1957 Peugeot 403 restoration

Hello !

So here's a little thread where I would post images and textes about the restoration of my 1957 Peugeot, I hope this thread can help other people and people can help me

PART 1 : Bring it back to home and clean it up

For bring it back to home, The easiest of solution was to locate a Flatbed truck :

After that, we had to remove all the pieces who were in the cars !
clean it up, make a state of the place ...

(Ps Idk why all the pictures are blurred J
(Pps probably because idk how to take phots)
(Ppps or because my hands were dirty)
(Pppps Should I stop here ?)
A part of the pieces :

Interior (Yeah I know, in per----fect shape )

I've also found some 1960 cigarettes in the ashtray ^^
Rust ^^ :


Well... not as bad irl, but still not perfect :l

Before clean it up :

Aaaaaafter :


The keys (And a waffle, because, why not) also quite rusty ^^:


Good night !

 

...No offense but what were you thinking with getting a car in that kind of condition? the only things that dont seem to be rusted past the point of repair is the front bumper but event that I assumed has rust on the side we cant see.

 

Don't worry, the only things which is rusty is the floor and the "frame" (not really a frame but Idk the English word) and a little bit in trunk, for the "frame" you can buy those pieces for nothing, and it's not to hard to change (And my father know a lot in that because my grandfather was coachbuilder (is it the right word?) you don't know how many rusty 2cv they work on!) The other part can easily repair. I can be wrong, perhaps it's worst, but for now this isn't.
Also I have 2 engine, the 2 are running even if one have Frozen. Also the rest of the car isn't rust at all, for the door I have an other one. For 200€ this was an amazing offer, and all the suspensions systems are in a really good shape. After all, nothing is impossible!

 

Bullshit, I've seen cars with holes the size of your head in them get welded up and fixed, this car is in pretty good shape around the body and most of the rust you can see if just surface rust. The floor area having holes is to be expected of any car that has been sitting for as long as this, almost everyone restoring a car this age has to go through that. Besides they are nice big flat panels that are easy to cut and patch.

Really nothing too worrying to look at on this car.

 

This is the reason, i have signed up for a crash repair course for Year 12. It would me my dream job to restore cars to their former glory.
@lukerules117 dude you must not get out at all. That car is in really good condition for its age and for 200 Euros not sure what that is in Australian dollars, but for a classic car like that 200 Euros would be a steal considering they would be becoming much rarer and more sought after. My dad has fixed rust similar to what @VeyronEB is talking about. If you have a MIG welder and some skill you can replicate any basic panels especially stuff like the frame which is usually just a massive metal rectangle. My dad has also made around i think 3 Holden HD/HR panel vans into windowless versions which takes a fair bit of time and effort as it is not a straight panel. As well as restoring and fixing up several Holden Torana's, HR Panel vans and sedans and also having 3 separate drag cars that he has had for over 20 years except for a T-bucket which he bought within the last 10-15 years and is currently working on the diff.

@Ulrichou86 I can't imagine you'd sell this Peugeot once you have fully restored it but what would it be worth once it has been fully restored. How many Euro's do Peugeot 403's usually cost in France?

 

See luke, look at what Synsol said. Ulrichou also later stated that he has family that can help to restore the car. If you had the opportunity to restore your dream car (if you actually have one) i'm sure you would take it (i definitely would), especially when you have close family that can help you to do it.

 

I recall seeing a 403 in quite decent condition at the scrap yard near my house few months ago. I heard it was brought for quite a lot of cash.
--- Post updated ---

I would but...my dream car is those Ford Mustangs which are taxed at a 300% value rate in my country (meaning TRIPLE the car's value) due to the law and the car's V8 engines...So hopeless

 

Well in the original post he said nothing about having anyone with experience and the proper tools so I kind of assumed he bought it with no clue what to do with it, and yeah I guess 200 euros isnt much for a classic car like that but once again I thought he was someone with no clue what he was doing and has none of the tools so it seemed like it would have been a terrible decision and after finding out the value of them in good condition im still a bit skeptical about if he's going to spend more than the whole car is worth.

As long as you have people who know what they are doing and the equipment then thats fine I guess, but still I would have either tried to find one in better condition, or a car that's worth more in restored condition, it just doesnt make sense to me to put so much time and money into a car that in decent condition is worth less than a lot of newer used cars from the early 2000s. And as for it being in great condition... I honestly wouldn't know, that may be good condition for somewhere like the UK or near the beach where its always damp and often rains, but if for example if you live in a very dry warmer area then that kind of condition would be terrible compared to most cars of its age, I've seen plenty of 60's -70's cars that seem to have been stored outside for years without a single noticeable spot of rust.

...No, I honestly wouldn't unless I had the tools to do it, close family with experience restoring cars who are willing to do nearly all the work for me(because I'd be completely useless for most of it), and was prepared to throw away thousands or even tens of thousands to throw away on something that probably won't work out, and room in the garage to store it. Otherwise no, regardless of how cheaply or in good condition I could get my dream car in I wouldn't even do it in the first place, I've pretty much convinced myself that if I want it a lot and its cheap enough to afford then there's a good reason for it being cheap enough for even me to afford and so it should be avoided at all costs and instead I should go with something that I'm not fond very of in the first place.

 

I'm not Launching in that like a blind dumbass... I've some close familly who can help me.
For you, who was driving the truck ? I'm to young for driving.
If I bought this car it's because it was an amazing offer. A car in this state with all those pieces can cost around 700-800 € (770 us $ /1000 Australian $ / 626 £)

 

Noice! Hope all restoration goes well, and I'll check back regularly on the project! Of course, I'm not a true car guy, I just love restored bodywork and such (hp don't matter to me), but I'm excited for the finished product!

P.S. Where did you get the car? Was it a Craigslist car or one of those cars that sat by a barn for 50 yrs under a canvas cloth?

 

Hey, it was a car who sat for a long time in a barn, this car is a 3th hand (With me) at the base, the car belonged to the father of the seller, him brother, begun to restore around 1980, but never finished it, it's for that, that the car is mostly dismounted. But I think the car stay a long time outside with open windows, before clean it up, there was like 100 and 100 of bird seeds, it was amazing ^^ Also the carpet had litterally merged with the floor !