I reckon I might get this taxed tomorrow, and get a few miles on this engine over the weekend. Can't wait to start using it again, the last time I used it was back in 2008!

Taxed it online this morning, hopefully if the weather dries out I can get some miles on it this week. I really want to try it out with the cambered rear arms and stuff. It's basically the same as the red car underneath which was pretty good. The tyres are a smidgen too wide I think, when its wet you really need to get the front turned in cautiously otherwise it'll break away. I'm a bit worried that my superfly cambered arms are going to stop the back end breaking away and make it too understeery. As I need to cut back on the car collection a bit I might invest a little bit of money into this. it wouldn't hurt to have a pair of floors and sills too, I've been meaning to replace the bonnet and wings since I bought it 6 years ago, and as it's probably only ever going to be a second car I'd like to look into building another engine for it with a bit more poke.

Took this out all taxed and legal for the first time in 4 years today and bloody loved it. I've changed my mind about michelins being the best tyres ever because actually yokohamas are. It's actually dangerous as its so hard to unstick it it makes you try harder and harder in corners to find its limit, which i didnt reach today. I reckon on wet roads it's going to be pretty poor but in the dry it's the best 2cv I've had yet, the previous best handling 2cv I did was that bamboo which was on softer springs and had standard rear arms and less camber on the front with 135 michelins on standard wheels. The red special was on these springs and wheels/tyres and the same front arms although I gave them a smidge more camber for this car and I added some camber to the rear of this too. I suppose there's a chance this feels so good as recently I've been driving the wobbly 425 but I don't remember ever having a car that could be thrown into bends without feeling like the tyres were approaching their limit. My boss followed me in to work today and he said it looked surreal when going round roundabouts as it didn't roll, slow down or wallow as you'd expect. It's not really low enough but that said it never hit the ground once so I may leave it as it is for convenience. It could do with more power now, and I'd like to get it on a track alongside a race car to see a comparison. The exhaust started to come apart so that'll need looking at, and I've readjusted the carb so it ticks over nicely and polluted the planet again. The engines mainly new so a few hundred miles to loosen it up would probably help.

I'd wholly reccomend doing the same suspension work and wheel/tyre sizes as I've done on this.

My Dad says try it on Toyos

The gearbox has gone a bit weird. It feels, and I might be wrong here, like the selector fork might have moved. the gearlever doesn't feel the same as it did and it's only in 2nd gear, maybe third too but most noticeable in 2nd. And, on top of that the clutch cable popped out of the pedal the other day, but i managed to adjust it enough to get it back in then readjust it so it was driveable again. It's sat in the garage for the last few weeks as it's got a slow puncture which is a ballache to keep inflating every couple of days.

Hopefully it'll get a race engine in the next week or two for a while, and there is talk of a set of Avo dampers too. Exciting times.

great to hear it got through its MOT woes and that you've accepted the yokohamas!

I had the same trouble on bamboo years ago, when the gearbox was opened up (by Matt of soft top fame & my old man - I was out on the lash for the weekend...) apparently the selector fork for 2nd was hanging on by a slither and about to split completely... luckily that didn't happen when I was on the move... not too sure what would of happened!?

I can vouch for the AVO dampers, they'd be a good purchase/steal/acquisition. Had the set under bamboo for a couple of years and now I finally got around to fitting the stiffened springs it works lovely.. flat cornering..

On a side note when caning it across the moors the other day with the g/f in it for the first time since the super stiff springs were fitted - asked (shouted) if she was ok.. shouted back "should've worn a sports bra"...

Have you looked into your new wheels ideas?

Not looked into new wheels too much, I need to redrill a set of drums and adapt the front drive flanges, (titter, I said flange!) but the biggest issue will be the track rod ends and the lack of space in he rear arches. My cars looking a bit tired nowadays and it could do with a new set of floors, bulkhead etc before too many more mot tests, and if I can scrape together the money for a new set of wheels I might bite the bullet and do it all at the same time.

AVO dampers are ok, I'm still playing with them a bit to get them right, I've gone from them being worse than the standard budget ones that'd seized up, to being really oversteery but too hard on the front to locked solid because one of my mates thought it'd be a chuckle to wind them all up as far as they'd go when I wasn't looking. Which, if I'd done to his car, would have been funny. I nailed his sister in the past so I guess fair's fair in the end. At the moment it's about where it was previously, you can kick the back out at will and the front won't unstick unless you're actually trying really hard to have a crash, it's just a bit unpleasant when you're driving it down a dual carriageway or similar, you really feel every bump and it shakes like a shitting dog. Oddly enough, on the bumpier back roads it's alright.

My missus won't get in mine because she thinks I drive it too fast. She's got big tits too though. How can I drive it too fast? It's a sodding 2cv!

Yeah, none of the fun stuff I've mentioned will happen. This car is falling apart quickly. I desperately need an engine. I desperately need to wash it, clean it out, once again fix the gear linkage, change both kingpins, track rod ends and......

...ah fuck it. I have no enthusiasm right now.

Russ I may have fuck all to do Sunday so could help change the KP with you