1954 Citroën 15 Six H
Here is my 1954 Citroën “Traction avant” 15 Six with hydraulic suspension, also known as “15 H” or “15 oléo”.
For a long time now I was thinking about having a 15 one day and between 2010 and 2012 I had two occasions to buy one. The first time I decided to forget the idea because I was scared to begin another big project, but then I had regrets so when I spoke again with the vendor more than one year after, as the offer was still valid, I decided to go for it and since then I’m very happy with this choice.
I was not especially looking for a model equipped with the hydraulic suspension but I’m quite happy about that because this is quite rare (only about 3000 built) and I love the Citroën hydraulic system. I also love its blue color, which is different from the usual black color for these cars.
When I bought her, she was in Quebec for a dozen years and she was waiting for a long time to see the road again. Even if I was able to drive it home without major troubles, she requirer significative work to recover a good working condition and reliability.
Here is a presentation picture, it was a few days after the car arrived home and after a quick cleaning session.
Main characteristics
- Manufacturing date : 1954
- Version : 15 Six H, France
- Serial number : 726702
- Mileage : 14600 km (2012), 19050 km (2021)
- Body color : Midnight blue
- Upholstery : Grey fabric
- Engine : L6, 2.8 litres
- Engine type : 6H
- Engine serial number : W 00745
- Supply : 1 Solex carburetor
- Gearbox : 3-speed manual
Color codes
- Body : “Bleu nuit” AC 601
- Wheels : “Ivoire” AC 123 but they should be “Gris perle” AC 126, I believe
- Engine : green RAL 6020
- Hydraulics devices : Black AC 200, I used black RAL 9005
The car in its initial condition
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She is globally very nice and looks even nicer on pictures
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Without front licence plate (there is none in Quebec) I think this is nicer
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Bumpers have probably been newly chromed at some point
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Midnight blue is not her original color, she was black. Wheels should be blue also, I believe
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I don’t know where the rear lights are coming from, there are not original, but I’m getting used to them and I now think they look better than the original ones
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I’ll use a French licence plate to support the Quebec plate and avoid making new holes
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Wheels and wheel caps are in excellent condition so I won’t change anything with them
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One big moment for me: it was the day I bought the car, on the road back home and my first time driving a Traction
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The upholstery is a strong positive point of this car because it has been redone entirely
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The steering wheel is not in good condition
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The dashboard is almost perfect
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I don’t know if this carpet is original or not but I believe it’s not
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The trunk has not been forgotten…
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… it has been redone also
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Here is the engine compartment when the car arrived at my home in September 2012
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I don’t really know if something is missing
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It’s extremely dirty
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There are a few leaks of engine coolant
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The air filter is the right type, specific to the 15 H model
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The radiator requires attention but it’s not the only part in that case 😉
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Underneath the engine it’s quite nice and it’s rust-proofed by all that grease and oil…
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… we can say that it’s very greasy here
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The hydraulic system is significantly simpler that for a SM, that’s good news
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It has been converted to LHM, that’s good news too…
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… and that’s why the regulator and accumulator sphere are painted green
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The hydraulic tank looks really bad
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The hydraulic lock is missing, this is quite common, as far as I understood
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The height corrector is leaking
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Suspension buffers are dead, what a surprise 😉 But cylinder boots are in very good shape
The car after a partial restoration
Here are some pictures of the car in 2021, a few years after its partial restoration, mainly some mechanical work
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The outside didn’t change much
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I installed two side mirrors attached to the door handles
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At the back, I installed a nice trim on the exhaust pipe
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Inside, I replaced the steering wheel, the previous one was pretty ugly
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I also installed sun visors, the car didn’t have any when I bought it
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The big changes took place inside the engine compartment
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This is so much nicer than when I bought the car
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This is now more reliable too
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The expansion tank works as it should
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Posts related to this car
15 Six: Hydraulic pump overhaul
The leak I suspected on the hydraulic pump was confirmed so I gave it to my usual mechanic with a seal kit. Inside, the pump was ugly! The pump body was so damaged that we replaced it. This intervention on the pump was the occasion to paint it in black and do the same...
15 Six: Finishing touches after being back on the road
After all the work done during winter 2012-2013, I knew that it won't be perfect and that putting the car back on the road would show-up new problems. I started by doing very short test drives, less than two weeks before the long trip to Saratoga Springs for the...
15 Six: Hydraulic overhaul
Here is the hydraulic portion of the mechanical overhaul done during winter 2012-2013, in fact more winter and spring. After having restarted the engine, first without the hydraulic system, I then worked on this part.This work should ensure a good reliability of the...
15 Six: End of the mechanical overhaul
In May it was time to put everything back together. I took some days off and I got some help to speed-up this work, knowing that the goal is still to have the car operational for June.When it started, I noticed that the engine was not revving correctly. The first road...
15 Six: Mechanical overhaul, continued again
Here is the continuation of this work during the second half of March, and April, by painting the drivetrain, preparing the engine bay and reassembling the front brakes.I'm almost ready tu put the drivetrain back into the car. I just have to reinstall the brake line,...
15 Six: Mechanical overhaul continued
During February, I took advantage of the last availability from Claude before he leaves for a month or so, so quickly, just a few hours before he comes in, I prepare the timing cover and the crank plate so we can then close this side of the engine. I paint these parts...
15 Six: Beginning of the mechanical overhaul
After having removed the engine and gearbox, there are still parts to remove and it's the beginning of the cleaning work.I'm almost done removing parts. I have a lot of cleaning to do, it's boring but mandatory and, after that, putting everything together will be much...
15 Six: Engine removal for overhaul
During December 2012, I worked on the drivetrain removal, because I wanted to do a good cleaning but also to do a general inspection. On top of the cleaning operation, I plan to replace some damaged parts (cracked exhaust manifold, damaged steering boots, loose...
15 Six: Repair attempt on the height corrector
Just after the purchase of the Traction, I wanted to fix the leak on the height corrector. It didn't go as planned ;-)I've been told to install a DS or SM corrector (there are identical I believe) and use a "T-shape" fitting to connect both outputs (one for each...
15 Six: Replacement of the steering wheel and installation of sun visors
Soon after purchasing the car, I did some little esthetic changes like the replacement of the steering wheel and I also installed sun visors, which are not there only for esthetic purpose, of course.