1959 Renault Fregate Domaine

I'll pop some interesting pics up in the morning. Been waiting all day to leave work and scratch that itch so it was straight under the bonnet to see what we have got.

She runs...sort of! Battery applied and electrics fiddled and slowly some of the lights came on as it awoke from slumber - taking it slowly expecting wiring issues. My French is non-existent and very few of the controls have any labels - I've learnt it turns over in forward and reverse and after a fiddle with the column level - Neutral. It's all a bit excentric inside compared to my usual ford and land rover clobber.

Using a water bottle for a petrol tank and a tweak of the ignition system we almost have life - certainly the start of a rumble.

Dynamo reconnected, belt on I added some water with thoughts of a spin up the drive to see whats behind the gear lever. Oh dear - radiator ok - leaks just about everywhere else though - water pump dead, it turns but the ally has gone to the point that no hose will connect - potentially water coming out of the exhaust manifold and maybe from the crank case vent (to atmosphere!

Daylight run out now - Vintage fare tom'w then back on it to explore further.

Comments welcome - head spinning with ideas of running as is given its rareity in the uk - possibly dropping in a small 4 cylinder replacement or maybe a 'quick' Jag straight 6! Either way its an oily rag job and back on the road asap first. Here we go then.....

So here she is resting at home.


I just love some of the details of the car.







The lights have a concave glass - have you ever seen that elsewhere?

Last one for now.

Thanks Clement - my french is non-existent and google translate only goes so far so I may take you up on that offer. Links very much welcomed thank you.
Seems like main service items are easily found but significant broken items such as the water pump less so. No decisions yet - more exploring to do.

Very interesting to see, I heard Renault started assembling Ramblers after the Fregate for those who wanted bigger vehicles.
Renault 4 shared the same concave headlamps, & more recently early Lotus Elise also used them.

Its official - engine is dead. To be precise the cylinder head. When filled with water the water exits from the exhaust port for cylinder number 4. Seems like the water galley and exhaust area of the head has broken through.

It is an alley head but I don't think a repair is on the cards as there is no obvious access. So source a cylinder head (and a water pump) or replace the whole engine for something else? Comments welcome.

There are a couple of options looking on Lebcoin (thanks Clement) - we shall see how I get on with the language barrier....

Clement - thanks for the links - they seem quite expensive. I did spot a couple of whole engines for circa 150 but this could be just buying more trouble. I wasn't aware it was only a three bearing construction - useful information. Thanks for your advice.

I shall spend a little time with my tape measure this week looking at some transplant options - I know I can have a jag auto in place without a stick on the floor - anyone know of other 4/6 auto combinations that the gearbox can be controlled by wire?

Very cool car. There was a vandalised one about 25 years ago next to our summer house in Greece. It was black too, all the windows smashed and the roof caved in by kids. I used to dream about getting it, fixing it up and cruising in it. Got scrapped when they sold the land it was on

So some progress at last.

Its been a steady start, engine bay stripped bare - thorough clean and a quick splash of paint for now. New engine now fitted - much measuring and deliberating between the usual suspects - volvo red block (too wide due to the slant mounting), zetec/duratec - some of the parts are too expensive all led me to where I didn't want to be...a pinto!

I've looked at it this way - the car will be on the road quicker, its on budget and pending the lotto win something else can follow on. So showing some serious commitment I have traded my XJ8 against parts, ramp time and a little banger know how with some friends - so lets get this moving on.

As of this evening the car now sports a an EFI pinto with A4LD auto box. You will see from the pics it is mounted well forward within the engine bay. The original engine had the fourth cylinder in line with the main front cross member - replacement is in the same place so dynamically a neutral impact hopefuly. The car has an almost flat floor, a feature I really wanted to keep - hence no bulkhead cutting - it sort of all fits...not too much power - dimensions are almost the same as the orginal - this shall be a cruiser.

Some highlights from the pics and fitting - landrover cotton tail mounts, front left uses the original base mount onto the body, right side has been relocated and welded on. Some trimming to the structure - all seam welded up, plus a little chop to the cross member - reinforced inside and plated over, means no sump cutting - a bonus. Some modifications to the donor and host crossmember brought the gearbox home. As the connecting cross member was reasonably short - under Phils instruction we have made our own, the shafts allowed a full length sleeve and some careful welding - felt good on the tow home!

Pics to follow - a big thanks owed to Phil for his efforts and skills - the banger workshop is more than capable of turning out hot rods Phil - this shall prove it.

Time to take stock now - clean down and work out the ancillaries. Key problems on the horizon....

Exhaust manifold is a real headache, just no space, we have tried the usual suspects. Think its going to have to be a custom job that keeps everything close - a series of or a single J pipe if you will. I've over done it on the exhaust pipe size so a restrictive header may not be a bad thing with a bit of back pressure, I'm a little worried about the impact on the engine - we shall see and advice welcome.

Wiring for the EFI will be ok - noting I shall build a whole loom from scratch as I go...but the auto is semi-electronic and as most fit manuals its back to the wiring diagrams as there is little information!

Autojumble next - list of brake bits the main priority and some RHD headlights.

Right - pics....