Day 3 – Holey Cow

So this weekend I was back at it. First job was to cut the windscreen out, which went better than expected. Putting it back in place might not be so easy. Then came the rear quarter windows. These were made of Perspex and unfortunately or fortunately they were very brittle. With a thump with the fire extinguisher both broke up nicely to come out. Then the final bit of removing was the dash and rear view mirror. Having therefore thought I’d undone every nut and bolt ready for the body shell to come off, there is always that one thing that I’ve forgotten. This time it was the handbrake cables! So with one last check to make sure everything was off, I got a few mates to help me lift the shell off. Three people can easily lift a 2cv shell, especially without windows, doors etc. Having carefully place the shell on some pallets, I tipped it over to have a closer look at the damage. Then I wished I hadn’t!!!

Bloody hell this shell is rusty!

It was time for a cup of tea! Several cups of tea!

So I sat on the chassis, which isn’t very rusty and got my note pad out. I needed to make a list of panels needed. Starting with the obvious, floors, sills, lower bulkhead, C posts, boot floor, windscreen surround…. god the list went on and on.

After a while I gave up with the list, as it was getting me a bit depressed. Trying to be more positive and productive I thought I’d clean up the chassis a bit.

This was supposed to cheer me up!

Needless to say this was again more difficult than predicted. After removing all the junk I’d put on the chassis, I found that the body had been stuck on with what looked like bathroom sealant. This had then subsequently gone rock hard over the years and was a bugger to come off. Wire brushing it didn’t touch it. Screwdriver, nope. A Stanley knife started to get bits off in small pieces, hooray! This was a long a therapeutic job, which I needed to take my mind off the body shell.

Back to the body shell, cue the A team music!

I’m not a welder, but I have a good friend who is. It’s not her style to get publicity so I won’t say her name here, but if you’re in the know, you’ll know her and know that she knows what she’s doing. (That was a lot of knows!)

Her opinion was that the she’d seen worse body shells and that there was still some metal left for her to weld onto.

Should have gone to Specsavers! Seriously!

Coming up next time…..

God that’s a big order! I need to get some money somewhere or this car is going nowhere!

Day 2 – I must be nuts!

Ok so after all the excitement of collecting Jon’s car, the pushing and the shoving of getting a lowered car with flat tyres onto a trailer; the reality has hit home.

This car has obviously sat in an open field for a very very long time and the weather unfortunately has ravaged the body shell of this car. Gaping holes are clearly visible in the floor and boot. My initial observation is that there are many many panels that need to be replaced however on the plus side the roof is ok!

My first job therefore was to clear everything out of the car and see what the damage is. Doors off – an easy job on a 2cv and the doors look ok. An old fire extinguisher, lots of wiring and of course the roll cage. I cleared out a lot of old stuff and now came the tricky job of removing the body shell. I need to really get the shell off from the chassis and then I will be able to see what state the chassis is in, as well as the underneath of the body. So armed with my trusty 11mm socket and ratchet I started to undo all the bolts in the floors. Actually despite all of these bolts looking very rusty, they came out quite easily. Now for the cage. It is bolted through the floor using six square plates, with four big nuts and bolts on each plate going through the floor. Climbing underneath the car I could see that there was a top plate and a bottom plate sandwiching the floor, with the bottom plate made of a u-shape which went round a custom made outrigger attached to the chassis. These larger 19mm nuts and bolts were tight, unbelievably tight. And to make matters worse, they were lock nuts. A total of 24 of the buggers. After lots and lots of swearing, cups of tea, longer bars, finally I had undone all 24 nuts. I’m not a mechanic and was knackered. I take my hat off to the guys and girls who do this for a living. Next up, I had to undo the steering column, handbrake cables and loads of wiring that went through the bulkhead. Not so much swearing with these, still a few cups of tea, but I could see the end was in sight.

With failing light I made the decision not to take the shell off just yet. The trick is to place some old tyres on the ground and get a few mates to give you a hand to separate the shell from the body. Three people can easily lift the shell and I will place it on its side so I can have a good look at the underside. For now I need to start getting a list of parts I need to buy, before the cutting and welding starts.

Next up roll it over!

Day 1. I want to be a Racing Driver – What on earth was I thinking!

The iconic Citroen 2CV. Well I’ve been around these little cars now since I was 17 years old. A mate bought a brand new one and I thought he was nuts! He said come to the club meeting. I said no thanks. He said there would be lots of girls there ! I said of course I’ll come. And so 34 years ago I joined the 2CV world.

Now for those in the know, I do not need to say how fun these cars are to drive. However for those that don’t, you need to have a go. Borrow one, grab a ride in one and I promise you, it will have you smiling.  Still now, small children, young and older adults look and stare. Back when the 2cv was first shown at the Paris motorshow there was nothing like it. Today umpteen years later there is still nothing like it!

So I joined the 2CV Club of Great Britain and made some new friends. In fact I made a lot of new friends. Not just from Richmond, where the aptly named Thames Wheeldippers met, but eventually from all over the world. France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Croatia, the list goes on. I have to also include a lot of friends from England, Scotland and Wales too. It became more than just me having fun in my car. It became me having fun with my friends – yes the car was the common denominator, however it was the people that  made it. Non 2CV friends would say…. “what did you do last weekend?” My reply probably took them off guard, “oh I drove to Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium etc”. Week after week, trips all over the country; National meetings, International meetings and then every two years a big world meeting and I mean big – 8000 turned up a the French World meeting.  In 2019 the next one is in Croatia.

So I hope this sets the scene. A bunch of mates from around the world, having a laugh, bound by the love for a little car.

Day 1 – Building a 2CV race car.

So fast forward to today. I’m picking up what could only be politely described as a “needs some attention” former 2CV racing car. However, I need to revive this car. I really need to do this for so many reasons but especially for one very important reason. The previous owner, Jon, passed away very unexpectedly last year. This has been devastating for his family and friends.  I have been involved in the Classic 2CV Racing Club (different from 2CVGB) on and off for 10 years. I had a stab at racing back in 2006, which didn’t end well. I rolled the car when I ran out of talent on the first corner at Snetterton race track. I had lots of excuses, the rain, the visibility, but at the end of the day I wasn’t good enough. I then took on the mantle of being a team manager for one of the top race teams. This role involves lots of organisation and administration, something I’m pretty good at doing. Last year Racing in my team was Jon. We weren’t the fastest, but we had spirit. Six engine changes in the 24hour race  last year certainly tested our verve. But, and a big but, we had fun. Jon had fun and whilst we wanted to do well, we wanted to enjoy ourselves. The passing of Jon got to us all in the 2CV racing world. It was tragic. Earlier this year at the ripe old age of 51 having seen that we are only here for a short time on this planet, I decided to get back in the racing seat. Probably a mid life crisis, most likely says my wife. However there is something about saying you’re a racing driver, even if it is only in a 2CV race car!  I won’t go into details but to race you need to sit a practical and written test, buy lots of expensive kit and of course have a car to race in.

So I find myself with my car and trailer in a field in the middle of nowhere in Somerset collecting Jon’s old car. He hadn’t used the car for a few years and I must admit nature had reclaimed this car over time. Loading the car took four of us a lot of pushing and shoving, but eventually we got the car loaded.  Two and a half hours later I am unloading the car and realising what a lot I have let myself in for.

The first race is in April 2019 and I know that while it seems a long time away, it really isn’t. I have promised Jon’s family to have the car ready for the first race! OMG what have I done?

Join me on this journey where I can promise tears, laughter, and lots and lots of tea.

Richard