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 Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste. 
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
Lenny wrote:
The VW is mine I'm afraid. I've had it for over 18 years now and will probably keep it forever. It hardly ever gets used though. It's unreliable, uncomfortable and uneconomical but it's amusingly quick, it makes a great noise, and I love it.


Looks a nice one from the bit I can see. I like them.

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March 8th, 2011, 12:32 am
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
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The car's looking great, you're on the home straight now...


I've still got plenty to go at yet but I think I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
You're quite right about the fumes though. I've developed quite a liking for the whiff of thinners.
It's a slippery slope. I'll be sniffing things out of a crumpled carrier bag before you know it.

Quote:
Looks a nice one from the bit I can see. I like them.


Thanks very much. It is a nice one. It was the first car I proper restored and it has survived very well. I did it about 12 years ago and it was nearly as bad as this 2cv when I started.

I know a Beetle is frowned upon in 2cv circles but I love them.

The 2cv is the better car from a design point of view and I've always known that, but there's a feeling of solidity in a Beetle.

Considering the average Joe Public sees both cars as the same I find they're actually chalk and cheese.

They were both quite obviously designed for a purpose and you can see the basic differences carried on into much later German and French cars. A French car would always be more comfortable than a German car. A German car would always be better built than a French car. The Germans never seemed to have heard of the word Lightweight.

I think it's such a shame things have become so diluted in the last ten or fifteen years.
The days are gone when you could drive a car and tell which country it was made in.

I miss getting in a Swedish car and either struggling to get the key in the ignition (by the handbrake) or becoming instantly annoyed by the loud clicking and flashing of the seatbelt warning light. I also miss the blast furnace heaters though.

I think it's a travesty that I now get in a modern Italian car and find it doesn't rattle or squeak and the dashboard doesn't appear to be made by Airfix. It's a shame they've lost the rorty little engines though.

It we're not careful the yanks will start making cars that go around corners and do more than 15 to the gallon.


Last edited by Lenny on March 8th, 2011, 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.



March 8th, 2011, 10:53 am
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
I don't frown on 'em I think they're great cars. I once owned a 1600 fastback in that same orange. It was only six years old back then and was a fantastic car. 2cv's are good for what 2cv's are good at, Beetles are something else. Neither is better imho, just different.

The cal-look thing isn't to my liking though, I much prefer a pretty stock car.

P.S. Oh and that pear-drops thinners smell is addictive. :P

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March 8th, 2011, 11:16 am
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
Quote:
The cal-look thing isn't to my liking though, I much prefer a pretty stock car.


You're absolutely right. The next phase of my Bug will be to make it more standard.

The lowered suspension is awful, the Porsche wheels rub on something or other. The engines were never designed to rev highly but with twin Webers, lightened flywheel etc this one does. The downside of this is that the breather system can't cope regardless of what you do to it so it's oil leaks galore.
The Weber carbs are the worst bit though. They're constantly out of tune and popping, farting and generally pissing me off.

It's going back to standard one day soon so I can actually consider using it more regularly.


March 8th, 2011, 11:40 am
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
Quote:
I once owned a 1600 fastback in that same orange.


Beautiful. They drive so well. Like a Bug but better.


March 8th, 2011, 11:55 am
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Joined: February 8th, 2009, 11:39 pm
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
I have a conflict of interest too :o

Adore the 2CV for all its quirks and fun. I am always needing to carry instruments and stuff...can get a whole load in a 2CV and not in that weird boot on a Beetle...someone put an engine in there :D

The problem I have though is with vans. I simply need a van for building work and occasionally resort to a boring transit, but for the last 12 years have also used a VW T25.....fantastic beast and I love it to bits....its even a partial camper so thats better still. I sadly wish I could justify or cope with an H van but too impractical for daily use and an Acad or AK 400 isnt big enough.

So a 2CV is my car, but have to cross over to the "dark side" with my van.

Back to the point.............

Lenny....this is inspiring, fantastic, keep it going and keep us updated. Enjoying this and look forward to the next installment

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March 9th, 2011, 5:17 pm
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
Okay.

Next instalment.

I've been sorting the doors out.

They are taking quite some time.

As I said earlier, I had quite a selection of doors to choose from but none of them were perfect.
After a weeks spare time (about six or seven hours) the offside rear is now ready for paint and it's been a bit of a learning curve.

You see I had four offside rear doors in the garage. One had a massive dent in the skin, one had no bottom to speak of and the skin so rusty it had seperated from the hinge bit, and one was badly rusted along the bottom of the window. The fourth one was absolutely perfect in every way but was bought a year or so ago specifically for my grey Charleston so I couldn't use that.

Having considered the options I decided to use the green one with the rusty window bit.
It really was pretty bad:

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But the skin was virtually dent free and the rest was extremely good:

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A bit of time with a grinder and dremel soon had the rusty bit removed:

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Then I chopped up the original blue door to make the bit I was going to need a more manageable size:

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It was suprising to find this bit was pretty much rust free. I should have took a pic of the rest of the panel. It was absolutely rotten.

After some careful measuring and cutting I had the section I needed ready and welded it in place. After a bit of fettling I was really quite proud of how it was turning out:

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And after a skim of filler here and there followed by a coat of primer, we're about ready for the top coat (followed by a massive dose of cavity wax).

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Next job it to finish the nearside front door. I've already spent a few hours sorting out the bottom but that's another story.


March 27th, 2011, 10:58 pm
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
:shock: oooooohhhhhh...

You can't see, but I'm lying prostrate in front of the computer...


March 29th, 2011, 8:20 pm
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
I've got so many reasons why this project has had to tale a bit of a back seat over the last couple of months.

Apart from two weddings, two stag piss ups, friends over for various weekends and a few days down on the south coast following the London to Brighton, the main change in my life is that I'm going to be a father for the first time.

I've had a good innings I suppose. I'm 39. Can't enjoy yourself all your life.

This changes things regarding this car too. She will have to be sold when she's finished so I can put some money towards various baby things (including one of them 2cv pedal cars, of course.)

So today I've cracked on again.

At last.

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Still got three doors to paint, four wings and a bonnet to sort so plenty still left to do.
But not this week.
This week I'm off to Portugal to get pissed on yet another stag do.

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DRINK!


June 5th, 2011, 10:51 pm
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Post Re: Very rusty '86 Bleu Celeste.
Congratulations on your upcoming fatherhood. :) Shame it means you have to sell the car, but somethings are more important I guess.

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June 5th, 2011, 11:01 pm
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