504 advice

[guskenny83]

hi,

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i am going to look at a 79 GL on the weekend, that seems in good, clean condition (they say "no rust" but i havent seen more than a photo yet - attached) and i was just wondering what sort of things i should look at specifically for 504s when going to see it and when test driving?

i'm a 3rd year mechanical engineering student with limited mechanical experience, having owned and rebuilt several vintage scooters over the last 10 years, but no real experience with cars and im keen to start getting my hands dirty and to start applying what we're learning at school.
i've always loved the 504s looks and im looking forward to getting to know it better from the inside, so any general advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated also.

thanks for your time

cheers
gus

[robmac]

hi,

i am going to look at a 79 GL on the weekend, that seems in good, clean condition (they say "no rust" but i havent seen more than a photo yet - attached) and i was just wondering what sort of things i should look at specifically for 504s when going to see it and when test driving?

i'm a 3rd year mechanical engineering student with limited mechanical experience, having owned and rebuilt several vintage scooters over the last 10 years, but no real experience with cars and im keen to start getting my hands dirty and to start applying what we're learning at school.
i've always loved the 504s looks and im looking forward to getting to know it better from the inside, so any general advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated also.

thanks for your time

cheers
gus

Lots of stuff is covered here: Inspecting a 1976 504 LTI

[guskenny83]

thanks for that, was very helpful, i found some other good threads on this site too..

one last question:
is there anything specific to 1979 GLs that i should watch out for?
otherwise, from what i can gather is to check EVERYWHERE for rust (especially around the windscreen and bottom of the doors), check the suspension, check all doors and windows, oil in the water, water in the oil, listen for a rattle from a badly tensioned timing chain, park somewhere flat and look underneath for oil leaks.. anything else?

thanks again for your help
cheers
gus

[robmac]

thanks for that, was very helpful, i found some other good threads on this site too..

one last question:
is there anything specific to 1979 GLs that i should watch out for?
otherwise, from what i can gather is to check EVERYWHERE for rust (especially around the windscreen and bottom of the doors), check the suspension, check all doors and windows, oil in the water, water in the oil, listen for a rattle from a badly tensioned timing chain, park somewhere flat and look underneath for oil leaks.. anything else?

thanks again for your help
cheers
gus

Not really. Rust is hardest repair . Mechanical parts are still available and quite reasonable in price.

If the car looks honest at this age , then it generally is. Always remember you will be lucky to find a 504 without some work being needing be done.

[luthier]

Look carefully at the shock absorber towers under the bonnet for welding or cracks. Accidents have been repaired round these points that remain weak . I would not buy a car with problems here.
Check the ride height particularly at the rear. After a long time the big rubber blocks under the rear subframe mounts will sag. No big deal, just something you may have to fix.
Jack it up all round and check all wheel bearings. Rear ones can be dodgy too. Again, no reason not to buy.
If brakes are not fabulous you'll likely need to be going right through them.
Steering should have virtually no play, but bushes are cheap. However rack and pinion is not so cheap so it's best to work out where any play is before you think it will be easy.
Make sure it doesn't overheat, even if no oil in water or water in oil. Leaking sleeve seals can allow water loss and head gasket type symptoms. Make very sure that decent amount of coolant is in system as alloy head is very prone to corrosion if this is inadequate. Sorry I know this is non specific and applies to all alloy heads.

See if the thermo fan cuts in as it idles and heats to a certain point[round 79-82C].

Treated right they are a bloody marvelous and very sturdy car that rides handles and performs great for big mileages.
Looks like a lovely car from the photo. Good luck.

[guskenny83]

thanks to everyone for their help, advice and information.

i went to see the car yesterday, it was in amazing condition, i checked everywhere for rust and all that i could find was a small amount of bubbling in the paint at the bottom of the front doors, othewise perfectly clean, even under the mats inside and in the boot.

mechanically it was brilliant, no play at all in the steering, no engine noise to speak of, the cylinder head had been completely reco'd 2 years previously, owner says it uses hardly any oil, the idle mixture was a little bit rich but that is no real problem to fix.. new fuel pump, water pump. air conditioner has a new pressure valve and works perfectly.

the owner has owned and worked on peugeots for years (even had a 203 in the yard that he plans to restore) he has obviously put much love and care into this car over the years, was a lovely guy and even included several boxes of spare 504 parts and a couple of spare wheels..

going to pick it up wednesday, cant wait..

thanks again to everyone for their advice and i look forward to benefiting from all your collective experience over the years in getting to know this car better..

cheers
gus

[Toony]

Congrats... Bloody jealous.

The first drive in a 'new' 504 is a great occasion.

[pugagain]

Well done. You will enjoy the "cool" of a 504.

[peujohn]

Let the mods begin?! There are plenty of good improvements to make to a 504, such as a set of alloys, power steering if you like, a 5 speed gearbox, electronic ignition, etc etc.

Enjoy your new ride.

[Binky]

Congrats on a fantastic car!!!

I look forward to seeing you cruising around Brunswick soon. If you see an early white 404 with red interior around North Fitzroy, feel free to say g'day!

Binky