1957 DS19 USA Export.

Tires...

2012-01-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

I've bought the tires originaly for my '59 DS Administration. The car being a German car had the French comfiguration which is 155 on the rear and for spare, and 165 on the front. The '57 being a US Export, all tires are 165X400. So, my car will configured like a French DS.

Painting the rims...

2012-01-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

I've spent a long time prepping the rims. Soda blasting did not remove rust so I had some grinding, brushing and sanding to do.

I could not mask the washer; I will paint them with gun barrel gray at a later date.

Primed; waiting 1/2 hr before painting.

The color is "Terre Battue" (Talbot France/ Matra)

Painted. The paint cures very quickly (Ken used a very fast hardener) but we will leave them alone over the weekend.

The photo with flash doesn't reflect the real color.

Rack in place...

2012-01-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

The rack is in...

And she is running. The brakes work fine.

Steering rack boots...

2012-01-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

Since the rack was out, I took the opportunity to change the boots and clean it a bit.

I've changed this boot long time ago but obviously the wrong material for it.

The original boots are cooked.

Found some nasty stuff inside.

The riveted tag.

To go over the big pin, I had to make a tool. I've started with a piece of aluminum (Fairly thick).

After bending, removing all sharp edges and a good polish job. I had to use a torch to form it due to the thickness; it has to be thick because a lot of resistance is required when the booth goes over it.

I've use a thin sheet of aluminum to go over the hump (Ram) at the end of the rack. Grease is needed to slide the boot over.

These boots were used so there were not as flexible as new ones; pretty tough to stretch.

I've used some Ligarex to protect and preserve the tag.

The original plug did not survive so I've use a later model (2 slots instead of 4).

Done for now; I will rebuild this rack at a later date.

Calipers: Done!

2012-01-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

In place now...

Next: Changing the rubber boots on the steering rack.

Left caliper done + piping...

2012-01-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

To add to the challenge, I could not remove the screw which retains the index/spring assembly. Usually these parts comes after the block and ratchet installation.

Used the surgical pliers to hold the spring compressed and index back.

Lever and ratchet are in.

The block is in; I can release the spring.

I've modified a screw driver to back off the ratchet after testing it.

I've used aluminum tape to plug the holes where the original springs were (Deleted in February 1958).

I have to redo the piping.

Prepared the part for silver brazing.

The straight lines are welded (Around 83cm each).

A Propane bottle worked great for the first loops.

An extinguisher did it for the half circle.

I've used brass fittings to prevent corrosion. The piping is done.

Left caliper (Cont.)...

2012-01-12T05:19:00.001-08:00

The "patin" is ready to be installed; here with the rods in place and the ratchet mechanism. Everything is greased up and ready to go.

I've used some mag wheel cleaner and multiple wire brushes to get the caliper in decent shape.

These will be painted gloss black.

The ratchet lock before cleaning.

The ratchet self-adjusting mechanism. The part on the right has no notch, so it is a right-hand turn (Clockwise). On the other side there are two notches which are telling you that it is the left-hand turn (counterclockwise) parts.

Left caliper...

2012-01-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

I have removed the left caliper yesterday. It was a nightmare!

One fitting was so tight that I had to remove the rack to work on it (Destroyed by the way!). I will have to make new piping later on.

The caliper was a solid piece of metal; everything is seized. I broke parts and some I could not remove.

Some broken parts...

It took me a long time with a torch, WD40 and compressed air to remove the pistons.

I've honed the cylinders and polished the pistons.

The "patin" is finished.

Cleaned up well.

Working on the piston rods.

Caliper re-assembly...

2012-01-10T04:55:00.000-08:00

Putting everything back together...

The tolerance was so tight that the piston had a hard time to fit even without the O rings. I've honed the cylinders until the pistons could enter and slide nicely.

Polished the pistons also.

I've use 2-222 O rings; nice fit.

One clip on the rods was missing and the other one was too rusty. I've used a 1.2mm steel wire that works very nicely.

I've used grease to stop rust and protect the pistons against further rust or leaks. I've also put grease down the shaft; the suction and the clips will hold the rods nicely in place.

Cleaned up the caliper, prep the parts and painted some.

I've installed the parking brake lever, ratchet assembly and block with the shims and rails.

Next is the spring and index going down to the ratchet.

Before installing the spring I've set the ratchet according to the shop manual (I had to switch to the French manual; the English version was tough to understand for me), then I made sure that the ratchet was working properly. I've backed the block off and install the spring.

Bottom view.

Top views.

Top view with the pads temporarily installed.

Note: The screws that hold the pads in place have a thinner thread (.75) that the regular 5mm screws widely used on the DS.

Calipers...

2012-01-09T04:27:00.000-08:00

I have started with the right caliper.

The bleed line and spring for the parking brake mechanism.

I had to use heat to remove the screw (Which broke)

Used a Dremel tool top make a new slot on the screw; finally loosened up with some heat and WD40

One spring that recalls the piston block was missing; probably broke at some point. I've tried to find a replacement spring and pin when I bought the car but could not find a spare part back then. After 1958 this feature disappeared; I probably will not put this back on.

This is one of the 2 screws that holds the guide for the pistons block. I had to use heat everywhere to loosen everything and avoid braking anything.

I did not follow the sequence mentioned in the shop manual due to some stuck parts.

This part pushes on the block when the parking brakes are applied.

The biggest nightmare was to remove these. The plates are the shims between the caliper frame and the pistons block. The other parts are the guides. The block is not going anywhere without removing these. I've used a wise-grip, heat, WD40 and a lot of patience to remove these (Probably spent an hour on that).

The ratchet and block are finally free.

These go in the pistons and push on against the caliper frame.

The block with frozen pistons.

The cavity where the parking brake mechanism are.

I had to use heat and compressed air to remove the pistons; another tough job.

The piston exceptionally in good shape considering the age of the car.

Ready to clean the parts and rebuild.

Soda blasting the rims.

2012-01-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

My rims were blasted yesterday by Connecticut Soda Blasting. Great job!

They look good and ready to be primed and painted.

My front calipers are getting really sticky especially with the parking brake mechanism. I'll put them apart today.

Starting on the rims...

2012-01-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

I'm working on the rims now. We have matched the color with a Talbot/Matra color.

The rims are going to be sand blasted today.

Interesting: The rims were made in April 1956.

Exhaust system...

2011-10-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

The oblong exhaust system is impossible to find. I found an early exhaust with two 30mm outlets. I made the exhaust with 1" conduits.

Starting by fitting the pipe and finding out the right angle.

The bending tool is more expensive than the materials.

For future reference:

The first angle center is at 25.5 cm with an angle of 4 degrees.

The second angle center is at 60 cm with an angle of 3 degrees.

Cut pipe from the end at 56cm (Starting with a 10' pipe)

Fitting pretty good.

The rear section has only one bent.

For future reference:

Cut a 10' pipe in half

The angle center is at 67cm from the front with an angle of 4 degrees.

The fishtail is also impossible to find; I hope to find a Robri but in the mean time I will use this one...

Due to the fish tail, I cannot use the original bracket since the pipe are touching each other. I've just welded a bracket which also will keep the pipes from twisting.

These are original brackets (For this muffler) that I will use under the engine.

I have drilled 2 holes at the lowest point of the exhaust (Back section) to evacuate the extensive condensation. It is a trade off since these might be where the rust will start but the DS usually goes down first at the front which would make the water going towards the muffler. It is easier to change these pipes than finding another muffler.

Cleaned up some rust...

... and greased the fishtail. Some paint on the bracket and it is ready to go.

I've used rubber strap hangers ref# 8484 to replace the old rubber. I just had to remove the metal part from the new part.

To watch it bigger on YouTube.

Electrical finished, cluster and dash closed.

2011-10-06T03:04:00.000-07:00

The electrical is finished and everything works.

Before closing the dash, I fixed the warped cluster housing.

The hydraulic pressure bulb is a 6V bulb but the blinker and high-beam bulbs are 12V to make them dimmer. It makes sense for the high-beam since you only use it at night and it would be annoying to be blinded by a dash light, but I've changed the blinker bulb with a 6V; it is very difficult to see it in day light (Especially the flasher is silent now).

Making sure that the bulbs are working (The piece is upside down on the picture).

The cluster was manufactured on December 17th 1956; surely a very early US export cluster.

The cluster housing/surrounding piece was wrapped on the top, which is very common.

I've glued a piece of metal to keep it straight.

Looking good now.

The dash is closed up.

Blinkers working!

2011-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

My blinkers are finally working. I have a brand new Axo turn signal switch still in the box but it is not working. I have bought a 6 V flasher (Carquest FSH535) and I'll use the Axo as a switch. For reference, the X is 49 on other flashers, L is 49a and P is 31.

X --> +

L --> to switch (Violet)

P --> light on dash (Green at switch)

The rest of the wiring stay the same: White to the left side and blue to the right side.

I have solder the contacts to avoid any corrosion or problem down the road.

Short video... It's nice to see this car coming back to life.

To watch it bigger on Youtube

Calibration of the High pressure switches...

2011-09-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

The hydraulic pressure light never worked on my DS.

The contacts inside did not touch each other and one switch was corroded.

After cleaning them up, I used my bench tester to calibrate them at 1000psi (See video). The factory specs are between 870 psi and 1015 psi.

To see it bigger on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLqe4XvvtRQ

Parking lights on B pillar...

2011-09-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have fixed my parking lights on the B pillars. The switch is under the dash.

Turn signal switch...

2011-09-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

The turn signal switch was in bad shape.

Fortunately, years ago I bought a brand new one still in its original box

I don't think it is still under warranty :oD

I just have to clean the oxidation off the contacts.

In place but still some issues with wires and rusted bulb sockets.

Rear lights

2011-09-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

The rear lights did not work at all. A lot of rust everywhere. First, I removed the fenders and bumper. I was amazed that the nuts on the brackets did not get damaged. The bumper is aluminum, which is strange. One light was damaged so the car might have been lightly rear ended and someone changed the bumper with one from an ID (I am guessing). It is interesting to see the skirt below the bumper which has been deleted afterwards.

Note to myself: The rear lights connector is on the left (when looking at the connectors) and the brake light connector is on the right (Respectively wire #1 and #29)

The rear plate is really bad and would be difficult to restore; I have another one in much better shape and identical.

The early ones have an extra piece of metal on the top.

Due to the rust the ground was not reaching the bulbs.

After sand blasting and painting...

I have drilled a hole facing down to add a ground wire.

The early bulb holders were steel and later became copper. The little difference being the little tab at the bottom on the picture. The plastic lens will hold this part. I have solder a wire on the copper plate to have a good ground connection.

Early lights have a metal cover over the license plate bulb.

I will restore these for now but I have to find some "new" ones.

I have remove some paint on the lens and sanded them.

New bulbs along with repainted reflectors (Chrome paint).

The cover are painted and the lenses polished.

I could not put the rear plate back on without protecting the body.

Interesting detail: A copper insert is there to drain the water.

After removing most of the rust, I've applied POR15 on the body. The rubber skirts cleaned up nicely with lacquer thinner.

I have sandblasted the rust areas on the rear plate and welded shut some holes. In the future, I probably will sand blast the entire piece when I prep the car for paint. It is protected against rust for now but it could be better.

I have ground the POR off around one hole on each side to insure the ground connection.

These will bring the ground right to the bulb holders.

Working! It is nice to see the car coming back to life. There is still a problem with the harness but I'm working on it.

I am keeping the original plate...

... because there were some rubber riveted on each side; another feature that was deleted later on. This winter I will add the rubber pieces to the new piece.

Nice!

Another detail: The bumper has rubber flaps on each side below the reflectors.

Rear view mirror...

2011-09-01T04:02:00.001-07:00

I have put the dashboard apart. Early DS always have their mirrors going bad...

... here is why:

I've bought a cheap mirror at Walmart and will make a new mirror. I usually brake two before being successful. The original mirror is 2mm thick; bathroom mirrors are 3mm and I use them for the later DS21. Here I cannot use 3mm since it has to fit in the grove and the glass fro the day/night settings have to fit on the top of it.

Once I've got a rough shape I grind the glass up the the dimensions then I fine tune the corners with the old mirror attached to it.

I use a belt sander to grind the glass; first with a heavy grid then with fine. The mirror is finished there.

Finally I'll be able to see behind me.