BX Steel Bonnet!

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DLM
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Post by DLM »

Of the six BXs Mk 2's I've personally run or dismantled (3 petrol, 4 diesel), only a 1993 19TXD had the metal bonnet.
Of the many more I've driven, looked at on forecourts, drives, roads and scrapyards, I've only seen the metal bonnets on very late cars (1993, normally). As for Mk 1 cars, I've not seen any (or very many mark 1's lately!).
If you should need to replace one type with the other, remove the donor and "patient" bonnets complete with their hinges: on the metal-bonneted car which I owned, the bonnet was secured by bolts, unlike the arrangement on plastic-bonneted cars (nuts over a bonnet-mounted stud).
The day someone can prove a BX has a plastic roof, as I've seen a few people claim, then I'll gladly eat it. I'm not counting the strips at the side of the hatch, or the bigger mouldings along the estate roof sides, though!
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cornishbx16v
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Post by cornishbx16v »

The steel bonnets were fitted to the later bx's as a cost issue, they are considerably cheaper to manufacture than the plastic/fibre glass ones, when they ran out of plastic / fibreglass ones they started to use the steel ones, hence why its the later cars that have them fitted, (and may be some very very early ones)
the guy selling the bonnet and doors is a member of the bx16v club
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Post by vanny »

LOL, so much indecision!
After a long long time researching this exact topic (because i wanted a metal bonnet once long ago) this is what i found!
Nearly ALL the Mk1 diesels (the original 17rd and 19rd around B-Reg) ALL had metal bonnets, this was as has been suggested, to keep the engine noise at bay! Remembering that diesel engines in a family car was totally unheard of, and diesels still had a reputation of being noisey and dirty. For some unknown reason certain early BX models (all phase 1's) had metal bonnets, no one seems to specifically understand why but the suspision is that they couldn't keep a high enough production of the plastic ones when the cars where first made, hence the nice quick production steel ones!
Once the Mk2 came around ALL BX's had plastic bonnets regadless of spec. Between 'economy' and Citroen showing off with there use of modern materials, even the diesels (which where fast becoming the best selling diesel to date) took up the steel bonnets!
Towards the end of the BX production (around 1991) numerous metal bonnets started to surface, again there is much speculation as to why, some suggest the steel bonnets are simply old stock being used up, but there is also a suggestion that Citroen had either got rid of the plastic bonnet facilities or changed them to something else. Either way many late BX's had the metal bonnet, again these where predominately red, though i know of at least one dark green one. Remember k plate cars where often made in 1991, or 1992 and so there is a huge variety in metal and non metal bonnets!
Now something that is a little more interesting is that the early steel bonnets are meant to be slightly different to SOME of the late steel bonnets! Thus the plot thickens and the mystery continues!
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Post by nick »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by vanny</i>


Nearly ALL the Mk1 diesels (the original 17rd and 19rd around B-Reg) ALL had metal bonnets, this was as has been suggested, to keep the engine noise at bay! <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
A friend of mine had an '85 C reg 19RD estate, and I've dismantled an '84 B reg 19RD hatch - both had plastic bonnets [:D]
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Post by dnsey »

I remember hearing the story somewhere (apologies if it was on this forum!) of the chap who'd just bought a BX, and was showing it off to his mate. Mate makes a point that they have plastic bonnets which will 'bounce back' rather than bending. To demonstrate, he jumps off the wall onto the BX's bonnet. Unfortunately it was a steel one...
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Post by dan.2cv »

My dad's K plate BX TZD estate's bonnet was definately marzipan.
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Post by vanny »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by nick</i>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by vanny</i>


Nearly ALL the Mk1 diesels <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
A friend of mine had an '85 C reg 19RD estate, and I've dismantled an '84 B reg 19RD hatch - both had plastic bonnets [:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hence why i said NEARLY as i have personally seen a B reg with a plastic bonnet, thoug im not sure if it was a diesel or not! And i didn't think the Estate came out until MUCH later than C-Reg, i've not heard of one that early before, does it have a story? a prototype perhaps?
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Post by nick »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by vanny</i>
And i didn't think the Estate came out until MUCH later than C-Reg, i've not heard of one that early before, does it have a story? a prototype perhaps?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The estate was launched sometime in 1985, there did used to be a few C reg series 1 estates about, but they've all but disappeared now.
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