- Thread starter rottie007
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pedrobedro
Man at Matalan
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- 13,115
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- CX near Chesterfield
I remember a dealer round here selling DAF. The only ones I ever saw on the road were yellow though and I thought it was funny, them being yellow and called Dafs. Well done preserving it, makes a change from Beetles. An old chap round here has a car from similar era which you don't see around any more, a Simca 1100.
bought my 44 in 1982 for £25. hadn't run for a while cos the kids on the estate filled the tank with sand!. After its removal and countless washes and a big inline filter fitted, all was well. Then its drive belts started to fall to bits, replaced with some industrial belts from a supplier in Southampton. Much cheaper than Daf supply but noisier. Then got some cheap Colway chunkies for the rear and was amazing in the snow. The exhaust then rotted off, couldn't afford the £60+ for a replacement, so made one up from a minivan system. Made up the curly primaries from the cylinders to the single pipe rearwards from an Escort GT tubular system, and stuck the minivan silencer right at the back. Because I left out the resonator box that was on originally, the 850cc 2cylinder engine caused quite a racket.
The points were shot so a new set was fitted and found out that by increasing or decreasing the gap, the engine would change its character. It could be made to pull very well at low revs, or scream its nuts off and get higher top speeds.
Summat to do with different points gap causing different manifold depressions, which regulated its "gearing" so i'm told. A 4hour trip from LLandudno to Harrow got me a speeding ticket for doing 96mph. We passed an unmarked cop car on the M1. He sat behind us for about 2miles laughing at the speed and that noisy exhaust!
Cracking little car in winter cos it had a fabulous heater. The only downside was if it stopped quickly on an uphill slope, the centrifugal clutch could not handle a restart cos the belts had remained in a high gearing. Had to let it roll backwards down to the bottom for a retry!
The points were shot so a new set was fitted and found out that by increasing or decreasing the gap, the engine would change its character. It could be made to pull very well at low revs, or scream its nuts off and get higher top speeds.
Summat to do with different points gap causing different manifold depressions, which regulated its "gearing" so i'm told. A 4hour trip from LLandudno to Harrow got me a speeding ticket for doing 96mph. We passed an unmarked cop car on the M1. He sat behind us for about 2miles laughing at the speed and that noisy exhaust!
Cracking little car in winter cos it had a fabulous heater. The only downside was if it stopped quickly on an uphill slope, the centrifugal clutch could not handle a restart cos the belts had remained in a high gearing. Had to let it roll backwards down to the bottom for a retry!
No, sorry. Was never very good at keeping photos etc. Bad mistake of course. I worked for over 12 years on "BABS", Parry-Thomas's land speed record car, and never took a single photo!!!
The Daf was sold to a good friend who gave it to his nephew as a birthday prezzie. The 44 was a two belt transmission, whereas the later 55 Renault powered was a single, consequently it had sort of limited diff action, which made it so good in snow etc. and really quite good at cornering. When eventually you got some speed up, you quickly learned to corner and carrying through as much speed as possible. Ok, it was still slow compared to other cars, but when all things were right, it scared the hell out of passengers and oncoming traffic, just for that little bit!!!
So, nephew polished Daf and it looked a treat. He lost all streed cred with his mates, of course. But the girls loved it. probably thought it connected to his 'feminine side'. Utter crap, it was all he could afford to insure, got him to his work and had a good heater.
Anyway, some lads in a Pug 205 passed him, laughing their heads off and giving it the one/two finger salutes, and left the Daf up a hill. Other side of hill was a long downhill and loads of corners etc. Nephew kept his foot down all the way, all round the bends, not a lift off in sight. Eventually, with about 80 on the clock, caught up and passed the pug, which couldn't keep up through the bends.
Until one corner was covered with moo crap caused the Daf to punch a hole in a stone wall. Daf was wrecked, the engine was knocked out and rumour has it that it was still running 10 yards from the car.
Not all bad news though. Street cred returned to hero levels, his girl friend felt so sorry for him she became pregnant!!
I showed this thread to nephew last night and he's now motivated for a 55 Marathon version.
The hunt is on!!
The Daf was sold to a good friend who gave it to his nephew as a birthday prezzie. The 44 was a two belt transmission, whereas the later 55 Renault powered was a single, consequently it had sort of limited diff action, which made it so good in snow etc. and really quite good at cornering. When eventually you got some speed up, you quickly learned to corner and carrying through as much speed as possible. Ok, it was still slow compared to other cars, but when all things were right, it scared the hell out of passengers and oncoming traffic, just for that little bit!!!
So, nephew polished Daf and it looked a treat. He lost all streed cred with his mates, of course. But the girls loved it. probably thought it connected to his 'feminine side'. Utter crap, it was all he could afford to insure, got him to his work and had a good heater.
Anyway, some lads in a Pug 205 passed him, laughing their heads off and giving it the one/two finger salutes, and left the Daf up a hill. Other side of hill was a long downhill and loads of corners etc. Nephew kept his foot down all the way, all round the bends, not a lift off in sight. Eventually, with about 80 on the clock, caught up and passed the pug, which couldn't keep up through the bends.
Until one corner was covered with moo crap caused the Daf to punch a hole in a stone wall. Daf was wrecked, the engine was knocked out and rumour has it that it was still running 10 yards from the car.
Not all bad news though. Street cred returned to hero levels, his girl friend felt so sorry for him she became pregnant!!
I showed this thread to nephew last night and he's now motivated for a 55 Marathon version.
The hunt is on!!
graffian
Seer unto the end of his beard
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I think the 66 does have a posi, it's in the bit that drives the belts, I probably still have a workshop manual for one I will have a look.Yes two belts, I am told my mum had a 55 and a 66, so both the 55 and 66 have two belts, I have changed a few belts. I have had a DAF with a single belt, I think it was the Daffodil and there were others, and the Volvos I ****ed with had a single belt.
Wedg1e
They call me Mr. Bodge-angles
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My first car was a Simca 1100 van that my uncle gave me. It cost me most of 3 months' salary to get through an MOT, I'm sure my dad was trying to put me off cars.
My mate's dad at school had one of those DAF estates in blue; later he 'upgraded' to a Volvo-badged one in dark green - would have been '77 or '78 I think.
I'm somewhat confused here. My ex business partner's Mum had a Volvo-Daf, with a Renault engine, Definitely 1 belt, and a normal diff. I spoke to him earlier and our recalls are similar. I accept that I made a mistake and this was a 66, not a 55. ??????
We borrowed it to watch the Lombard RAC rally, went all over Britain. Lovely motor
Oh, I'm hoping to see a 33 this weekend,
We borrowed it to watch the Lombard RAC rally, went all over Britain. Lovely motor
Oh, I'm hoping to see a 33 this weekend,
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The good old days, I did the same in the 70's & 80's found it was warmer at 3am in Hafren than midday up on Great Orme! can't realy call it rallyGB and confine it to Wales
jpmillermatic
Member
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- 1,094
Awesome job!......you exceeded any expectations I had at the beginning of the post!...
very well done!
JP
very well done!
JP
RallyGB is not a patch on the RAC of old. Then you could reckon on 2 1/2 days out of bed, then another day and a bit to finish!
Next year's Rally GB, sorry, RallyWALES, will do a stage on the Orme and a long one in Clocaenog Forest, so not all bad news!! However, I think it should visit other British areas.
Problems to surmount are many, Aren't English forests now being sold off, less people are interested in being marshals, Keilder forest very difficult to medically manage cos it' so big, poor WRC tv coverage thus reducing people interest, works teams want "office hours" for their expensive drivers cos long days increases risk of accidents, Cardiff Council coming in with lucrative offers to host the event, works drivers are always good to watch but tv and in-car coverage takes some beating, most of the competitors are only trying to "survive" the event ( i'm NOT knocking these guys, have huge respect for them. But the watching, and paying huge sums for the privilege, spectators want to see 100% action) and Rallying is not green.( the green thing really pigs me off) Makes you think why would anyone want the aggro of organising
it!
Thank God for the Roger Albert Clark rally: please go and see.
Next year's Rally GB, sorry, RallyWALES, will do a stage on the Orme and a long one in Clocaenog Forest, so not all bad news!! However, I think it should visit other British areas.
Problems to surmount are many, Aren't English forests now being sold off, less people are interested in being marshals, Keilder forest very difficult to medically manage cos it' so big, poor WRC tv coverage thus reducing people interest, works teams want "office hours" for their expensive drivers cos long days increases risk of accidents, Cardiff Council coming in with lucrative offers to host the event, works drivers are always good to watch but tv and in-car coverage takes some beating, most of the competitors are only trying to "survive" the event ( i'm NOT knocking these guys, have huge respect for them. But the watching, and paying huge sums for the privilege, spectators want to see 100% action) and Rallying is not green.( the green thing really pigs me off) Makes you think why would anyone want the aggro of organising
it!
Thank God for the Roger Albert Clark rally: please go and see.
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- 23,329
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- Birmingham
Got me thinking, doing away with the old Sunday "Mickey Mouse" stages in Sutton Park, Chatsworth, Tatton Park etc. meant locals who just went for a look may have become interested enough to follow rallying more?
thanks for the positive posts guys, we have done about 4000 miles in her now and apart from a siezed piston (by looks of it the rings had been stuck pre-rebuild) shes been good as gold...
belt wise, dafs are like this
31,32,33,44,55 are all dual belt with each belt driving a wheel of its own so "limited slip effect"
46, is the only single belt daf, with it driving a differential that feeds out to the rear wheels, (banned in germany as one belt made it unsafe if it failed)
66 is twin belt version of 46 transmission so two belts driving each end of the same shaft into the gearbox at the rear containing the diff so if one goes the other one should get you home..
recommend one to anyone, hilarious fun and its surprising what you can squeeze in it !!
belt wise, dafs are like this
31,32,33,44,55 are all dual belt with each belt driving a wheel of its own so "limited slip effect"
46, is the only single belt daf, with it driving a differential that feeds out to the rear wheels, (banned in germany as one belt made it unsafe if it failed)
66 is twin belt version of 46 transmission so two belts driving each end of the same shaft into the gearbox at the rear containing the diff so if one goes the other one should get you home..
recommend one to anyone, hilarious fun and its surprising what you can squeeze in it !!
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
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- 9,610
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- Swansea
The Daf thingy?
I had a dinky toy of that as a kid.
Boring, no guns or mechanisms just tiny doors that opened.
A banger inside it and a BSA Meteor sorted that one out.
I had a dinky toy of that as a kid.
Boring, no guns or mechanisms just tiny doors that opened.
A banger inside it and a BSA Meteor sorted that one out.
