Timex and friends

Tell us about life with your BX, or indeed life in general!
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

I did look into this as part of a mad idea to build a 2.1 8v NA engine for Timex when his head failed last year, and it's possible but not easy. There was a guy from (IIRC) Romania who used to post occasionally with a BX estate running a modified 2.1 (Xm 2.5 turbo, non standard pump, HUGE intercooler taking he place of the lower half of the front bumper), and other have done it, but diffeences in design, mostly the water pump means you have to reroute the return lines to make space for the pump, and if it ever fails you need to pull the engine to change it. the larger head also makes access down the back of he engine difficult and again, if any head work is needed, you need to pull the engine to do it. I suspect that I may be able to insure a 19td BX easier than a 2.1td aswell, although I'd probably need to get a friendly local garage o go over it first.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
mds141
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by mds141 »

A 2.5 lump in a BX would be, let's say, interesting!! :-)
Mark Smith

Is it just me or is everything shit?

1989 BX GTi 16 valve. Blanc Alpine. Completed the Citroen Classic Challenge Ecosse and 1337 miles without a hitch.
2000 XM VSX 2.1 td Auto. Rouge Magenta.
TGD saloon many years ago.

1990 Swift 'Corniche' 12/2 aka BXClub HQ.
Honda Firestorm. Gone, but not forgotten.
2015 Triumph Tiger Explorer XC.
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

No sure if that's been tried yet, and not sure if I want to, as there will come a point where it'll only go fast in a straight line due o the weight up front!

There was a bloke in Holland building a BX estate with an XM V6, but I'm not sure if it ever got finished. He'd started by dangling the engine in the empty bay on a crane, then shoving a loose gearbox in next to it to check if it all fitted, and even then the rear bank was amost touching the bulkhead while the front one didn't really leave any space for he rad. It was only when he bolted the gearbox onto the engine that he discovered he had to rotate the whole thing backwards at the bottom to make the gearbox fit, and then had to move the subframe cross member back a couple of inches to clear the sump! that's the last I heard about it.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
mds141
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by mds141 »

If anyone can do it, you can Mike. Just get stuck in with the oxyacetylene torch. :-D
Mark Smith

Is it just me or is everything shit?

1989 BX GTi 16 valve. Blanc Alpine. Completed the Citroen Classic Challenge Ecosse and 1337 miles without a hitch.
2000 XM VSX 2.1 td Auto. Rouge Magenta.
TGD saloon many years ago.

1990 Swift 'Corniche' 12/2 aka BXClub HQ.
Honda Firestorm. Gone, but not forgotten.
2015 Triumph Tiger Explorer XC.
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

Of course, there's gonna be other questions to, like PAS or nonPAS - Fred's the latter, and I've driven a non PAS 19RD before with no issues (of course I'm used to GS, Land Rover, H Van etc.), so depending on how much heavier the engine I get is there may be asteering conversion on the cards too - I'd rather not though - more to go wrong and I do find situations where (for me at least) Timex's steering is just too light! While the original plan was to resurrect Fred and run him while Timex was rebuilt, before selling him on, if I do this it'll be as a fun car for me, so will be built to my tastes with the odd decision like keeping the non PAS!
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by mat_fenwick »

citsncycles wrote:He'd started by dangling the engine in the empty bay on a crane
That's exactly what I did with the Stellar - dangled it while I made cardboard templates for the engine mounts. That's after finding out it wouldn't fit at all without removing the sump, water pump and exhaust manifolds!

Back to Fred - I'm going to sound uncharacteristically sensible and boring now, but if you're thinking of selling it on I'd suggest that keeping it subtle and reversible will keep the potential pool of buyers bigger.
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

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Any changes will be reversible in any case. I think Fred may be at the stage my series 1 Landy was 20 years ago. Back then the fact it was fitted with later running gear made it more practical and valuable. Now they're generally seen as show vehicles, it's a disadvantage being modified.

While I will fit some parts to Timex, I'll keep the rest so that it can either be refitted or go with Fred should I ever move him on. If the conversion goes to plan, I may decide to keep him long term.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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demag
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by demag »

mds141 wrote:A 2.5 lump in a BX would be, let's say, interesting!! :-)
It's interesting in an Xm never mind a Bx! :lol:
Dave.

2004 C5 Exclusive Estate 2.2hdi automatic.
1990 Bx TGS automatic.
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by Dollywobbler »

Very true. A friend has just removed the Perkins Prima from his Series 1 and put a proper 2-litre IOE lump back in. However, Series 1 Landies are a lot older than BXs! Keep the original engine to one side, but chuck something else in for the time being. That'd be my plan.
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

Yep, all I gotta do is check to see what it'll do to the insurance. I'm sure it'll go up but I'm hoping that my age and claim history (15 years since last claim!) Will go some way towards limiting it.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

Spent a nice afternoon visiting Jaba and buying a camshaft for Timex. Also had a ride in his Hurricane to check a possible gearbox noise, which also gave me a taste of what Fred will be like if I fit a TD engine. We then had tea and a chat before I headed for home. Predictably, I thought of several things I could have bought from the estate he's breaking up. On the other hand, Timex ran really well, cruising at an indicated 90mph (which means more like 80 in real life), and is returning around 50mpg.

I just have to see if I win the Synergie 19TD engine I've got a bid on at the moment!
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

Had a nice run up to Bradford today to pick up the Synergie engine for Fred. Turned out it had the gearbox with it too, which wasn't in the listing. If I can work what I need to make the linkage work it may be the answer for best ratios for the engine. I would still like to use a BE1 box if possible though.
The engine came from a car they bought to rob panels from for another car. It's done 90k miles and was apparently running well, so if I'm lucky I might have a bargain.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by mat_fenwick »

Is it a cable linkage on the Synergie? If you can find out the ratios for both then you can compare in-gear speeds for various revs, and see if the difference is likely to prove an issue in the real world. I'm guessing you'd be trading a bit of economy for acceleration, which is not necessarily a bad thing...
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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citsncycles
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by citsncycles »

Don't think the Synergie gearbox will work for 2 reasons - 1st it's not a BE3, but what I think is called an MTL5 box, meaning lots of changes to clutch and gear change linkages, and 2nd the hole I found in the casing today!

Next thing I'll try is to whip the end cover off the scrap BE3 box I have and one of my BE1's and see if the 5th gear cogs can be swapped. Then I'll decide whether to modify a BE1 box or fit a BE3 TD box. If I fit a BE3 box I assume I'd also have to find the necessary linkage to the gear lever?
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Timex and friends

Post by mat_fenwick »

With the 205 GTi we had, it originally had a BE1 box i.e. reverse up and to the left. But we needed a BE3 box to mount the flywheel sensor for the 16v engine, so bought one from eBay. To my surprise I was able to use the original linkages and reverse gear position was unchanged, which suggests it's the linkage rather than the box which determines gear position.

Unless the box I bought was a kind of in-between gearbox, with the later casing and BE1 internals - anyone know if such a thing exists?
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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