dollywobbler

Electric blower makes sense. Can't say the 2CV's heater suffers too much from spray, even following traffic. There's enough heat to make the demisting work regardless. There are aftermarket blowers available for them (the GSA uses actual blower motors and it does give better results, especially in slower traffic).

I guess that's an advantage I have in these parts - higher average speeds, so demisting isn't generally an issue. Which is good given mine isn't even connected up! One issue with aircooled engines is that at lower engine speeds, there's less blow. On the 2CV, you can at least dip the clutch or knock her into neutral for a quick blast of revs. That does tend to confuse other road users mind you...

@triggerwas meant to be organising a Shitefest but Covid rather ruined those plans. Hopefully he'll revive the plans?

Well done. Walking away when you did is very much the right thing to do. That desperate push for firing it up is just the time to drop an absolute clanger! Or maybe it's just me...

Yes, I had this at renewal, but they did back down and give me another year at the lower rate when I grumbled at them. Given the cover is for the human rather than the car, seems a bit rich.

Good luck! I hope the batteries are ok.

Dacia 1310. Seriously. Bit of a kick in the teeth for all the Citroens I've owned, but the GSA is just a touch too soft and can set off motion sickness. The Dacia's ride is amazin. I'm sure Cats remembers a particularly bad road in Italy that it just absorbed in its stride, while all moderns were forced to slow down.

If they've done that without the faff of sending a small van that can't help first, that's something at least! Steering will still work, and be a good workout - just depends if it also drives the water pump...

What does the belt drive? I've cut aux belts off to get home before now, but it only powered the alternator on the car I was driving...

It already has the diorama, though sadly it does (currently) lack Model 70s. I wonder what scale Subbuteo is?!

It doesn't seem to reflect as badly from the driver's point of view, but if it causes issues, it's going.

Went up to the unit. There was a single drop of oil hanging on the repaired corner. Despite this, I chucked a new oil filter and some fresh oil in, but sure enough, oil was welling through the repair. Much slower than it was, but still there. So I drained the oil into one of the oil cans I'd used to fill it (so I can reuse it) and put another two layers of JB Weld over the repair. Of course, that means another wait to see if it has worked. I'll report back. I did pull out the air filter to lube up the clutch arm, and I reckon you can actually bleed the clutch without removing the battery. But I was on my own, so I couldn't do that today. Once the biblical rain stopped, I removed the rear bumper exhausts and replaced the wiper blades. Sadly the rear wiper spring seems to have not enough tension - perhaps because Peter Crouch is hanging off it... I then turned my attention inside, cutting holes in the astroturf so all rear seats can correctly be fitted (I never thought I'd type those words) and removed the front centre seat entirely. This should be held in with captive nuts, but one is missing. I'll take the extra space instead then. And legroom! I'll find out tomorrow whether the latest bodge is successful. Oh, and I found the service history, which actually existed until about 86,000 miles (113,000 on the clock now). It confirmed the timing belt was changed at 74,000 miles, but also confirmed that this was in 2009...

We did, at the sixth petrol station. There was none along the M4 at all. Not even rip-off Pont Abraham Services. Got a bit squeaky bum that did!

Well, that situation is being aided by Parcelforce as I have new filters on the way that didn't arrive yesterday as claimed. Should be here today so it'll be a full 24 hours. Going to try and lube up the clutch arm as well. The clutch is fairly stiff and prone to jamming - ie the clutch doesn't release cleanly for the first few tries of the pedal. Wondering if it might help with the crunchy gears too. Suspect it also needs bleeding/fresh fluid, but that's more of a pain in the arse apparently, and needs the battery tray to come out.

Cheers folks. Got up the unit today and started de-pimping the Multipla. Those side pipes were just screwed into the rear wings. The screws were going rusty and the 'holders' were starting to delaminate. It needed removing for safety reasons more than anything else. I've dabbed touch-up paint into the screw holes for now, and tapped them down so there are no sharp edges. I'll need a better solution at some point. Thankfully, there is a mud guard in the wheelarch. Also smeared some JB Weld over the sump hole, so leaving that overnight to cure thoroughly. (says six hours, but no point rushing). I'm wondering if the front suspension has sagged as I'd hope the sump wasn't that likely to clout a simple speed hump from factory... Back tomorrow to see if the repair has held, and perhaps remove the rather silly exhausts attached to the rear bumper. Green interior is likely to stay as quite a lot of it is glued into place. I think it'll be more hassle to remove it.