Citroën BX – XPO – Welding Repair of the Scuttle Pt2
6 min read At last the final scuttle repair can begin. This seems like a simple piece to weld in, but for the next panel to align, it needs to be neat. Continue Reading
G553 XPO Restoration
This is the story of the return to the road of G553 XPO. A Citroen BX 16Valve that has been off the road for 13 years.
At the start of 2021, perhaps in a fit of Covid boredom, I took on my biggest automotive project to date. A full restoration of G553 XPO. A near immaculate shell that hasn’t been on the road since 2008! The road to success is paved with previously made bodges and unexpected pitfalls.
Citroën BX – XPO – Welding the Scuttle Pt1
7 min read With the suspension turret repaired, I could turn my mind to making repair pieces and welding up the scuttle. Using the highly technical process of CAD. Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – Welding the Suspension Turret
8 min read Non-structural repairs seemed a good place to start the welding, but rot in the suspension turret panel soon changed that! Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – Repair Panel Body Cut
7 min read Before I can put the engine back in to XPO, I need to tackle the body work. I’ll need to take a body cut from another, but how much will I need? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – Mi16 Engine Assembly and Cambelt
8 min read With the head and bottom end restored, I could finally complete the MI16 engine assembly. But it wasn’t going to go completely smoothly! Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – Building The Mi16 Bottom End Continued
9 min read After the disaster of fitting piston rings last time, will new rings go on any easier? Will this bottom end ever get rebuilt? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – Building The Mi16 Bottom End
6 min read A month since building the cylinder, I had to get on with building the bottom end. A few parts to clean and put together. How hard can it be? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – XPO – A Crank For The D6C Engine
7 min read In March I found a crank journal measuring undersize, creating quite a quandary. I’ll try to share my learning, ups, and downs, with you. Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Mi16 Engine History
4 min read The XPO project came with a donor engine and a folder of history. Lets have a look through the engine history and see what we can learn. Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Building the Cylinder Head
6 min read With all the cylinder head parts cleaned and camshafts polished, I could begin the therapeutic process of building the cylinder head. Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Refurbishing The Cylinder Head Parts
9 min read Having previously overhauled the cylinder head, it was time to prepare the rest of the parts and start putting the engine back together. Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Bottom End Teardown
7 min read Having found a leaking piston ring, it was time to go all in on this XU9J4 engine and teardown the bottom end. What disasters await? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Cylinder Head Overhaul
6 min read Can I find the reason for the leaking pressure we previously found? Can the leak be fixed with a cylinder head overhaul? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – Cylinder head leak testing
6 min read The running engine has arrived up with ~25 BHP missing. Can I find the missing ponies with some cylinder head leak testing alone? Continue Reading
Citroën BX – MI16 Engine Strip
5 min read While cleaning the engine I started to strip the ancillaries and found a multitude of poor engineering practices, and 10mm sockets! Continue Reading