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Oh what have I done

T

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Having recently bought a 1984 renault 4 restoration project I am now finding more and more problems having got it home. The car had been garaged for over 7 years and when looking to buy it I decided to go and look at it first as recommended on the forum. I knew what to check for and was ready. However, on arrival it was impossible to see the car properly as access was a problem. I looked underneath as best I could but only access to rear and back offside. On the day I walked away but overnight thought again about it and decided to take a chance on it and agreed to buy. I dragged the car out of the garden asbestos shed kicking and screaming and after removal of several years of ivy growth.

I now find the chassis rusted to rear shock area and it appears this will be a body off restoration as I fear more problems to be unearthed. This is going to be a huge learning curve for me and I think a welding course is needed. Just a shame the chassis is not made of timber. I am out of my comfort zone so looking for reassurance please.
 
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Regarding the chassis, these should be available new soon, and even if that doesn't happen, good chassis turn up on leboncoin relatively often.

If the body turns out to be too rusty to restore, it may be worth cutting your losses.

You may have bought the car, but you are not committed to restoring it.
 
Thank you for that. This was bought as a 50th birthday present for my wife. I have 2 years to deliver on a promise.
 
Ok it looks bad, but a promise is a promise. Mig welding isn't a black art and it's well within the scope of all of us enthusiasts, so learn a new skill my dear chap. I don't imagine you paid a great deal for the car, so if you can do the metalwork yourself you save on the labour, then if you do have to pay someone to attend to the mechanicals it still won't break the bank. What a great birthday present for your better half, but be prepared for some long evenings out in the garage, but atleast your good lady will know where you are:D Of course you are amongst a good bunch of knowledgable people here, so just ask away. Golden rule, stay positive.
 
Personally I'd be tempted to leave it for the moment until a new chassis is available. Alternatively I do know of a late GTL, freshly restored that is for sale very soon. Its not mine but PM me if you want more info.
 
I'd do the same as Lobster suggests, you'll end up spending far far more money getting that car sorted out than by buying a good condition car in the first place.

If you don't have the equipment to do it now it could be costing you an awful lot of time and money, when you could just buy a good one and keep it maintained!

I've been in the same position previously and I've learnt things like buy one good one in the first place, rather than buying twice cheaply.
 
Well I for one think its a great buy; it looks very much like the car that I've just bought. The rust doesn't look that bad' it's definitely fixable because I've seen far worse on this website.
You're in a position to learn so much more from this experience. The secret is to take your time over the repairs, bit by bit. If it doesn't work out after 2 years you could always buy your wife some jewellery.
 
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Contact Mélun Retropassion NOW and put your name down for a new chassis. It will encourage them and thus marginally increase the chances of their project coming to a successful conclusion.

We are all hanging on the hope that their chassis project succeeds and if it does I think they will be pleasantly surprised by the number of orders. I am down for two and have foolishly committed myself to a third as a result of Malcolm's big clear-out. Looking forward to 2013!

As regards bodywork, get new panels rather than try to repair old ones. They are still available on the Continent.

I have always fought shy of trying my hand at welding on the grounds that while I could probably produce a convincing-looking weld, could I produce an automotive-quality one? The idea of the car falling apart en route is bad enough, the idea that it would be wholly my fault is unbearable. This is why I am awaiting a new chassis : to get the proper MIG kit might set me back about half the cost of a chassis, and the rest is a spanner-and-screwdriver question (plus about 5 cubic miles of PlusGas).
 
Thank you all for your very good words of wisdom I have had a good laugh at some points particularly with regard to terminal connectors, thank you DavidN.

I appreciate the positive response from you Cornish4 and yes this is going to be a challenge although I am lucky as I clearly have a life line with all of you for advice. Not sure that Pepper wasn't right and perhaps I should have spent a bit more on a better car but I took a gamble on this one as I was unable to inspect it properly, my own fault but now I need to grin and bear it.

Thank you as well Lobster for your offer of a contact but this for me at this time is not an option so to work I go.

I was also glad to see I am not alone as Mojobaby has got one too. Perhaps you could post some pics to show me, might make me feel better. My wife likes the thought of jewellery she suggested a renault 4 diamond encrusted charm keyring to go with the car!!!

And thank you benchseat, I agree to use new panels where possible. Any good suppliers you know of on the continent that you have used? Also probably like you I could have a fair crack at a weld if not to be seen but automotive quality hmmm! I do have a mechanic friend in London who is what I call the car Doctor, for those finishing touches I will steal him for a week to help me.

Thanks again everyone
 
It is in much better condition than the cars I normally buy.

From the photos it looks like it might be useful for you to know how to weld yourself as welding will be the thing that hikes costs beyond buying a decent car in the first place. www.mig-welding.co.uk started out from here and might be worth a look.

Other than that the rust in the photos looks reasonably typical. It's an A reg car made before decent factory rustproofing that protected the wing and underfloor seams so be sure to seal and rust proof as you go along.
 
Oh yes that does help, haha. Thank you mojobaby. Did you pay extra for the dirt?

Thanks Malcolm for the tip on rustproofing and the link to welding, looks like a good place to start. I have looked at many of your restoration projects and been totally impressed with the results, well done.
 
Also remember you don't have to do the work yourself. I've done loads of 2cv restos and long learned that welding is just not one of the things I enjoy doing. These days I cut the rusty crap out and prepare all the areas ready, then get my trusty man in to do the actual welding (you get better with practice - what could be better than a guy who welds every day!) which lets me get on with stuff like cleaning up the welds, seam sealing, spraying paint and the like.

My R4 has literally just had loads of bits done like the bottom of the rear door pillars, inner front wings etc and while the £700 bill might seem a lot, the pleasure of handing the grief over to someone else so I can do the bits I enjoy instead makes it good value for me. Remember you are restoring the car for pleasure, so before getting stuck in, it might be worth asking mates if anyone knows a decent local bodyshop or mobile welder who can assess it and quote.

You might also find they get the work sorted a damn sight quicker, keeping you on track for your promise. Lets face facts a happy missus is worth its weight in gold!
 
Charliemouse said:
That's Francais Mojo... won't be rusty. You can restore that with a bucket and sponge!

A sponge bath worked wonders and as you say, being inland French, the rust is minimal but I still have to attend to the floor panels on the drivers side and the wheel rims.

Malcolm, I've been promising myself a mig welder for the last 6 months since I joined the site. I've made inquiries and everyone says to use TIG. Your welding website is very inspirational so I'll stick to mig if that's what you recommend.
I've seen a couple advertised from 300Euro to 1000Euro. I don't want to buy something that breaks after a week but then again I don't need to buy the very best either.
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Malcolm, I've been promising myself a mig welder for the last 6 months since I joined the site. I've made inquiries and everyone says to use TIG. Your welding website is very inspirational so I'll stick to mig if that's what you recommend.
I've seen a couple advertised from 300Euro to 1000Euro. I don't want to buy something that breaks after a week but then again I don't need to buy the very best either.[/QUOTE]


Mojo - The latest innovation and BRILLIANT for beginers are synergic welders with an inverter. A chimp could weld with one - the computer modulates the current and you get a perfect weld every time. You dont even have to hold the gun a constant distance away. SUPERB for welding corners and sadles in tube etc.

Anyway - most of these run to £1500 - £2000. For an affordable alternative, try an ESAB Caddy C200i. Computer control, just set the material thickness (no messing with current and wire speed - though you can over-ride if you wish to!). Best of all - around £650 if you shop around now! (Think RRP is more like £900).

CM
 
Hi snailshed, good advice as I do know a good local welder who restores vintage cars he has already done some work on another car of mine. I may take your advice and do all the preperation work then call in the A team. Cheers
 
Don't use TIG. That's useful for doing pretty stuff when you are settled on a work bench especially with exotic metals. I've got one but have hardly used it on a R4. Mig all the way for these things.
 
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