19 Years of Tin Snail - Back to normality

[Felly Magic]

I can just see Ian screaming POWERRRRRRRR! whilst piloting his 2CV

[dollywobbler]

  On 18/10/2016 at 18:56, richardmorris said:

Have you increased the primary jet size?

I've just gone from the standard 105 to 107 ( purchasing spree with Roy the other week), and wow is it an improvement. It will now accelerate from 60 - and not just gain speed like a glacier.

 

My friend Jerry just had his Carb set up at Burton whilst at the icccr meeting. They have a standard engine on the bench and the diagnostic equipment to calibrate everything. He recommended the larger jet ( as does ken hanna) for modern fuel.

 

I've no idea to be honest. I know Pete Sparrow has had a play with it, and it certainly ran a lot more sweetly after that. Have noticed that the choke pull off gubbins seems to have fallen off at some point though!

[dollywobbler]

With the underside now coated in U-Pol Raptor, attention has turned to the upper parts. Poor Alan is discovering that the previous restoration seems to have included a LOT of spray filler. Layers of the stuff!

 

It's quite a depth!

 

Alan is now zipping this all off to get it back to bare metal. This is where it's a good thing that there's very little left of the original restoration - just a few small bits of the roof area really.

 

In other news, DMB have done a grand job once more.

 

At the moment, body collection is scheduled for the week after the NEC Classic Motor Show.

[Noel Tidybeard]

maybe the undersides whole shell need spraying with that bed-liner stuff they keep trying (and fail) to blow up on mythbusters

[PhilA]

One problem with that- it's bloody heavy stuff. My truck has the bed sprayed with a half inch layer of it, which probably weighs in itself as much as the bare chassis of the 2CV. Even if the metal rusts away, you'd still have a floorpan*. In order to move it all, a Subaru engine would be on the books after that...

 

Phil

 

*A slightly wobbly one, perhaps

[dollywobbler]

It can't be heavier than the filler that was caked on this poor car like an Essex girl's foundation.

[Bfg]

..Not so heavy when the thinners dry out.  Typical value for x2 polyurethane is 1.4kg/ltr.   And 50% of that evaporate out as it dries.. so we're talking of 0.7kg / ltr. 

 

Raptor probably has additives (compared with other polyurethane paints) ..to maintain its built up thickness - so let's say something like 0.85 kg / ltr.   4ltrs of  Raptor is said to cover about 125 sq.ft.  which should be enough for a 2cv chassis & body inside & out, topsides & underside.  All up coating weight then would be round about 3.5kg +/-  

 

However, if not Raptor then most any other paint system with an underseal barrier would most likely weigh similar if not more.  Either way - the difference is in probably no more than your coffee & donuts

 

Bfg

[chaseracer]

  On 12/11/2016 at 07:36, dollywobbler said:

It can't be heavier than the filler that was caked on this poor car like an Essex girl's foundation.

 

Remind me not to go to Lincolnshire for any body work on the Dyane... 

[dollywobbler]

Body collection should be on Tuesday, though I need to confirm trailer availability tomorrow. There may be engine complications going on now too, as someone has offered to rebuild it. With more power...

[loserone]

  On 13/11/2016 at 22:36, dollywobbler said:

 With more power...

 

Knew it!

[dollywobbler]

Only three or four horses. Nowt crazy!

 

Just had the final invoice through. This certainly has not been a cheap business. Bear in mind 68 hours of labour in prepping and painting the body, (new) doors and bonnet. The few bits of original body that are left had to go back to bare metal, to get rid of layer after layer of paint and spray filler. I just hope the results last longer than the previous restoration, though perhaps having to spend a few grand every decade doesn't average out too badly.

 

Happily, it's pay day tomorrow, but I suspect the RAV will have to go before too long. It's a handy little vehicle to have, but (in theory) I'll have the 2CV back on the road in a few weeks. If money is tight, then four vehicles on the road is hard to justify.

[Bfg]

Wow..  If  it's cost you "a few grand every decade"  then you've done very well indeed, for that amount of skilled work, the parts and  paint

 

For just a few more horses - then wouldn't a change of fan ducting (to include blower to the air intake) do that.?  Fitting an electric fan would probably do the same again, and it'll give you a faster warm up time (less choke needed) from cold, and then a hot air blower when you're stopped in traffic !

[dollywobbler]

The intake mod really adds very little. The difference between 2CV and Ami/Dyane is more to do with compression ratio and carb jets. So, it looks like my 2CV will be getting 9:1 pistons and barrels and some carburettor fettling.

 

Anyway, chassis is ready to go!

 

A lot of miles to cover tomorrow. Plan is to strap the chassis to the trailer in the morning (given it's pissing down at the moment), then drive to Bradford, drop the body onto the chassis, bolt it down, then drive back having left the engine in Yorkshire for fettling.

[cobblers]

If you were a real man you'd put some goggles on and drive the chassis up there.

[Bfg]

  On 14/11/2016 at 20:48, dollywobbler said:

 

Anyway, chassis is ready to go!

 

...given it's pissing down at the moment

 

^^ looks like you've had whirlwinds as well ! 

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, it's pretty bad. I've been promising to have a spring clean for a couple of years now...

 

I have said there's no way I'm attempting to tidy up until the 2CV is back together now though. Otherwise, I've no chance of finding all the bits that came off!

[Bfg]

^ ^  :D  

[forddeliveryboy]

Bet you can't wait to be driving it again, life is always better with access to a flat twin pulling that amazing suspension along. 

 

Interesting thoughts regarding the blown induction of the Dyane, there are opinions both ways. Knowing Citroën, they wouldn't have gone to the bother of the extra piping for any reason other than it improved things. Whenever I tried a Dyane with the piping disconnected I could tell the difference, the more so the better the engine.

 

As KenH says, even at idle there's a surprising push of air through to the filter box. I once tried it with a 2cv engine which wasn't much of a flyer and it made sod all difference, even playing around with some Mikuni jets and the air correction jets too. One thing I did discover though was that just as there are fast and slow gearboxes (every 'box was tight from 1988 to the end), there are fast and slow carbs, or at least carbs which suit a particular engine better than others. Same for camshafts, too - massive variation in what came out of the factory, I suspect they used up the less good ones in 2cvs, for which they charged half the price of a Dyane...

 

 

  On 14/11/2016 at 21:00, cobblers said:

If you were a real man you'd put some goggles on and drive the chassis up there.

 

 

It's a sunny, mild day tomorrow...

 

[dollywobbler]

Balls is it sunny! This is Wales remember.

 

Certainly true about different engines, though I've usually been lucky. Most of mine have been flyers.

[Bfg]

I'd have to agree with FDB regarding pulling those pipes off.. and of the variation in engines. 

 

I recall from the early days of 2cv racing - the chaps selling cars would take each out to find the fastest one on the lot / in their workshop. That engine and gearbox then found its way transplanted into the racer.  It really was no wonder they were faster than other competitors (non-trade) ..who struggled to tune whatever was in their scrappy old (ex-Mum's) 2cv ! 

 

I never raced but still - I always preferred Ami 8 engines in my cars.   with a good seal in the oil filler/breather.   I later used to convert to 650cc and to lighten the flywheel (30%) for slicker gear changes, and also tried twin carbs (though quicker they tended to suffer from fuel surge / starvation in fast bends).    I also preferred the Ami gearbox (with its bigger drum brakes) over the disc brake gearboxes.

[dollywobbler]

Here's my day, with rubbish photos.

 

To start with, I had to load up the chassis and strap it down. In the rain. This was fun*.

 

I discovered that the A438 was closed, which Sally traffic told me about just as I reached the end of the diversion. I'd tried to find my own diversion but only succeeded in spraying mud all over the trailer...

 

Some hours later, we made it to that there Yorkshire. The RAV tows really well, though it did need fourth gear to slog its way up the M62. That is the highest motorway point in the UK to be fair. This is just before I got to Citwins - a fantastic farm shop near Thornton.

 

I skilfully reversed the trailer down a bloody tight alley way, and only mildly twatted a Corsa with the bendy light things at the back.

 

Oooh, shiny body! Not quite ready to go. We decided to make life more difficult by fitting the doors.

 

After yet more hours, we finally had the body on the chassis, bolted down, the doors fitted and the bonnet securely stowed inside the body. The RAV had been filled with things like glass, bumpers, smaller panels and random odds and sods. Filling the RAV had been made more difficult by the fact that you can't open the sodding rear door when towing. Ace design! (the bottom of the door is really low, so just hits the hitch). I took a particularly bad photo.

 

After even more hours, we'd made it Welshpool, and I discovered a better mode on the phone.

 

It really does look like a 2CV again!

 

Eventually, (about ten minutes ago), home was reached.

 

Status report: The body was only painted on Friday, so the paint is still pretty fragile. Oh well. I'm sure a night outside in the wet will do it the world of good. Tough. There's no way I'm pulling it off the trailer now. The paint is sufficiently fragile for me to think I might well choose to do absolutely nothing to it for a few more days. I've already managed to damage bits just putting the doors back on...

 

The engine has now been left in Bradford for fettling (this'll happen in Lancashire). There are a few other bits that need sorting too, tiny bits that missed the painting process. I still need to fit more door furniture, fit the rear side windows and put everything else back on it. Due to a lack of chassis tape, I also need to pull the body off again to apply the tape. That's ok, as it'll make it easier to faff about with suspension - there are some things I still need to do.

[forddeliveryboy]

Top marks for all the trailer lights working, and having a spare with you. Are you doing the rust protection on the shell? - or are those inner rear wings covered in white stonechip and  shutz as a stylish nod to the rest of it? 

[dollywobbler]

The stone chip effect is the U-Pol Raptor. Wax protection will naturally be occurring too.

[dollywobbler]

I should offer thanks to Mr Bollox for boosting my confidence for this trip. Needless to say, several police cars paid me no attention at all, and nor did a VOSA enforcement chap. Dead chuffed with the little RAV. Seats aside.

[dollywobbler]

I am now mostly wishing my garage wasn't such an absolute tip...

[mrbenn]

Glad to see this coming together.

 

What are your plans for the salty season? Off the road or use it anyway?

[dollywobbler]

  On 16/11/2016 at 12:07, mrbenn said:

Glad to see this coming together.

 

What are your plans for the salty season? Off the road or use it anyway?

 

Use it anyway. If it was low miles, highly original, then I'd have qualms about using it throughout the winter. But there's barely anything left of the original, and I need to give that Raptor stuff a good test!

[overrun]

Nice trailer and good choice with the Raptor. That should see it right!

[dollywobbler]

It's a bloody lovely trailer. Tows superbly, and has fantastic, simple-to-use ramps - though one is a bit sticky. Lovely fold-up jockey wheel too. I should have found out what make it is really.

[overrun]

  On 16/11/2016 at 16:37, dollywobbler said:

It's a bloody lovely trailer. Tows superbly, and has fantastic, simple-to-use ramps - though one is a bit sticky. Lovely fold-up jockey wheel too. I should have found out what make it is really.

 

Is the shell painted in 2k? I forgot to say that it also looks superb. I'm looking forward to seeing it back in one piece.

I bet you can rebuild this with  your eyes closed, now!

 

https://www.tridenttowing.co.uk/trailers-c1/car-transporter-trailers-c64/brian-james-a4-transporter-car-trailers-c143/brian-james-trailers-a4-transporter-2600kg-4-5-x-2-0m-125-2323-p11365