Online marketplaces make it far too easy to buy a project you don’t need. One microcar fan knows that feeling well, because he just bought a second tiny French microcar, and this one had been heavily modified by a previous owner.
The man behind @RoadtripRevivals says the little machine hadn’t run for at least 35 years. Still, he wanted to see if he could bring it back to life with almost no spare parts.
A French Microcar That Someone Rebuilt At Home
He calls it a Bellier, much like an earlier green microcar he owns. However, someone had changed this one in strange ways. They added a new nose, homemade doors, a wooden dashboard with extra gauges and a big horn.
Even more surprising, someone also cut and rebuilt the rear end. As he explains, a previous owner added independent rear suspension with motorcycle shocks and homemade drive shafts. There was also a forward and reverse gearbox that he says the car never had from the factory.
“The more I look at it, the more I realize this is a very much a home brew construction,” he says.
Freeing A Seized Engine
The speedometer shows about 7,400 kilometers. Because the car isn’t registered and has so many changes, he doubts it could ever be road legal, so he says it could be a good candidate for an engine swap later. For now, though, he wanted the original engine running. It was locked solid when he got it. So, for a few days, he poured a mix of oil and fuel down the spark plug hole. Then he gave it a push, and it turned over far more easily than he expected.
Next came the ignition. The points weren’t opening or closing, so he cleaned them, adjusted them and pulled them out to test them on their own. Eventually, he got a spark.
After a quick spray of brake cleaner into the intake, the little engine fired. “Well, it’s capable of running, isn’t it?” he says, as oily smoke fills the air.
New Tires For This French Microcar, Then A Drive
The fuel tank turned out to be full of rust, so he rigged up a temporary fuel supply. He also bought four new tires and tubes, which he says cost between 10 and 15 euros each.
Later, he cleaned the carburetor, freed a sticky throttle cable and bent the gear lever so it could reach forward. He even fitted a spare silencer from a diesel heater to quiet it down a little.
He also points out the tiny drum brakes, which he estimates at about 60 millimeters across. Finally, he took it for a run around his garden, which he jokingly calls his microcar test track. The brakes barely worked, but the car rode better than he expected.
What To Try Before Giving Up On A Long-Dead Engine
His approach shows a few low-cost steps that work on many small engines:
- Soak a stuck engine with penetrating oil and give it time before forcing it.
- Check the ignition points. A dirty or badly set contact can kill the spark.
- Don’t trust an old fuel tank. Use a temporary clean supply for the first start.
- Fit fresh tires before any test drive, even on a tiny car.
Where Things Stand
The microcar now runs, drives and goes forward and backward. Even so, he says it still needs wiring work, better brakes and a door put back on. “I think you will have to agree that is a grand success,” he says.
More from Fast Lane Only
