Tagged: 1970 DS21

New tyres for the 250SE and the DS 2

New tyres for the 250SE and the DS

Every classic car community has an issue that polarizes opinion and spawns countless threads on Internet discussion boards. For the Citroen DS, that issue is what is the right tyre for the DS?   Michelin were the owners of Citroen during the entire production run of the DS.  During that time they pioneered the radial tyre, which was introduced in 1949.  The Radial was...

DS Front indicator swap pt 1 1

DS Front indicator swap pt 1

The indicator lenses on my DS were all cracked, and the backing was in poor condition.   I purchased a replacement set online, which look a whole lot better. I went to do the swap over today, but for whatever reason, the new indicators cannot simply plug into the factory wiring harness, they have spade terminals when the car uses bullets. Its not that...

Citroen DS oil filter o-rings 0

Citroen DS oil filter o-rings

I don’t normally post about routine things such as oil changes, but in this case, there is an aspect to the oil change that is not obvious and is worth mentioning. In general, the DS oil change is well covered on the Internet, as are the warnings to ensure the filter housing is properly aligned when inserted back into the sump.    The DS...

DS Sill trim – complete 2

DS Sill trim – complete

The DS is back together and sporting pretty much a whole new interior.   The new sill trim is complete and the seats have been refitted and carpets re-installed.    I’m really happy with the results and glad I didn’t try and make a part-Pallas.  The Pallas cars have carpet instead of this trim, and many non-Pallas cars have this carpet installed but not...

DS sill trim – replacement part 4 1

DS sill trim – replacement part 4

The project to replace the sill trim progresses well.   The glue had done a good job with the passengers side trim in part 3, so I proceeded to glue down the drivers side as well. While this set, I was able to re-attach the seatbelt and then start working on re-attaching the lower stainless steel trim.   The stainless steel trim is quite...

DS sill trim – replacement part 3 1

DS sill trim – replacement part 3

The installation of the new sill trim in the DS progresses.    Today I was able to glue down the passengers side of the car after doing some final trimming to size (mostly done in part 2).    I ended up using an entire can of spray adhesive, as the underside of the trim absorbs a lot of the glue.     Unfortunately, I...

DS sill trim – replacement part 2 2

DS sill trim – replacement part 2

The DS has large box sections that run down both sides.  On the DS comfort, there are various bits of vinyl trim that cover these sections.   In part 1, I had replaced the outer trim and door sealing strips.  Next was the inner trim.  The inner trim comes mostly pre-cut to size, but it needs to be trimmed and also adapted for a...

DS sill trim – replacement part 1 1

DS sill trim – replacement part 1

The other day I had removed all the sill trim from the DS.  I also re-routed the speaker wires so new trim can be fitted.   Next step was to fit the silver trim that faces the outside of the car, but is only visible when the doors are open, and the inner weather strip. The trim is glued on, but needs to be...

Re-routing the DS rear speaker wires 1

Re-routing the DS rear speaker wires

I had originally tucked the wiring for the rear speakers in the DS under the marine carpet that was on the inside of the sills.   However, I am now replacing that and gluing down the correct vinyl, so wanted a better solution. The DS wiring harness actually goes between the inner and outer sill, along with some hydraulic lines.   This is not...

Citroen DS sill trim – removal 1

Citroen DS sill trim – removal

The sill trim on my DS was in poor condition – the rubbers were perished, the outer sill trim was cracking, and the trim on the inside sills had been replaced with Marine carpet.   Most of the information I could find on the Internet referred to a DS Pallas, and I wanted to keep my car as a DS Comfort. The photo above...

Replacement accumulator fixed heavy steering while parking 1

Replacement accumulator fixed heavy steering while parking

Last year I replaced my accumulator sphere on the DS.   The main driver for this was that I was getting short ‘cycle’ times.  (i.e. the hydraulic pump would kick in very regularly to maintain system pressure, which puts stress on the system).   At the time, I did get an improvement in cycle time.   Secondarily I was hoping to cure a problem where the power...

Retrosound radio in the DS almost complete for the second time 0

Retrosound radio in the DS almost complete for the second time

Previously, I had been working on a nicer faceplate solution for the Retrosound Model 2 radio in the Citroen DS. I am happy to say that this is now almost complete and back in the car.    There are a few more adjustments to do, but overall it is a much better solution to the one I had before. With the rear knobs cut...

Citroen DS wouldn’t idle 0

Citroen DS wouldn’t idle

I came to start the DS the other day, and it started fine, but would not idle properly.  Once the revs dropped below 1200 or so the engine died.   The car had been running fine before so it was quite perplexing.   I had some advice from the forum to try a few things, one was to check the float in the carburettor...

Retrosound model 2 knob adjustment 1

Retrosound model 2 knob adjustment

Previously I had started re-looking at the faceplate of the Retrosound Model 2 I have installed in the DS.    The biggest issue is fitment of the secondary knobs.   In my first attempt, I had tried to file away small holes in the side of the cubby housing for them to fit, but I found that they jammed easily and interfered with the...

Retrosound Model 2 in a Citroen DS – Revisited 5

Retrosound Model 2 in a Citroen DS – Revisited

Last year I installed a Retrosound Model 2 radio in my Citroen DS.   Overall, I was happy with the result, but there were one or two small things that were not working as I expected.   This was mostly down to so little space for the unit in the DS, as it is hard to get the radio face and knobs to fit inside...

New DS Air Cleaner Hose 1

New DS Air Cleaner Hose

The Citroen DS has a rubber hose that connects the air cleaner assembly with the top of the carburettor.   This DS air cleaner hose had become so hard and perished that it tore when I tried to remove the air cleaner to take off the spheres. The condition of the hose is fairly evident from the picture.   The new one was much more pliant.  ...

Classic Jalopy