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Citroen HY van - used and abused


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I needed an antidote to all the chrome, candy and flake I've been using on my recent builds.

weathering makes a nice change from polishing. It was fun. I shall do more.

I wired the engine and detail painted it. I don't know why. It can't be seen, now the body is on. I just enjoy the whole process, I guess.

there's a bit of junk chucked in the back and in the cab and some delinquent garçons have tagged it, while it sat in a Paris suburb.

a while ago, the tail light lens was broken. The lens hasn't been replaced and a bare bulb now shows. A Gauloise was lit in its honour.

 The note on the windshield says they're at lunch,( which is from about 11am to 4:30 pm. Longer, if it's wet/cold/hot or a weekday.)

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1 hour ago, ddk said:

Great job ? looks a real one ? just a little thing, the note on the windshield must says "parti déjeuner" not "allé déjeuner" ?

Lol! Nice one! I'll change it.

that's google translations for you ?

 I didn't do very well with French at school. I was taught by a Glaswegian. Couldn't understand him when he spoke English, so no chance with French.

He made everything sound like a threat.! Happy days....we used to get the cane, too. 

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Watching your build at first it seemed almost like the weathering was getting to much. As the build progressed it really came out perfect . This makes me remember an old expression from the equine world. This looks like it "has been ridden hard and put away wet" referring to an uncared for horse.   

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19 hours ago, espo said:

Watching your build at first it seemed almost like the weathering was getting to much. As the build progressed it really came out perfect . This makes me remember an old expression from the equine world. This looks like it "has been ridden hard and put away wet" referring to an uncared for horse.   

Thanks Espo

yeah, these vans seem to have been abused by their owners and the elements. Online research shows nearly all restoration projects attacking huge swathes of rust. Some are now 99% weld.

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I have watched the UK based Wheeler Dealer  show on TV. When they were still filming in the UK they went to France and bought one of these. I never knew they existed, so it was interesting how they rebuilt theirs into what we here call a Food Truck. Your build looks very much like what they started with. Watching this build I learned some new techniques about this style of build, and thank you for that. 

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On 12/29/2019 at 9:41 AM, espo said:

I have watched the UK based Wheeler Dealer  show on TV. When they were still filming in the UK they went to France and bought one of these. I never knew they existed, so it was interesting how they rebuilt theirs into what we here call a Food Truck. Your build looks very much like what they started with. Watching this build I learned some new techniques about this style of build, and thank you for that. 

And I remember them saying that the truck's engine wasn't up to modern roads so they replaced it with a modern British Ford 4 cylinder.   I enjoyed that show!

There is a company in New Jersey importing and rebuilding these into food trucks and other business vehicles

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  • 8 months later...
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10 minutes ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Guy!

Absolutely convincing, bravo!

I was always curious about their use of "corrugated" steel on the body... Do you know why they designed it that way? Any technical rationale that I don't grasp?

CT

I believe it was a weight/cost saving measure. Its a much thinner guage of steel than other vehicles of the time.

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3 hours ago, stitchdup said:

I believe it was a weight/cost saving measure. Its a much thinner guage of steel than other vehicles of the time.

Hi Les!

Well, thank you. I makes perfect sense, since the French have always been obsessed with stretching the gas tank range as far as possible. I suspect that contrary to most US cars, the have no reinforcement panels behind the outer skin, thus reducing fabrication costs and weight. 

Regards,

CT

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