This evening I spent some time looking over the traction. One of the things noted in the condition report was that the number plate lamp was inoperative. After eliminating it was not the blown fuse, I took the light apart, and the problem was that it was just dirty. A good clean and the lamp was working again. I also...
Despite my overheating problems last year, I had enjoyed the Citroen Club drive up the Putty road last year, and was keen to have another go in the DS with a new water pump and flushed radiator. This year was the same format, drive up for breakfast at the cafe halfway along the Putty road, Lunch at one of the wineries and...
Today I read a report from the NSW Council of Motor Clubs about their stance on historic registration. (It was published in the Magazine of the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia). Basically their stance is to support the status quo (with minor amendments for street rods) and so NSW continues to have the worst historic registration system in the country. Obviously the final...
This evening I went over to the garage to look at the Traction in more detail. Overall I am still very happy with the purchase. A couple of things that I noticed: There was a frayed wire in the boot for the number plate light. I used electrical tape to ensure that it does not touch the metal. Not sure if this is...
Today I went and picked up the latest addition to the garage, a 1954 Citroen Light 15. Being a Light 15, this car is a Traction Avant and was built in Slough, UK. I don’t have a lot of history for the car, but it has been registered in NSW since 1984 and recently had $18,000 of mechanical work done by European Autocare...
In my view, Citroen has made two cars that changed the world – the Traction Avant and the DS (some would also include the 2CV in this list). The Traction Avant established Citroen as an innovative car company but at the same time bankrupted the company, leading to their ultimate control by the Michelin family. While Andre Citroen is probably better known for...
Today I attended the 2015 Sydney German car show, which was put on by the Mercedes Club this year. Unlike the Mercedes show I went to a few months ago, the German car show is an informal show without concours judging. Unfortunately this means some of the pristine, concours only cars don’t show up, but you do get a great selection of...
Those of you who follow the classic car market would have seen the recent sale of the $202,000 23 Window Kombi at the recent Shannon’s auction in Melbourne. Somebody bid more than 50% over the guide price to secure this car. The Kombi is iconic, but is it really worth that sort of money? The market might say yes at the...
The Citroen Club had a meeting at the Shannon’s auction display again and as usual Shannons had a nice selection of cars on show. The pick of the auction for me was the Traction Avant. Almost in my ideal spec. (I would prefer a year older with the small boot). As well as this there were some other interesting cars for sale...
Supercheap Auto had their hydraulic positioning Jack on sale ($162 e.a.) last week so I picked up a set for the garage. There are some parts of the Garage that are not easy to get cars in/out of, and I’ve also had situations such as with the 280CE where there are cars that are not running for extended periods of time as I...
Previously, I had been working on a nicer faceplate solution for the Retrosound Model 2 radio in the Citroen DS. I am happy to say that this is now almost complete and back in the car. There are a few more adjustments to do, but overall it is a much better solution to the one I had before. With the rear knobs cut...
The Mercedes club had a run today out through the Royal National Park to Sublime point. It was an official club run, so historic plated cars were welcome, and in particular was focused on the 107 series. Given this, I took the 450SLC. There were 7 107’s at the start and at least one more met us at the venue. 5 SLs and 2 SLCs,...
The JDCA E-Type register had an unofficial new year breakfast run yesterday up to Dural, and a good opportunity to take the Jag out for a drive. It was quite a hot day (around 34c), but the coolcat fan kept the temperature at or below 90 degrees, even in traffic or going up Galston Gorge on the way back. As this was an unofficial...
A while ago the E-Type speedo bezel and glass that protects the speedometer had fallen off. I had tried to replace it in-situ, but the bezel fell off the next time I drove the car. I later learned the correct way to do this and it is not very hard. The panel under the dash that protects all the wires is easily...
I came to start the DS the other day, and it started fine, but would not idle properly. Once the revs dropped below 1200 or so the engine died. The car had been running fine before so it was quite perplexing. I had some advice from the forum to try a few things, one was to check the float in the carburettor...
The 280CE came back to the warehouse to replace the idler arm bushings. The simple description of the idler arm is that it is the part that attaches to the steering linkage from the passengers side to balance the pittman arm which connects the steering box on the drivers side. Bad bushings in the idler arm mean that the steering system is not...
I had to be in Canberra today, so I swung by the 2014 ACT Terribly British Day. It was quite a nice little car show with a decent mix of British cars. I was glad to go as the Sydney show was rained out this year and I had not taken the 450SLC on a good road trip for a while. Some of...
Previously I had started re-looking at the faceplate of the Retrosound Model 2 I have installed in the DS. The biggest issue is fitment of the secondary knobs. In my first attempt, I had tried to file away small holes in the side of the cubby housing for them to fit, but I found that they jammed easily and interfered with the...
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