OP - Onions on SII XJ6 - Mopel onza

[Pillock]

 

 

Here's the advert. Words of warning or discouragment welcome.

 

 

I think you're confusing us with the MoneySavingExpert forum. Now get it flippin' bought.

[purplebargeken]

Rust, rust, rust, rust, rust.

 

Buy a dizzler R75 or MGZT, they iz kool!

[Timewaster]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

extend garage...................if it hasn't dissolved by now,   it's either been rust proofed to death, or lived in someone's front room............................

 

A couple of days after a mate moved into his new gaff, we spent an afternoon with bits of 4x2, a bag of nails and some roofing felt extending the garage 4" to squeeze his XJ40 inside.

That was 10 years ago and the XJ is long gone but there is still a lump on his garage.

[cort16]

I don't think the council would appreciate my modifications

[michael1703]

AEDs are shite, on the plus side you can lpg the twin carb fairly cheaply

 

Auto box can be a git, check the oil is red not black

 

Rear calipers and discs/pads, if they have knackered dust seals beware, it's a big job

 

The blocks rot, there's a long stud and short stud block,one rots like fuck,clean nice antifreeze would give more peace of mind under the rad cap than rusty water

 

Those tyres are pricey so hopefully they're in good nick

[twosmoke300]

Dont get me started on the rear brakes , just done a full brake overhaul on an xjs v12. Complete rear suspension out just to do a 2 hour job on any other car

[michael1703]

I've still got scar tissue from lifting mine

 

 

 

In for a penny...

 

 

[cort16]

Can I not just cut a hole in the boot, you know do it the proper way?

[twosmoke300]

Not on an xjs you cant anyway, fuel tank is in the way too

[Bren]

Not on an xjs you cant anyway, fuel tank is in the way too

Cut a hole in the fuel tank then.

 

Sorted.

[twosmoke300]

Actually just do it with the engine running , the suction would stop it leaking

[Timewaster]

Cut a hole in the fuel tank then.

 

Sorted.

Remember to weld the hole up nicely afterwards.

[cort16]

As is often the case I'm 5 inches short where it matters.

 

My Lockup 189 inches, the car is 194 inches long.

The SD1, which is a big car is 185

[Partridge]

Remember to weld the hole up nicely afterwards.

With the petrol in it. TOP TIP.

[michael1703]

With the petrol in it. TOP TIP.

Less vapour that way

[cort16]

Okay it looks like the Jag won't fit in my garage. A bit of a deal breaker as I don't want it sitting on my drive as I won't be able to sleep over the sound of it rusting.

Therefore I'm throwing it open to suggestions. Any idea?.  I've got about £2000 to spend. I might go a bit more for something spesh..

 

There's this super spud. I totally love them and they look amazing but I'm worried it might be a bit slow and fragile and I'll not get any bits for it and i'll be too fat to fit.

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/alfa-romeo/alfasud/alfa-romeo-alfasud-super-1978/2842216

 

 

Then.. Not normally a fan of the green blooded monsters but these S1 CX's are HOT... This one's in Glasgow and it looks to be nice and original

 

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C541799#

[forddeliveryboy]

Two lovely cars - buy both! A perfect contrast to each other.

 

I suppose you'll have to choose for how you'll use it, the Alfa is definitely the less strong of the two. Check its engine isn't beginning to show wear in the bottom end, it's not unknown. You need hot oil to be sure, chances are this owner will be totally honest if you ask. The 1300 is the sweetest Alfa boxer, it won't feel slow, or sound it. The lower tuned single carb engines can be more satisfying than their more tetchy brothers. I totally adored a tatty 1300 SudSprint, it was so refined. A fast 1500 Sud by comparison felt uncouth and was barely any quicker.

 

The headlamp 'upgrade' in the CX isn't. The single optic lamps are better, because their dipped beam is superb. It's more like the originals were crusty and twin-optic ones (think they're plastic reflectors - ugh) were to hand. Ask if the old ones are around, they can always be resilvered.

 

It should drive as straight as a plumb line, any steering pulling or chattering over ripples then walk away. Same goes for bent longerons or rot in the rear subframe. The little 2 litre Renault engines are slow in these heavy beasties, the 2.2 was much torquier. If you want to make the most of CX dynamics then you'd need a faster engine, but If you just want to waft then the little lump is economical. The Weber may make it more likeable. Citroën's pushrod lumps are much longer lasting, but 150-200k is quite possible with the PRV Douvrin.

 

A slower version really can feel and sound slow at 70 - the rest of the car devours everything you throw at it without effort no matter what the speed, but a low-power engine is often working hard and can stand out like a sore thumb with noise and vibration. I'd imagine this would be less of a problem on Scottish roads which are ime are fairly quiet and brisk, where conservation of momentum can be used more effectively. Hope you sort of get my drift. Lower-powered big Cits don't really shine on many English roads. Liking the genuine towbar, they're a neat (if over-engineered) design. Two massive tubes attach to the rear subframe to do the pulling, vertical loads are transferred through a couple of big rubber springs to the body part of the bar so there's way less jolting and jarring. 

 

Ask if you've any questions, I know both these models reasonably well. The engine condition is fairly critical in both - an Alfa without an engine on song is a tiresome thing, and a few horses missing from a Renner lump will make the CX feel glacial. They should both have the wow factor when you drive them, if they're as good as they look.

[nacho man]

I am pretty sure them 1.3's are about 65-70 ish bhp, so it won't be fast but I bet it would nip along nicely, I love cx's too but that Alfa is sooooooo cool.

[xtriple]

Had a few 'Suds bitd, and a fair few of them had worn bottom ends. Not uncommon at all. They do drive nicely though and sound great. Handbrake on the front wheels (?) and inboard discs (?) can be a bugger. I had a late 1.7 Sprint and it was terrific fun.

[forddeliveryboy]

^^ I tend to agree with this, provided you're not intending doing too many miles. The price seems keen-ish. Just make sure it's not getting ready for a new engine, brakes, dampers and the rest. They can cost shed loads all of a sudden, with little warning. If the current owner has driven it around its weaker spots (he'll know them all after 16 years) and you stretch it a little, there's a possibility of all sorts of stuff which has been lurking in the shadows coming to light. He does say he's selling it partly because of its 'advanced years'. I'm probably being pessimistic. Arrange a test-drive, hopefully you'll either love it or it'll leave you cool. Whereas the CX would leave you mystified, engaged and open-mouthed, whether it's a good'un or not.

[cort16]

This is my worry with the sud I don't have a lot of patience with fragile cars. . I don't want to be worrying every time I take it out. I'll not be using it daily but I'd like to drive it to glasgow once a week, which means a 30 mile drive on the motorway and some heavy traffic.

 

Are the lhm systems more or less complex than on say a bx? My previous experience with lhm filled cars hasn't been good but I imagine when it's going right it's pretty sweet. Also the cadburys interior is v nice .

[Rocket88]

Got a very straight Porsche 944 going for that kind of money..........

[forddeliveryboy]

LHM systems, pre the plaggy pumps and link rods (Xantias) are very long-lived and intrinsically highly reliable. Pumps last up to 600k, it's just the spring and damper spheres which need unscrewing and replacing every four years or so as they lose their Nitrogen gas. Twenty minutes for the front pair, maybe over an hour at the back. And a couple of accumulator spheres slightly less often.

 

It's similar to a BX, but with diravi steering which is effectively steer-by-wire, but using hydraulics. Difference being, everything is designed together - unlike the PSA cars which had the hydraulics grafted round a very conventional chassis. They work splendidly well, it's nothing like a BX or Xantia, no matter how good these are.

 

Deteriorating rubber return pipes may need a bit of loose change to replace them here and there, same for a cylinder gaiter. Keep an eye on the pipes, eventually there'll be one or two needing replacement which is all very straightfrowads - replace before it goes, as you would a conventional brake pipe.

 

To see how keen the owner is, ask him if he bled the (blind-ended) brake pipes, they're the only bits of line which aren't self-bleeding, obviously. If the ride isn't super-compliant, it's possible the height correctors have a bit of gunge in them (through lack of fluid changes down the years). Unlikely at that low mileage. Buying from someone who knows their Citroëns means the chances of things not having been done correctly are virtually zero.

 

I've run older CXs with massive mileages in the past, mechanically they've just carried on going, rust usually killed them. Last thing to give trouble is the hydraulics - they're not fitted with seals, so any small amounts of fluid getting past the pistons is simply returned to the reservoir - everything's got a boot round it. So as things wear, all that happens is a little bit more fluid gets recirculated and the car can take a few more seconds to rise up from the floor. But I'm talking here about cars with over 400,000 miles on.

[cort16]

That's a good write up ford deliveryboy thanks.

 

Ed5000 I really know nothing about them all I really know is potentially fragile engines and rust .

I'm not above a bit if tinkering or welding but I've got enough of that going on with the cortina I just want enjoy it .

 

The cx is close by so I can give it a good look over the sud not so much you're setting off on a journey With just the sellers word . You can of course just go home but it's a long way to go.

 

Colc the I don't really fancy a 944 unless it was a turbo or an s2.

[skattrd]

If you're looking for something a bit more usable than a sud can I suggest a Lancia. I've had several Betas & Themas and did a bit of mileage in all of them, I have yet had a "failure to proceed" in one. My current beta was unused for 6 months then covered 400 miles the weekend it came out of hibernation.

[forddeliveryboy]

My Alfas were always cars I'd take out for a drive or to whizz to the supermarket in on a late Spring evening, 20 fast miles away. Rarely for a commute. They're very good in snow, perhaps surprisingly. Not recommended, though. They bear virtually nothing in common with a modern one. From the era when they were known to have rotted away within the first two years, up here in the North.

 

You might want to re-read the last post I made, cort16 - I half rewrote it!

 

I'd use a CX as a daily car, no bother. The more they're used, the better they get. Just keep it off the road when the salt's down. Even then, they don't rot badly if protected.

 

Rear arm bearings are easier than on a 205 and they last ages and ages and ages unless you carry several tonnes in the boot, regularly. Which is possible with the estates. I see that one has had nipples fitted, for extra lube. He sounds like a died-in-the-wool Citroën man.

[cort16]

I've had 2 alfa's one was a 159 diesel and the other a 166 super lusso so nothing I can apply to a 70s sud.

[Cavcraft]

Probably all been said already buy they're an absolute bastard for rust. All XJs were, but for some reason the Mk2 seemed about the worst for it.

I'd get a Mk1 (unlikely to find a decent one now though that's cheap) or a Mk3 as they'll be cheaper and better.

[cort16]

I don't like the look of s3s I think the s2 is a total looker.

[forddeliveryboy]

P'rhaps find a 2 door coupe, I'd think that's shorter.