Talking B____X

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 10:14 pm

Very bad. Condolences... I tend to think the good die young(est).

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:08 am

Sorry to hear that mate.

I know how you feel - I had a workmate die a couple of years back - the kind of guy you could work with your whole life and not have a bad day - as you say - like one of the family.

Post by **docchevron** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:17 am

yeah, sad really, especially since I was shooting the breeze with him just t'other day and all, seemed fine ya know.

We've lost a lot of good people, 4 in the last year, and Graham a few years back, all bloody good people.
OK, everyone dies, but I do often wonder why all the great people go, and the bastards seem to live forever..

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:53 pm

Yeah - I read about Graham in your blog - indescribably bad.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:27 pm

If I had to get rid of one of my cars... it wouldn't be the BX. I love it. Went for a drive in it today, leaving the XM at home. The XM's brilliant on long journeys with the family, but for me the BX has soul...

Post by **docchevron** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 8:31 pm

I agree.
When I was running the BX and the XM, I did love the XM soooo much it almost hurt!
But, I always enjoyed getting back in the BX and going for a drive just for the sake of it.
Thats why I still have the BX, and the XM is now dead.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:43 pm

PROJECT X

The Citroen Classic Challenge car that will form the basis of my homage to Citroen Rallying... OK, it's not going to be a 4TC but when I've finished with it, it'll look suitably 'in the spirit of'...

BUT for now, I have to get the car here. Under cover and 'winterised' to protect it until I can - with Kermit's invaluable skills - get it an MOT in the Spring. Apparently there's not a lot wrong with it - and the body is solid. It had a clutch, starter motor, etc. before being laid up courtesy of a misfire (burnt out valve). It still starts, rises, (and the spheres have just been regassed) and seems pretty tickety boo. First thing is get the engine working right.

OK, maybe a wash first!

And Tim's got himself a gem of a GTi auto….

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:27 pm

Phil, H AGG is the same plate that was on my Gti, hence i called that one Haggerty

How long have both of them been off the road?

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:22 am

Hi Mulley... They've been laid up for at least four years, I believe, but have been started and run regularly in that time. I don't expect the valver to be perfect - but for £75 I can't complain. I imagine in the end I will spend well over ten times that getting the car sorted over the coming year but it'll be worth it.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:06 am

Yep, weve both done well, my GTi is mint under that greenness and needs nowt but a fuel pump and a good service

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 4:04 pm

Gets delivered tomorrow!

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:11 pm

£75

you jammy dodger

Thats got to be a right bargain, look forward to seeing how good or bad the car is, are you going to keep a blog?

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:35 pm

What it means is that I can justify the expense of doing it up properly. It has cost me a total of £220 to get it here; but that includes a full suite of nicely regassed spheres and a boot-full of spares. So I reckon with a budget of £750 over the coming year - and aided by a hugely appreciated level of input from my good mate Phil 'Kermit' along with an uncharacteristic level of DIY involvement - I should end up with a decent BX...

But I am under no illusion I've had a thoroughly sorted 16v before. But this time I have the Citroen Classic Challenge 2012 as the objective... and strangely that makes a hell of a difference.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 2:29 pm

OK, it got delivered today.

Upon brief initial inspection it appears to have the following 'issues':

Engine misfire - but we knew about that.

Usual rot in the n/s boot floor rear corner but the exhaust isn't hanging off (yet)...

The driver's door is dropping and the A pillar panel/hinge area needs welding.

Some minor rust here and there; nothing too worrying. Inner wings look good. I haven't checked under the washer bottles yet, or indeed inner rear wings.

The front bumper needs repairing and rehanging.

It'll need new tyres all round, but the Speedlines look sound (although I probably won't be keeping them on the car).

The front indicators are really cruddy. Might be easier to replace than clean.

The car as a whole is VERY dirty and full of pine needles, spiders, webs, leaves gunge and so on... But I will clean it asap and get a cover over it.

On the plus side.

It runs, but not too smoothly. I need to root about the car a bit more but it seems all there!

It doesn't seem to leak anything. And the sunroof is watertight it would appear (given today's horrid weather).

The body is very straight, with no significant marks, scratches or dents.

More later...

Post by **Tim Leech** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 2:41 pm

Bargain!