Family motoring: PUG 504 Bodywork begins

[RobT]

Awesome! Are you taking it to Shitefest this year? I so want to see this car in the flesh.

[wuvvum]

That first advisory made me do a lol in light of the foregoing.

[HMC]

Have you got a HBOL for this ? I may have one if you need it

 

Thanks for the offer, but in fact I found 3 in the boot! (unsure wether this bodes well or not)

 

 

Awesome! Are you taking it to Shitefest this year? I so want to see this car in the flesh.

 

Yes, its a definite for shitefest. Was going to be basically a camper van but I ended up booking a room instead.

 

What will you be bringing Rob?

[RobT]

I'll be bringing my new shite, whatever that turns out to be in the next few weeks! I'll book a room too as not sure I can be arsed with camping.

[Split_Pin]

Jeez-oh, fair play for getting this sorted. Thats some fail sheet. Saving the car at any cost and against all odds, that's hugely admirable. I'm glad you did, it looks totally worth it.

 

I bet its superbe to travel around in.

[HMC]

Jeez-oh, fair play for getting this sorted. Thats some fail sheet. Saving the car at any cost and against all odds, that's hugely admirable. I'm glad you did, it looks totally worth it.

 

I bet its superbe to travel around in.

 

It is a comfy old thing to pootle about in. The springs are soft and long travel and, and the seats are soft and springy in the french tradition. Also due to the simple engineering (all 504 estates got a live rear axle) theres less linkages to have worn and it drives nicely too. However It does have a quoted top speed of 80mph and it gets quite boomy over 60 (could to with a 5th cog, its a 4 speeder though at some point its gained a 5 speed knob- confusing at first!)

 

Got a few more pics in between showers today.....

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think its been used a lot recently, so some good old wd40 has freed up sticky hinges and locks. It is also quite good at letting water in. Thankfully no sunroof to cause bother, but the rear hatch is a bit of a mess (all sorts of repairs over the years, fibreglass the favoured material) The weatherproofing membrane thing isnt there so theres something to attend to. Previous repairs have sealed up the drain holes too, so a few holes will stop the inner shell of the rear hatch from pooling with water and spilling into the interior.

 

I also took the top of the bulkhead off to see what the heater plenum and nearby metal work was like.....

 

 

 

Apart from a bit of soil and a few woodlice, once cleaned up it was solid. When its all dry in the summer I will probably waxoyl it. The waxoyling will also happen to the sills, main underbody box sections and the single rot free door. The 3 others are repairable but I recon once the rear hatch is prodded about with there will be little left worth salvaging.

[pandamonium]

Good news on the MOT. So many, myself included, would have given up.

[pshome]

[HMC]

I have in my hands a crisp V5c that arrived from Swansea today. I can haz uk registration!

 

The 504 is officially now known as RKU38X. To blank looks from the wife, I told her its a nice reg the bods have given me, Whatever was the verdict judging by the body Language! Had some pressed old style font plates made up which are on their way to me over the next few days. Just relieved the 504 is now properly documented and uk legal!

[Sudsprint]

This is shaping up nicely. Lovely old things these 504 estates.

[hairnet]

that 504 all hail gif made me lol

 

good luck with the weldathon

[trigger]

That will look great on the pressed plates, even the number is quality! I'm looking forwards to seeing this at shitefest.

[RoadworkUK]

That's the very definition of "Dishevelled". I love it. You are indeed heroic.

[mouseflakes]

Very, very, very well done. Indeed.

 

Great old bus.

[Angrydicky]

Does anyone else think it's a shame you don't get a local registration anymore since the closure of the local offices? Top work, anyway!

[cms206]

I have in my hands a crisp V5c that arrived from Swansea today. I can haz uk registration!

 

The 504 is officially now known as RKU38X. To blank looks from the wife, I told her its a nice reg the bods have given me, Whatever was the verdict judging by the body Language! Had some pressed old style font plates made up which are on their way to me over the next few days. Just relieved the 504 is now properly documented and uk legal!

 

RKU 38X is actually quite a nice mark, I'd be happy with that on one of mine; I trust if it's pressed plates you'll be burying them at the bottom of the garden for a few weeks then digging them up and clouting them with a hammer to give them the same look as the rest of the car?

[Skizzer]

Excellent news.  That Travis Perkins photo has to be a strong contender for next year's calendar.

 

Where did you get the pressed plates made up, out of interest?  Might be in the market for some of these.  Pics!

[aldo135]

This is brilliant, top work mate! Agree with Skizzer, love the Travis Perkins front on photo

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HMC]

Plates arrived today and I fitted them. Rang the insurance people to give them the new reg. Pleased with the utility press steel plates suiting the car and that my papertrail to get the 504 official is now complete!

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

That reg number definitely has Dollywobbler approval.

[trigger]

Bloody brilliant!

[catsinthewelder]

Can't wait to see this at Shitefest Cymru

[mercrocker]

Epic plate!  6 digits for free!   It would not be strictly in period but I would have been very tempted to red-line border those for that London street-scene overstayed-the-temporary-reg. look!    Perfect car - I love it....

[Skizzer]

Serck plates for the win!  I'm considering some of these for the (A reg) Jag, as the old ones are disintegrating.  I think the SD1 looks better with acrylics, but they want replacing too because they've got the new narrow letters.

[eddyramrod]

Those plates look the biz.  Only one way they could be improved really: laying them on the ground and driving the car over them a few times for a bit of "weathering"

[George-Roper]

Plates are great and well done on sorting it all out. Looks a nice ride and just needs a autoshite dealer sticker.

[HMC]

Using the old Moroccan taxi as my daily ( as was always the plan) Its improving with use, all except what happens on a cold start. Smoke, and a lot of it. Anyone remotely near or within the postcode gets engulfed in a light blueish haze on start up. After a minute or so it clears, and there's nothing visible on a warm start or any other time apart from the odd wisp ( and it passed the MOT) Ive heard / read various possible causes from valve stem seals, rings or even pump timing. Any experience of this on an old diesel or do I just live with it? I've had an old well travelled Merc diesel before now and it was no where near this level of smog on a cold start.

[scruff]

Could be any of those but if it runs OK/clean when warm and doesn't burn lots of oil I would not suspect rings. Does it fire up OK or take a bit of cranking? Run ok or a bit lumpy for a minute or two? If it's a bit lazy starting a set of glow plugs could improve things.

You could try lobbing a bottle of decent quality injector cleaner through it. If nothing else it'll do it some good. Forte is/was the bees knees.

[HMC]

Thanks for the advice mr S, ill get hold of some forte and see how it goes. It does start easily, hardly any cranking but it does run a bit unevenly during the worst of the smoke.

[Inspector Morose]

I'd second dirty injectors and possibly a smidge retarded on the timing but here I'm talking fractions of a degree. On cold starts there is probably a bit of air in the fuel pump too (again not a lot) and that will produce a bit of smoke and lumpiness on a cold start until all the air has gone but as long as warm starting is fine I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Old school diesels like to show they're there when they start from cold. A bit of "Gardner blue" in the morning from a few dozen old buses starting used to clear the lungs in the morning!