I understand the original concept for the D Series was to have a flat six air cooled engine. When the production car was actually made, was there enough space widthwise for such an engine? If so, probably putting a Corvair engine in would work.
The Corvair can be set up to run either way, but the stock rotation direction is wrong, just like a Citroen. Just so no one raises this objection.
Bret Ludwig ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Two designs were trialled - one aircooled, one watercooled.
I doubt it.
I'd think a 911 engine would be MUCH easier to get hold of, as well as being a far more realistic proposition (certainly this side of the pond). The fact I've never seen or heard of such a D being built suggests there just ain't the space.
When opening the hood and taking a look, be aware that the flat engine was supposed to go before the front wheels - where the gear box sat in the production layout. If you wanted to switch, you'd have to switch engine/gearbox/differential to replicate the setup that Levebre, Mages and the other fellows wanted to have back then.
When going with the inline 4, they had to switch the entire layout, putting the engine behind the front wheels, adding that bulge in the firewall to make room for it.
It would be an entirely different car, from a weight distribution point of view. I wonder if it would work at all.
cu .\\arc
The 911 engine is not scarce anywhere-just grossly overpriced. Porsche people have stupid money and vendors know it-I'm continually astounded at parts prices, OEM or aftermarket. It's also wider than the Corvair.
Only in the US are Corvair engines readily available, but they can ship anywhere. Rebuild costs are surprisingly low. There is some parts commonality with the smallblock Chevy which is the most rebuilt engine in the world.
The huge reliability of the D-Series Citroen four makes engine swaps rare-what other engines HAVE been used? OTOH, the V6 in the SM cried out for replacement.
Cars the age of DS and SM wouldn't really be candidates for engine swaps any more nowadays - after all these are classics and their owners should aim to keep them in good condition they way they were built. I guess in general the engine swap craze was more of an american phenomenon; in Europe people may have been swapping different VW engines or put a Dyane engine into a 2CV - but swapping for a completely different kind of engine was mostly unheard of.
I have to admit, the thought is intriguing. Creating the kind of car they had in mind, back then. Wonder how it would behave. I believe the magic in the DS comes from the special way it sits on the road, especially when driven a bit spirited. I wonder how it would feel with the totally different weight distribution coming from a low sitting boxer engine.
cu .\\arc
I found some of the bits for my old 911s to be really cheap. Wheel bearings for £7 for example.
In fact, the only thing I ever bought for one which I thought was expensive was the bonnet badge - which cost £39. After buying it I was quite impressed with the quality so I wasn't that upset.
Bret Ludwig ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
2200 Diesel out of the C35.
Oh, and the SM v6 has been used in the D...
Marc Gerges ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Speaking of which, I'm very happy to report that the 652cc Visa engined 2cv
4x4 is back home as of about half an hour ago - working nicely again...Just a rebuilt front gearbox & transfer box, steering rack, new clutch, gearbox mount, suspension arm bearings...
Cheap, then?
Ian Dalziel ( snipped-for-privacy@lineone.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Cheaper than the Acad was a couple of months ago. MUCH cheaper.
That was a steering rack, arm bearings, 'box mount, lower screen surround (inner and outer), toeboard, rear valance and box section, four tyres...
Just got to paint the pair of 'em now... Dulux, bien sur. Just got to figure the colour scheme.
I'm tempted by pink'n'purple camouflage on the 4x4...
Citroen did run a prototype D model with an SM V6 engine
Brian Hopwood ( snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Not as a DS prototype, though - but as an SM mule. The D predated the SM by a decade and a half.
RapidRonnie ( snipped-for-privacy@cbgb.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
I've seen it described as a lot of things, none of which it is. It was a (series of?) development mule for the SM.
Not so - it's fixed already. Some timing chain tensioner mods and swap the sodium exhaust valves for solid ones.
Why? Does it *matter* which way round the engine rotates?
Besides, the 6-pot Traction started off one way, and changed to the other. The pushrod five-bearing rotates one way in the DS and the other in the CX.
So what?
Odd, I thought they were most useful in boats as anchors.
Strange how everywhere else it was regarded as being actually quite a quick car.
They still shell routinely. And a major is around $6K US now. Phooey.
Can you put a CX engine in a DS? I understand only with substantial machine work, because of the gerotor oil pump can't be reversed. I may be wrong.
Since almost all car engines except Honda are RH, a swap is made impossible. The SM could have really used any of several plants.
You have no experience. I was astonished to learn that the Norwegians and Swedes buy a LOT of 454 Chevies for boats. What I do know is that every ski boat and small ofshore race style boat uses American V8 car power. Mercury Marine, Volvo Penta and OMC all use GM engines mostly. Volvo offered a few Volvo engines but they were mostly too low sustained horsepower.
It had good top end and on highway performance but off the line it was slow.
When your competition has 3 times the engine size and is built for straight line acceleration, you may look a tad sluggish.
I can nicely keep up with traffic in my DS, but mostly due to the (still remarkable) road holding, not the sheer power.
cu .\\arc
Citroen supplied matching engines with the DS as well as with the CX. They fit and work.
The SM was built to use the Maserati V6. Surprisingly, it fit, and it made the SM one of the quickest cars of its time.
Maserati didn't built its engines for maximum life time in less-than-perfect maintenance, so many of them did suffer especially starting with 2nd and 3rd owners.
Right. It probably wasn't really matched to american style of driving.
cu .\\arc
Marc Gerges ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Thirty years after the DS was discontinued...
Marc Gerges ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Not really surprising, when you consider the v6 was developed (albeit from a v8) specifically for the SM.
If you all haven't found this link, here is a little info on the boxer six proposed for the DS when it was under development.
Can top that: an aquaintances has a Traction 15. Except for highway use, it is no road block whatsoever. It does feel surprisingly sporty, actually.
How's that for a car discontinued more than 50 years ago...?
cu .\\arc
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