Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
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D4B
Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 2083 Location: Hampshire UK
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:51 am Post subject: |
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Looks like a new 2CV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you.
Yes, so far so good. I am pleased by the way it is turning out thus far. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:49 am Post subject: |
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Getting close to a finished product now. The main outstanding item is the filling up and bleeding of the brakes.
We have carried out the first engine start since last August (which in its turn was possibly the first for almost 14 years) and after priming the carb to fill up the float chamber, she started first time. Not bad!
Remaing items are mainly mopping up of small details. A series of electrical gremlins were sorted mainly by cleaning up the fuses and by following the 2CVGB recommendations to disable the dim dip function on the headlights. Some bits of welding need a final coat of underbody wax, and still to do is a general crawl over the car with spanners to make sure everything is good and tight still, and then to set up the ride heights, although by eye, they look about right now. And then a crafty test drive when nobody is looking to make sure everything works.
Probably not back on the road by Easter, still got an MOT to sort out, but hopefully, we are getting close. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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Rick Site Admin
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22454 Location: UK
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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Both the PV and the Traction have had their noses pushed out.
I managed to get the Traction out a couple of weeks ago, but the PV last went out in March on a decent sunny day. In spite of being left in my daughter's garage for many weeks, it just started straight away and drove as it usually does, reminding me why I like it so much.
I had planned to use it for a breakfast meet this weekend just past, but the dreaded Novovirus nailed me on Saturday and I am only just getting back to normal today.
Hopefully after Easter I will get more of a chance to use it again. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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Rick Site Admin
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22454 Location: UK
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 10:50 am Post subject: |
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Rick wrote: | One of the best-driving old cars I've had, I don't entirely remember why I decided to part with it to be honest.
RJ |
I think that like a lot of us you had run out of space and had to make a hard decision.
The 2CV is almost there now. Brakes filled and bled (twice after the front bleed screw decided not to seal). Just have some final rust proofing underneath and the ride height setting and we are good to go. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 10:32 am Post subject: |
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To all intents and purposes finished now, just needs a final check/ tighten up of everything below the floor (am waiting for a slimline spanner to finally tighten up the suspension cans, the one I have is too bulky).
I ran the car up and down the drive under power last night, the first time that it had moved under its own steam since being unloaded last summer, although the engine has been run several times. I had to fiddle with the clutch cable adjuster to finally get the clutch to release properly, but after a few minutes with a spanner, all seemed well.
Have greased everything, but need to get the car up on ramps to get in the bolt that secures the speedo cable into the gearbox drive.
The brakes have taken some fettling, but the pedal is still a little soft for my taste. I will probably have another go at bleeding before committing to an MOT.
So we should hopefully be on the road before too long. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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Bitumen Boy
Joined: 26 Jan 2012 Posts: 1735 Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire
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Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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That's looking very good, and in surprisingly little time too. |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2019 9:05 am Post subject: |
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It has taken roughly eight months so far. I received the car in August but didn't make a serious start until September. Fortunately the engine and gearbox are relatively low mileage, around 65k, and seem to be in good order. Obviously time will tell, and driving the car regularly may prove otherwise, but this has so far saved the time involved in an overhaul beyond clutch replacement, and enabled me to concentrate on the bodywork.
Although the car had rusted in some of the common places, in this case the front toeboard and the front footwells, most of the rest was in decent order, with no rot in doors, boot floor and only a couple of patches in the outer cills.
Throwing away the old chassis and taking the view that a suspension and braking system replacement was desirable also saved time. A chassis refurb would possibly have been do-able, but would have taken weeks, and might not have actually preserved the structure for more than a few more years.
I was also helped by a relatively mild Autumn and early winter, which meant that I could spend more time out in the garage.
So, at the expense of additional cost here and there, the refurb has been thus far, fairly speedy.
As with all projects, the devil is in the detail, and, this being a car that had not been used for fourteen or so years, I have recently spent proportionally longer sorting out things like electrics and fettling other minor bits and pieces.
I didn't quite make the original deadline, which was late April. But the car was at least back in one piece by then. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 9:33 am Post subject: |
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Back on the road again. After a shaky start, which involved the coil giving up the ghost on the way to the MOT garage (fortunately just a few yards off their forecourt) I discovered the 2Cv's redeeming feature, it is easy to push!
A new coil later we were mobile again and the car went in for its test.
Initial fail on handbrake inefficiency was redeemed by the garage helpfully standing back and letting me adjust the cables before a re-test gave me a clean pass with no advisories (or whatever the current term is). To say that I was chuffed to bits, was an understatement.
A quick fettle of a few minor items is now needed (clutch adustment to get the biting point a little higher, window catches need replacement, plus a few other minor bits and bobs), and we just need a few drives to bed everything back in.
[/url] _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Last edited by norustplease on Wed Jul 24, 2019 11:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Rick Site Admin
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22454 Location: UK
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 11:37 am Post subject: |
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There is a 2Cv annual world bash in Croatia this year. I have no plans to go on anything ambitious just yet, but will use the car locally over the rest of the summer to iron out any bugs, prior to tackling anything more major.
If you want to read about a real marathon rally with a classic Citroen, try this website for size.
https://racetripping.com/
It is about driving a Citroen Traction in the 2019 Peking/Paris rally. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Had a couple of runs now. Pulls really well, but tackling a roundabout in 3rd was a little hair raising. Surprisingly, quieter with the roof open than with it shut.
One or two rattles to track down, tickover is a bit fast when the engine is thoroughly warmed through, but overall pretty good. We'll use it locally through August and keep going around with the spanner every now and then, before we get brave enough to do any longer runs. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 779 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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Several shakedown runs under our belts now and hopefully things are starting to settle down.
There have been a couple of exciting moments, a wire dropped off the ignition switch just as I was about to enter a roundabout near home and left me coasting to a halt in a rather exposed postion. Fortunately gravity and a gap in the traffic enabled me to roll backwards and clear the road.
The engine is surprisingly brisk for such a small output, although speed, rather like in a mini, is rather deceptive. Convinced that you are really moving along very smartly, a glance at the speedo shows only 40mph. The secret to getting along is to use the revs, any attempt to dribble along at low speed in a high gear is fatal and the little engine shudders in protest.
So what is left to do. Well not much at the moment. The fuel gauge refuses obstinately to work and I need to have a fiddle around with the sender earthing to see what is amiss. The only problem is that I can't actually remember whether it worked before I took the car to pieces.
The oil light has also decided not to function. The light itself is okay, but somewhere in the bowels of the engine bay under several large chunks of heat exchanger, is the oil pressure switch, and the most likely explanation is that the wire has come off.
That, alas is a front wing off job, and will have to wait until something more significant comes along that requires a wing off day.
There is a bit of a squeak from the back brakes as things warm up, but it is very minor and I am for the moment, assuming that it will sort itself out as things bed down.
The suspension has also settled. The car was distinctly up on tiptoe when finally assembled and I dropped the adjustment down, but was running out of thread on the spring connecting rods before I got it down to the prescribed level, and so left it to see what would happen. Well, after a few miles it appears to have settled down and ride height is just about right now, with just the slightest list to port, which probably levels out when driven solo.
Hopefully the weather will hold up for a few more days and I will get a chance to be a bit more adventurous. _________________ 1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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