has it stopped raining yet ?

[Pascal's pilot]

hello everyone,

This is the first time this year that I have worked on my R4, because I am old and the car is outside.

So an update the body came off late last year and got put onto a home made frame to keep it mobile-ish.

As expected I found some areas of rot in the usual places.
-
I Probable need a front floor pan to make a good job, that seems quite straightforward.
Is there someone in the UK that sells floor pan repair sections ?

To me the techy bit is the rear.
I have remove the uppy-downy kit in one piece (hopefully I won't lose the torsion bar settings ?

So, questions.

1. Did Renault put all this polystyrene stuff inside the voids.
2. Is this stuff carcinogenesis if heated ?
3. The holes appear to be mainly in the outer skin, Advise on how to proceed please.
I was thinking of cutting back into the good stuff and open a window into the box section and see what gives.

Cheers Dave.
PS. The opposite sides to the rot area, top and bottom are perfect.
Maybe I caught it just in time.

 

[Oldploggin]

Question 1
No Renault did not use expanding foam it was a DIY bodge I did it many years ago before I learnt the error of my ways it holds water like a sponge

 

[reidalpine]

Oldploggin Hi! -I beg to differ re the expandig foam as I've found that in all the R4 I've bought for spares. Several other car-manufactures did same.FX. Scania did same in their enclosed frame-rails. Best way of getting it out I found was to get some multistrand-steelwire. Place in wise solder about half the lenght to get a "somewhat solid core" then cut with angle grinder to lenght. I used 30cm lenght. Now entry box-frame from rear-end of frame. Steelwire-"tool" will expand where not soldered so is effective to get into all nooks and crannies and to crush foam.Twist and turn push and pull then wacum it out 'till Most of the builders-foam is gone.If you want to get it All out Now's the time to fill some Acetone into a pump-bottle ,spray into opening at rear. have a rag wound over the wire-"brush" to suck up the sticky goo. If you can tilt frame so rear gets lower some of it will also drip out the back. Also I found that this builders-foam was only some 25-30cm deep and only at the rear-part of frame..

 

[reidalpine]

hello everyone,

This is the first time this year that I have worked on my R4, because I am old and the car is outside.

So an update the body came off late last year and got put onto a home made frame to keep it mobile-ish.

As expected I found some areas of rot in the usual places.
-
I Probable need a front floor pan to make a good job, that seems quite straightforward.
Is there someone in the UK that sells floor pan repair sections ?

To me the techy bit is the rear.
I have remove the uppy-downy kit in one piece (hopefully I won't lose the torsion bar settings ?

So, questions.

1. Did Renault put all this polystyrene stuff inside the voids.
2. Is this stuff carcinogenesis if heated ?
3. The holes appear to be mainly in the outer skin, Advise on how to proceed please.
I was thinking of cutting back into the good stuff and open a window into the box section and see what gives.

Cheers Dave.
PS. The opposite sides to the rot area, top and bottom are perfect.
Maybe I caught it just in time.

Think the stuff isn't poisonous. -When this stuff expands it produces lots of Co, but I wouldn't set fire to it (see my reply under) -Reid

 

[Andy McGhee]

Question 1
No Renault did not use expanding foam it was a DIY bodge I did it many years ago before I learnt the error of my ways it holds water like a sponge

It seems that Renault started using the foam in 1977 - there's quite a lot of discussion about it on the French R4 forum, as well as here: https://www.la4ldesylvie.fr/restauration-du-chassis-4l-f4-sinpar

 

[Pascal's pilot]

Ha, that's what I figured. Thank you for the swift reply

 

[Pascal's pilot]

Wow, thanks both for the info.
Andy, the link will be useful to me as well, cheers Dave

 

[Q plate]

Hi Dave, not sure if any UK suppliers exist for the front floor pans I bought both sides here.. I didn't use the RHS in the end but sods law I sold it on here a few weeks back

Front right floor pan for Renault 4L

www.mecatechnic.com

Your outer mounts look saveable? I don't think there's a skin repair panel for these (there is for the inner chassis rail) the repair panels I've seen and used are the complete section whereas you'll probably get away with cutting away the rot & remaking the box section with Good metal. You'd need to ensure you keep it to the same dimensions for the suspension re-fit. This might be of interest from this site

https://www.renault4.co.uk/gordini-outerrrsusp.htm

 

[Pascal's pilot]

Hi Al, I was hoping to get a full width floor pan because the 'rot worm' has got to the seam right across the car.
I think that I have seen one of these on one of the EU sites, I will find it.

Yes I am pleased that the rear sections are not too bad.
I put some photos of my repair efforts on here, when done.

Have you got yours on the road yet, must be getting very close ?

 

[Q plate]

Sadly not slow progress still with working away I've got a rear wing to fit, the front wings need repairing & fitting a bonnet with a million dents etc.. then paint. Will msg & get over to see you when I can