A surprise addition

[citroenxm]

Something I NEVER EVER thought Id have in possesion again mainly due to rareity and prices... but im proud and pleased to present:

Turbo Diesel... with Lucas Pump.. and I have to say Im soooo made up with her! ALL Mechanically done, head gasket, rear arm bearings, recent clutch, some welding in the weak areas although there is more to do... 217k, all interior is spot on, everything works, full instruments, with water temp AND Oil temp working too...

I had to do the cam belt two weeks later as the water pump collapsed and water poured out...

Armed appropietatly I managed to do the job in 2 hrs!

Theres still things to address... Bad rust around the A pillar on the drivers door .. the Door check strap is hanging off, so that needs dooing, and theres a patch needed on the floor passenger side. Surface rust on the cills and lower B pillars prooved to be just surface rust and has cleaned up well and just needs painting.

The roof along the front of the sunroof is sadly rotton, and the sunroof motor is missing so I assume the roof dont work!

[GiveMeABreak]

Really pleased for you! - The last time I drove one of these was when the main dealer provided one when my Xantia was being serviced. Took a while to get used to as the suspension was like bouncing up and down on a trampoline!

[citroenxm]

I last had a bx td about 20 years ago!

[GiveMeABreak]

I convinced the director of a sales company I worked for many moons ago to change the stock company car fleet contract from Vauxhall Astras to the the BX TGE! It was about 1988. The irony was that my car was a newish astra 'F' reg, and I left the company before the Astra was due for a replacement

Ride comfort aside, it outclassed the Astra 20:1 in every area.

So I never got to drive one more than a couple of occasions, sadly.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

lovely, always liked the BX styling and this one looks pretty reasonable.

Good luck with the welding to the A Pillar. I'm about to put a date in my calendar to take my 405 off the road for welding to the B pillar, so I empathise. (Door check strap will need doing on mine too, but it can wait)

You're not the fella in Anglesey used to have a black 505 est by any chance?

[CitroJim]

That looks an absolute cracker Well bought! The BX is one Citroen I've never owned or driven.

I reckon in you hands it's soon going to be utterly excellent in every way... Definitely worth some work as good ones are very rare now...

[citroenxm]

No.. i didnt have a 505.. i am on anglesey though..

Jim. Im feel honoured that the car was a freebie on the assumption she be finished to standard..

[white exec]

That looks an absolute cracker. Well bought! The BX is one Citroen I've never owned or driven.

You'd have loved one of those Mk.2's, Jim . . . Light, airy, lots of glass, quick, beautiful dash, controls in all the right places, loads of plastic and GRP (so less to rust), XUD, stunning headlights, big boot . . . . .and a gloriously simple and comfortable suspension (apart from the GT/GTI's). Miss ours no end.
Looking after a BX is a breeze after fettling Xantia or XM!

[citroenxm]

Not sure i agree with all that chris.. so far ive found.. lots has rusted and been welded.. lots of areas fo rust.. headlight really are CRAP! Unless theres a mod to make them brighter.. and i found xantia subframes easyer to work on...

[white exec]

All Citroens rust, because few owners ever lift a finger when they're new to stop it happening. We bought our 19RD with 45k on the clock, and about four years old. Waxed it, and it never rusted, anywhere. Waxing isn't complicated or expensive, after all.

TBH, I'm fed up with trying to make the point. Photos appear on our forums of cars' undersides dry and rusty, and these are often cars which folk have had in their possession for many years. What's the excuse for that?

I fully accept that if you acquire a car, you get it as it comes, and that previous owners' care (or lack of it) wasn't your responsibility, but . . . if you've owned the car for some time, and it's still unprotected and at the mercy of the elements, what is the owner thinking (if at all) ? It's no good just saying "This car isn't rusty, therefore I don't need to do anything about it".

I take my hat off to restorers, like yourself, who will decently tackle serious amounts of corrosion. It's not my forte, and I have full respect for owners who can do it.

But where folk own cars they want to hang on to, how on earth can they justify such deliberate neglect, especially in wet and salty northern Europe?
________

On the BX, the abundance of plastic obviously helps in this respect.
BX headlights (in clean condition) are just stunning: try Nightbreakers or Xtreme (we used traditional 100/80, but that's another story). Coverage on both beams was some of the best I've ever seen - helped out by those huge reflectors. Also check wiring and system voltage, and fit relays and decent wiring for both beams if not already there. They should be nothing short of excellent.

[Zelandeth]

Looks like that should clean up to be an absolute cracker. One of our neighbours back in the early 90s had a red BX, and I remember as a youngster thinking that it looked massively futuristic compared to most other cars. I also remember it having a truly epilepsy inducing black and white striped velour on the seats and door cards...never managed to find a photo though.

[CitroJim]

I also remember it having a truly epilepsy inducing black and white striped velour on the seats and door cards...never managed to find a photo though.

I know the one you mean Zel

I've ridden as a passenger in a BX across some pretty rough surfaces and their ride quality is sublime... Arguably better than a Xantia...

Paul, surely the lights aren't as bad as a Xantia

I'd say any BX that's fundamentally OK is worth spending time restoring and making good...

And then preserving it in wax as Chris recommends

[white exec]

... I also recall that, on the BX, front headrests also fit at the back - so if you fancy rear rests, it's easy with some scrapped fronts.

[myglaren]

I agree that the BX rides better than the Xantia. Almost as good as a GS.

[white exec]

Sometimes, it's not 'til it's gone that you realse how good it was...!