dean36014 Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Well the German batmobile, check the reg, is on the road and doing some impressive mpg on gas. Eleven quids worth of gas and a couple of quid of petrol managed 135 miles. Not bad for a 1.8 petrol automatic. It's not as slow as I'd imagined either. Still some issues to sort out, airbag light on due to a school boy error on my part replacing the indicator stalk and an abs light too. Abs works perfectly though and my fault code reader won't communicate due to it being pre obd. The workshop lads at work tried a top of the line snap on unit and also the workshops own mega expensive thing with no joy. I need to order a disc from somewhere to get communication with it, more research needed. It's a great place to be though and completely rust free underneath and in the usual c class areas like spring perches. Fitted a second hand rear bumper as the original was damaged, need to get it painted correct colour at some point. I replaced everything I could find that needed doing before it hit the road so hopefully the mot in June should go ok. Looking resplendent at Aldi.First Citroen show next weekend, the x rally near Grantham. The bumper strips are a right mess on Shonky so invested in some of eBay's finest* fake chrome strip. Did the bumpers and used some wider strip down the sides, annoying I'm short to finish the passenger side and had to order more. Personally I love a bit of chrome and think it looks ok against the white paintwork. No doubt it will divide opinion but my car, my way. Sent from my TA-1012 using Tapatalk RayMK, Shep Shepherd, Six-cylinder and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 The Merc has hinted at Rickover on lpg since I've bought it. I fitted expensive lpg spark plugs, no improvement, extremely expensive 10mm plug leads, nope. So today I've had another good look at it all. Google revealed the installation instructions and I had something I hadn't noticed before. There's a pipe that comes out the centre off the vapouriser that didn't look right. I traced it down into the inner wing where it look like it had snapped in half. Hunting around underneath and I couldn't find the other half off the pipe anywhere. The instructions said it was a map vacumn pipe and should be attached to the inlet manifold. I checked all the pipes on there and there was no sign off this pipe. But there was a spare taping on the inlet manifold with a blanking sleeve on. Now unfortunately I don't have any vacumn pipe in stock so I puzzled what I could test the theory with. I had a large enough length of thin wall washer tubing that would be long enough but I was worried in would just flatten with the vacuum. Then I had a Eureka moment, brake pipe! A length off pipe was cut to size and fitted round the engine bay with a small bit of washer tubing each end to connect to the stubs. Remember this is only to test the theory and I will get some proper pipe in the future. Started it up, let it switch to log and bingo, a lovely smooth tickover at last. Took it for a test run and no more surging at low revs or stalling at junctions. Pretty damn chuffed with that, will run it for a few days and then order some new pipe. Buoyed with that success I changed the drivers door check strap that was broken with a replacement I got from eBay even in the correct colour. I've ordered a new diaphragm kit for the vapouriser as it looks like it's original and never been changed.Admire my quick bodge, almost factory Sent from my TA-1012 using Tapatalk Supernaut, Six-cylinder, Saabnut and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 Week off work so time to do a bit on the XM. Just a small rust bubble on the sill revealed structural body sealant. Lots of poking and then angle grinder action revealed solid metal to weld to. Luckily the inner sill is all solid as is the jacking point. Best get making some repair panels then Sent from my TA-1012 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 All welded up and just needs stone chipping and blowing in with an aerosol. Typically after struggling with the welder, the wire ran out and the new one wouldn't feed through the gun. After stripping and cleaning out the gun the damn thing welds lovely again. Not sure if it was the new wire or the cleaning out of the gun itself. Just the whole to sort out under the floor now. Sent from my TA-1012 using Tapatalk Saabnut, DSdriver and Six-cylinder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bezzabsa Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 wondered where the green beasty had gone - I imagined the Caravan dwellers had 'borrowed it' after the window got put through...glad to see it still lives (i'm about 2 mins from where it was parked) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 I hoping to get it in for a mot next month. Can't wait to get it on the road again. It is a bit of a nightmare though as it's too big to fit on the drive and getting it into the tent at the bottom of the garden is interesting due to the narrow rear Access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripped fred Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 I had a BX14RE in white. Sold mine as the clutch was going, around 1998. I love the styling. Looks even more futuristic now I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 The bx14 st Tropez is next inline for welding after I get the XM mot'ed. Oh and need to mot the Merc and Shonky the bx next month too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richykitchy Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 I spotted H232 EVC had been scrapped earlier! Is that right? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share Posted July 30, 2020 I hope not. However the alledged car restorer who bought it off me instantly tried to flip it on eBay and made a 50 quid profit. The person who then brought it off eBay was one of the people who contacted me to buy it when I was selling it and didn't turn up. He then messaged me wanting to know why the suspension wouldn't lift. Turns out whoever delivered it mullered the subframe and suspension pipes getting it on or off his truck. I then lost touch with it. Will be a crying shame if it's been scrapped as the bodywork was near mint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richykitchy Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 Sounds like it is, then. All these idiots buying BXs to 'flip' them are killing decent cars through their own ignorance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidel_Kakao Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 How's my old XM Dean? I wouldn't have another as the fear of it breaking it would have gotten to me eventually but I do miss the big old green monster. DSdriver 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted August 2, 2020 Author Share Posted August 2, 2020 The xm was passed onto someone on here. I did most the welding, fitted a new alternator and repaired the theft damage. Health got on top of me and reduced the fleet to manageable numbers. Heidel_Kakao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidel_Kakao Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 Ah right, I just found the sale thread and @skattrd had it, so along with the Impreza he has had at least two of my old estates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 22 hours ago, richykitchy said: ....All these idiots buying BXs random old cars to 'flip' them are killing decent cars through their own ignorance. EFA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSdriver Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 On the MOT checker the green XM expired in 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 Well a little update. Current fleet consists of two c15's, one bx tgd and the zx diesel auto estate. Bx was recently dragged out of storage where I put it as it appeared to be suffering head gasket issues. Two sniffer tests done, passed with flying colours. Mmmm, so maybe I won't be ripping the cylinder head off. So I've took the rad out and flushed it numerous times and it's flowing perfect and clean. Replaced the main hoses with a silicone set I'd bought ages ago. All refitted and seems to be running fine now. Changed the rear bumper to the correct style one and put a proper towbar on it I collected from France a few years back. Whilst the bumper was off I attended to a dent it the rear panel that stopped the bumper sitting correctly. Back end now looks so much better. Need to find an excuse to go for a good drive and see if it is now properly fixed. The zx estate plods along nicely and sedately. Going in for a mot on Thursday as it's on a covid extension. Was supposed to be going over to France in it this year but currently I've had to cancel it twice due to covid. The second c15 was purchased earlier this year originally as a parts van for the first. Investigation has revealed that it's a much better example than the original one so a budget restoration is planned to turn it into a French style Citroen service van. The original c15 has had a number plate change to something older as it annoyed me by being far to new! It's now gracing a P plate which looks far better. It's my daily motor, scruffy but solid....or so I thought ?. So this weekend I wanted to temporary fit another driver side door so I could rebuild the rusty original. Whipped the door off and the had a little scrape of a rust spot on the door step. This quickly went into a hole so I got the grinder out and cut it out to repair. It's here it all went wrong as I decided to look inside the sill and discovered someone had been creative with aluminium mesh and filler. So out with the grinder and started cutting back to solid metal, it took a while to find some! So after some metal work and lots of welding it ended up like this. And then finally got the door fitted. Driveway looks nice at the moment though. Saabnut, Floatylight, Coprolalia and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 Time for an update on this. Current fleet is shonky the bx, currently on restricted duties due to a poorly head gasket. Zx auto estate, plodding along slowly and in rude health. C15 van, just had a new sill on the nearside and various other bits of welding and being prepped for a budget respray. Finally the Vel satis of many shitters. Only had this a couple of weeks and done 800 miles in it so far. Managed to cure the low screen wash warnings by unplugging the sensor and working my way through destickying the interior plastics. Last weekend I went to Plymouth to collect a visa valence, and today I went to chesterfield to collect slot mags for the van. Then home via Wellingborough to drop some bits of at friends. Have some random photos off my phone, no doubt they will be every which way but correctly up puddlethumper, Dan_ZTT, Coprolalia and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrett Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 I've always wanted to make a Pignose C15! What are the chances of finding a pair of Visa wings for it to complete the look? Fumbler 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted May 9, 2021 Author Share Posted May 9, 2021 Two brand new ones on eBay. Unfortunately being a van it has the wider track front end so the wheels would stick out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 Van has one side now all in primer and the sill all stone chipped. Needs blocking down but will get whole van in primer first Scored a cheap replacement grill for the Vel satis and a trim clips so the front end is now properly held together. Trying to find the source of the oil leak on top of the rocker cover. Replaced a few knackered breather hoses and put a new seal on the oil filler cap. Need to get brave and pressure wash the engine. I'm suspecting it's because the engine is breathing quite heavily. Still drives lovely though. Fumbler, Dan_ZTT, Mrs6C and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 Been assembling the van today. Putting the lower valance on was a nightmare. Had to cut a few bits off to clear the diesel subframe. But it's in place, just need to make a couple of brackets to secure it underneath now. Small list of things to do tomorrow then it will be back on the road. God knows why one picture is upside down. Mrs6C, Sunny Jim, Isopon and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500tops Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Six-cylinder, Floatylight, dollywobbler and 11 others 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six-cylinder Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairnet Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous user Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 I do like the pig nose front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 8 minutes ago, anonymous user said: I do like the pig nose front I think they look so much better. I've removed all the side rubbing strips too to try and make it look like an early one. Would love to get a visa pod style dashboard and try and make it fit. cobblers and mk2_craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs6C Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 That is one very happy looking van! The pug nose suits the higher roofline of the van better than it does the Visa hatchback, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobblers Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Absolutely magnificent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six-cylinder Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 11 hours ago, dean36014 said: Would love to get a visa pod style dashboard and try and make it fit. I was keeping this for spare parts for our two satellite dash Visas, but if you are going to do something special with it then to you I would part with it to you. loserone and chaseracer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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