[Paul Burridge]

Not an efi guy myself. This cropped up on a Facebook group recently. Mathieu Dutre wrote:

“Hi all, I’m checking my injectors for my DS 21 ie before putting them back on my engine. I have different bosch numbers for the injectors which i find a bit strange.
Originally bosch injectors with reference 0 280 150 003 were mounted. I noticed that I have 2 different numbers 0 280 150 043 and 0 280 150 015. I read on the website of dr d jet (holy grail for ie owners who want to understand d jectronic functionality) that every bosch injector with the same colour coding (here blue) would give the same flow rate. (380cm³/min) I also read that injectors are interchangeable on the website of dr salva (another holy grail for ie owners)
Can anybody comment if this is correct and they are also driving around with a mix of blue socket injectors”

And Michael Faulks replied:

“Theoretically all the blue code injectors have the same flow rates. The different part numbers are for hose connection and internal improvements. As long as the flow rates are the same after cleaning you should be fine. If they are leaking from the joint between the body and the core then replace them otherwise this could be your future” (That’s a reference to a photo of Faulksy’s car – which was destroyed by a fire).

Have you tried asking the suppliers of DS parts? I know that “Pallas Auto” are in the process of replacing the injection system in a DS with a modern one. I’m sure they’d have the know-how and access to original parts if that is all you need.

[Paul Burridge]

Should have added that ‘Blanc Paros’ was only used with ‘5J’ size wheels. They have a round hole in the middle. If your wheels have square holes, they are 51/2 J size – and you shouldn’t find those in Blanc Paros.

If your wheels have round holes, they could be Blanc Paros colour. But wouldn’t have been original to a D Super. the first years of D Supers had round hole wheels – but not in Blanc pParos as it had been phased out by then, and the 1971 D Supers had square hole wheels…..

Ultimately, paint them whatever colour you like, but as you like grey (AC140 ‘Gris Roue’) and are keen on getting back to original, then AC140 would seem to be the way to go.

[Paul Burridge]

No. That’s a mistake. The ‘code’ column and the ‘colour’ column are out of sync. The code is correct (AC140) but the corresponding colour should say ‘Gris Roue’ not ‘gris rose’.

There is a site called ‘Nuancierds’ that has loads of facts/ differences where Ds are concerned. From that sites extensive research, the concussions are……

[Paul Burridge]

And here is the second link translated – the explanation of unusual roof colours – originally they were tinted – not painted!

[Paul Burridge]

One of those links isn’t working. Try this in lieu:

Paul

[Paul Burridge]

Nice Steve. I just found something abut Ds that said that the fibreglass roofs caused a reaction with paint and, on cars that had same coloured roof and body, the roof discoloured!. i wonder if your roof was originally Blue palatine. Very interesting reading. Here are two links:

The text in this link…..

http://www.nuancierds.fr/INTZ bleu platine cuir noir.htm

Has a link to here….

http://www.nuancierds.fr/Mystere6.htm

Start that thread about wheels, I can’t get enough!

[Paul Burridge]

Should have added: height linkage and hydraulic pipes run down the nearside sill. Offside sill has fuel pipe and hydraulic return pipes.

[Paul Burridge]

That sounds like a nice camera. On my first car I applied Waxoyl – but only to the outer sill area, thinking I was doing the whole thing! To help you identify the right bit to explore, I’ve added a photo here to explain the sill construction and marked in red the areas that typically rust.I’d be fairly confident that while you’d choose to apply a rust treatment, you’ll be happy with what you find.

[Paul Burridge]

Not to scare you Richard, but here are some extreme examples of excessive Australian dust (and probably mud from a flood if honest) finding it’s way into a DS….. The car is on it side on a jig and you are looking at the back offside corner where the petrol pipe passes to the tank, and further along the bottom sill. These photos are courtesy of Sven (Bluedanube’) on Aussiefrogs.

[Paul Burridge]

Thanks for the photo Richard. Those steering wheels are essentially the same style as when the D was first introduced so maintain a link back to the past. Some people with the same dash as you – but the later foam covered wheels (that mutate and fall apart) – seek out your type instead.

You may look at your car and think it’s tatty. I would say that it’s wearing it’s age with pride. Since you don’t have to worry about the chassis as some do, you can selectively clean and/ or replace pieces as you see fit. You may find parts here o pin the back of the Citroenian, but a ‘faster’ market is via Facebook or Ebay (or if you are lucky) Leboncoin.

[Paul Burridge]

Well that worked. I can see you’re getting stuck in already. have you found any nasty surprises. i hope not.

On the photo that shows the edge of the front seat, I was expecting to see a black plastic wheel to adjust the setback. hard to tell on a black seat – but is it there? Or is the adjuster wheel down the gap between the two front seats?

[Paul Burridge]

In Europe, ‘Beige Tholonet’ (AC085) was only introduced in 1973. DSouth Africa used their own paint colours. the 1970 European beige colour would have been ‘Beige agate’ which is almost greeny. Your car looks more gold colour Richard?

European cars have a little metal disc with the paint code on. It has an ‘AC’ number on it and is usually up near the wiper motor. South Africa used their own paint colour and don’t have those discs. When it comes to repainting, it can be hard to colour match South African cars.

[Paul Burridge]

Well spotted. You might get lucky there Justin. But with a few bids on it already, the price could rise suddenly. right at the end.

[Paul Burridge]

Hi Richard
I think it all depends what you want to do with it. And even then it’s not straight forward!

If you plan to tidy it up but sell it, there is not really a market for preserved South African cars per se. it’s more a case of wanting a car that’s spent much of it’s life dry and rust-free, but then also wanting some of the ‘classic’ European look in terms of fixtures and features. I don’t think it will dent it’s price to have the seats and trim replaced, it’s the thought of it being an SA chassis that would tempt a buyer.

If you want to keep it (as i think you do?), make it the way you want it: change the seats and trim if that is what you want. Alternatively, you might want to keep it but preserve those differences so that, when you meet other D owners/ drivers, you can show what is different. Do you have the space to store the SA seats? I’m wondering whether you could make reversible changes so that, if you later sold the car, you’d left your options open.

Inner driving lights. Are half the fun of a DS! I would see whether someone like Jamie or Darrin can pull a complete set off an old car for you. Or, if you are in the facebook group, someone like Huub In T Zandt over in Europe.It may involve also swapping out the cream plastic housings that hold the lights. Can’t remember. Not impossible, just a bigger job with the wings off. Seats. Again you could get a cheap, tatty second hand set and then buy a new set of new covers for them. you can even buy new foam to go in them. they’ll be as good as new.

Work. hard to offer advice without seeing the car, but it sounds like Glynn would know what your particular priorities need to be. I would strongly advise you to rust proof the sills of the car with Dinitrol or something similar. Waxoyl dries and curls after 25 years. i know from experience!. It’s the inner, sealed boxes that need the TLC, less-so the outer sills which are not structural.The areas on the scuttle where the bonnet hinges bolt-to can be rust traps. Clean them out and give them a wipe over with something oily to repel water. same at the other end in the gullies down the sides of the boot edge near the hinges. . The roof is a big Ds weak spot: the seal fails and water/ rain/ moisture can creep in unseen. It may show itself as damp (or rust) up by the shoulders of the rear passenger seat area – on the inside of the C pillars. My advise would be to apply some liquid windscreen leak sealer around the seal from the outside of the car – stop the moisture getting in.

[Paul Burridge]

Wow! Those have been worth the wait Richard. Looks like you’ve got yourself a lot of car there and, from what i can see of certain bits, it doesn’t have the tell tale signs of rust and rot. You have every right to feel pleased as punch. As you’ve identified with Glynn, the important think is the chassis as that can be difficult and expensive to fix, but all the bits that bolt under the bonnet – they can be removed, cleaned and painted at leisure.

Based on the dashboard, I would say that is a 1970 model year car – as that dash was introduced for that year. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a ‘1969’ car. The 1970 model year ran from Sept 1969 through to July 1970 – so if it was one of the early cars, it would have come from 69. One of the very first with that new dashboard.

A few things I spotted that might simply be differences between South African and European cars: your voltage regulator looks as though it bolted to the inner wing. On a European car, I think it would be part of the cage around the battery. I’m not sure about that as, on my 1968 car, my battery lives on the other side of the engine bay with a different cage arrangement. In fact, on a European 1969 (model year) car, the battery is on my side too, and moved to your side for the 1970 year. So another 1970 clue.

More pictures and/ or more questions welcomed.

Even if 1970, it has some nice touches that are links back to the earlier Ds. It’s got the iconic push button door handles and the equally iconic dash mounted mirror. Plus it will have a steering wheel with black plastic binding.

[Author]

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