Daf - opinions?

ahal

Hi all,

An old school friend of mine whom I haven't seen in yonks has an early 70's DAF which hasn't moved in 20 years, and I've been offered it for a few hundred. Classic enough story really, involved a death in the family. The car has been garaged and not started in 20 years.

I'm considering buying blind here if the price is right ... the body and interior are very good. Does anyone know how deep I could be getting in with these 'Variomatic' transmissions though? I know a lot about cars, but very little about DAF. I'm assuming this will require €1000 if I have a horse-shoe up my bottom, a lot more if not, to put right.

Any opinions / advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

carchaeologist

Macplaxton of this parish is yer man for the variomatics.

ahal

carchaeologist wrote: »

Macplaxton of this parish is yer man for the variomatics.

Thanks Carchaeologist!

Jaysus, Richard's on here too eh? I only got to know him over the past few weeks, had a visitor staying who knew him and forgot to get his details. Turned out my visitor left a box behind with his address and phone number on it, didn't want to ring him out of the blue though so I posted him a letter yesterday asking if I could call him lol!

As you're the number plates supremo Carchaeologist, what area is 'ZE' at the end of the numbers? Dublin?

Many thanks,

Tony.

carchaeologist

ahal wrote: »

As you're the number plates supremo Carchaeologist, what area is 'ZE' at the end of the numbers? Dublin?
Tony.

Aye, 1*ZE to 9999*ZE [Jun - Oct 1972]

Iwannahurl

Coincidentally I was talking about that very make of car only today.

When I was in primary school one of the teachers got one, and he used to love talking about the transmission. Based on a system of belts, IIRC.

BTW, was it an air-cooled engine? He gave a few of us a lift in it one day, and I think I can recall hearing an awful racket from the engine. Or maybe that was the Variomatic 'belting' along...

Good luck with your project, if you do buy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07kI_l0A1jY

2cv

Iwannahurl wrote: »

BTW, was it an air-cooled engine?

All Dafs up to and including the 46 were aircooled. From the 55 up they had a watercooled Renault engine.

The 46 is the one to go for if you ask me. Still aircooled, but double belt driven.

macplaxton

Ach come on Dave, the 46 is NOT the one to have. It's the only one with a SINGLE belt, so if it goes, it's walk home time.

Some folk like "A" bodies, some folk like "B" bodies. Others prefer the noisy aircooled and some like the water-cooled Renault engines. Horses for courses.

As long as the bodywork is fine Tony, I wouldn't worry about the rest. I've got quite a few left-overs from when my 66 went walkabout.

2cv

macplaxton wrote: »

Ach come on Dave, the 46 is NOT the one to have. It's the only one with a SINGLE belt, so if it goes, it's walk home time.

Some folk like "A" bodies, some folk like "B" bodies. Others prefer the noisy aircooled and some like the water-cooled Renault engines. Horses for courses.

As long as the bodywork is fine Tony, I wouldn't worry about the rest. I've got quite a few left-overs from when my 66 went walkabout.

Ah yes, you're right, i got my wires crossed.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAF_46

macplaxton

I'll forgive you this time 2cv

carchaeologist wrote: »

Macplaxton of this parish is yer man for the variomatics.

not forgetting small economy Reliants too.

carchaeologist

macplaxton wrote: »

not forgetting small economy Reliants too.

Indeed! Please accept my apologies sir!:D

2cv

macplaxton wrote: »

I'll forgive you this time 2cv

You're too kind

There's a few nice ones for sale in France at the moment... and they seem to be like a quarter of the price of the ones in Holland

PaulK_CCI

2cv wrote: »

You're too kind

There's a few nice ones for sale in France at the moment... and they seem to be like a quarter of the price of the ones in Holland

Daf's are of course Dutch built, the only cars that were designed, developped and built here in Holland (apart from the Spijker back in the early nineteenhundreds), so naturally they have a very strong following and therefore prices are very strong here, compared to anywhere else in Europe.

It's a bit like prices for standard two door Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts being very strong in Ireland and the UK, because they have a very strong following (and are often used as a base for an RS recreation ), compared to the rest of Europe, where they can be picked up a lot cheaper.

2cv

If i had the room for it, i'd get one