1978 Citroën GS Club

[Siert]

I got a new heater motor and an original Citroen grille blind yesterday. The current outside temperature here is -14C, and the car is in an unheated half open parking garage. The heater motor is easy to reach and fitted with only four bolts, but replacing it at this temperature was nevertheless very uncomfortable

Once I was done with the heater motor I could finally remove the towel I'd fitted in front of the grille some time ago.


This looks much nicer, but the holes are still too big for the current outside temperatures. I guess I'll fold a plastic garbage bag in between at some point.


I'm not really using the car in these temperatures, but I couldn't resist making a short test drive.

[Siert]

Well another unexciting update.

The GS has been having a little bit of light winter usage throughout the last couple of months, mostly to make sure it was ready to be used as our wedding car last month. It didn't just get to be glamorous in a couple of wedding pictures, it was also towing a rather heavy trailer on the one hour trip to the wedding location Putting the car to good use, and enjoying it at the same time is exactly the way I like it.

I guess today's addition to the roof falls in the same category...


Other then that not much changed, it's still screaming for new paint...

[Siert]

In May it started to be dangerous to drive this car, as the gearbox was leaking oil onto the inboard brake-discs. So despite the lack of a workshop at that moment, the engine was duly pulled out, followed by the gearbox.


First I removed the bell housing to replace the input shaft seal.


I expected it'd take me a week or two to change the seals and then I'd be driving again. But then I got in a fight with these... These are the output shafts. The splines fall into the differential, and the flanges hold the brake discs and drive shafts. As can be seen on the picture the shafts have a bearing, which sits on the outside of the oil seal. I was not happy with one of the bearings, so I decided to replace it. This should have been easy, it was marked as a 6205-RS which is a standard bearing with an inner diameter of 25mm.


It wasn't easy, as my shafts were 26mm thick, and to cut a long story short I've bought two spare gearboxes and opened another 5 or so to find out that at some point Citroen started using thicker shafts, while still using the same bearing manufacturer and bearings stamped with 6205-RS, except that they have a 26mm inner diameter. This change probably happened at the same time as some other gearbox changes that according to my Haynes manual happened in 1977 when the sporty GS X1 models were introduced.

It was in the end of August that I finally re-fitted the gearbox, and new EBC brake pads. After that I still spend several weeks welding and cleaning up the car's front undertray, and adding a fitting point for a towing hook. Finished with some Montana Black "hippie green" paint, it looks decisively, uhm... silly.




The car finally passed it's MOT in the start of September, and has even had some race track use again.

[79cord]

Good to hear you were successful.
Still love the old paint even if it needs work, such a memorable colour for GS of the era.

[Siert]

Not much happened with the car this year, most of our time went into our new old house. In October I became a father, and my wife had this made for our daughter

[vulgalour]

Congratulations on the new arrival!

[darrenh]

mk2 astra baby grows! where from?!!!

(sorry )