Dollywobbler's Shite Snail Thread - Moar rust and Ami love

[dollywobbler]

It appears I'm now a two-2CV owner again. One just isn't enough. Fleet reduction plans utterly ruined by a very good offer on this local snail.

 

Free!

 

It's been parked up since 2004, but has been well covered. The windscreen panel/bonnet hinge is utterly ruined, as is one rear sweep (below the rearmost side window) while the rear light panel is not what you'd call healthy. I'm going to have to learn to weld, but I'd rather practice on this than my long-term 2CV!

 

Plan is to get it on the road ASAP. The engine turns, so I hope that with some oil down the bores and fresh fuel, it'll be coaxed into life. I might bodge up some of the non-structural bits to speed things up and then enjoy driving around in a sheddy 2CV for a bit. I can then take the other 2CV off the road and get it properly sorted out.

 

 

The red and white one is hideously rusty in places. In fact, in quite a few places, worse than the new one!

[eddyramrod]

Fleet reduction plans utterly ruined by a very good offer on this local snail.

 

Free!

 

Best offer of the lot! Well caught Ian, many happy hours with it.

[Six-cylinder]

Looks Good, I have seem far worse driving about!

[HMC]

I can imagine the new acquisition coasting down some french b road or other, hope you can preserve some of the patina at least. You mention the price being good- having been a serial 2cv owner a decade or so ago the current prices they fetch show values must be on the up!

[dollywobbler]

I can imagine the new acquisition coasting down some french b road or other, hope you can preserve some of the patina at least. You mention the price being good- having been a serial 2cv owner a decade or so ago the current prices they fetch show values must be on the up!

 

They're still not cheap. I've been very lucky here. Mind you, bargains are out there if you sniff around a bit and stay well away from Ebay or specialists charging £12,000 or more for a 2CV that by the time you get it home will be worth £6000 tops.

[Mr Lobster]

Given the way 2CV values have gone picking one up for free - even one that needs work is a good result.

 

I'd like to get hold of something to learn to weld on, trouble is even if I had that something then I haven't really got time.

[dollywobbler]

I had a fair dose of spare time last year. It all seems to have evaporated this year though. Mind you, more work means I can afford welding gear. Hopefully. It's dangerous to wish for more spare time when self-employed...

[Mr Lobster]

Hopefully. It's dangerous to wish for more spare time when self-employed...

 

Indeed. I find that when I have money I haven't got time yet when I have time I don't have the money...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That's a great buy, keep us updated. I regret not taking up the offer of a cheap 2CV when I first got by licence. Fiesta felt like I was getting more car for my money - in retrospect that was a daft decision.

[wuvvum]

Good score. I've pretty much reconciled myself to the fact that I'm probably never going to own another 2CV, as I'm simply not prepared to pay the prices they fetch now (also viz. Minis), but the fact that there are still freebies out there does lift my hopes a bit.

[dollywobbler]

She's home! Here she is all loaded up and looking surprisingly good (this is a very, very flattering angle showing very little rot!)

 

Neighbour offered to use his Disco for 2CV recovery purposes. I couldn't decline. After the day we had, he might not offer so readily again...

 

At half eleven, we left home and went to collect the trailer. Then it was off to sunny Lampeter to scoop up the 2CV. That's about 35 miles away and took about an hour. Neighbour decided to let me reverse it into the tight driveway - sadly I wasn't insured to drive it on the Queen's highway.

 

2CV loaded up with no problems - the borrowed trailer had a handy winch. Sorted. To make things easier, I fitted a new roof as it's the work of seconds (two bolts) and I had a good spare. The old one was utterly shredded. Off back home, unloaded, back we go.

 

We returned to collect a complete, galvanised rolling chassis. Note the rolling bit. When I recced the place in the week, I checked that the 2CV rolled freely, but not the chassis...

 

This had been standing on the driveway, wrapped in tarpaulins. It was jammed in gear and no amount of lever wiggling would free it. Pulling on the clutch cable didn't work either as the plate must have welded itself to the flywheel. No problem. Trailer winch made short work of dragging it aboard, even with seized rear brakes and flat tyres. I hadn't realised that this car came with a spare bonnet, two front wings, a headlamp bar and various other bits. It's times like this that you realise that a Discovery is actually quite small inside. We got it all in though. Just. Then we headed home.

 

Getting the chassis off was a NIGHTMARE. Four of us tried hauling it off, but it really didn't want to move. Especially once off the trailer and onto the gravel driveway. We tried removing the engine and gearbox, but couldn't get enough height to pull the driveshafts apart (the body normally weighs down the chassis to give enough clearance). We tried using sack trucks to lift wheels but this didn't work either. We eventually abandoned it outside my garage. I'll see if I can sort it out in the morning. By this time, it was getting dark. We took the trailer back and got back home at about half seven. How on earth did it take that long?! More to follow tomorrow.

[michiel]

It´s (almost) never easy is it... nice snail!

[dollywobbler]

All sorted now. Sort of. Here's the view this morning.

 

Non-rolling rolling chassis.

 

Took the rear wheels off, battered the drums and put different wheels on with tyres that hold air. Then removed the engine and bingo, we could roll the chassis into the garage.

 

Here are some less flattering pics of the 2CV. Definitely needs a windscreen panel.

 

Definitely needs attention here too.

 

Power!

 

As she was turning so merrily on the handle, thought I'd chance my arm and see if she wanted to fire up. Splashed a bit of fresh fuel into the carb but I'm not sure there's a spark. Not a good time for my multimeter to die as I was trying to find out whether power was getting to the coil. I think it's on points-assisted ignition.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Great score for £0. I hope you will be changing its name by deed poll to anything other than 'chuggaboom'!

[dollywobbler]

Great score for £0. I hope you will be changing its name by deed poll to anything other than 'chuggaboom'!

 

Don't you worry. If it gets called anything, it won't be Chuggasoddingboom.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I think you should let us name it, democratically.

 

I vote Chuggaboom.

[DVee8]

Chuggasoddingdooom

[michiel]

Chugga, chugga, chugga, kaboom?

[dollywobbler]

Well, the new 2CV's resto hopes may have been dashed. Here's why...

 

Elly the Dolly will need an MOT very soon. I knew a kingpin was horribly loose so this morning I got up at horrific o'clock to drive to a renowned specialist in Hereford.

 

The journey started well when after half a mile, the gear selector came loose. I struggled on for a couple of miles before giving in and stopping at a friend's house to borrow tools. After a quick tea break and about 4 seconds of bolt tightening, I was away. I took the mountain route. It was snowy.

 

Being early in the morning, it was also very icy in places. I had to charge some uphill sections and hope the car kept going in a straight line...

 

The suspension arm work progressed, but then I noticed this. ARSE!

 

I really am very shit at rust-proofing. I know last year was almost incessantly wet, but my 2CV looks like I've parked it in the sea for a month. It was slightly less bad the other side, but really needs sorting. The chap is going to plate it up for now - if he can find some decent metal to weld to. It really is going to have to come off the road at some point for a proper sorting out. My 2CV was left looking like this.

 

It was clearly going to take longer than a day to get all the work done, so how was I to get home? Enter the best courtest car in the world ever!

 

Yup. That'll do! I was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

 

It's left-hand drive, which isn't the handicap you might expect.

 

The indicator control is a complete oddity. Flick it the normal way, but it comes back to the middle. You pull it towards you to cancel! The hazard warning light switch and wiper switch are reached by sticking your hand through the middle of the steering wheel. ERGUNOMIK!

 

The engine is mildly tweaked and it has disc front brakes. It's an absolute hoot! Goes like stink, sounds absolutely fabulous and leaves passers-by gawping. I've always wanted one and that feeling has been entirely boosted by the driving experience.

 

Sadly, I now have a dilemma. The Dolly is going to eat up plenty of funds and I'm not sure I can afford to also restore the other 2CV. I now want to sell a kidney and buy an Ami 6 as well.

[lovejoy]

That bloody chicken looks right pissed off about you taking his Ami away for a drive !

[Guest]

That Ami is LUSH. Too much shitejoy on the Forum tonight. Captain, she cannae take any more.

[skattrd]

Sod the 2CV, you need an Ami ... and I want one as well.

[Guest]

Two on eBay, even as we speak. One is barn shite. The other is roadgoing shite, expensive, and features bangin' choonze.

[catsinthewelder]

I'm not a big fan of air cooled cars generally but I've really wanted no, needed an Ami in my life for a while now.

 

I think it started when that red one was last on ebay and someone on here thought it was mine (it used to belong to someone else on here). The Leboncoin searches for them are getting closer together, I can only hold out so long.

 

 

Best of luck with the repairs DW, are the garage just a 2cv specialist or are later/bigger citroens catered for? Herefords pretty local for me

[phil_lihp]

I had the opportunity to buy a lovely mint G-reg 2CV identical to yours (minus the bull bars) back when I was buying my first car in 2002 for a mere £1500. I instantly dismissed it as a ridiculous idea despite my father's encouragement and eventually settled for a horribly abused AX. I have since seen the error of my ways, I'd really fancy trying one of these now. Alas, prices have gone a bit silly for decent roadworthy ones, they're not into mini/Beetle territory yet but it looks like they're heading that way.

[dollywobbler]

Rich - www.sparrowautomotive.co.uk is what you need. Pete knows his way around most Citroens and currently has a BX 16v awaiting recommissioning. I can't tell you what his rates are like yet though!

 

I do think it's time to fully scratch the Ami itch. It just isn't looking very possible to salvage the 2CV and the cost of repair sections alone would likely buy an Ami 6 on Leboncoin... Mind you, I've still got the green 2CV to consider. Much head scratching to be done!

[dollywobbler]

Green 2CV runs! Used a syringe to prime the fuel system, gave it a crank and it fired straight up! Went and grabbed my video camera and it promptly refused to start again. Got it going eventually, if not very evenly. Then the fuel lines fell apart. The smell of petrol is very hard to remove from hands. I've got to dash out again so tinkering at an end for now, but I'm dead chuffed!

 

Because the battery is utterly dead, I had to connect up a spare battery using jump leads. Then had to add my jump pack into the mix as the spare battery isn't exactly in top form.

[trigger]

That Ami is amazing!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'd dispense with the Chevaux and roll that Ami 6. A bit of a T cut and a Halfords mixed rattle can and it'll be concourse.

 

I bet it drives really well.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

 

Also: Autoshite pic of the year 2013. Where on earth is it? I want to go.