Renault 6 - Crunch time?

[wuvvum]

40 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Forgive me for being a bit thick too, but is the 4 and 6 the same (enough) underneath to do such a thing then?

The later (disc braked) 4s are essentially identical to the 6 underneath.  The earlier 4s have a different torsion bar design so those would need to be swapped over (which is a bit of an involved job in itself), but any cheapish 4 these days is likely to be an '80s 1108cc car.

[wuvvum]

14 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

A few thoughts.  First you could learn to be a better welder, youtube or a course somewhere. 

I've tried to learn with YouTube videos - doesn't seem to help much.  So far I haven't been able to find a suitable course locally - one of the colleges near Norwich used to run week-long courses which anyone could attend but they now want you to sign up for a full-on full-time metal fabrication course.

[High Jetter]

Don't 4's have different track each side due to suspension layout? Not sure if same on 6

[RayMK]

19 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Don't 4's have different track each side due to suspension layout? Not sure if same on 6

The 4, 6 and 16 have different left and right wheelbase because of the layout of the rear torsion bars.  I've driven a 4 and a 16 but never been in a 6.  All ride exceptionally well, a distinctly French preference that most modern cars lack.  

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

Although that raises an interesting point as the DVLA points system allows rebuilding onto a new chassis "direct from manufacturer" - it's not clear whether that means direct from the chassis manufacturer or whether it means that the new chassis has to be manufactured by Renault.  If it's the latter then that might rule out Option 3 altogether - it's highly unlikely that it'd be an issue given that the car doesn't need MOTing anymore and I don't ever intend to sell it, but if I was spending that sort of money I'd want to be sure...

Having said that I've just checked the website again and the place that makes the chassis says that they are able and authorised to stamp the new chassis with your original VIN number, so to all intents and purposes it's a replacement OEM chassis.

as far as I know as long as the replacement chassis is new, and of the "same specification" as the old one I dont think the DVLA are so bothered about who made it, certainly nowhere have I seen any requirement for the replacement chassis to be from the manufacturer who made the car

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/rebuilt-vehicles

Quote

a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original (car or light van)

so I would not worry about that aspect about it  

[High Jetter]

42 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Don't 4's have different track each side due to suspension layout? Not sure if same on 6

 

16 minutes ago, RayMK said:

The 4, 6 and 16 have different left and right wheelbase because of the layout of the rear torsion bars.  I've driven a 4 and a 16 but never been in a 6.  All ride exceptionally well, a distinctly French preference that most modern cars lack.  

Track is what I should have said. I had a 16 with that, 18 didn't nor did Dad's 12's or 14. 6 is like a big 4.

[JMotor]

I'd go for option 1 for now. 

If it's working and is reasonably safe. Then keep going. 

In the meantime might be worth looking towards getting replacement panels and parts. Build up a stockpile of what you might need. Don't have to go daft. Good and useable would likely do. Making it pretty can come at a later point.

An idea would be to see if someone can sell you cuts. Unless you have room for a donor car? 

Welding skills. Get some scrap steel and have a play about. It'll give you an idea of where to adjust from. That's how I learned.

At the end of the day it's up to you. Yes it's going to be heart over head. But it's your car and you're clearly attached to it. 

I feel the same about the cars I own. Absolutely a waste of money to even think about restoring them. However I don't care. They make me happy and that's all that matters TO me. 

[wuvvum]

35 minutes ago, RayMK said:

The 4, 6 and 16 have different left and right wheelbase because of the layout of the rear torsion bars.  I've driven a 4 and a 16 but never been in a 6.  All ride exceptionally well, a distinctly French preference that most modern cars lack.  

The Mk1 5 was the same.

The only difference that I'm aware of between the 4 and the 6 (and the main reason why just plonking the 6 body on a 4 chassis wouldn't entirely work) is that the 6 has different rear trailing arms as it has a rear anti-roll bar, which the 4 doesn't.  Not that it does much on the 6.

[garbaldy]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

I've tried to learn with YouTube videos - doesn't seem to help much

Shame you're so far away I would have loved to help with that old 6.   It's been a long time since I've owned old renaults. 

[jonathan_dyane]

I don't think it would be worth trying to find a 'rust free' French or Spanish car to cut parts out of, while they will be much better at this point they will definitely need at least some welding and it would end up more costly and less satisfactory than a new galvanized chassis.

Similarly getting someone to repair what you have I should think would end up more costly than replacing with a new chassis, it would only be a cheap or cheaper option if you can DIY.

If it is beyond further patching I'd suggest saving for a new chassis and looking to work out the most economical way of doing it yourself/with assistance of mates etc if at all possible although I recognise this isn't an easy option and you would probably need the help of someone with the space and tolerance to let you have the car in bits there for some weeks or months. Although heavy work there would be nothing hard about the chassis change although it would be more than likely the upper body would end up needing at least some welded repairs..

[wuvvum]

Yes, the body needs welding to the rear inner wings at least.  Also if the car was undergoing that level of work I'd get whoever was doing it to weld in the NOS scuttle panel that I picked up on my way to Shitefest 2012 and which has been sitting in the shed ever since.  Probably fit the NOS front inner wings as well - the ones on the car aren't too bad but if I've got them I might as well use them.

[chadders]

15 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

as far as I know as long as the replacement chassis is new, and of the "same specification" as the old one I dont think the DVLA are so bothered about who made it, certainly nowhere have I seen any requirement for the replacement chassis to be from the manufacturer who made the car

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/rebuilt-vehicles

so I would not worry about that aspect about it  

MGB bodyshells spring to mind.

I've never heard of any issues at all and it's been going on for decades.

 

[Datsuncog]

How are you for a rear offside wing?

Some oul lad's been trailing this panel round autojumbles for the best part of a decade.

[vulgalour]

I've just encountered a somewhat similar situation with the Princess.  Like yourself, I've owned it more years than is reasonable, and spent far more time and money on it for any sunk cost fallacy to be at play.  Selling it isn't an option but finding the funds, let alone the people, to work on it is a nightmare.  You at least have the advantage on me of parts availability.

So let's work on the assumption you're keeping it and are going to repair it.  The dream is the chassis swap and full resto, and it's nice to have dreams.  The reality is likely DIY repair, luckily you have good parts availability for a lot of the bits you need to replace and there's no time limit.  Logistics like a place to work etc. can be solved later.  In your situation I'd be looking at which area of the car I thought was in need of the most immediate repair and seeing what panels I could get for that area.  New steel is easier to work with than old, even if the shapes aren't quite as accurate, so that will make welding a bit easier.  Once you've set which section you want to repair, ignore the rest of the car, just do that bit.  The rest can be done later, when you've done that bit, it's not going to dissolve in the meantime so you're fine.

Next invest in two tools: a fine detail/finger sander, and a decent welder like the ones R-Tech supply.  This is a bit of a cash investment sure, but the grief it'll save you later will pay dividends.  I'd also say make the switch to gas welding, it's a bit more expensive but a lot easier to control on French steel (I've welded BXs, I don't want to do that gasless).

Finally manage your expectations.  If you can only reasonably do an hour or three a day, once a week, then that's fine.  Don't expect to finish a whole corner in a day or whatever, it'll take as long as it takes and that's fine.

The reason I give the above advice is because for the last month the Princess has been on axle stands on the drive while I chip away at reattaching the rear axle mounting bracket, a job that became massively involved and almost overwhelmed me.  Nobody else would have touched this job, it would have been game over if I didn't DIY it.  I have the most basic fabrication tools, not even a work bench, and no parts supply since there simply isn't one to speak of for the Princess for this area.  Today I finally got that bracket back on by applying the above to the job and while there is more work to do on the car, this one particular bit is now done enough for me to move on to the next bit.  I started with the most dreadful part because every part I do after this is going to feel like an easy win and I haven't aimed for perfection since that's unattainable.  I just want it solid and safe, pretty is for film stars.

 

Good luck with the venture, however you end up going about it.

[barefoot]

I can recommend a most excellent weldist, but he's near Loughborough. 

[Tenmil Socket]

If it was mine, option 3. 
 

[Dave_Q]

On 24/07/2025 at 19:41, LightBulbFun said:

ill just say the DVLA dont like it when you when you mix major used components components from multiple cars like that, depending on what components get used etc, at best the vehicle assumes the identity of the donor chassis at worse the vehicle record gets voided and you have to fight for even a a Q plate, and somewhere in the middle you could play the rebuild classic vehicle card and maybe get it on an age related plate

I know some people have a bit more of a relaxed attitude to this sort of thing, but trust me it can be a world pain, not just for you yourself should the DVLA come knocking, but also down the line for anyone who may end up with the vehicle in future, who might not be aware whats gone on in the past

for example someone filling out a V62 may fill in the chassis number section using the donor chassis number but using the registration mark of the original vehicle, not realising the vehicle has had a chassis swap, then the DVLA see the chassis number on the V62 does not match whats recorded on that vehicle record, and then its *game over*

I have seen that and things like that happen a few times sadly!

so just please be careful in how you go about things in that regard! 

It's a tax and MOT exempt car, it's obviously a tad naughty per the letter of the law but wuvvum would have to go out of his way to dob himself in for the ministry to ever find out it's not on its original chassis.