Terminal?

[Greeney in France]

This is the chassis of the 1993 car, at what stage does one say the chassis is not worth repairing are they that rare that I should keep it?
Are these rear ends available
I must say the rest of the chassis is good and actually shiny silk finish it seems that Renault took it upon themselves to foam the rear chassis ends but this has actually kept it wet, the front end corners are a little weak too but it looks more like the strengthening piece

 

[mr-reno-139]

looks like you have been having fun
do you have a special beret to wear when dismantling cars
or is the jet washer that powerful it removed the rest of the body work for you
wind classics nl list these bits for 68.50 eros (pic coutesy of website)no mention of longerons
so do warny in belgium no price i could find though
(dont you read the sticky threads malcolm has kindly put up for us )
think you need to be pretty accurate measuring if you replace these bits as rear alignment is pretty important much easier with body off though - must learn to weld someday

paul

 

[malcolm]

I'd tend to repair that sort of thing if the rest of the chassis is good. Those repair sections MrReno posted would be a good idea as otherwise you'd be cutting out and fabricating about the same amount of metal. Here's one I did earlier (home fabricating rather than using repair sections).

You should join the DIY welding forum MrReno - we'll have you welding in no time.

 

[Greeney in France]

I do have a beret actually and wear it whenever I am working on my cars or in the barns I havent plucked up the courage to wear while out and about generally yet:eek: I actually said to wife today I might pick up another one from the monthly market on the 18th "for best"
The body work is quite good althouth the tubular bits that end at the back door post and the rear hatch have actually rotted through I have been given the carte gris but I told the vendeur that I would dismantle the car and have already scavanged lots of bits for my sons 845cc car and the rest is the same as my F4. I have stored all the doors, wings, inner and outer, everything from the inside even the headlining.
My F4 was a post van so certain things have been over used like indicator stalk doesnt hold down or up while indicating, the drivers door lock and handle is worn badly, drivers seat belt frayed and mechanism worn, so I have lots or spare bits for that. I just wonderd whether I should save the chassis for later use, I am sure I will get another where I could use it, I would actually like to do a "like new renovation"
I think I have answered my own question:shock:

I do weld too, I am quite good with mig and tig but cant get on with arch unless its thick metal, I am also in the middle of a 2cv ak400 van at the moment body off restoration

 

[Greeney in France]

The engine is a renault replacement done in 2002 by renault and has done only 32000klm although I would like to strip it down repaint and bring it up to tip top condition
The suspention looks in great condition the rear arms are perfect too as I know they can break in half:shock:

 

[malcolm]

I should hold onto it but don't repair it unless you need to use it. I've got a couple of chassis leaning against the wall of the lean to, one of which I've robbed the front crossmember. They don't take up much space when you have the suspension off.

Oh - got the jist now. For my "as new renovation" I'm go around all the double skinned bits and replacing them with single skin. A bit of rust gives you a head start.

 

[Greeney in France]

If you are taking off a skin, how are you substituting the strength?

 

[mr-reno-139]

i think malcolm means removing patch work repairs (over rusty bits) commonly done to quick fix mot rust patches as cutting too many rusty bits away on low value cars gets scary and underseal is much cheaper

of course now R4s are apreciating classics we can all do full body off concours restoration (at home !) then sit back and get rich (or depressed)

looking at the quality of repairs in his resto photos no danger of weakness there in my mind

whats the web adress for your welding site again ??

paul

 

[malcolm]

www.mig-welding.co.uk

Double skins were only put in for manufacturing reasons - like to have a strong piece of chassis without making the whole chassis really heavy. I have a habit of cutting both skins out and replacing them with a single thicker skin. See http://www.renault4.co.uk/renault-4-restoration.htm for the sort of thing I tend to do.

There would be issues with doing this in high fatigue areas, but better than a big rusty mess which is what double skins leave you with after a very few years without showing external signs of the failure.

 

[Greeney in France]

I wasnt suggesting he was doing anything badops: I hold him in high esteem was just interested.
I am going to dismantle the suspension and store the chassis until I need it, as was suggested I got plenty to do anyway with the R3, AK400, G-wagen and H-van:eek: