To add to the pain ,when we US citizen visit Canada there is a special desk at the border crossing that reimburse these taxes upon submitting the receipts. I'm sorry Rebel, but it's cash back in the pocket. I have to admit these two taxes are insanely expensive. Did'nt they give them each the name of the politicians that instituted these taxes. I once ate in a Ottawa restaurant and the waitress wrote on the bill these two names instead of GST and PST. A bas les impots!

Be thankful it was Ottawa and not Montreal - in Quebec it is not customary to tip - it is mandatory - because the government in Quebec takes an estimated income tax from waiters, bartenders, waitress, etc - so if you do not tip that is income to them because their employers are also permitted to pay them BELOW minumum wage because they are tip earners (those jobs obviously suck to have in La Belle Provence). So just in case you visit Montreal or anywhere else in Quebec part of Canada just remember to tip - basically the same amount as the tax 15% (ouch). However to compensate for it, Montreal does have very very excellent restaurants, bars, clubs, etc...

And all this brings us back to the fact that George is very cleaver to barter his skills in exchange for shop time and tools - and therefore dodging the entire cash grab of the various governing bodies.

In the US, you need to tip the wait staff too, because they make very very low wages because they get tips. If you don't tip, ouch.

Speaking about tips - I dont remember which of the Carolinas I was driving through in 1985 but I was at a small mom n pop restaurant and after my meal I left a tip and went out of the restaurant and the waitress came out the door after me to tell me that I had forgotten my change. lol She was floored when I said it was a tip because that was not 'normal'. Quite a while later on my way back north I went at the same restaurant and she even remembered me and treated me like I was someone famous or something.
But yes, now you have to tip because people waiting have troubles with low low wages. I always keep that in mind. Even if they seem to be a little off mood I leave a fair tip (and a good tip if I enjoyed the service)

Surely it would be simpler for them to just get paid a decent amount and not need tips?

I was expecting mobyletting to be expensive but this is mad! £100 on the mobylette, £70 worth of repairs, £50 for a license, £100 for CBT, £30 for MOT God knows how much for insurance, they can't even give me a quote until I'm 16, but over £200 by the looks of it (+ about £20 phone bill for the insurance people listening to 'soothing music' and 'profound thanks for my paitence') Then I need the helmet, the fuel, other equipment, change of tires sometime soon - what will the 2cv be like?!

Anyway, Use of the lathe at school is fine, can anyone tell me the minimum thickness of the discs or other important information about them? (Duralinox...? )

Also, for the bonnet hinge, say, I was going to spot weld it on with my mig, as seam welding would apparently lead to distortion, but that leave the edges exposed for rust etc. would just some fillery type stuff do the trick or is there some special gooey stuff I should use?

Thanks all!

P.S. What happened to the forum?! Can I help in any way?

Hello gas mark 5!

Have you got the Haynes manual yet?
If not, let me know, and I'll look up the disc thickness in mine.

The bonnet hinge is spotwelded on, please do not seam weld it all the way, it will break!
The gap between the hinge and the body on top of it, was sealed with some black sealent, that's all.

It might be impossible, but if you can lay your hands on a set of handbreak levers from a Citroen GSA, it would be much easyer for you to adjust the handbrake.

Hello
The only reason I use Gas Mark 5 is because no one else ever uses it so I can have the same details for every internet thing...and even then I don't remember my password!
I have got a haynes manual, I was just looking in the wrong place
Minimum thickness after grinding 4mm
Maximum run-out 0.2mm?
Whats run-out?
Thanks for that Apparently the whole car flexes when driving, is that why seam welds are bad?
The handbrake seems pretty good actually, begins to bite a 4 notches, full on at 7? I'll keep my eye out anyway
Would you recommend "How to restore a 2cv" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Restore-Cit ... 926&sr=1-1) as a useful investment, or will it just tell me the information I'm getting for free here?
Thanks all

George

Hi George!
Well, I use duralinox 'cos my Panhard is made of aluminium with 6% magnesium, and that is called duralinox, and noone else uses that name.

Run-out is the amount the disc warps sideways.

Yep, the car flexes, and are buildt to flex!
But I was warned once by someone who had done far more 2cv's than me, and they told me they had seen people weld it to much, and the body cracked.
If you weld in a new piece, you weld it fully of cause, but if you get to where it originally was spotwelded, you do the same.

Nice to hear your handbrake works well, but if you use it a lot, it will often have to be adjusted, and by putting GSA arms on it, it makes it much easyer.
I humbly admit it was my own invention, made in a bright moment!

I don't know the book you mention, but if you think it could help you, it would be a good thing to have.

I had a customer once, who had clearly labelled the lever operating the amount of heat coming in the car with "cold" at one side, and "VERY cold" on the other!

Hahaha old Roy has a Commer caravan and he has the DEMISTER relabelled as RE-MISTER (they are notorious for the windshreens misting up for those who do not know about vintage Brit vehicles)


Do not seam weld the chassis - we completely seamed a 1963 Alfa Spyder for racing and it put the geometery of the front end off because it removed the flex which the engineers had accounted for... we also had cracks appear in the strangest of places during the season...

Mwuhahahahah!

One disc and calliper off, too tired to start on the other one.

This one doesn't look too bad actually, where the pad rubs is fairly clean, all around is rust though. Would this be a case for the magic un-rustify stuff, just to stop bits flaking off etc. or some paint or something???
Also, looking at the callipers, I can see how the handbrake one goes, but where is the piston and cylinder for the foot brake?! Call me stupid but I can't find it anywhere
Behind the pads is a sort of hole, I can't see any moving parts of any description...
Whilst the disc is off, would it be worth looking at the bendy joint thing and all that lot?

Re-mister, VERY cold! Brilliant!
Way to go before I'm at that stage, but doing this has made me feel like I've actually started work on it And I'm getting lots of admiring glances from the neighbours which is satisfying.
Thanks again everyone

George

P.S. Subscribed to 2cvgb for my birthday Other than that hopefully my presents will include a mobylette MOT, a CBT, a license, some tax and insurance

Couple more pics;

Great pics George.
I used to paint the rotors of the Alfas with silver heat resistant paint made for Barbeques. Well they say it was supposed to be silver but it is more like a shiney grey metal flake. Anyhow just on the parts where there is no brake pad contact needs to have some protection. Also we cleaned it well with rubbing alcohol after wire brushing to make sure there was no moisture before giving the squirt of paint.
That hole thing behind the pads is the piston for the hydraulic part of the brake I believe. You may have to work the pistons a bit if it has been sitting. You can use a butterfly hone or get a brake hone if there is any marks or shadows on the wall of the brake cylinder. To wet the hone I use previously enjoyed brake fluid. Word of caution - do not get brake fluid on any painted surface that you wish to keep painted - it is an excellent paint remover and I have enev burned my fingerprints into some nice paint jobs by accident so be careful.


I an glad the neighbours are encouraging you on this. If you lived round the corner from us you would probably never get rid of me I would want to play on the 2CV all the time.


O and HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE

Thank you!

Yes that is the piston, one can see the line now I've cleaned it up. Just me being very dense!
The Haynes manual (I hold far too much faith in it!) says to use compressed air to blow the pistons out, then clean with petrol or LHM fluid and replace the seals on the piston every time it's dismantled, are new seals really necessary? Can LHM fluid be got from any car shoppy place?

I was thinking of changing condenser, plugs, points etc. etc. whilst it's all open, and keeping the original ones as spares, are there any other things it would be worth doing to engine/gearbox sort of area now it's all opened up?

Is there any need to replace the brake fluid if it looks all right? I'm adverse to buying anything that is not strictly necessary

One last thing, for the bulkhead, where it is rusted around the edges, should I just cut out the rust and weld (Spot not seam! ) a new patch in, and if so should it overlap the existing metal, or fit snugly inside, and what sort of goo should I put around it (ie. filler, some form of sealant etc. ?)

Thanks

Brake fluid is hygroscopic - it attracts water and holds it - so if you are going to put fresh fluid in the system that would protect from trouble later on. The fluid must have the risk of having some water content by now so yes it is a good idea.
New seals are a good idea only because you need to rely on brakes - skimp on somewhere else except tyres - well you do not need tyres yet but anyhow I will give you heck if you skimp on them later or take short cuts on the steering... logical warnings.
The bulkhead you can fashion it to fit as nice as possible then tack it in and use sone undercoat tar or caulking on all the seams. Brush on paint primer is less expensive then spray can or primer made for spraying with a gun. Brush on is thicker so it will be a primer surfacer filler all in one.

Brake fluid on this car is LHM, same as used on the Citroens with hydraulic suspension, and is NOT hygroscopic, and has nothing to do with normal brake fluid.
But if you have removed the front calipers, my guess is you have lost most of the fluid anyway!
It takes half a liter in the system, and about the same amount to bleed, so please don't save money on this one!
Cannot stop wondering why you have taken them apart?
The calipers sit nice an dry at the gearbox, and are seldom at fault.
The metal piece on the left caliper in you picture is for locking the bolts that holds the caliper in place at the gearbox, it is not to be mounted between the caliper halves.
You need now to replace the small rubber o-ring that sits between the two caliper parts, and the litlle piece of tubing that is situated in the hole where said rubberrings are. That tube seems to be missing in the pic?