White Alloys III : Revenge of The 80s

[toddao]

What better thing to do on a Bank H'day M'day? Finally got all four wheels. The Citroen guy gave me two then a week later he found the others. Further search for the covers in his disorganised workshop . Found them along with obscure locking nuts.

Here's the motor before transplant this morning

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/4527 ... dbfc_b.jpg

Had a few issues ( bodging the locking nuts home without the original key) but listened to an early Boss Springsteen cassette on the cassette/ radio ( 80s Ford XR2 unit!) and stayed calm. A little bit about the wheels : they are 'BW Swift 2 ' made in Belgium. Looked on the net. Not much : based in Ghent, all hand-cast alloys, went bust mid 90s. These wheels were fitted to a 1988 BX 'Tecnic' that had done 300k and died. Possibly a dealer option?

Here's the BX Fiddler posing after fitting :

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/4527 ... 88443f.jpg

Went for a drive via the car-wash. Different feeling. Possible balance issues. Swapped them all around ; better but going tomorrow for balancing. Here's the result. Looks to me like a Majorette toy from the 80s..

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/227/4527 ... 09b8_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/4527 ... 5a82_b.jpg

enjoyed all the Easter photos from the gang!

[Ian_Fearn]

VERY cool!!

They certainly dont look like anything UK dealers offered. I've got a 'Car' magazine from the late 80's with similar wheels in.

Majorette were my favourite toy cars back in the 80's. Proper suspension and many had towbars for hauling my selection of boats, trailers and caravans about! Might have a play with them later

[artic-steel]

i want that BX

[stuart_hedges]

I'm really sorry.... I LOVE that car.... but I preferred it on the original wheels!

I've got a set of GTi alloys in the shed but I've opted to keep my BX on its original wheels, with the same trims yours used to have.

I think Citroen got those trims just right aesthetically and the car handles perfectly well on the steel wheels, I don't want to change a thing.

Sorry.

[toddao]

yeah Stu, I understand. But the regular wheels have winter tyres ( back in Oct.) and this is what I happened to find for summer. Bit wide but that's what the sun does.. I'm stuck in the 80s! Van Halen anyone?

[Stewart (oily!)]

They look nice in an understated way, you need bigger than 165 on a liveley BX.
Stewart

[stuart_hedges]

Ahhhh if you're in a country that needs two sets of tyres I'll let you off

[simonbx17]

i've said this before alloys make or break a car and yours make your car they go well with the yellow, are going to respay them?

i had a few majorette cars fiat strada, citroen xm etc in lime green still got that one.

[toddao]

yeah, they need re-spraying. Someone's cleaned them with wire wool too - not pretty. And there's bits of rust, dirt etc. Weighing up how/when? Maybe next winter. DIY style.. the Strada is a classic - also like the BX designed by Bertone.I had an Majorette Abarth, probably still around somewhere unlike the original rustboxes

[Kitch]

I recognise them from a white ph1 16v that was on the BX 16v forum.

Mk1 estate is cool, although I'm not quite loving the colour on it. But wheels don't suit for me, sorry.

GTi 8v ones in silver (AKA Sport rims ), or TRS trims on steelies would look best.

[toddao]

There will always be different perspectives from GTI and estate drivers! Sort of performance v practicality. My feeling is that the BX design is fully realised on the estates - the lines follow through. I have no experience of the sportier side , though I love all Bx's of course
The colour? The work of an unknown sprayshop but drew me to the car in the first place. Now with the wheels it seems to have pretensions to go faster than it actually can! Someone said to me yesterday : Nice lowrider man.(?)

Was a pain getting it stable. Went to the local scrapyard for balancing and the guy just wanted to practice speaking English! He said two tyres were suspect and that one of the wheels had a pot-hole ding in it and might never ride right. Went of for a drive and it was awful : wobbling, shaking. Depressing.

Called my Citroen mate yesterday and he sent me to a wheel and tyre specialist who works out of a small barn tucked away in a nearby village. Old father and son team. Son keeps saying " Father, look at this' or ' father come here'. Very funny!

Up on the lift : two new tyres ( French made. Minerva?) and full proper re-balancing. Before I'd even driven it father said - it's 100% now. Good price : €100

Drives v.well now. Was out on the autobahn last night and was stable all the way up to 140km/h (87mph) and feels sure on the road again.

[docchevron]

I really like the colour, it's striking, and reminds me of Canary yellow Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2's that I used to see a bit in the eighties, no one I knew liked yellow on a car, but I think it looks "trick".

Always prefered the berline TBH, the break to me at least looks like a berline thats had a bit glued on the back, but non the less, each to their own, and yours looks good, especially with the wheels on.

I also love the fact that the Mk2 BX break had a Mk1 rear bumper..

[toddao]

Cheers Doc!

[MULLEY]

I like those alloys, i want some......