1963 Peugeot 404, driving one of the coolest 60's French cars.

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We test drove Craigs 1963 404, very cool, very vintage. Yes it has a hand crank start, and yes it has a 4 speed on the tree.
Way more reliable that you would expect. If you are looking at getting one of these, they actually are great little cars.
#Peugeot#coolclassiccar#sirdrifto

[@57explorateur]

Cool to see one in the states ! My one in white is from 66 with leather interior and brake assistance system (called hydrovac) extremely realiable - just respect oil change each 6000km In Africa some did more as 1 million km !! it was very popular there as pickup We both have the same old 1st generation dashboard which fits very good to the car - it was later changed, more modern but not so pretty btw I live in France

[@SirDrifto]

You don’t see many of them

[@Isayso1]

The very first dashboards were white, which was abandoned soon for reflections.

[@jackbn9353]

I bought a new 404 in Maryland. And ran it to 196,000 miles, at which point rust in the front suspension supports under the battery was just a few miles from the wheel falling off. The engine was still wonderful, so I searched for another with a solid body. It became clear that only the USA southwest might have any good bodies, and the distance from Maryland precluded shopping. Tears were shed as the tow truck pulled it away, like a deceased family member.

[@SirDrifto]

That's too cool!

[@bobblowhard8823]

It seems like everyone's father had a Peugeot at one time. My father had a 1968 404 station wagon back in the late 70's. We were in a grocery store parking lot one day and he noticed that the battery had died. So he just whipped out the hand crank and started it right up. You should have seen the looks on people's faces in the parking lot.

[@SimonB6706]

My dad, now 88 yo, owned the six seater estate version in white, which we drove from UK to Doha in ~1965. Quite an epic journey in those days, especially as we were a family of six and camped, so most of the the luggage was on the roof. It had the later dashboard with round dials. I remember him having to hand start it once when the battery had gone flat. It's amazing seeing pictures and this video now how I still recall some of the subtle details.

[@SirDrifto]

That’s amazing 🤙

[@albertseabra9226]

Fabulous cars. Quite common here in Europe. There were 3 in my extended Family. The models after 64 or 65 featured injection instead of carburators, as the vehicle shown here is equiped with. The crancking feature was great in case the Driver is in the middle of nowhere -- and the battery is dead. This car looks very solid, deserves a full restauration. Probaby not a great deal of work, engine and body are excellent. Thank you for this very pleasant video.

[@KnowledgeSharingTech]

My dad had a Peugeot 404 1967. He kept it for 30 years and it was still running strong when he sold it. This video brings back many cool memories to me, Many thanks for posting it. Love you dad ❤ RIP.

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool!

[@stuartstiles55]

Drove a 403 for 32 years and a 404 for 10 years. Now have a vgc 403 for club runs etc. Gently does it on the gear changes they slide through easily and no need to double clutch. Cranking takes practise - he was getting better even after a few tries. My 403 starts first crank when cold, harder when hot, but I just crank start it to be a show off. Wore motors and clutches out when I was young but never a diff or gearbox

[@johnjobber2219]

My father had one in 66 until 78. Great vehicle and good memories.

[@SirDrifto]

Awesome cars indeed

[@area_5049]

I am French and grew up in the 60s/70s. My dad had a Peugeot 403 (like Colombo) which he later sold for a 404 that he was very proud of. Fond memories. Thanks for the great video.

[@SirDrifto]

Thanks for watching!

[@danielchile76]

Love it - My uncle had one in Chile. Would love to own one here in the US

[@kevincarlson668]

Love the dog.I can't claim to have owned a 404.My first car was my mom's handed down 505,though.Best car I've ever had,with more of a soul than most humans.Please return to the US,Peugeot SA !

[@asahmad999]

Peugeot 504 pick up truck from the 1990's had a 4 speed on the column; it was my work vehicle then.

[@davidparkin9017]

I think by 1968, the 404 had 4 speed on the floor. By that time, Peugeot was developing the 504, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2. It was more powerful, faster, handled better. Often used as a getaway car. The 404's ride was more subtle and soft. Great for cobblestone, potholes and dirt roads. The 504 was the E46 of the 1970's.

[@jamesflannery-serle3489]

I had a 66 then a 69 no sunroof

[@hannesmang9014]

In Europe they never had a floor gear change, only column. Maybe the latest models in SA or other parts of the world, where they built it up to 1980, had the 504 floor shift. I myself had 2 berlines and 1 cabriolet. And also a 203, some 504, a 304, a 604, a 505 and now a 403. The very first 504 an later the 504 L had also column shift.

[@wotan20]

My brother had the station wagon variety with diesel engine and it was sluggish like hell, plus coldblooded in winter. But it was simple, rugged and reliable also, and because the huge interior volume, practical too. So all in all it was an interesting car with flaws and all. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but still interesting.

[@chiqui1234ok]

I'm hunting down some 404 here in Argentina. It will be my first car, I already saw one in good conditions and I hope he has all legal documents 💀

[@vanceblosser2155]

Very nice! My family has owned a 61, 63, 64 wagon, and 68 wagon (along with a 59 and 60 403, and a 72 504 sedan and a 75 diesel wagon). You are correct about the quality going down in the mid 70s. As to the shifter, many other French cars had column mounted shifters including Citroen and the Renault 16, and several of them had shifters that stuck out of the dashboard. I don't know about the dog-leg on the other cars, Peugeot switched to an H pattern in 68 or so. The original carpet was a flat pile black. And that engine is not original to that car - the 63s had a cartridge type oil filter instead of a spin on, the original air cleaner had a round muffler tank on top of the valve cover and the intake pipe ran to an oil bath filter mounted over the battery. Also the thermostat setup is from fa considerably later car, even my 68 still had the French setup of the thermostat inside the top radiator hose with 2 clamps - one to hold the thermostat and then on to hold the hose to the water pump. In the US mechanics unfamiliar with the car would often omit the clamp holding the thermostat in the hose, and when the hose got older and weaker the pressure when it was closed would drive it deep into the hose towards the radiator splitting the hose open. With the clamp on I never saw one fail. A very good check on the engine for age is to see if it has timing marks over the crankshaft pulley - the engines that came in the 61 thru at least 64 engines didn't have any because you set the timing statically - there was a foot long rod in the tool kit that fit in a hole on the top of the bell housing behind the engine (tilted 45 degrees with the engine). You put the rod in there and inserted the crank and slowly rotated the engine until the rod dropped into a slot in the flywheel, locking it. This was TDC, and you connected a 12 volt test light to the distributor and turned it until the light just changed state. Pull the rod out and you were done. I had some friend with these who liked to go to those $19.95 tune up shops and watch them go nuts hunting for the marks. The Mcpherson struts at front were very high quality (and expensive) but usually lasted the life of the car. By the mid 70s they were using the same disposable ones like everyone else. The biggest weak point of the cars in the US was rust, and on the ones before they switched to a diaphragm clutch, the clutches would not tolerate overuse such as a postal carrier or mail carrier would encounter. Most people never oiled the clutch throwout bearing (which was made of carbon) when they changed the engine oil.

[@SirDrifto]

An era of quality built bread and cars

[@allanbriggs807]

BTW - we never had any problems with clutches.

[@vanceblosser2155]

@@allanbriggs807 The first 403 my Dad had needed a replacement one and he was not abusive on it. I also had to do one on the '68 wagon but it had about 120,000 miles on it so I was OK with that.

[@allanbriggs807]

@@vanceblosser2155 I will ask my brother in law. His family had a taxi run using Peugeots exclusively. They did their own repairs so he would know about clutches.

[@willycarle3088]

that was my oncle car back in the days, he keep it around 40 years, never broke down.

[@SirDrifto]

They’re great cars

[@minutepapillon5060]

Oui une voiture très cool et agréable à conduire :) et qui fait encore le job en Afrique du Nord..

[@quattroman88]

Super de voir que la 404 Peugeot vous donne satisfaction 👌 Le chien a l'air content 😂 Elle ressemble un peu à la 403 de l'inspecteur Colombo 😉 Longue route à vous 💪💪

[@fixdelacroix-france7985]

Thanks for this video and for introducing your 404.It is funny to see this car in the USA.Each time I came in your country I never saw this Peugeot.I remember when I was a child there were still 404 in our streets.My neighbour had one.I have a question,is this car for American was build in the USA or in Sochaux,France?I think your dog like so much your car.Thanks a lot,I give you a tomb

[@Isayso1]

Nice 404 "dans son jus". In Europe 4speed column shift was pretty often to find. Citroën DS, R16, Mercedes, DKW3=6, Ford 17/20m, Opel are only a few to mention.

[@ralphe5842]

We had a 64 404 makes a great rally car impossible to break just be careful hand starting but the crank handle will kick out oh it does have a great column shifter (unlike any others that usually suck)

[@enriquelopez9124]

Awesome yo see a Peugeot 404 that you could start it with a hand crank simply awesome.

[@vladimircampos2993]

I have a PEUGEOT 404 from 1974 made in Argentina in Cuba, the best car forever!!!, since a few years i live in US and by this reason i miss my Peugeot to much. It's the same car but afther 1965 the engine has 5 Main bearings in the crankshaft (from 1960-64 only has 3), and other difference is the gear box that's the BA7 with the first change is where be the reverse in the vídeo car (gearbox CB3). Peugeot 404 " the quality that is not disputed"

[@SirDrifto]

I was truly impressed how reliable this car was for him.

[@vladimircampos2993]

@@SirDrifto True, reliable car of robustness proven by winning the África Rally several times in the sixties. So it was manufactured in addition to France in Argentina, five African countries and Australia and New Zeland, also un Quebec Canada.

[@allanbriggs807]

@@vladimircampos2993 My 1969 404 was assembled in Australia. Best car I owned.

[@vanceblosser2155]

@@allanbriggs807 I also had a 72 504 sedan (gasoline) which I loved but started rusting away, traded on a 75 504 diesel station wagon. I loved the drive train but the body only lasted 7 years and we had to trade it for another car in 1982. I later learned there was a class action lawsuit for rust that Peugeot lost and had to pay owners for, they left the US soon after. I have no ideas how the new ones are but since they merged with Fiat I can only imagine a sad end for them.

[@allanbriggs807]

@@vanceblosser2155 Vance - I live in Australia and the 404 was assembled here. They used Australian paint which was superior to the European paint. The 403's and 404's did have some rust issues , however it depended where you lived. Inland, - no problems. On the coast - yes there were issues.

[@charlieirvin5423]

Sweet ride Like that little car

[@vintage76vipergreenBeetle]

Nice Peugeot. 😎👍

[@SirDrifto]

Thanks!

[@howard51723]

My dad had two of them

[@pokerchannel6991]

in ethiopia, a 63 is a 2021 workhorse.

[@mohammadw4854]

Especially in harar

[@onuigboglobal222]

Cool

[@patrickmorrison6253]

thats the car i love to own

[@SirDrifto]

They're really fun to drive

[@patrickmorrison6253]

@@SirDrifto yes it is no car payments i have 1992 volvo 240 and 1996 saturn sl2

[@SirDrifto]

@@patrickmorrison6253 that's the way to do things

[@charlieirvin5423]

I was waiting for it to go Kaboom using the Hand crank or take off on its own.

[@SirDrifto]

We were Leary about that happening 😂

[@charlieirvin5423]

@@SirDrifto My grandpa had a old Renault it had a hand crank and the motor was in the Back so he used the Hand crank the starter wouldn't turn over . but he he used the crank and i was in the car when i was a kid . but the car took off and went into a tree . he was fired up

[@sunbeam8866]

Gearbox sounds a bit noisy. I love these and the 403, but the only French car I ever owned was a grey-market 1973 Renault R6-TL. FWD hatchback, with a weird 'umbrella-handle' shifter in the dash. I learned to drive stick on a 4-speed column-shift '61 'ponton' Mercedes 180 - early '50s styling and probably slower than this Peugeot!

[@andreas2439]

I drive a -73 diesel in north Sweden.

[@DenverParaFlyer]

👍

[@jamesflannery-serle3489]

Engine bay is nearly empty

[@petergerritgroen3157]

Its to warm for the dog !!!!

[@gerryellis3847]

My Father had a LHD 404 it had a thermostat⁹

[@gerryellis3847]

The thermostatic fan it had an electromagnetic cluch for the fan

[@elarbibrika3590]

UNE VOITURE SYMBOLIQUE DANS SON EPOQUE ET SUSCITE TOUJOURS DE L ADMIRATION

[@vladgladkov237]

Pininfarina style

[@Aotearoa_Kiwi]

No, the Peugeot 404 is not the only 4-speed column change manual.

[@thomasheitmann1804]

Peugeot

[@vladgladkov237]

I have 505

[@oasisauto]

Sale it to me 😂🙏

[@user-rp2vf2xi4o]

Is that "Colobo's" car

[@issambarkit6777]

No need to double clutch for this model come on !

[@SirDrifto]

One must keep the fast and the furious mentality, always double clutch

[@issambarkit6777]

@@SirDrifto I had the pickup diesel learned drifting on it, the gear box was really smooth😉

[@allanbriggs807]

The Peugeots had spring loaded synchromesh gearbox. Like a good woman - you caressed the gear lever. The technique is to use the palm of your hand. Ease into neutral and the gearbox selects the gate - caress into the next gear. This is especially so from 2nd to third. I can tell the older style Peugeot drivers from their seating position and the way they change gears. The 404 was a wonderful car - they just go forever. I owned a 1969 Peugeot 404 (with 13in disc brakes). Top speed was 94mph - you could sit on 85mph all day, every day and do no damage to the engine.

[@lobobaltazar1322]

Shame that it is in such terrible condition. It at least begs paint job.

[@user-sl9ie2dm5j]

I lyek pegote oled