Your link to your Flickr page does a lot more that a few glossy pics in the ad could ever do - it shows what 2CV-ing is all about.

Hey, didn't realise your red covers were 'fuffy'?! Now I'm really jealous...

I don't see solder working too well, O-N, as it's far too soft - it's bound to wear away very quickly, I'd imagine. Also, if there's any oil in the braid then you'll struggle to get it to bond anyways! I think your idea of a gentle 'crush' with pliers should do it - ok, it'll only be catching on 2 corners instead of four, but it's not exactly a heavy load.

Your car still looks wonderful...

Showed it to my wife, and she agreed it's the way to go with 2CV colours. Up to that point she'd been suggesting 'ladybird' colours (in fact it was a 'condition' of me being 'allowed' to buy it in the first place...) or, more recently, the colour scheme from the ...the... I can't even bring myself to say it.

(Ok, the 'A team'... )

Wow DA I'm impressed. You're wife must have a little fire in her belly yet.

I wasn't sure that link idea would work, I wish I'd known what 250 told me earlier that would have made it easier. Chances are that I won’t be around here much after the car has sold at the weekend. There’s no point in me posting about the Morris Minor, barrel-organ, or whatever the fcuk else it is that I buy next when the moon is full. (Last night I dreamt of respraying Tandems – James2cv this is your fault!)

I’ve also got a backlog of oil paintings to do, a task I’ll use any excuse to avoid. And then there’s the writing. I need to do more to master my structure and punctuation. It all takes time. I sent a polite enquiry letter to 'Classics Monthly' recently, asking if they would consider a freelance submission. They didn’t reply. Better get used to that I suppose.

Speaking of writing. The book I hope to write is in progress but I fell at the first hurdle. I’ve been getting some excellent help and advice from a fellow forum member. He asked me this simple question “Who are you writing this for?” And I couldn’t answer it. I thought it was for publication, turns out it’s for me.

One of the great things to come of that revelation is I can now get rid of much extraneous detail and pace the book faster, which means using fewer words. It will be easier. I had wanted to let the reader understand the psychology of how a person can end in such a bad situation in the first place, now I realise they don’t care. Better to let them accept that you’re an irredeemable bad guy and tell them all about what bad guys do. Cheap thrills for the dilettantes, it’s why the Daily Sport exists as a newspaper and sells by the thousands. That isn’t a criticism of my helper by the way, but of the reality of the book business.

Another thing that will take up my time (and this is entirely the fault of my helper – you know who you are!) Is reading every one of Kurt Vonnegut’s books. By chance I realised that you could lock me and Vonnegut in a room together and hours would pass like minutes. Same thing if I ever met him, he notices stuff, I think we’d get on.

There are 192 watchers on this car now, that's 150 rubber-neckers plus some no doubt. I slipped up in that I should have listed the engine and gearbox to go off after the car. That would have given the cars new owner the option of buying them too. One buyer offered me £250 for the pair, but then added he wouldn’t need them if he didn’t win the car. I could remove them from sale I suppose but I won’t. I just told a dealer the same thing – he’s not spoken since. Funny old world isn’t it?

Kurt Vonnegut is wonderful. I also saw the film they made of Slaughterhouse 5 many, many moons ago - it was like the accurate visualisation of the book in your head; I love it when that happens.

I think we know you won't be here as much after the sale. I also think we kinda hope you'll remember where this place is and will drop in now and then when you need to get a few things off your chest

And I'm sure any ramblings on the Minor, organ, or minor organ will be devoured just as has everything else you've written.

But, we also appreciate it's time for you to get on with everything else in your life.

And, that's fine. Really. No problem. We'll get over it. 'You'-time is important. We wouldn't dream of trying to make you feel guilty about leaving us behind. It's good. All of it. It's, it's bbwwwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

So it goes.

So it goes indeed, nice touch.

Oh I'll add a P.S.- I've always got something to get of my chest. So I'm in the garage cleaning the 2cv's nether regions while listening to smooth fm. The DJ mentions something about how he and other DJ's are really doing great in raising money for charity. Guess how?

By eating free meals in a posh restaurant.

The idea is that you or I, the great unwashed, pay considerably over the odds to sit at his table. He in turn eats heartily several nights a week for free, and signs a few autographs here and there. And there's me and thousands of others running marathons and abseiling tall buildings. Sheesh!

What kind of cheap vacuous fcuker helps himself to freebies - then boasts on air that he's doing his bit? Celebrity my arse!

Sorry. I forgot to send you a pic too. Thing is I can strip them all down but when I get to the crank I get stuck. You need a specialist tool to do it I think and even then everything is crusty and stuck and then I just think ah well only an old bike I don't care how it looks. However, if you want a few old bike frames to paint, they're yours... I've got miles too many

Just use a massive wrench to get the bottom bracket out

if its a threaded bottom bracket do what louis said. or if its one of those ones with the teeth you can get /or make a socket to do it. ive always found a hammer and screw driver just as easy as i normally throw away the cups when i replace the bearings. But its been a few years since Euro/mtb bb was used on BMX's. Its all about mid BB.

O-N, you should have made membership and regular up-dates to I2F a statutory requirement to the purchase of your car, so we can all keep in touch with it's adventures

You might be surprised. I know who's bidding on it don't forget.

Like I said I hope it goes on and on. With an owner that uses it in good weather there's no reason why it shouldn't either. No doubt it'll appear in a field somewhere at some point. It might even turn up at the next WM....who knows? Although it would be nice to hear how it's going on I tend to treat my ex cars like my ex wives. I don't think too much about them. I was married to my first wife for twenty three years, then one day she was looking in the mirror and said; "God! I look old, fat and ugly".

There was a long silence. I think that was the bit where I was supposed to reassure her or something. After a moment she sighed, turned to me and said in exasperation: "Pay me a compliment Pete!" She had a face like a dog licking piss of a nettle.

I thought about it for a while then I said: "Well, at least there's nothing wrong with your eyesight".

Got a new wife now though. When I first met her I thought I was the world's best lover, then I found out she had asthma. This new one really dresses to kill, trouble is she cooks that way too. I better shut up now before she sees this, I talk so much shit she might think I mean it.

Good news is, I didn't have any coffee in my mouth this time. So, that'll just be spittle I'll be clearing up...