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Ligier for Sale

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ejbs:
This example was imported from South of France a few years ago and is reported to have absolutely no structural rust at all although there are some age-related bumps and scratches. In 2010, this vehicle was prepared for the road with brand new brake cylinders, steering gaiters etc as well as adapted for potential UK registration and use with the addition of the required dipping headlamps, mirrors and screen washers. The engine starts and runs and the automatic transmission works, driving in both forward and reverse. Totally complete apart from one plastic rear wheel arch spat, it has been in dry storage for the last two years. The paperwork includes a letter from Ligier with vehicle numbers etc, a UK MoT test certificate from 2010, French papers and numerous bills.

https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2017-11-25/cars/ref-7-1980-ligier-js4/

This is to offered at auction (without reserve) this Saturday on the 25th November, 2017. For further information, please contact Historics on 01753 639170.

www.historics.co.uk

steven mandell:
Seemed nice enough, especially as it was the better looking 4 headlight model instead of the still good looking JS8 that followed it in production.
Sold for 2,240 GBP also seemed fair enough considering the overall condition.
As  the ad said, no structural rust, but I do see the lower door corners have begun to stain through from the devil's worm starting to feed there.
 They are well engineered , but made of very thin metal, so can literally be dented with a vigorous pressing of one's thumb.  So finding one undented is unlikely.
The reason for the thinness of the metal was to try to keep the wieght down, as that pretty, but very large green house comes at the expense of greater wieght.  The measure was but partly successful, as these cars are a bit over wieght for their 49cc engines. 
This produces the irony of well engineered, independently suspended product of a Formula One manufacturer, that was one of the slowest in top speed for the entire Sans Permis class.
I've heard that 20 mph is about all that they are good for.

Pity, all that excellent engineering not being propelled to more worthy limits.
I've often wondered how easy it might be to fit one of the more modern two cylinder 22 h.p. units under the seat and just run the belt from that unit's infinitely variable trans to the existent drive pulley on the JS4 , or JS8, as the case could be.
Steve Fisk- are you reading this?
Could be an economical and exciting reconversion for the 13 converted to electric JS8's that sold so cheaply a couple of years ago.  Especially when one considers that the superiorly powerful power plants that came in the later model Sans Permis cars can be had quite cheaply.  I've seen them advertised for just a couple hundred pounds.  Probably because the cars that they came in would be worth so little compared to the cost of repair to their delicate bodies in the event of even a minor collision, or visit from the tin worm, and the engines being of such compact nature that many of them can be so easily stowed in a relatively small space.

Plastic wheel arches are also fragile, hence often found to be missing.
I would sure appreciate it if someone  were to offer  repros, or at least allow a mold to be made so that they could be properly cast in glass fiber.  I need a set of four.  Hopefully all four are cast identically, so only one spat would need to be borrowed for service.
Kind of surprised if there isn't any one in a Ligier club somewhere in France who hasn't yet taken up this enterprise, as between the two models that appear  to have utilized them, I believe that there were more than 10,000 cars made.   So probably thousands of spats needed  by now.

Barry:
I think the white car once belonged to a chap I was talking to a few years ago.  I think he has sadly passed away.
He had converted the front lights to motorcycle units suitable for driving on the proper side of the road.

At that time he had also been working on one with a diesel engine.

I agree that the steel is very thin and the suspension, brakes and steering suitable for a more powerful lump as found in later models.
I have never had my one out on the road but on my private drive it was appallingly slow. 
I haven't tried to improve the engine but it has the mobylette VO14 (99Z)  secondary primary compression piston and reed valve set-up which may need attention.

A different engine with a bit more oomph would be very good.  I have an air cooled twin that might fit :)  :)

steven mandell:
Seems that Barry has always got me beat with a cleaner example of what I have to settle for.
Might have something to do with him being about 5,000 miles closer to their source than myself in Los Angeles, or some other unknown investigatory capability.
As far as an engine upgrade goes, I have an opportunity to finally one up him, as just a few moments ago I recieved notification that the Villiers 3T 324 cc 2 stroke dual blower motor that Malcolm Dudley has been kind enough to sell me is to be picked up in a couple days time by the shipper.
Don't yet know the comparative h.p. to your 2T 250 cc version, do you?

However despite the fact that I'd love to have the use of the manually shifted 4 speed trans-  I must admit that I do not intend to swap this unit into my JS4.  Reason being that besides it being nationality and period incorrect, the shift linkage would require just enough fabrication to forestall the project behind my couple dozen others backlogged, whereas a more modern, but still compact water cooled 505cc gas twin, like those found in a 2007 Microcar MC 7, would have 21 h.p. instead of the just 3 h.p. that it came with.
700% increase in power!!, and looks like still compact enough to fit in the stock mid engine nacelle, radiator and all, and no shift linkage needed, as you just connect to the rear drive pully via a belt!
Might do with an under belly scoop located for more airflow to the radiator.
The MC 7 is a heavier car and tops out at a hefty 72 m.p.h., which is faster than I'd want to go in a JS 4.
So maybe leaving the stock, but wide 8" tires on it instead of the skinny 14 inchers that come on the MC 7 would be a wise choice for avoiding these speeds while enjoying even quicker acceleration.

I just spent about an hour getting very confusing information about various Ligier powerplants.
Is the listing of a JS 6 model as having a 50 cc 4 stroke motor putting out a full 9 h.p. and propelling this car to a 47 m.p.h. top speed possibly correct?   If so it could be a an easier route to adequate performance.
I also saw the popular 505 cc Lombardi diesel version listed as only producing 5 h.p., albeit rewarded with 11 ft lbs of torque.
I fear somthing is rotten in France with all these very diverse claims of horsepower.  The website that I was utlizing didn't mention the existence of a JS 8 model.

Can anyone shed some real knowledge re the above?

steven mandell:
Finally got a good look at my JS4's engine under the driver's side seat panel.
The spark plug is out, so reassuredly the piston can be seen to rise and fall whilst twisting the driver clutch mounted to the engine.
However, I see no carburetor attached to the engine or lying about anywhere else in the car!
Anybody know which carburetor that they came with, and where I can obtain a suitable replacement economically?

It looks to have been mounted via a compression flange surrounding the machined tubular extremity of the intake manifold, so probably more than just the stock carb could be successfully mounted.
Suggestions?

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