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Mr and Mrs Brownnova's new arrival! The human arrival arrives!


brownnova

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The full tale goes thusly... 

One evening on the 2CV Facebook group someone advertised a 2CV for sale “in need of full restoration.” Mrs B  said oooh that looks nice and started making jokes about it being a pre-baby present... now I thought she was joking, it turned out she was not! I phoned the chap up and he said that it needed a full restoration. He said that the body was rusty and the gearbox was whining... but he was still using it daily. The other thing he said was that it had had a galvanised chassis, new floors and sills. My ears perked up. 

Upon a quick search I discovered a Boris MoT with an advisory for corrosion last year around the rear seatbelt mounts and boot floor (TADTS). The pictures did indeed show tatty bodywork. I contacted a local 2CV friend to see if he knew the car and he put me in touch with the man who had serviced it for the past 20 years... he gave me the lowdown. Very solid but getting tatty. I can work with that.

We had first refusal, and opted to take a gamble. @worldofceri was available for delivery and so I was most excited to receive this picture... 

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Ahead of his estimated time he arrived with our new pride and joy

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We got it down off the trailer and started it up... it purred beautifully.... 

So what do we have a 1988 2CV Dolly. 62F351AD-A8D9-4072-8AA8-57AE32C28E51.jpeg
Looks nice from a distance, but one or two signs that there is work ahead. 
 

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Underneath the car is in excellent order. It’s been under sealed and this has protected the replacement sills, floors and chassis. That was a lot of work. There are copious receipts in the box including a new hood only a few years ago. 

That said... yes, there are a few rust issues in places... 

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Pah seen worse... 

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Bolt on bolt off... 

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Likewise... 

The patina of the Dolly badge is excellent! 
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Like the underside the inside is in really good condition! 
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Overall we’re delighted that this worked out well, it was a risk but it is better than we thought it might be. Getting the welding done will be a priority, we already have a source of panels through the club... all in all... we’re really happy. We can now do his and hers 2CVing! 

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5 minutes ago, meshking said:

Excellent purchase! I probably have a few repair panels kicking about here for the seat box / seat belt mounts if it's any use? Take stock and let me know what you need.

 

 

Seatbelt mounts definitely, they’re a gonner. I need to take the seat out to properly assess the box, but I think that looks ok. I’ll PM you when I have done some more investigation. 

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1 minute ago, stuboy said:

push presents.....blimey were that rubbish come from..

We’d have bought it baby or not... we just like the fact that posh mums get jewelleries or fancy things... mine gets a tatty Citroen! So we refer to it as a push... 

Ive told her she’s not getting a new 2CV for each baby we have! 

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2 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

2x2CVs for 2x the fun. That looks a good honest car that hasn't been messed with. Swap some panels with the other one and make a tricolour white, yellow and green 2CV? I wonder what that would look like.

Horrible., 

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45 minutes ago, eifion said:

Congratulations. I look forward to seeing it in the metal.

As I do yours now it’s back on the road!

37 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Bonnet hinge looks a bit rusty though, and rear sweeps / rear panel are quite expensive.  Can you weld?

Bonnet hinge isn’t too bad actually. It’s not brilliant by any stretch... but it’ll do.

The price was right so we know even if a couple of panels are a little pricey it’ll still represent good value. Quick google hasn’t grown up anything horribly expensive. I can’t weld, but I know a few welders (One of whom offered to teach me) and I’m keen to learn!

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Just now, brownnova said:

As I do yours now it’s back on the road!

Bonnet hinge isn’t too bad actually. It’s not brilliant by any stretch... but it’ll do.

The price was right so we know even if a couple of panels are a little pricey it’ll still represent good value. Quick google hasn’t grown up anything horribly expensive. I can’t weld, but I know a few welders (One of whom offered to teach me) and I’m keen to learn!

Great, you’ve two weeks parental leave coming up. That Should do it.

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4 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Great, you’ve two weeks parental leave coming up. That Should do it.

Might just take a little longer than that ? no rush... deadline is the Switzerland 2021 world meeting (although hopefully well  before that) ... but even if we miss that deadline we’ve got the other one to go in. 

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3 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Might just take a little longer than that ? no rush... deadline is the Switzerland 2021 world meeting (although hopefully well  before that) ... but even if we miss that deadline we’ve got the other one to go in. 

There’s a great French meeting planned in Brittany next year- our Thames tortoises are hoping to stay over at a member’s gite in Normandy en route,

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24 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Which one is faster though? You done a drag race yet? 

Not yet... but I think we will. My money would be on the yellow and white one... although all the holes in the green one might make it lighter ??

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First real test drive complete!

 Time ran away with us yesterday, so we got the Dolly out for a brief 5 mile (therefore within Welsh Government guidelines) test run. 

It drives really well, smooth engine (slight blow on the exhaust) and a tighter gearbox than our other one! There is a slight whir in neutral which goes as soon as you depress the clutch, but apparently it’s not a release bearing (According to a 2CV specialist the PO took it to) as the clutch is only a couple of years old. Anyway the noise isn’t intrusive in any way, in fact it’s barely noticeable. Gearbox refurb is budgeted for. 

Suspension is excellent, it feels better than the other one actually. Steering is good too. Brakes aren’t brilliant, but not terrible either. 

All in all it actually drives really really well! I think mechanically it’s been well looked after. We’re pleased so far! 
 

The plan? 
Use it for a few weeks to iron out the faults, and really get to know it.   
Repair the seatbelt mounts   
Source replacement wings and fit them. 
Attempt new MoT.   
Then complete a rolling recommission over time. 

It’ll never be perfect, but something tidy and useable is the aim here.

Anyway I’m glad I made that extra parking.... 

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