I'd better own up to being the owner of the pile of carp that Russ is working on. Or at least, I hope he hasn't yet given up in disgust - I'm away in France at the moment and don't know!

I really couldn't believe how bad a job had been done on it. For what it is worth it had had a new chassis some five or six years back, at what I supposed was a reputable 2CV business not very far away.

After getting the original quote for the chassis from this supposed-to-be-reputable-business I was just a bit surprised to end up paying about three times that amount for all the extra work they said they needed to do - very badly it seems now. Thanks to Russ I have seen it all myself and know just what he's talking about. He isn't exaggerating - as you can imagine I am pretty annoyed.

At least the new galvanised chassis is still OK - but then it was a 2CV City one and even our friendly local bodgers couldn't do much to mess it up.

Oh well, when it's done at least I'll have a car which I know really quite a lot about. Humm .... that includes the sheared bolt on the clutch, doesn't it?

that's just silly! Welcome in, Dennis!

Hi Dennis...

...real great to hear from you....


Sorry it dosent sound like the best way in to 2CVs...but I am sure Russ will sort you out and get you solid...

...interested as to who the previous local bodger was....I reckon I know...pm me if you dont want to be public !

But Hi Dennis !

This one's a classic.... I've shown a few pics of it before to some of the chaps, but since then it's been off the chassis, been sorted, and gone back, and I've had a sufficient pause to get over the shock of it... It probably wasn't entirely responsible for putting me in ortspital, but it may have helped!

Remember, the bloke paid the thick end of 3 grand for this car, just one year (and 3,000 miles) previously...

Here's the Full Frontal...

And the Ant 'n' Dec...

And N/S heel and sill where I poked it wiv me finger...

And the O/S sill...

And one repair that had actually been done (must have been really bad), with a neat little piece of tin tucked up in front of the swinging arm, rubbing against it nicely...

And, whilst it's nothing to do with the MOT, I thought we could share in admiring how the new boot floor has been dropped in on top of the festering rusty margins which have been left in. 'Just pop a bit of weld round it...'

Perhaps we should also consider the mismatched 'pair' of front shocks, one of which was really only fit for the bin anyway, and the rear shock with no metal insert in the bush.

That's even without the quick mask-out and flashover, where he managed to get paint on the window rubbers, mudflaps, etc., etc..

All in all, looks like the sort of the thing the worst kind of amateur does to flog something in Exchange & Mart, with a bit of collusion from the MOT station thrown in. One stop shop, my arse, although, as Total's current slogan in France runs, 'You won't come here again by accident'...

Jesus wept. I'd have scrapped that.

Even in my earliest days lashing up 2cvs I couldn't have justified doing that fand being able to sell it. Thanks Pete, hope you're on the mend.

Three grand for that....

...D*lly hell....my crappy sheds must be worth a mint !

I simply dont understand this.

2CVs generaly rot in the same old places. Surely anyone buying one and more importantly anyone "restoring" or selling one as a "specialist" must know all the same old places to sort out.

I accept there are good and bad (ie do it as per original or make bits up and weld em in) ways of repairing the rusty bits, but to be a "specialist" and sell a car for that amount of money when you havnt actually checked or thought about the bulkhead and all those other bits is dreadful....sorry that car was rotten a year ago and that is a disgrace.

It worries me that people think that a 2CV is restored cause its on a galvi chassis and looks shiney. Yes most 2CVs on the road are, and probably should be on replacement chassis, but thats only part of the battle. Inner and outer front bulkheads are almost certainly as rot as the original chassis and the body shell is totally supported by them. Why replace a chassis and not them (money, time and effort I guess). I have seen several re-chassis jobs where the bodyshell suffers from "Bingo Wings" ie...nice new chassis and bulkhead drooping nicely around it.....scary

I accept that the rear "heals" and sills can be done at anytime. But why ever go to the trouble of taking a bodyshell off a chassis and before putting it on a new one at least make sure (and therefore replace) the outer (and inner) bulkhead, do the front to rear brake pipe (its generally free with the chassis), replace the rear curley jobs whilst its easy (thirty quid well spent), check fuel guage is OK whilst its in front of you and also check boot floor....Ive just done all this on my Bamboo....its dead easy to do all this when bodyshell is off.

Moving the shell is also easy if you know how. I wont rant on more, but anyone needing to do all this on their own then its quite simple. Get in touch and I will tell you. Its a one man job to re-chassis and turn a bodyshell on its side, you need nothing special in terms of equipment except some stuff to protect paintwork (old carpet is good)..and a bit of space. Therefore no excuses to do everything properly.

We all have our own standards, budgets and facilities. I accept that. But to charge that kind of money for a car like this when you do it for a living is just not fair on those who cant do their own work.

Hmm...

5.30 am....feel better for strting the day with that rant....especially as its a day in the garage working on my car...yippee...a day of spannering !

Like this, in fact - the one-man chassis change I did over Easter.





Riley (as he is known) was on his original chassis which had lasted remarkably well but was still nicely shagged, same with the lower toeboard/front floor areas. But looking at Pete's photos maybe I should have just left it!

I've sold a couple of 2cv's in the past and the first question is always 'is it on a galv chassis' as if this is the only thing that rusts. Rarely get questions about the state of the body structure and when I offer to show prospective purchasers under the mats etc and many show little or no interest. "It's on a galvo so it must be ok...."

thats cheating....you took the doors off

Completely ignoring the fact that not all ladder galvos handle very well, and some aren't even aligned properly, so that the whole car looks bent.

That Jade Green Dyane is terrible - it just goes to show how far good marketing can get a company.

I don't believe you can tell a difference. I think it's more to do with what shocks and tyres the car has. I don't think a chassis will bend enough for you to notice it when hooning. I've heard people say that certain chassis are better than others, but never heard any way of backing it up or making it plausable.

Ken?