My bodged Citroen BX 16v
Discussion
Shadow R1 said:
That's in the abandoned cars thread, claims to be a 16v 4x4.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'd love to say that Storer is the minority, but on the whole he's not. He's a pretty extreme example, as at most classic car shows the usual crowd would w
k themselves frothy over a mk1 Escort, but as far as the BX goes it's just a banger to most people. We give PH a bit of a bashing, but really it's brilliant. The range of cars in Readers Cars is great, and it's the only place I've ever met someone who owned a Nissan Cherry Turbo! Cars that normally don't get given the time of day because they weren't cool when they were new, or they're not cool now, regardless of how good a car they actually were. Or because they're British, regardless of how s
te a car they actually were. 
To most, the BX is s
te. Banger, French, ugly, unreliable, whatever. To a smaller collective, it's interesting and they like reading about interesting cars. To an even smaller group, it was actually a very good car back in the day. I think the likes of Practical Classics are sailing quite close to the shore with their definition of what a classic is. I wouldn't call an MG TF a classic, the oldest one is only 15 years old! But there's room for the concept of a 'modern classic', and the BX would fit comfortably into that group, in my opinion.
Doesn't bother me, it's my car and I like it
In other news, I found my Youtube password, so here's how the BX looks if you pull away like you just remembered you left the stove on:
https://youtu.be/sa_3AmtXm_0
https://youtu.be/sa_3AmtXm_0
Kitchski said:
In other news, I found my Youtube password, so here's how the BX looks if you pull away like you just remembered you left the stove on:
https://youtu.be/sa_3AmtXm_0
Blimey, some of your videos have had some views.https://youtu.be/sa_3AmtXm_0
I've always liked the BX, having encountered many as local taxis when they had the kind of spiral/rotary speedo behind the magnifying glass screen. A bit kind of "fish-eye" view on the speed.
My brother also had an early TDI estate and it really shifted compared to pretty much every company car he'd had before. It was probably only 90 bhp, but it really lifted its skirt and ran when it needed to.
My brother also had an early TDI estate and it really shifted compared to pretty much every company car he'd had before. It was probably only 90 bhp, but it really lifted its skirt and ran when it needed to.
Kitchski said:
I think the likes of Practical Classics are sailing quite close to the shore with their definition of what a classic is. I wouldn't call an MG TF a classic, the oldest one is only 15 years old! But there's room for the concept of a 'modern classic', and the BX would fit comfortably into that group, in my opinion.
I quite like the Practical Classics approach at the moment - a good variety of interesting cars at a variety of price points. The success of sites like Retro Rides would suggest that there's a good appetite for a 'modern classic' too. I'd rather read about a BX resto than another Mk1 Escort!Kitchski said:
Time for a quick update on the BX. Back on the road as of today, in preparation for a trip up to the Midlands Air Museum on Sunday along with my AX GT. Wife and all the kids in tow, family day out kind of thing. There will be some crossover with my other thread on the AX GT along the way, though it'll be less Marvel Cinematic Universe, and more amateur ste.
So how's the BX doing? Well, a few weeks back I had a Facebook message come through to tell me someone had seen it in Classic Car Weekly! indeed, they had:
Short story is I know the editor, and he put a request out on Facebook for cars to feature in that.....well, feature. Still, Shows the market is changing all the time, as it wasn't long ago BXs were scrap value. I paid just under £800 for BAH back in 2004, and it was strong money back then!
Yesterday and for a small portion of the afternoon today, I set about some quick jobs before its trip on Sunday. It's not just the Midlands, as next weekend I'll probably take it to Buckinghamshire for the last Citroen do of the year. Then, in October me and S10GTA are taking it to Paris to what is effectively Citroen's museum. I'm trying to squeeze some miles in as it hasn't done many this year, and if anything's about to let go, I'd rather it did it in the UK!
So first up it was onto the ramp:
While there, I switched the tidy(ish) wheels for the scabby spares I have, as the tyres on the tidy ones are 14 years old! They're cracking around the sidewalls, and have gone hard. I'm not up for the wife and kids travelling on them, so I switched for some fresher rubber on the scabby rims. Problem with that is that they're Toyo Proxes CF2, and anyone who's tried driving on CF2s in the wet will know they're bloody awful at it! But they will have to do.
I also sealed up an exhaust leak that's been an MoT advisory for the past 2-3 years, and did a general check over. And that's when my heart sank! I've known for some time that one day I will need to plough some time into the car, and each year I say this will be that year. And then each year, it isn't; I just whip it out of the garage, wind it up to 7000rpm occasionally and forget about the hole in the rear inner arch.
This time, I had a reality check. For the first time, it looks like it needs help:
It's not dead, or terminal, or anything dramatic like that. But it's enough to warrant some fairly heavy work. I've known this day was coming, so I can't say I'm too surprised. On the flipside, I felt sad when I saw it, almost emotional. Normally I just think "Oh bks" when I see something like that, but for this particular car, it's more than that. It's almost a part of me, and like a human it's almost vulnerable. It's not immortal, and the realisation of this is like a gut-punch. There are a few small holes, nothing dangerous but given time they'd become dangerous, and probably end the car. It's not as bad as my Dad's GT was (it had only just been MoT'd!) but it's bad enough to actually say this time "No, it's not going on the road next year."
So like an aircraft, a major is on the cards. There are a number of small jobs to be done, like fitting aircon, refurbishing subframes, renewing fuel hoses etc. Lots of jobs that would be better tackled while it's having a big one. And before that big one, I've got my Dad's GT to finish, the other red early BX to get ship shape (I'll use that to fill my BX void while the 16v is out of action), a Hillman Imp to design and fit a clutch for, a TVR S to fix loads of other bits on.....and a business to run/customer cars to sort.
Gets a bit overwhelming sometimes, but I think I must enjoy it in some small, masochistic way.
Today was better. Some little bits and bobs, like finally changing the locks over to the new set, so now I only have one key again. It means the original BX key is lost, as it's now on a Xantia/Saxo style blade, but those are a bit harder wearing and harder to bust open, so it makes sense:
I also changed the front speakers, which was something I'd been meaning to do for ages. The originals are components, and to be fair they were pretty good for the age/era. An ICE-loving guy I know once said they were pretty exotic given the car they were fitted to! But, I had some Fusion drivers kicking about and judging by the size of the magnets they were going to be much better!:
I can confirm they sound much better too. Still running standard tweeters, but the extra oomph from these has improved the sound a bit. It's still nothing special, but it's strong enough to crank it pretty loud without distortion.
Can ya tell?! ;hehe:
So we'll see how Sunday goes. Hopefully I'll have some cool pictures of the day to cheer myself up knowing that this is the last year it's on the road for what will realistically (because these things always happen like it) be about 2-3 years.
te.So how's the BX doing? Well, a few weeks back I had a Facebook message come through to tell me someone had seen it in Classic Car Weekly! indeed, they had:
Short story is I know the editor, and he put a request out on Facebook for cars to feature in that.....well, feature. Still, Shows the market is changing all the time, as it wasn't long ago BXs were scrap value. I paid just under £800 for BAH back in 2004, and it was strong money back then!
Yesterday and for a small portion of the afternoon today, I set about some quick jobs before its trip on Sunday. It's not just the Midlands, as next weekend I'll probably take it to Buckinghamshire for the last Citroen do of the year. Then, in October me and S10GTA are taking it to Paris to what is effectively Citroen's museum. I'm trying to squeeze some miles in as it hasn't done many this year, and if anything's about to let go, I'd rather it did it in the UK!
So first up it was onto the ramp:
While there, I switched the tidy(ish) wheels for the scabby spares I have, as the tyres on the tidy ones are 14 years old! They're cracking around the sidewalls, and have gone hard. I'm not up for the wife and kids travelling on them, so I switched for some fresher rubber on the scabby rims. Problem with that is that they're Toyo Proxes CF2, and anyone who's tried driving on CF2s in the wet will know they're bloody awful at it! But they will have to do.
I also sealed up an exhaust leak that's been an MoT advisory for the past 2-3 years, and did a general check over. And that's when my heart sank! I've known for some time that one day I will need to plough some time into the car, and each year I say this will be that year. And then each year, it isn't; I just whip it out of the garage, wind it up to 7000rpm occasionally and forget about the hole in the rear inner arch.
This time, I had a reality check. For the first time, it looks like it needs help:
It's not dead, or terminal, or anything dramatic like that. But it's enough to warrant some fairly heavy work. I've known this day was coming, so I can't say I'm too surprised. On the flipside, I felt sad when I saw it, almost emotional. Normally I just think "Oh b
ks" when I see something like that, but for this particular car, it's more than that. It's almost a part of me, and like a human it's almost vulnerable. It's not immortal, and the realisation of this is like a gut-punch. There are a few small holes, nothing dangerous but given time they'd become dangerous, and probably end the car. It's not as bad as my Dad's GT was (it had only just been MoT'd!) but it's bad enough to actually say this time "No, it's not going on the road next year."So like an aircraft, a major is on the cards. There are a number of small jobs to be done, like fitting aircon, refurbishing subframes, renewing fuel hoses etc. Lots of jobs that would be better tackled while it's having a big one. And before that big one, I've got my Dad's GT to finish, the other red early BX to get ship shape (I'll use that to fill my BX void while the 16v is out of action), a Hillman Imp to design and fit a clutch for, a TVR S to fix loads of other bits on.....and a business to run/customer cars to sort.
Gets a bit overwhelming sometimes, but I think I must enjoy it in some small, masochistic way.
Today was better. Some little bits and bobs, like finally changing the locks over to the new set, so now I only have one key again. It means the original BX key is lost, as it's now on a Xantia/Saxo style blade, but those are a bit harder wearing and harder to bust open, so it makes sense:
I also changed the front speakers, which was something I'd been meaning to do for ages. The originals are components, and to be fair they were pretty good for the age/era. An ICE-loving guy I know once said they were pretty exotic given the car they were fitted to! But, I had some Fusion drivers kicking about and judging by the size of the magnets they were going to be much better!:
I can confirm they sound much better too. Still running standard tweeters, but the extra oomph from these has improved the sound a bit. It's still nothing special, but it's strong enough to crank it pretty loud without distortion.
Can ya tell?! ;hehe:
So we'll see how Sunday goes. Hopefully I'll have some cool pictures of the day to cheer myself up knowing that this is the last year it's on the road for what will realistically (because these things always happen like it) be about 2-3 years.
If you're going to the Conservatoire Citroen in Aulnay-sous-Bois, make sure you book ahead. I tried calling and they were closed all through December and January - even stating that I had come from Australia. No exceptions!
http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
Rensko said:
If you're going to the Conservatoire Citroen in Aulnay-sous-Bois, make sure you book ahead. I tried calling and they were closed all through December and January - even stating that I had come from Australia. No exceptions!
http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
Cheers. It's all booked up, 20 of us from memory. Really looking forward to seeing it all.http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
Rensko said:
If you're going to the Conservatoire Citroen in Aulnay-sous-Bois, make sure you book ahead. I tried calling and they were closed all through December and January - even stating that I had come from Australia. No exceptions!
http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
Yeah as Si said it's all pre-booked etc. I'd like to see someone do it in a couple of hours from London though http://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/our-brand/h...
I have friends who have been and they say its pretty darn amazing. Well worth a visit. That said, the museum is only a couple hours drive from London, as opposed to a 23hr flight from where I am...
That heritage page has caused some controversy, seeing as they've omitted the DS and SM!
LouD86 said:
Looked good last night Kitch as I saw you leaving work for the week. I still love this car, I remember back in 2004/2005 when you took me out to show me how well it did. Was rather impressed then, you certainly steered it well. Nice to see it still being used 12 years later!
Cheers Lou, I actually spotted you this time! I've used it for most of the 12 years I've had it, though it's still only done about 30,000 miles in that time, mostly because I've got other cars I also drive. I drive it a bit slower now Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff