fair enough
ive only been as far as spain before so not really experienced proper heat

where abouts in aus are you?

We're in South Australia, James - bottom centre of the BBL (Big Brown Land). So-called "mediterranean" climate, but in fact a bit hotter. Google-earth Adelaide and you'll get it.
Where I was working for 20+ years was a place called Moomba, not far from Innaminka (our Duck passed through Innaminka during the 2004 raid Australia)

Ahh i see

fair enough

G'Day and Greetings to the International 2CV Friends.

My name is Pottsy, a name by which I've been known all my life.

I'm an Australian, living in Melbourne which is one of the larger cities in the South East of the continent. I'm a child of the 1950's with a grown family and a wonderful (read understanding) wife. By profession I'm a communications specialist, by inclination I'm an (amateur) mechanic. My major hobby interests centre around iconic cars of the 20th century, particularly Citroens (but French cars in general) and Minis.

In the early 1960's a neighbour bought an early Citroen DS which he proudly showed off to all us kids at the time. Being a weird sort of person, this experience warped me such that I've since had a love of Citroens all my life, which for economic reasons was unfulfilled until my first DS about 25 years ago. This was the family car for a couple of years until the imminent arrival of No 3 son necessitated the departure of that car (once again for economic reasons). A succession of interesting French cars followed as the family grew until more recently I was able to justify the purchase and preparation of a 1974 DSpecial for use in a re-run of one of the old Round Australia Trials. (This was, of course, a heap of fun and we came in 12th in a field of 48.) This car, called Moby Dick ('cause it's white and large) is now firmly ensconced in the family fleet, along with a Xantia for regular use and a 1968 Mini for Fun.

In all my many years of motoring, the 2CV has been admired from afar as being a shining example of minimalist engineering and brilliant design. I've bought books on them and generally absorbed all the vicarious knowledge I could from such things as the biographies of Citroen and Lefebvre. In all that time I've never been in a position to buy one, having been involved heavily in such things as raising a family, having to go to work on a regular basis (Inconvenient as it is) and in the last 15 years becoming heavily involved in the local Mini Club.

Until a couple of months ago that was, when an advert appeared in the local Citroen Club magazine. The ad ran for three issues, with the price dropping after the first one. Mrs P (bless her little cotton socks) suggested that instead of sighing every time I looked at the advert, I should ring up about it. After all, quoth she, you'll need a retirement project in a year or two, and I don't want to trip over you in the house all the time.

So I rang, I viewed and I purchased. I am now ecstatic at the car I've acquired.

Briefly, this is one of the 150 or so Slough built AZ's to come to this country in right hand drive in the late 1950's. It's been in dry and secure storage since 1969 after the engine developed a terminal rattle or two. The previous owner dismantled the engine and decided it was too hard, bought another motor and found it suffered from the same malady, so consigned the whole lot to the back of the shed until now.

It's a time warp car in that it's not rusty, not dilapidated and totally unrestored.

The gradual rejuvenation of this car (now dubbed "Alphonse" after that enthusiastic Citroen owning neighbour all those years ago.) will be documented in a thread on the Australian French Car Forum "Aussiefrogs".

Here's a link to the thread which I hope to keep up to date on a regular basis. http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86292

Preceding that thread was one I wrote to ask for information, and also includes some more photos of the car: http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85456

So that's my introduction. I've joined this forum to glean lots of knowledge from all you Gurus of 2 cylinders. If I can provide some entertainment on the way then that's a bonus.

In time, when Alphonse is on the road again (and he will be, of that I'm adamant) I'll be more qualified to share my 2CV experiences with all of you. Until then, thankyou in advance for any advice I may seek in the process.

Cheers, Pottsy

welcome pottsy, nice car you have, with a bit of polish it will look very nice

why not start a topic in "your a series" to keep us up to date??

James

Hiya Pottsy - it's said that "size matters", and this forum is certainly one such illustration, as its online activity contrasts substantially with that of the Aussie 2CV site.
Be that as it may I, too, welcome you to the site and here say that my very earliest recollection (the 60's) of an Antipodean 2CV was one which was driven by a University of Adelaide lecturer/academic. It was, I seem to recall, a bluey-grey (what else?) and I used to see it parked on North Terrace outside the Uni front entrance. I wonder what background/provenance you might know regarding your Alphonse (the car...)?

BTW, this is a forum where it is perhaps better to not mention the cricket (at the moment) but, rather, get in the occasional jibe re the unseasonably cold summer we're having out here in "the colonies" cf the current wonderful weather of more northern climes.

Welcome Pottsy! Great cars you have!
Funny that only the French cars have a name

Good luck with the engine overhaul

Hi everyone,Dave 411 here.
I have been on the forum for a while now and now i have some time(xmas hols) i thought it was about time i introduced myself and my car,Rosie.
I have always wanted a 2cv,but with work and family commitments could never spare the time or money to get one.Now that my son has joined me in the business( we have a marine repair business repairing and servicing outboards and inboards,been at it since 1974) i have more time to have a serious hobby,so i decided to buy a 2cv.
I was going to buy a car around november/december time as it generally goes quiet in work around that time,looking for a car to strip down and re-build in my spare time.One problem i have is the lack of ability to weld.Never had a reason to do it working with boats all my life,fiberglass never needs welding so i was going to look for a car with a Galvanised chasiss and a good or already repaired floor etc.While looking,oh,and it just had to be Red,or White,or Black,i found one on e-bay,it was red and had a new chasiss and the floor had been repaired.It was more than i originally wanted to pay,but hey ho,i got a trailer and went to Preston and bought it.
Shes a lovely 1989 Red spesh,(oh,i bought it in August),runs really well.We used Rosie up until the end of October when i took her off the road and started to strip her down for painting.The wife and daughter love her,much to my suprise,they both laughed when i told them i was buying a 2cv,the wife then named her Rosie.
So,at the moment,she is in my garage,no doors,bonnet,boot lid,roof,interior,dash,engine or gearbox.Doors and boot lid are off being sprayed,wings will go when the doors are returned.Engine and gearbox are in work,engine waiting to have new pistons and barrels and other bits i have bought over the last few months,alternator,starter,electronic ignition,coil,maybe a fuel pump,havent got to the engine yet.The gearbox has been repaired by the gearbox guru,it was grinding going into 3rd gear.
My jobs over this holiday are to rplace the brake pipes,shockers and over haul the suspension cans.I have done one cane and will fit it today,hopefully,if i can get out of taking wife and daughter shopping Also will replace brake pipes at the same time.I have taken the fuel tank off and have a sender ready to fit as well as new fuel pipe.
I have also removed the swing arms,blasted the rear one and painted it a nice shiney black(front one yet to be done,snow put it on hold),overhauled the rear brakes at the same time.When the font swing arm has been blasted and painted,i will re fit it,put the wheels back on and take the car out of the garage and turn it around to do the other side.
Well thats about it for now,maybe i should have posted this in my A series,just got carried away when i started typing

Welcome Pottsy,
you lucky, lucky boy...

ken
(Good to hear that you're planning on keeping Alphonse 'dans son jus'. .
Plenty of window shopping available here...
< http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_auto ... tm?ca=12_s > )

Hi Dave .. & welcome to the world of 2CV: hope your project goes well despite the wintery weather. Looks like you'll have a bit more to do than Pottsy, who's made a real "find" in a time-capsule example.

Ken, that/those motors .. http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement seem extremely good value, but one wonders at the complexity and cost of getting it/them out here to the Big Brown Land (of dissenting cricket captains).

Australia has a lot going for it, but it's soooo far away from a lot of good things!