-
I'm sure veLLo's Dad was right to think he would have been better off with the 602 engine - even thirty years ago the 425 woud have struggled to keep up with the traffic. The disc brakes which normally go with the bigger engine (although not on Citron's car apparently) are a definite improvement, especially from the servicing point of view.
I had the chassis collapse problem after I'd owned the car a couple of years. I helped an expert change it - he started on a Friday evening and I drove the finished job out of the workshop about 6pm the next day - there were no teething problems. My expert said he'd done this job about a hundred times up till that point. My 'new' chassis is an early pattern version - it's galvanised and is said to have had two other bodies on it before mine!
clubman-
The disc brakes came along in 1981 and are certainly better and easier to replace, although the drums are fine they can be a pain to change and set up and I have seen it said that the handbrake is better on drums.
I am still on the original chassis which has had some work, the chassis on the 70s and earlier cars don't seem to suffer as much as the more modern ones.
citron
This is looking really promising! My parents 2CV4 was the same color (my dad was complaining the 4 wasn't powerful enough and regretted not having a 6).
He sold the car to a colleague who, many years later, had the chassis collapse under him one morning as he was turning the engine on to go to work!