I guess you could call me a motor vehicle enthusiast.
My car driving days started in 1962 with a secondhand Bullnose Morris 8/40, followed by a 1958 VW sedan, a new 1964 VW standard, an MGA1600, a Fiat 500, a near new Fiat 850 Coupe followed by a Lotus Europa Twin Cam & a NSU Ro80. My first major vehicle project was to replace the NSU motor in the Ro with a Mazda RX4 engine.
I have owned Citroëns since 1982 starting with a GS 1220 Saloon followed by a GS1220 Break, a CX2200 Super manual, then a CX2400 C matic Pallas. For 5 years I also had a BX 16 TRS. My lovely 1983 Series 1 CX2500 Automatic Pallas has only recently moved from being daily transport to become a show only car.
I had a hankering to own a 2CV for a long time, like many Citroën enthusiasts & the possibility of partaking in Raid Australia 2000 from Perth via our Southern Cape Leeuwin to Cape York, sealed my fate.
In August 1998 my 2CV arrived ready for a new chassis as recommended at purchase. After body removal, the small number of known rusty areas increased dramatically as the work progressed. By July 1999 the body repairs were complete. Painting was completed in October and rebuilding of the of the engine, replacement of the gearbox from Rick Pembro (Rick.Pembro@tesco.net), thru Ken Hanna of SLC Chassis in Yorkshire England), overhaul of the suspension, steering & brakes was completed about in May, 3 months before Raid. 2000
I hope that these pages will assist those who are either thinking of buying a 2CV or repairing one.
My Raid experience was great fun, and I was astounded how suitable the 2CV is for rough dirt road service, its ride is so smooth. Perhaps the car's only downfall is its small 135 section tires, which are unable to absorb punishment from large rocks. The only damage to my little car was rim damage (all 6 of them), many other cars had similar problems. Since writing this in 2000, we have found tyre pressures of 30 to 32 psig & vigilant driving will overcome this problem.
A sincere thanks to everyone on the 2CV list & members of the Association of Citroën Enthusiasts for your help. In particular I wish to thank Andre Pol (body panels & hard to get parts), Geof Gray(chassis, tools & local parts), George Safrany(spot welder), Jeroen Cats (alas deceased) & Ken Hanna of SLC for all their (advice) .