Question

Frosty ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Sounds like a DS.

Yes it's a DS, also seen in Back to the Future No 2 as a flying taxi, although I dont think that Citroen ever made any that flew!!! Regards. Slim

What trick, what device, what starting-hole on 22 Feb 2006 10:26:41

-0800, canst thou now find out, to hide "Slim" from this open and apparent shame?:

Can you point me to a photo of one & give me any info like the years they were made & any other interesting specs (like are they a piece of crap, etc.)

'56-'75 is when they were made.

I don't own one but it seems that they aren't that bad as long as they are maintained properly.

Frosty ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Try these links

Another link for the UK

Just a little bit of advice though. The DS is a great car and very reliable, but personally I would go for a post 1966 model and preferably a 5 speed manual transmission. Remember these words, "if you cant afford a good one, you certainly cant afford to maintain a bad one"

Regards, Slim.

i very much agree with slim although to be fair it depends on your level of experience with restoration also i personally think the estate version looks awful the coupe looks ace as does the saloon would be very tempted to attack one with alloys and xantia suspension though and possibly the 2.0 litre inj engine from a xantia as well (xu10) would make an interesting project although some would cry out in protest

Xantia suspension? Are you insane? Why not fit Ford Model T while you're at it - that's even worse!

where is your sense of adventure?

Ian Dalziel ( snipped-for-privacy@lineone.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

There's some bloke in Sweden who put Activa on an SM...

Mindwipe (jeffinleeds@nospam) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

But Cit put DS suspension on the Xant from the factory...

(Well, as best they could, considering the Xant has Ford Cortina front struts)

The Xantia does not have Mcpherson struts on the front.

The front struts are hydraulic cylinders, cleverly disguised to look like a Mcpherson strut. This was a bit of a clever marketing ploy first used on the BX, it was done to fool the hydraulic suspension scardy cats!!

Looks like it worked!

Regards. Slim

Huh? Care to explain that? Xantia front hydraulic units are nothing like Cortina suspension.

The ford cortina uses shocks and springs as its suspension.

The Citroen Xantia uses hydraulics, If you look under the bonnet you will see a green ball, this is the sphere. The sphere is the unit that does all of the suspension work.

The main principal of any hydraulic system is, You can compress a gas but not a liquid.

The Citroen system uses suspension controlled by hydraulics running at

In the sphere you have a rubber diaphragm, this seperates the hydraulic fluid from the gas pressure in the top of the sphere, as the wheel travels up and down the diaphragm in the sphere moves back and forth giving the comfy suspension found in hydraulic sprung cars.

If you remove the sphere and look into the neck, you will see a silver looking plate with a small hole in the center, this part is the damper. The damper controlls the rate or how fast the fluid can get in and out of the sphere, thus damping the suspension rather than bouncing all over the place like a tennis ball.

The strut is only a transfer mechanism to transfer the movement of the rubber diaphragm in the sphere to the wheel. Inside the strut there is only a piston used to transfer this movement smoothly.

Upon removing the front strut on a Xantia you will find that there is no resistance at all if you push and pull the piston in and out.

Upon removing the front strut on a ford you will find lots of resistance.

Have a look up into the wheel arch of a Xantia, there is no spring, just a plastic gaiter to stop the muck from getting in.

Try lifting the suspension on a cortina up a few inches to get through a stream then putting it down again afterwards, all by moving a lever in the car?

Sorry but ther is no simerlaritys at all. except the fact that both have round wheels.

Hope this explains something.

Regards, Slim

Snip Long Explanation

Yes I know that, it's the previous poster I wanted to get an explanation from.

Slim ( snipped-for-privacy@tesco.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

And Mac Struts. Like the BX and XM and C5.