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ENTHUSIASTS RESTORATION MANUAL SERIES

Authors note. Although the first section of
this chapter largely covers working on the
engine in the car, youll note that there are
several pictures showing work being carried
out with the engine out of the car. There
are no hard and fast rules about when to
work on an engine when its in the car and
when removed. Indeed, you could carry
out a partial engine stripdown without
removing the engine from the vehicle, since
access to a 2CVs engine while its in the
car is extraordinarily good. The way this
chapter is divided up, therefore, is just so
the work involved can be presented in a
clear and logical fashion.
SECTION 1. EXHAUST SYSTEM
See the accompanying pictures.
Chapter 4
Engine &
ancillaries
4-1-1. This is the layout of a typical exhaust system.
4-1-2. Not normally visible with the
bodywork in place, this picture shows how
the front pipes and front box are clamped
to the exhaust manifolds and tailpipe
(arrowed). The exhaust system is also
bolted to the gearbox (together with the
cooling shrouds if disc brakes are tted).
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ENTHUSIASTS RESTORATION MANUAL SERIES
SECTION 2. UNWINDING A
GEARBOX
Gearbox unwinding is a term that seems
to be used exclusively by 2CV folk. It refers
to dealing with a gearbox which has either
jammed solid, or has left just reverse gear
available when the gearstick is in what was
previously the neutral position. It usually
happens after a period of sharp reversing,
and the car might need to be recovered by
5-2-1. The gearbox components.
5-2-2. The ring for the second and third
gear selector fork was staked onto the
synchro hub when the gearbox was built
(inset, arrowed). The problem is that the
three stakings may not hold, especially on
the later gearboxes.
The ring is threaded with a right-hand
thread onto the synchro hub and, when
it unscrews, the synchro hub will slide
forward, into the third gear, which makes
the gearbox engage third gear.
The symptoms of the problem are that
you can engage reverse okay, if you
put the lever in what was neutral, but
if you can then nd any other gear, the
vehicle will be in both rst and third,
and will be immovable. Dont struggle
with the gearstick - youll only cause
more problems.
5-2-3. This ring is inside the synchro hub
rst gear, at the opposite end of the hub to
the ring that unscrews itself.
a suitable recovery vehicle with the 2CVs
front wheels lifted off the ground. The good
news, however, is that the problem can
almost always be rectified, and the even
better news is that it can be prevented.
The following sequence of pictures
shows 2CV Club member, and well-known
repair specialist, Rick Pembro, as he sets
about unwinding a 2CV gearbox.
This particular type of malfunction is
a sure sign of wear, so the repairs were
going to outline here to a worn gearbox can
only be regarded as a temporary fix.
It appears that its only the later
gearboxes, that is, those from the 1980s,
which are prone to this unwinding, and
it appears to be due to a deterioration in
steel quality. However, if youve got a
low-mileage gearbox thats in excellent
condition, or an early gearbox, its well
worth doing this job as a preventative
measure.
5-2-4. This internal ring has three dogs on
it which slide in three slots on the second
and third synchro hub. The dogs can come
free of the slots, and the ring on which they
are located can turn so that the dogs no
longer line up with the slots. You then have
the job of realigning the dogs with the slots
before you can get the ring back on the
synchro hub. (In other words, before you
can push the rst gear synchro hub onto
the second and third gear synchro hub.)
5-2-5. This picture shows one of the dogs
located correctly in its slot.
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BRAKES, REAR WHEEL BEARINGS & OIL SEALS
SECTION 3. DRUM BRAKES -
FRONT
See the accompanying pictures.
6-2-31. Before tting the ends of the brake
pipe to either the wheel cylinders or the
three-way connector, make sure that
new seals are used on the ends of the
brake pipes.
6-2-32. The positions of the seal and the
pipe in the bore are critical. The very end of
the pipe must be fed into the narrower part
of the bore (b), and the seal (a) must be
located in the pipe in the position shown.
6-2-33. Lee ts the seal to the bore rst,
and then pushes the brake pipe into
the seal and the bore so that it locates
as shown in picture 6-2-32. Finally, Lee
screws the retaining nut home.
6-2-34. Make sure that the brake pipe
is clipped correctly in position on the
suspension trailing arms and on the
chassis. A rubber protective sleeve must
be used between the brake pipe and the
clip in each location.
6-2-35. You can buy a complete new kit of
brake hoses for any 2CV derivative with
narrow-bore pipes from Armacune. The
Cupro-Nickel kit comes complete with
fresh LHM brake uid, all clips, screws
and ttings. Unlike steel, Cupro-Nickel will
never corrode.
6-3-1. These are the new components tted
to my 1959 vehicle when it was restored:
top left - two new wheel cylinders;
centre-right - new brake shoes; bottom
- handbrake cables.
6-3-2. Although there are several different designs - for example, this brake drum has
lateral ns, whereas very early ones have longitudinal ns - this is the basic layout of the
front brake shoes, handbrake cable clips and steady pins.
6-3-3. Where appropriate, the order of work
described in the Citron manual is adhered
to, even though it may not precisely align
with the order in which the photographs
were taken when Graeme Seed carried out
the work.
It is difcult to remove the brake drum
without rst disconnecting the driveshaft
(see the relevant section of this manual).
This picture shows Graeme Seed removing
the four nuts which hold the drum to
the hub.
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SUSPENSION, STEERING, WHEELS & TYRES
SECTION 1. FRONT SUSPENSION
AXLE AND ARMS
Its unlikely that youll need to remove or
replace suspension arms or axle bearings.
For those rare occasions, however, here
is how its done. There are two ways of
removing the axle with everything still in
situ (i.e. with the body still on, etc.). One is
to remove one of the arms and then slide
the axle and the other arm (still fitted) out
of the side of the vehicle. The other way is
to remove the gearbox and to lift the axle
and arms out of the vehicle. If you want to
proceed by removing the axle, follow the
relevant part of this manual.
Before you can begin, you must carry
out the following preparatory work:
Disconnect the battery, remove the spare
wheel (as appropriate), remove the bonnet,
side panels and front wings.
Disconnect the steering column from the
steering rack and move it upwards, just far
enough to free the rack.
Disconnect the driveshafts.
Disconnect the steering rods.
Disconnect the front ends of the
suspension tie-rods.
Although picture 7-1-1 shows the hub
removed from the end of the axle arm, its
not necessary to do so.
Suspension arm removal
See the accompanying pictures.
Chapter 7
Suspension,
steering, wheels
& tyres
7-1-1. These are the components of the front axle and axle arm. Note that the slotted nut
(8) has an internal thread, and screws onto the threaded outer end of the axle tube (a):
2. Suspension arm. 3. Axle. 5. Stop. 6. Packing piece/lock plate. 7. High tensile steel bolt.
8. Slotted ring nut. 9. Seals. 12. Bearings.
7-1-2. Remove the cover, take out the three
bolts, and remove the end plate from the
suspension arm.
If the vehicle is tted with friction dampers,
see the relevant section of this chapter for
information on their removal.
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ENTHUSIASTS RESTORATION MANUAL SERIES
9-6-3. If all of the trim has been removed from the vehicle, in order to respray the shell,
for example, youll need to identify each part, and scrub it all clean before retting. Take
great care not to soak the cardboard or hardboard trim backing, though, because it
may disintegrate.
9-6-4. There are lots of minor trim pieces,
all of which will need to be identied and
retted. This piece is being sprayed with
Wurth spray adhesive ...
9-6-5. ... before being retted on the inside
of the A-panel.
So you can adjust the trim before the
adhesive sets, its best if you either use
contact adhesive with a built in shufing-
time, or t the trim while the adhesive still
has a bit of moisture in it.
9-6-6. This is the trim panel that goes on
the dashboard on these early models. Here,
Im using a brush to apply the adhesive
because the trim that goes on the bulkhead
has already been tted and spray-on
adhesive would go where it wasnt wanted.
9-6-7. The spray adhesive, which is much
quicker to apply, was applied to the rear of
the trim.
9-6-8. It can be quite tricky to manoeuvre
trim into its original position without
getting adhesive on surrounding parts.
9-6-9. Panel wipe is useful for wiping off
excess adhesive, but be sure to do so as
soon as possible because the longer you
leave it, the harder it will be to get off.
Dont use cellulose thinners or other
solvents which can dissolve or damage the
surface of the material.
9-6-10. Old 2CVs are trimmed in cloth
which is glued directly onto the panelwork.
Replacement panels were purchased
from ECAS, but needed a lot of trimming.
I used plain paper to make a pattern for
each panel. The paper was stuck on with
masking tape, marked carefully with a
pencil, and then cut out with scissors.