1966 404 Coupé Injection Restoration

6 minute(s) of a 255 minute read

This weekend all I did on the car was install the exhaust pipe.  With a lift it's a short job but on the ground in a 1.5 car garage it's not.  I had to lift the rear up enough to maneuver the rear section so I could actually mate it to the centre section.  The clamps on the cylindrical resonator are NOS Peugeot 404 parts that were plated in cadmium in Victoria, as is the rear one on the hanger, but the u-bolt on that hanger is not the original type although it looks the same from below.  Good enough!  Some fine-tuning may be needed to avoid any noise during normal driving but for now it's good.

5-8-21

Today I had some time to test clean the spare set of injector lines with Muriatic Acid to see if it's get more residue out. Boy did it ever! So I pumped about 100 mL of Muriatic Acid through each line of the pipes that had been on the engine with a large syringe, pulsing it back and forth. After the acid flush, they were purged with water, then acid flushed again, and again, until the solution coming out was not orange (rust) anymore. The water purges were at high pressure and that dislodged more particulates and fuel sludge which you can see in the green tray.

Following the acid/water purges, the lines were flushed first with WD40 to try and displace any remaining water - each line was done about 6 times until it ran clear. Then I used a syringe to punch about 70 mL of STP concentrated injection system cleaner through each line, letting it stay in there for a while. The final rinse was with MolySlip Combat spray. The lines inside, which previously - near the ends, and no doubt in between too - had visible black corrosion residue, are all clean now and a scriber inside will not find any loose stuff. The spare lines were also quickly cleaned.

Then I removed and cleaned the ends of the injectors and delivery valves that had been connected before to the injector lines (pre-final cleaning) and then reassembled it all. I also changed the steel clamp that holds the two lines for cylinders 1 and 2 (nearest firewall) to the intake plenum for an aluminum one I made, because the alignment was slightly off for the steel ones and it could have chewed into the line to injector 2 over time. The aluminum clamp I made is gently shaped and will cause no problems like that....

Finally, I got some rubber tubing for the radiator overflow and also derusted the two tiny steel clamps that hold the tube to the radiator. Then I painted them and installed the tubing.

So in terms of visible progress it was minimal but I am much more confident about the cleanliness of the injector lines now!

5-9-21

With a few spare minutes left in a busy day I installed the radiator and connect the thermo-switch for the fan....and of course, installed the engine fan too.

5-11-21

Today after work I got the last bits of the braking system installed.  The Hydrovac booster is NOS but not rebuilt after being in the car with brake fluid for some time so it may not work properly.  To be verified when the engine is started and I can do a test drive.  I have a Le Club 404 contact in the USA with a newly (2 years ago) rebuilt Hydrovac and so if it is duff, he would do a standard exchange.  The remaining tasks are to put all the fluids in (after the lower radiator hose and 75 degree thermostat arrive from Germany.....), verifying valve clearances (the long block builder did it but I will double check) and checking all of the injection system settings with the special tools.  I also need then to buy a new battery and license the car.

5-16-21

2 speed wiper motor installed - which does not leave a lot of room for draining new oil into the oil filler tube, hence the giraffe-style funnel.  Another advantage is the screen in the oil filler tube on the engine is not overwhelmed by the rate of drainage from the funnel so it's a "fill and forget" situation.

The accelerator cable on the fuel injected 404 has a brutally difficult-to-access fixing bolt.  Nothing that about an hour of pain would not rectify, mind you.