1955 Traction 11B "Barn Find" Project

The engine seems to be running well now. I need to sort out the timing but I will wait for the exhaust to arrive and do it all together. Little backfires at present but probably as there is no silencer.

Leak on the output shafts has near enough ceased so it seems I must have the old seals that have now expanded. I have got the new shims and seals on order so will keep them on the shelf to do at a later date.

Water pump is still dripping like a tap – new parts on order and I will do this as soon as they arrive.

So the sun is out in the Pyrenees and so is the spray can. I am not doing the bodywork just yet on the car, this will wait until next year but I did have all 4 wings sorted as they were terrible. So I am just putting on a single top coat of Black Gloss to protect the undercoat and also to tie it into the rest of the car.

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I did have to repair the fixing bracket that fixes to the support bar. One had snapped off when I got the car 🙁

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So a quick template and I cut out a new piece

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@tripyrenees wrote:

Water pump is still dripping like a tap – new parts on order and I will do this as soon as they arrive

As posted by L.Lewis – when you take the pump apart, behind the impeller where the seal sits needs to be machined flat as it ‘pits’ and leaks, to make up for the metal removed you add a spacer.

Not doing it properly = leaking pump seal again, if not immediately, it won’t take long to start and you really want to avoid water getting to the clutch.

I will remove my pump soon and take the spindle to the machine shop to be refaced. – I just don’t want to lose the feeling of being able to start the car each morning (still on the lift) but it feels good 😀

Yesterday, I adjusted the front brake shoes as now there is pressure in the system it forced them out and they were scraping the drum. So now all centred and free – quite a satisfying job as it was maintenance more than restoration 🙂

I also tightened and adjusted the steering balljoints, upper and lower ball joints and secured the swing arms. So all the front is now ready to go. Slight play on one of the swing arms but nothing noticeable, I am just too familiar with it all now. I will keep an eye on it and maybe change out once I have driven for a while.

Then a few more starts….. 😆 😆

I then started with the wings – the right wing is now secure and went on relatively easy. Fits very well seeing as it was a pile of rust and dented metal when I took it off. I also fitted the indicator and headlight unit – I just love those headlights 😀

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Marine grade grease? What a good idea! 🙂

@L.Lewis wrote:

Marine grade grease? What a good idea! 🙂

I served my apprenticeship back in the 60’s for the old National Coal Board before going to work underground on breakdown and maintenance on the coal face and developments for future workings and in those challenging environments all the lubricants used were the highest quality available. I have continued that philosophy throughout my life with all the cars I have owned, never skimping on servicing and firmly believing in ‘preventative maintenance’

I use Quicksilver in cartridges because it fits my cartridge based grease gun, Den’s alternative is just as appropriate for a Traction that requires lots of ‘love and attention’ to keep it reliable.

Looking good, soon have you back on the road.

@tripyrenees wrote:

The old owner came around today to have a look – I started it first time – first time he has heard it since he parked it in the barn 43 years ago

As long as he hasn’t changed his mind and now wants the car back 😮

When I got the car it did not have a Carte Gris. It was lost and the car was in the name of his Dad, who had died 5 years ago.

So the first thing to do was to get the paperwork correct. André, the previous owner (although Carte Gris was in his Dad’s name) gave me the ID card of his Dad. I filled out the loss of Carte Gris form and took all the other paperwork to the prefecture. All went fine until they asked for a copy of the reverse side of the ID card. This would show that is was out of date by 3 years – of course you need an up to date ID. So I had to tell them the owner had died.

I then had to go to the Mayor (Marie) and get the legal document that showed the children were the legal owners of the car due to inheritance. I received this and then got the 2 sisters to sign a transfer document to give the car to André. With this in hand I went back to the Prefecture and obtained the new Carte Gris in the name of André (it was easier to do this than try and transfer it directly into my name although I would have to pay twice (€240 each time).

Once I received the Carte Gris (or actually André received it at his house) I got him to sign the sale document to sell the car to me and then off to the prefecture again, pay another €240 and the car was officially in my name. Took about 2 months and this was due to the car being too old to be on the modern computer systems and the cars file was located in Toulouse, so it had to be manually input into the system in St Gaudens

I have a very good relationship with the prefecture now after registering, 5 Velosolex bikes (since 2011 these are required by law to register) quite a few voiture de collection (7 so far) and more recently (last week) a 1952 Massey Pony Tractor (which my wife registered in her name). The prefecture loves us as we always have the paper work totally correct and it takes less than 5 mins to register (although waiting hours in the que).

So, yes, he officially sold me the car and in return I bought him a bike and maintain it for him as he cycles everyday now after 50 years of being a dairy farmer. 😀 Small French villages are great.