Gerry's CX Restoration--restored pics

It seems that there is always just one thing more. The TQF leak at the carrier plate is now fixed. But now there is an LHM leak on the RHS. It seems to be coming from the four way rubber union on the back of the chassis frame. It is only carrying low pressure return. But it had to be that one and not the other side that is easy to get at! The header tank, ventilator flap cover, charcoal canister and fresh air intake tower all have to come out just to be able to even see the thing.
If any one has a good spare it would be appreciated. the new ones are quite expensive and will take weeks to arrive!

All Fixed!!!!!!

Now Just a wheel alignment to go!!!!
 
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Yesterday the car went on its first run of any decent duration. Camperdown to Ballarat. At first the steering appeared a little twitchy but after about the half way point it settled down to steer the way that I remembered 14 years ago. Magnificent.
On the whole the car performed as a new CX should and was an absolute delight to drive. Shane had a short drive when we went over to peer into the internals of his Dads traction gearbox and seemed to have a new appreciation of the C-Matic experience and the charms of this style of car compared with the fully manual 4 and 5 speed boxes.
My thoughts are that it is a less complex CX version of the D series BVH boxes. Easier to set up and easier to maintain but gives a similar clutchless experience. An extra gear would have been nice. I wonder if a C-Matic version of the 5 speed was ever considered?
That would give 2-5 and reverse just as the C-Matic that was built is 2-4 and reverse!
All that aside I am extremely pleased with the result and I have defeated that bloody arsonist that sought to end it all-------Bloody Bastard!!
 
We need some 'finished' pics, Gerry. After having done a couple of fire jobs myself, I really appreciate the level of work that goes into that type of a resto. :approve::cool::cheers::spy::worship:
 
Yesterday the car went on its first run of any decent duration. Camperdown to Ballarat. At first the steering appeared a little twitchy but after about the half way point it settled down to steer the way that I remembered 14 years ago. Magnificent.
On the whole the car performed as a new CX should and was an absolute delight to drive. Shane had a short drive when we went over to peer into the internals of his Dads traction gearbox and seemed to have a new appreciation of the C-Matic experience and the charms of this style of car compared with the fully manual 4 and 5 speed boxes.
My thoughts are that it is a less complex CX version of the D series BVH boxes. Easier to set up and easier to maintain but gives a similar clutchless experience. An extra gear would have been nice. I wonder if a C-Matic version of the 5 speed was ever considered?
That would give 2-5 and reverse just as the C-Matic that was built is 2-4 and reverse!
All that aside I am extremely pleased with the result and I have defeated that bloody arsonist that sought to end it all-------Bloody Bastard!!

Wonderful news! What a saga this rebuild has been - my congratulations. I'd suggest the steering twitchiness might actually have been the car taking a while to train the driver.... You'd know the CX takes a bit of getting used to until you are trained and gradually realise that all the other cars are wrong.

I agree re the C-matic. Perhaps a bit low geared, but completely charming, again once you've been trained!

Now, I'd suggest first the book and then the film. :)

Enjoy the car!
 
I'd suggest the steering twitchiness might actually have been the car taking a while to train the driver.... You'd know the CX takes a bit of getting used to until you are trained and gradually realise that all the other cars are wrong.


Now, I'd suggest first the book and then the film. :)

Enjoy the car!

Thanks for the comments John, I definitely think that it was air in the system and not a lack of acquaintance with the mannerisms of the mechanism. I had done a number of short trips of 10 - 15 km whilst sorting the car but it was not until the car was asked to perform at a constant 95KPH that the twitchiness became apparent. I believe that air may have still have been trapped in the centrifugal governor which of course regulates the pressure on the control unit slide valve that was responsible for fluctuations of pressure and hence the twitchy behaviour. I certainly was not making the mistake of choking the steering wheel or of releasing the wheel to self centre as is common to most first time CX drivers. Once the air cleared through the system the steering became magnificent.

Now I am waiting for another burst of fine weather to take a few quality photos to round out the resto thread!
 
Now I am waiting for another burst of fine weather to take a few quality photos to round out the resto thread!

Look forward to seeing the photos Gerry, good to see the car is out and about, I bet you're smiling from ear to ear :)

Enjoy you've certainly earned it.

Cheers
Chris
 
Gerry has done an incredible job. I've never seen stainless steel shine like it does on his CX either. All of the stainless trim reflects like chrome, but doesn't look like chrome. I can't imagine buffing all those fragile stainless parts, but he managed it :)

Gerry is right, I have always thought the C-matic was as waste of time .... and have been known to throw them away and fit manual gearboxes. After all, there not a proper manual, yet not a slugomatic either ....

Now as a hobby car they make way more sense than a manual or full slugomatic. There truly weird like a Citroen should be :) I have a straight rust free C-matic in storage here that I intend to tidy up someday. I grabbed it about a decade ago when no-one wanted them, and they weren't rusty. Maybe I should send it down to Gerry to start on next :D

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Thanks for the comments John, I definitely think that it was air in the system and not a lack of acquaintance with the mannerisms of the mechanism. I had done a number of short trips of 10 - 15 km whilst sorting the car but it was not until the car was asked to perform at a constant 95KPH that the twitchiness became apparent. I believe that air may have still have been trapped in the centrifugal governor which of course regulates the pressure on the control unit slide valve that was responsible for fluctuations of pressure and hence the twitchy behaviour. I certainly was not making the mistake of choking the steering wheel or of releasing the wheel to self centre as is common to most first time CX drivers. Once the air cleared through the system the steering became magnificent.

Now I am waiting for another burst of fine weather to take a few quality photos to round out the resto thread!

Twas a joke. :) Although with a non-CX person it does take a while to adjust....

Great to see the car is going.
 
Yes I can accept that as a joke!

Thought it would be OK - not too explicitly worded thought, I do concede! I remember first coming to grips with my CX and her gradual progress in teaching me to drive the right way. They are quite remarkable cars.
 
Here are a few Pics of the car at Port Fairy!
IMG_0335.jpgIMG_0343.jpgIMG_0344.jpgIMG_0345.jpgIMG_0346.jpgIMG_0329.jpgIMG_0325.jpgIMG_0324.jpg
 
That's lovely Gerry. Just lovely. Thanks for posting.

Can you recall where you got the rubbing strips - I presume they are glued on?

Ours has a very frustrating intermittent LHM leak, not small, but hopefully we'll find it this week. Otherwise going well.
 
The rubbing strips are the original ones John. However I did search for quite a while for some spare inserts and some spare plastic ends. They were then carefully cut and matched to go with the original strips and assembled to make up for the shrinkage that had occurred. If you look closely it is possible to find the joins. The strips were then mounted on 3M double sided trim tape! This also served to secure the plastic end pieces!
 
just to momentarily revive a dead thread...

Gerry, wherabouts did you get that fabric you used for the seats and armrests ? Suits the interior well !

A fantastic job.

-Max.
 
just to momentarily revive a dead thread...

Gerry, wherabouts did you get that fabric you used for the seats and armrests ? Suits the interior well !

A fantastic job.














-Max.
I believe the cloth was from a Chrysler Sigma. Sourced it through SuperTrim in Rooks Road Nunawadding.
 
Having now used the car quite a fair amount I found the tie rod ends to be in sore need of attention. The early short track rods are nearly impossible to find for the left hand side. I thought I was on a good thing when Chevronics in the UK advertised a pair of the early rods for diravi steering, so I paid my money and waited for delivery. The owner soon contacted me full of apologies to inform me that what he thought was a pair were in fact two from the RH side, and did I wish to cancel the order.. Looking at the parts book I saw that there is in fact a rod available for the later cars that is approximately 55 mm. longer than the original. The owner did a search in his attic through all of his stock of track rods and came up with one of these LH later types. He compared the bends with the original RH rod and found that they practically matched. I agreed to go ahead with the deal and received the rods a few weeks later,
Track rods.jpg

I am lucky enough to have a good friend here in Camperdown who volunteered to do the necessary machining
IMG_1745[1][11170].jpg

I have now installed the new track rods and the transformation is breathtaking! Wow.
Many thanks to James at Chevronics and to Philip my very talented friend!
 
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