A bit of poetic license I accept, but I put this up some time ago half complete. Now its finished. This is a body-off restored R4 which I started two & half years ago. My daughter’s 17th birthday was looming and the cost of insuring her on a modern car daunting. My first car was an R4, and on the off chance I Googled an insurance quote, and was amazed to find it just under £450 fully comprehensive for a learner, but only on an R4. I did some checking and among other insurance issues is the vehicle horsepower, which is where the R4 wins, so I set out to build a reliable car for her, rather than a pretty one. My effort & money went on fully renovating the chassis and running gear down to the last bush, bearing and spigot.
The chassis required all the usual welding including new floor pans and inner/outer rear mountings. The chassis, gearbox and wheel hubs were professionally blasted and painted and the chassis Wax-oiled inside. The car was registered in 1986, and off the road in 1993 to stand outside in a field for seven years. The car is original except for the bonnet patches to host the old style indicator lights, the nice tin grill, and I removed the plastic side trim. The milage was just over 78,000.
This was as thorough a restoration as any, although I choose not to remove every crease and dent in the body. I only wish that I had the ability to do the painting to Malcolm’s standard. The top coat is far from perfect and if I was able to keep her I’d have it sprayed properly. The only other body issue is the new front wings. I bolted & sealed these without checking the bonnet fitting. Big (gap) mistake. That said it is smart, and as you can see from the list, there is not a lot that has not been renewed.
New parts:
Water pump
Clutch & bearing
Clutch cable
Manifold gasket
Alternator
Radiator
Radiator switch
Water cooling hoses x 2
Belts x 2
Ultra Spark breaker-less ignition
Condenser
Distributor cap, rotor, coil, leads & plugs
Fuel pump
Underwing exhaust
Gear shift bushes x 2
Heater hoses x 2
Oil, fuel & air filters
Oil pressure sender
Engine & gearbox mountings x 3
Earthing & battery leads
Roll bar bushes x 4
Steering rack gaiters x 2
Track rod ends x 2
Steering column bushes x 2
Delpi shock absorbers x 4
Brake master cylinder
Rear brake pressure regulator
Handbrake cable
Brake & fuel pipes
Rear brake hoses x 2
Rear brake cylinders x 2
Rear brake shoes & fitting kit
1 x new & 1 x refurbished front calipers
Top & bottom ball joints x 4
Wheel bearings x 4
Upper and lower wishbone bearing/bushes
Drive shaft gaiters x 4
Door seals x 4
Window tracks x 4
Rear boot seals
Wipers
Front wings x 2
All instrument bulbs
Chrome look door handles x 4
Chrome wing mirrors
Refurbished wheel hubs x 4
Along with all the usual cleaning, scraping, blasting and painting, I reconditioned the starter motor.
The new alternator & radiator are not yet fitted and the car comes with a bakelite steering wheel (not fitted), a spare cylinder head and a radio console. My personal indulgence was fitting two interior delay lamps which are controlled by the driver/passenger doors, and a new accelerator rubber pedal cover. My triumph was identifying and buying a new rear brake pressure regulator from www.oscaro.fr and delivered to a friend in France for less than half the cost of one from www.franzose.de
The only other parts that I would buy if keeping the car would be two chrome bumpers (brackets supplied) new headlamp reflectors and number plates.
I’ve changed the speedometer as the old one was broken, so it now reads kilometers. I’d also recommend Ultraspark ignition to all and sundry. It cost just £25 and took minutes to fit (the small red box on the coil). Better still the engine roared back into life quite literally at the first attempt, having sat still for 7 years.
I’d like £3000 but am open to offers. It has had a pre-MOT which will be complete when new tyres & the chrome wing mirrors are fitted. If you want pictures of anything specific let me know as I have loads on file documenting the work. For the meantime I’ve uploaded some images and put more on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/88608069@N05/sets/
I would prefer to sell to a forum member, as I’ve appreciated the support and answers to my various barmy questions during the process of restoration and, its where I purchased the wreck and got other parts including headrests, handbrake lever, door seals and windscreen wiper arms.
I’m in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, so if you want to visit the car for a look-see get to Southampton and take the Red Jet (20 minutes/£20 return) to Cowes. I’ll keep this up for a week or so before resorting to the dreaded bay. Send me a PM.
The chassis required all the usual welding including new floor pans and inner/outer rear mountings. The chassis, gearbox and wheel hubs were professionally blasted and painted and the chassis Wax-oiled inside. The car was registered in 1986, and off the road in 1993 to stand outside in a field for seven years. The car is original except for the bonnet patches to host the old style indicator lights, the nice tin grill, and I removed the plastic side trim. The milage was just over 78,000.
This was as thorough a restoration as any, although I choose not to remove every crease and dent in the body. I only wish that I had the ability to do the painting to Malcolm’s standard. The top coat is far from perfect and if I was able to keep her I’d have it sprayed properly. The only other body issue is the new front wings. I bolted & sealed these without checking the bonnet fitting. Big (gap) mistake. That said it is smart, and as you can see from the list, there is not a lot that has not been renewed.
New parts:
Water pump
Clutch & bearing
Clutch cable
Manifold gasket
Alternator
Radiator
Radiator switch
Water cooling hoses x 2
Belts x 2
Ultra Spark breaker-less ignition
Condenser
Distributor cap, rotor, coil, leads & plugs
Fuel pump
Underwing exhaust
Gear shift bushes x 2
Heater hoses x 2
Oil, fuel & air filters
Oil pressure sender
Engine & gearbox mountings x 3
Earthing & battery leads
Roll bar bushes x 4
Steering rack gaiters x 2
Track rod ends x 2
Steering column bushes x 2
Delpi shock absorbers x 4
Brake master cylinder
Rear brake pressure regulator
Handbrake cable
Brake & fuel pipes
Rear brake hoses x 2
Rear brake cylinders x 2
Rear brake shoes & fitting kit
1 x new & 1 x refurbished front calipers
Top & bottom ball joints x 4
Wheel bearings x 4
Upper and lower wishbone bearing/bushes
Drive shaft gaiters x 4
Door seals x 4
Window tracks x 4
Rear boot seals
Wipers
Front wings x 2
All instrument bulbs
Chrome look door handles x 4
Chrome wing mirrors
Refurbished wheel hubs x 4
Along with all the usual cleaning, scraping, blasting and painting, I reconditioned the starter motor.
The new alternator & radiator are not yet fitted and the car comes with a bakelite steering wheel (not fitted), a spare cylinder head and a radio console. My personal indulgence was fitting two interior delay lamps which are controlled by the driver/passenger doors, and a new accelerator rubber pedal cover. My triumph was identifying and buying a new rear brake pressure regulator from www.oscaro.fr and delivered to a friend in France for less than half the cost of one from www.franzose.de
The only other parts that I would buy if keeping the car would be two chrome bumpers (brackets supplied) new headlamp reflectors and number plates.
I’ve changed the speedometer as the old one was broken, so it now reads kilometers. I’d also recommend Ultraspark ignition to all and sundry. It cost just £25 and took minutes to fit (the small red box on the coil). Better still the engine roared back into life quite literally at the first attempt, having sat still for 7 years.
I’d like £3000 but am open to offers. It has had a pre-MOT which will be complete when new tyres & the chrome wing mirrors are fitted. If you want pictures of anything specific let me know as I have loads on file documenting the work. For the meantime I’ve uploaded some images and put more on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/88608069@N05/sets/
I would prefer to sell to a forum member, as I’ve appreciated the support and answers to my various barmy questions during the process of restoration and, its where I purchased the wreck and got other parts including headrests, handbrake lever, door seals and windscreen wiper arms.
I’m in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, so if you want to visit the car for a look-see get to Southampton and take the Red Jet (20 minutes/£20 return) to Cowes. I’ll keep this up for a week or so before resorting to the dreaded bay. Send me a PM.
