Project Belle'

[Commerciale]

These were delivered this morning.

Attachment 101849Attachment 101850

They are interesting because they are pliable and not rigid like the original product. I have contacted the seller to ask it he knows what material/polymer was used to fabricate them. Hopefully they will stand up to the Australian sun.

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I found them on the following website, which is a bit like Aussiefrogs. It appears to be administered by one individual.

https://www.zerotrois.ch/

It contains some interesting information about 203 and 403s. (It does convert to English.)

Cheers

Dano

Hi Dan

The plastic bits look good but you have one problem. The gear lever surround is probably for LHD and the numbers will be around the wrong way. This could confuse both the gearbox and operator!!

[Dano]

No one could steal it then. They'd be totally stuffed. That is, if they get past the turn the key, push the power button in, pull out the S button for the choke and then the D button for the pull start. Pretty sure they'd have given up by the time they tried to fathom out the back to front up-side-down gear change configuration.

[Andrew Watkins]

You should be safe enough - apparently one of the better theft-proofing devices these days is a manual gearbox. The average teenage bogan can't cope with one, let alone a Peugeot column shift.

Number of car hijackings recently in which the gentlemen involved dumped keys and car once they realised it was a manual

Young folk these days! Not what we were

Andrew

[GRAHAM WALLIS]

They can't even handle the more conventional late 404 shift. A friend of mines was stolen, found around the corner from his home with a burnt out clutch!

[Dano]

Broke my own mantra, about not touching the 203 before the 404 is finished yesterday. Ah, but I have good cause as a friend is driving to Melbourne and offered to take the diff housing and centre to be overhauled down there.


So, up went Belle’s rear end and out came the rear axle. In the process, I managed to drop thick black oil on the floor. God knows how many times I have pulled out rear ends and had rags and drip trays at the ready, but I somehow still manage to drop oil on the floor.


When did Peugeot start stamping/embossing the year of manufacture on the axle tubes? There is none on the tubes from either this car or the donor wreck I stripped. The diff housing has H54 on it. Does that make it a 54 diff?



As state before, I have managed to source all new bearings, seals, worm wheel, pinion and the fibrous washers between the gears.
Should be nice and smooth when done.

Found another oddity as well. The left rear had the later 203/403 brake drum configuration (wider) and the right side still has the standard thinner type. Would have made for interesting braking in the wet?




As this is the first time I have had her up this high, it gave me a good chance to have a look around the body at/for rust. There is small amounts around one jacking point and along between the jacking points. Nothing major though. In the main, the floor looks good around the back floor area etc. The structural sills have had some remedial work done before and it looks a bit iffy. Will definitely be removing the patchwork to see what lies underneath.

Now back to work on the 404.

Cheers

Dano

[GRAHAM WALLIS]

The brake drums/linings are the same width, the later ones had a square shape making them look wider.
Yes, H54 would be 54 model.

[Dano]

Thanks Graham on both counts. I was always under the impression, that what I referred to as the narrower drums, were indeed that. I guess you can teach an old dog a trick or in my case something new.

[Martin Kropik]

Dear Dan

Do you have some news for us ?

Kind regards - Martin

[Dano]

Hi Martin,

Unfortunately not! I am procrastinating severely on the 404.

Still looking for hubcap clips for you. Even if I can lay my hands on one, you'll be able to use it as a sample.



Cheers,

Dan

[PCOATES505]

Dan I have some 403 wagon wheels I could get a couple of clips off, if thats any help?

cheers Pete

[Dano]

Hi Peter,

PM sent

Dano

[Dano]

fnqvmuch, started a thread in September last year, about the availability of replacement 203 panels. (Can't load the link, it is getting harder to insert pictures etc. Arrrrggggh!!!)

The link within the thread is no longer available, but with his (fnqvmuch) assistance and a few hours trawling the web, I found Pascal at Peugeot Service de Presse. He is a very helpful proprietor, who answers emails promptly and nothing was a problem for him.

He produces 203 panels using moulds that he manufactured, using original drawing/specifications from Peugeot.

Unfortunately, Belles floor pans and sundry panels are not as good as first thought. As mentioned earlier, a lot the areas that are the usual suspects for rust within a 203 were fibre-glassed over, then cover in a bitumen type material.

After cutting, patching and a lot of re-work on the 404, I decided that it would be easier to simply order the panels for Belle. All things being considered, the parts are reasonably priced. Freight made up a third of the total purchase price.

These arrived today!



Superbly packed for transit




Boot floor section, 2 x boot gussets, 2 x side jacking points and 2 x 6V Battery trays.




2 x butresses (subframes), 2 x battery support panels, 2 x outer sill panels and 1 x Rear seat(Rear panel between boot lid and bumper]




2 x floor pans and 2 x inner sill panels

I am impressed with what arrived and how well they were packed.

These outer sill panels are for a fellow Frogger who piggybacked my order into OZ. (I guess that is what this site is all about)




Now they are back in their delivery boxes, until the 404 is finished.

This is Pascal's email, if anyone is interested in contacting him. Unfortunately, he only does 203 panels.

[email protected]

Cheers,

Dano

[fnqvmuch]

Can’t be the only one thinking “- that’s what I need”. All respect for Pascal’s Intellectual Property rights, but do you think it could be arranged for a license / patterns to be taken, and your considerable costs defrayed somehow?
Steven

[Dano]

Steve,

To be perfectly honest,
1. I seriously doubt that there is a big enough market in Oz to go through the hassle of manufacturing/licencing said moulds etc.
2. After what he has done for me, I would not even ask. In his own words, "He is a boutique enterprise, working with slim margins"

As stated in an earlier entry, postage/freight is the killer and very few, if any sellers will entertain the concept of surface/sea freight. Too slow and too many hassles. The Euro to AUD conversion rate is also unfriendly at the moment. When I started the 404, 6 years ago, the rate was around $0.80 AUD to the Euro. Now, it can be as low as $0.59 by the time banks and PayPal etc., take their cuts.

No offence meant, my friend.

Cheers.

Dano