Newbie in Adelaide with 63 404

Dave404

Dave404

Member
Tadpole
Joined
Jul 15, 2019
Messages
23
Location
Adelaide
Hello all, just wanted to introduce myself - I'm the new owner (well kind of) of a 63 404 Sedan. Long story short, I've taken on the task of preparing the car for sale on behalf of a mate, so I will be giving the car a very thorough detailing and mechanical once-over in order to get it presentable and reliable enough to sell (and in the process will be able to enjoy driving and owning a 404, albeit briefly). Will post some more pictures shortly. Have already gone through the saga of finding a cartridge type oil filter so I can change the oil.

I have previously owned lots of other classics but this is the first French car I've owned. Other cars I currently own include a 1964 Mini 850 and 3 x Mercedes W110-W111 Fintails - interestingly the 404 was considered a competitor of the W110 Finnie and although the Finnie is a larger car it would be on par with the 404 in terms of technical advancement and features at the time, plus the tail fins! Will be interesting to compare the 'French Finnie' to my German ones!

Thanks for having me and thanks in advance to the brains trust on here for the answers to the questions that I will inevitably be asking...
 
Welcome to AF, and to Pininfarina's version of tail fins.

I think your diff is worm drive (later ones are), so search AF for the correct lubricant.
 
Dave,
The part number for the cartridge type oil filter is R 267P. Available in the past from Ryco. Apparently it had an other makers application.

Further to the above, it may be possible to fit the later spin on filter by adapting the mounting from later model 404's.
 
Thanks for the welcome. Chassis number is 4282271. Here's a dodgy phone pic, once it's tidied up I'll post some better ones: 404 rear.JPG

I spent a good hour or so online trying to track down part numbers for the oil filter cartridge (I found a few old posts on here which mentioned the part number) but then I found a couple of spare filters in a box of spare parts that were in the car, so I'm off the hook.

Funny story, last year I bought a trailer load of Mercedes Fintail parts from a deceased estate - the owner also had a Peugeot 403 and after sorting through everything I ended up with a box of what I determined were 403 parts including several NOS purolator L172 oil filter cartridges. I put the whole lot up on gumtree and sold it in March of this year, thinking "I'm never going to have any use for a bunch of old Peugeot parts". They say the definition of Junk is something you get rid of 6 months before you need it...
 
Hi Dave,

Nice looking 404! Be interested to see some more photos.

As Seasink said, the worm drive differential does require a special oil. Ordinary diff oil will do untold long term damage.
And just to be a little annoying, oils that are suitable are not compatible!!! If you decide to change the diff oil you will need to flush out the housing. I am/will be using Penrite - Mild EP Gear Oil SAE 110. It has been formulated for older Peugeots and other applications. Castor based oils are also available. If you look at the following link, you will see a recent discussion re diff oils etc.. All the relevant info is on the last page. http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/restoration-projects/98543-69-404-restoration-14.html#post1620561

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/applications/car-4wd/gear-oils/mild-ep-gear-oil-sae-110#/

If you do go down the Penrite road, shop around. Supercheap Auto wanted aprrox $47 per LTR and Autobarn were nearly half the price.

You will need 2 bottles, the capacity of the diff is 1.4 LTRs

Ordinary engine oil is specified for the gearbox.

If you need any assistance, just ask.

Cheers,

Dano
 
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