Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - a Workshop Day Today

[High Jetter]

24 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

For a change of flavour today @Zelandeth helped me get the Citroen Ami out of storage. This evening I took it to a local Citroen meeting.

It started unassisted on its own battery with a fair amount of cranking to get the fuel up.

The front tyres were down to 14Psi instead of 20 Psi.

It runs beautifully. 

I think the heater cable has disconnected.

It's grumpy beautiful. French teacher at secondary school had one, he moonlighted as a jazz pianist. Sound bloke, though his surname translates as chicken.

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

calendar shot

also 20 psi wtf

[Six-cylinder]

4 hours ago, hairnet said:

calendar shot

also 20 psi wtf

720 kg kerb weight.

[hairnet]

oof

[Dyslexic Viking]

10 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

720 kg kerb weight.

 

That's about half a Fintail Mercedes.

[RayMK]

34 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

That's about half a Fintail Mercedes.

Not bad for such a sturdy car.  My Reliant Regal MK6 has a kerb weight of 445kg and my 'modern' (2017) Mitsubishi Mirage Juro is 865kg.

Citroen Ami (not the plastic shoe boxes) used to be quite popular in the UK, particularly the 8 and the estates.  I don't think we got the saloon but could be wrong.  Nice to see yours getting some exercise @Six-cylinder. 

[LightBulbFun]

22 minutes ago, RayMK said:

Not bad for such a sturdy car.  My Reliant Regal MK6 has a kerb weight of 445kg and my 'modern' (2017) Mitsubishi Mirage Juro is 865kg.

interesting, do you know what the unladen weight is? as I understand it, all Reliant 3 wheelers weight about or at least no more then 410Kg , aka 8 Cwt in old money, because that was the cut-off point for what was still considered a Motor Cycle by law (at some point after getting involved with EU, I think this was raised to 450Kg unladen, but back in Reliant's day it would of been 410Kg/8 Cwt)

 

its one of the things I use to drive home the point that when I say the Model 70 and its chassis is a tough old thing/overbuilt/built up to a standard not down to a cost, is the fact that a Model 70 a 2 cylinder single seater, weighs about 410Kg  yet a Reliant Robin, a 4 seater 4 cylinder passenger car also weighs 410Kg,

(and REV is actually 413.2kg because she is a later one with extra chassis re-enforcements and a roll-over bar for improved crash protection)

15 hours ago, hairnet said:

also 20 psi wtf

its 17 PSI for REV's front tyre!

[Stinkwheel]

17 minutes ago, RayMK said:

Not bad for such a sturdy car.  My Reliant Regal MK6 has a kerb weight of 445kg and my 'modern' (2017) Mitsubishi Mirage Juro is 865kg.

Citroen Ami (not the plastic shoe boxes) used to be quite popular in the UK, particularly the 8 and the estates.  I don't think we got the saloon but could be wrong.  Nice to see yours getting some exercise @Six-cylinder. 

We definitely did get the Ami 6 & 8 saloon in the UK but the estates were much more popular

[RayMK]

4 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

We definitely did get the Ami 6 & 8 saloon in the UK but the estates were much more popular

The 8 was a fastback but I did not see any of the notchback (reverse rake rear screen) 6 saloons in the UK, or at least not UK registered or in showrooms.  Wiki says RHD Ami  were special order in the UK and only a few over 800 were sold here.  Perhaps I saw the same two every day (an 8 and a Super) 😀. 

[RayMK]

20 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

interesting, do you know what the unladen weight is? as I understand it, all Reliant 3 wheelers weight about 410Kg, aka 8 Cwt in old money, because that was the cut-off point for what was still considered a Motor Cycle by law

 

its one of the things I use to drive home the point that when I say the Model 70 and its chassis is a tough old thing/overbuilt/built to a standard not down to a cost, is the fact that a Model 70 a 2 cylinder single seater, weighs about 410Kg  yet a Reliant Robin, a 4 seater 4 cylinder passenger car also weighs 410Kg,

(and REV is actually 413.2kg because she is a later one with extra chassis re-enforcements and a roll-over bar for improved crash protection)

its 17 PSI for REV's front tyre!

Quite a lot has been written about how Reliant achieved* the legal compliance regarding weight i.e. it was a struggle and required removal of carpets and the most favourable possible interpretation of what constituted the unladen weight.  Front tyre pressure on my crossply is 20--22psi.    

[Stinkwheel]

20 minutes ago, RayMK said:

The 8 was a fastback but I did not see any of the notchback (reverse rake rear screen) 6 saloons in the UK, or at least not UK registered or in showrooms.  Wiki says RHD Ami  were special order in the UK and only a few over 800 were sold here.  Perhaps I saw the same two every day (an 8 and a Super) 😀. 

When I was younger the man who lived next door to my Nan & grandad had a notchback Ami 6 saloon in RHD. Back when I first joined the 2CVGB club in the mid 90’s the last couple of known RHD Ami 6 saloons were known, one went abroad the other disappeared, probably scrapped. They were rare but they existed. 

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, RayMK said:

The 8 was a fastback but I did not see any of the notchback (reverse rake rear screen) 6 saloons in the UK, or at least not UK registered or in showrooms.  Wiki says RHD Ami  were special order in the UK and only a few over 800 were sold here.  Perhaps I saw the same two every day (an 8 and a Super) 😀. 

 

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

When I was younger the man who lived next door to my Nan & grandad had a notchback Ami 6 saloon in RHD. Back when I first joined the 2CVGB club in the mid 90’s the last couple of known RHD Ami 6 saloons were known, one went abroad the other disappeared, probably scrapped. They were rare but they existed. 

This is taken from the 1962-71 Glass's Guide check book.

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

When I was younger 

🤣

[Zelandeth]

21 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

For a change of flavour today @Zelandeth helped me get the Citroen Ami out of storage. This evening I took it to a local Citroen meeting.

It started unassisted on its own battery with a fair amount of cranking to get the fuel up.

The front tyres were down to 14Psi instead of 20 Psi.

It runs beautifully. 

I think the heater cable has disconnected.

It really is a fantastically cheerful little thing.  All the good points about driving a 2CV, but with a front seat that's actually wide enough for two people, and me not to bash my elbow on the door every time I turn left.

One of those cars I keep forgetting exists, but then see one again and remember it really should be on the list.  

How are their values compared to a 2CV?  Despite being a more capable car (in my purely personal opinion) I tend to assume they're probably a bit cheaper as they don't have quite so universal a following.  I could be way off the mark there though!

[Six-cylinder]

3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

How are their values compared to a 2CV?  Despite being a more capable car (in my purely personal opinion) I tend to assume they're probably a bit cheaper as they don't have quite so universal a following.  I could be way off the mark there though!

I would say the 2CV is still worth close to double the Ami 8 because the 2CV is fashionable while the Ami 8 is an enthusiastic car for people with weird taste!

I always found it strange why all the motoring sages knew why I had Citroen 2CV but could not understand why I have a Citroen Visa.

[Zelandeth]

26 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I would say the 2CV is still worth close to double the Ami 8 because the 2CV is fashionable while the Ami 8 is an enthusiastic car for people with weird taste!

I always found it strange why all the motoring sages knew why I had Citroen 2CV but could not understand why I have a Citroen Visa.

All the better for folks like us then I guess!

Every bit as much fun to drive I'd say, but a whole lot more comfortable.

I'd kind of written off a 2CV as ever being something I'd end up with as they're just out the price tag range I could ever justify, but I'll really need to keep an Ami in mind if I ever do find myself shopping around for something fun in the future.

[richardmorris]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

All the better for folks like us then I guess!

Every bit as much fun to drive I'd say, but a whole lot more comfortable.

I'd kind of written off a 2CV as ever being something I'd end up with as they're just out the price tag range I could ever justify, but I'll really need to keep an Ami in mind if I ever do find myself shopping around for something fun in the future.

https://retrospecparts.com/cars-for-sale/
 

[LightBulbFun]

16 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It really is a fantastically cheerful little thing.  All the good points about driving a 2CV, but with a front seat that's actually wide enough for two people, and me not to bash my elbow on the door every time I turn left.

the 2CV was one of the few regular-control cars that I seem to be able to get on with without too much crippling pain, (which is why I would love to borrow one to see how I would get on with one in London Traffic conditions!)

so I was quite eager to try the Ami when that showed up, as in theory it should be very similar, but interestingly I did not find it quite as agreeable with me as I did the 2CV, and I have often wondered why that is? I would not mind a bit more time with an Ami to see if I could figure it out, as I had a lot more time with the 2CV then the Ami, so maybe I had just not found my happy spot with the Ami, or maybe there is something about the Ami's seats/seating position that is just that bit different from the 2CV? and similarly I suppose I should try another 2CV at some point to see if they are all the same or not!

not that I have anything against the Ami in itself otherwise, in-fact I am quite partial to the Ami 6 reverse-rake saloons, but then given what I drive myself, that should come as no surprise!

I suppose I should ask, @Six-cylinder have you noticed any difference in the comfort/driving setup of your old 2CV and the Ami, or would you say they the same?  

 

as an aside I feel like I should tag in @chaseracer so  the Citroen Dyane is not forgotten about in all this

[Stinkwheel]

Usually it’s the accepted wisdom that a 2CV is stylish but not very refined, the Dyane is seen  as a poor relation by some 2CV owners but is in fact a far superior car, for a number of reasons I won’t bore with now, the Ami is almost like a normal car in comparison, just by dint of having a metal roof and thicker doors/more solidly built and just feels less flimsy. 
You can drive all 3 all day long easily (and I have in the past) but the Ami will be the one that you arrive at journeys end feeling the least tired out. 

[Six-cylinder]

Back to the Rolls Royce today for a very small local gathering at the local Ford centre. 

The forecourt was full so we parked around the back by the field with games etc. Trouble was there was a Transit Ice cream van with its diesel engine thrumming away giving off engine fumes. They squeezed us into the front. When I say "we" that included Slowsilver in his Maxi.  

[Six-cylinder]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

I suppose I should ask, @Six-cylinder have you noticed any difference in the comfort/driving setup of your old 2CV and the Ami, or would you say they the same?  

 

as an aside I feel like I should tag in @chaseracer so  the Citroen Dyane is not forgotten about in all this

I would say the driving differences are small.

The biggest benefit to me is a noticeable amount of extra room to get in and out of the Ami and more shoulder room when in there.

Loads more boot space in the Ami break.

I like the fact the Ami is different and largely unknown.

The Ami has a substantially lower buying price.

All Ami's are free road tax, many 2CV are £210 road tax.

The only major positive of the 2CV over the Ami is the fold back opening roof.

[Six-cylinder]

A fantastic day today with the Loose Alliance Group, at London Gliding Club Dunstable celebrating their 95th anniversary.

They were flying all the historic wooden gliders as well as moderns. They were launching both with the winch and they had 4 tow tugs aeroplanes in use.

---

As a side note I have a couple of memories of The Gliding Club a Dunstable:

In 1977 I broke down at the bottom of the drive in my Triumph Vitesse 2.0 Mk1. My car had broken a driveshaft U/J  so I walked up the drive to use the telephone and they could have not been more friendly and helpful. They even gave us tea and a sandwich while we waited which was great as a skint student, it saved me buying my girlfriend a treat!

In the early 1980s  my friend converted vehicles to carry a person in a wheel chair. There was a paralysed Middle Eastern gentleman receiving treatment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital after being shot randomly on a golf course in his own county and as it was long term treatment he had bought over his wife and children. My friend was asked to transport him to the London Gilding Club for a family day out and I helped out by driving the wife and children in their car. The car was a Peugeot 604, large, superbly comfortable but felt sluggish for a 2.7 V6.

[hairnet]

less rickety than your land rover

[Six-cylinder]

It felt like I took the wrong car today!

I went to a Charity car show in Milton Keynes today thinking there would be 50ish cars, turns out there were a few hundred. While I knew it was run by a JD group the flyer said all makes in aid of Cancer Research UK so I took the easy option and the Rolls Royce again.

Turns out anything modified was the flavour of the event. I still enjoyed the day and was only asked 786 times what was my car!

My car of the day was the Datsun 180B SSS hiding at the back.

[hairnet]

stagea wagon oof

also nsx?

3 old shittas at the end ftw

[hairnet]

also JD M   lolololol

you might have been on jd and coke ?

[IronStar]

Someone said Ami?

 

Ami 8 Estate, drives, for resto. 63k kilometers. 
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BmqXPrCUo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[hairnet]

[Six-cylinder]

Today started with the return of my Classic Range Rover from a Land Rover Specialist still not working. The problem is the injectors are not firing.

[Six-cylinder]

While I was at the FoD messing about with the green Range Rover Colin and Geoff were fitting a new water pump to my Mini. Trouble was they found the water loss was not only the water pump but the radiator as well.  A second hand radiator is now fitted and seems to be dry.

While test driving the Mini they had a puncture and the spare is flat! I need 4 new tyres.