Peppers Renault 4

[pepper]

Yeah I am wondering whether there is enough flow of coolant through the heater matrix, shall change thermostat first (easiest things first) then proceed from there.

 

[pepper]

Well Further updates of BB have been afoot today. At the last MOT the handbrake only 'just' passed the braking test, so as I'm planning to do a fair bit of driving this year I thought I ought to replace the linings. I also needed to unseize a few of the adjusters (what a total faff) anyone got any tips on how to keep them from reseizing up again all ideas would be gratefully received

This is the first time I've been up in the workshop since I had my knee operation last August, my knee has made it impossible to kneel down so I've not been able to work properly. In the end I went and bought a set of Dickies trousers with knee pads that slide into pockets on the knees and they've made a huge difference. I'm stiff this evening but at least I could actually get some work done today.

 

[David Gray]

Any amount of spare wheels available- see new post R4 graveyard.

 

[pepper]

I was sorting out the exhaust on BB today and realised that I don't have a bump stop on the one side, anyone know where they are available from???

 

[malcolm]

Half a feeling I've seen bumpstops on either Franzose or Retro Passion. But do you notice that the remaining bumpstop show no sign of ever having been bumped? They are useless and were not fitted to UK GTLs so my suggestion would be to remove the other one in case the MOT guy ever complains.

 

[pepper]

Lol good call!

Although to be fair, the metal where it is supposed to be is a little dented! :eek:

 

[malcolm]

Naah - it's just the way the reinforcing bracket is pressed that makes it look dented, and in any case an inch less rubber would improve clearance. Do post pictures - I might have a narrow minded view about the benefit of bumpstops on the back of a R4.

 

[Azazello]

Are you talking about the black plastic thing screwed ahead of the bumper?
I have only the front ones...
There was a guy on ebay selling a couple for 15 euros...

Andrea scripsit.

 

[John Doe]

I have them all around on my three R4's. Last year I bought a pair NOS from a German ebay.

 

[pepper]

No not the pieces on the bumper.

it is a piece of deformable rubber attached to the chassis of the car inside the wheel arch to prevent the suspension hitting the body as it uses its full travel.

 

[John Doe]

Naah - it's just the way the reinforcing bracket is pressed that makes it look dented, and in any case an inch less rubber would improve clearance. Do post pictures - I might have a narrow minded view about the benefit of bumpstops on the back of a R4.

Since I had my close encounter back in 2005 I am very open minded when it comes to tow bars

 

[John Doe]

No not the pieces on the bumper.

it is a piece of deformable rubber attached to the chassis of the car inside the wheel arch to prevent the suspension hitting the body as it uses its full travel.

I have never seen them on Slovenian built R4.

 

[Azazello]

I did not notice them. Tomorrow I will have look.

Andrea scripsit.

 

[godlike]

I've noticed a ruber on the shock absorber. As I can tell it there if the shock absorber squeezes too much, so it don't hit that hard.

 

[pepper]

Well after taking the dampers off to do a bit of welding, I tried moving the axle up and where I thought the bump stops should be comes nowhere close!

I like the idea of this new Renault 4 project page as it's more appropriate than the restoration page.

 

[jjad]

Hi Pepper, do you mean that the trailing arm can't hit the chassis anyway? Or that where the bump stops should be is the wrong place?

Thanks, Jonathan

EDIT: I think that I now understand what Malcolm means when he says that the rear dampers work in reverse: looking at this photo I can see that when the rear wheel goes over a bump or more weight is added in the boot, the trailing arm will move upwards and the arm where the top of the damper is mounted will move forward, causing the damper to get longer. So the bump stop on the damper actually stops the damper from being compressed too much; this would happen when the rear wheel goes into a hole or when jacking up the rear (as here the trailing arm goes down, causing the arm where the top of the damper is mounted to move backwards). So the bump stop on the damper isn't going to stop the trailing arm from hitting the chassis at all.

 

[pepper]

Well I haven't updated this thread in a little while, mainly as BB just runs and very rarely needs anything apart from a little servicing!

I've been a little worried about not having a decent fog light (I know I know) and no reversing light on her so I set about sorting it all out. All the wiring was there and I had put a fog light switch in when I replaced the speedometer. There was also a switch already in the gearbox as the car I got the engine and box from had reversing lights in the boot lid!

So I'd found some excellent little LED lights on Ebay from Hong Kong and had ordered a few (So if anyone wants any let me know)

Link Below

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251263954...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I was originally going to put them in the bumper so ordered Silver but in the end I decided to put them in the overriders as they were then more vertical.

Here's what they look like fitted in.

Here's them lit up.

 

[pepper]

Here's some pictures of them at night!

Reversing light

Fog light

They work really well and take very little power, the reversing light wire was in the rear hatchback so I just pulled it down and re routed it down to where the fog light wire was already waiting.

 

[alewis]

Bump stops - The F4 has a proper plate underneath the body connected to the "seat belt mount plate" unlike the car Will post a picture sometime, so assume they weren't really for cars.

 

[Stan]

That's pretty bl@@dy neat.