My new cars have fwd! That's different.

[Gyula]

I just logged on to this site as I'd like to find out more about Peugeots.  I would like to work on my examples and make modifications for fun and learning and fun and stuff.

Presently I have a few Peugeots.  Since coming to NZ I have acquired four 405s (two of which are runners, one diesel and one gasoline), two 605s (one is a non-runner and the other one disgraced itself by developing some electrical malady which needs to be eliminated from the car soon).  Overseas I have a 505 Gti.  It is living in storage in a barn on a farm in NSW, where it is warm and dry and never rains (so that car is not going to age- the battery had to be taken out and put to another use; they don't last long unused in storage anyway). I also have some other cars and odds and ends, like some V-12 stuff and a 426 late-hemi, but that's not likely to be of much interest here.

There are some plans for the non-running 605.  It has a blown head gasket.  I got it from down the line from a guy in Tangimoana.  He let me have it for the cost of the bits I was originally going to use on the other 605.  I think he was pleased that I decided to return that car to service instead of parting it out.  I haven't done the work yet, but there is a plan (and I'll need to start asking questions to find out about some information I am missing).  In the end I got all the parts for the other 605 from Pick-A-Part anyway.  It didn't take very long to get what was required.  Meanwhile the gasoline 405 is in need of some work.  It is getting sick.  So the 605s will have to wait.  The 405 is necessary for daily grind so it gets prior claim to time.

I am interested by front wheel drive chassis, as I have never had a great deal to do with them.  All my experience has been in high powered rear drive or all wheel drive.  Understanding the front drive car is going to be a learning experience.  They are definately different.  On that note, I understand that there is a Peugoet 406 BTCC car around.  Does anyone know anything about that?

More later.  Must go and attend to something.  Shit-oh-dear!  Some idiot just managed to crash into the power pole outside. 

   



     



   

[thedrunkfish]

Go point and laugh but take mouthguard

[McSweatydoug01]

welcome . hope you can find some useful information on here . what problems are you having with the 405 ?
as for the 605 they came out the factory with electrical faults so as long as it still runs be happy .

[BigPete]

BTCC 406 is so awesome.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=174499051

Would be even better if returned to this colour scheme imo



Keen for more info and pics of V12s and Hemi.

[CaM]

also keen on v12 and hemi elaboration.

welcome!

[2052NV]

BTCC 406 is so awesome.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=174499051

Would be even better if returned to this colour scheme imo



Keen for more info and pics of V12s and Hemi.

buy that and you will be the GOD of fasts! its truly awsome

[Carpentry]

G'day Gerald

My other name is Joel

[Gyula]

Hello and back again!  Sorry about the delay.  Thanks for responding to my post.

In answer to your questions I'll elaborate a little:-

Re faults with gasoline powered 405
Valve stem seals are tired
Brake booster has developed a vacuum leak
Some exterior trim needs to be replaced
Rack boot has a tear
One of the rear drum brake cylinders has seized
Paint on bootlid and roof has oxidised



Re faults with dieseline powered 405
Cabin ventilation blower fan don't operate
Funny buzzing sound from passenger footwell area- suspect electric motor drives for ventilation flaps (don't know much about what goes on down there)
Oil leak
Sometimes gearbox clashes when selecting reverse gear when stationary



Re faults with 605 #1
head gasket blown
some parts removed from car and need to be put back
surface rust patches on underbody- non structural


Re faults with 605 #2
Car starts and drives OK so long as you do not allow it to idle for any length of time.  If it is allowed to idle for more than 20 seconds or so the rpm gradually starts to drop and the idle quality worsens.  You must increase rpm instantly or else one by one the cylinders stop firing and shortly thereafter the engine quits.  Then the bastard will not start for 10 or 15 minutes.  Then it pretends nothing has happenned and goes through the same routine.  It's a pain to have to blip the throttle when stationary every so often. 
Sometimes the car just will not start at all.  Starter turns the engine but the fire she don't get lit.

I need advice with this.  Any thoughts?       


Re V-12
I have a spare Jaguar V-12 engine in storage which at one point had a pair of turbo-chargers on it.  They were part of a marine race engine kit which was marketed in Australia some while back.  The engine is partially dismantled. 

That turbo set-up was originally used for a marine conversion of the Jaguar engine.  The marinised engines were opened up from the (then) stock 5.3 litres to 7 litres or more (over 10 litres is possible with reasonable work- no structural modifications to block and heads although some block machining is required).  The turbochargers were added as part of the marinised exhaust system which was dry but partially water cooled.  Cooling system for the engine itself was by shell and tube heat exchangers to cool the engine fluids and also the intercooler.  The 7 litre engine was supposed to be good for ~1100 bhp (which was a bit of a big deal back then).  RPM was kept low so that available transmissions with sensible reduction ratios could be used.  These engines could operate for hours at WOT.  The shock of being rapidly unloaded and then instantly loaded up, as the prop left the water and then bit back in again when the boat pitched and slamed, did not seem to give these engines any serious trouble.  In the end the important issue was to keep them well cooled.  Having an "infinite" cold sink (the sea) solves that. 

A wheeler-dealer-mechanic called Gary Walker was persuaded by someone to put one of the marine engines into a road car (actually there were several XJS cars converted by various outfits- one was built for Kerry Packer who drove it seriously hard and destroyed sets of tyres in a matter of days, he also killed lots of gearboxes).  Walker gained some fame by boasting that he had built the fastest roadcar in Australia.  He probably had the most powerful road registered car but I understand that as originally configured it was nearly undrivable as there was insufficient traction.  In the end he reasoned that he needed less torque, hence less boost (and eventually decided that for the road the original 5.3 litres might work out fine with the turbos).  The real breakthough was the realisation that no intercoolers were necessary as no-one would ever be on the gas long enough (count to ten and you are at 135mph) for sufficient heating of the intake tract to allow charge temperatures to get out of hand.  When I visited him he proudly showed the 10 second 1/4 mile time slips he kept in the glove box.  I can't recall what the 60' times were but I remember they were not that good.  He was still using a 7 litre engine.  He had considerable trouble controlling the wheelspin out of the hole.  Of course these days that would not be trouble at all.  There are some really god traction control systems available.  They are cheap insurance against incinerated tyres.  Anyway, an impressive drive in the car and the fast 1/4, in spite of all the launch trouble, persuaded me that the turbo kit was the way to go.  I got one and converted a 5.3 in a sedan.  That's the engine I still have.  It has dropped a valve seat (which they do when they overheat or over rev- I achieved both with this engine) and needs to be rebuilt.  Still, I have most of the goodies for it.


Re late Hemi
This is a 426 from 1969.  It is heavy as it is composed entirely of cast iron.  It was known as the "Elephant" engine (Chevy has the "Rat" and the "Mouse") on account of its two most memorable features. They are its size (it is a very wide engine) and the sound it makes when it is allowed to have WOT.  This one came from the South Island from a guy who had it in a jet boat (an application to which it was entirely unsuited).  It is incomplete.  I need manifolds etc but have the long block more or less (minus sump).  I was silly enough to drive it back to Auckland in a Laser hatchback.  That was an adventure.  Lesson: you should always tie heavy loads down for transit purposes.  When I am next in the lock-up I'll take some pictures of it.  The inlet ports are most impressive.


Re the 406
Thanks for the link and for that excellent photo.  I want one of those.  Can you imagine how much fun that'd be to own?  For the road it could be even better as there are no engine rules to bugger up the party.  Someone told me once that the Mi16 engine was structurally good enough for some 660bhp.  I reckon that a nice blown Mi16 in the 406 (or a 405 perhaps), set back well behind the front axle line and producing around half that power would be just the perfect ticket.  Keep it fwd as that would keep the mass down and fwd is supposed to be more benign for a road car.


Re the chassis dynamics file
DRTDVL, I'll go check up whether my provider can handle that.  Otherwise a disc may be a better option.  Will let you know.  Thanks for the offer of the file.  I am definately very interested.


Gyula             



PS

Oh yes.  Near forgot.  Powerpole got hit and toppled down on top of car.  They were really going for it.  The pole was concrete.  They reversed up and drove off.  The Police arrived and found that the electric power was still live.  There was an oil trail headed off down the road that they later followed.  I never found out whether they found the people who crashed.  My neighbour said that there were four people in the car.  She reckoned they were in their 30s and the car was just some old shitter- nothing special.  What was really impressive was how fast a crew arrived here and put up a new power pole with the wires still live the whole time!  That was brave men at work.