[Chris Reynolds]

Yes, the Banbury one is a good car and does tick the boxes. I’m sure any hesitation on my part is also down to having waited and wanted for so long

I saw that one on FB and will definitely take a look on Sunday if it hasn’t been snapped up by then. I’ve always tended to look for ones with the later front because I like the idea of the turning headlights, despite very rarely actually being able to use them, but I think the earlier noses look more iconic DS. I do like the wavey dash, just looks so stylish. Bottom line, I like them all!

[Chris Reynolds]

Meant to reply to this before. Peter’s air hose tale had me chuckling. As to multiple tools I have that issue with tape measures, I have no idea how many I own but I do know they move around at night and hide.

Anyway might as well share a photo of the garage my D will be moving to. This was years ago when I was trying to get my old D going again. I’d like to say it is tidier now but instead its just differently messy

[Chris Reynolds]

Thanks John and Paul, those were the pieces I was talking about and, despite having read my Reynolds book obsessively, I’d missed that pair of photographs. Maybe swayed by a lot of the ones I’ve seen having the later material.

And to Julian, yes it does other than, possibly, the price and the fact that, despite knowing I will never get my perfect D, I realised I’m just not that keen on them in white. I’ll be at the D rally on Sunday and may see something else but maybe I just have to pull the trigger and buy a couple of rattle cans of Blue d’orient!

[Chris Reynolds]

Little update, dropped in to see the Banbury South African car. Looks very nice and got around the lanes beautifully. Everything looked pretty straight and in good order and I might be tempted. One feature that you can see on its photos is that it has red rear reflectors under the rear bumper

They looked very similar in shape to the ones at the front that nuancier documents:

So I wondered if it was another SA add-on.

Also, interestingly is that the owner said that we he got the car from SA the Pallas sill embellishers were different (plainer) to the European ones and he replaced them with ‘normal’ Pallas ones. I looked at another South African D that also had Pallas style sill embellishers but they were a plain metal and, again, I wonder if this was a typical SA thing.

Should be at the D rally on Sunday to have a nose around and say hello

[Chris Reynolds]

I build workbenches that end up layered in tools and bits of project so I end up working on the floor. After getting that sense of victory I then disappear for a cup of tea without tidying up. I then trip up on things I’ve left on the floor.

This year, in advance of getting a D, I’ve been draconian in getting rid of things that I’ve hoarded and slowly space is appearing but I now live with the dread that I’ve got rid of something vital…

[Chris Reynolds]

Thanks for making me feel better about mine!

[Chris Reynolds]

I’ll echo that, the interior looks amazing, great job. Also, fascinating information on the fader and useful links in the thread too, I’d not heard of adspallas before

[Chris Reynolds]

Thanks Paul, I’ll definitely check the engine code (I’ve got a little notebook with a list of things to check based on all the buying guides I’ve read and advice I’ve been given, it’s an attempt to remind me to not be swept away by glossy paintwork) I envy your eye for detail on the engine sizes, as you say it may just be laziness on C and C but it all creates questions in your head. The dates are also an interesting point and I’ll try and remember to look carefully at any original paperwork to find out actual manufacture date. Could well be an import issue but worth checking

I looked at a DSuper5 a while ago that had the separate 5 and mentioned it to Darrin who said it was a feature of early cars.

According to nuancier (translation courtesy of the Firefox transaction add in). He has pictures of the badge with the 5 separate and then as one badge with the words
“Yes, look carefully at the logo: the 5 is detached.

This is a feature of the very first months of production of the DSuper 5, from August 72 to about September 72, I would say. Later, the logo will be all attached”

Thanks again for taking time to help me out

[Chris Reynolds]

Thank you all for the info and photos, it’s fascinating tracking the changes that happened. I’m away on my holidays so responses are a bit slower.

Thank you for doing an inspection visit Julian, it sounds like you were quite taken with the car. I appreciate your feedback as it all helps me.

So I’ve got three D’s in the air at the moment:
St. Albans – 4 speed DSuper that sounds a good everyday car
Banbury – SA DSS20/5. Some info here ( https://nuancierds.fr/DT%20af%20sud.htm ). Looks good and sounds cared for
Warminster – DSuper5 – lots of work done but bodywork needs attention

From memory my original D moved along OK, pretty sure it was a DSpecial originally so would have been either a DV2, DV3 or DY2. The engine was replaced by a DX4 after an incident and I definitely enjoyed the extra oomph.

I’m stopping off to look at the Banbury one on the way home from holiday so I can report my findings.

Thanks again everybody

[Chris Reynolds]

Thank you both, particularly for the link to the advert, fascinating. I knew but didn’t remember that SA cars did their own thing to an extent so the thoughts on engine etc are really useful. I’ve seen one SA car that wasn’t as rust-free as the advert made out so I’m certainly not taking it as a guarantee

I will contact the vendor and ask about the engine and perhaps take a look.

[Chris Reynolds]

Thanks both, I’m away for about 10 days and will try and get over to St. Albans after that and report back. I know all about that avalanche, my Barchetta needed new rear springs which somehow ended up with the whole back axle disassembled on my garage floor – managed to stop myself before it went any further and got the car back together.

Not quite right but a bit of a Frankenstein car has emerged on C+C, not too far away from me:

https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C2079483

To my untrained eye it looks like a sort of semi-Pallas upgrade that has had some money spent on it and is in my price range so I’ll muse on that while I’m away.

Ideally a LHD DSuper5 in Bleu D’Orient will turn up in better condition than the Warminster one but let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good, so I’ll keep looking.

Thanks for the photos, those barn finds are fascinating, to think they’ve just been sitting there all this time, good work on connecting with the owner. That last ID19 looks lovely and if I thought I had the skills needed to bring it back to life I’d be sore tempted.

I really appreciate the time you’ve all put into your responses, it makes me glad I rejoined the club.

[Chris Reynolds]

I admire your tenacity to keep going on such a project. Reading back through old posts on here has been humbling and inspiring in seeing the work, skill an perseverance of you and others.

I’m lucky in that I do have a large double garage that means I do have space but you’re right about the size when dismantled. One of the reasons that I now have room for a D is that I’m selling my Fiat Barchetta which is a tiny car in comparison but I also bought a lot of spares (particularly body panels) from a chap breaking his. I can’t believe how much space I’ve liberated now the spares have gone. Just need someone to buy the car now.

It wouldn’t take much to put me off doing bodywork and you’ve definitely helped that journey! I did the boot lid of my old D and managed to make it look barely adequate from 100 metres away.

A DSuper 5 or maybe a manual DS21 is probably my ideal choice and I definitely agree that I don’t want to mollycoddle it. Yes it’ll be put to bed in a nice dry garage but I want to use it and enjoy it.

[Chris Reynolds]

Sound advice.
Your car sounds like mine would have been if I hadn’t given up on it. Mine was my only car for a few years and gave sterling service (I did put a new steering rack in) but failed an MOT on a wobbly swivel joint. I couldn’t afford to fix it and by that time we had a modern car and a baby. It was garaged but, at that time, the garage was pretty damp and so it just sat and rusted and rusted and seized. By the time I could find time to look it it was in a sad way and so I let it go, part of me wishes I’d kept it until now when I’m retired and have the time but can’t turn the clock back. I’ve since done what I should have done years ago and put a dehumidifier in the garage.

You’re right about scruffy in the flesh, I’ve seen that in two of the cars I’ve looked at. I think £10K might be right for the St. Albans car, watching the video of it on C and C you can see rust in normal bodywork places as well as cracked corners of the instrument panel. All fixable with time and money if I want to take it on. I’ve a mate who lives in St. Albans so I could take a look and have a beer with him.

[Chris Reynolds]

Thanks for your message. I think goes to the heart of my prevarication over what to buy and why. Do I just want a DS that I can enjoy driving with the acceptance that I’ll need to get the tools out now and then as problems arise but can mostly be just used. Or do I want something that will clearly need work and so give me a hobby to use and learn skills. I’ve looked at doing a basic welding and bodywork course and think that might be worthwhile depending on what car I get. Unlike you I haven’t spent enough time dicking around with cars to have built up a lot of skills but I do enjoy challenging myself.

For instance there’s this one close to me that I may go and look at:

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1875424

It sounds like the bones have been fixed but with lots of bodywork to be done. Looking at the prices of replacement panels and some stab on amount of workshop time and I can easily imagine £20K+ to get the bodywork sorted. And that gets you close to just buying one of Olivier’s that, at least going by the photos, have had that work done.

Interesting on the St. Albans car as I’d not looked closely into it but it might well be worth looking at

https://www.carandclassic.com/make-an-offer/1971-citroen-ds-d-super-nvmzkg

The obvious answer is that I need two DSes, one to drive and one to restore.

[Chris Reynolds]

That’s great, thank you Paul. I have also rapidly downloaded them for safe keeping. It’s a fantastic source of information and hats off to all those, especially, Tony who’ve worked to make these documents available.

Back when I had my old D I bought a copy of the workshop manual from Citroen Andre and, while useful, it had to be said that the photographs weren’t the greatest quality copies, the work that’s be done to improve those scans is fantastic.

Thanks for the link to your site too, I’ve often looked at it and been impressed by your dedication in recording your work. I start off with good intentions but …

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