Help with decoding VIN

[cmmwpi]

Hello Everyone,

I recently found a 1985 Renault 4 TL from Spain about 20 minutes from my house. I jumped at the opportunity to snag such a strange car so close to me (and at a good price!) and I'm trying to learn more about it.

What I know is that the girl I bought it from was in the Air Force and was stationed in Spain for 3 years where this was her daily driver. When her tour was up, she shipped the car back to South Carolina. Unfortunately she ran into some money problems and really didn't need the car so she put it up for sale.

From what I can tell, it looks like the car was given a quick restoration by the seller in Spain (some dealership it seems like) where they painted it "re-sale red" and threw it together. The front doors don't seem to fit very well to the point where I can fit my flat hand between the top of the door and the roof when the door is latched. Paint prep and finish was also pretty poor, but that doesn't really bother me. It's still a great car!

Anyway, I decided to do some digging on the history of the car based on the VIN plates and stampings I could find. Through some googling, I was able to find some rough guidelines on decoding a VIN, but nothing very thorough. For example, one number might be the "vehicle type" and is "1128", but what does that *mean*. Clearly the car was built in Spain, but what was the original color? Is 161 the color code? What does the 43 mean on the oval tag?

Can anyone help me decipher my car's history? I've attached some pictures showing the stampings and plates I could find. Thank you!

 

[Andy McGhee]

Hi
These might be a help:

https://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/threads/spanish-chassis-number.3092/

https://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/threads/advance-timing-curve-r4-tl.1467/

The '755' might be the original paint code.

It looks as though the 688 7/91 is a more powerful version of the 1108 cc engine:

https://www.pieldetoro.net/foro/index.php?threads/listado-de-códigos-de-motores-renault.72237/page-2

There's an interesting history of the R4 in Spain here:

https://www.clasicosrenault34567.es/foro/index.php?/topic/1363-el-proyecto-112-historia-del-renault-4-en-españa-y-renault-3/

And a more general one here:

https://myautoworld.com/renault/cars/history/history-renault-4/history-renault-4.html

I remember that a lot of the Spanish-built cars had a '1.1 litros' badge on the tailgate!

Note that the 'TL' might be a bit confusing when it comes to sourcing/ordering parts (RHD TLs have an 845cc engine and are very different parts-wise from the R1128 (called a GTL in the UK and France, and 'Clan' in France from May 86)). From May 86, LHD TLs - also called the 'Savane' - had a 956cc engine.

Great to hear of an R4 in the States!

 

[Jnr-Renospeed]

That's the same engine code as me, 40hp though, I wish . I'm suprised they made a more powerful version of the standard 1108cc motor, I wonder what they tweaked, I see the carbs fitted had an accelerator pump jet however.

 

[benchseat]

To go through your photos in order :

"1128" — i.e. R1128 — is the vehicle model type.
"E012292" is the car’s individual serial number and dates it to 1986-7.
Not sure about the "43161".
The number on the square plate (second photo) probably should occur on the vehicle’s registration document. It is a "hash" including the 1128 code and possibly also includes the chassis number (see below). The Kg weights refer to loading and towing limits.
"688" (third picture) is the engine type (1108cc) and individual serial number.
"755" etc. on the fourth picture is the paint colour code — presumably some sort of red originally — the remaining numbers being (I think) the type of paint applied.
The chassis number you should find on the upper chassis rail immediately inside the right-hand front door. This should match the square plate.
"TL", as #AndyMcGhee says, can be misleading. Generally the TL model designation signified an 845cc engine (both RHD and LHD) and 956cc (LHD only). Yours is definitely 1108cc as indicated by the "1128".

 

[JdeW]

That's the same engine code as me, 40hp though, I wish . I'm suprised they made a more powerful version of the standard 1108cc motor, I wonder what they tweaked, I see the carbs fitted had an accelerator pump jet however.

The 688 B/7 10 has 45bhp usually placed in the R6

 

[Jnr-Renospeed]

The 688 B/7 10 has 45bhp usually placed in the R6

I meant a more powerful 1108 in the R4, I'm aware of the other variants though haha.

I think the hp for this 688 7/91 was likely stated as SAE hp hence the increase.

 

[cmmwpi]

Hey y'all,

Thanks for the wealth of information! This is wonderful! For the paint codes, I wasn't able to find "755" in the listings on this site, but I found it on a site that seems to just have a bit of an information dump (though the years do match up):

https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/colour_codes_renault_peugeot

As for the engine, I thought it seemed pretty peppy! Since I'm in the states, I'll be sure to refer to it as the "big block" model

I think in the meantime, I'll need to get some new tires for it and also a little bit more general maintenance (fluids, battery, etc).

While we're at it, what are the preferred parts suppliers for the 4? I doubt there's anything in the states and it's nice being able to speak the same language as the supplier!

Thanks again!

 

[angel]

43: body trim level code, equivalent to French production TL / Export.

161: Equipment code according to country of destination. "1" first digit means the car has "good road" equipment, "6" seems to be related with cars destined to hot climate countries. Earlier Spanish cars were coded 261, for "poor road" equipment.