1970 Citroen Mehari (U.S. spec, 3rd owner)
1970 Citroën Mehari
Rare 1970 U.S.-spec Citroen Mehari located in Meridian, Idaho, USA.I am Wally's son and an avid Mehari enthusiast. I was raised holding a flashlight in my dad's garage, working on all things A-series and D-series and reminding him that reading the repair manuals can be beneficial even if he's done a task before, and that doing so also does not rescind his status as the true King of all things Citroen. I am the third owner of this vehicle. Purchased from the 2nd owner in February 2019. We used it to tootle around the CA Bay Area to wineries, wife's barn, the beach, and down easy dirt fire roads to sight see and get fresh air during COVID pandemic. I bought this car after dad died to 1) obtain a distracting project, 2) avoid becoming an alcoholic (mission success), and 3) save money on whiskey (mission success but was quickly reminded Cit parts are more expensive than bourbon - my loss here will be your gain). I'm too busy being a dad now and cannot give this car the love it deserves, so sadly decided it's time for someone else to enjoy it.2nd owner had owned it for 20+ years and drove it to/from the local post office in California hills. 1st owner used it on a ranch in mid-west to haul hay. 1st owner backed a tractor and/or trailer into the rear hitch and/or sides (he then removed the sides, reinforced with plywood and fiberglass, and painted entire car except for front panel). 180+ photos of partial restoration process, and videos of it in operation can be found at links at bottom of listing. Please message me and I will provide my phone number. Happy to chat anytime, happy to facilitate visitors / test drives, happy to take more photos for you. I am an open book and will tell you anything you want to know. During my ownership I have:- Rebuilt engine: Short block sourced from a 2cv (external oil filter) that had < 100k miles (I don't remember exact mileage though). New cylinders/sleeves from overseas retailer (burton?). Heads rebuilt by my dad's machinist in mid-2000's (never used after), and then installed new valve seals by my machinist. Lapped the heads myself. New trans rear mount installed while engine was out. New bolts/hardware where possible / value-add. Cleaned/flushed oil cooler and oil piping for heads with alcohol / compressed air. New seals + sealed block seams with anaerobic auto sealant to prevent oil pathways in block from getting clogged with RTV, installed 123 ignition and adjusted timing (old solex carb ran a bit lean due to air leaks so I was conservative on the advance - you could probably increase it 1-2 degrees). Will give you my timing light because I won't need it anymore.- New clutch installed when rebuilt engine + trimmings. - Sorted entire braking system (except for most brake lines are still original). New wheel cylinders x4, new shoes x4, machinist skimmed front drums x2, new burton drums in rear x2, new seals where feasible access. - Sorted entire fuel system. Installed new mechanical fuel pump, new burton carburetor, new fuel filter, new electric fuel pump (as a backup for emergency use), new fuel lines throughout, dropped/cleaned/painted fuel tank, new fuel sender, new rubber fitting between tank and filler spout, new gas cap.- Sorted several minor electrical issues to improve turn signal and taillight operation, cleaned all electrical connectors / sanded corrosion off, and greased with dieletric grease, new battery, new regulator, installed shut off switch for battery power (used to park in car port / theft deterrent).- 4 new SKF wheel bearings installed.- New drivetrain CV boots installed (burton).- New exhaust system installed - from front to back: original header, new front box muffler, new connecting pipe to a new torpedo muffler, new hangers, new exhaust clamps (burton big boys / less finicky / helps guarantee no exhaust leaks)- New breather- New speedometer cable- New turn signal switch (toddler has since proceeded to snap the lever off, so am providing 1 more replacement turn signal switch for you from Mehari Club Cassis)- New rear shock absorbers (burton)- Greased spring pots with castor oil (knife edges need greased but no excessive wear)- 5 new Michelin 135 Mud+Snow tires- New rear seat wooden panel from Mehari Club Cassis + mounted original seat cushions with new snaps- New top / vinyl sides from Mehari Club Cassis- Repaired some cracking on the hood, and painted it + B pillars with rattle can primer, then a green color, then clear coat. Paint on hood has some rub marks from a car cover and could stand a refresh (in addition to redoing my crack repair - method I tried resulted in ugly bubbling, see the 180+ photos for commentary annotated on photo).- Entire body has typical cracks you'd see on any Mehari. - Comes with numerous Burton tools (brake centering, BFW for wheel hubs, bearing drifts, etc.)- Comes with numerous OEM and non-OEM spare parts (original Solex single barrel carb, old heads, U.S.-spec marker lenses, Mehari seat parts, reproduction U.S.-spec tailgate à la Cabezon Chuck, etc.- Comes with original U.S.-spec parts manual (very rare). - Comes with old canvas sides (5-6 total, if I recall correctly) but the plastic windows are not serviceable on those.- Folding windshield (fun on a warm summer day with the top down).- Seat belts! (front only)- Cold weather front bra thingy- Original skid plate (never used by me, easier to service the car that way)- I'm likely forgetting something. I spent a lot of money and time on this car. Ask my wife if you don't believe me. You'll get a stack of parts invoices/receipts also but I don't have time to add them all up. Known issues:- Trans has a very slow fluid drip. Nothing alarming / I keep a drip pan under it in the garage.- Car was backed into a wall or a trailer or something (rear hitch is bent upward a bit, and some noticeable road rash to the chassis rear beams or whatever they are called, though that is purely cosmetic / will not affect the function.- Body is fair but completely useable (had always planned to source reproduction panels from Cassis but never got to it)- Driver's side rear hub nut has a finicky thread (hub nut seats ok but would be easy to strip if you are careless replacing the hub nut). I sourced a die + die wrench with the correct thread pitch to clean up these threads, but never got around to it.- The lightbulb that illuminates the speedo cluster is missing. I removed it when troubleshooting a short and never replaced it because it is useless anyways.- Car has typical surface rust of a California coastal car but nothing structurally alarming. Rear swing arms show a good amount of surface rust but brake eccentrics adjusters turn freely.Transportation requirements on your end:- Car has clean Idaho title, but I had to swap/re-register the plate to another car so car is not currently registered. If you want to test drive or dolly it home (with rear wheels on the pavement) please let me know and I will go register it for you. Otherwise I won't.- Plan on receiving 3-4 of those black/yellow plastic totes full of parts/doo-dads that you will need to transport home with the car.180+ photos:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qHjULMvGe6SSZJKw-7K74qMhChovkpRf?usp=sharingVideos (filmed on a very cold day so keep that in mind):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlqIykcgb5s&t=38shttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/DyeJ4mKorGk
- Make: Citroën
- Model: Mehari
- Type: SUV
- Doors: 2
- Year: 1970
- Mileage: 73000
- VIN: CA2808
- Color: Green
- Engine size: 602cc 28hp boxer 2
- Number of cylinders: 2
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: 2WD
- Interior color: Black
- Drive side: Left-Hand Drive
- Safety options: Chains so you dont fall out, Folding windshield, Seat belts
- Vehicle Title: Clean Want to buy? Contact seller!
