Simca racer.

Hi Thankyou for your response. It is always good to hear anecdotal stories about Simca's that made their way to Australia and of course I was keen to hear more about the connection with Chrysler Australia. I also have in a shed a 1965 Simca 1300 GL in fairly good and very restorable order. It was one of three which Chrysler brought to Australia in the sixties again for appraisal.
Mine is the only survivor and is RHD. It is a dark blue colour. One of the other ones was broken up and the body parts and trim came my way as well. The remaining one ended up in a paddock somewhere in SA I was informed.
I would be keen on the spares if you wish to sell. Let me know if you would consider this and I will make contact somehow.

My mistake about the carbie on the 1100 special. You are correct. The 1100 TI is a very desirable car and prices are going through the roof for a unmolested good example. It is on my list of Simca's to buy one day.
Probably the Special is a better proposition in retrospect as it is already here in Oz and is in RHD. I must get motivated.

A chap in the UK around ten years ago restored a beautiful 1100 GLS and fitted a Horizon motor. He really did a great job and it and went very well. I am sure it is still around. It got a magazine write-up in the UK at the time.

I will attempt to get a photo and post it some time. The Simca is in a shed on my land around two hours from my address in Brisbane so I do not visit all the time particularly with the heavy rain we have experienced this year in SE Qld.

I was not really aware of any gearbox or possible bearing issue with the 1100 as I never got to drive the car however I have the spare low mileage 1100 as back up if I need it and I am active in the European Simca fraternity. I usually travel to Europe for the biannual International Simca Club meetings but have not done so recently due to the pandemic. I am planning a trip to Paris in February next year to visit the Paris Retromobile again so I may be able to ask some questions of the French Club.

I often wondered about the back-story on the 1100 as we only spoke briefly when you decided to move it on. I am determined to put it back on the road one day as I always believed that the 1100 hatch was one of the best Simca models released. It was a very popular and a well admired car for a long time in France and as a bonus very French.
 
About the gearbox - when I got the car, the gearbox was buggered. The first owner (The Chrysler employee) one day hit reverse instead of fourth and it stripped the reverse gear off the shaft. I had the car freighted to my home in Vic and sourced a used gearbox in the UK through someone who regularly went from Melbourne to the UK for Hillman parts. I had found one gearbox by phoning Simca specialist wreckers around London (pre-internet) but the Hillman man said the one I had located was no good and he found one elsewhere. The spline on the input shaft was different so I then had to get a clutch plate sent over, the replacement box must have been from a 1975 model as that was when the spline changed. The old gearbox and the "new" diff (I didn't change the diff over, I fitted the replacement gearbox to the original diff from memory ) should still be in the boot...
It went in OK but always seemed to whine. I didn't ever get the car registered, but I drove it across Melbourne a couple of times with temporary use permits when I moved house and it went OK but the gearbox or diff whined. The gear linkages were sloppy too, I think I fitted some new ball joints but there is a gear linkage pivot that mounts on the middle of the steering rack and that had a bit of slop too.

I got other parts from RJ Grimes in Coulsdon Surrey England, but I'd imagine they are long gone now. The front and rear Simca and 1100 Special badges that are so prone to fading I replaced from them, but they have probably faded again...

I just searched RJ Grimes, there are photos of the place as an abandoned building, still with some spare parts on the shelves, sadly now burnt down apparrently. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157622583443010/

Good luck with your project.

If you want those parts, they are yours for the cost of postage.
 
Hi I am keen on the parts that you have. My phone number 0450332026. Please contact me with a postage estimate and I will advise address and work out a way to pay Regards, Kerry
 
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