project (New) New minge-bag motoring - 1983 Citroen LNA 11E

[Largactil]

18 hours ago, hairnet said:

why did i look at that ad and think ritmo before i realised what it was

detail the alloys stat

roffle - fuk da' please take this

 

? - Any suggestions? I was thinking gold with black script?

(And are you coming over for Terenure this year? I'll be on the CCC stand for the first time in 4 years). 

 

[Largactil]

Decided to lower the tone of the Citroen stand at Terenure the other week -

This HONEY was on the stand - 

(So much want...)

LNA behaving well at the moment, but reckon the radiator fan has karcked it (bearing was hella noisy, and now can't hear it kicking in, so it's probably seized completely).

Bought a new modern, too - Wanted to scratch the V8 itch before we're all forced into hybrids, so figured a 5.5 litre would fit the bill. These W216 CL500 are practically worthless now, in the times of PCH /PCP, but someone paid £91k for it 12 years ago... I'm a bit in love - need to get a snap of it with the LNA, to demonstrate the ridiculousness of a 5+ metre long, 2 door car.

 

[wuvvum]

Ooft, that Panhard

[egg]

Your LNA is one of my fave cars on the forum.

That Panhard CD - aren't they worth an absolute fortune?

[wuvvum]

Yup - you're looking at 50K plus these days.  Not quite DS Chapron money but getting up there.

[Six-cylinder]

29 minutes ago, egg said:

Your LNA is one of my fave cars on the forum.

 

That's favouritism, what wrong with my LNA!

OK don't start a list we would be here all evening!

[hairnet]

Motor tax omg

18 mpg round the doors?

I wanted to do jcs in Holland or terenure but they're on the same weekend every year

But I'm going France tomorrow and Scottish Irish trip in two weeks so decided not to

[Largactil]

On 7/17/2019 at 11:57 PM, hairnet said:

Motor tax omg

18 mpg round the doors?

I wanted to do jcs in Holland or terenure but they're on the same weekend every year

But I'm going France tomorrow and Scottish Irish trip in two weeks so decided not to

16-18 mpg around town, but as high as 28 mpg on a sustained 70 mph M Way blezz...(!)

I'm coming round to the opinion that the Merc is defo Autoshite material - I was heading for the Cairnryan ferry to Belfast at the end of August, and it comprehensively shat itself in Glasgow city centre rush hour traffic.

***PING - "ABC Suspension Failure!!"

***PING - "Engine temperature high!!"

Power steering stops working - Feels like the steering lock has came on, trying to turn 255/35/20 tyres unassisted

***PING - "Battery low!!"

***PING- "Low coolant - Stop immediately!!"

I wacked the heater up full, before limping off the M8 sharpish and into a housing estate - Engine fans roaring. Stepped out to see a nice puddle of coolant forming under the OSF wheel.

Popped the bonnet to find this:

Yarbles. Great bolshy yarblockos.

Idler pulley had collapsed shredding the serpentine belt which ran the water pump / alternator / ABC pump / PS pump / AC compressor

Recovery was not the work of a moment - The car was sat on its bumpstops (hydraulic suspension, innit?!), so the AA had to dig out the kit they use to recover broken McLarens.

Repair actually wasn't too bad at a specialist - New pulley / belt / coolant was just over £200 including the dreaded.

Unfortunately the temporary lack of electricity has played havoc with the Logic 7 amplifier (the MOST loop detects an error on start up), meaning I have no sound for the stereo / phone / sat nav - The parking sensors are now also playing up, and like to randomly give the same ***PING when sat in heavy traffic, instantly making my arsehole twitch like a rabbits nose, based on the last rather stressful experience. Oh, and the electric wing mirrors have randomly stopped working too ?

It does scrub up well, so hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the above maladies (I have a laptop /MUX running the MB diagnostic software, so need to get around to plugging it in to see what the score is).

Considering I paid 8% of what it cost new, I mustn't grumble, I suppose.

Anyway, this means that the LNA is officially the most reliable car on the fleet - I investigated the banjaxed cooling fan, and found it to be totally seized.

Luckily I had a working spare from a Peugeot 104, so changed the connectors & fitted that and it all works fine.

Wirewheeled and primed up my Samba Grp B subframe

Then celebrated with a run North, to see another member of this parish

...and collect these honeys ?

I also had the 'hot' cam which came with my 8 Port Rallye head refurbed by Technoprofil in France, and that arrived back too

(Have a lead on the last few bits for my high-comp / Grp A 1360cc build, so need to get cracking with that soon).

Last job was to stick the original dealer plates on the car, and snap a few pics to send to the original owner who purchased it new:

While it's tucked up in the garage for Winter, it remains taxed / insured / NCT'd, so hopefully I'll get a few opportunities to drag it out if the weather holds ?

[hairnet]

craigavon bai?

[N Dentressangle]

Looks like you're a star on PH now:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1866412&i=0

You wonder why the replies to the thread who like old tat stay on PH. There are some decent people there, but the BMW etc twat count is high.

[binhoker668]

Totally agree with Egg.  Fave car on the forum I think!  Lovely wee car.  

[N Dentressangle]

Yep, I'd happily knock about in that. 

[Largactil]

Well spotted - A result of lockdown boredom on my part.

I've been a member of PH for almost 20 years; back to the days of 56k dial up interwebs and Petrol Ted.

Much like this place, it's changed a lot over time, but there's still a core of decent folks on there. I figured they'd be more interested in my modernish Vee 8 S Class Coupe thing, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they preferred the LNA.

I haven't done much with the LNA lately - I made another trip North to see Faker in mid-December and drop off some parts from the rotten Samba Cabrio I stripped.

For a car with its roots in the 1970's, it copes amazingly well with motorway driving, cruising at ~75 mph (Irish speed limit is 120 km/h). 

It then slumbered in the garage for 3 months on a battery conditioner, till I pulled it out in March, washed it and fired it up.

My lockdown list is to sort out a dent on the passenger door, wire a switch for the engine fan and try and tune the carb so that it hot starts a bit better.

The Samba cabrio rear arms need refurbished / fitted too, in order to fit the 6j wheels on the rear (they're slightly narrower and avoid the need to roll the rear arches).

[wuvvum]

I did find it coped remarkably well on the motorway - much higher gearing than other suitcase-engined Citroëns I've driven helps a lot with that.  Seats aren't the greatest in terms of back support though.

[St.Jude]

On 5/3/2020 at 5:50 PM, N Dentressangle said:

Looks like you're a star on PH now:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1866412&i=0

You wonder why the replies to the thread who like old tat stay on PH. There are some decent people there, but the BMW etc twat count is high.

Couldn't agree more. Last week's SOTW was a Toyota Corolla and it was only me sticking up for it. As most of the people there call it dull, and even then most of them only read/heard they're dull. And it's the same tossers who wonder why their wife ended up with the milkman. 

[wuvvum]

I had a Pistonheads SOTW once, when I was selling my slightly shonky Subaru SVX.

[Six-cylinder]

I have a Pistonheads ID but somehow while I have a E36 BMW M3 Evo it still dose not feel the right place for me, which is why I hang around here.

[Matty]

I fucking HATE the place. I only read the comments to get my heart rate up cos it's like exercising 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

On 5/3/2020 at 5:50 PM, N Dentressangle said:

Looks like you're a star on PH now:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1866412&i=0

You wonder why the replies to the thread who like old tat stay on PH. There are some decent people there, but the BMW etc twat count is high.

I think I still have a PH account, but I can't remember the log-in details....

[Largactil]

The LNA is departing soon for pastures new, so I decided to try and tackle the 'hot start issue', which has gradually become a 'hot start issue'.

First step was to have a look-see, at which point I noted the breather hose to the oil filler cap (situated directly above the plug holes) had popped off - Whether it resulted in the below is up for debate, but I'd be surprised if the stem seals all failed en-masse, especially as the car drives well enough.

New plugs fitted, I also fitted a new fuel pump - I'd replaced it before, when I bought the car from @wuvvum in 2014, but I'd made the rookie error of fitting some very cheap eBay tat. It appears to have lost all spring in its diaphragm, so hopefully the Valeo replacement will last a bit longer. Lastly, I fitted new ethanol-safe J30 R9 fuel hose along with a new in-line filter - I used thermal reflective sleeving in a vain attempt to protect them from under-bonnet temps, which do get high with the spare wheel stored on top of the engine.

(Yes; I do need to re-route the line further away from the alternator belt).

Seems much happier starting now, so long may that continue - The new owner may elect to fit an in-line electrical fuel pump / Filter King, which would probably be the best long term option.

Despite not using it quite as much as I'd hoped, I will miss it; it keeps pace fine with modern traffic, and its squishy ride is a world away from the modern shift to sports suspension & low profile rubber. There's something quite endearing about its face, being the runt of the 104 / Samba litter, and it offers an amusing 1970's driving experience for very little money.  

[hairnet]

are ya sacking off the merc and buying an allegro now?

p and t reno 4 van ftw

 

[Largactil]

The Merc left last October (£4.5k in running maintenance / repair costs in just over a year 🤣 )

Maybe I should just seek to blend in by buying an Irish staple - The roads are still infested with these if you head a couple of hours west (or south) of Dublin  😛

[wuvvum]

Isn't 2 hours south of Dublin "in the sea"?

Can't believe it's 7 years since you bought the LNA.  I did enjoy driving it - a 652cc version is still on the "list" one day.

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, Largactil said:

The Merc left last October (£4.5k in running maintenance / repair costs in just over a year 🤣 )

Maybe I should just seek to blend in by buying an Irish staple - The roads are still infested with these if you head a couple of hours west (or south) of Dublin  😛

corolla saloon or starlet surely

or avensis

[Spurious]

2 hours ago, Largactil said:

The Merc left last October (£4.5k in running maintenance / repair costs in just over a year 🤣 )

Maybe I should just seek to blend in by buying an Irish staple - The roads are still infested with these if you head a couple of hours west (or south) of Dublin  😛

My dad had two of these. Indestructible. 

When the apocalypse happens it'll be these an Carina Es that rule the roads. Midland Farmers loved the aul Carina E with the Liam Byrne engines. Usually with a square bale hanging out the back. 

[Largactil]

5 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Isn't 2 hours south of Dublin "in the sea"?

Can't believe it's 7 years since you bought the LNA.  I did enjoy driving it - a 652cc version is still on the "list" one day.

True - South-west might have been a better direction.

7 years have passed quickly - Still annoyed at myself for not using it as much as I'd hoped. I did have a reasonable excuse when it was in the UK and I was in Ireland (with no parking for it), but it's 4 years since I imported / registered it.

I think it falls down to my lack of faith in its ability to start - and I've a sinking feeling it was the rubbish £5 eBay fuel pump fitted by me back in 2014. (Although the starter solenoid did also jam at one point and the ground cable from the starter disintegrated).

If you have no confidence in a car's ability to at least start, you tend not to want to use it often, as it has potential to become a major hassle if you're just popping down the shops to grab a few things. (If I'd fitted an electric pump way back then, it might have been a different story).

I suppose I'd expected it to be more akin to the 1989 205 XE 954cc / 4 speed I bought when I lived in London - It was only 6 years younger, but I didn't think twice over whether it would start / get me to my destination, with it eventually making the return trip from NW6 to Stirling 6 times and from Stirling to Dublin and back fully loaded.

The LNA never left me stranded, but did require a fair bit of cajoling on a few occasions - i.e. I was at the head of a queue of cars about to disembark the ferry in Belfast and it wasn't playing ball in terms of starting initially, which certainly bumped up the blood pressure...!

 

 

[Faker]

On 10/13/2019 at 12:48 PM, Largactil said:

Last job was to stick the original dealer plates on the car, and snap a few pics to send to the original owner who purchased it new:

 ?

What a great little car

[egg]

Where's it going next?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

21 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Isn't 2 hours south of Dublin "in the sea"?...

Depends on how long it takes to get out of Dublin. The N11 was only free-flowing in parts.