Lessons Learned: Restoring a French car in Israel (Full 5 years story & Tour)

Hey everyone!!
Today I have a special video about the restoration of my 1972 Peugeot 204 which took me 5 years to accomplish.
I would tell you a little about the model itself, take you on a tour inside the vehicle, and tell you how hard it was to restore a 50 years old french car in Israel.
00:00 : introduction
01:52 : Inside Tour
03:59 : 204 Overview
05:16 : Innovations
07:40 : My 204 Story
09:15 : First Start
12:55 : The big Decision
16:07 : What's wrong?
17:05 : Conclusions
21:00 : Secondary Benefits
If the video was helpful, remember to give it a "thumbs up" and consider subscribing.

[@Czechbound]

*New Subscriber* That was great ! My dad had 2 404's in the late 60's to mid 1970's. Then a 504. All manual. I remember the 2nd 404 ( in petrol blue ) and the 504 ( maroon ). Then the recession in Europe and higher petrol prices meant that the 504 gave way to a new VW Jetta. That car had a recurring electrical problem due to a design flaw that allowed water after rain to collect somewhere it shouldn't in the engine bay. Then that gave way to a 2 year old BMW E30 in 1988. A coupe 318i again in maroon that he still daily drives in his 90's. But the Peugeot 504 was my favourite. I love your car. Greetings from Prague CZ

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Thanks for your comment. It means a lot to me. My dad also had 404 pickup in 73. he is missing it very much. Soon i would make a video with E30 :) so stay tuned

[@Czechbound]

​@@DIY-Mechanic Fantastic !

[@m.i.andersen8167]

Congratulations on the beautiful car! You have really done a good job. I really like French cars from this period.

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Yep, those cars are very special and lovable Thanks for the comment

[@carsyoungtimerfreak1149]

Nice, very well done. I used to drive a 1968 model around 1975... A very nice, small car. Liked it a lot!

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Glad you liked it!

[@keiths314]

Great job! I love those old Peugeots. Thanks for sharing!

[@DIY-Mechanic]

@@keiths314 thank you for watching and commenting :)

[@laabidimecano4990]

Good job, nice car

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Thanks!

[@Yarden_schreiber]

סרטון ראשון שאני רואה באתי מהטיקטוק ואני יצפה בעוד הרבה

[@DIY-Mechanic]

תודה יש ערוץ בעברית, עם יותר תוכן "הכנופיה"

[@laurentherjean9165]

Your steering wheel is from a 1968 model-year. Earlier steering wheels were similar but the centre wasn't padded.

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Thanks for the precision

[@Jeremie-zu1fd]

Hi dude I have subscribed. Nice car, even rare in France !! Nobody on the streets of Israël..... But can you present your BX ? It seems very good and I also have one Shalom

[@DIY-Mechanic]

@@Jeremie-zu1fd yes i will. I just made a video about it in Hebrew and want to make the same one in English. Its a sum of year and a half with this noturious car ;)

[@user-cn6re9jr1t]

I stumbled across your video, know nothing about classic ownership in Israel, but look at some of your orevious wodk

[@DIY-Mechanic]

I hope to share with you more interesting stuff. Thanks for the comment

[@Marklin15]

Is the registration or road tax expensive for classic cars in Israel? I know the import duties for cars in Israel is very expensive but hopefully they give you a break on the registration costs especially for a classic.

[@DIY-Mechanic]

The annual registration cost is low (around 350 shekels which is 90$), the insurance is also low, around 1000 shekels (270$~) While on regular cars its 4-5 times the price. Import tax is 117%, very high, and it's calculated on the vehicle price + shipping. The taxes on imported spare parts is also high, around 55%... I rather pay regular annual price and dont pay such high fees on spare parts from time to time.

[@Marklin15]

@@DIY-Mechanic Do they still charge 55% duty on used parts?

[@DIY-Mechanic]

@@Marklin15 yes why not?

[@laurentherjean9165]

I noticed you have a 6-digit odometer. First time I've seen this on a 204. It is usually a 5-digit odometer. How come? Do you know?

[@DIY-Mechanic]

@@laurentherjean9165 i gota bunch of spare parts from someone, and one of the clusters had this odometer. I guess it came off from a newer model but in any case mine doesnt work

[@laurentherjean9165]

@@DIY-Mechanic It must be from a 304 GL. When the 204 was discontinued in 1976, Peugeot introduced an entry-level 304 that was basically a 204 in a 304 body (same seats, same 1.1 engine, same dashboard). I have just found out that they had a 6-digit odometer.

[@DIY-Mechanic]

@@laurentherjean9165 it could be, but i dont think it was in israel. Maybe only the odometer mechanism got replaced from 305 or even 205...

[@mossi408]

I also used to have a 204 Sedan from 1972. My is white, stil alive, but not in my ownership anymore. 1972 were the grills more silverish gray, not black. Black grills were only last models, after 1975. But lovely job, your English isn't bad at all. I met some even in Britain born people and their accents are stil worse than yours, so don't worry. 😉

[@DIY-Mechanic]

Didnt knew about another grill in silver, i would check. I replaced mine with a NOS someone actually found for me in Israel. British accent is the worst. Can't under a thing😅