Geoff in the Gully
Getting it together
- Messages
- 281
G'day folks, time to introduce myself.
I write to you from the leafy foothills east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
I've recently become the owner of a '63 R4L (1123 model) which I am restoring. In 36-odd years of driving Renaults, it's my first R4 but it was very early on in those 36 years that I first wanted one. Somehow, having a career, marriage and raising a family got in the way. But no more.
My first car was a Dauphine Gordini - a great little beastie that one. She was followed by several R10s (for some reason I kept on bending them; something to do with a discrepancy between actual and self-percieved driving competence!) a couple of R12s, an R16, lately a Scenic and now a Megane hatch. It was when I was driving the Gordini that I first saw the R4 and loved it's unique quirkiness.
R4s are much rarer in Australia than in Europe as they were only imported from '63 to '66 (so they're mostly the early models). Renault's market share was too small for them to be able to concurrently sustain many models and they stopped the R4 when the R10 came out. I had my eye out for a long time before I saw one available for acquisition - well, there was one but it was an outrageous price and too far away - so I grabbed it.
It had been the previous owner's first car - 47 years old and a single owner! - and her husband had started restoring it before his health gave out. It came to me as a rolling chassis with engine / gearbox, body shell separate, all panels and doors off and stripped of fittings and several boxes of bits. I'd gotten a kit car, minus the instructions and I hadn't even seen the whole thing assembled! Cost me more in petrol to pick up than I paid. But I was happy.
Anyway, researching the internet to expand my grossly deficient knowledge led me to Clementine's Garage, and boy am I glad you are here. What a wonderful forum. I rebuilt the Gordini and several R10s so I've got some experience but a workshop manual doesn't give one the whole story! I expect I'll be asking the odd question or two.
It's going to be a very complete restoration - from bare metal up and rebuilding all mechanicals and interiors. I'll start a thread in restorations to let you follow the progress. Hopefully the experience will enable me to help others also.
Cheers, Geoff
I write to you from the leafy foothills east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
I've recently become the owner of a '63 R4L (1123 model) which I am restoring. In 36-odd years of driving Renaults, it's my first R4 but it was very early on in those 36 years that I first wanted one. Somehow, having a career, marriage and raising a family got in the way. But no more.
My first car was a Dauphine Gordini - a great little beastie that one. She was followed by several R10s (for some reason I kept on bending them; something to do with a discrepancy between actual and self-percieved driving competence!) a couple of R12s, an R16, lately a Scenic and now a Megane hatch. It was when I was driving the Gordini that I first saw the R4 and loved it's unique quirkiness.
R4s are much rarer in Australia than in Europe as they were only imported from '63 to '66 (so they're mostly the early models). Renault's market share was too small for them to be able to concurrently sustain many models and they stopped the R4 when the R10 came out. I had my eye out for a long time before I saw one available for acquisition - well, there was one but it was an outrageous price and too far away - so I grabbed it.
It had been the previous owner's first car - 47 years old and a single owner! - and her husband had started restoring it before his health gave out. It came to me as a rolling chassis with engine / gearbox, body shell separate, all panels and doors off and stripped of fittings and several boxes of bits. I'd gotten a kit car, minus the instructions and I hadn't even seen the whole thing assembled! Cost me more in petrol to pick up than I paid. But I was happy.
Anyway, researching the internet to expand my grossly deficient knowledge led me to Clementine's Garage, and boy am I glad you are here. What a wonderful forum. I rebuilt the Gordini and several R10s so I've got some experience but a workshop manual doesn't give one the whole story! I expect I'll be asking the odd question or two.
It's going to be a very complete restoration - from bare metal up and rebuilding all mechanicals and interiors. I'll start a thread in restorations to let you follow the progress. Hopefully the experience will enable me to help others also.
Cheers, Geoff
