GS modifications

[gs citroen]

GS modifications to the max???

following on from olivers thread - GS Wheels changed to DS rims...

Hi all I've just joined the forum and have owned an orange 76 GS Wagon for the last 2 months.
Since then I have aquired a sports steering wheel [not citroen] but I put cx chevrons in the centre, which gives it a good personality.
I have also put some 5 1/2 inch DS rims in to get GS stud holes drilled as they are compatible if done so.
I was wondering if anyone out there has modified GS in any ways regarding peformance. My first problem is I'm not sure of how wide I can go with the tyres, I know there is are some rotary GS's with similar wheel modifications.
Is there someone out there as interested in modifying the GS without taking away it's true charactor, as me?

From Oliver---------Brisbane

engine talk is all good and quite widely talked about in the recent bi-rotor thread
so i'd like to hear if anyone has tried something a bit more exotic?? oil cooling/plumbing
how bout fuel injection or turbo?? supercharging like little 2CVs etc etc
uprating or different drive shafts wheels & camber experiments??
body work and body kits (very interested~!!)
yes air-con but describe your attempts no here-say please... =(

even just simple things like changing to electronic ignition have quite a favourable effect on the GS engine (technology in the late 60' was good but there has still been some advances in technology since then...

that aside i have love the shape (so cool for it's day) and the feel of a GS ever since i sat in one - but i wouldn't mind to see a revamp of the GS with a little more modern styling including wheels and tyre kits (handling actual improves even more) i'd like to build one into a roadster but still keep it the original GS flavour about it...?? I included some pics in olivers thread but am looking for more ideas before i start to finish my project

currently: 74 GS special

1220 engine
(4-2-1) 1+1/2" extractors
5 speed box

wheels
225/45/18 hr racing
sumitomo HtrzII rubber
guards extra gussets pumped

electrics:
additional oil temp sender + pressure guages

ALL ideas and opinions welcome
we all know about Donat's rotary god bless but if u've changed your GS we'd like to hear - what happened and how is it?? =)
bet we can all benefit somehow from your experiences.....
cheers... =b

adam

 

[chris]

Hi Adam,

Can you elaborate on the oil temp sender? My factory one is dead, and I would like to know if my engine ever decides to do a Chernobyl

Did you mount it into the factory plug on the front of the engine, or wire it up somewhere else?

Cheers,
Chris

PS: Had a long-ratio 5-speed box in my old 1220 Pallas. 120km/h, no fuss :headbang: Had to change down pretty quick for hills though.

 

[gs citroen]

Hi Adam,

Can you elaborate on the oil temp sender? My factory one is dead, and I would like to know if my engine ever decides to do a Chernobyl

Did you mount it into the factory plug on the front of the engine, or wire it up somewhere else?

Cheers,
Chris

PS: Had a long-ratio 5-speed box in my old 1220 Pallas. 120km/h, no fuss :headbang: Had to change down pretty quick for hills though.

hi chris yes vintage VW (get the number for you later) in belmore have compatible oil temp senders and guages at reasonable prices the fittings go straight into the the factory plug i also purchased a pressure guage which i brazed onto the oil pressure switch it's much more sensible than a yes/no button (bugger light)
just bring in the fittings they'll set you straight
cheers

 

[gibgib]

You could source a spoiler from an X2 or X3 GS or do what I did & shorten & heat mould an Alfa Sud one:

Interior was redone in grey/ black car carpet:

I went for colour under the bonnet like you (not my cup of tea now though):

The orange GS next to blue beast was mine as well,... meet orange beast:

That's about all the pictures I have of my blue GS which is a shame. My dad owns it now & he has returned it to a more standardised style.

We also ran an extra oil cooler (torque converter cooler in behind the grille) & a VDO electric pressure gauge, using a T piece at the oil pressure switch location. A VDO temp sender was tapped into the oil gallery under the carby, with the gauge inside cab adjacent to the pressure one on the centre console.
The front plug was where we fitted the output to the extra cooler (not interupting the return relief valve operation), which then fed back into the casing at the oil filter. It is still like this today.

 

[Mandrake]

I went for colour under the bonnet like you (not my cup of tea now though):

Whats the story behind the DS sphere on the front left ? (Yes they do fit Shane )

Although I've seen DS spheres used on the front of a GS before (works fine as long as the pressure is quite a bit lower than standard) I'm not sure that mixing a GS and DS sphere on the same axle would be a good idea due to the inevitable imbalance in damping, and the stiffness vs load curve would be different as well due to the different volume...

Regards,
Simon

 

[gibgib]

I knew someone would mention that.
It normally ran 2 DS spheres at 59 bar, but 1 karked a few days before that event so on went the old GS sphere.
It's back to GS spheres on the front nowadays.

 

[Mandrake]

I knew someone would mention that.
It normally ran 2 DS spheres at 59 bar, but 1 karked a few days before that event so on went the old GS sphere.
It's back to GS spheres on the front nowadays.

Wow, 59 bars in a DS sphere...on a GS that must have been extremely soft...

We found with DS spheres on the front of a GS that the pressure had to be dropped to about 40 bars to get the same ride stiffness as a 55 bar original GS sphere...

Regards,
Simon

 

[WLB]

'74 GS Club 1220

I modified mine in the early '80s. Huntsman rally-style bucket seats, CX console (inc. handbrake), fold-down station wagon rear seat to improve load capacity, cruise control, electric windows, late model tailights and rear badging (Pallas), two tone paint. Never got around to increasing the tyres to 165s or turboing modestly.
Sold it in the mid '80s to someone in Gippsland (Bairnsdale perhaps) and haven't seen it since. Arranged to meet half way at Warragul to hand it over.(I lived in Bulleen). We met just near where DCSI is now; where the Froggy server lives.

Warwick.

 

[Chris Dunham]

Started a bit of work on the GS theme and got this muich done.

lightened and balanced fly wheel (good, smoother, quicker reving)
CX front sway bar (22mm, good with a little quicker body recovery)
Two twin down draft carbs (not finished but great results reported on other GS's).
Tall 5 speed GSA box (great)


Would have liked to increase both bore dia and compression ratio but dident get around to it.

Chris.

 

[gs citroen]

Started a bit of work on the GS theme and got this muich done.

lightened and balanced fly wheel (good, smoother, quicker reving)
CX front sway bar (22mm, good with a little quicker body recovery)
Two twin down draft carbs (not finished but great results reported on other GS's).
Tall 5 speed GSA box (great)


Would have liked to increase both bore dia and compression ratio but dident get around to it.

Chris.

wow chris sway bar is interesting did you have to use different bushes in it and the size was ok bit stiffer than standard??
with the carbs what kind of adapter did you run to replace the standard inlet manifolds??

cheers mate

 

[gs citroen]

if anyone is interested
Vintage VW supplies belmore PH (02) 9789 1777


and warick how was the electric window situation i would mind to hear more about it as it's next on the agenda =)
sounds like a cool GS~!!

thanks
adam

 

[WLB]

if anyone is interested
Vintage VW supplies belmore PH (02) 9789 1777


and warick how was the electric window situation i would mind to hear more about it as it's next on the agenda =)
sounds like a cool GS~!!

thanks
adam

Yes, it was a nice car Adam. Just needed the taller 5th gear of later models. It had the standard Weber carby instead of the Solex and was quite quick off the mark.
Due to the very thin doors and lack of options back then, I used a bolt-on unit from Mitsuba. Not as elegant but reasonably neat. It was a flat unit in a rectangular box the simply bolted to the door trim and engaged with the regulator spline after the winder handle was removed. I just had a quick look at the Mitsuba website and can't see anything similar in the current range. They do seem to have a unit that looks like it's designed to mount internally and drive the regulation arm. Might still be too thick for a GS though.

http://www.mitsuba.co.jp/english/products/4wheel.html

Once I had the narrower seats installed (the old ones needed a complete reupholster) it was amazing how easily the wider CX console went in. Even connecting the CX handbrake and gear lever wasn't that difficult.
The station wagon rear seat was well worthwhile. If I remember correctly, the sedan floor pan is the same and the screw holes for the seat's hinge are in the floor of the sedan, as are the mounting points for the backrest latches.

Warwick.

 

[Chris Dunham]

wow chris sway bar is interesting did you have to use different bushes in it and the size was ok bit stiffer than standard??
with the carbs what kind of adapter did you run to replace the standard inlet manifolds??

cheers mate

Most of the CX bar goes straight into the GS, from memory I had to take the GS ride height adjuster arm (the wire thingy) and brase it into the CX ride height adjuster arm block, drill two holes to allow for the differnt mounting of CX bar bearing blocks. It is a little stiffer but not heaps, think a 23 or even 24 mm bar would be about right, but a pair of 16V front spheres with the 22 bar could well be worth trying first. Theres plenty of front end tuning that can be done with a pair of early D adjustable spheres by limiting or adding holes to the washers.

Late type (cast) lower suspension arms are the go being much stronger. You can also undo and re weld a pair of the pressed and welded lower arms to give 1 degree of camber if your into lots of serious cornering.

To use the twin down drafts cut off the flanges from an old inlet track (match the flanges to the head inlet holes exactly as the stock ones are way off) and weld in a couple of stubs. These will need to have a slight taper and are about 4 inches high. The whole lot fits under the bonnet with the pancake style foam filters. From memory the carbs are 40IDF's (same as Alfa Sud) chocked down with inserts to 36mm.

Chris.

 

[Certifiable]

how bout fuel injection or turbo?? supercharging like little 2CVs etc etc
adam

When I was looking at buying that olive-green 1982 GSA wagon that's around the traps, I asked a Peugeot nut (now addicted to the DS) about putting a turbo in a GS/GSA.

He replied, "The gerbil will asphyxiate!"

 

[gs citroen]

When I was looking at buying that olive-green 1982 GSA wagon that's around the traps, I asked a Peugeot nut (now addicted to the DS) about putting a turbo in a GS/GSA.

He replied, "The gerbil will asphyxiate!"

HA~????

maybe he should have seen a 2CV with no modifications...??
first time i held one in my hands i almost mistook it for a LAWNMOWER engine~!!
don't know what the stats on supercharged 2CV engines are but i'm sure they're better than standard if he didn't think they were popular u might bring this to his attention http://www.cats-citroen.net/citroen_features/mods/index.html
anyway turbocharged porsche boxer seen that before..!
1 million and 1 turboed rexy boxers in the market
why not try a GS Boxer engine - only requires smaller turbine ^^

cheers for the inital post though~!!!!
adam