Having just stuck my head under the Duck (1989), I found that the rear shocks (Lips) had been fitted back to front: they are now correctly installed, but as a 2CV newbie, can I ask why there is an "up" and a down" to these?
Is there something about the internals which requires this?

Yes,
plus the valves inside the damper body may be sensitive not only to the inclination of the damper, but also to 'which way up' the body is fitted.

If you test an A series damper, by securing one end in a vice then extending and compressing it, you should notice that as well as the usual requirement that there be no undamped movement, there should also be less effort required on 'pull' than on 'push'...

Since this is the opposite of what's required for vehicles with conventional suspension setups, it's easy to pick out those dampers where a manufacturer has simply 'adapted' a stock item to fit.

It may fit, but it won't work as it should do on an A series vehicle.

ken

Thanks Ken; since making the correction I think I've noticed a slight improvement in the ride, but - I'd be keen to see a cross-section of the Lips to show the internals, just the same.
Next job, I think - squirt a bit of vegetable oil into the spring cans. I'm getting a lot of road "shock" and noise transmitted through the suspension, even though the ride is soft over-all, as a 2CV should be.
God, I just love this car

spanner in the works time

"proper old skool boge"

fit as per Workshop manual, Haynes, 2cvgb handbook, vikings post etc
newer "boge automatic or something"

appear to fit the opposite way to old Boge
the blue sticker on the side says "bottom" the fitting dimple is at the top, they also seem to prefer to work with the body aligned the same as the Lip shocks above it in the photo

re badged reckords or something? has "bayonet" action plastic cover similar to Lip

Sean

At registers this summer during old goats chassis change i remember the shocks getting a greasing first i think. anybody know what i saw and why?

no problem with that - as the shocks get longer with use the grease protects the patrt of the rod that's exposed.

Aidan,
it's because the engineering chrome plating on the damper pushrods isn't as good as
it used to be, to the extent that I've seen pushrods on a set of Lipmesa dampers
develop rust pitting after just one UK winter.

When the car is jacked up to grease knife edges or carry out other servicing, that rust
pitting will damage the hydraulic seal in the damper's end cap, which will then start to
leak.

By pulling back the plastic covers and greasing the pushrods, the chances of rust
developing on the portion of the rod which isn't swept by the seal in normal use are minimised.

It's that old 'spoil the ship for a ha’pworth of tar' business, except we're talking about
grease instead of tar in this case...

http://blog.ashfordchroming.com/2009/01 ... hrome.html

ken

Thanks... excellent advice ss usual.

Except that grease and dirt makes a perfect grinding paste.