Yugoslavian Ami.., continuing on from 'now-autoshites-flimsy-bodied Shitroen'

[Bfg]

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yep, that's the plan.

[jonny69]

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I bought what I hoped would be an inexpensive and simple little Citroen to enjoy ..back in November 2015, and unwittingly it then took 20 months before it was roadworthy ..but still unpainted, untrimmed, and crying out for gearbox rebuild.  Bottom line : The moment has long since passed and its cost is four times what I wanted to spend.  It was a huge mistake.

21,287 views

 

This is basically exactly the same story as mine. Then I had all the bugs to iron out - and there were a lot of them.

 

If you can put the car away for a bit and come back to it later, this is what I'd recommend too. Once the frustration wears off you soon forget all the bad bits and you can concentrate on enjoying the car. I'm racking up hundreds of miles a month on mine now and it's good as gold.

[forddeliveryboy]

Maybe hunker down for the winter and return to it as and when the mojo returns? Trying to return a dishevelled old car to prime condition both mechanically and cosmetically isn't something to take on lightly, I think you've worked wonders, fwiw. The suspension cans should rotate with the load off them, no need to slacken the fittings.

 

Quarter of a litre of rapeseed oil should be enough for both sides, inject a little (warmed up makes the job quicker) at each end then work the suspension. Bad cases can take a couple of days driving to take effect, sometimes a bit more is needed.

[Bfg]

..Quarter of a litre of rapeseed oil should be enough for both sides, inject a little (warmed up makes the job quicker) at each end then work the suspension. Bad cases can take a couple of days driving to take effect, sometimes a bit more is needed.

 

Any reason not to use engine or gearbox oil.  Maybe use up lightly-used synthetic oil I have from a motorcycle ? 

[dollywobbler]

Any reason not to use engine or gearbox oil.  Maybe use up lightly-used synthetic oil I have from a motorcycle ? 

 

Yes, mineral oil should be avoided. I don't believe it's good for whatever is in the cans. You don't need to release the suspension load to turn the cans. Just jack it up.

[Bfg]

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Ami update..

 

Thanks to FDB's timely comment and to others above who offer encouragement, plus my co-incidentally taking note of a website which wrote about demotivation ..which I passed on to depressed shiters < here >  ..I started thinking 'Ami' again.  I realised that if I don't touch the car until next springtime - then I'll be faced with all the outstanding issues ..and so will not get the point of enjoying the car.  So I decided to start picking at the jobs (..with no pressure to get things done) and see how I get on. 

 

The first job then was to change the clear fuel pipes I'd fitted. This old-stock fuel pipe softened too much, presumably it's dissolving in the ethanol now added. . 

 

 

So I went on-line and bought some fuel pipe from the world of off-road motorcycles. I reasoned : as these bike were used in competition then their fuel pipes would subject to scrutineering.  The pipe I bought is very soft and flexible but thick walled, and after a three week trial in a jar of petrol - the piece discoloured to a yellow-green colour, but appeared not to be breaking break down any further.  So I've now fitted that. .

 

 

^ Because it's so soft - it doesn't give a sense of reassurance nor longevity, so I'll keep an eye on it.

 

 

My next job was the driver's door window which decided not to work .  The lifting-roller pad had again become detached from the glass. I had tried to glue this back on with number plate sticky pads, but despite lubricating the mechanism - that only lasted two weeks.  So I cleaned the glue pads off,  used sand paper to key the glass, and am now trying Araldite . .

 

^ wood pads seen here are temporary wedges (from both sides) holding the window winder lifting-roller pad in place as the Araldite cures.

 

I used the car last Sunday, just for a drive across to Melton, upstream from Woodbridge ..photos of the river < here >.  I have yet to get used to LHD shitroen handling, and its pretty awful (for me) ergonomics, but was more concerned about the gearbox & a cacophony of other noises.   But the window winder is working fine.

 

While walking back to the car an elderly chap stopped to have a chat. He didn't remember seeing such a car.

 

This week, after tiring myself out with aerobic contortions on the old boat < here > I took a day out to make enquiries for an Ami-super gearbox.  Fundamentally it's Citroen GS 1220 gearbox but the main-shaft is much shorter for the Ami's short bell-housing.  ie. it is again a unique item and about as common as unicorn teeth.  

 

It'll need to be done sometime, so I need to start looking now.  I've one possibility through the 2cvGB club, but that's not available for a couple of months at least ..and then not certain.  So I've posted help / wanted on various websites and have dropped an email to a few suppliers.    

 

Bfg

21,563 views

[forddeliveryboy]

Any reason not to use engine or gearbox oil.  Maybe use up lightly-used synthetic oil I have from a motorcycle ? 

Castor oil is what's recommended, rapeseed oil is a fair alternative. Just don't use too much as even a non-drying oil like this polymerises eventually. If someone has oiled the cans before, then the additive package in mineral line oils can react with plant oil.

 

Deep memory suggests it's the material which helps locate the springs which doesn't appreciate engine oil, can't remember why or whether it is this for sure. For most A-series owners, the problem is oil softening the rubber end springs.

[forddeliveryboy]

Fuel pipe - correct ID is 5.5mm, not 6. Use the correct Gates stuff and you don't even need hose clips so the pipe ends don't deteriorate. It lasts longer, by a helluva margin, than any other I've tried.

[Bfg]

Castor oil is what's recommended, rapeseed oil is a fair alternative. Just don't use too much as even a non-drying oil like this polymerises eventually. If someone has oiled the cans before, then the additive package in mineral line oils can react with plant oil.

 

Deep memory suggests it's the material which helps locate the springs which doesn't appreciate engine oil, can't remember why or whether it is this for sure. For most A-series owners, the problem is oil softening the rubber end springs.

 

Thanks again, Likewise I have recollection of mineral oil being the cause of softening the rubber buffers used on the smaller A-series.  The Super doesn't have those rubbers ..its suspension cans are fixed / do not move.   Nevertheless I'll buy some castor oil and do as you recommend.   

 

I'll not even suggest that 'it strikes me as dumb - that these weren't done when the cans were refitted to the chassis' .

Fok, I said I'll not even suggest  

 

p.s. Is that Gate's pipe clear / see through ?

[forddeliveryboy]

Gates hose is black, all the clear hose I've ever tried for fuel line has softened or hardened prematurely. Which isn't to say 5.5mm clear fuel hose which lasts and lasts doesn't exist, I've just never looked.

 

The cars are so bloody reliable when done correctly that I've always stuck to what the manufacturer used at the factory, or as close as. I hate having bonnets up because of probs, whatever the car. It's one of the virtues of these machines, their huge simplicity and ability to cover tens of thousands of miles even when 25 years old with nothing more than routine servicing. Having said that, I've seen people who thought they could do better than original, only for the far to become a proper noose round their necks with one problem after another.

[Bfg]

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Yesterday I tackled the driver's seat. 

 

One of the things about small cars is that they should be convenient to slip into and pop around to the shops and be easy to park, and then easy to get out of again.  This seat doesn't allow one to easily slip into it - the very thin and soft outer fabric drags too much, and then this particular seat's shape has high frame tubes on either side (good for lateral support) with a sprung pad dangling inbetween those.  For an old giffer like me (6'5" tall and 230 lb) I sink a long way into that seat.  The question then was : what might I do with it.?  I've already spoken to a trimmer and got an estimate for new covers, but there's no point in doing that if the seat's shape doesn't fit me. 

 

So. .

 

I might add that this isn't the original seat. It's one I bought off Gary Dick's and was apparently from a RHD car, so a passenger seat.  Thing is that the seat back is adjustable on this, whereas on my car they are fixed .  Never-the-less its wear is typical to each seat.  And that is caused by the rubber straps and their steel clips cutting their way through the foam cushion.  

 

 

As that foam was irreparable, I sought to replace it, courtesy of off-cuts of latex I'd bought for the boat's mattress. But I'd need to reuse the original front bolster. .

 

^ the brown-grey is not a top layer of different foam, it's dirt !

 

Below.., the new seat pad being glued to the original front roll bolster.  A screw in the edge of the bench and a block held it in light compression as the glue dried. .

^ yes it's twice as thick as before. but I wanted the cushion to sit higher, relative to the seat's frame. 

 

And to hold it all together a little better . .

^ this cloth is crap useless as a workshop rags, but when used like a stocking, it acts as a stretchy cover to helps keep things all together . .

 

^ double layer of stocking, stapled along the sides to hold its position

 

which when refitted into the seat frame and cover . .

^ you'll note that I used denim (from the leg of jeans) either side - to protect the new foam from being cut into by the rubber springs and their hooks.

 

Job done . .

^ the eagle eyed might spot that I've added x3 more rubber's down either side ..to help accommodate my sprung mass.  The holes were already there in the frame tubes.

 

 

I drove the car around to the chippy and it is very much better. The thin nylon fabric is still not easy to slide across when getting in or swing out of ..so I'll know not to use that when I recover the seats, but first impression (driving around town and down the farm track) is that sitting higher and slightly firmer offers a better driver's feel with the car. 

 

And because the seat had worn down more on one side, and the new cushion is now level, it avoids the twist in one's back.  Definitely a marked improvement.

 

In due course I'll buy new rubber springs, as half  the originals are perished or otherwise stretched.  I suspect that these might be cheaper to buy from camping supplier than Citroen types.?   

 

That's it for this week.

 

Wishing y'all a pleasant Sunday evening.

 

Bfg.

[Bfg]

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Greetings

 

..it's been some five or more weeks since I last posted, and that's because I've not been working on the car nor using it, as I got on with building a water tank into my old boat. I was also back n' forthin to get the Chrysler through an MOT.  In the meantime I've asked around to see if anyone has a gearbox they want to sell. I've not heard much save one chap who wants £350 for one that's an unknown, and another contact who has one but isn't in a position to dig it out yet.  I know that the latter's not been touched for 30 years, but what do they like to say.. "it ran when parked"   (.. how well is another matter !). 

 

Whatever I manage to buy - it will be a lottery ..and I never did win a £-million.   Anyway, the question has also been asked of the 2cvGB fraternity, courtesy of the Ami Registrar in this month's club magazine.  

 

I did buy a new throttle cable for the car, one from a LHD Ami 8, which surely wouldn't be that much different. It had the right fittings but was 15" (!) too short.  Weird but that's the way it goes eh !?  I sent it back and asked Roy at ECAS to send me a couple of H4 headlamp bulbs in lieu of a refund, but that was a month ago and nothing arrived ..so it's time for me to chase him up.

 

I've also bought 1/2 ltr of castor oil (as recommended by forddeliveryboy - Thank you) to use inside the groaning suspension's spring canisters.   Later this afternoon I thought it time to do the job.  I'll not say much more here because I'm not a happy mechanic and amazingly* the canister didn't want to rotate when the wheels were off the ground ..nor when the tie rods were undone.  It needed undoing - which is a 49mm x 6mm wide nut, tucked into a space that is as tight as a . . . (I'll let you finish that sentence !).  

 

Even though I'd had to remove the rear damper, I couldn't get clear access into the back of the canister, so I decided having got that far - I'd take it completely off and do the job properly. Here's some piccies of progress so far . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling around inside - the springs were black & clammy ..like old engine oil had dried out.

 

That's it for tonight ..in bits. I decided to pack it in at 7:30 as my butt was freezing and I'm a hungry grumpy old git.   

 

22,172 views

[Bfg]

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^ I didn't get around to putting the suspension can back on last weeks so I did it this afternoon. . 

 

^ 1/2 ltr bottle of 'fresh skin' cold pressed castor oil which I divided / marked into four ..125ml into each end of the two suspension cans.  Slimy stuff   but at £5.39 inc p&p., there's no reason not to use the recommended oil. 

 

^ tie rods knife edge repacked with grease, then covered in a 2" wide strip of innertube rubber (held in place with a cable tie) and more grease packed in.

 

..then closed, and secured with a second cable tie. .

 

It's not 100% sealed but packed with grease I hope it'll be better than nought.  The idea is to each year ; cut the second cable tie and pack the void with more grease, and simply do it up again (which further squeezes the grease in).

 

I still need to lubricate inside the LHS / driver's side spring canister, and then to reset the ride height of both evenly, but I'm in no rush.. It'll get done when I'm less busy working on the boat.

 

That's All Folks !

 

Bfg 

22,456 views

[bezzabsa]

WOW...Its now 1:53AM.. started reading this thread at about 11Pm...

 

Many points for keeping going, re- the paint.. sod it, brush paint it - enjoy it, and IF you do decide to sell it, point the new buyer in this direction and they can see for them selves its not a quick once over to freshen it up, but a genuine attempt to prevent the rapid onset of rust..

 

As for the 'restorer' 1000 miles isn't far enough away in these modern times to justify a distinct lack of care (quite reminiscent of a Gaelic Shrug) 

seems he concentrated on the big stuff..and CBA with the stuff that really matters!!

 

PS love the sunbeam bike you posted up earlier in the thread, I live about 7 miles from the old Factory in WOlverhampton.....

 

Keep at it, enjoy it...and acknowledge the fact you have saved one from an early-ish death

[jonny69]

Ugh, suspension flashbacks...

 

My best tip for getting those knife edges in and out easily is to wind the suspension links down a bit - then they just slip in and out. If there's any tension on them (because you've got the suspension wound right up) then there's no way you'll get them in or out without a major fight! Then they're dead easy to re-grease because you can just jack the car up and pop them in and out.

[Bfg]

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^ Thanks both

 

Perhaps it's an Ami-super 'thing' but these suspension tie-rods are wound in (pre-tensioned) a lot. I should have bought one of those hex adapters ( ..I'll probably order one tomorrow come to think of it), as it takes ages to unwind them at 1/8th of a turn ..before the spanner needs to be flipped for the next 1/8 of a turn.!  Perhaps it has something to do with these spring canisters being solidly mounted (no rubber buffers on this model) ?   All in all its an unnecessarily frustrating job and if I might say so - ferking dumb arse detailing by Citroen..   

 

Citroen may have been great at innovative ideas but they sure were shit at building a car to be worked on or to sensibly maintain. And this particular model with all its oddball differences, and having shoe-horned the 4-cylinder in, is probably worse than any other A-series. I should have bought a Triumph Herald  

..or a else a car rotisserie to lift and rotate the car onto it's side.

(I have, without a word of exaggeration, spent more time on

the floor and under this car than any other I've ever owned)

 

p.s. bessabsa. There's a sporting personality, Liam Wordley who bought the old Sunbeam Wolverhampton works, and had converted them into apartment complex.  If you go into their foyer and look up, you'll see a scruffy looking Sunbeam S8 hanging above your head which he bought off me a couple of years ago

 

[forddeliveryboy]

"Citroen may have been great at innovative ideas but they sure were shit at building a car to be worked on or to be sensibly maintained"

 

Well, everybody's free to voice their opinion, having covered tens of thousands of miles in A-series Cits I would suggest otherwise.

 

Yes, they needed accurate ignition timing, decent oil and regular servicing despite being over-engineered - this has long been a problem for people used to under-engineered stuff which was tolerant of slip-shod maintenance.

 

Service them right (which was a minimal but probably higher-skilled procedure than for a Ford, if for no other reason than alloy threads) and they'd last like nothing else from the era - 150,000 miles with little more than a clutch and a plate welded under the driver's feet, an alternator too sometimes. If a shock absorber did leak, then it was a five minute job to replace. I've seen 200,000km French ones with the original crossbox.

 

Trying to rebuild a rotted out car and/or a mechanically knackered one is a different thing altogether - the engineering was relatively expensive and the right quality parts are often only available NOS or s/h. There aren't many parts, but a few do need special tools and decent engineering abilities to replace.

 

I've seen people spend weeks on something which would take someone who knows about an hour and a half, but I do recognise the problems introduced when a car is retro-fitted with an engine which wasn't intended for it.

 

They don't seem to come to heel to a traditional English approach - do the minimum, use quality parts when needed and drive on!

[jonny69]

one of those hex adapters

 

What is this and I should should I get one?

[forddeliveryboy]

What is this and I should should I get one?

 

If you're struggling to use the flats in the rods to turn the threads (damaged or rusty threads) then yes, Graeme Seed http://www.2cvtools.com/ is your fellow.

 

Pete, are you sure the tightness is in compressing the springs and not stiff threads? My hunch would be that if the springs are needing to be compressed so much to bring the ride height up, something's not quite right. Could be wrong of course, give someone like Pete Sparrow a ring - having made sure the springboxes are mounted the right way round.

 

If you're feeling lazy/flush or you're a race mechanic there's also this fancy ratchet wrench which can be used with the hex adapter.

 

 

 

[Bfg]

^ 85 euros huh !

 

"Citroen may have been great at innovative ideas but they sure were shit at building a car to be worked on or to be sensibly maintained"

Well, everybody's free to voice their opinion, having covered tens of thousands of miles in A-series Cits I would suggest otherwise.

Yes, they needed accurate ignition timing, decent oil and regular servicing despite being over-engineered - this has long been a problem for people used to under-engineered stuff which was tolerant of slip-shod maintenance.

Service them right (which was a minimal but probably higher-skilled procedure than for a Ford, if for no other reason than alloy threads) and they'd last like nothing else from the era - 150,000 miles with little more than a clutch and a plate welded under the driver's feet, an alternator too sometimes. If a shock absorber did leak, then it was a five minute job to replace. I've seen 200,000km French ones with the original crossbox.

Trying to rebuild a rotted out car and/or a mechanically knackered one is a different thing altogether - the engineering was relatively expensive and the right quality parts are often only available NOS or s/h. There aren't many parts, but a few do need special tools and decent engineering abilities to replace.

I've seen people spend weeks on something which would take someone who knows about an hour and a half, but I do recognise the problems introduced when a car is retro-fitted with an engine which wasn't intended for it.

They don't seem to come to heel to a traditional English approach - do the minimum, use quality parts when needed and drive on!

 

You seem to be confusing potential longevity with these car's (lack of) ease of maintenance. Perhaps I should have quantified my comment by adding ..maintained 'at home'.   My point appears to be supported by the extensive list of spanner sizes of specific shape needed ; from tiny to 44mm, and/or by the 'other' specialist tools offered by Graeme Seed / 2cvTools.  All these for what is ostensibly the simplest, most humble car ever mass produced.

 

If I recall some while ago you yourself made the point about Citroen seemingly wanting to deter owners or their local garage from touching king pins, etc  (..which do seem to wear rather prematurely) and then in France charging a small fortune to do the job. And I've never yet heard of an A-series owner who, without tongue in cheek, says "Yeah, routine maintenance like ; setting the contact breakers, tappet adjustment, handbrake adjustment, and replacing the brake shoes - is really convenient" ..or anyone who really understands the wiring's colours. 

 

As for the suspension dampers on the Ami., then no it's not a five minute job to replace them, because on the LHS the exhaust needs to be removed, and on the front the anti-roll bar also has to go and then the axle end plates removed.  So only the rear RH of the four dampers is actually a quick job. And then each have to be reached under to tighten the nuts up, with the car's weight on the wheels, so as to not screw up the rubber bushes.  As for the tie rod adjustment - wouldn't it have been easy to weld a regular nut on, or otherwise instead of pressing a 2-sided flat into it to have stamped a four sided square ? ..especially as there's just 25mm between the tie rod and the shock absorber. ?

 

But yes, I am very grateful to be able to freely to voice my opinion.

 

 

Anyways up.,  I got a chance to remove and lubricate inside the LHS spring canister this afternoon . .

 

^ The pencil is pointing to the forged-in 9mm adjustment flats.  As mentioned (above) the space on this, the LH, side of the vehicle is less convenient even to remove the dampers because of the close proximity of the exhaust.  On the Ami-super there's also the rear brake's load compensator valve.  The exhaust had to be dropped to get the spring canister out. 

 

I was going to buy the adjuster hex-head adapter from ECAS but they were closed, so I said sod it and saved myself £21.  Instead I modified an old wing-nut type handle to fit..  With the slot from the side and its handle to either side - it gave me enough leverage to turn the tie-rods, even in their pre-tension condition, further than an ordinary spanner would allow in the space. This together with an old Ariel motor-cycle spanner (with short length but broad spanner flats) eased the task from 1/8th turn at a time, before swapping or turning the spanner over, to 1/4 turn at a time. Very much better. .

 

I was disappointed again though, at the quality of rebuild where hidden parts had not even been cleaned up . .

^ after power wire brushing the rust off, and a little smoothing with a hand file - it was reassembled with a little* more grease. And then I fitted an inner-tube rubber 'gaiter' (as shown in a previous post) packed with fresh grease over that.  

 

Castor oil is now in the canister, and that is now refitted, but I've yet to finish up refitting the exhaust.  Then I need to go around them all again to check and balance up the car's ride height.  Another job almost done 

 

Have a good weekend

Bfg

23,031 views

[forddeliveryboy]

Pete, I concede the Ami (esp. the Super) isn't a straightforwards rebuild, compromised with underpinnings originally from a very different (in conception and marketing) car. They're simple to maintain and service and not much ever went wrong mechanically within twenty years when serviced, they simply rotted out after the usual period of the era.

 

Specialised tools to maintain a 2cv mean a long reach 3/8" 14mm socket (fan and points) and 44mm socket for the rear hubs. You pulled off the dizzy (about 2 minutes) to change the cassette points on the flat four in a Super or GS.

 

Does being egalitarian mean a car isn't allowed fine engineering? Especially when this lent legendary status for their longevity and fine character.

 

But the French don't have a culture of restoration, they design for comfort and ease and economy of use. They sell their ancient draughty house to the English and build something new, watching their Rosbif neighbours mortgage themselves to oblivion trying to make their new property comfortable. You've approached this oh-so-French car in such a quintessentially English way and it hasn't repayed you with the gratitude you believe is deserved, as would an old Triumph.

 

Those carefully crafted knife edge gaiters you've made - an English engineer may suggest they're an improvement on the original exposed joints, but you only need a smidgin of lubricant on that tiny fulcrum. A Froggy ingenieux would be more likely to suggest you're simply providing a huge reservoir of sticky grinding paste around the joint as dust and grit attach themselves through the gaps and work their way in to the constantly-moving joint.

 

If your engine crank snaps, will you berate the company for assembling it as they did as you struggle with the liquid nitrogen and various presses, or simply slot in a known working engine?

 

If it fails repeatedly, then it's either been put back together wrongly, there are knackered bits you've not replaced or it's haunted. Cut your losses/make a small profit if it really pisses you off, life's too short not to. You're so English, the car's so French - and it's not likely to change.

[Bfg]

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^ you've much edited the post since yesterday evening and so I can't answer all the points you raised. 

 

Admittedly, I do go through life as a design engineeer rather than a mechanic, and so (perhaps annoyingly - sorry !) do observe how 'that might easily have been so much better ..if it had been designed just slightly differently'.  Restoration of these cars is quite straightforward, but is not what I'm talking about here - lubricating exposed suspension joints is simply routine maintenance.  But actually there's little to be gained from pursuing this particular discussion any further when we have each presented a case and now as friends can with genuine sincerity shake hands and agree to differ. 

 

Needless to say, owners will be pleased to see garage bills which reflect 2 or even 5 minutes to do any maintenance job, and other readers will of course make up their own mind regarding the issues raised.

 

You've reworded your comment urging me to sell the car if it really pisses me off.  The fact of the matter is that it has sat cossetted in the garage while I've been getting on with other things, so I doubt if I've driven the car more than a couple hundred miles, and so am not at all pissed off with it.  I cannot afford her though, and so if anyone does want an Ami-super - for the cost of what I've paid out, then I'll put a new MOT on her and they'll get the equivalent of a year of my and my friends efforts thrown in for free. 

 

That is after all the Autoshite way isn't it !? 

 

 

p.s. the gaiters I fitted over the tie-rod ends are indeed an attempt to keep the grime n' grit and rust out of  "the original exposed joint" itself.  I don't mind so much if dirt sticks to the outside of the rubber.  

[Bfg]

..

 

Exhaust is now back on again and the suspension height reset.

 

Despite having measured the exposed thread length before removing the cans, it still took me four circuits of settling the car on its suspension, measuring (without touching the car) from the underside of the axle mounts to the floor, recording that figure, jacking the car up on either side and crawling under to wind the adjusters in (having datum marked the rods) while counting the turns of the adjuster.   So, bundles of aerobics

 

Funny thing is that when you wind the front adjuster in to raise the front of the car, the back of the car settles lower, by almost the same amount. so you have to wind the back screws in as much again as you wound the fronts in. This is despite the Ami having fixed rather than rubber mounted canisters - weird.

 

I've raised the front of the car another 10mm now, as it was a little low down the dirt track I live along.  It now sits at 150mm from the bottom of the axle mounts to the level floor. Measured just forward of the axle mount the rear height is now 210mm.

 

While under the car I also took the opportunity to tighten the axle / through chassis mounting bolts.  Janez said they'd need doing as the chassis paint flattened.  Each bolt took half a turn more.

 

So another job done ..the car's suspension now doesn't groan.    ..but 'settling the suspension' inbetween adjustments reminded me that I need to buy and fit a pair of front dampers.  

 

Last week I was offered an Ami-super gearbox (without bellhousing) ..supposedly done 50k miles.  It's down at Matt's Soft-Tops, Chichester and I'm up and over in Suffolk-shires, so if anyone is doing that journey anytime soon ?      Mitsisigma01 from this parish has kindly offered to help, so I guess he's down near that locality but I'd rather him not make a special journey up to Anglialand for this one purpose.  I've dropped him a PM to discuss the matter, but any other offers would be gratefully heard. 

 

Have a good one,

Bfg

23,224 views

[Bfg]

.

Hello again Shiters..  It seems much longer than 2-1/2  months since I last posted but I was busy designing a tiny boat stove (December), then laying out the lighting plan for the boat & ordering necessary wire & fittings,  I also became interested in metal detecting (for January). And then for this month I've now taken up metal detecting (with no startling finds to date) and am now well into fitting switches and LED lamps into the boat and running (mainly hidden) wiring.    And then on Monday I had a text from Dave aka Mitsisigma01 to ask if I would be in the following afternoon, as he was coming up to a family funeral and could drop off the gearbox he'd collected on my behalf from Matt's Soft Tops (Citroen 2cv) down in Chichester. ? 

 

Fantastic, great, excellent.. yep, I could be in or could meet him at the boat, which is in Fox's marina just off the A14.  Dave met me at the boat in his bargain MX5 sieve-top (which drains the water in, rather than out) together with a banana box of Ami-super gearbox.  

 

^  first impressions. I knew there was no bell-housing but I sorta expected an input shaft and possibly bits of the clutch mechanism.. but nope.  Clearly I'll need to look at the pictures in a manual to see how it all goes together.

 

^ I have to presume the closing (oil sealing end plate) of the differential / gearbox is cast together with the bell housing. 

 

^ Supposedly having done just 42,000 miles I had high hopes for this gearbox, but with rust and pitting on the crown wheel and gritty black oil in the bottom of the case, I have to wonder about the worth of what I've bought here.  

 

Clearly I'll need to thoroughly clean up it up inside and out, before I can visually assess its condition.  But I also wonder (aside from rotational slack of the gears themselves)  how I might determine its mechanical condition without simply fitting and trying it.?  Naturally the correct (but very time consuming) way would be to completely strip it out and measure / visually inspect every bearing in the case, and to assess end float within the sum of the parts.    

 

Given the time and mucho self-motivation I might be able to combine the best of the two gearboxes into one good one.  But certainly my naive hope of just replacing the seals and swapping out this gearbox for the one in the car are.. in accord with my extraordinary optimism in general.  ie., Dream on stupid ! ..that sort of thing just ain't  going to happen in your lifetime.

 

On a positive note, I now have another gearbox to pull apart and learn on (I am of course making an assumption that it is in fact correct for this car).  And I also met Dave - who is as likeable a chap as one is every likely to meet..  It's just a shame he's so far away, as I would have enjoyed going down the pub or just to hanging around autoshite gatherings together.  Hopefully our paths will cross again soon..  

 

Very many thanks to him for dropping the gearbox off, and the coffee is always on when you're passing by this way mate.      

 

Bfg   

[Asimo]

Shame about that rusty crown wheel  .

Still, if anyone can make one good 'box out of two dodgy ones, I'm sure you can.

[Bfg]

.

I've not even started the Ami since the beginning of last December ..but have topped up the battery charge once.  Her first MOT ran out back then., and I wouldn't have used her through the winter months anyway ..for fear of the metal dissolving.  Aside from that ; revised rules were to come into effect the following May  re. 1974 vehicles now not requiring either road tax nor an MOT.   NB. I've not even looked at the replacement* gearbox since Dave kindly dropped it off and I put it in the garage. It was dragged into the back of the garage when a bike came out, but nothing else.  I have no motivation nor energy for mechanical things right now, and I have ridden my Sunbeam just once in six months.!  

 

During the winter months I tried my hand at metal detecting, but then even before the weather had warmed with the springtime I was told they needed to move my boat and so set to working on it.  More recently I've been physically exhausting myself with this Other-Boatshite  < here > but as she is to be my future rucksack and home - it is now my focus.   

 

I did however take a few days out to put my (1996) BMW K-series bike back on the road after some 7 years of being laid up in the back of the garage.  The following month - the farmer resurfaced the dirt track leading to my farmhouse home ..and left it like quicksand to ride on. It's not rained here since and so it is still loose.  Fearing more damage than I can afford with the bikes, I went back to using my ever reliable 42.3mpg (average) 245k mile Chrysler Voyager.. 

 

Being on SORN since December and the tax laws changes happening in the meantime, I wondered if I needed to go to post office counters to get the Ami road-legal again ?  This evening I went on-line to see. It seems I don't and the car is now road legal again.     Unlike a fully faired touring motorcycle, the Citroen's skinny tyres won't mind the dirt track's very loose surface, so perhaps I'll see how well she'll start tomorrow.  I have very little time and even less money left to spend on her so either she's fit to go or else she'll go back in the garage until circumstances change. 

 

I'm hopeful she'll start giving something back now

26,440 views

[Ami super paul]

 

 

Hi, have really enjoyed reading your post, which has brought back great memories of owning an Ami Super, some 34 years ago.....

& one thing lead to another, I have now found & purchased another from Holland.. It's also a restoration project.. 

 

Currently in the process of completing the welding, having resealed & cleaned the engine, it's my intention to keep as much of the original patina, but make leak & rust fee.

[Bfg]

.

Excellent.. another Berline being saved   ..and also welcome to Paul.

 

Your car looks in better condition / straighter than mine was or is.

 

Please feel free to continue this thread as you repair / recondition / restore / reinstate your own car.  Keep us informed with lots of piccies Paul.  And if you have any questions please - just ask.  Out of interest where are you based and have we met ? .. you look familiar but I can't place from where or when.

- - -

 

I have been using Amy over the past month - on the A14 around Ipswich toing and froming work on my boat < here >.  First though I had to free the locked-up clutch after standing idle for 8 months.  I reversed it out of the polytunnel on the starter motor and then jacked up one front wheel, blocked up the rear wheels, and started the car in gear.  I then revved the engine and slammed on the brakes and clutch. It freed off fine and has since worked any rust off the plates.  The rear brakes still groan noisily each morning ..as I ease the car down the steep driveway, but I guess they'll bed-in one day.  

 

I had to put fuel in the car this week - that's was a disappointment after 9 months ..but I guess it's because plonkers keep coming up too close behind us (probably to see what the heck it is - as there's no Citroen badge on the back of the car) ..and so I hoof it. With this car you just can't help yourself !  

 

The car is smoothest & most comfortable at speed ..despite the ergonomics of my being oversized.  I've only driven a total of 400 miles since I first registered her, so I'm still getting used to the steering and handling. With the big steering wheel she's rather like a motor boat in a gentle swell to steer, indeed I call the single spoke - a tiller.  

 

I guess like any thousand-cc 1970's economy car - it is noisy though.  And in particular, if I take a speed bump (parallel across the road) too fast there's an acute crashing bang ..as if both front suspension arms and the body must have just broken off.!   I really cannot account for that amount of noise but as all seems normal immediately after - I'll leave it until telltale signs of paint or panel, door or windscreen fall off.   Otherwise I have an odd fear that the bonnet will open at speed. I have no idea why because it's the normal cable release plus a sprung safety catch ..maybe it's because the indicated 120 km/h feels like 120mph in a tin can.  

 

She is more fun ..and then again more difficult to drive than almost any modern car, or even the 602cc powered Citroens, but I like that.  However, I still hate the atrocious fit of the dashboard and that the gearbox reminds me of the non-synchomesh buses I went to school in.      It's out in the weather day and night at the moment, so I look out in the mornings just to see if she's dissolved.?   The windscreen wiper is super quick but only sweeps a quarter of the screen, but the dashboard fresh air vents are superb.. And even driving with the windows half open is better than on any other car I've driven in the past 20 years .. there's just not the buffeting.  

 

In short the car and I are dating, but I still don't know what the prospects are for a long-term relationship.  Great is that she's cheap to take out.. with no road tax nor MOT and classic car insurance rates. And she doesn't drink too much nor demand constant attention or compliment.  Perhaps I've just been seeing the wrong sort of woman to view cars like this !?  

 

Bfg.

 

   

[Ami super paul]

Sorry a bit misleading, the photo, is of the previous owner, Jugen, A very nice Dutch chap who has a large collection of Citroens, including an M35 & an immaculate Ami Super break.... (lucky chap)　

I'm based in the Wye Valley, nr Monmouth, so probably have yet to meet...　

Jurgen, rescued the car from a Citroen dealer in Holland, where it was being used as a parts car.. & according to him had not been used since 1984.... with the mileage reading 80k km, (about 50k miles) which I think is original.　

Chassis is in perfect condition, but body work not so great.. So like yours I have replaced floors, lower bulkhead & numerous boot area patches..　

Will keep you posted on progress.　

PS if anyone has a pair of front seats, mine are missing & struggling to find some　

Paul

[Bfg]

.

^ oh well., I probably don't know you then ..but that's Ok for the time being ..as there are probably about 7.3 billion other persons I don't know either.  I really should get out more !

 

I have a front seat, front left, formerly the green driver's seat in my car.  I bought another with an adjustable backrest ..to help me fit in the car.  I've robbed it of some of the rubber springs but it's yours if you can arrange collection. I'm over near Ipswich. Suffolk. IP6.  Some Autoshiters move about the country quite a bit, perhaps someone might be kind enough to shuttle it your way ?   

 

- - -

 

Amy broke down today for the first time (since I've owned her) ..just for a while..  Of course it was at a junction where drivers were impatient to get home in the afternoon.  On the previous stretch of country lane - I had noticed her missing a beat now and then, which I suspected was fuel starvation (though I must admit that diagnosis was partly based on a previous observation of lots of bubbles rising up the (translucent) fuel pipe, even when the engine was turned off for some time. Weird !  Anyway I moved her to the side of the road, on the starter motor, and eventually she started and then ran fine for the remaining few miles home.  Re-starting felt very much like no fuel getting through, but the bubbles were still rising.  I even wondered if the petrol was boiling in the pump, but although quite warm after a blast around the motorway it wasn't that hot.  

 

Fortunately I had a new fuel pump on the shelf at home. And aside from moving the heater duct and reaching the jubillee clips it didn't take many minutes to swap over. Thankfully the rain had stopped by this time.  I had a new one because the car had been standing for so many years, and I suspect every bit of rubber has perished in that time (including the diaphragm in the pump). Having planned to drive the car back across Europe it was just one of those things I might have needed. 

 

Anyways-up job done. Amy restarted easily, and the bubbles have very much lessened.  Interestingly the tick-over speed decreased, and so I also needed to adjust that.   Strange things these Citroens.

 

Bfg