peanuts Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I went off Renault 4s a bit when I had to change the timing chain on one for a mate. 25 Years on the experience still resurfaces at 3am if I've had too much cheese . is this the one with the timing chain against the bulkhead making it near impossible to get at seem to remember a local back street garage cutting a hole in the bulkhead to do it then welding it up ! owner only found out when he took it in for a service elsewhere 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted March 12, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 12, 2015 is this the one with the timing chain against the bulkhead making it near impossible to get at seem to remember a local back street garage cutting a hole in the bulkhead to do it then welding it up ! owner only found out when he took it in for a service elsewhere Suprised it wasn't just pop riveted back.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 is this the one with the timing chain against the bulkhead making it near impossible to get at seem to remember a local back street garage cutting a hole in the bulkhead to do it then welding it up ! owner only found out when he took it in for a service elsewhere Yup, that's the one. Had I known in advance just how many special tools were required in order to get the engine out and back in again without damaging anything, I'd have adopted the "hack a hole in the bulkhead" technique too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumblestripe Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I'd say the car carrying the mantle of the R4 is the Honda Jazz. The seats fold into the floor giving you a van and the engine is frugal and pretty bullet proof. You could also consider the (no longer current) Toyota Yaris Verso which has similar attributes and is damn ugly too! I've had mine for thirteen years and done 100k in it. Tyres, one battery, two exhausts and a few "sensors" aside from servicing and petrol! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Took the Jag out for some more piccies yesterday morning - got home and after putting it in the garage noticed that the 'J' had fallen off the bootlid! Should be able to pick one up at the weekend though. Also noticed a reluctance to go into reverse when the gearbox is fully warmed up, the car has only recently had a brand new clutch slave cylinder fitted so I've no idea what's causing it. Awkward really as it has to be reversed in or out of the garage every time I use it! 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 The Matiz is a small hatchback.....rather than a utilitarian vehicle [which was the R4's appeal to me]....and I bet, driven properly, the Matiz can be made to perform well.....even the Perodua Nippa[er?] could be turned into a latter day Mini Cooper.... some of the small cars can now be very nippy and handle well had to take a piacanto from manchester to glasgow recently for the hire company i was working for M74 blocked so over the A 702 from abbington and was a fantastic drive over the tops especialy the twisty bits realy chuckable and nippy . the Audi A4 i brought back the other way was to put it liteley boring since then had a chevrolet spark for three weeks after a crash again nippy handled well fantastic on fuel manchester to arbroath on third of a tank just a tiny boot both the above were just as much fun to drive as my mini 1275 gt rally car ever was ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 since then had a chevrolet spark for three weeks after a crash again nippy handled well fantastic on fuel manchester to arbroath on third of a tank just a tiny boot both the above were just as much fun to drive as my mini 1275 gt rally car ever was ! I used to have a Spark. Very underrated little cars with a ton of room for rear seat passengers. It's a shame Chevrolet pulled out of Europe as I would have been very interested in the electric version. 120BHP and a ton of torque in a tiny car would have made the range anxiety worth it. Maybe there's still hope as the new Vauxhall Viva is based on the Spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted March 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 16, 2015 I have a Hyundai i10, which is basically a Piccanta with a few extra bells and whistles and it reminds me of a Mini because of its similar handling and superb road-holding. Now I wonder if the engine/gearbox will fit in a Mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Maybe there's still hope as the new Vauxhall Viva is based on the Spark. Doesn't look much like the Viva I learned to drive in! Is the new one the HD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w124bob Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) I was a Citroen man for many years, 6 Dyanes a LHD Dyane van (Accadiane) and only 1 2CV, but I'm pretty sure the R4 outsold the 2CV by about 3 to1. Old Citroens and Renualts are now getting thin on the ground in France if my recent visits are anything to go by, but a trip to Limoux proved there still around This interesting beastie was in the same street, I did dig up some information at the time but can't remember now. Just to get back to a rail related theme this Mercedes Benz W123 was parked in the old goods yard at Limoux another classic high on my wants list! Edited March 17, 2015 by w124bob 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) Having had the Ford Ka Sport I can recommend that as a Mini 1275 replacement - It is one of those "wolf in sheeps clothing" with "a wheel at each corner jobs" and revels in twisty roads and pi$$ing off people who think they can outrun it, although you won't like the road tax which was going up each year - currently driving a Picanto Halo 2 door and It has similar road holding though slightly less grunt - although it accelerates all the way up the Black Isle hill from the Cromarty Firth in fifth quite happily Edited March 17, 2015 by shortliner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) That's a Moss Monaco that is; a kit car from the early 80s. Or, at least, something employing the body mouldings from one. The body was intended to fit a Triumph Spitfire chassis and that does look a bit like Spit front suspension to me, allowing for ageing eyesight an a postage stamp sized screen. Someone has gone to the trouble of fitting skinny, large diameter wire wheels though, and the lack of camber on the rear wheels and a prominent underbody protuberance suggest that the back half is not entirely a standard Triumph (pun entirely deliberate ). Love the Ami. The saloon with the reverse slope rear window always seemed very rare inn the UK. Indeed, I'm not sure if I ever saw one, although the "fastback" Ami 8 was fairly common at one time. I remember, in one of my school French textbooks, a depiction of a crash involving an Ami saloon. The aftermath involved much shouting of "Au secours!" and "Appelez un medicin!", which, as a junior car buff, I found much less interesting than the oddly styled little Citroen . Edited March 17, 2015 by PatB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 ....the "fastback" Ami 8 was fairly common at one time..... I think this mutated into the experimental M35 into which Citroen installed a rotary engine (produced by Comotor, under licence from NSU), which eventually led to the GS-Birotor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w124bob Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 The rotary engine Ami was a 2 door coupe produced in very small numbers and passed to certain customers for evaluation. Citroen then put a rotary version of the GS on general sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mark Forrest Posted March 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 17, 2015 Also noticed a reluctance to go into reverse when the gearbox is fully warmed up, the car has only recently had a brand new clutch slave cylinder fitted so I've no idea what's causing it. Awkward really as it has to be reversed in or out of the garage every time I use it! Could be a bit of air in it, might just need the clutch slave bleeding? Or a bit of wear at either the push rod at master or slave not quite giving you full travel (had to replace an MG one where this was the cause). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweasel Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) I seem to remember an Ami Super as well, which had the air-cooled lump from the GS fitted,along with a floor change gearbox. Edited March 17, 2015 by Catweasel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Also noticed a reluctance to go into reverse when the gearbox is fully warmed up, the car has only recently had a brand new clutch slave cylinder fitted so I've no idea what's causing it. Awkward really as it has to be reversed in or out of the garage every time I use it!If it's only when warm, could either the master or slave cylinder be getting too hot? That can degrade the fluid and reduce the effectiveness of the clutch. It may also be worth checking that the replacement slave cylinder is exactly the same as the one removed - it will have an effect if the pitson size is different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) That is quite simply gorgeous...!! Edited March 18, 2015 by keefr2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Today I am working in Kilburn, and have stumbled across a 1988 Zastava Yugo 45 in one of the side-streets here! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londontram Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Today I am working in Kilburn, and have stumbled across a 1988 Zastava Yugo 45 in one of the side-streets here! Got one once for the wife as a first car when she passed her test and to be honest it served us well for three years trouble free motoring. we paid £500 for it from a mate at work who owed me a favor and sold it three years later for £450 so were quite happy with that. Signal red with a glass sun hatch if I recall, did every thing we asked of it. Cant say no more really. Edited March 19, 2015 by Londontram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 The one in Kilburn is white, but has clearly led a hard life..... Still on the road, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Got one once for the wife as a first car when she passed her test and to be honest it served us well for three years trouble free motoring. we paid £500 for it from a mate at work who owed me a favor and sold it three years later for £450 so were quite happy with that. Signal red with a glass sun hatch if I recall, did every thing we asked of it. Cant say no more really. were you able to push the cross bar to apply the breaks from the front passenger seat as we could in a friends yugo which was coincidentally red was a nippy liitle thing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 were you able to push the cross bar to apply the breaks from the front passenger seat as we could in a friends yugo which was coincidentally red was a nippy liitle thing Still very much a Fiat feature! You can do it on a new 500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted March 19, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2015 Passed my test in a Yugo 45, one man driving school job. It had almost 200k miles on it too. Sort of a mucky yellow colour with a red 'speed' (ahem) stripe. Memories. Love the Jaaag too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 'Jaguar Spares Day', Stoneleigh this morning... sigh...... Nice Series 1 XJ6, a rare 2.8 model... 1963 Series 1 E-Type... XK150 'barn find, yours for a mere £22,000, sold as seen... 1969 E-Type 'barn find', what you see is what you get (no engine etc), a bargain at just under £8,000... Mk2 3.8 manual, £22,5000.... sounded very nice when the owner drove off in it a few minutes later... What did I spend my coughers on..? A genuine Jaguar tax disc holder that's what! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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