First part of this post will be in my friend Paul's words
Fast forward to 6 months later and Paul had gathered a few new parts but hadn't touched the car. The purchase of a series 2 E-type convertible meant that he had to liquidate all other car projects and I bought this one for just the money he had into replacement parts (tail lights, caliper rebuild kits, repair manuals...ect. A very paltry sum.
I bought the Renault from Paul because....well....it is funky and cool and if you have one piece of bizzare old euroshite as a daily you had better damn well have a backup.......and the backup has to be just as odd. Plus SWMBO really likes the renault so I get to build the car "for her"
It doesn't look like much now, but it is pretty solid. It runs like a champ and if it weren't for a bad master cylinder I could start driving it. The floor is in a lot worse shape than I had imagined but metal is replaceable so I have no worries there
But where do you even start with a car like this. It is too rough to be a restoration candidate. I think an aircooled VW inspired "slow and low" thing is in order. Sadly SWMBO hates the "patina" that it currently has so in order to keep up the ruse of this being her car I have to do some body and paint work.
OK so I have some time to spend on this I guess. And I gotta start somewhere.
I did a quick potatochop of it much closer to the ground
Much better but it points out a glaring issue. OMG! those tires!!! The original 15X4" wheels...........pause to let that soak in........... are shod with 30 year old 135r/15's. There is no way I am shelling out for replacements in that size so I need to come up with wider wheels that can handle a modern tire size. The bolt pattern on these bad boys is like poor quality wobbly children's play pony poo here in the states, 3X150. I can't just pop on down to the local wheelatorium and grab some blingy dub deuces in that pattern so I gotta get creative.
Take one spare renault wheel and coerce the tire off with some screwdrivers, pause for a minute to think about the last time you saw an inner tube used in a car tire then drill out the rivets that hold the rim to the center, cut the outer rim so that you can pull the two pieces apart. Grab a VW Golf MK4 steelie and grind the welds off the backside, spend 15 minutes with a torch separating the halves and end up with these bits
Did a quick bang together and...........
Before
after
15X6 ET -25 Thinking 195/50's in the rear and 175/50's up front. We will see what actually happens though
Some badass 3 bolt action.....this might be my favorite look
I did manage to wrangle up a complete set of hubcaps so it is either wheel silver and chrome hubcaps or powder coat them the polished aluminum look and go capless...we will see what wins out. It was a lot of work just doing one wheel and I still have 3 more to go.
Next episode floor rust repair and more interior..............
It’s a weakness or possibly an illness but when I see something like this by the side of the road I absolutely have to stop and check it out, if you suffer the same symptoms or just like funky little European cars, then please, read on.
A couple weeks ago my friends Scott, Keith, and I took a motorcycle camping trip out near Prineville Oregon. After rounding a corner I saw this little beauty sitting in the sagebrush with a sign bearing the magic words, “for sale”. I must admit that at first glance of the boxy shape I took it for an Alfa , no grill meant rear engine perhaps a Fiat? Closer examination showed it to be French! I didn’t know that Renault made these!?
The car was unlocked and though it was dirty and dented it was surprisingly complete with good glass, an engine seemingly in one piece, most of the trim intact, and aside from the front doors even the paint was original, (there must be a story here but I don’t have it yet). I of course called and left a message for the seller.
Fast-Forward three weeks. I had almost forgotten about the little Renault when the owner finally called and we worked out the details, he needed the car gone and I for some reason needed the car, we settled on a price of free so I was left with no choice but to go rescue the poor little voiture!
After securing a truck from another good friend and a trailer from work we were set to go. Scott and I headed East for another weekend of adventure. Surprisingly the Renault still had air in the tires, no stuck brakes, and working steering, I was fearing the worst but we had it loaded-up in no time.
The proud new owner enjoying the moment… and a beer!
Almost done…
Safely loaded the work was done, time to enjoy the outdoors. We had a great view from our campsite of Chimney Rock
After a long drive Sunday I had my prize at home in the driveway. Excited and eager to check it out I decided to see what it would take to get her running again. The license plates expired in 1988 and I suspect that it has been sitting for most of these last 21 years. I removed the spark plugs and sprayed a generous amount of WD40 down each hole, changed the grimy old oil, and replaced the battery. The engine rolled-over smoothly by hand…now my excitement was growing! After only a minute or so of cranking the starter the car developed oil pressure. I poured some fresh gas into the tank, installed some new spark plugs, and gave it just a small shot of ether down the carburetor throat, what followed was pure magic!
The engine sounded good and ran for 30 minutes without leaking a drop, the project is just beginning though. Brakes, clutch, and gearbox all need assessment and attention.
The interior is “rough” but mostly complete and original.
1.3 liters of french fury!
A good sign for sure!
A couple weeks ago my friends Scott, Keith, and I took a motorcycle camping trip out near Prineville Oregon. After rounding a corner I saw this little beauty sitting in the sagebrush with a sign bearing the magic words, “for sale”. I must admit that at first glance of the boxy shape I took it for an Alfa , no grill meant rear engine perhaps a Fiat? Closer examination showed it to be French! I didn’t know that Renault made these!?
The car was unlocked and though it was dirty and dented it was surprisingly complete with good glass, an engine seemingly in one piece, most of the trim intact, and aside from the front doors even the paint was original, (there must be a story here but I don’t have it yet). I of course called and left a message for the seller.
Fast-Forward three weeks. I had almost forgotten about the little Renault when the owner finally called and we worked out the details, he needed the car gone and I for some reason needed the car, we settled on a price of free so I was left with no choice but to go rescue the poor little voiture!
After securing a truck from another good friend and a trailer from work we were set to go. Scott and I headed East for another weekend of adventure. Surprisingly the Renault still had air in the tires, no stuck brakes, and working steering, I was fearing the worst but we had it loaded-up in no time.
The proud new owner enjoying the moment… and a beer!
Almost done…
Safely loaded the work was done, time to enjoy the outdoors. We had a great view from our campsite of Chimney Rock
After a long drive Sunday I had my prize at home in the driveway. Excited and eager to check it out I decided to see what it would take to get her running again. The license plates expired in 1988 and I suspect that it has been sitting for most of these last 21 years. I removed the spark plugs and sprayed a generous amount of WD40 down each hole, changed the grimy old oil, and replaced the battery. The engine rolled-over smoothly by hand…now my excitement was growing! After only a minute or so of cranking the starter the car developed oil pressure. I poured some fresh gas into the tank, installed some new spark plugs, and gave it just a small shot of ether down the carburetor throat, what followed was pure magic!
The engine sounded good and ran for 30 minutes without leaking a drop, the project is just beginning though. Brakes, clutch, and gearbox all need assessment and attention.
The interior is “rough” but mostly complete and original.
1.3 liters of french fury!
A good sign for sure!
Fast forward to 6 months later and Paul had gathered a few new parts but hadn't touched the car. The purchase of a series 2 E-type convertible meant that he had to liquidate all other car projects and I bought this one for just the money he had into replacement parts (tail lights, caliper rebuild kits, repair manuals...ect. A very paltry sum.
I bought the Renault from Paul because....well....it is funky and cool and if you have one piece of bizzare old euroshite as a daily you had better damn well have a backup.......and the backup has to be just as odd. Plus SWMBO really likes the renault so I get to build the car "for her"
It doesn't look like much now, but it is pretty solid. It runs like a champ and if it weren't for a bad master cylinder I could start driving it. The floor is in a lot worse shape than I had imagined but metal is replaceable so I have no worries there
But where do you even start with a car like this. It is too rough to be a restoration candidate. I think an aircooled VW inspired "slow and low" thing is in order. Sadly SWMBO hates the "patina" that it currently has so in order to keep up the ruse of this being her car I have to do some body and paint work.
OK so I have some time to spend on this I guess. And I gotta start somewhere.
I did a quick potatochop of it much closer to the ground
Much better but it points out a glaring issue. OMG! those tires!!! The original 15X4" wheels...........pause to let that soak in........... are shod with 30 year old 135r/15's. There is no way I am shelling out for replacements in that size so I need to come up with wider wheels that can handle a modern tire size. The bolt pattern on these bad boys is like poor quality wobbly children's play pony poo here in the states, 3X150. I can't just pop on down to the local wheelatorium and grab some blingy dub deuces in that pattern so I gotta get creative.
Take one spare renault wheel and coerce the tire off with some screwdrivers, pause for a minute to think about the last time you saw an inner tube used in a car tire then drill out the rivets that hold the rim to the center, cut the outer rim so that you can pull the two pieces apart. Grab a VW Golf MK4 steelie and grind the welds off the backside, spend 15 minutes with a torch separating the halves and end up with these bits
Did a quick bang together and...........
Before
after
15X6 ET -25 Thinking 195/50's in the rear and 175/50's up front. We will see what actually happens though
Some badass 3 bolt action.....this might be my favorite look
I did manage to wrangle up a complete set of hubcaps so it is either wheel silver and chrome hubcaps or powder coat them the polished aluminum look and go capless...we will see what wins out. It was a lot of work just doing one wheel and I still have 3 more to go.
Next episode floor rust repair and more interior..............
