So it was shortly after the New Year in 2002 that the R4 was taken to college
for final preparations and a full respray. The picture above shows the second
area of damage, on the nearside rear quarter panel. In fact what you see is
a semi-repaired panel, not the original dent, which was quite hideous. It
had seemed unrecoverable and more advisable to fit a replacement panel due
to the scale and severity of the damage, but credit where it's due, the paint
tutor knocked the panel back into shape surprisingly well, and only thin layers
of filler were eventually required to bring it back up to scratch. In case
you haven't already read it, the previous article in this section (number
TQ4) details the basic procedures for flatting down and filling rust patches
and dents.
The only reason for this photograph is that it shows the original decals on
the back door, which I have not found on any other R4. It was basically just
two parallel horizontal strips, accompanied by the two thick diagonal stripes
seen on the right-hand side. These would have to be removed for respraying,
so I set about taking them off with a scraper, then wet-flatting the whole
door using a medium-fine grade of wet and dry paper. You can see the result
a few photos later on.
You may recall that I had coated all the several patches of filler that had
previously been attended to, using some red lead oxide paint. This was a short
term measure to protect against rot, knowing the car would probably be standing
over winter before being fully repainted. Well clearly all of these patches
were not flat enough, and some were decidedly lumpy, so I needed to go over
them all again with a medium grade paper (ie. P400). In the above picture,
you can see the extractor machine which I mentioned in the previous instalment
of this article, to which is fitted a special sanding block. You also require
specially manufactured strips of paper to fit onto these blocks. The dust
is sucked through holes in the block into the extractor, making the job not
only easier with less to blow off afterwards, but much safer due to less chance
of inhaling potentially harmful particles, or getting it on your skin. This
is a very useful tool for anybody who does frequent body repairs. For those
of use that don't have such wonders, it is important to remove the dust in
other ways. If possible, a blower connected to an air line is preferable,
but again beyond the reach of the average garage enthusiast, so a soft brush
may be a good bet, providing it doesn't scratch the bodywork. Before the final
respray, the car will need degreasing which will remove any last traces of
dust, as explained later.
Just to prove that I really did most of the work, here's a picture of me getting
to grips with the flatting. I wet flatted the whole car one more time with
a medium-fine grade paper (between P600 and P800). You will see that I am
all kitted out in safety gear - in fact how many items can you spot? There's
the goggles, the dust mask, the latex gloves and the overalls, plus the extractor
machine itself. And although I didn't bother on this occasion, don't forget
that if working in a noisy environment it's well worth using some earplugs,
providing they don't stop you hearing anything important like fire alarms
obviously.
Once more all the yellow trim was removed, that is the front grille, the air
intake below the windscreen, the plastic side panels, front and rear bumpers,
and above you'll notice the number plate has been taken off too. Most details
on removal are in the previous article, however a note here about the side
panels: Renault 4 GTL models which have these large plastic versions can be
a bit tricky to remove. There are a couple of round plugs at the base of each
panel, which must be taken out using a thin flat screwdriver. With any luck,
behind these you will see the screws, but sometimes they can be misaligned,
making the job near impossible. If you only see grey plastic, try shifting
this to the left or right with your fingers, as there are some movable parts
which slide across. The original screws have small rippled washers, and they
fit into square-fronted plastic plugs which slide into the actual holes in
the body panels. These plugs can be left on the car if required, though they
may fall out, and it is common for them to be either worn, damaged or missing
altogether. Replacements are hard to find so look after them. The side panels
can then be slid upwards (perhaps with some force) to free them from the many
nails which are fitted onto the body panels. It is quite likely that you will
find rusty areas behind these panels, as dirt and salts are trapped and gather
inside, eating away at the bodywork. You might also find plenty of cobwebs
and insects, most long deceased, but which will be good reason to wash the
panels thoroughly before refitting. The front and rear bumpers can also be
a real pain to remove if the nuts and bolts have rusted, but they are otherwise
a straightforward task that require no further explanation here. The only
awkward bits are the bolts around the two 'lug-handles' between the front
wings and the bonnet (as seen below), though not all Renault 4's are fitted
with these.
Although difficult to see here, the dent on the front wing has now been filled
with a second layer of filler. The bits underneath, including the rim of the
wheel arch, have also been attended to. There are still some patches of bare
metal around that dent though, which is not ideal. This means the repair is
not completely smooth, and indeed after the respray this was one of the only
areas where you could just feel a slight valley, despite being invisible.
Again time dictated that we must press on rather than spend another hour with
another layer of filler, but at the least the bare metal should really have
been covered with some primer. The salvation was that a layer of primer was
eventually applied to the whole car during the respray.
Here's the old turquoise door again that I was rather fond of, but now you
can see it has been fully flatted down, and the stickers removed. The number
plate has been removed, though I should have also taken off the light above
it, and reversing lights you can see hanging down on their cords. As with
many of the other light fitments, removal is straightforward, and you can
detach these lights easily as they clip off from the wires. The front side
lights are similar though each of the 3 wires can be removed separately. The
headlights can be easily masked up and do not require removal, whilst with
the diamond quarter indicator lights you can remove the screws and pull them
out somewhat, then mask up the bits that stick out. These lights are generally
only found on UK models from around 1985 and 1986, because new regulations
brought into force meant vehicles had to have wing indicators, so I believe.
I've noticed many other variations however, with other countries having round
or square lights in similar locations.
The rear lights are simple to take off, just a couple of screws on the outer
casing, a couple of nuts on the metal part underneath, then the wires can
be unclipped and masked up. Once the car has been wet flatted for the final
time, it should be allowed to dry and then fully degreased. It is possible
to make up your own degreasing solution, but it would be simpler and perhaps
more reliable to just buy some ready made from any automotive stockist. Degreasing
is essential to remove all last traces of dirt and grime, even if none is
visible. In the picture above, you can see the car is still covered in filler
dust, and it will also be covered in dried out dirty water from the flatting.
All this should be removed to ensure the best adhesion for the paint. You
will need some paper towels or tissues to degrease the car, and to do the
job properly you must use both hands and be quick in your action. Alternatively
find somebody to help you but they must also be quick. The basic principle
is this: dab some degreasing solution onto one tissue, and rub firmly and
briskly over the bodywork. You will notice the fluid leaves smears which dry
out within seconds. With the other hand, or the second person, you must attempt
to wipe the wet areas with the dry tissue, before they dry out.
With the right amount of degreasing solution, you should have about 5 seconds
before the liquid evaporates, so if it is disappearing almost immediately
use a little more fluid. Ideally you should go over the whole car 2 or 3 times
in this manner, because the slightest bit of dust or grease will make a big
difference to the finish, perhaps not immediately, but certainly over the
long term.
You can see the difference from the last picture once the degreasing is complete,
the dust is banished for good. Now onto the masking up, as is evident from
this picture. There is a bit of an art to doing this, and unfortunately it's
not something that can be explained in print. Much of the skill lies in the
thumbs, in guiding the masking tape around the awkward curves. It should be
explained here that once again, because of time constrictions and budgets,
my car was not given a full respray, which would include the inside and under
the bonnet etc., nor was it given a proper respray that would have involved
removing the doors, so my own paint job was purely an exterior one. If you
were doing the whole thing, there would of course be mountains of parts to
remove and mask up, especially under the bonnet, plus interior furnishings
to remove and quite frankly a complete strip down of the car. If you are removing
the doors, you should acquire a roll of wide masking paper, which can be cut
to size and taped to the insides of the doors around the frames. Always leave
the driver's door until last, so you can maneouvre the car if necessary. If
you are not removing the doors you should still acquire some masking paper
though you may get away with a smaller size or a pack of sheets rather than
a roll, considering the relatively miniature windows of the R4. Note that
proper masking paper should be attached the correct way around - both sides
are not identical. One has a shiny coating, which should be placed
facing outwards, in order to repel moisture and stop paint seeping through
to the other side. You can always use newspaper as a substitute for masking
paper, especially if you are not doing an expensive full restoration. And
if, as in my case, you are keeping the doors and bonnet on, you should use
some strips of foam to sandwich in the cracks around the doors, to stop paint
going through into the car. Ready prepared strips with sticky adhesive can
be purchased from specialist suppliers and trim manufacturers.
Masking is quite straightforward, but when fiddling with the curves around
window frames, use one thumb to hold down the tape, the other one to guide
it around, sliding the first thumb along behind. Well I can't really say any
more than that, it's just trial and error. It is possible however with practice
to achieve perfection in this, as was the case with myself and the others
who masked up my car. You really can curve the tape around the windscreen
to the last millimetre, giving the impression once sprayed that there was
never any other colour underneath, although this may in part depend upon using
the right type and level of paint that will not soak through the tape.
Clearly when respraying a car, you should choose a good location, preferably
a garage or proper spraying booth, but without doubt an undercover location
unless unavoidable. Also ensure your car is well away from other vehicles
and objects, as small particles of paint can travel a long way even in the
slightest wind or draught. So if you have to do it outside try and wait for
a very still dry day, and wherever you are parked, try to prevent anything,
including dust, insects, rain or other people from touching or landing on
the surface. My own car was sprayed in a professional spray booth, then baked
to make the paint set faster and give a longer-lasting finish. This would
normally be expensive however and only really worthwhile if you are doing
a major restoration with perfection as the aim (which I wasn't). If you are
spraying indoors, ideally you need an air-fed mask attached to an air line
or cylinder, but at the very least use a decent face mask and goggles, and
a cap of some sort. If you don't have an extractor, ensure there is some ventilation
but not anything that will cause a draught. It may be a wise precaution to
advise somebody what you are doing too, so as they might rescue you should
you suffocate or have a breathing problem.
If you have any areas of bare metal, or you have stripped the entire car of
paint, you need to apply some kind of primer, and special etch primer is particularly
good. This has adhesive qualities that allow overcoats to grip more firmly
and provide a smoother finish. You can also use standard primers, which usually
come in red or grey, including good old red oxide as mentioned in part 1 of
this article. Other colours are available from specialist suppliers, and you
should be aware that the shade of the undercoat can make a difference to the
overall colour. In my own case, I had a layer of rather special aqua blue
primer as seen being applied in the photo above, which was ideal for the deeper
mid blue overcoat, and I'm sure it made a noticeable difference to the final
result. The deeper blue paint had a slightly purplish tinge to it, and I reckon
this was visible initially for at least the first day or so. But as the paint
settled it became a more definite blue, so I feel the undercoat must have
been showing through more.
If you can use a proper air compressor and paint gun, then
all the better, as it can make a big difference to the finish. When using
a gun, clean it out prior to adding the paint, by spraying thinners through
it, and spray the first paint on a test surface until the paint is coming
through clearly and evenly. When using an aerosol and spraying over the top
of existing paint, ensure that you have the right type of paint - most are
cellulose based but if you attempt to spray this over a synthetic finish it
will crinkle. It is very probable your car has cellulose based paint for its
previous or original finish, but if in doubt, or you suspect your car was
repainted before, try and find out what paint was used, and test the new paint
on an area that will not show (such as under the bonnet) before going ahead
with the rest of the car.
Clearly there's a bit of a leap between the last 2 photos - and as if by magic,
the resprayed car appeared! This was due to my old unpredictable camera misleading
me as to how many pictures remained on the film. I would have liked a couple
more before the car came out of the booth but had to wait until returning
home and inserting a new film by which time it was dark. These last 3 pictures
were taken by my friend Maria Cooke a week after the respray.
If you are spraying a layer of primer or undercoat, this is a good time to
practise your technique. Although you would not wish to ruin even the undercoat
for fear of it showing through the top coat, it is a good opportunity to get
to grips with the spraying and master the action before you apply the final
finish. The paint tutor at my college actually sprayed my car, not myself,
but I know how tricky it can be to get it just right having practised on other
vehicles. Unless you are using a specially adapted spray gun and compressor
which allows you to use the vessel upside down, you should hold the aerosol
or gun upright (or as close to upright as possible when treating flat surfaces
such as the bonnet), and hold it around 10 inches / 25 centimetres from the
surface to be sprayed.
When you begin spraying, start off on a masked area, or in the air slightly
away from the car, so that as you sweep your hand across there will be an
even spread of paint onto the surface to be covered. Also ensure that at the
end of each sweep you drag the spray away slightly or onto the masked area,
again to ensure even coverage around the edges. You need to be quite confident
in your approach, generously spraying the paint as opposed to nervously spraying
short blasts in different places. However the right balance has to be achieved,
and too much paint will cause it to run or sag, so don't go over the top.
If anything, under-spraying is slightly preferable to over-spraying, as although
you will not achieve such a quality finish, it will at least save you having
to wet flat the whole thing down and spray it again, which is what will be
required should you experience any sagging. Do not get this logic confused
with the distance at which you spray, it is a different principle. Under-spraying
is the result of moving the spray can too quickly or eratically across the
surface, or striping the area by allowing too much gap between each line of
spray. If you spray from too far away however, another undesirable effect
can be achieved because small particles of paint dry up before they hit the
surface and create a speckled finish.
The most important thing about the whole spraying technique
is the action of your hands and wrists, and the angle at which you spray.
It is very important to practise on a rough surface before you do any spraying
for the first time, because there is a bit of a knack to be discovered in
how you apply the paint. Above all else, you should always move your hand
along the line of spray so that the paint fires perpendicular (at 90 degrees)
to the area being covered. Do not turn the aerosol or gun at an angle
to the bodywork, instead keep your wrists flexible so your spraying action
is always in the same direction. The exception is with awkward surfaces such
as the roof, where you will need to still keep the can fairly upright but
pointed some way downwards to accommodate. The only time the can or gun should
be rotated sideways from its vertical position is when following certain curves
(such as the top front corner of the passenger doors), in which case you can
turn the can or gun slightly as you follow the curve around (only by about
25 degrees maximum). You should still however keep the angle at which the
spray hits the bodywork to 90 degrees. Clearly there are some areas, such
as the rim of the wheel arches, which require a little more adjustment and
it will not be possible or feasible to hold the can completely straight on
these sections, but these are the exception.
As you work on each section of the car, for instance a side
door panel, move along in a straight horizontal line until you pass beyond
the edge of each area and onto the masking paper or into the air. You can
then release the spray, and adjust your position down slightly, moving back
along in the opposite direction at a slightly lower point. You should always
overlap the previous line by a good inch or more, so as to avoid striping
the panel with sprayed and unsprayed lines. Ensure you obtain enough paint
for the job in the first instance, and be prepared to give generous coverage
of the vehicle, possibly even a second top coat, if you want to obtain a decent
finish. As a warning, take the example of my sister, who knew for sure she
would require about 6 tins of paint to cover her Renault 4, but was persuaded
otherwise by the lousy shop staff that a small car like hers would only require
2. She took 2, soon realised she definitely would require more, but the shop
sold out of the same paint, forever fobbing her off with excuses as to why
more stock had not arrived, and totally let her down. In the end my sister
was lucky enough to spot the same, rather rare, paint elsewhere, but only
several weeks later which caused an awkward delay. The original shop by the
way was Cliffords of Brighton, so don't get your paint there.
Finally,
it is very easy to assume that areas around the edges of panels and narrow
strips of bodywork, will not require as much paint as elsewhere, but almost
the opposite is true. For example, consider the edges of the doors on a Renault
4 (whether you are removing them or leaving them on the car). You will find
that one quick spray up and down edges like these will not be enough, and
they will need a good 2 or 3 sprays before the old surface is completely hidden.
The same applies to gaps and recessed areas, such as between the doors or
the sides of the bonnet (if you are leaving these on the car). Again they
need going over at least as thoroughly as all the other bodywork, else you
risk having lighter or darker patches from the undercoat showing through all
around these edge points.
As I mentioned before, my car was then baked in a proper booth, which is
something you may wish to investigate if you are doing a major restoration
and respray. Once all the masking paper and tape was removed, the car looked
an absolute gem, even in the dimly lit car park of the college at night. The
following day I took a couple of pictures before the bumpers were put back
on the car - these will appear in the my pics page of the gallery (number
MP15). I decided to give the bumpers one further coat following the afore
mentioned incident in which the rear one was scratched. I also used a tin
of smooth finish blue Hammerite to paint the inside faces of the bumpers for
a little extra protection against rot. This same blue was used to touch up
the 4 rubber mountings seen on both the front and rear bumpers, which had
been forgotten about. This blue wasn't a perfect match but was good enough
and certainly better than the tatty silver they were previously. You will
note the last few photos above are missing the side panels, which were replaced
a little later. I toyed with the idea of leaving them off for a while as I
rather preferred the look, a little more like the old style Renault 4's. But
now they're back on they highlight the contrasting blue and yellow even further
and once more return the fun look of the car, which is something I've always
enjoyed.
I'm sure I've missed a few details here which ought to be mentioned - obviously
allow good time for the paint to dry before driving off - but I've been desperate
to finish this mammoth second part of the article for a long time and it's
all just spooled off the top of my head, so if you think there's something
important I haven't mentioned, email me and let me know. Respraying is a great
way to enjoy your R4 further, but do bear in mind that, particularly in wetter
countries, the car is very prone to rot and unless you have completed a full
restoration and are able to keep the vehicle garaged, the investment you may
have made in repainting may not be long lasting. Unfortunately this is true
of my own car, which only 6 months on is already showing some rust problems
in the usual areas. If you can live with the odd dent and minor rust problems,
your annual R4 budget may be better spent on maintaining the chassis / underside,
and the mechanics / engine compartment, both of which require constant attention
to remain in tip-top condition. Don't forget to keep washing and waxing the
car, it can make a big difference in the long term to its condition. And consider
obtaining some waxoyl and seeking advice on its usage, spraying any areas
of the car which require it to protect against inevitable corrosion. Go spray!
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