by George Dyke…..
In May of this year Citroënvie member Larry Lewis purchased a 1949 Traction Avant 11BL that had been sitting in a barn near Tilbury, Ontario. We went to get it on May 29 and dragged it back to Toronto. It had not run for at least a couple of years, according to the owner, as it had developed a starter motor issue. Overall the car was decent; a bit of rust in the rear, floors pretty solid as are the doors, interior tired, wind shield gasket shot, and new exterior trim pieces and tires required!
Back in Larry’s garage in Toronto, it took multiple wacks with a sledge hammer to beat the starter motor out of the bell housing!
You can view photos of picking up the Traction and the beginnings of the restoration process here:
Larry wanted to tackle another Traction project, having just sold a Traction Light 15 that he restored 10 years ago. (Originally found in a barn in Quebec’s Gatinau Hills. You can read about that adventure in the Fall 2005 issue of Citroënthusiast magazine.)
Very interesting and a detailed article, though I wonder about the procedure of removing of the starter motor, with a sledge hammer, I had a similar on a D engine , except I had used a hydraulic press and some WD40, much easier and smoother by comparison.