini Today!

It was good to drive the car today. It's not working perfectly yet but I've decided I like it - should be quite a nice balance. Normally I only like cars after they start working perfectly. That's quite a relief - I once spent a similar amount of time restoring a car and ended up not liking it at all - that was an MGB and I sold it on.

In that sense I'm quite chuffed. But will be unchuffed if it misses the run.
 
Looking under the hoods of many R4's in last few days did gave some results. Back in Slovenia there is a guy with Alpine engine fitted in his GTL (he was in Thenay too). What I have found interesting is that he removed the front gearbox mount thus no need to modify the crossmember nor the bonnet. What he did is that he used two smaller mounts on each side of the gearbox. To mee this looks like excellent solution to our problem.

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Very good... now fitting a 5 speed gearbox becomes quite a simple swap...
So finding one is the real quest...
 
Brilliant! And easier to do, I think, than cutting and welding, plus saves cutting the bonnet too.
 
So obvious once someone else has done it!

I wonder if that trick will work with putting a four-speed box in an early R4 that doesn't have the Napoleon's hat front cross-member?
 
Gordini gearbox

The blue car looks better than fantastic.

However when I ran around in a Gordini engined 4 gtl, 15 years ago, I found the original 4 speed box lasted fine for ages and the ratios were good for acceleration and cruising.

I can remember comparing clutch, radiator and brakes from the donor 5 Gordini to the 4 GTL and it was all the same. The 4 had the advantage of less weight if I recall.

The only performance mod apart from the engine was the addition of van anti-roll bars front and rear (the mounting points in the rear axle were pre drilled and just needed tapping). The 135 remoulds were well up to the job.

It was the best weekends tinkering I have ever done.

I remember beating an RS2000 at the lights. he was very surprised to see me beat him with my three passengers. He was even more surprised when the boat I was pulling at the time, also went past him (it was only a small one).

Wish I had kept it, it was a perfect car.
 
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