Restarting my French Plymouth Duster 318/904

-
FredP said:
Ha ha haaaaaah, I'm as french as I can be with a Spanish father and a mother from Champagne
Click to expand...

"French as I can be with a Spanish father"

One thing I like about France is that they try (and, to a great extent succeed) to instill in their schools that they are all French.
Not Spanish-French.
Not Italian-French.
Not German-French (God forbid!).
Not Swiss-French (well, maybe).
Not Senegalese-French.
Not Algerian-French.
Not Lebanese-French.

Just French, as God and General De Gaulle intended.

It doesn't work perfectly, but at least they actively try, unlike the US, where there is no attempt at all.

– Eric
 
We are such i mix here....
Im 1/4 Irish, 1/4 polish ,1/4 solvac,and the 1/4 my name came from??? No one knows
Even though the registration says Romanian
My dad said He was NOT.....
Maybe chech...
 

Mont st.michel, that's the monestary with the tidal road, right ?

If so, I've been there a few decades ago
 
Hi guys, it's Saturday so I spent some time on the car!
This week I received some goodies I ordered: look at these service manuals reprints!
20250425_182703.jpg


It has all the information I'll need :lol:

Next, I continued with the wiring harness: I installed a modern fuse box in the engine bay for better accessibility. I took advantage of the hole for the windshield washer hoses to install a bulkhead connector and route all my wires through. So, I installed a small electric pump for the windshield washer, changed the hoses and connector; I still have to remove the wiper switch to finish the connection.

I'll clean it up a bit too; I'll tie everything down to make it look a little more professional:
20250426_114438.jpg



I took advantage of this beautiful spring day to replace the 4 shock absorbers: no problem with a good floor jack and jack stands. Look what the left rear shock absorber looked like: completely bent, its cover is even worn from rubbing!:eek:
20250426_141333.jpg
Once again, I don't understand how anyone can overlook this without doing anything...:realcrazy:

I received part of the brakes (just a pair of drums): I'm missing the other two drums, the pads, accessories, and the accompanying hardware. I ordered an 8" double diaphragm brake booster with the master cylinder, expected delivery in 3 weeks. I will do the entire brake system at that time, including hoses.

Now it's time to enjoy this late afternoon by going to mow the lawn... :rolleyes: an activity closely followed by a beer!:thumbsup:
 
And this Sunday was rainy, my wife went diving this morning with some friends (taking pictures of the underwater world...), so I decided to continue my work on the dashboard. I tested the new fuse setup: everything is OK, and I removed all the lousy wires left by the "restorer".

I removed the instrument cluster, to check for the ammeter and temp gauges that are not working: after careful disassembly, changing the cables and cleaning the contacts, the ammeter is now working (yeeeeehaaah!
:thumbsup:
), but the temp is still not. It's a miracle that the car didn't finish in smoke when I see these "home appliance cables" here and there. See the ammeter connections? Some hi-fi speaker cable, totally burnt!
:realcrazy:

ammeter.jpg



I have no electrical continuity between the 2 poles of the temp gauge when removed from the circuit (i.e. infinite resistance, open circuit), so I guess that the gauge itself is damaged.

Never mind, as I was planning anyways to install a full Autometer cluster with gauges sooner or later: well, I guess it will be sooner than initially expected:rolleyes:

Good evening everyone :)
 
I bet if you just clean up those ends going to the ammeter, that part will be fine. The crimped connectors probably aren't crimped well/right.

If I'm not mistaken, all of the current from the alternator for the car goes through the dash (via bulkhead). Some folks opt to bypass the bulkhead and replace the ammeter with a voltage gauge. While you're working stuff, probably good to check those terminals on the bulkhead connector as well.
 
@tone I made a new set of cables (with correct cable section and well crimped terminals) for the ammeter. The bulkhead connector terminals are fine, the rest of the wires are OK too. I went thru everything I could reach, removed all the tape to inspect every single wire, and wrapped the whole stuff with electrician tape to make sure that I won't have to do it again :thumbsup:
I'd like to retain the original dash until I switch to an Autometer cluster with full set of gauges, which will include a voltmeter. My concern is the temperature gauge: I'll buy a cheap temp indicator in the meantime...
 
Dont the gages work on regulated power
I thought 7volts
 
Hi there,
I have some days off, and I finally started removing the carpet to inspect the real condition of the floor pans... check this:
20250506_155334.jpg


Well I guess that the body shop will have to work on it!

Tomorrow I'm going to drive the car to where they will take care of all the body issues. They said it would be ready maybe early next week.
This gives me some time to pressure wash the carpet, find some underlay to replace the cardboard (yes!!) and the reflective sunshade (again, yes!!) that I found: the restorer intended to cover the hole on the floor with whatever he had at hand, not to mention the small pieces of sheet metal stuck with some windshield glue!

Once the car will be ready from the bodywork, then I'll be able to fit the new power master cylinder, the new wheel cylinders, brake hoses, and some other stuff waiting in my garage.


nutz said:
Dont the gages work on regulated power
I thought 7volts
Click to expand...
The ammeter is direct wired between the positive terminal of the battery, and the output of the alternator.
The temp gauge should works on 5Volts, but I guess the gauge itself is damaged: when removed from dashboard, there is no continuity between the two terminals. I'll try to open it and see if I can do something.
The tank indicator is working fine, so I assume that the 5V converter is OK.
 
Hi folks,

that weekly Saturday update: well, the car is still at the body shop. The guys there did all the rear part: trunk, spring brackets, small hole here and there, ....
I had a call this week: they are working on the floor pan, and they will also have to rebuild the front frame rails (the left side one was covered with some chili beans tin can or whatever, maybe some Campbell soup?).
For all the work, they will charge me 2500€ (2790USD), which is a fair price for a professional repair: they will have work 8 man-day.

I will be out this next week, visiting some customer in Africa, I guess that I will have the car back home when I return from Chad.
It will be time then to start the brake job.
 
That's a good price, especially considering that your French TUV-wannabe would probably be very angry with them if they messed up the frame rail.

It'd be cheaper in Africa, though! Some of those UNHCR food cans are quite large, and make excellent repair material. :-D

Did the shop tell you what brand of cans they were?
If they were from a French company, you would be justified in going up to Bretagne or wherever with that axe for a "talk" with the guy who sold you the car.
If they were from the US, probably too difficult.

– Eric
 
Hello, as today I'm off (it's Ascension Thursday) I went to the body shop this morning where the guys were waiting for me. They did a fantastic job in the trunk, they rebuilt the complete spring rear hangers, the floor pan on driver's side.
They say that all the poor job was done several years ago with some rust already appearing under the coating: they'll soon send me the pictures of the job, that I'll share with you.
They checked (opened) the front frame rails and said these could be there for a couple years more: no need to tear apart now the whole front end (including engine, K member, etc.), this will wait my retirement...

Tomorrow I'll drive to my mother's place: she'll be 90 and my siblings will be there too! We're going to have a picnic at my sister's house under the cherry trees.:thumbsup: Mum loves picnics but she doesn't get much chance to do it anymore in her retirement home.

I won't be able to work on the car this Saturday either: we'll be downtown Marseille for the Boss concert :p, with a couple of friends our age and 65 000 + spectators! I've been waiting for him for about 40 years...

This Sunday morning will be quiet too, the Boss is known for his 4 + hours shows and I bet we will sleep until noon!

The toughest part is done now, i.e. the body work I cannot do by myself, I will take maybe some days OFF to work on the remaining topics in order to enjoy the car during this summertime.
 
If your talking Bruce....maybe you guys can keep him .....
Nothing worse than a performer going over seas to bad mouth are country
Have a great time with your family
 
re the gauges, why not temporarily fit a set of cheap gauges under the dash as has been done for many decades? it'll save... a) not having a temp' gauge and b) not having to spend on the autometer cluster just now.
neil.
 
nutz said:
If your talking Bruce....maybe you guys can keep him .....
Nothing worse than a performer going over seas to bad mouth are country
Have a great time with your family
Click to expand...
Well you know, I'm still a 16 yo fan (plus some years of experience!) and not that much into current politic situation... I like the singer, I like the songs, I will not judge the man. If you want a trade, I can set a full list of french people you may keep too :rofl:

mygasser said:
re the gauges, why not temporarily fit a set of cheap gauges under the dash as has been done for many decades? it'll save... a) not having a temp' gauge and b) not having to spend on the autometer cluster just now.
neil.
Click to expand...
A full intellitronix gauge panel is on the way, ETA next Monday. It is a short term affordable solution that will tick all cases: kmh-speedo / Bar / °celsius / clock / tacho. It will do the job in the meantime :thumbsup:

Autometer does not offer metric gauges on these sets, I would have to order separately the cluster, the gauges, etc. and it would cost me much more. KMH speedo is quite mandatory for this car, as my wife wants to drive it too and I wouldn't want to accumulate speeding tickets :steering: Maybe some day I'll go to this solution, need to prioritize repairs and save some money too :rolleyes:
 
I never liked the boss and im from nj.....but thats ok everyone likes different things that's what makes the world a great place....
There are a lot of bands I like and care for their political views
I would think better of him and a lot of other entertainers if they would stick to their skills and leave their veiws to their selves
 
Hello folks,
I have some days off, so I started today with the brakes:
the front brakes are done = back plate painted, new cylinder, hose, new hardware and shoes (bearings are new - I did them a couple of weeks ago),
rear brakes are done also = new cylinders, shoes, hardware, hand brake cables (x3),
removal of all the rigid lines including prop valve, removal of old master vac and master cylinder.

Tomorrow I need to remove the right front brake line (which is somewhere on the firewall), and remove the dashboard to have better access to the handbrake cable attachment on the lever. Anyway, I am going to fit the Intellitronix gauge cluster, and a new steering wheel.

I will receive some fittings next Thursday (that were on back order), then I will install all rigid lines next week-end, and the new power brake.
I will have the valve (the one with the pressure drop switch) ultrasonic cleaned as well as the rear axle brake hose T fitting: these are the only components that will remain from the whole brake system, and I am going with silicone brake fluid so I need them to be ultra clean.

As the car is on sturdy jack stands, I will change the trans oil pan (for a bigger aluminum-ribbed one + new filter and fresh oil),
install the gearbox encoder for the Intellitronix speedometer,
change both upper and lower radiator hoses,
change engine oil and filter,
change the engine rubber mounts,
install a fancy front spoiler (yes, I went with the Ch**y Ca***o option :p ) and some round chrome fog lights under the front bumper, the spark plugs, the ignition point, radiator cap, install the Intellitronix oil pressure sender, water temp sensor, route a wire to the coil for the tachometer feature of the gauge cluster, etc.

At the same time, once the dashboard will be done, I will reinstall the carpet (including a new layer of deadening material, and an additional layer of underlay), new bolts for the safety belts.

I asked a friend of mine who is a professional upholsterer an estimate for front bench and back seats (which are currently different), and some leather on the brand new Grant steering wheel: I am hoping a very special friendly price :thumbsup:
Later on (maybe this next winter), I will have the door panels and quarter panels reworked too. I am not obsessed with the origin, but I asked for a period correct look...

So, I'm back to my rugby game on tv (it's 10pm here), have a nice day :D
20250613_094506.jpg
 
Last edited:
What do they do over there for emissions on something that old
Can you do cam exhaust ect.
Heard some countries tax you on engine size
Is that just new cars ?
Happy hot rodding.....
 
As I explained earlier, the French tech. inspection has very strict requirements pollution wise. Older cars need to comply with the standards at the time they were new: for a 55 yo car, there are no emission standards today as they were none then, but they still can issue a warning for dense smoke.
New cars shall meet the latest Euro-6d emission standards, and this is very monitored by authorities. They currently try to set up low emission areas (downtown major cities), where only electric, or low-emission hybrid and low emission gasoline cars would be allowed: this is currently postponed as the big majority of regular citizens cannot afford a new car, and the electric chargers grid is not that efficient too. Ecologists are lobbying to resume the ZFE (low emission zones), but they don't understand that average Joe Marcel is not ready for that. There are still plenty of diesel cars over here, and people are not ready to change for a crappy Chinese battery powered toy car.

The ones we call watermelons (yuppies that look green outside, but are red inside) are some kind of fundamentalists who'd like us to go bicycling everywhere... imagine that if you need to drive a family of 4, 5, 6, going to school, to supermarket, at night, under the rain, etc. If you live in the countryside, there is no public transportation for the active people who need to go working, shopping, etc. These are the same people that went against nuclear electricity 45 years ago: they say today that we are late on our nuclear program, and that we should build more nuclear power plants for the electric cars... imagine that, they admit 45 years after that they were wrong!

Although I perfectly understand that we need to make every effort in order to keep the planet healthy, I'm disappointed that governments do not hit where it matters (big cargo boats, huge passenger and cruise ships, urban heating systems, unnecessary use of electricity, disposable plastic things, etc.).
 
Yeah I'm ok with emissions and electric cars
If they get the batteries right
We were heading the same direction as you guys and luckily we (some of us) what has happened over there
In California they want to sell only electric cars and during the summer they have rolling black outs because not enough power to keep the ac on ...
For inspections every state has there own standards..in nj they had state inspection stations. Checked everything now all the do is plug in and see if the emissions pass
So you can drive an unsafe vehicle as long as not polluting....
It funny how a few people can come up with these ideas that they push on so many and don't have any idea what it will do or how it will effect everyone....and it the same everywhere
 
Parlez-vous francais, but I do speak English...I'm surprised your 70 didn't come with rally cluster....is it a 340 clone? By the way I love it...looks like one of mine B5 1970
 
I remember during my stay in Seal Beach Ca in '99, we were shocked with the poor electric network; the lights were orange at night, due to the drop in voltage when everybody turned AC, microwaves, washing machines, on. In France we do run 240 AC, so when there is a minor drop in voltage, it is not that much important and we barely notice. Our power grid is also quite efficient because it is only one nationwide company (that use to be public, but now private under gov. authority), and it is very rare to have to make rotating cuts to protect the network.

Back to my car: I just finished to remove the gauge cluster, and the front right brake pipe. I adapted the support for the new mastervac, I am missing a 3/8 ball joint that will come Thursday.
I changed the battery to starter cable, and I will make new cables due to the removal of the ammeter. I do have correct size cable, let's go for it! (we sometimes work on aircraft refueling trucks to convert them into hybrid units, so I have access to tools...).

@Mtrhead the car is a 318 with dreams of grandeur :D , so no rally gauges here...
 
It is one of the most beautiful G-Code cars that I have ever seen and the scoops and the wing really add to the flavour
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-
Back
Top Bottom