Renault 1942 Juvaquatre Tourer

Hello Duncan. What a great project to have. In November last year while travelling through Braidwood on a car rally, I came across a running and registered similar model ( I didn't know the intricacies of its pedigree till I looked at this page) but the owner may be able to help you. I believe it is owned by Gary and Jane Kendall who run a business procuring French provincial artefacts for decorating , and also organise several walking tours in France each year, so they are Francophiles with a k en interest in things historical of the first degree. They are based in Braidwood NSW and their business Is called Longbarn , and their historic property where they operate the business is known as Tidmarsh. I chatted with them briefly while I was there, but as I didn't know a lot about those early Renaults I didn't get into the details of the car. Their phone numbers is 0248422784
cheers
Wheelnut
 
Typical Froggy wiring, the shorts come pre-installed :) Andrew

My thoughts exactly! Note the hubcaps are same style as early 4CV (spider wheel) and the door handles, inside and outside, look much the same as 4CV too.

The 4CVs have Lockheed brakes, and they are the only things on a rear-engined Renault with imperial threads. Somewhere there is an early 4CV advertisement that says the cars have "Lockheed hydraulic brakes". I've surmised no-one in France was making hydraulic brakes to a Euro specification in the 1940s, but my 1964 R8 also has imperial threaded brake hoses. I'm not a bit surprised this car has cable brakes. Hopefully without breaks.

Great car and the owners clearly appreciate that. It'd be interesting to do a comparison between it and the English tourers of the time (Series E Morris, Fraud Anglia and, I think, a Hillman pre-Minx come to mind. Maybe an Austin pre-A40 too.) it would probably take quite runny custard to release the skin for any of them.
 
Hello Duncan. What a great project to have. In November last year while travelling through Braidwood on a car rally, I came across a running and registered similar model ( I didn't know the intricacies of its pedigree till I looked at this page) but the owner may be able to help you. I believe it is owned by Gary and Jane Kendall who run a business procuring French provincial artefacts for decorating , and also organise several walking tours in France each year, so they are Francophiles with a k en interest in things historical of the first degree. They are based in Braidwood NSW and their business Is called Longbarn , and their historic property where they operate the business is known as Tidmarsh. I chatted with them briefly while I was there, but as I didn't know a lot about those early Renaults I didn't get into the details of the car. Their phone numbers is 0248422784
cheers
Wheelnut

Thank you Wheelnut, that is awesome information, I will definitely get in touch.


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JohnW,

The door handles being the same as the early 4CV, hopefully means I may have some luck finding a couple of the. The drivers door outside handle it broken and the passenger one is showing signs of cracking.

My late father in law would always warn me about the brakes and tell a few horror stories.




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PM me your contact details and address and I'll ask around the 4CV Register membership for you. They are diecast and can deteriorate in surface finish. I've never actually broken one but I imagine it has happened. You can buy them on ebay France from time to time. At worst I'll find a couple to at least lend you to check the size!

Which side(s) do you need?

Cheers
 
Was great to meet Sam and yourself at the RCCA club meeting last week Peter and I'm looking forward to seeing the family heirloom revived and rolling on the road soon.
Loving the photos you're posting.

Regards,
Jason
 
PM me your contact details and address and I'll ask around the 4CV Register membership for you. They are diecast and can deteriorate in surface finish. I've never actually broken one but I imagine it has happened. You can buy them on ebay France from time to time. At worst I'll find a couple to at least lend you to check the size!

Which side(s) do you need?

Cheers

Thank you JohnW. It is the drivers side which is broken. I have a photo of the passenger side here.
IMG_1531114327.363616.jpg

Silly question, on the 4CV is the door handle a pull to open or turn to open? I have been looking a photos of 4CV online and it looks like a pull to open, the tourer is a turn to open.


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Aha, it is indeed different. More of the art deco than the post-war handles, which were more your sleek cetacean. Do you have contacts in France?
 
Was great to meet Sam and yourself at the RCCA club meeting last week Peter and I'm looking forward to seeing the family heirloom revived and rolling on the road soon.
Loving the photos you're posting.

Regards,
Jason

Hi Jason,

It was a warm and friendly welcome from yourself and other members, it meant a lot to us both.

Sam and I are keen to get her on the road and out on club outings, we have even joked about turning up with her on a trailer (the car, not my wife).

There is more photos to come.


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Just got back from a long weekend away and had a quick read of this thread and it reminded me of a 1939? Renault I owned for a brief time in the early 1980's. My father restored the side valve engine for an aquaintance when he lived in Benalla and somehow I ended up owning it a few years later. I remember it well as the cable brakes required a lot of defensive driving. After one trip driving it to Melbourne I was very glad I lived in Bendigo and never ventured out of town with it again.
I have attached 2 photos and it is quite different in appearance but Dad said it was a 1939 model with a body built in Melbourne before the war but then sat and was not registered until after the war. Dad would have known all the history but he's long gone so can't ask him.
No idea if the car is still around as I sold it in Bendigo in about 1983 or 84 and can't remember who to.
Renault 1939.jpgRenault 1939 a.jpg
Does anyone know how this one relates to the one in the thread and is it still around?
 
Hi

Cable brakes don't necessarily have to be totally horrible, although often are

There is a lot of experience and experimentation in the Austin seven world around this going back many years, although most of the fast ones ran up the white flag long ago and switched to hydraulics, which is the only way to go for optimal performance with drums

Problem with any mechanical system is that the suspension is part of the braking system ( has to resist the pull, unless one is using Bowden cables ), so has to be in A1 condition ( shackles , radius arms etc )

Second problem is often that the first shoe that engages stops progress on the other three unless there is a compensating arrangement

Fully compensated brakes means that one loses the lot if one cable breaks, so back up system is needed

There are a variety of solutions to this in the Austin Seven world, some of which would have the advantage of not being dreadfully obvious or necessarily compromising registration under historic, as switch to hydraulics may do ( at least in Victoria )

I have some articles on this if you are interested, but am in middle of moving house, so ability to scan/copy will be compromised for a while. PM me if interested

Best Wishes

Andrew



JohnW,

The door handles being the same as the early 4CV, hopefully means I may have some luck finding a couple of the. The drivers door outside handle it broken and the passenger one is showing signs of cracking.

My late father in law would always warn me about the brakes and tell a few horror stories.




Sent from my iPhone using aussiefrogs
 
Hi

Cable brakes don't necessarily have to be totally horrible, although often are

There is a lot of experience and experimentation in the Austin seven world around this going back many years, although most of the fast ones ran up the white flag long ago and switched to hydraulics, which is the only way to go for optimal performance with drums

Problem with any mechanical system is that the suspension is part of the braking system ( has to resist the pull, unless one is using Bowden cables ), so has to be in A1 condition ( shackles , radius arms etc )

Second problem is often that the first shoe that engages stops progress on the other three unless there is a compensating arrangement

Fully compensated brakes means that one loses the lot if one cable breaks, so back up system is needed

There are a variety of solutions to this in the Austin Seven world, some of which would have the advantage of not being dreadfully obvious or necessarily compromising registration under historic, as switch to hydraulics may do ( at least in Victoria )

I have some articles on this if you are interested, but am in middle of moving house, so ability to scan/copy will be compromised for a while. PM me if interested

Best Wishes

Andrew

Thank you for the offer Andrew, I’m keen for anything that helps, but doesn’t take away from the originality. PM on its way.
Peter


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I wonder whether any of the post-war Juvaquatre models had hydraulic brakes? I have upgraded the brakes on my 4CV to larger drums (7" to 9") using the rare spider-wheel Dauphine components. It is the only major change from originality really and a huge improvement. It cannot be seen and only a very knowledgeable owner would know even if looking under the car. Personally, I think an invisible brake upgrade is justified on safety grounds alone.
 
I reckon a change to hydraulic brakes would be a very sensible modification. From a safety point of view, it's a no-brainer.
 
Agree that it is a no brainer - despite my comments I am no great fan of cable brakes ( Austin seven driver ) as they can give the sphincter a lot of practice in modern traffic. My Seven is having a prolonged sulk in the garage at the moment and I am considering what to do about brakes when he re-emerges.

The reason for my comment is that the latest iteration of the Club Rego regs in Victoria indicates need for engineers certificate if any fundamental change to mode of operation of brakes, so improvement mods to cable/rod etc systems would get through but change to hydraulics is in grey area - It is the obvious thing to do and can be done relatively unobtrusively, but is a) very non original and b) may open one up to need for engineers certificate etc. and c) one is likely to get caught should something go wrong were one to 'wing it' without certificate( insurance etc ).

I haven't revisited this issue in last 12 months and it may have changed, but was causing some angst

There is also a well trodden path for changing to hydraulics in old cars with small brakes. I think Morris Minor slave cylinders and back plates etc. were the way to go in many cases, but have no idea how one would do it on a Juvaquatre.

A lot depends on intended use and environment too

Not sure what the rego situation is in other states

Best Wishes

Andrew


I reckon a change to hydraulic brakes would be a very sensible modification. From a safety point of view, it's a no-brainer.
 
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