WINGS-,BODYWORK, Damages og LAQUERwork, problems with it, and suggestions to solutions for
it?!
Many 2CV's drive around with damages, dents and rusty Wings.
In a way it is understandable. The 2CV is today one of the very few car constructions left, where the Wings are still placed on the outside of the car body. Most modern cars have them integrated in the body....and 2CV's today must be at least ten years or more?!
Hereof You can see, that we are dealing with a veteran in the car market.
The room for driver and passenger, is therefore accordingly narrower, and You feel that You come closer to Your Fellow citizen/partner in a 2CV. Quite simply said You are a little packed. Trying to change this in the Dyane, Ami, LN and Mehari put on the same mainframe, never gave the same popularity as the 2CV! So we have learned to live with it and perhaps even like it??!?
But the disadvantage is, that you under a backing manoeuvre fx. can be put in the situation where you overlook low poles, stones etc. and damage the rear wings. You so to speak forget that the car IS wider! That's why it is almost always the rear wings that get dents and damages??!
Rep. Suggestions to a damaged/dented wing
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A blacksmith knows, that if you are going to fix (deep) dents, then the dent must be pressed back the same way as it came! With this advice in mind, You start by pressing the dent out from the inside, With the HAND -! as much as can be done! (Wear evt. rubber-/working gloves?) Evt. lighter beats with the fist can be necessary. Are You lucky the dent has almost gone? Then it has been what you call a soft dent.
Is it Worse, you have fixed some of the dent but the remaining needs to be done with the help of tools.
Now first, You need the help of a hammer. Do you have a Camping-rubber-hammer? (Cheap!) This is the best in this situation! Else you need a smaller Blacksmiths hammer (One with a rounded head! Not the square headed type for a carpenter/Cabinet-maker!), and furthermore a somewhat bigger hammer. (In the lack of this a big Wooden block is suitable.) The bigger hammer COULD be a Carpenter shammer, a club hammer? Or the camping hammer again? The bigger hammer is held on the INNER site as a contra weight/Beating plate, While the smaller Blacksmiths hammer is working on the dent from the outside/inside... If the dent is getting too far...(REMEMBER!: many SMALL beats!?! (better than one BIG!?!)) the two hammers have to change places... You all the time try to avoid to make direct MARKS in the metal, ONLY to even an un-evenness/or dent...!...That's the point...
When you are not able to come any closer... The working spot is scrubbed with the metal brush on the drilling machine.. afterwards it is refined with some sandpaper, preferably emery cloth. Evt. Water resistant grinding paper (The Coarser types first!). Is the metal cleaned now, you'll have to paint the spot with some anti rust paint within 10-15 sek. (to avoid OXIDIZING of the metal!) For example COLD galvanizing (A paint that IS!)= ("Galvafroid"?, A somewhat expensive paint but GOOD)! Or the cheaper "Corrostabil"/"Rust-Minus" or something alike.
These primers are NOT watertight! You can therefore NOT drive around with them, only, in rainy or dim weather conditions!! The Rust will then at once start to come again in the repaired spot UNDER the primer!! That's why You have to paint in a short time after the priming. (An exception to this procedure is the Cold galvanizing. Here you CAN drive around in rain and snow! Two layers is sufficient... You donot need paint on top of it!! But IF you want to paint it, you on the contrary have to wait for about 8 days!!) REmember ALWAYS de greasing before painting! Now You can go on evt. using a "Filling FULL"/"Paint-in-between paint" or alike. The Paint you use here is NOT critical. A spray from a supermarket/Store, or the paint dealers is ok. (Preferable though, one close to the finishing color or grey/white).
Now you are able to see the last small irregularities and very small dents. These can then be filled with an oil filling mass, Plastic padding or similar. Make your filling work as smooth as possible! Then you will not have to grind as much afterwards! And You'll get a nicer result - Again you end it all giving some kind of paint. When this is dry you water grind it with a paper 120 or finer (ex. 200)?- (course knobs from the filling is removed by the help of coarser paper./emery cloth/a file??)
Have you succeeded in doing this work fine, you are ready for the final spraying.
Now you can choose to drive with this spot evt. in a wrong colour,- it IS somehow better than rust or dents?! §:-)) But at Your Citroên dealers you can get the original colour in a spray if you prefer that. (about 5£) Rather expensive, but if You used the inexpensive paint for the preparing job it is not that bad §:-))
So You can now finish the job in the correct colour- (You'll find the code for it on the torpedo under the bonnet written in black at the left side. Something saying fx: EVPdS or alike
Have you got dust or very small knobs in the lacquer, you'll need some polishing paste.("rubbing"), "Slipol", "Autosol"-tube or so and a cloth. You'll get a high Glossy surface you can treat just like the rest of your car.....! §:-))) Finito!
If You have done your work well, and not made it in not too damp/or cold surroundings this will last as good as the original layer of lacquer! Sometimes better!! §:-))
One thing you HAVE to remember too: that is the INNER SITE! Here you prime too. Paint/spray with a black paint! And finish with a layer of thin anti rust protection (pava/tectyl) (Spray?) and a layer of "Body safe" (A harder stone protection layer!) (This is yet merely for the Wings of course. Not necessarily for doors, body and so on....)
Again, there is one more thing!: Be sure your mud pads are all right!!! They protect your mainframe and the rear wing from beating small-stones and sand/(salt?)!
The rear wing especially needs an extra attention from THE INNER SITE!!! Here it receives salt/mud and small stones beating all the time under the driving. You CAN get inner wings made from fibre glass/plastic! But it is cheaper to seal the body/wing connection with a body-putty from within and then spray first with the thin anti rust protection and then the more sturdy type "BODY safe"....Then the rust will not come from the inside!
Everything here mentioned is best carried out on a summers day. But an indoor heated carport/garage/shed, even made by a tarpaulin/plast-hut, or alike will do!! §:-))
Good luck with YOUR 2CV. :-)) From Steffen.
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Write me!!?!.. standers@image.dk ..It could be I was able to help? (But remember I'm a bloody amateur not a professional §:-))