w o r l d w i d e : E N G L A N D | ||||
After
looking at a number of rust buckets, Stuart
Bird eventually found this metallic blue 1978 504 GL Automatique.
The car in the background is Stuarts immaculate 104 ZS... |
...with
1124 cc, 66 bhp and a top speed of 155 kph. Concentrating on that 504
again, you'll note the non-standard rear fog lights, which Stuart removed
already, and rear antenna |
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Now
this is an atmospheric shot... |
Stuart's
504 GL dressed as an egyptian taxi during a classic car meeting in France
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This
is still Stuart Bird's 504 GL. After hard graft, and a dig in his pocket,
Stuart turned his car in the beauty you see here |
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on image to enlarge
To
judge the amount of work Stuart put in his "battleship",
just compare the first photo on this page with this picture. Enjoy!
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While
searching for a 504, Stuart came across this 1975 504 GL manual. With
36000 miles it was in prestine condition......inside ! Every panel had
filler and that front sub-frame mount had a very nasty bit of bodge
welding over it. You will also notice that the grill is from a 1978
L. Stuart kindly offered the seller his appoligies for waisting his
time and walked away. |
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on image to enlarge
Stuart
also checked out this PEUGEOT 504 TI auto, which looked only good from
a distance. Both of those cars he never drove and the prices asked for
them were very silly. |
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on image to enlarge
Stuart
Bird also took these photos from the CPUK meet 2002. Pictured above
is a very rare 504 in the U.K. The car is a 504 Ti auto in metallic
brown with full tan leather and blue tints on the glass and was called
"The Jubilee Special". There were no markings on it to say this,
but Stuart was assured that it was PEUGEOT doing the "understated" thing
again (like they did in Germany with the 1979 TI special). |
The
"504 Jubilee Special"also comes with those awful wheel trims. The
man who owns it is the second owner who bought it when it was just two
years old and has looked after it really well. Note fog-lights in front
grill and below both bumpers, tow bar and mud flaps. Does anyone knows
more about 504 Specials? BTW lurking in the background are an MGB GT (I have one too) and a Triumph 2000. |
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This
is a bright red 1978 GL in original condition on the CPUK meet. Just
starting to go, says Stuart. |
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on image to enlarge
Same
car. Note tow bar, PEUGEOT mud flaps and rear twin fog-lights below
bumper |
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We
are still on the CPUK meet. Just visible is an original late 1979 504
Familiale in great condition, the Berline is a 1978 GL auto fitted with
leather from Belgium |
Rear
view of the same cars. Just compare the backsides of the beautiful designed
504 Berline and Break. All photos by Stuart |
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Stuart
Bird's 504 GL restoration project has taken a dramatic twist. Before
he decided to pour loads of money into it, Stuart wanted to take
just one last look at the 504 market to see what was on offer
- and eventually (after looking at total rot boxes) purchased this 1979
blue metallic Auto TI. The TI is not sound but remarkable
good for what it cost but it does have its problems.... |
...like
two bits of non structural welding, attention to the sills and some
rear wheel arch investigation. But as the TI is a genuine car
and Stuart's heart says TI ("l have always wanted one and
this one is the right colour"), and the GL still needs a
lot of panels (4 doors, a sun roof, rear panel, boot lid), lots of work
on the interior and a good deal of TLC to the thick paint that is on
the rest of the car, it will have to go - or so it was planned...
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on image to enlarge
While
the rolling restoration of the 504 TI has already started, Stuart
thought about selling the GL after taking the best spares for
his new aquisition, but eventually deceided to keep it. For now.
Read on... |
Stuart
still found the time to visit the CPUK national rally 2003. There
were only three 504s this year, all excpet this 1979 TI
are featured above on this page |
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on image to enlarge
It
didn't win the title of "best 504 saloon", that went to the 1977
TI Jubilee Special. This Green TI got Stuart's vote.
BTW his PEUGEOT 104 won the "104 cup"! |
But
back to the TI project. With the front removed, the ravages of tin
worm can be seen. I wa's not as bad as Stuart first thought. Most
panels had been brought through the parts places that his mechanics
uses. The only thing still needed were the wheels arches around the
door shut.
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Meanwhile,
it's 2004, and after Stuarts 504 TI sat in a professional workshop for
7 months to have welded in new metal... |
...
it eventually was ready for a new paint job. In the background lurks
Stuarts 104 ZS, now his 2nd PEUGEOT, because Stuart finally decided
to sell the 504 GL to a French car fanatic (he owns a beautiful Renault
16 TX and countless Citroen GS/A's)
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Stuart
was pleasantly surprised at what they bodyshop did. Those rear wheel
arch door shuts look good. Trouble is, Stuart had parted with a lot
of money and still the Ti looks no different to when it went away...
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on image to enlarge
...
but this changed quickly as you can see here. The TI is primered and
ready for the paint (1416bk) to be applied. The cost of the paint has
so far been the cheapest thing , says Stuart |
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Here
it is after it's cosmetic surgery just waiting for Stuart to get his
hands on it. By the time night had fallen, all the bumpers and lights
were fitted including new number plates with a message "504 TI
UNASHAMED LUXURY" printed underneath that was taken form the 1979
sales catalogue |
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on image to enlarge
Finished!
Doesn't she look gorgeous? The 504 TI is pictured here during the CPUK
national rally 2004 , where it won not only the 504 cup for best saloon/estate
and pick up but also also the shield for the best 504! Congratulations!
Stuart says he loves driving it and driving it he does. He just seem
to spend the same amount of time polishing it and washing it too... |
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Apart
from the usual 504's that arrive at this event (see top of this page)
a silver 1972 saloon arrived with a GL badge. Almost totally original
and looking fantastic. |
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on image to enlarge
The
brown leather was in excellent condition. The only modifications made
were the conversion to LPG and a 505 5 speed gearbox. Stuart has never
really looked over an early example as in the U.K. almost all have rusted
away. To be continued... |
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Your
PEUGEOT 504 featured here... Just submit
a photo and some info |