Sorry this has taken forever but as usual I’ve got lots to report but what seems like little to see. I’m sure that I could have got further with the build if I’d just followed my previous build design and ideas, but I’ve really enjoyed researching and planning each individual section which in turn has led to design changes and ideas which have taken up my time.
In reply to the message above the Guzzi revs upto about 7k, so more than the 2CV, but I've not touched the gearbox. The plan is to run it as is and if it goes bang then it's a fairly quick job to pull the whole lot back out again.
It seems impossible but I’m now 18 months into the build. We also now have a 7 month old who is beginning to sleep a little more so hopefully I’ll be able to get into the garage post bedtime as the nights get longer. We shall see!
The last update was a link to the Pembleton forum and showed my engine in, and work starting on an underslung gear change and custom handbrake pull. Hopefully this picture shows these, along with the aluminium steering column mount as made by my dad.
At about the same point I decided that the goal was to get it running. I knew that my head studs would need sorting as both had snapped on one side. There was approx. 15mm of the stud remaining on each side to get a grip of but after soaking in what seemed like every fluid available, heating them, welding on nuts and some other forms of voodoo, the result was both sheared flush with the head. Initial drilling out looked positive until I used a stud extractor which promptly broke off in the middle of the stud! Frustrated I tried to get this out which caused even more of a mess – I should have stopped when I began to get angry. What I haven’t mentioned was that this was happening on the floor with engine and head in situ – a rookie error I now know. After calling it a day I came back the next morning with a clear head and removed the head (joke there somewhere I’m not sure how to place it). The job was now much easier and the result being that we now had two studs in the correct place.
Alan Osbourne at AO services had been very helpful in supplying a reluctor, pickup and plate to fit the small block and go with the RITA amplifier I already had and following his instructions I managed to get the engine timed up (with a few ‘user’ mistakes along the way). A rudimentary electrics set up, along with my newly fixed exhaust studs meant I would be able to get her running. The short version of this is that my Dellorto’s had been stood for so long that the petrol inside had turned into a varnish-like substance and blocked everything. A rebuild kit + buying an ultrasonic cleaner + lots of time did see the car running, albeit very poorly, which was just the most fantastic experience and resulted in me jumping in the car and driving it up the drive with dog in tow. The video can be found here:
During the process above, the issue of carb mounting had also come into play. Swapping inlet stubs around L to R was not enough as this meant the carbs were facing down at quite an angle:
I tried some silicone hose but it wasn’t the strongest, resulting in too much vibration, so have ended up making some L shaped pieces of steel which hold the inlet stubs in place at the correct angle. I’m not sure the pictures are clear but hopefully they help a little.
The disclaimer here is that I’m not sure they work as I stripped back the electrics and exhaust around the same time and haven’t had chance to test them again. Here is the finished setup, along with some copy Keihin PWK carbs from eBay which I'm interested in testing - at an incredible £30 for the pair it doesn't really matter what the result is but if they run then it would be great as they fit against the frame better than the Dellortos.
A battery tray was quick to follow, along with a SU ‘Sucker’ pump , the same item used in the Morris minor. I was planning to use a header tank with a return and you can see the return pipe in the pic below which is now redundant – depending on the success of the SU. My hope is that the SU produces such a low pressure, and cuts off once pressure is reached, it won't overfill my carbs however I will report later.
Next up was a seat. Again this was a plan change as I’d been planning to use a Land Rover Defender centre seat. I can’t remember why changed my mind but there was some reason the LR seat wasn’t going to work as planned so I needed an alternative. There are some lovely seats out there and the extended cockpit plus cab design means that I could fit a full backed seat in – something I had seriously considered until a friend suggested that a bench/deckchair style seat might suit the car better.
A quick call to a local 2cv guru and I was offered a 2CV rear bench seat gratis. I’m sad to say I didn’t get a picture but to give you an idea, we were going for Sunday lunch straight from there and the seat was in such a state that I had to take it out the car and leave it in the pub car park while we ate! I stripped it down and shortened the main tubes so it would fit in the car:
I was also able to make a front hinge and a rear bracket which incorporated the spring loaded catch at the rear, giving me a lift forward seat (there is quite a bit of room behind/underneath.
At this point I decided to go for it and bought 4 sheets of 1.2mm aluminium. I’d also picked up some cardboard to help with the templating process as every panel was going to be different from the PG templates I had – typical! I’m still struggling to get the card I need but
the stuff on the picture is very thin corrugated isn’t too difficult to use. Hopefully you get the idea…
My first metal work job was the dashboard. I’ve always admired vintage dashes which curve under and wanted to follow the same idea, however this didn’t quite go to plan. I found the process quite difficult if I’m honest but at least I’m learning. Will let the pictures do the talking…
The most recent piece of metalwork was the rear side panels. I had planned on louvres but didn’t have much luck with making a homemade tool. About the same time I spotted some bonnet vents on another car which were made from cutting ‘C’ profiles into the metal and bending the centre section inwards. The effect was good and I thought it would suit the van. Marking commenced..
The dilemma was now how to cut the slits in the metal. I own a jigsaw but worried about getting it started without making a mess. I’ve never been good at the chain drilling method and my dremel (which I thought would be ideal for the job) made a nice cut but each inch of metal used a new cutting disk – not sustainable. In the end I put a slitting disk on the angle grinder and went free style. With some careful filing after I was happy with the results.
Which brings me up to date. I’ve been manically buying ‘toys’ for the inside such as switchgear, clocks and steering wheels, however all of that is under wraps!
Phil
