Down to my last used Jonny. Only the Anglia 105E left.

[dollywobbler]

Mesh is to stop birds getting sucked into the engine. That's not pleasant. Muff should be canvas or similar and covers the grille, restricting airflow. Improves heater output considerably. 

 

If there is a starting handle, it can also be used for operating the jack and as a wheelbrace.

[barrett]

The handle should be clipped in somewhere under the bonnet along with the jack, oil can and wooden wheel chock!

Absolutely no reason to convert these to 12v, although finding the correct 6v headlamp bulbs in yellow is fairly difficult it seems. It's not like there is much engine for it to churn over or anything though.

The heater is amazing so it should be better than the Anglebox on a cold winter morning.

[barefoot]

I remember having a lift in one of these when I was on a school exchange trip to France.

And being utterly horrified that it was a 2CV underneath, as a kid I'd always thought they looked a bit cool. 'Bizarre creation' barely covers it. Will the Xsara Picasso be looked on as favourably in a quarter of a century?

[dollywobbler]

I remember having a lift in one of these when I was on a school exchange trip to France.

And being utterly horrified that it was a 2CV underneath, as a kid I'd always thought they looked a bit cool. 'Bizarre creation' barely covers it. Will the Xsara Picasso be looked on as favourably in a quarter of a century?

 

HA!

[jonny69]

Ah right, well it's got a jack with a bit of a funny shaped handle so hopefully that's it. No oil can or chock that I've spotted though!

[AnthonyG]

There were quite a few Ami 8s sold over here, mostly after the fuel crisis of '73. Like the Dyane, they were for people who liked the Citroen concept but were too scared of the 2CV.

 

Also I don't think you could buy the 2CV over here between about '66 and '74, hence the popularity of the Dyane. I remember quite a few of them still knocking about in the early 80s.

[dollywobbler]

There were quite a few Ami 8s sold over here, mostly after the fuel crisis of '73. Like the Dyane, they were for people who liked the Citroen concept but were too scared of the 2CV.

 

Also I don't think you could buy the 2CV over here between about '66 and '74, hence the popularity of the Dyane. I remember quite a few of them still knocking about in the early 80s.

 

Indeed. The Ami 8 was a bit less quirky and sold pretty well here. And no, 2CVs weren't available during that time - it was Dyane or Ami. Even when the 2CV came back, Dyanes still sold pretty well right up until 1982.

[barefoot]

 2CVs weren't available during that time 

 

Wasn't it something to do with seatbelts and general unsafetyness.

 

I remember reading about someone with a 2cv who was accused at a petrol station 

of having built it himself !

[dollywobbler]

Yup. There was no upper mounting for the seat belt whereas the Dyane was designed with one there and ready to go. Took them a while to put down their Galouises and weld a new bit of metal in for the upper mount.

[jonny69]

Yet conventional mounts in the Ami. If I can find a pair like I've got in the Anglia, I'll probably switch it from fixed belts to recoiling. It really improves the useability imo.

[Sudsprint]

What a fantastic car.

 

My late 60s childhood holidays to Houlgate and Dinard were the delight of being immersed in a world that seemed to comprise nothing but grey Citroen Amis and cream Renault 8s.

[barrett]

Is this not old enough to be seatbelt exempt? Rip the fuckers out man, if you have a crash in one of these you're deffo gonna die anyway

[HillmanImp]

Is it not if the car was made without seatbelts? If you take them out and there are fittings for them you might have some trouble at the MOT convincing them that it should not have them as they will not know if they car was manufactured with them?

 

If you have a crash in one of these you're deffo gonna die anyway

 

I don't wear a seatbelt in the GT6 for this reason. I measured where the seatbelt would direct my head in the event of an accident and it was directly at the metal boss of the steering wheel which was pretty much certain death. My best chance of survival is exiting through the windscreen at high velocity whilst the accident carries on behind me. 

[dollywobbler]

Our (allegedly) 1962 H van had the seatbelts removed. It didn't seem to prevent it gaining an MOT. Similarly, I once got a pass for my 2CV by removing a seatbelt in the back. The fixings were still there, but the corrosion near it was no longer an MOT concern. (I did get that welded up after the test and the seatbelt reinstated). 

 

I'd be interested to know if you could get thrown through the windscreen of a GT6. Surely your legs are stuffed too far beneath the wheel to allow that to happen?

 

Mind you, I do know of a story of someone who survived a nasty shunt in an Ami. Someone drove straight into the side of it at a junction. Being left hand drive, it could have been very serious for the driver. As it was, he was shoved over to the other side of the car (bench seat) and survived. A seatbelt would have held him in the now mangled passenger side. All comes down to luck at the end of the day!

[HillmanImp]

Our (allegedly) 1962 H van had the seatbelts removed. It didn't seem to prevent it gaining an MOT. Similarly, I once got a pass for my 2CV by removing a seatbelt in the back. The fixings were still there, but the corrosion near it was no longer an MOT concern. (I did get that welded up after the test and the seatbelt reinstated). 

 

Was not quoting any actual properly researched facts of course, just what I thought so you are probably correct. I wonder how they decide if one needs to be fitted or not then?

 

I'd be interested to know if you could get thrown through the windscreen of a GT6. Surely your legs are stuffed too far beneath the wheel to allow that to happen?

 

Fair point, I would probably have trouble getting my belly through it these days too.

[dollywobbler]

Cut-off for rear belts is apparently 1987, so my 2CV being a 1986 doesn't actually require them. I'm not sure they'd be much cop, as they're only lap belts. They'll just make you fold in the middle and headbutt the seat frame in front of you. It pays not to think about these things too much when you drive flimsy tin.

[jonny69]

I hadn't considered the no-belts option for MOT purposes. Best to have them if you can though, I've had a smash in a car with no belts and bashed my knee up something chronic. Also: windscreens don't come out very easily when you hit them either.

 

Anyway, I took it up to Dez's place on Saturday with a bit of help from a couple of RRers with a tow truck. Uneventful trip, all kept very sensible with regards to shonky tow trucks, obligatory KFC consumed on the way so not really worthy of pictures. Well, ok, I forgot to take any. Thought I'd show some pics of the replacement floor panels though because I'm really impressed with the quality of the workmanship:

 

[xtriple]

Bugger, they look lovely!

[jonny69]

They are really, really nice. Only problem is they're quite delicate while they're off the car because they're only 0.8mm thick! But it's zintec, so once on it should last quite well and hopefully not rot through where the water gets into all those outriggers.

[dollywobbler]

Oh how I wish Zintec panels were available when I had my 2CV rebuilt. Good luck with the repairs!

[capsuleboy]

mine broke cover this weekend as the sun came out...

[barrett]

Wow! Need moar info!

[panhard65]

With regard to seat belts I had this problem with my Panhard. All UK cars must have seat belts in the front from '65 on. They have to be a shoulder type belt, the Panhard only has mountings for lap belts which is why the UK ones stopped in '65. I welded a bracket in on the door pillar to get it through the UK MOT. There again they were so flimsy you would be better off without a seat belt. Just because it didn't have them from new is no excuse for not having them now the same as screen washers that were an option for years before testing. The rules for vans is different but I can't remember what at the moment

[barrett]

Our Panhard has a '66 reg, probably built in '65, but its never had belts and so somehow doesn't get tested on them. Tbh I hate seat belts so that's a bit of a turn up for the books really.

[panhard65]

Our Panhard has a '66 reg, probably built in '65, but its never had belts and so somehow doesn't get tested on them. Tbh I hate seat belts so that's a bit of a turn up for the books really.

Well I don't know how it passes a test as they need to be retro fitted unless first used prior to 1st of Jan 1965 that is according to the mot manual

[jonny69]

Work should be commencing today up at Chez Dez.I am literally* quite excited.

 

Yeah, pretty sure it's pre '65 if you want no seatbelts. I got caught out by that one once before. You can get away with lap belts if you need them just to get through the test.

[dollywobbler]

mine broke cover this weekend as the sun came out...

 

YUM! That car needs a thread.

[cort16]

That looks lovely. Has anyone ever bought a car with a bit of grot and it turns out to be less rusty than they thought? I think it's one of these things that's impossible like trying to get water to run up hill or having a car forum without folk going on about top gear.

 

My cortina has belts but they're fixed. They don't feel very re-assuring but I'm sure it's easy* to fit a set from a mk5 if I ever got off my arse to go and find a set.

[jonny69]

Well, it's not looking great under there, so I'm glad I farmed this one out to Dez. He's getting a bit carried away, but I think this is all necessary work. I won't bother posting about the minor surface rust stuff, just the grot.

 

First up is he popped the rear arches off for access. We could see from the inside that the inners were rotten through from the bumpstop area. This is what it looked like under the underseal:

 

 

When I bought the car I could see what looked like some lazy fillering on the rear door slam. I didn't consider that it might have been pogged up to conceal what was behind it:

 

 

I wouldn't have been able to see the other side because it's up inside the wing, but once the underseal was taken off:

 

 

Driver's side (LHD) sill. Mostly there but it had been carefully concealed with filler and a lot of underseal:

 

 

Same side floor pan - this is what the repair panels above replace. I was hoping there would be enough sill left to pick up on, but they're so thin they just disappear when you put a flap wheel on them:

 

 

More sill:

 

 

Front of the rear inner arch with the repair patch peeled back. Same on both sides:

 

 

 

Boot floor and step cut out:

 

 

Door slam with the latch cut off:

 

 

 

First of the repair panels made by Dez, which I think look rather good. This is double-skinned in real life, but we couldn't think of a good reason not to make it single-skinned in thicker metal.

 

 

So it's turned into a bit of a turkey, but I'm not convinced I'll ever find another one. I guess if it's any consolation I could have shelled out for a really good 'looking' one only to find it too was hiding a load of rot. Happens regularly enough in the Anglia world.

[nigel bickle]

Dez is doing a nice job there. I've only heard good things about him.

 

I tHink your decision to do it is right.

 

Good luck with the forthcoming invoices!