1988 Citroen 2CV - what have I bought

[eifion]

As I mentioned in the Show Us Your 2CV thread, I recently bought a 1988 Citroen 2CV special after spending a few months looking at dozens of them for sale on the Internet. I've started a thread as owning it is going to raise a lot of questions. As an example of how much I know about them, I spent a good couple of minutes pulling at things on the dashboard looking for the bonnet release before working out that it should be opened from the outside.

The main two problems I'm going to have to sort out with it are the rust on the sills, front floor and toeboard (I'll get someone who knows what they're going to do this) and the electrics. It has, weirdly, been fitted with a second battery and I've got no idea why so investigating that will be fun.

 

Anyway it's nice to join the list of 2CV owners here and I'm looking forward to taking it out on the road once it's all done.

 

[Matty]

Ohh you lucky bugger. Looks lovely, get it mended and enjoy it!

[Maurice Marina]

You can’t be unhappy when you look at a 2CV...

[dollywobbler]

Welcome to the world of 2CV. 2CVs and Friends FB group is well worth joining. Big club meet in Coventry at the end of the month too. Bustling club scene in North Wales/Cheshire too, as you may already be aware.

[barmatt]

2 batteries? What on earth for?

I thought these could run off a couple of triple a's.

[brownnova]

Is one in the boot? Our has wiring for that. The previous owners used one as a leisure battery for camping. 

[robinmasters]

Second battery? Where, and why?

[Spiny Norman]

2CVs are wonderful, totally unlike anything else to drive and utterly addictive.  As DW says there's a huge fanbase and lots of helpful owners clubs out there so help and advice is plentiful when you need it.

Yours looks pretty smart, it's very similar to the one my mate had a while back which I borrowed* off him at every available opportunity. One thing that's worth pointing out if you're not aware already is that it would be worth replacing these old cardboard hoses under the bonnet, as they can be a fire risk.

 

[eifion]

8 hours ago, robinmasters said:

Second battery? Where, and why?

Immediately behind the main one. The wires disappear into the main loom and I haven't worked out where they go or what they do yet. Why? God knows.

[eifion]

9 hours ago, Matty said:

Ohh you lucky bugger. Looks lovely, get it mended and enjoy it!

That first photo I put up does flatter it a bit. Before I can legally take it out for a spin I've got to sort out things like this:

 

[Cavcraft]

Lovely! Looks vaguely familiar and a fairly local reg no, where did you get it from?

[eifion]

2 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

Lovely! Looks vaguely familiar and a fairly local reg no, where did you get it from?

I bought it from a bloke who lived near Penrith, but it had been living in Bury and Coventry before that.

[richardmorris]

11 minutes ago, Nicola H said:

back up 'one shot' start battery ?  

No, it looks like one that powered the tracker in my Mercedes.

[richardmorris]

4 hours ago, eifion said:

That first photo I put up does flatter it a bit. Before I can legally take it out for a spin I've got to sort out things like this:

 

Hmm. New floor patch, bulkhead base and a sill.

 

https://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/floor-repair-panel-2cv6-dyane6-front-interior-quarter-left-p-768.html?WSid=e06b453d313a977bba251e05aab8d390

https://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/lower-bulkhead-board-right-hand-drive-zinc-plated-complete-section-assembled-super-quality-p-2219.html?WSid=e06b453d313a977bba251e05aab8d390

 

https://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/repair-panel-bottom-panel-left-p-770.html?WSid=e06b453d313a977bba251e05aab8d390

 

https://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/bulkhead-board-repair-extra-high-quality-with-pressings-corrugations-inner-outer-notes-p-2241.html?WSid=e06b453d313a977bba251e05aab8d390

[richardmorris]

14 hours ago, eifion said:

As I mentioned in the Show Us Your 2CV thread, I recently bought a 1988 Citroen 2CV special after spending a few months looking at dozens of them for sale on the Internet. I've started a thread as owning it is going to raise a lot of questions. As an example of how much I know about them, I spent a good couple of minutes pulling at things on the dashboard looking for the bonnet release before working out that it should be opened from the outside.

The main two problems I'm going to have to sort out with it are the rust on the sills, front floor and toeboard (I'll get someone who knows what they're going to do this) and the electrics. It has, weirdly, been fitted with a second battery and I've got no idea why so investigating that will be fun.

 

Anyway it's nice to join the list of 2CV owners here and I'm looking forward to taking it out on the road once it's all done.

 

For some reason the oil breather hose has been disconnected from the air filter housing. Also in the same area the wiring loom is sitting on the exhaust heat exchanger. Move it up with a cable tie round the filter housing. All that yellow wiring is non-standard and may lead to a tracker / immobiliser.

 

Plus I think it's got a Dyane fan housing.

[eifion]

17 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

For some reason the oil breather hose has been disconnected from the air filter housing. Also in the same area the wiring loom is sitting on the exhaust heat exchanger. Move it up with a cable tie round the filter housing. All that yellow wiring is non-standard and may lead to a tracker / immobiliser.

 

Plus I think it's got a Dyane fan housing.

Yeah, there's a separate small filter and the end of the oil breather hose for some reason. Ta for the warning about the wiring. The Dyane fan housing thing makes sense as I couldn't work out what the covered over hole at the top on the right was.

[lesapandre]

A tracker would be sensible. I have a Toyota Landcruiser that was nicked and luckily I got it back. Any interesting vehicle that is popular and can be broke for parts is sadly vulnerable - a 2CV would even fit straight into a lorry. etc. In France 2CV prices have skyrocketed so there will be an international 'trade'. 

I dont go anywhere these days without a steering wheel lock and a big chain that goes thro one wheel.

[sierraman]

Saw an E reg 2CV just now. Cheered me right up after a monumentally shit day at work. 

 

 

[Frogchod]

4 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Plus I think it's got a Dyane fan housing.

Hopefully it's still fitted to a Dyane engine    Higher compression so a couple of extra horses.

Years ago I could tell just by looking at the engine number. AM2 rings a bell....

[Ian_Fearn]

Unless I can’t it properly, I don’t think it’s got the Dyane fan cowl. Those have an off take on the RHS (as you stand looking at it) and the air filter box is positioned differently. 

Great buy though! 

 

[richardmorris]

It’s got the air take off by the arrow. Could just be the cowling swapped after a front end bash.

[Ian_Fearn]

Crikey me! Still can’t see it even when arrowed!! Must get round to replacing my trusty IBM 286 with monochrome screen ?

[Matty]

12 hours ago, eifion said:

That first photo I put up does flatter it a bit. Before I can legally take it out for a spin I've got to sort out things like this:

 

Bit of plywood and a rubber mat. Bosh, job done!

[richardmorris]

Was it a Brooklands of Wrexham car? My first 2cv was D299stu and the second CX D708rtu. Tu was a Wrexham and Denbighshire code.

[richardmorris]

18 minutes ago, Matty said:

Bit of plywood and a rubber mat. Bosh, job done!

A friend of mine went to see a 2cv back in the 1990s that had had the rubber mats glued down , and the owner shouted at him when he started to pull them up so he walked away.

[richardmorris]

20 minutes ago, Matty said:

Bit of plywood and a rubber mat. Bosh, job done!

On reflection,  if the rust is that bad there, whip the seats out fully to get a good idea of the rest. It may be that new sills and floors will be cheaper than patching as at least you have good metal to weld to.

The other place to check is the rear seat belt mounts. This is an mot fail, but people have passed this hurdle by presenting the car for mot with no rear seat or seatbelts.

[richardmorris]

Oh and your cars birthday is December 30th 1987

 

http://www.cats-citroen.com/citroen/organumber.html

 

 

[eifion]

27 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Was it a Brooklands of Wrexham car? My first 2cv was D299stu and the second CX D708rtu. Tu was a Wrexham and Denbighshire code.

I don't know that much of its history yet, but it's possible. It did (I'm guessing) come from the same place as the 2CV on the cover of Issue 5 of Jalopy, which was E857ATU.

[stuboy]

looks good and well ventalated too

[Maurice Marina]

Whatever. It still looks beautiful to me. 

 

Envy I have.