Citroen CX GTI Turbo 2 build

Here’s a bit of detail to offset all the big shiny silver car pictures. As we all know, the original CX series 2 heating and ventilation system is so appalling  its not even funny. To that end, I’ve torn out all the original heating and ducting and wires and flaps and just stuff and replaced with a stand alone Kalori unit, and that’s all in and working, heater works, via a manual shut off controlled from the cockpit and it blows far more air than it did. All good. One of the iconic bits of the CX design are the louvres on the bonnet that ‘feed’ the heater, fresh air intake, except they don’t really as it’s a low pressure area and not much goes in! I can’t just keep the louvres open as rain would end up in the engine bay so I’ve cut and shut the original pick up tower, glued and carbon-ed a pipe on the bottom so it’ll now seal to the underside of the bonnet and drain water away. Part 2 of this fiendish plan is to take fresh air from the vertical side of this tower and duct it into the ‘plenum’ surrounding my new heater unit. That’s the plan anyway……….

Some interior loveliness……

Quick update. Conscious that the weather may be on the turn soon-I’m a cyclist, so obsessed with the weather….- I thought it best to really try and crack on with the ‘big’ jobs that require all 4 doors open, etc. To that end I’ve fitted all the seats (chairs?) and seatbelts and centre console, both front door cards, etc. One thing on CXs that’s always irritated me is the creaking trim on Series 2 cars, they were pretty shoddily put together, so I’ve been very careful as it all goes back together to try and align things and put small bits of foam etc, where any creaky culprits might potentially rub. I’ve left off the two panels that seal in the footwell, ‘transmission’ tunnel as I’d like access to the heater box for the final A/C pipe up, test but other than that……….








Please forgive the battery torch in one of the pics….🤭

Phew, current one is a bit manky !

Coming back together rather nicely.
James

Couldn’t resist taking a pic……

Ooof…… that interior….. is ……… just….. 😍

That last pic is pretty arty too.

Nick

Been a while since I updated this build. These 2 pictures tell a story. The car had reached the stage where I was almost reticent to ‘finish’ it, I think I was striving for absolute perfection, every nut, bolt, detail finished perfectly. Realising that with this attitude it would still be ‘unfinished’ in a year, 2-3 years time and the whole point of this project is to build a lovely, but genuinely useable CX Turbo. To that end, I loaded it with food, supplies, beer, stationary and set out on a shakedown/mercy mission to our son at Exeter Uni, a round trip of about 350miles. Son fed and watered, car rattled off the trip with nary a glitch. I’ve always known that it needed a final trip to Plaeides- Citroen specialists par-excelence for a front suspension’finalise’ (ball joints, inner calliper pistons and seals, discs) but the car was already magnificent on the motorway and fast A roads, dare I say almost majestic…… very quiet, soft, ludicrously torquey, composed, just wonderful. 70mph =2,350 rpm with the DTR T2 gearbox.
In a flurry of activity I booked a Chunnel crossing, a couple of lovely hotels, arranged to meet my better half at Toulouse airport and got planning on a packing list
Two days  before I was due to leave, the ball joint in the gear linkage assembly that hangs from beneath the crossmember disintegrated , a panic call to Stan (Mr Platts, utter utter Citroen legend and all round superb person) and by midday the next morning replacement linkage assy duly installed and knuckles mangled.
Wednesday morning, pack car, bicycle, cycling kit, flip flops, a few tools, spares, toll booth blipper, passport, travel/covid none sense and off I go…….”See you at Toulouse Blagnac tomorrow afternoon dear”
The run to Folkestone is somehow just unpleasant, concrete surface on M25, bit further than I always think, but the car was absolutely superb and by the time I’d checked in I was really up for it. Was planning to stop off at Vimy Ridge memorial(google it and just go!) and then about 5hours of whooshing to my hotel. Stopped for a brief comfort break and coffee, hopped back in, only to be greeted by a worrying and increasingly noisy grinding, screeching noise. Took the decision to press on, thru French passport control (spectacularly grumpy, marvellous) and lined up in the lanes. It was still grinding and screeching, much worst in first gear and second. It ‘sounded’ like a dry, external noise rather than anything internal, my worst case scenario thoughts involved clutch, flywheel, release bearing, perhaps a stone/debris in a disc…..
After popping the car in ‘high’ setting I carefully crawled under, had a poke around in the bell housing, looked at the corners, discs, all seemed fine
This adventure ends above the train concourse as everyone else files past and I take the heavy hearted but correct decision to bail out. 

First correct guess on failed component will see story (happy ending) updated. Bloody cars eh?!

😂😂

Nope……