The 1st/reverse gear pinion on old gear boxes are not the same. The groove holding the selector fork is smaller than later gear boxes. Someone replaced the 1st/reverse gear pinion and properly didn't have old type and fitted later type. The fork is holding the gear pinion in place but Hetty's gear pinon is moving around making adjustment difficult. Managed to align the gear pinion in the middle so the teeth are not touching each other but the pinion is very sloppy.

Free after Sting:
"I am an Englishman in Brittany".

What Viking said!



While then engine and box were out I changed the clutch as Hetty's always had terrible clutch judder.



Hetty is fitted with a graphite clutch bearing which is no longer available. I tried changing just the clutch plate but it didn't help so changed the whole shaboodle. The new clutch cover is made by MCDA and has a normal bearing and a clutch arm without an oil filler on it.

It feels so much better, although weirdly it squeaks a bit with the clutch half way down, but seems to be driving well.

While I did this and cleaned all the parts that Peter asked me to clean, he reassembled the box and sorted the brakes out as one side had the wrong size cylinder fitted.



Peter diligently set the box up for me. I had no idea how small some of the tolerances in the gearbox were. I also learned that the some of the componants are machined together, you can't simply swap parts in from another gearbox, parts of the box are made to be together.









We finished putting Hetty back together at 11.30pm on Tuesday night, I left at 11am wednesday morning and had the best drive I've ver had in her, she drove like a dream.

I am hugely indebted to Peter and Lorraine. It's one thing to fix somebody's gearbox but something else altogether to take them in and welcome them into your home. I had the best holiday I've had in years, and experienced such kindness and support from everybody involved.

Vivre la 2cv!!

Oh and change your gearbox oil as regularly as you change engine oil. Seriously, its like £7.

My ferry was at 5 and I had to check in at 4.15. I got to Le Havre at 4.15 and got totally lost. I got stuck waiting for a fishing boat to go under a lifting bridge and the woman at the check in was on the phone. I boarded the ferry at 4.35 and parked up amongst all the lorries. I slept pretty much for the whole crossing.







Thus completes my adventures in Brittany. Viking - you're a top chap!

Oh and one final thing - it's not pronounced two-see-vee-viking.

It's two-see-vee-king

Clever eh?!

Thanks for the roses Sammie boy. One final pic from our test drive



Hope your repaired gear box will serve you well and for a long time. Look after it (it is not a reconditioned box) good to see that you understand the need to slow down and to drop the gear oil at the same time as the engine oil.

We welcome you any time in lovely Bretagne with or without gear box jobs

Cheers Viking bastard

Grand adventure, it's what it's all about!

Nice one Sam.

Harley

Well I never ,nice one

Is Sketty gonna make it to Crewe?

Just broken an oil feed pipe...

Good job it's bank holiday and I have Sean's replacements. Might also fit my recon oil cooler too.

fingers crossed

Are you up the barn? Sorry about the crap everywhere, I don't know if your keys will unlock my car but if you need to move it and can't unlock it it's got an externally fastening roof, so just get in that way.