I recommend Planète 2CV of aug/sept and oct/nov. There's a 2-part-in-detail-time-line-pull-out-poster-thing-with-drawings. About 2CV and variants.
Maybe it would be OK for me to take a photo of it for people, as it's not available in the UK anyway
Need to buy the second one tomorrow.

Sounds good to me Limes, thanks.

Righto then. I'll sort it tomorrow when there's some light and hopefully I'll have the second part.
It is in French of course but I can translate if necessary.

Here's what's relevant to the vans from the timeline. I'll post the actual timeline photos in a new topic.

March 51 - AU van (375cm3)

October 54 - AZU (425cm3)

July 61 - AU and AZU get new bonnet

April 63 - AZU 250 (425cm3, 250kg load) has 2nd version: AZU 350 (602cm3, 350kg load, 20cm longer back end)

December 64 - end of suicide doors

July 70 - AK 400 ( 12cm taller, less side ripples) replaces AK 350, AZU 250 still available with old 425cm3 engine

January 72 - AZU gets big side ripples, 2CV4 engine

July 73 - AZU gets 12V electrics and wide dashboard

January 74 - end of side windows in load space (new legislation for vans)

September 74 - plastique grill with chevrons and chrome surround, square lights

September 76 - change of suspension: fixed pots, re-enforced shocks, no front/rear interaction

February 77 - load space side windows re-appear (change in legislation for vans)

July 77 - 3-point seatbelts (without inertia reel) causes need for steel pyramid in front of rear wheel arches

March 78 - 2CV vans replaced by Acadiane (Dyane front, AK 400 rear, 12cm longer platform

<points to thoroughly original square light, plastic grill, side-window'd AKS400, first registered new in France in late spring '74>



Speaking of which, can anybody give me more detail of these? Are they welded or bolted to the van? What reinforcement on the inside of the spare wheel/fuel tank compartments?

Some good close photos and measurements would be great - there's no difference between a car and a small van, legally, over here - so anything after the mid '60s needs belts, which means I need to add them. The lower mounts are easy, since we're changing the sills and chassis anyway. The top one's the problem.

It seems to say this legislation was on and off during that period, but there are typos in the paragraph so it doesn't make complete sense.

Apparently, the 2cv van was still being built as late as '81, to honour fleet orders from French post office and the state-owned EDF electricity company.

Adrian - they bolt through. No welding involved. There are some re-inforcing plates underneath in the spare wheel/tank compartments and that's about it.

I'll endeavour to get some photos and measurements for you when I get my arse down to the lockup where my van currently resides.

Sorry I've turned up a bit late here - only just found it...

Briefly:
Short body, low roof, 425 / 435 cc. engine (depending on date) - AU, AZU, AZU 250, AZU 250 GA (depending on date!).

Long body, low roof, 602cc. engine (M4 until May '68, M28 after that (AKB)) - AK 350

Long body, high roof, 602 cc. engine - AKS 400. But the AKS 400 was available in 'Caisse Basse', which was the same height as a 350. Similarly, AK 350s, in their day, were also built to order with a higher cargo roof, thus pre-dating the 400. Not that I've ever seen one, mind...

What was certainly never built was an AZU, or 250, or whatever with a 602 engine, and certainly never with larger spring pots: the chassis is that of a saloon with the rear legs shortened. In fact, if you look at the rear legs of a saloon chassis, there is a pair of holes in the top which have no apparent purpose, but are there for the crossmember under the cargo floor of a van to bolt to. Later AZU 250 GAs have cab floors with bumps to clear bigger spring pots, like a 400's, but one assumes that this was simply a streamlining of production, i.e. it was only necessary to make one type of cab floor which would fit either van.

The AK / AKS chassis is effectively an Ami 6 platform, with a rear crossmember added, and channels on top of the rear legs to build them up to the right height for the crossmember to sit on.

There are as many AK 250s as there are AK 400s, and they all exist in the same place, although both terms are frequently heard used. Erroneously....

On my 1978 van the pyramids for the seatbelt mounts are spotwelded to the shelves and there is no evidence of their ever being bolted to the body. Maybe only the 1977 were bolted on and the later ones were welded on.

Miarke