ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,188
Club RR Member Number: 170
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We all have a few itches to scratch. I seem to have more scratches than most to scratch it seems! It was a cheeky bid, and I've fancied a 2CV based car for quite some time! Details? They will arrive soon!
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Last Edit: Mar 6, 2019 8:33:13 GMT by ChasR
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,188
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jun 25, 2018 16:31:11 GMT
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So, what's the story with this? I fancied a drop top and in that list the 2CV had been in it for a while. Funny really, considering that I was never a fan of them when I was younger. I guess they were considered a bit of a joke back in the day; they looks probably didn't help matters compared to the prettier Mini and Beetle!! But in many ways you wonder if the owners had the last laugh! After all, they're relatively frugal, surprisingly practical, quirky and a real laugh to drive! Many moons ago I debated buying an Ami8! How I semi-regret that decision! It was time to rectify that. In typical style I saw the advert for the car on eBay, read the listing and went to bid on it! Somehow I became the winner, which surprised me! There was nothing for it, but to go and collect it. Things did not start off well; the seller wanted paying prior to me going to see the car. Seeing as I've been caught out by eBay and descriptions in the past I wasn't keen, especially when the seller and I disagreed over eBay being a straight out auction or a contract between two parties. With the payment transferred I went over to see it. I then had to go and see the car of course! First thing was first though, I'd have to move the cars, as I took the Mercedes to be stored at a friend's. Driving my M3 to the unit had me thinking "this car is a little firm but absolutely awesome, why the hell am I buying a 2CV?" Seeing YouTube videos did not help this in the slightest! I then went to drive the Mercedes over to my friend's. Yet again, I had similar thoughts about the Mercedes! After all it is now a fairly well sorted car mechanically too! But then, the inevitable will occur. I would have to drive over to see the car. Visions of me being overtaken by lorries and holding people up came to mind! Would it really be as bad as I thought? And what did our survey say? Some bits were worse than I was expecting but some bits were better too! The bulkhead and chassis are in amazing condition; a true testament to the French Built 2CVs! It also had many bits done to it over the years, with plenty of Richard Dalton & ECAS/Der Francoze receipts adorning the folder for the last 4 years the last owner had the car. What is the lowdown then? I didn't know alot about the car when I bid except apparently the chassis was solid and it was running 652cc barrels over the factory 602cc items. But this is the list: -Repairs have been done in certain areas with all of the rot cut out and new metal put back in, from Richard Dalton; there are some large bills for this! -Hood is brand new -It has Burton shocks up front, with nearly new Monroes on the rear -All of the tyres are Toyo 310 135R15 tyres, where the oldest pair are only 2-3 years old tops. -Engine has been rebuilt at one stage, when the barrel conversion was done. At the same time the carb was rejetted for the new barrels. It also had a Gammatronix points assisted ignition system. -Exhaust is an interesting one. It is stock bar a Mini RC40 exhaust fitted as a side exit. -Things like wipers etc. are all good! -Some of the patina on it is fantastic! When it came to drive it I was in for a quite a surprise! It's quicker than I was expecting! Sure, it has no overtaking pace but generally it pulled itself along well, keeping up with traffic very well indeed! The ride is lovely, and of course, you have that comical body roll! But overall, with the roof back and doing 60MPH back on the motorway out of mechanical sympathy (it will do 70, but I just don't fancy pushing it that hard!) it came back to Warwickshire absolutely fine! I was loving the experience! Before I knew it the pair of us finally arrived back and generally enjoying the day of Citroening! So, do I have plans? This is me and plans are never set in stone! In short: -I'll probably keep the patina, but I will improve a couple of parts of the car, like possibly the front bumper and some areas of the body -Sort out the oil smell inside; it's lacking the air hoses in the engine bay -Maybe some leather covers on the seats; they have already received new bases and hooks. So far, I've just been having the roof back and enjoying it!
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Last Edit: Jun 25, 2018 16:31:56 GMT by ChasR
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Frankenhealey
Club Retro Rides Member
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death
Posts: 3,874
Club RR Member Number: 15
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Jun 25, 2018 16:55:31 GMT
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Bienvenue to the wonderful world of 2CV ownership. I am at work today in Pitstop's 2CV because it's too hot in the Healey in this weather, even with the hardtop off, and the daily is too boring.
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Tales of the Volcano Lair hereFrankenBug - Vulcan Power hereThe Frankenhealey here
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Jun 25, 2018 19:24:44 GMT
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Wonderful! Sounds like a good one. I remember years ago following one through a fastish twisty section of road, in my Mini (a few go faster bits on it) and having to work fairly hard to keep up. Happy days!
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1968 Mini MkII, 1968 VW T1, 1967 VW T1, 1974 VW T1, 1974 VW T1 1303, 1975 Mini 1000 auto, 1979 Chevette, 1981 Cortina, 1978 Mini 1000 1981 Mini City, 1981 Mini van, 1974 Mini Clubman, 1982 Metro City, 1987 Escort, 1989 Lancia Y10, 1989 Cavalier, 1990 Sierra, 1990 Renault 19, 1993 Nova, 1990 Citroen BX, 1994 Ford Scorpio, 1990 Renault Clio, 2004 Citroen C3, 2006 Citroen C2, 2004 Citroen C4, 2013 Citroen DS5. 2017 DS3 130 Plenty of other scrappers!
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simes
Part of things
Posts: 734
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Jun 25, 2018 19:26:24 GMT
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Well done, enjoy. Such great little cars.
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Simes
205Mi16 - 262 cams, Jenvey Throttle Bodies, Emerald managment blah blah...... E91 320D MSport Honda NC30 Vespa 300GTS
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Marc
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,037
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Jun 25, 2018 19:46:49 GMT
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Bookmarked. Absolutely love your threads and what a diverse collection of cars you've got!
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Jun 25, 2018 22:37:29 GMT
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We had a 2 red 2CV6's. Great cars. Although you could hear them rust we loved our cars to bits. We bought a new Saab 900 Turbo Coupe automatic in 1985 and we had a 10 year old red 2CV6. When we made plans for a trip around Europe both my wife and I did not consider once to take the Saab. We had a great holiday. We even got overtaken by a pigeon in Brussels so it wasn't going overly fast but we had a great holiday. Only good memories!
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Jun 26, 2018 11:33:52 GMT
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my dad never had one, nor did my uncle.
i did once get a lift into town in a dolly when back at college in 94, i remember thinking this is like being in a self propelled 2 man tent.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,188
Club RR Member Number: 170
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It's good to see the 2CV is well received! Bienvenue to the wonderful world of 2CV ownership. I am at work today in Pitstop's 2CV because it's too hot in the Healey in this weather, even with the hardtop off, and the daily is too boring. I kind of get that feeling myself! I did drive this about all week, albeit find more things to put onto the 'to do' list. The Merc definitely falls into the too hot category for now! The M3 however is a fitting companion, albeit in a very different way! The two are almost like chalk and cheese! We had a 2 red 2CV6's. Great cars. Although you could hear them rust we loved our cars to bits. We bought a new Saab 900 Turbo Coupe automatic in 1985 and we had a 10 year old red 2CV6. When we made plans for a trip around Europe both my wife and I did not consider once to take the Saab. We had a great holiday. We even got overtaken by a pigeon in Brussels so it wasn't going overly fast but we had a great holiday. Only good memories! That is very interesting! It sounds like the car made the holiday! I get a similar impression about mine! I bought it expecting the worst; it being noisy, not that comfortable and so slow that I'd have lorries overtaking me! I was in for a surprise when I found out it was a sprightly thing indeed! The roll is laughable but it does add to the charm of the car! It's surprisingly comfortable for the size too, especially with it having the perfect arm height for putting your arm out of the window! It's certainly a car with plenty of charm! my dad never had one, nor did my uncle. i did once get a lift into town in a dolly when back at college in 94, i remember thinking this is like being in a self propelled 2 man tent. I know what you mean there! The old man isn't entirely convinced by the 2CV thing! So, in a strange way this became a daily for a week! Why? The old man's Mondeo decided it's concentric slave cylinder would no longer be that! With no clutch and the M3 being in the unit I cracked on with the 2CV! What's the news regarding it? It's very sound but it's not free of issues! Those include: -Smell of oil/more likely to be exhaust fumes in the cabin. It's better now that I'd turned off the hot air into the cabin but there is still a linger I suspect. I suspect one of the exhaust clamps isn't tight enough and one of the exhaust gaskets isn't that, despite it being a SigraFlex item. If it is the heat exchangers I do thankfully have another set of them which came with the car. -It's leaking oil, albeit not much. I know some people say 'ducks leak oil' but with the home having a new driveway it can't really be a leaker! After taking it a look it's collecting on the oil filter. The leak seems to be coming from the Pushrod tube, albeit not loads of it. It's a shame as the seals are new. I'll change these for Viton items which hopefully won't leak. -Non-starting; doesn't turn over at times, albeit rare. Now and again the car will try to turn over on the key, but then stop completely. I think it might be an ignition switch issue. But the engine doesn't turn over as quick as you expect, and hot starting can be a problem but it will always fire up. Cold starting or hot starting after shutting it off straight away is fine. After checking the battery capacity yesterday with my capacitance tester the Cranking power is 140A measured to the EN standard. A long way off the battery's 360A rated power. It holds its voltage fine but clearly the battery has seen better days. The car has a new starter and by the looks of it a Manchester Autos 1.4kW item over the factory's .7kW item (I do also have a spare one of those!). I've read these new starters work better with a fresh battery, potentially down to the starter possibly having less copper windings inside. So a battery will be on order, and may well cure the hot start problem, which can be explained by the battery having a surface charge once I turn the car off, hence it's ability to fire the engine up straight away. However I'm trying to see what battery the car had as standard. Mine has an 063 in for now, but alot of the sites list an 002. While I'm sure the 063 will be fine and a little cheaper I'm wondering if the 002 will be lighter and put less stress on the bulkhead, although this car does have an optional battery brace fitted around the battery tray. Maybe dollywobbler can enlighten me here . Besides that it's been a happy 2CV experience!
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Last Edit: Jul 2, 2018 8:27:39 GMT by ChasR
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Very nice 2cv
Looking forward to see what happens
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brilliant love a 2cv did my work experience at Richard daltons and oddly enough have been hankering after one my self recently ha ha have spotted a bamboo I might have go see about
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1978 mk2 escort mexico
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RetroWarwicK
Posted a lot
Searching......
Posts: 3,903
Member is Online
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- yellow headlamp lens - new seat covers - cream tubular fr/rr bumpers - early rear lamp conversion - sort out sill paint
Get on with it
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Bookmarked here as well. Just because!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,188
Club RR Member Number: 170
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- yellow headlamp lens - new seat covers - cream tubular fr/rr bumpers - early rear lamp conversion - sort out sill paint Get on with it Yes Boss . I'm attempting to shift the Mercedes first! But that stuff is planned! To add to it -Sort out the pushrod seal oil leak -Put in a starter relay or replace the starter; it's a new item. -Erm, number plates; pressed metal ones in the New Charles Wright font (legal and strangely looking more French than the old font) are also being considered. -Rear wheel bearing -Erm, God knows; I've done about 400 miles in it so far to be fair!
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It's good to see the 2CV is well received! Bienvenue to the wonderful world of 2CV ownership. I am at work today in Pitstop's 2CV because it's too hot in the Healey in this weather, even with the hardtop off, and the daily is too boring. I kind of get that feeling myself! I did drive this about all week, albeit find more things to put onto the 'to do' list. The Merc definitely falls into the too hot category for now! The M3 however is a fitting companion, albeit in a very different way! The two are almost like chalk and cheese! We had a 2 red 2CV6's. Great cars. Although you could hear them rust we loved our cars to bits. We bought a new Saab 900 Turbo Coupe automatic in 1985 and we had a 10 year old red 2CV6. When we made plans for a trip around Europe both my wife and I did not consider once to take the Saab. We had a great holiday. We even got overtaken by a pigeon in Brussels so it wasn't going overly fast but we had a great holiday. Only good memories! That is very interesting! It sounds like the car made the holiday! I get a similar impression about mine! I bought it expecting the worst; it being noisy, not that comfortable and so slow that I'd have lorries overtaking me! I was in for a surprise when I found out it was a sprightly thing indeed! The roll is laughable but it does add to the charm of the car! It's surprisingly comfortable for the size too, especially with it having the perfect arm height for putting your arm out of the window! It's certainly a car with plenty of charm! my dad never had one, nor did my uncle. i did once get a lift into town in a dolly when back at college in 94, i remember thinking this is like being in a self propelled 2 man tent. I know what you mean there! The old man isn't entirely convinced by the 2CV thing! So, in a strange way this became a daily for a week! Why? The old man's Mondeo decided it's concentric slave cylinder would no longer be that! With no clutch and the M3 being in the unit I cracked on with the 2CV! What's the news regarding it? It's very sound but it's not free of issues! Those include: -Smell of oil/more likely to be exhaust fumes in the cabin. It's better now that I'd turned off the hot air into the cabin but there is still a linger I suspect. I suspect one of the exhaust clamps isn't tight enough and one of the exhaust gaskets isn't that, despite it being a SigraFlex item. If it is the heat exchangers I do thankfully have another set of them which came with the car. -It's leaking oil, albeit not much. I know some people say 'ducks leak oil' but with the home having a new driveway it can't really be a leaker! After taking it a look it's collecting on the oil filter. The leak seems to be coming from the Pushrod tube, albeit not loads of it. It's a shame as the seals are new. I'll change these for Viton items which hopefully won't leak. -Non-starting; doesn't turn over at times, albeit rare. Now and again the car will try to turn over on the key, but then stop completely. I think it might be an ignition switch issue. But the engine doesn't turn over as quick as you expect, and hot starting can be a problem but it will always fire up. Cold starting or hot starting after shutting it off straight away is fine. After checking the battery capacity yesterday with my capacitance tester the Cranking power is 140A measured to the EN standard. A long way off the battery's 360A rated power. It holds its voltage fine but clearly the battery has seen better days. The car has a new starter and by the looks of it a Manchester Autos 1.4kW item over the factory's .7kW item (I do also have a spare one of those!). I've read these new starters work better with a fresh battery, potentially down to the starter possibly having less copper windings inside. So a battery will be on order, and may well cure the hot start problem, which can be explained by the battery having a surface charge once I turn the car off, hence it's ability to fire the engine up straight away. However I'm trying to see what battery the car had as standard. Mine has an 063 in for now, but alot of the sites list an 002. While I'm sure the 063 will be fine and a little cheaper I'm wondering if the 002 will be lighter and put less stress on the bulkhead, although this car does have an optional battery brace fitted around the battery tray. Maybe dollywobbler can enlighten me here . Besides that it's been a happy 2CV experience! - the smell of oil/exhaust is most likely the exhaust gasket gone at the cylinder head, replace with one of the upgraded 'carbon fibre' one that ECAS sells. Very unlikely to be a heat exhanger apart from a loose exhaust clamp. - non starting, most likely to be the contacts on the back of the ignition barrel, these can become loose, take them off and roll them in your fingers to tighten up. I also used to put a cable tie around the whole lot of mine to keep them tighter as I once had one fall off when making an overtake in the fast lane and lost all power. - ducks don't leak oil, this isn't a thing. It's usually the oil filler/breather assembly that has failed - check the vacuum it is making - there is an upgraded type with a reed valve that negates this problem or get an original one. - battery brace is well needed, mine has also got a cracked bulkhead. - if you ever get another starter then get an original Valeo one, still made new. I still use mine on the BMW conversion. The same goes for the clutch actually, the Valeo is fine up to 120bhp. - with the 652cc conversion you should be fine for 75mph cruising all day. Fit a tacho to the coil to see revs. - if you do have hot start issues then it is most likely the coil, old ones can fail. Fit a solid state resin coil, ECAS sell them, they are yellow and originated off of a Harley motorcycle. Also make sure you use the HT leads from this or use Bougicord ones, they are the finest and worth the money. For plugs ALWAYS use NGKs. - whilst I'm at it make sure you keep the kingpins well greased and also check out the knife edges as these need greasing regularly but are usually forgotton as you have to take them apart, the same goes for the track rod ends. If you ever get a juddeer in the steering then check the bolts that hold the track rod ends into the top of the hubs, the gaps can open up in the top of the hubs and let these vibrate until they snap leaving you with no steering... close the gap up with a hammer.
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1987 Supercharged BMW R1150 Citroen 2cv Hillclimb Monster 1995 Renault Master Mk1 Race Transporter 1994 Mazda MX5 Mk1 / NA Road Going Class Hillclimber 1991 UMM Alter II Crew Cab OM606 SuperTurbo Diesel MegaUMM Overlander 1992 UMM Alter II Station Wagon 1980 UMM Cournil - survivor - resto project 1979 Lomax 224 2014 VW T5.1 Transporter Kombi Highline
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- if you need some more acceleration then you can machine up to 2/3rds off the flywheel.
- if the engine ever runs on after you've turned it off for a few revolutions then it's a sign the gaps need re setting.
- if the fuel filler gauge stops working or is a bit dodgy it's probably the earth going to the tank.. if it is the unit though replace with an original one - the pattern ones aren't as good - same goes for a lot of 2cv bits actually.
- if there is water leaking into the cabin and it's not the roof (Matts soft tops are the best if you ever need one) then it's most likely the wiper spindles, you can get slightly upgraded ones, again from ECAS.
- if it doesn't have electronic ignition already then the luminition or (more popular) 123 ignition is the way to go - setting points sucks balls. Also, pro tip to get the fan off, get a bit of RE bar or solid tubing that is exactly the fit of the fan bolt hole and a few feet long, just wobble this around with the fan bolt undone and the alternator belt loose and it will come off straight away.
- always carry a spare coil, plugs, leads, oil, starting handle, haynes..
Sounds like it has been fairly well looked after already, welcome to the brotherhood! I can highly recommend joining 2cvGB club, the magazine is excellent and so are the handbooks it produces.
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1987 Supercharged BMW R1150 Citroen 2cv Hillclimb Monster 1995 Renault Master Mk1 Race Transporter 1994 Mazda MX5 Mk1 / NA Road Going Class Hillclimber 1991 UMM Alter II Crew Cab OM606 SuperTurbo Diesel MegaUMM Overlander 1992 UMM Alter II Station Wagon 1980 UMM Cournil - survivor - resto project 1979 Lomax 224 2014 VW T5.1 Transporter Kombi Highline
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My other pro tips are to carry an extra wheel nut - you can use 3 nuts on a 4 stud wheel, but with a 2cv you can't get away with 2 nuts on a 3 stud wheel!
Also when rolling the roof all the way back put the strap under the metal bar when securing at the rear, then it won't try to pop out sideways under pressure if you are 'pushing on'.
Treat any rust as soon as you see it, it get's worse very quickly, although the only big rust danger/disaster is it getting into the main hoop that provides alot of strength - this is the bit above the doors that arcs from front to rear.
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1987 Supercharged BMW R1150 Citroen 2cv Hillclimb Monster 1995 Renault Master Mk1 Race Transporter 1994 Mazda MX5 Mk1 / NA Road Going Class Hillclimber 1991 UMM Alter II Crew Cab OM606 SuperTurbo Diesel MegaUMM Overlander 1992 UMM Alter II Station Wagon 1980 UMM Cournil - survivor - resto project 1979 Lomax 224 2014 VW T5.1 Transporter Kombi Highline
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Ohh... and always double check the front windows are fully clipped in when you flip them up, I give them a little tug to check. One of these arcing back down if it isn't fully in will smash your elbow.. mega ouch.
Ahh, one more tip! Get the special slimline cranked handbrake adjusting spanner as well, this makes adjusting them a doddle! You get more leverage here with the eccentric at the bottom too.
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1987 Supercharged BMW R1150 Citroen 2cv Hillclimb Monster 1995 Renault Master Mk1 Race Transporter 1994 Mazda MX5 Mk1 / NA Road Going Class Hillclimber 1991 UMM Alter II Crew Cab OM606 SuperTurbo Diesel MegaUMM Overlander 1992 UMM Alter II Station Wagon 1980 UMM Cournil - survivor - resto project 1979 Lomax 224 2014 VW T5.1 Transporter Kombi Highline
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Apart from that...
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,188
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jul 15, 2018 20:08:49 GMT
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Of course! It's also great to have advice from lifelong 2CV owners! But yes, apart from that, it will be fiiiine! I would have updated this thread but truth be told I've not really set my claws into it! It was a daily driver while the old man's Mondeo blew its concentric clutch slave cylinder to pieces, and otherwise I've just been getting used to the car really! A few issues have been resolved however, partially down to greencarfritz and partially down to me doing some reading! -The Hot start issue has gone. Basically, according to the manual, in order to start these hot you put your foot fully down on the floor. Turn the engine over and then let off the accelerator to prevent the engine from racing. Since I do this the car now starts after sitting for a while, yet still being warm/hot. I do plan to change a couple of the fuel hoses to Cohline items -It's scrubbed up fine after a clean better than I thought it would TBH! -The tachometer in the car hasn't been wired in the best manner. I've partially disconnected it now. It will eventually go back in but wired in a way to how I want it, unless I do something else; being a cheap tachometer it's not the most accurate thing! -The car felt a little firmer on the rear compared to the front. I initially thought this was down to the car having Monroes on the rear and the Burton shocks up front. I've since readjusted the tyre pressures from 20F(ront) 29R(ear) to 20F 26R, back at the stock figures. Now the damping seems fine and the car rides lovely. There will be more to come soon but I have other things to think about for now .
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