Restoring the 1923 Citroen 5CV

About

Gladstone Vintage

and Classic car Club.

Club Aims

1 - To assist members in locating, restoring and maintaining their vehicles as a medium of exchange of parts, ideas and information

2 - To build up a library of information, relating to vehicles

3 - To encourage and sponsor

social activities for members and their families

4 - To promote friendship and goodwill with the people of Gladstone.

Please address

all correspondence to

The Secretary

Gladstone Vintage & Classic Carriage Club inc.

PO Box 685,

Gladstone Qld. 4680

The G.V.& C.C.C. Inc. holds it's meetings on the First Sunday of each month at 3.00 PM. At the Clyde Hotel, Calliope Historical Village,

More Gladstone pages

Ford

1923 CITROEN 5CV THE RESTORATION

On August 4 1925 a car similar to this club car set of on a journey that would record it as the first car to travel around Australia.

Frank and Beryl Smith are not intending to make the trip in "Lemondrop" but the historical value of this model was enough incentive to undertake the restoration

Restoring a Vintage car can be a slow process. Research, traveling in search of the elusive parts, then even more research to find out if the parts found are genuine. .

It can be a long drawn out journey, not for the impatient, and when all is found the old parts will need tender care for mostly the will be old, rusty and tired.

1988 Kingaroy

A good chassis, springs, a front axle, motor and radiator. This motor had been used to drive a saw bench and a connecting rod had penetrated the bottom of the motor

1987 Rockamptom

A broken chassis, Springs and a few body parts. Body parts were used as patterns. No original tin exists on the car except the bonnet.

1988 Brisbane

A good gearbox was found in use driving a factory shaft

1988 Bororen

A motor and gearbox that had been used in a boat and had one missing connecting rod. This motor was good for parts, but the topside of the motor was rusted out , which teamed up well with the Kingaroy motor to make a good one. The pistons were from a Morris Minor.

1990 Brisbane

Magneto, wheels, bonnet, brake levers, an original jack, starter motor and spot lights.

1991 Brisbane

Pedestal for pan. Brake levers and the radiator cap

Restoring the Citroen

Frank says

It all started after finding a right hand mudguard, a valance panel and a running board. After a little scratching around in the dirt and the digging up of a door catch, a door handle and the beading from the only door.

The door beading allowed me to ascertain the size of the door. The remainder of the measurements were mainly estimated from an enlarged photo of an original Citroen. Tom Walters using his plumbing skills, bent the body parts while I completed the shaping. Most of the timber was obtained from shipyards, with the sections in the door, over the cowl and door frames being fashioned from maple. The body was then sheeted with Zincaneal, tacked onto the wooden frame.

After the body, the mechanicals were commenced with the re-boring of the engine, valves re-seated and reground etc.

The painting and the upholstery were undertaken by myself, and after about 9 years the restoration of 'Lemondrop" was complete.

Specifications

Engine Type 4 cylinder 5V

Bore and stroke 55mm x 90mm

Displacement 855cc

Max B.H.P. 11 at 2600 rpm

Ignition Magneto

Transmission 3 speed