A JRS project thread - 1968 Citroën ID19

[JRS]

Really pleased this is going well so far. Glad it just needed an Italian tune up to get things running smoothly!

She's still going to need electronic ignition, because it's just better. Carbs, I'm absolutely fine sticking with - I know how they work and they're tunable with a screwdriver. EFI is a nice thing to be sure, but it's a luxury rather than a necessity. Points and condensers meanwhile belong firmly in the past

 

[JRS]

Had some time this morning before an appointment with the ophthalmologist. Figured I'd get a quick job done that's been bugging me.

Ruined gear lever gaiter



Housing and rubber off the car



Pop some clips off



Old and new



Reassembled



Back on the car




A minor job, but one that needed doing.

 

[JRS]

And that's the new trim on the right-rear door. Straightened the door skin out some while I was at it, not perfect but a hell of a lot better than it was. Been repaired more than once in the past by the look of things, so if I go any further than a skim of filler and some paint then it'll be going somewhere vaguely professional to sort. But I reckon I can get it at least presentable

 

[rebel rebel]

I love the job you're doing with this. It really is an amazing looking car, and it keeps getting better with every update.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Love this thread, great car.

 

[JRS]

I love the job you're doing with this. It really is an amazing looking car, and it keeps getting better with every update.

Love this thread, great car.

Cheers guys. Currently on holiday in the land of her birth, so won't be any major updates for a short while. Unless I find interesting parts at a vide grenier or similar occasion

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Hah here's hoping!

 

[Rotty]

Probably the only Citroën that I don't totally despise, always had a soft spot for these

 

[JRS]

Ordered a headlight loom to sort out some aging wiring at the front - we used a similar piece on the Landy when we converted her from sealed beam to proper headlights, the aftermarket loom sections also add relays and fuses to the system that tidy up the power going to the lights. Pa and I have also pretty much settled on what we're doing with the ignition - going to go with a whole EI distributor and coil rather than convert the existing dizzy. Once we've got good ignition I can then clean and set the carb up properly, and we'll see how she does when the colder weather hits.

 

[Jez]

Probably the only Citroën that I don't totally despise, always had a soft spot for these

Ditto, lovely looking thing

 

[JRS]

My patience snapped tonight. Engine lumpy as all get out firing up, whipped the bonnet up and checked the HT leads. Three out of four are suspect, No.3 especially. So the hell with it - new leads, plugs and boots ordered. New EI distributor and a coil with some 'umpy to be bought soon as I decide which to go for.

 

[Flibster]

My patience snapped tonight. Engine lumpy as all get out firing up, whipped the bonnet up and checked the HT leads. Three out of four are suspect, No.3 especially. So the hell with it - new leads, plugs and boots ordered. New EI distributor and a coil with some 'umpy to be bought soon as I decide which to go for.

This isn't just any French electrics.

This is old Citroen French electrics...

 

[JRS]

It's the same problem we hit with the Landy, ignition stuff deteriorates while a car is in storage. I really should have gone right through it as soon as we got the car home, but she was running okay then and I was concentrating on stuff like the wipers and headlights. Hey ho!

 

[JRS]

Photos to follow, but I've replaced the leads (couldn't find a long enough plug spanner to get all the way down to the spark plugs! Hemi head ). Already running more smoothly.

Went with Bougicord leads, since they are the OEM ones. The ones on the car were Lucas Silicone Speedlead ones, and as we all know 'Lucas' is synonymous with longevity and quality.

*snort*

 

[JRS]

Old trashed leads



Note that number 3's seal at the top isn't sealing at all. The clips that they're supposed to have were long gone. Or, given that they're Lucas parts, were never there to begin with. Who knows?

Shiny new ones



You know how sometimes you can hold a car part and feel the quality? Yeah.

Rough fitted



Going to make myself some extra wire separators, using the patented Freiburger Ziptie Method™.

This thing was no help at all



At 19+ years old she's done with coming outside to see what I'm doing with cars

 

[JRS]

So, hilariously it appears that every lumpy/uneven running issue, every moment where the car seemed a bit hard to start, every time it felt like something was a bit untoward in the engine compartment...was purely down to some of the bits marked 'Lucas'. Because replacing the Lucas plug and coil leads with Bougicord ones has solved the lot.

The Prince Of Darkness™ strikes again. WHO COULD POSSIBLY HAVE FORESEEN THIS???

And I mean it - it's better enough now that we might not even need to replace the distributor and coil with EI-spec kit. Gonna give it a couple of weeks and see how we go, but take tonight - it's poured with rain nearly all day and it's not been what you'd call warm, but the car fired off clean with the choke cable pulled halfway and ran fine off-choke within a minute. Of course, I do now have to un-arse the carburettor settings and re-do them from scratch because I've been tuning around the ignition issue (I'll be charitable and say that the engine is running a tad rich right now, in fact it's absolutely pig fat ).

 

[vanpeebles]

Lovely cat psspsspsspsspss

 

[Akagi]

Meowww

 

[JRS]

Been tuning on the carb, trying to lean it out some and get the transition from closed to part throttle behaving better. Drove well on a shopping trip into town tonight (I *medically* needed beer, and the car needed driving).

Funny moment on my way home. Was stopped at a set of lights, window down, listening to the engine idle. Family come out of the building next to me. The father's eyes widen, then he calls over. "Is that a Citroën? A DS19?"

"Similar, it's an ID19."

"Beautiful car!"

His little boy meanwhile was just staring at the car, eyes out on stalks, jaw dropped. He gave me a sort-of wave, I wave back, and he gets a full-on Cheshire cat grin on his face

 

[vanpeebles]

I reckon that french car has turned you to drink