- Thread starter malcolm
- Start date
fabric sun roof
Hi Malcolm,
yes I'll sort a few photos out and hopefully will be able to post them on the site ( I'm not very IT literate)
just a comment about Chris's concern .The sunroof frame is very neat and sturdy, and there is no body twist rattle or roll (other than pre-existing!)
The car looks and feels better with the sunroof
dave
Hi Malcolm,
yes I'll sort a few photos out and hopefully will be able to post them on the site ( I'm not very IT literate)
just a comment about Chris's concern .The sunroof frame is very neat and sturdy, and there is no body twist rattle or roll (other than pre-existing!)
The car looks and feels better with the sunroof
dave
Cool car! That grille isn't my favourite, but that is compensated by the super-cool translucent steering wheel 
Let my know if plan on selling that steering wheel (assuming you buy the car), it would fit my yellow R4 perfectly!
It's rumoured that the drive shafts on the old 3-gears doesn't have any protective rubber covers for the joints, so that they wear real fast. Is that true?
Let my know if plan on selling that steering wheel (assuming you buy the car), it would fit my yellow R4 perfectly!It's rumoured that the drive shafts on the old 3-gears doesn't have any protective rubber covers for the joints, so that they wear real fast. Is that true?
Driveshafts: The 3 speeds had various types. The most common seemed to have a Bendix-weiss 4 ball joint on the inner. This had a rubber bellows and virtually never wore unless the oil ran out- I tore a cover running over a coat hanger once and had to pull the cover off, replace it and I put a new set of balls (from a bearing shop) in at the same time.
The outer joint was the problem one. This on some cars was like the early R16 outer CV joint. It wasn't a true CV joint as it was two Hooke/Cardan joints in tandem with a cunning ball and tongue mechanism joining them so that they always moved together in a determinate way. 2 problems: the tongue & socket always wore so that even if the individual joints were OK they would move relative to each other and start making a knocking noise which drove anal retentive R4 owners to distraction. This would happen very quickly- you could start to hear it after about 40-50,000 miles and it would then get worse. The other was some of them were very close to fouling the bolts that hold the brake backplate onto the hub.
Eventually, about the time they went to a 4 speed (i.e. mid '67, for the '68 model) or thereabouts, they replaced it in some markets with a true CV joint very like the last type on later cars, GTLs etc. The inner joint also changed on some models (there were a number of driveshaft suppliers). The length of the driveshaft stayed the same, and the inner attachment spline was the same for the early 4 speed gearbox.
Then when the front suspension geometry changed in around 1969 or 1970 (7 degree to 13 degree castor angle), the driveshafts were revised to slightly increase the length to cope with the slightly wider front track.
The next major change was to the 354 gearbox in 1974, with the new inner spline arrangement. Again there were a few different types available but thankfully the cardan type joints had now gone forever.
Renault have now rationalised and now appear to only provide two types of driveshaft: 354 gearbox type and the pre-354 type. These are supplied as remanufactured units. I will dig out the part numbers for them, the early type one is worth knowing as it is an excellent driveshaft. I assume it is supposed to fit any pre-74 car as apart from the inner spline it is identical, and there is enough axial play in the joints to cope with the different tracks. This would make sense as otherwise Renault would have to keep two different types for their pre 62-69 and 70-74 cars. I put a pair on my 7 degree castor '68 model and am very pleased with them.
So the moral is, if you have a 3 speed car, you should (for the moment) be able to get good longlasting driveshafts with protected true CV joints, no matter what is on the car now. I will dig out that part number and post it.
The outer joint was the problem one. This on some cars was like the early R16 outer CV joint. It wasn't a true CV joint as it was two Hooke/Cardan joints in tandem with a cunning ball and tongue mechanism joining them so that they always moved together in a determinate way. 2 problems: the tongue & socket always wore so that even if the individual joints were OK they would move relative to each other and start making a knocking noise which drove anal retentive R4 owners to distraction. This would happen very quickly- you could start to hear it after about 40-50,000 miles and it would then get worse. The other was some of them were very close to fouling the bolts that hold the brake backplate onto the hub.
Eventually, about the time they went to a 4 speed (i.e. mid '67, for the '68 model) or thereabouts, they replaced it in some markets with a true CV joint very like the last type on later cars, GTLs etc. The inner joint also changed on some models (there were a number of driveshaft suppliers). The length of the driveshaft stayed the same, and the inner attachment spline was the same for the early 4 speed gearbox.
Then when the front suspension geometry changed in around 1969 or 1970 (7 degree to 13 degree castor angle), the driveshafts were revised to slightly increase the length to cope with the slightly wider front track.
The next major change was to the 354 gearbox in 1974, with the new inner spline arrangement. Again there were a few different types available but thankfully the cardan type joints had now gone forever.
Renault have now rationalised and now appear to only provide two types of driveshaft: 354 gearbox type and the pre-354 type. These are supplied as remanufactured units. I will dig out the part numbers for them, the early type one is worth knowing as it is an excellent driveshaft. I assume it is supposed to fit any pre-74 car as apart from the inner spline it is identical, and there is enough axial play in the joints to cope with the different tracks. This would make sense as otherwise Renault would have to keep two different types for their pre 62-69 and 70-74 cars. I put a pair on my 7 degree castor '68 model and am very pleased with them.
So the moral is, if you have a 3 speed car, you should (for the moment) be able to get good longlasting driveshafts with protected true CV joints, no matter what is on the car now. I will dig out that part number and post it.
andythecandy
New Member
- Messages
- 3
The ideal R4
Hello friends,
I´d like to express my ideas of the ideal R4. Infact, there isn´t one, but two of them:
the first one should be an everyday R4, quiet, reliable, easy to drive and to use. It should be an absolute rust-resistant (my deam ) GTL. It must be capable to resist the salty roads in Austrian winters. It must have disks in front. The grey bumpers are easier to care in winters. It would have a decent stereo built-in, the F6-stabilisator and maybe 155/70 tyres. It would be smooth and silent, no rattles. Colour: orange.
The other one should be a classic: one of the second series (with the metal grille around the headlamps, these are the most nicely ones), black dashboard, 12 volts and yes, a sunroof. It would have the 26 hp engine and drums in front. a classic radio would be attached. Chrome bumpers, chome reels all around (but not the chrome backlights). Colour: burgundy red.
Now, I have two R4s, but both of them aren´t quite my dream ones:
the first is a 87 TL, quite good to drive and near on the first described one. But it´s rusty like hell, not to be used in winters. As I am not keen in welding, I will sell this car this year.
The other one is a 1980 TL, and is almost like the second one of my dreams. It´s only lacking of the right grille, the metal flap over the air intake, the round indicators and the sunroof. Maybe I´ll change some of these things, maybe not. And this one is nearly rust-free, so I decided to declare Fridolin to my ideal R4!
Regards, Andy
Hello friends,
I´d like to express my ideas of the ideal R4. Infact, there isn´t one, but two of them:
the first one should be an everyday R4, quiet, reliable, easy to drive and to use. It should be an absolute rust-resistant (my deam ) GTL. It must be capable to resist the salty roads in Austrian winters. It must have disks in front. The grey bumpers are easier to care in winters. It would have a decent stereo built-in, the F6-stabilisator and maybe 155/70 tyres. It would be smooth and silent, no rattles. Colour: orange.
The other one should be a classic: one of the second series (with the metal grille around the headlamps, these are the most nicely ones), black dashboard, 12 volts and yes, a sunroof. It would have the 26 hp engine and drums in front. a classic radio would be attached. Chrome bumpers, chome reels all around (but not the chrome backlights). Colour: burgundy red.
Now, I have two R4s, but both of them aren´t quite my dream ones:
the first is a 87 TL, quite good to drive and near on the first described one. But it´s rusty like hell, not to be used in winters. As I am not keen in welding, I will sell this car this year.
The other one is a 1980 TL, and is almost like the second one of my dreams. It´s only lacking of the right grille, the metal flap over the air intake, the round indicators and the sunroof. Maybe I´ll change some of these things, maybe not. And this one is nearly rust-free, so I decided to declare Fridolin to my ideal R4!
Regards, Andy
Last edited by a moderator:
djoptix
Enthusiast
- Messages
- 40
So just how many sunroofs are there in the UK? I happen to know of one. It's not attached to the car any more though!
Clementine - that blue 6v above, is it the one that was advertised on the r5 gordini site?
I must admit to being swayed by the idea of a Gordini at the mo. Although if anyone knows of a Gordini engine (turbo or non), the ideal might be that in a 4.
Clementine - that blue 6v above, is it the one that was advertised on the r5 gordini site?
I must admit to being swayed by the idea of a Gordini at the mo. Although if anyone knows of a Gordini engine (turbo or non), the ideal might be that in a 4.