Hallelujah, the 2CV just became immortal

"tapzz" (tapzz) 04/29/2015 at 19:14 • Filed to: 2CV, Citroën

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Like the original Ford Mustang, Ford Model A, MG B, VW Beetle, Mini and its brother the Méhari before it, the availability of brand new Citroën 2CV body shells means that no tin snail needs to die anymore.

I’m not sure who makes them, but all the parts shops have them now: zinc plated, all new and allegedly made from slightly thicker steel than the original spec. That last thing’s not difficult, the OEM sheetmetal was very thin. The new shells are for the final, 1974 on 2CV6 model, so if you have a Chris Harris style ripple bonnet, you need to remain careful with that body.

Since all other parts of the 2CV have long been available, it raises an intriguing possibility: new Tin Snails. Sure enough, the outfits who cottoned on to that trick a couple of years back when new Méhari plastic bodies became available, now offer ‘new’ 2CVs. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The ‘new’ quotation marks are important for our US based brethren: if you can find the VIN plate of an old wreck, you can completely legally have a new 2CV in the Land of the Brave too.

Not that you’d need to order a ready built one, of course. The nice thing about the umbrella on wheels is that it is the simplest thing you can call a car. It was designed to be built by brutes –production panel gap tolerances: 1cm–, operated by peasants and maintained by the village blacksmith. I rather fancy building one myself, in other words.

If the thicker steel and zincor plating isn’t good enough for you, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! will do you a complete galvanised one. They also galvanise pretty much all other steel parts, which is to say the whole damned thing minus roof, tyres and seat upholstery.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offer their own takes on the new shell with modern epoxy primers.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for those who hang that way.

(Photo credits: ECAS)

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > tapzz 04/29/2015 at 19:24

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....this body with a VW bug engine.... cause.....why not?

tapzz > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/29/2015 at 19:37

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Too large and not powerful enough, I suspect. With a bit of bodywork munging, you can shovel in Subaru Impreza and Citroën GS flat fours, though. It’s been done.

Personally, I think it’s missing the point a bit –a 2CV is the Zen of Slow–, but since we can all get new ones, have at it. Why not, indeed?

PS9 > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/29/2015 at 19:42

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You’re not thinking big enough.

...either that or you don’t wanna die.

SlickMcRick > tapzz 04/29/2015 at 19:43

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Look at that B-Pillar. That’s what I call a life saver right there. I knew the thick pillars in todays cars were overkill.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > PS9 04/29/2015 at 19:47

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Something the frame would actually have a chance of holding would be preferable.

tapzz > SlickMcRick 04/29/2015 at 19:47

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Getting t-boned in one of these is not advised. Other than that: *gallic shrug* its life, no?

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > tapzz 04/29/2015 at 19:48

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This si a stupid question, but I’ve seen exactly one of those in the wild. Were they rear engined?

tapzz > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/29/2015 at 19:56

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Nope: air cooled two cylinder, in the front. You can’t see much of it, since it has extensive air ducting around it. Tiny, light, and a very low centre of gravity. So simple, it doesn’t even have a proper distributor, heater core or head gaskets.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > tapzz 04/29/2015 at 20:05

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Might not be a bad base to build an interesting electric car from.

tapzz > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/29/2015 at 20:11

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You’re not wrong- I know of at least three different companies who offer them! There’s even a kit

Frank Grimes > tapzz 04/29/2015 at 20:28

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would be cool to build one. I would use a motorcycle engine.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/29/2015 at 20:30

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Makes me wonder - has anyone done a Hyabusa swap into one?

tapzz > Frank Grimes 04/29/2015 at 20:40

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Citroën would too- the original engine is to all intents and purposes a motorcycle engine. When designing the 2CV’s engine in the late ‘30s, Walter Becchia had a very close look indeed at contemporary BMW boxers. That does mean that swapping in a modern BMW boxer looks deceptively straightforward:

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Frank Grimes 04/29/2015 at 21:54

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Throw a Ninja H2 motor in there for lulz

Frank Grimes > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) 04/29/2015 at 22:53

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haha or a harley v twin. or bmw boxer!

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2015 at 23:40

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If you can imagine it, it has been done .

pip bip - choose Corrour > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 04/30/2015 at 05:54

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ls swap into a 2CV

Dr. Strangegun > Frank Grimes 05/20/2015 at 08:45

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Whatever goes in needs to be short and flat.

Laying of the hands and installation of a newer KTM 650cc single ought to do it. 60+ horsepower in a “Un Chevaux” that would then also be lighter than stock ‘cause that single can’t weight more than 60lb... but weirdness might have to happen to accommodate the transmission, stuff like a chain/belt driven differential in a cage subframe tied to the KTM trans.

Or turn the single sideways and adapt it to a “normal” FWD trans from something tiny and convert the whole shebang to transverse mount. Shouldn’t be a big issue spacewise on a single, the width of the trans case would probably be wider, but for equal length shafts you could end up with the engine hung way over on the passenger side...

Dr. Strangegun > tapzz 05/20/2015 at 08:48

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If a car could be small enough that a t-bone accident means the other car strikes yours solidly on that side’s wheels... or at least on one or both cabin firewall structures, don’t think intrusion’s a problem.

Not sticking your head through a closed side window becomes more of an issue.

tapzz > Dr. Strangegun 05/20/2015 at 09:05

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Heh. As long as there isn’t something solid right outside that window, you’d be OK in a 2CV- the doors are just flappy, bendy, flat sheets of thin gauge steel.