Daf - tastic variomatic

[scooters]

oops - why did I have to go on to the daf forum today - saw this and bought it right away....

 

doh!

 

looks like a nice wee runner though!

 

http://dafcars.proboards.com/index.cgi? ... 396&page=1

[Cavcraft]

Result! £500 seems a bargain to me for a tidy MOT'd runner like that and it has bonus shite interest.

[scooters]

apparantly it is in great Nick - lucky for me he only advertised it on the daf forum! - whizzed over a deposit toot sweet mate.Maroon - great colour - recent service -all the nasty stuff done, 8 weeks MOT and body looks tidy to boot - radio cassette as well! all the mod consGR8 4 REVERSE DRIFTINbecause of course - a variomatic goes as fast backwards as it does forwards!

[RedSparrow]

Superb!

[seth]

These cars seem ridiculously cheap. Nice one!

[dollywobbler]

Glad you spotted that so quickly, or I might have bought it!

[scooters]

I think the combo of variomatic transmission and a flat 2 boxer air cooled engine combined with a centrafrugal clutch (with shoes not a disc) scares off many.Bodywork wise these wee Dafs especially the 44 are very practical - 4 adults with ease - loads of leg room (dutch are big folk) Michelotti designed, econimical 844cc engine that will do 70mph - the variomatic makes them very nippy in town. built like tanks as well - very good rustproofing on the whole and solid cars. once you have mastered the mechanics which are not that complex - the rest is easy sailing and the Engine is about as tough as you would like.

[dieselnutjob]

I heard that if you allow an MOT tester to put it on rollers to test the brakes that it destroys the transmission.Is it true?If so you would want to talk to your MOT tester before agreeing to let him test it, and also watch him doing the test I would say.

[dollywobbler]

I've often wondered whether a DAF flat-twin could be mated to a 2CV gearbox. That could be good - not much power difference, but quite a jump in torque I expect.

[Torsten2001]

That is fantastic! What are you going to to with the white one?

[scooters]

not sure what I will do with the white one - no MOT and needs new clutch shoes - it is in a lockup in Luton just now costing me £40 a month in rent. may well sort it with Alex - what a 12 monther on it and sell - or I might keep it and use it as a donor vehicle for the new one - it did need a fair amount of fettling.- yes - you can't put a variomatic car on a rolling road - the car relys on feedback from the roas to set the transmission speed - if you put it on a rolling road the driveshaft destroys itself very quickly - many dafs were destroyed on MOT tests and never fixed - hence so rare these days.I make MOT testers sign an acknowledgement they are testing a variomatic car and need to do a driven brake test. I also put a large notice on the steering wheel reminding them of this fact - if they destroy the transmission they have ignored the request they have signedr

[GJR 11L]

Result! I don't know whether the 44 has a parking pawl on the primary trans, but if so, they can't do an emission test with the selector in 'P' or when they rev it, that will engage the clutch and wreck same.I know that mine enjoys the luxury of a conventional, albeit vacuum and centrifugal, clutch, but I'd enjoy one of the older cars. A flat twin is essentially a beautifully balanced thing, capable of being thrashed flat out all day long. The Renault Sierra IL4 isn't, which is, IMHO, the thing that makes the "77" less amusing, though mine cost a tenth of that money 'cos it's proper shite compared to a real Daf, from before Volvo got their hands on the works.Just thought; a '73 is tested only for visible smoke, so comments about the CO test don't apply.I'm lucky in that my regular MOT guy usually refuses to test any automatic on the rollers, I had to plead with him to do the Dolly that way as I'd spent ages setting up the rear cylinder slides and wanted to see how good it was. At least it's safe on there for short periods in neutral.

[wuvvum]

That is a bargain and a half. I love the two-pot DAFs - I had a 33 for a while and it was a great little thing.

[STUNO]

Daf is on my want list, but unobtainable here so I am safe.

[michiel]

Excellent purchase, over here that would be 3 or 4 times as much...

[Andrew353w]

You've a bargain there! Daf 44s are the best of the air cooled ones, and that's from a guy who has owned about 8 33's! The 44 has more ooomph than the 33 and is a bigger car. As mentioned earlier the Dutch race are big people, hence the phrase "as big as a Dutchman!" The 44 is also better than the later 46, that had a single belt system and a differential built into the rear pulley system, which added some weight to the car. This also gives the 44 the advantage of a limited slip diff, so snow driving is fun!All I'd say is check the belts are in good order and that the vacuum system's in good order. If it's not the car will rev its b@@locks off and fuel consumption will go through the roof. Otherwise the engine's unburstable; oil changes every 3,000 miles & wash out the filter in fuel. Im jealous- I'd love one!

[scooters]

You've a bargain there! Daf 44s are the best of the air cooled ones, and that's from a guy who has owned about 8 33's! The 44 has more ooomph than the 33 and is a bigger car. As mentioned earlier the Dutch race are big people, hence the phrase "as big as a Dutchman!" The 44 is also better than the later 46, that had a single belt system and a differential built into the rear pulley system, which added some weight to the car. This also gives the 44 the advantage of a limited slip diff, so snow driving is fun!All I'd say is check the belts are in good order and that the vacuum system's in good order. If it's not the car will rev its b@@locks off and fuel consumption will go through the roof. Otherwise the engine's unburstable; oil changes every 3,000 miles & wash out the filter in fuel. Im jealous- I'd love one!

cheers 'drew, I love these cars and the 44 is my favourite. I already have a 44 which is currently off the road and I had a 55 Marathon with a 1.4 gordini tuned engine and rally mods - it was featured in Practical classis abotu 18 months ago - swapped it for my series 2 moggie and always regretted it.I had a good chat to the seller today - the floor pans will need some work and there is a wee bit of holeage on one of the wings. Engine has a couple of oil leaks but vacuums all tight and belts in good nick (I always carry spare belts and a 2 by 4 lever to fit em anyway) looks like a decent wee expample with some MOT on it

[Andrew353w]

Even MORE digging through old family snaps has revealed this photo of my Grandfather's Daf 55;

 

 

Spot that Bedford in the garage and the Triumph 2000 lurking behind the Daf!

[michiel]

Great pic - two Michelotti designs iirc.