Okay, now I've got that off my chest, on with the repairs.......on the above
photo you may notice the section underneath the rear door, and behind the
bumper, is very rusty. There was a 2in square hole on the off side needing
some filler. I used some wire mesh to plug the hole on the rear side, and
smeared some filler over it, then sanded it down the following day after it
had hardened. Note that the 2 rear lower quarter panels are still in their
black primer, having been fitted new before I bought the car - you can even
see the price sticker which took ages to sand off. The front and rear bumpers
were both silver, but despite any deceptive appearances in the small picture,
were very tatty as with the rest of the car, and were going to require rubbing
down and repainting.
Having removed the plastic side panels, I could see the extent of rust along
the lower edges of the doors. The sills along the bottom are also very prone
to rust, but fortunately the previous owner had coated them with lashings
of waxoyl, and underneath the goo they weren't too bad. I now set to work
on repairing the many small dents and patches of rust around the car. This
is the stage at which you begin to spot more and more areas needing attention
- what starts out as a plan to repair 6 or 7 patches turns into a major overhaul
of the entire bodywork. This is always the way when repairing cars, you need
to set aside more time than you may expect initially, and Renault 4's are
particularly bad in this case as they have many foibles and quirks which you
will gradually discover for yourself. Although they are a great car for working
on due to their simplicity, there are many small oddities to be found which,
at worst, may leave you tearing your hair out in frustration.
For anybody unfamiliar with the basics of body filling work,
here's a brief summary: To start off, you should obtain some wet and dry paper,
in different grades - many retailers will not specialize in this and you will
only be able to buy a pack with 3 textures (fine, medium and coarse), which
is adequate, but if possible get hold of a range of thicknesses, from coarse
P80 sheets through to extra fine P1200 sizes. In particular, you should acquire
more mid-range sizes such as P400 and P600. It is impossible to specify exactly
which grades you should use for a job, as it will depend on the severity of
the rust, the location, and the area to be covered. Practice and experience
will give you the best idea. You will also require some standard body filler,
such as a tub of 'Isopon / David's P38' or equivalent. If you have many areas
to fill then look for one of the large tins as it is always better to be generous
with your coverage and it is surprising how much you can get through. Also
as mentioned before, you will doubtless find more and more areas needing attention
as you go along. If you are seeking perfection, it can be worth investing
a little more in a higher quality filler, which will be less lumpy and leave
fewer air holes.
An additional consideration when working with body filler,
is some safety equipment - although many people will forgo these materials
you really should take the issue seriously, as filler is a dangerous material.
If it gets onto your skin, in your eyes, or is inhaled, it can cause damage,
and when used repeatedly over long periods can be a cause of serious conditions,
including cancer. You may think that just doing one job won't do any harm,
but one job every few months for many years is enough to be a problem. Get
yourself some latex gloves (these can be bought in boxes of 100 or so quite
cheaply), a pair of goggles, and a good dust mask. Note that many of the cheap
throwaway types of mask don't offer any real protection against toxic substances
(it even says this on the back of the packet). If you are considering doing
frequent body repairs on vehicles, it is worth investing in a professional
extractor, onto which you can fit specially made sanding blocks. In the second
part of this bodywork tutorial you will be able to see such a machine pictured.
Initially you should use a coarse grade wet and dry paper to rub down the
areas around the rust patches and holes. Use a sanding block under the paper
if necessary, and remove any flaking rust or bad metal, right back as far
as the good metal. Remove the paint down to the bare metal and up to approximately
1 inch beyond the affected area around the edges. Then wash the affected areas
with water and a clean damp cloth. Although I didn't bother myself, you may
wish to apply some rust remover at this point. The area should then be allowed
suitable time to dry and stabilize. (If there is a hole,
then depending on the size you may need to patch it first with some mesh wire
and fibreglass padding. Anything larger than about 1cm square will definitely
require this. Where possible, affix the mesh to the rear or underside of the
body, having carefully cut it to fit the hole. The glass fibre filler (such
as 'Isopon / David's P40' or equivalent) usually looks like a load of hairs
soaked in orange juice - it is not very attractive stuff and is quite fiddly
to use and apply, but it does provide a strong bonding material for larger
holes, especially when spread over wire mesh. This should be allowed to dry
and then sanded using the same technique as with the normal filler described
later on. Possibly you will need to use a coarser grade of paper, and you
should definitely be looking at adding an extra layer of normal filler on
top, no matter how smooth you might get the finish.)
Next, mix up some filler on a piece of scrap cardboard, using about 10% hardener,
ensuring you mix it thoroughly so the hardener is evenly distributed, including
on the spreader itself. Cover the affected area and leave it a little proud
of the surface, ensuring you apply it thoroughly but quickly enough to smooth
it over before it begins to firm up and go flakey. Drying can take anywhere
from 10 minutes to 10 days depending on how much hardener you added, but professional
heat lamps can be used to speed up the process. Once you become more accomplished
at getting a good smooth coverage with the filler you will probably add the
hardener more liberally to get things done faster.
When fully dry, use a medium-coarse grade paper (e.g. P240) to rub the filler
down. Make sure you rub back and forth in a straight line rather than in several
directions or in circles. You can then adjust the angle slightly to flatten
the edges of the filler. It is advisable to use a sanding block of some kind
at this point (where accessible), in order that the level of filler matches
the surrounding body. Be prepared to apply more than 1 layer of filler if
necessary, washing with water and allowing to dry inbetween each job, as it
doesn't always come out right first time, or even second time. As you begin
to get the filler flat, switch to finer grades of paper, perhaps a P600 or
P800 to finish, else you may scratch the surrounding paintwork. To gauge the
smoothness of the repair, you should use the front of your fingers to feel
the panel - don't rub single fingers or thumbs along as you may miss lumpy
bits - hold your hand flat with the fingers together and then feel the finished
area. Finally wipe the area clean with a damp cloth. It is well worth taking
care of your spreaders - you don't want to have to keep buying new ones, and
it only needs a little solvent and some kitchen towel to remove the filler
off of them before it dries up. A single plastic spreader can last you years
if necessary.
You will notice in many of the photos here, that I coated all the filled areas
with red lead oxide paint. This was because I knew it would be some time before
the car had its final respray, and I needed to protect all the treated areas
in the meantime. I also needed to coat the 3 unpainted panels, which were
still new in primer, but which were starting to rust. Red lead paint is quite
cheap and is thick enough to apply just a single coat. Due to the density
of the paint, it offers reasonable protection against water, and is a handy
temporary solution for covering rusty areas. In the picture above, I removed
the rear lights in order to paint the rear panels.
You can see above that there was (and still is) a bit of a gap between the
upper and lower rear panels. When replaced previously, some filler had been
put in the gap but only in odd places. Unfortunately I never attended to this
before the final respray, and it is already starting to rust quite quickly
at the top of the lower panel near the gap. This is because much of the salty
dirt which gets sprayed up inside the wheel arches, finds its way through
the gap and drips down, settling on the slight ledge and eating into the paintwork.
Many R4 owners will have had these panels replaced in the past, so it is worth
checking these and filling the gap thoroughly if you intend to repaint the
car. You can also insert proper rubber wing seals if preferred, as come standard
on many Renault 4's.
Meanwhile, back to the side panels which were previously removed. These were
thoroughly washed, then sprayed bright yellow, along with the rest of the
trim parts. They required about 3 coats, although some months later I gave
them an extra coat just to be sure. When replaced on the car, they can be
quite fiddly, as often the screws do not fit very tightly, and the very small
square washers that fit the holes often get lost and are virtually impossible
to replace. The panels are also held on by sets of nails which stick out of
the body panels. Of course only GTL models have these plastic panels; older
cars have none at all or more flattering sleeker chrome or rubber trims, which
are generally preferred amongst most R4 owners. It is well worth having them
on though, as you are otherwise liable to acquiring countless small dents
and scratches on the doors from mindless idiots who park next to you and whack
their doors against yours.
This picture was taken from the balcony of my flat 100ft high, which explains
the fuzzy appearance as I have zoomed in on it. I just rather liked looking
at the car at this stage, because compared to all the other bland cars in
the car park it looked very cheerful. The front grille and air inlet were
both yellow when I bought the car, albeit rather faded, which was why I decided
to continue the theme and respray all the trim parts yellow. At this point
the car was blue, yellow, had a turquoise back door and several blobby reddish
orange bits, along with silver front and rear bumpers. I would have been quite
happy repainting the car in many different colours, although whilst living
in Salford I feared some depraved pratt would only try and spoil it if I did
so. Despite the car looking fabulous since the full respray in 2002, I rather
liked it when it was at this stage, as is suited my personality quite well.
People would laugh at me from all angles, but I felt smug in the knowledge
it was their pathetic ideals that were laughable, not my free spirit.
As I was only doing a partial body restoration, in the sense that I wasn't
completely stripping all the paintwork and working towards perfection, I gave
many areas a quick rub down where the paint was uneven, and applied more red
lead paint over the top to smooth things just a little. This included all
around the guttering on the top of the car, which I felt needed a coat as
it is prone to rust, especially near the small drainage holes at the back.
It's difficult to see here, but I scraped all the waxoyl and paint off of
the very scruffy sills along the sides, underneath the doors. These were also
rubbed down and coated with red oxide. All these areas would eventually be
rubbed down again before the final respray.
Here again you can see all the framework around the rear door was painted,
including the section below which was previously rusty. I found another rust
trap when doing this - in the corners near the side panels. Often when the
rear door isn't completely watertight, water will gather in these corners,
and in some cases may run down the grooves under the mat, eventually gathering
in areas next to the rear passenger doors. It is worth investigating these
areas, as I found after a little prodding around that there was a massive
rust hole under the surface in one of the corners. I have a particular problem
with leaks in my car - there is an area behind the front wheel arches (in
front of the passenger footwell areas) where the water drips down the wheel
arch and rests on a ledge. Over time it eats away at the metal and finds its
way down under the mats in the front of the car. Of course once it gathers
here it begins to rot through the floor surprisingly fast - you could find
your car seriously ruined within a few months, and it may require extensive
welding to the chassis if you don't attend to these leaks straight away. To
counteract this, I have found that if I park my car with the front end sloping
downwards, the water rolls off the ledge and doesn't enter the inside of the
car. In most cases this is good enough for the time being.
Although I know I ought to attend to the source of the leak, I cannot afford
the welding work required at this stage and this is my only solution. However,
in doing this, I risk allowing more water to enter the back of the car, because
my rear door (being a replacement off another R4) isn't completely flush with
the other panels, and water gathers in the small areas mentioned before, and
also in the well around the rear door catch. As a result some water penetrates
and seeps down to the rear passenger doors. I can't win basically. It's amazing
how simple it can often be to cure the leaks - in my old R4 I had tremendous
problems every time it rained, the mats in the front would be flooded, and
I could actually feel it dripping down on my leg when driving in the rain.
It turned out to be a couple of tiny holes in the rubber seal around the windscreen
- barely visible, but easily fixed by using a tiny amount of silicone sealant.
But not until after I'd spent a few hundred pounds in extensive welding work
to the chassis over a couple of years.
There is a notable problem area seen in this picture. At the front, down underneath
the grille and the number plate, there is a section that runs across which
is very prone to rot. You can see it appears as a light blue colour above,
probably because the previous owner had needed to repaint it to provide some
emergency protection. There are many reasons why this piece of the body is
particularly vulnerable. It is obviously at the front and bottom of the car,
and picks up the full brunt of all the dirt and water that is sprayed up,
and that which drips down. Also when it rains, it is quite well hidden away
and the rain doesn't wash off so much of the dirt and salts, which eat into
it over time. Another consideration is that when cleaning and waxing the vehicle,
many owners don't really bother with this bit so much, as it is awkward to
reach behind the bumper. The top part of this section is very difficult to
access unless you remove the bonnet. I had to rub this piece down, wash it
thoroughly and coat it with red lead before it got too bad. I also found a
very nasty water trap - in the middle there is a diamond shaped hole where
much dirty water is sprayed in. There doesn't appear to be any real drainage
for this area, and as such I found many badly rusted bits around here. I needed
to do a major filling repair using fibre glass padding and mesh wire to patch
this up - you'll see the finished article later.
What's going on here you may wonder? Well back in my flat I was now repainting
the front and rear bumpers. But what you can't see is the mammoth job required
getting them off. Whoever had last fixed them on must have used the rustiest
nuts and bolts they could find. I used every tool I had to try and loosen
them, sprayed them with WD40, bought new tools etc., but they wouldn't budge.
In the end I had to resort to drastic measures - the guy I previously mentioned
who was my witness for the damage caused by the council, helped me by allowing
me use of his electric drill. We struggled for ages, and it took him about
an hour of drilling to break the last nut off. In principle, as with a lot
of things on R4's, removal of the bumpers should be a straightforward task,
but you can often find yourself struggling hours, if not days later with such
things. These bumpers were washed and rubbed down, coated with red oxide (seen
above), then painted with 2 coats of yellow Smooth Finish Hammerite, using
a brush. Again I decided at a later date to give them another coat. Just remember
when you replace any parts, to grease all the nuts and bolts before you affix
them on, or you'll make life very difficult for either you or the next person
who tries to remove them.
Here you can see the section I mentioned before, with the diamond shaped hole
in the middle where the water gets in. I presume there is some reason for
this hole and perhaps there is drainage somewhere behind but I couldn't find
it. It may be some kind of towing eye but there are other components attached
behind here for such purposes so I don't know. The area inbetween the 4 nuts
below this hole had to be completely replaced and patched with mesh and filler.
Also note at this point I had removed the front grille and the air inlet below
the windscreen, which were washed and resprayed yellow. Don't forget to check
behind the number plate, I found a couple more rusty bits there, particularly
where the screws go through. The grille is easy to remove - there are about
seven 10mm nuts inside the bonnet which require loosening and that's it. The
air inlet is more tricky - on my car there are 4 Torx head screws holding
it on, which require a special adaptor, though I don't know if these screws
were original. Once the screws are removed there are plastic tabs holding
it on, which I could pull out using some force, and this almost broke the
part. As if that isn't enough it then needs to be slid off sideways, as it
is held on by a rod which swings according to the position of the knob inside
the car. Again older models will have different grilles and other parts which
may have alternative fixings.
This was a bit of a rush job - I wanted to spray the door handles yellow like
the other trim parts, but once more ran into an unexpected problem. Removing
the handles should be a 3 minute job, but I spent a whole afternoon struggling
with just one and had no joy. On the inside of the door, behind the inner
fabric panels, there are a couple of nuts holding the handle in place. But
in my case one of these was so rusted and tight it would not screw off. The
whole bolt was turning along with the nut. What makes it difficult is that
it is impossible to access the nut from the outside, without breaking the
whole plastic handle off. You cannot even get any WD40 on it except the bit
on the inside - this really is a stupid design. So there was simply no option
but to leave the handles on and attempt to respray them on the car. At this
stage I was in a rush to get all the trim finished before the Holland event,
so I had to peform this operation on a windy day, which is far from advisable.
I slapped some pieces of paper around the handles and taped them up, then
rolled up small pieces to insert around the silver knobs in the middle. After
about 3 coats they were done, and I was delighted at the finished product
- the standard grey colour of all the trim on the GTL models is a little dull
for my liking, so this really brightened it up.
Here's the yellow handles and the side panels back on the car. And following
the replacement of the bumpers, grille and air inlet, this was the condition
in which the car travelled to the 40th anniversary event and back - not quite
what I'd intended, but it drew some attention nonetheless. It would be some
time before I continued with the bodywork and got around to the final respray
- the second part of the tutorial covers this, and can be read by clicking
here.
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