Brookjm's Peugeot 205 Can Haz MOT!!!

[HMC]

This weatherbeaten (matt) powder blue 205 first cropped up on here when corsaviour decided to do a bit of e bay bidding when bored and bagged it. Turns out it was a part ex disposal by a Peugoet dealer. In fact I think the supplying dealer. Showing no sentimentality for the old girl returning home they peeled out their disintegrating supplying dealer sticker from the back window and lobbed it on e bay. Registered august '87 its one of the last of the ealy 205s and shares its 1.1 douvrin 'suitcase' engine with a few other PSA cars like the 104, LNA, Visa etc







On the 280 mile return trip from Europcraft, I was suprised that it was so capable on the motorway, Its 4 speeds are geared up for cruising and at 80 it sounded quite happy, tracked arrow straight and is oddly far more at home there than the 504 estate. I expected it to be tapetty and smokey, with 135k on the clock but it used no noticable oil on the way back, and returned 40mpg too. The gearbox and engine share sump oil and it makes a pleasant distant whine when on the move, a bit like a metro. Its great fun to drive, the reasonably low geared steering taking some getting used to (quite a bit of wheel twirling- fun though) and its spindly budget 145 section tyres gripping well. It rolls a bit if you throw it into a bend but thats part of its charm.




What amazes me most is that its 28 years old, by no means had a sheltered life, and yet barring a bit of grot on a rear wheelarch the shell is unbelievably solid, i've had mercs 10 years its junior with far more corrosion...






The MOT is up in next month, so the first plan is to get a year's ticket. After that I will give it a service, and look at a hesitation problem. It happens pulling from lower revs in the upper gears, its fairly mild but hopefully I can track down whats causing it. Either ignition or fuelling issue basically, but dont know where to start. Also I usually lob a bit of waxoyl in the box sections with older stuff but Peugeot seem to have made a decent job of it first time around!

After that I'm torn 2 ways- leave it cosmetically as it is, a sort of rural french peasant tribute act, or cut and polish the paint and powder coat the wheels etc. Trouble is it will probably lose a lot of its character in the process....

[Cavcraft]

I had planned to T-Cut it but really did think it'd lose it's charm a bit really so was happy (lazy enough) to leave it as it is.

[scruff]

Utterly brill. Please let it be just long enough to get a pic of it and Alex's R5 together! 

[Jim Bell]

Please don't touch the paint. But by all means powder coat the wheels.

[Cavcraft]

I would change the interior for a better one though if you can.

[AnthonyG]

Looks great as is, although back seats have the 'sunshine on a nylon upholstery for many a day' rot.

I'd be tempted to remove the remnants of the GB sticker or whatever afflicted the rear hatch, and then with one bit shiny and the rest of the car still matt decide it looked a bit strange, so would probably end up going over the lot with a clay bar?

[Rusty_Rocket]

That's just how I remember 205's

 

Re the hesitation- I had a GR model with the 1360cc suitcase engine (also awesome) and it hesitated badly too as you describe.  It turned out to be the carb- it was so worn on the spindle, it was sucking in air and making the mixture very weak.

This was in pre-ebay days so realistically, (as a poor teenager) I had to put up with it.. but nowadays I reckon you'll be able to pick up another carb on repair kit for very little.

Enjoy it, I loved mine.

[RobT]

Is it missing the passenger door mirror, or is that misery spec? I nearly bought a 205 Gentry last year which drove great but the cacophony of trim rattles and mega heavy clutch put me off.

[wuvvum]

Definitely don't polish it.  It'll look all wrong if it's shiny.

 

My LNA has exactly the same hesitation issue.  Looks like it may be a common theme on the Douvrin.

[mouseflakes]

Another vote for leaving the powder blue, well, powdery.

[phil_lihp]

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist a full t cut, linseed oil and wheel painting session on this, however it's not my choice, it does compliment the 504 nicely.

[Skizzer]

No strong views either way, but I reckon this little honey would still look properly French peasant-ish even if you shined it up a bit.

 

Liberté, égalité, Autoshité.

[red5]

Re hesitation - check the accelerator pump in the carb - fairly common (in my experience) to clog/fail.

[stilo_active]

I like that a lot and I really miss my 205. I had a suitcase engined Junior (also registered August '87). Really wished I hadn't sold it, but nevermind. 

[carlo]

The French knew how to rust-proof their cars back then.

[Angrydicky]

That can't have seen any winters on the road, surely? Looks great as is, although I too would struggle to resist cleaning and painting bits to smarten it up.

[trigger]

I do like this little car, personally I'm with Phil and would struggle not to go all mop happy on it with the polish but I think it looks absolutely fine as it is.

 

As for the miss I'd vote for the carb too, get a rebuilt kit and get it stripped and cleaned, you should notice a difference.

[Ratdat]

I would give it the full works and get it polished up and waxed again as long term it'll help to preserve it and stop it from rusting. After surviving this long it's earned it.

[jonny69]

Good, glad to see this go to a 'shiter. I'm in two minds, but after some thought I also think it would be a shame to remove the pog coat off the paint. I agree that it'll lose some of its current charm. However, a well executed repair on the rear arch finished in a badly chosen not-particularly similar colour of blue would not look out of place at all.

[sco14]

Is it missing the passenger door mirror, or is that misery spec? I nearly bought a 205 Gentry last year which drove great but the cacophony of trim rattles and mega heavy clutch put me off.

205 Gentry models were all automatic.

[RobT]

205 Gentry models were all automatic.

Bugger, so it was, must have been the XS I also tried. Must have a 205 at some point though.

[Richard]

I'm pretty sure a passenger door mirror was required by E plate, my wife's Escort was on a C plate and it had one.

[cms206]

I'm pretty sure a passenger door mirror was required by E plate, my wife's Escort was on a C plate and it had one.

em

 

Our '90 Proton 1.3GLS didn't have one, and it was still only a cost option in the 1.3GL for the desirable '91 J-reg model year.

[Cavcraft]

I reckon this one had one originally. It's a GL so would imagine it came with one anyhow, plus the hole where it would have come through the door was taped up I think!

[Talbotman]

All cars had to have a passenger mirror, rear seatbelts,and side indicator repeaters for the 86 year model year onwards.......Saying that the gl was positively luxurious compared to an early ge....with even skinnier wheels and tires...no headrests...even harder plastic steering wheel and definately no passenger mirror! Loved all the douvrin engined 205s we had in that period and all ran and ran with no problems at all. The only nasty rot that this era of 205 can present is rot at the back end of the roof adjacent to the tailgate hinge mounts. These early 205s have a certain old school french charm and if looked after can run on and on and on. Your example is fab!

[HMC]

Thanks for all the positive comments!

 

Tomorrow is judgement day for the little pug. Mot preparations have extended to 2 bulbs, a bit of isopon for a rear arch and an Italian tune up..........

Fingers crossed! It's in at 9.30, place your bets!

[phil_lihp]

Good luck, I'm sure it'll be fine.  Can't be much to go wrong on these!  I will have to keep an eye out for your little french fleet when I'm passing

[Cavcraft]

GL M8!

[wackywacerwill]

Good luck man.

 

That said I'm going to put an outside bet on a track rod end and will be expecting a prize if I win.

[e287yba]

The running problem might well be fuel vaporisation - my 309SR does this , it's fine for a mile from cold then just gets more hesitant when pressing the accelerator gently after overrun (and from idle in traffic) as the engine gets hotter until it reaches running temp when it settles down to showing the worse of the problem consistently; try a long run then parking up and restarting within a couple of hours...

 

Having said this, my father's Samba GL (with the same engine) did the same from idle and on picking up after overrun - the dealer blamed it on dust in the fuel tank, fitted an inline fuel filter and showed my father how to remove one of the jets and blow it through (the car was brand-new on 1/1/83!); the problem persisted. My father's 205GR (registered Jan '84) never had this issue though!

 

Regards the lack of 'important' corrosion, I believe the main structural members on 205s and 309s were zinc-coated (not fully galvanised) - the surface rust on the important bits of my 309 remains "as is" even if left alone from winter to winter (it deserves better than me, it really does!!).

 

Good look with the MoT, OP - I'm sure you'll be fine .