The new adventures of Brownnova. “Dreadful” 2CV 14-2-25

[somewhatfoolish]

10 hours ago, brownnova said:

Just been asking the kids what they want to do today: 

Me: “Would you like to go to the zoo?” 
3YO: “Yes, but can we go in the new Volvo” 
Me: “Maybe, ok, what about going to big car show” 
3YO: “In the new Volvo?” 
1YO: “Vovo!!” 
Me: “Or is there anything you would like to do?”
3YO: “Go to the park in the new Volvo” 
1YO: “Go Vovo” 
Me: “But I think we need to use the other car as it’s got more petrol in it” 
3YO: “But we can drive the new Volvo and buy some petrol to go in it”

I think they want to go in the 940 somehow… 

/joke involving cats or children preferring the cardboard box over the present that was inside the box, even though that doesn't really fit the situation.

[brownnova]

Long story short… (I’ll do the long story long in another post) these two were offered for sale on the 2CV Facebook pages. I went to look, but originally declined. But the long term owners (nearly 30 years in the case of the A-Reg one) were more interested in the right home than more money… so they kept asking me if I had changed my mind, and offering me them for less and less money. Eventually, we agreed a price and… 

Two more of the little buggers arrived last night… 

Some say I might have a problem… others say “Where’s the other one, in the garage?”

4 x 2CV… is that 8CV? 

[grogee]

Bon chance. They're lovely. I look forward to buying one one day. 

I'm glad they have been parked so that they can talk to each other. 

[brownnova]

Directors cut… 

Back in June a post appeared on a couple of 2CV Facebook groups about a pair of 2CVs that needed rehoming. But they “Have no ideas how much they’re worth”. they were on the Wirral, so only a short drive away, so I went to look and see what they were like.

Pretty down at heel and clearly out there for some time, they really didn’t know how they worked, and so we attempted to start them, and got nowhere owing to poor boosting options. As an enthusiast of the breed I talked about them with the seller (the son of the owner who had passed away.) and the original owners wife who remembered a few names from the 2CV scene which I knew too. 

I decided to pass, owing to the scale of work needed, the other projects I have on the go, and because my low ball offer wouldn’t have been representative of the actual value. I gave them advice on listing, pricing and over view of the work needed on each one. He listed them slightly better, but just ended up with a few people messing him about. He kept messaging me to ask if I changed my mind. I sent him a low ball offer mainly to put him off. It didn’t. I declined to pay his negotiation. A few weeks later he asked again if I had changed my mind. I told him my offer was still on the table and I would increase it slightly if it would make the difference. He told me his nan had already decided she wanted us to have them, and we met in the middle on price.

Getting two non runners back here was the next challenge. I started getting quotes, and then the seller offered to match my cheapest quote and hire a trailer himself to shift. Delivery was arranged for today, and then he messaged half way through Friday to ask if he could drop one off Friday night and the other Saturday. No problems. 

First one arrived in the light, and he said “can I bring the other tonight too?” Of course! 

Bit darker this time… 

In the cold morning light…. What have I done… 

They’re both projects, need a fair bit of work doing to get them roadworthy, having been off the road for a long time. 

[High Jetter]

Well done for taking them on, an ideal* winter project!

[LightBulbFun]

Awesome! really looking forward to more on these pair! will always have a bit of a soft spot for the 2CV, they are really lots of fun to drive (around a field at least) and, being allowed to rag one around the FoD really boosted my confidence when I was learning to drive

and the 2CV is one of the very few vehicles I have driven, besides my own car, that I have felt truly comfortable/relaxed in, and not left me in agonising pain, and because of this I really really want to take one out on the open road, and through Central London, I wanna know what one is like to drive properly while doing battle with everyone else on the road

the A reg one appeals to me in that regard, its not long before its ULEZ exempt on historic grounds, and in the in-between I could chuck it into the disabled taxation, which gets you a ULEZ exemption until 2027, so thinking about it even the D reg one might squeak in on that...

 

[Tickman]

I think @juular and @MrsJuular don't have enough projects on the go and some mild* interest in 2CVs after their hard work recently.

 

[bezzabsa]

where did you get the Improbability drive badge from????

[richardmorris]

2 hours ago, brownnova said:

Directors cut… 

Back in June a post appeared on a couple of 2CV Facebook groups about a pair of 2CVs that needed rehoming. But they “Have no ideas how much they’re worth”. they were on the Wirral, so only a short drive away, so I went to look and see what they were like.

Pretty down at heel and clearly out there for some time, they really didn’t know how they worked, and so we attempted to start them, and got nowhere owing to poor boosting options. As an enthusiast of the breed I talked about them with the seller (the son of the owner who had passed away.) and the original owners wife who remembered a few names from the 2CV scene which I knew too. 

I decided to pass, owing to the scale of work needed, the other projects I have on the go, and because my low ball offer wouldn’t have been representative of the actual value. I gave them advice on listing, pricing and over view of the work needed on each one. He listed them slightly better, but just ended up with a few people messing him about. He kept messaging me to ask if I changed my mind. I sent him a low ball offer mainly to put him off. It didn’t. I declined to pay his negotiation. A few weeks later he asked again if I had changed my mind. I told him my offer was still on the table and I would increase it slightly if it would make the difference. He told me his nan had already decided she wanted us to have them, and we met in the middle on price.

Getting two non runners back here was the next challenge. I started getting quotes, and then the seller offered to match my cheapest quote and hire a trailer himself to shift. Delivery was arranged for today, and then he messaged half way through Friday to ask if he could drop one off Friday night and the other Saturday. No problems. 

First one arrived in the light, and he said “can I bring the other tonight too?” Of course! 

Bit darker this time… 

In the cold morning light…. What have I done… 

They’re both projects, need a fair bit of work doing to get them roadworthy, having been off the road for a long time. 

Glad they’ve gone to a good / mad home. 

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

Awesome! really looking forward to more on these pair! will always have a bit of a soft spot for the 2CV, they are really lots of fun to drive (around a field at least) and, being allowed to rag one around the FoD really boosted my confidence when I was learning to drive

and the 2CV is one of the very few vehicles I have driven, besides my own car, that I have felt truly comfortable/relaxed in, and not left me in agonising pain, and because of this I really really want to take one out on the open road, and through Central London, I wanna know what one is like to drive properly while doing battle with everyone else on the road

the A reg one appeals to me in that regard, its not long before its ULEZ exempt on historic grounds, and in the in-between I could chuck it into the disabled taxation, which gets you a ULEZ exemption until 2027, so thinking about it even the D reg one might squeak in on that...

 

Great idea. They are really practical, especially round town. Referring back to the llandudno Volvo pic earlier when I first had my 2cv in late 1993 my first job was in Llandudno and I was living at parents in Wrexham. 105 miles return trip each day- 24,000 in the first year. I learned a lot, including that though it may be bright and sunny in April, do not take the roof off for 70mph for an hour!

[MrsJuular]

2 hours ago, Tickman said:

I think @juular and @MrsJuular don't have enough projects on the go and some mild* interest in 2CVs after their hard work recently.

 

I'm definitely interested in one. Need a other project for sure!

[richardmorris]

4 minutes ago, MrsJuular said:

I'm definitely interested in one. Need an other project for sure!

Race car project!

[juular]

39 minutes ago, MrsJuular said:

I'm definitely interested in one. Need a other project for sure!

What have you done @Tickman🥲

[hairnet]

8cv?]

even with 29 hp thats still not enough

the a reg one doesnt look bad (want)

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, MrsJuular said:

I'm definitely interested in one. Need a other project for sure!

permission granted - lucky man @juular less complicated than V8 no?

[richardmorris]

1 minute ago, hairnet said:

8cv?]

even with 29 hp thats still not enough

the a reg one doesnt look bad (want)

Just from these pics the D reg looks more solid.

[EyesWeldedShut]

16 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Just from these pics the D reg looks more solid.

The wheels look rather well preserved compared to the rest to the cars - or is that just me?

[richardmorris]

Just now, EyesWeldedShut said:

The wheels look rather well preserved compared to the rest to the cars - or is that just me?

You’d have to check the backs - the welded seams blow out, but they can look fine from the outside. The usual sign as a slow pressure loss, or a regular tick, tick, tick, which is the rusty seem catching on the track rod end.

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Just from these pics the D reg looks more solid.

D Reg is a lot more solid. I’ve had a good poke around now; and taken pics. Will post later! 

[brownnova]

3 hours ago, bezzabsa said:

where did you get the Improbability drive badge from????

Came with the car… @RichardK put it on… but as a Douglas Adams fan I love it! 

[RichardK]

5 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Came with the car… @RichardK put it on… but as a Douglas Adams fan I love it! 

They're from the states and seller lists them on eBay or Etsy. 

They cost almost as much as an Adrian Flux "pressing a button on a computer" fee, but are far more rewarding.

[brownnova]

The verdict: 

The D Reg

This is the far more solid of the two cars, however has been off the road since 2008! It looks like this one was in the process of having work done to it, and it all appears solid. The main drawback with this one is that it’s still on its original chassis. That said, it appears to have been well undersealed. The engine turns freely on the starting handle. Not tried starting yet, mainly because the batteries on it wouldn’t respond to the jump pack! Bonus bit is it has a load of spares in the boot! 

Worst bit of the grot os the back light panel, but that looks not too bad at all. 

An amusing sign on the roof… 

All in all, this one seems actually not too bad at all! Better than I remembered it. 

The A-Reg one

This one was clearly parked uncovered as it’s far more grotty, but mainly on the drivers side. The floors on that side are holed, and the sills look rotten. The drovers door is hanging off, and the inner arches on that side are crusty. Passenger side seems ok on the floors, sills and inner arches. Both sides the bottom bit of the front of the shell has rotted, I’ll have to look at how that works parts wise. It’s also had a whack on the front, the bonnet looks ok on the surface, but is quite rotten. No signs of any engine damage. But… it does have a galvanised chassis, the engine turns freely on the handle and there are a few spares in it too. 

This one is slightly worse than I remember from viewing, but it’s all very saveable with the right skills. 
 

So what’s the plan? 
I did think of simply flipping them for a profit, I could easily do that. That’s one option, but seeing as one of the reasons the old lady wanted us to have them not some of the people who contacted her was that she felt we would love them, I would feel slightly uncomfortable doing that.  Another option is to do it ourselves as cheaply as possible and get them on the road but shabby, and a third option is to do them well and farm out some key jobs and get them very nice, although that is expensive it would be nice to have a nice 2CV. 

I think the plan of action will be to see if we can get the D Reg one back up and running first, and then see how it fares in an MoT. The A-Reg one is likely to be a longer term Project, until we learn to weld or raise funds to get it done. It is all doable however, and at least for now we might try and make a start on the other bits. All depends on time though… so we will see how we get on!
 

However… i will admit there might be a bit of parts swapping between cars for bits I need to finish the green one off first! 

[brownnova]

3 hours ago, hairnet said:

8cv?]

even with 29 hp thats still not enough

the a reg one doesnt look bad (want)

29 x4 = 116.

My Saab has more bhp than all four ducks combined! 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

The verdict: 

The D Reg

This is the far more solid of the two cars, however has been off the road since 2008! It looks like this one was in the process of having work done to it, and it all appears solid. The main drawback with this one is that it’s still on its original chassis. That said, it appears to have been well undersealed. The engine turns freely on the starting handle. Not tried starting yet, mainly because the batteries on it wouldn’t respond to the jump pack! Bonus bit is it has a load of spares in the boot! 

Worst bit of the grot os the back light panel, but that looks not too bad at all. 

An amusing sign on the roof… 

All in all, this one seems actually not too bad at all! Better than I remembered it. 

The A-Reg one

This one was clearly parked uncovered as it’s far more grotty, but mainly on the drivers side. The floors on that side are holed, and the sills look rotten. The drovers door is hanging off, and the inner arches on that side are crusty. Passenger side seems ok on the floors, sills and inner arches. Both sides the bottom bit of the front of the shell has rotted, I’ll have to look at how that works parts wise. It’s also had a whack on the front, the bonnet looks ok on the surface, but is quite rotten. No signs of any engine damage. But… it does have a galvanised chassis, the engine turns freely on the handle and there are a few spares in it too. 

This one is slightly worse than I remember from viewing, but it’s all very saveable with the right skills. 
 

So what’s the plan? 
I did think of simply flipping them for a profit, I could easily do that. That’s one option, but seeing as one of the reasons the old lady wanted us to have them not some of the people who contacted her was that she felt we would love them, I would feel slightly uncomfortable doing that.  Another option is to do it ourselves as cheaply as possible and get them on the road but shabby, and a third option is to do them well and farm out some key jobs and get them very nice, although that is expensive it would be nice to have a nice 2CV. 

I think the plan of action will be to see if we can get the D Reg one back up and running first, and then see how it fares in an MoT. The A-Reg one is likely to be a longer term Project, until we learn to weld or raise funds to get it done. It is all doable however, and at least for now we might try and make a start on the other bits. All depends on time though… so we will see how we get on!
 

However… i will admit there might be a bit of parts swapping between cars for bits I need to finish the green one off first! 

Restore, then hire them out? Ideal for touring the valleys (no asterisk)

[brownnova]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Restore, then hire them out? Ideal for touring the valleys (no asterisk)

More mountains than valleys round here!

But… one possible plan would be be to restore them properly, and then hire them out for weddings… but that will require a deep pockets resto for the A Reg one. So that might have to wait until we stop having to pay for childcare! 

[meshking]

Ah ha! So you bought them. I've been wondering who might snap those up. Good to see that they don't look too bad. 

Has the A reg got the super rare small dash with twisty buttons? I can't recall which year the special dash came in but it can't be far from 83/84.

 

[brownnova]

44 minutes ago, meshking said:

Ah ha! So you bought them. I've been wondering who might snap those up. Good to see that they don't look too bad. 

Yes… Twas me mad enough to take them both on! Especially the D Reg one honestly looks decent and with these engines often getting them running isn’t too difficult! 

44 minutes ago, meshking said:

Has the A reg got the super rare small dash with twisty buttons? I can't recall which year the special dash came in but it can't be far from 83/84.

This one? I was thinking I’d not seen one with twisty buttons before! 

[bezzabsa]

one to tick off on my list of cars i've never driven....always looked fun!!

[meshking]

5 hours ago, brownnova said:

Yes… Twas me mad enough to take them both on! Especially the D Reg one honestly looks decent and with these engines often getting them running isn’t too difficult! 

This one? I was thinking I’d not seen one with twisty buttons before! 

That's the one! Lovely and rare too.

Engines should be a doddle - usually best to put a borescope camera down to check, they have a tendency to self decoke. But you know all this already, just please don't go all 'Johnny Smith barnfind' on the starter like he did with the "specialist" and the barnfind 2cv.

 

[brownnova]

Rather than bother the new 2CVs today I was leading a 2CV run to a castle, an annual event which we lead. This year we had 15 car which is a new record! 

Great to have many ducks in the run including @eifion and his red special!