ABANDONED for 54 Years! Will this Renault RUN Again? Engine Locked down! 

Good job from France 🇫🇷 It was not that easy! Here we can still find a lot for sale from 7000 to 1200€, even less for barnfinds. If you need any parts, answer me and I will be glad to help :) Have a look at the sport version : the 4CV Gordini !

Dude, that car is really cool. Don’t feel bad about fixing up these unique cars, that’s what makes your channel so special. Looking forward to the progress on this one and seeing it drive for the first time in 54 years. Amazing to see it run after sitting for so long.

Watching you from France! Crazy to see a 4CV in the US. Thanks for all your videos. Bravo!

Back in the late 70s I worked for a foreign car shop. We had our strange folks that collected stuff like Saab 95&96 and Sonnets. Another had Fiat 124 and 128s. 800s also. Then there was the Renault guy. He had one of these little guys he shipped to England every year to rally race it. It was NOT stock. It had a set of 4 Delorto side draft carbs, a bumpy cam and the craziest little header you ever saw. It was mint and was like driving a street legal go-cart! We sure had out share of eccentric people. I miss that job. Cheers from Gowensville! Terry

It’s a French Beetle! Way to keep her from being crushed. Love your work. Thanks Dad for filming and general high fives. You guys are the best.

Please rescue this little car! Not a restoration, but a conservation of what is there. I can’t wait for more on this.

Please do more episodes on this little gem!

Oh my…I have watched you from the very beginning and your progression has been so awesome. Cherish your time with your Dad….another great find and video.

That's actually a dream car of mine, they are lovely customised. Here in Europe we don't get that American steel so over here cars like that, with heaps of personality get done....awesome too see someone finding one. Hope to see a lot of this little gem

The Porsche was a basket case and look how that turned out. Granted it was worth the investment but a very similar project to the Renault as far as difficulty. You guys are masters of the unknown and it's really fun to see a project like this get back on the road.

I have restored a 65' French Motobecane moped and was fascinated by the engineering! So simple, but almost elegant... This was VERY entertaining!

I am 74 years old and my 5 th grade teacher drove one.. I remember it well as Mr Brennan was a tall fellow and it was rather amusing watching him get out of that car.

No, everything is not 'tiny' on the Renault - from a European perspective, everything is 'too big' on American cars - I say this as a four-time Renault owner, and I say this strictly tongue-in-cheek ! btw, my edit is to say thank you for the original work you put in so cheerfully: now, if you were to find a Gordini version of this model, you'd understand why the French passion for horsepower is on a par with Americans

I have to add I can’t believe how good those chrome bumpers look and the trim. Man, they really made real Chrome back then.

I enjoyed this a lot. I owned one of these 4CV's when I went to high school. I had an accident, and bought a second one, using the parts from one to refresh it. I drove mine the length of Wyoming - about 450 miles. In those days there was no interstate in Wyoming so most of the trip was on Hwy 30, two lane. It really slowed down on hills and getting to 55 only happened on the downhill side.

Thank you for doing the Renault! Always a big fan of small European cars, back when they had some class! Second car was a 1963 VW (bought it 1 year old, ran forever). Understand not rebuilding car, pretty far gone. Just getting where you did is fantastic, there is still life in so much we throw away.... Now too old to 'wrench' so really enjoy watching your efforts. Keep it up!

How very interesting! I live in the UK and am 81yo and can remember these cars when I was at school. French cars at that time were always “different”. Congratulations on getting it running . It would be a real pity to scrap it! If you don’t want it, donate it to a good home. Best Wishes Roy W.

I never thought I would see a Renault in an american youtube channal. My father started working in Renault factory in france around 1960s

Man you guys can restore almost anything. That was a great job on that motor. I'd like to see it run and drive

Greetings from France! I remember we were some French offering help when we all first noticed it in the back yard during a video. But once again you all managed it perfect by your own! Feel blessed you gave time on it since I know such models aren't much loved over there. But here it means something since it was one of these cars putting french back on wheels after WW2. I understand you might not go far with it according its condition but you did way more than the cruscher and it's more than appreciated here ;-)

To quote Orson Welles: Ahhhhh the French!! One of these was my Dad's first car. I still have the owner's manual.

One of your better videos I really enjoyed I suggest you paint the engine bay, when you refurbish the engine. Just scotch brite the outside and spray with a clear quote to keep the patina

Hi from France. I was wondering if you were going to touch this 4cv that we saw in the background on some of your videos. It gave me a lot of pride to see this pot of French yogurt on a RU-vid channel that usually tortures V8s. There won't be a burnout this time but please, give it a ride, you might bring a tear to my eyes... Catch you all, on the flip side.

sorry for language i'm french. 1th dad's car, i remember. the engin of this car was product in many cars after. from 800 cc to 1.3 liter. you can find every parts you need in france for nothing; thanks to make it alive, and kiss from normandie.

Is there a story behind this little Renault?

A 4CV, my mothers first car in 1955 in Curaçao. I did not know these early Cleon engines had gear drive for the camshaft, the later ones definitely had a chain to drive the camshaft (like the 1108 and 1289 cc versions also used in DAF)

Love it buddy! I was 17 years old doing this. 56 Hudson hornet was my first, 57 Edsel, 66 Austin 1100, 71 240z , Datsun 720 truck, love this channel!!!!

rat rods for africa is a south african man woth a passion for hot rods and he is building one for hes wife with a modded beetle pan under , thanx for a lovely channel that i look forward to watch every week , most be cool to have a dad to have fun with .

Hell yes! The Engine sounded real good! Awesome job getting it running !!

I owned one in the early sixties as a teenager. Found the easiest way to work on them was to lift the body off the engine and rear axle. The wheels bolted to the hubs then bolted to the drums was one of their weakness. On the plus side, they where great in the sand and driving in the beach. Better than a Volkswagen. I did get pulled up by the police one time for supposedly taking off at high speed, the judge laughed it out of court when he found out what I was driving. Lol.

That is the coolest little obscure car ever! I'm 53 so yeah we need a little TLC, you guy's got her running ❤️. That tiny gem will live on thanks to you and your dad for the hard work, you guys rock!

The sound of the engine and exhaust is exactly the same as the sound I can remember of 60 years ago when I was young and when they drove by in the streets of our city … It brings back wonderful memories and I thank you guys for that … it really is a joy 👍😀

Bonjour de France. you are great, seeing a Renault 4 CH from the 50s in the United States is very rare and starting it is incredible. Thank you for amaze us with your wonderful restorations. I am a fan of you.

The adapter plate is an excellent idea. My Solex carburetor would warp where it bolted to the manifold. I filed it flat so often the bore became oval. Dauphine was my first car. 30 mpg when gas cost 30¢ , so a penny a mile. Traded for a Volkswagen bug and regretted it. Renault was a luxury car compared to the Beetle.

You are going to put 4 people in it! I think she will surprise you. Cute and unusual. So you don't want to keep it? Someone wants this and it will be fabulous with a lot of TLC. Fun video 👍

you two hit it out of the park again. loved it

Haha 😀 i don't think i've ever been this excited over a first cranking over in ages!! 😀 how cool is that little thing!! 😀

Early Renaults were NOT maintenance-free automobiles. They were finicky and temperamental and required constant tuning, seasonal inspections, and repairs. Too many people lacked the ambition and skills to keep the little Renault humming perfectly all year. They were perfect little commuter cars in Europe where road speeds were much lower. Here in the USA, many owners thought the little car could withstand thrashing it to 70 mph and gnashing the gearbox like an F1 race car. They were wrong.

My dad bought a new Renault Dauphine Gordini (40 horsepowers) back in 1960. He tried a 4cv but thought it was to small, so he bought the Dauphine, hotted by Gordini, instead. It was the first car I drove when I got my drivers license 1962!

It's a cross between a UK Morris 1000 and VW beetle.

These were already mostly off the roads when I grew up in France in the 70s. I didn’t even know they made it to the states. Good job rescuing one!

Omg, that was amazing! I had an uncle that had a 58 Dauphine and that was the first Renault that I had ever seen! I've never seen one like the model you have!!! Can't believe you got it to run after 54 years!!!

Great car, great effort, great ingenuity in bringing it back to life - yes she does want to live again!

Pull that engine out and put a GSXR 1000 in and make it a little sleeper.

The was my dad,s first car after the war I was born the year of your car 1955 always good to see old cars a your dad and you makes it a pleasure to see who you enjoy toying with old car keep up the great job

I have a bolt in 165 hp Renault 5 motor in mine with 4 wheel disc brakes. Great project. Cheers.

I won’t be able to watch this until the kiddos fall asleep but dang i might just have to break my golden rule.

Such a cool little car Glad ya'll got it running again. Can't wait to see you drive it

Fun fact: in Germany, these were nicknamed the "Cremeschnittchen" - the "slice of cream cake" cuz they were often cream-colored, and the front looks a little like a layer cake :)

Coldwar motors, Scott is a huge fan of french vehicles. I am afraid that a dose of Ospho would make this rig look like you poured salt in a pepsi bottle. He (scott) might have any information plus a distributor for it

I knew that Renault had marketed some of its models in the USA but I didn't know that the 4CV was one of them, probably because there weren't a lot of them sold and this model with its American specificities is certainly the one of the few that has survived to this day, and for that alone it deserves to be driven again, this incredible restart announces great things for this little French car 😊👍

A Renault 4CV in the US! Pretty Awesome! She'll run.Those Billancourt engines are pretty simple and reliable. BTW 670-1 is a rear mounted 845cc engine. The Billancourt engine with this displacement was also use in the Renault 4, 5, 6, and 8.

Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How we've been waiting for you!!! new video!!!!!!!!!!!! Man!!!!! THIS IS A CRAZY VIDEO!!!! YOU ARE COOL WITH YOUR FATHER, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE OF YOUR VIDEOS!!! DON'T STOP!!! MORE MORE MORE !!!! VIDEO FIRE!!! YOU HAVE A COOL FATHER!! HIS REACTION IS WONDERFUL TO BE REVIVED!)))) WE ARE WAITING FOR THE VIDEO!!! RUSSIA IS WATCHING! GREETINGS FROM FARAWAY RUSSIA GUYS!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!! HELLO TO THE FAMILY!!! IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE - WE'VE WATCHED ALL YOUR VIDEOS ON THE CHANNEL))).... WE'RE WAITING FOR YOU TO CONTINUE! BEAUTIFUL RENAULT!👍👍👍👍

Good job in bringing that engine back to some sort of life. When I saw you trying to turn that engine without the heads on, I thought "No, don't do that". And what I was expecting to happen. It through me back to the 80s, when I was changing the head gasket on my 1972 Renault 12 and my dad decided to turn the engine, just to see, and lifted one of the sleeves. Like you, I decided to pack everything back and pray for the best. But as soon as the engine got warm enough, water found its way into the oil. And changing those paper seals is no fun, not only do you have to take the whole engine apart, top and bottom, is about 5/100th of a millimeter. It takes lots of time to choose the correct seal thickness for each one. That valve cover you have is not the original one (which was stamped steel), it is known as the "Record" valve cover and might well be worth more than the rest of the car if you manage to locate the top for it. And yes, those cars are really cool, when I was a kid in the 70's they were everywhere in France, but by the time I was able to drive, in the mid-80s, they had almost disappeared as they rusted almost as fast as a Jaguar. And usually in places where you won't see it before it's too late, like the B pillar that has the habit of rusting from the inside, so when you see the rust, it has already got through.

There are several French people watching this video and one of them said to contact them and they said you would help you get some parts for this car from France. I saw some carburator gasket kit available from Auto Zone.

I really liked this episode! I like the weird stuff as well. That VW truck in the background looks awesome!

I had a 1965 Renualt Caravelle, it was such a fun car to drive.

It looks like your pulling the car broke the timing gear, good to know not to do this. I would have pulled the engine out to take apart before attempting to rotate. Also removing the head before removing the plugs allows to put penetrating oil from the inside of the spark plugs so the threads aren't ripped apart. I love this car, you have good taste 🙂

Where in the world did you find a gasket set for that thing? 🤣

Excellent! Amazing recovery! Different unique cars are worth saving.

Great rescue! Maybe a carb from a lawn mower with the same ccs would work.

I spotted this little car in the background in one of your other videos; wondered if/when you'd get to it, so here it is! My Mom had one of these when I was 4 or 5 (ca. 19-ought-62); one kind of had to "row it along" w/ the gearshift, as it were. Her Dad had an automotive shop in Washington, D.C. back in the 1950s-60s, and he repaired all sorts of odd makes of cars, belonging to foreign diplomats (Renaults, Tatras, Fiats, Citroens, et al)...As others have probably noted by now the "4CV" was a rating for tax-purposes (CV=Cheval-Vapeur, or "steam-horse", literally). We usually had some oddball car or another around, until my family got into Datsuns, fairly early-on, starting w/ a 1959 "210" model, which looked something like an Austin model. Thanks for the fun adventure!

While watching your videos I saw the 4CV in the background several times and I was wondering if you were going to give it a facelift... Saving a 4CV in the United States is not a common thing and your work deserves to be celebrated. Well done! This car really deserves to be preserved for the history it represents in the post-war automotive world and its (relative) sporting performances in the "Monte Carlo Rally" and the "2 hours of Le Mans". I look forward to seeing the rest of your restoration.

At a time when many European cars were still using air-cooled two-cylinder two-cycle motorcycle engines, that engine is amazingly sophisticated.

That one was a lot of fun, really cool to see odd European cars in amongst all the American ones. Given the weather here in the UK we don't see many barn finds that old, usually much "newer" cars are in much worse condition.

Just be careful of those wet type cylinder liners, I did my apprenticeship on Renaults in the UK many moons ago, after these were around, but the engines looked very similar to this, they had paper liner seals at the bottom of the liner and there was a set protrusion tolerance you had to measure before re installing the head, if it was not in spec, the liners had to be removed and new seals fitted, in extreme cases coolant can leak into the sump if they are not protruding enough, We always left one of the middle head bolts in just nipped up and proceeded to pivot the head to break the seal before lifting it, otherwise you could potentially pull up the liner/s when lifting the head off! Different way of doing things those French!!

Good work, guys. In HS I had one of these; it was a sky blue color. It was good transportation--a 'daily driver'. It was a gas miser. Keep motoring.

Hi watching you from France and that’s a very good project, can’t wait for the next episode !!

Hi from France,finally I got the answer to a question I leave in comment section month ago while seeing the 4cv in the background.You did an excellent job as usual ,not easy in the US for french cars,I have same issue here for I own a 1953 Chevy Handyman wagon,shipping fees and customs double every order.Anyway,keep on entertain us with your dad,tou're a great team.

amazing!!...the simplicity of the car is what made this possible...i can't imagine a modern 2024 car being able to be made to run after sitting for 50 years...there are just too many electronic systems that would have been orphaned in that time...also, you may have been able to use a cheap Chinese 800cc motorcycle carb...they are all over alliexpress for about $50.

Your enthusiasm for fixing this car is infectious. Please restore as much as you deem viable and necessary. 😊

I acquired a siezed 1902 industrial sewing machine. 50/50 acetone and ATF was my friend. Liberal applications later and the machine runs perfectly...!

I remember seeing those cars in Puerto Rico. A teacher of mine had one in a color that resembled pink.

Cool, a classic collaboration to breathe new life in this classic Peugeot. The French tend to be tall, this car does them well like a Rabbit. Many similarities with VW . Well engineered. Bicycles, pepper grinders, Peugeot did it all well, with a french twist :) Tres Bon ! You and pop , unbeatable! Good on you 2. !

Wow, that's a find!

I took a basket case Ford (UK) MK1 Escort in which had no engine, gearbox or driveshaft in it. The floor was Fred Flintstone style, the footwells/bulkhead were non existant but i could see something in the car and my nephew had just come of age for driving. Working evenings and some weekends, I completely removed ALL rust and oxy/accetelene welded in all new metal, new brakes and brakelines, running gear from an old car I had in the yard and got her running sweet as. Took her for her MOT and she passed 1st time! 1st night out after my nephew passed his test in his 'new' car, he put it in a ditch!! I had to go pull him out and it needed a new wing (fender) etc. But, hey, it was probably the best thing that could've happened to him, he is a better, safer driver for the experience. You MUST spend a bit of time on this little car, replace the floor, tidy her up inside, replace the rotten pieces and give her a sympathetic 'oily rag' finish to the exterior. You will have more attention paid to you than your mates Mustang, believe me!! Great job getting her up and running, but get that carb jetted for that size engine😂😂 Well done lads👍🏻👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

Also built under license in Japan from 1953-1963 by Hino Motors, merged in 1967 with Toyota and today the heavy truck/bus arm of Toyota. Nearly 35,000 were built with necessary modification for Japanese conditions.

The engine is almost identical to the successor's Renault 4 engine. As the Renault 4 was built until 1992, it's very easy to get spare parts, like a new carburetor from Solex or Zenith from Europe. There are many dealers like CiPeRe, who ship to the USA.

Uber cool! It’s designed by Ferdinand Porsche while captured by France after WW2.

Absolutely love the odd stuff! 760 cubic inch😂

Resourceful and creative! Good show guys. Love it. Dad talks too much! LOL

Hi guys love your channel. There's another Renault 1959 being built down in Africa. Their putting a vw pan and running gear under it. The yt channel is called rat rods for africa. It's near done. Have yourself a look. Keep up the good work.

Jeeez...... cant keep up with the timeline of your beard, can you can grow a full beard in a day?!?!? 😄

Love your show🙂 Please stay original guys 💙💛 Watching from Sweden👋

I love your content! The older the weirder the better! When that car fired i couldn't believe it. It kinda sounded like our old Farmall H when i was a kid. Keep up the good work and when get that RV done I'll gladly volunteer to be the camp cook!

Cool Renault 4CV. A little loud but drives really well here on German Autobahn, especially as a Gordini🤣

Cool car! I just love it! One of my friends had one and raced with it! Not so rare here in Sweden! It was two for sale not long ago here in Sweden! You would probably be able to find spare parts here in Europe if u want!! Yet another great rescue!

Just for perspective… this stuff was designed less than 10 years after ww2… Europe was in ruins so cars had to be cheap to buy and to run.

Awesome job brother wow to hear it run gives me goose bumps,an it sounds good lol

So cool to see you working on a French car , the 4CV was the first car of my dad and it remains my dream hobby car. You must also try to found a Citroën 2CV , it is a funny one too

Back in the 70s we use to get gasket paper for the carby rebuild or cardboard from the weetbix carton

What a cute car! There were two cars sitting in a field on the way to school. They even had all black paint on them. I told my parents I wanted to revive them as a school car, but they said no.... 😆

I was expecting this one for a while! Thanks from France :)

On rat rods for Africa RU-vid channel he is putting one of those little cars on a Volkswagen Jesse

Parabéns pelo seu conhecimento meu amigo e muito sucesso 🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝

Nice to see a old European car from the fifties and this one was very popular in France but also in much more Country in Europe, it was the time of small cars like the Citröen 2 CV and the Fiat Topolino and the Mini , all of these cars where sold very well, the next Generation of this Renault 4 CV was the Renault 4 and the Fiat 500. The Citroën 2 CV was produced until the 90 and for a long immense popular by Younger drivers ! All of these cars could with the right maintenance drive for a very long time and where cheap to drive. So great that this engine is running again and is a Miracle !!!! Nice video as always and thanks for sharing !

Please restore it like you do to the porsche

One of the very best small cars of the era, only 750cc but with VW-type reliability. I'm a 1947 model myself and I well remember the heyday of the baby Rennos, which were succeeded by the Dauphine.

Well done Boys a great result. Got an engine here in the UK... in fact 2 one could be stripped as it has been sitting outside for 3+ years so glad you got it started!

we had an r5 r10 and a r12...the the last one was a 84 encore. slow and always breaking but we loved em....lol