Renault 4 4TL TL 850 1967

              Renault 4 TL 850 1967 left hand drive mid-blue

French car. ‘Angelique'. 3 previous owners (2 French. 1 English)

Original owner for 35 years. then owned by member of Renault 4 Society. Imported by previous owner in June 2008. Built 28/12/1967.

Owned by me since Feb 2011. Only 93000km.   12 months MOT.

Maintained under previous ownership by Derek at Renospeed. He fitted front seat belts. a new clutch with roller release bearing and fully Waxoyled it (receipts dated 2010).

All panels appear to be original. although bonnet  may have been a replacement. as the sidelights should be the round type (probably replaced many years ago).

The panels are almost totally free from dents. except both left hand doors have slight dents below handle. offside front wing has dent just below waist trim in middle. left rear wing  has some small dents and undulations in the lower area.

The paintwork is excellent and original. I believe. apart from 3 wings and the other front left corner which I resprayed a couple of years ago. after a little dent removal. There are some little scrapes and touch-ins here and there. as you would expect from a 46 year old car.

Rear bumper has a few dents. front has a scrape on one side. Grille has a few small dents.

I have touched-in the wheel rims. but they could probably do with a re-spray.

I have removed the hub caps and the cill strips. as I prefer the look. but they are all stored carefully and a 5 minute job to reinstate.

The chrome work is excellent with virtually no pitting of the door handles. window trim. bumpers etc (I have the left side door mirror stored).

Overall. this car looks fantastic. and quite astounding. given its age.

The mid-blue colour is easily the nicest of the era. I think. and the cream wheels complement it well.

The interior is again original and in great condition. and is matt black vinyl. There is a small tear on the back of the drivers seat. but no other rips/tears or wear whatsoever. rubber mats are very good. interior mirror has a crack in the plastic surround. and a small stain on the facia which  I can't remove. Tortoiseshell steering wheel is excellent. (The rear quarter upper trim cards are not fitted: I have them. they are just matt black fibreboard and they are tatty. and need replacements. but they are not essential). All controls work fine. although the side repeaters are not connected.

All parts of the body and chassis appear to be completely free from rust including the problematic rear suspension area.

Derek welded in two patches approx 100mm square. one in each front floor well. in 2008. and that is the only welding done to this car.

Derek Waxoyled the car. and I have last year further injected every single box section in body and chassis. I also applied underbody treatment (Dinitrol) carefully to the wing joints inside the wheelarches. where water gets in and starts corrosion. and touched-in underseal which had come off. I have been over the whole of the underside and treated where necessary. I also fitted bolts to the flange joint of body and chassis which is just behind the front wheels in the wheel arch. as there was a slight leak. and a little welding to the pedal box area. now no leaks at all.

This car will not rust. if treated carefully.

Other jobs I've done are:

New gearshift bushes.

Carb rebuilt.

New high quality blue coil (repositioned off engine). dizzy cap. points. otor arm. condenser. high performance lead set.

Stainless braided brake hoses.

Stainless bumper fixings. stainless cooling hose clips.

Removed front screen. recess was perfect. screen refitted.

I have recently patch repaired the silencer properly: it will go eventually. but I think not at all soon.

Separate earths run for rear light units. no problems with dim lights now.

When I bought the car. it had a coolant loss problem: I'm not sure it was a head gasket. but I renewed the head gasket (and had the head skimmed by an excellent machine shop). flushed heater matrix and replaced the shot heater hoses with silicone (the ones that are hidden from view). rebuilt the heater valve. new thermostat. using all genuine Renault parts. Cooling system now doesn't lose a drop.

I added seals to the external vent flap.

I also stripped the drivers seat. welded in a piece of curved metal across the back (there was none and it was causing the back to collapse and be unduly soft). re-webbed it. now it's very comfortable.

Tyres are Avon Enviro. new in May 2011. and virtually no wear.

Generally. the mechanicals are excellent. engine runs like a swiss watch. gears fine. brakes excellent.

Has original stainless wiper arms/blade holders. and original drivers handbook.

It has a later plastic coolant bottle: I think the original should have been glass.

So. in summary. this car is almost totally original. in very good unrestored condition with no rust. with an excellent interior and mechanicals and drives exactly as it should. and it has a few subtle improvements. and no known faults other than those listed above.

I am located in Leatherhead. Surrey.

For loads of pictures. see http://s255. photobucket. com/user/ade55/library/r4?sort=3&src=wap&page=1

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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