Activa procured!

[white exec]

That price looks reasonable for a full set of Activa spheres. Westroen should know what they're doing.
Drive REALLY gently (or trailer) if the front spheres are flat (= lumpy ride), and take any humps at half-walking-pace.
Flat spheres + a bump can tear out a front strut top, and spear it through the bonnet.
Hundreds of Xantias here have been 'written off' like this, when owners kept on driving them.
.

[Cento16v]

I drove it back from Gloucester like this (240 mile!) very gingerly

It has had that happen to it already looking at the bonnet and from what the garage told me so I think the strut tops are new.

[white exec]

If you can post a photo of the strut tops (top-side) we should be able to tell whether they are new items, or Elastomer-rebuilt. Either should be good.

[CitroJim]

I may have a set of good strut tops in my stash should you need some

[Hell Razor5543]

Jim, I feel certain that, should you look hard enough, you have almost all of the parts needed to build a new Activa!

[CitroJim]

Jim, I feel certain that, should you look hard enough, you have almost all of the parts needed to build a new Activa!

You're not wrong James All I really lack is a bodyshell and interior!

[Cento16v]

That's the strut tops, the passenger side sphere is dated 2016, do they go flat so quickly? It's hardly done any miles since then!

[white exec]

Those are original strut tops, not 're-rubbered' service-exchange ones from Elastomer.eu.

Look to be in good condition, but the real check on condition is the underside — in particular whether the rubber coating Citroen applied to the base-plates (they did this on Xantia, but not XM) has started to peel away, which allows the base-plate to rust, unseen.* (Apologies for that over-long sentence.)

The classic green/grey round spheres should be good for gas pressure for 3 years minimum from new, but beyond that gas pressure ought to be checked at the first signs of lumpy/knobbly ride, and certainly at 5 years.

* You'll be able to see the base-plate under the front wing, immediately above the corrugated gaiter.

[Cento16v]

It's very hard, like it has no real suspension at the front so it needs spheres, it also needs a lock set as I have 3 keys but none of them lock the drivers door and the central locking has been disabled!

Battery is dead as well so I'll stick a new one on it, then next weekend I'll hopefully get the interior out of it and cleaned!

[Cento16v]

So I've been acquiring a few bits here and there.

My dad found his old Xantia HBOL in the loft, helpfully it doesn't cover the Activa, so I'm not sure what use it was to him 

I have a proper Activa Bumper (in green ) that turned up last week

a Hydractive repair kit that I was recommended to buy off ebay as below

a new Exide Battery from Tayna for £35 which I thought was very cheap, and a new wet vac from B&Q so I don't ruin my nice carpet cleaner with all that mould 

So a list in order of importance:

New Battery.

Interior removal and clean to minimise chance of getting super plague.

Up on a ramp for a proper check over before pouring money into it.

Hydroflush and LHM replacement (need to buy some of each)

If all is OK, full sphere replacement at Westroen, or I'll do it myself if I can find some spheres? The price they quoted seemed very reasonable though.

Full service and Cambelt, see why it's running cool, poss thermostat stuck or removed as coolant temp sits below 60oC when moving but comes upto 90 when stopped.

Oil Temp is also below what I'd expect, hovering around the bottom of the gauge when on the motorway, but I've only driven it very gently other than a couple of 30-*** squirts to see if I pulled ok (it did  )

New lockset as I don't have a key that locks the drivers door, and I have 3 keys for various locks and to start it 

A new dashboard clock.

Fit non damaged bumper.

Fit manual boost controller.

Drive it, completely with scabby paint and be happy.

Then further down the line:

Prep all damage to body and primer car.

Respray.

Wheel Refurbishment.

Enjoy!

[CitroJim]

Excellent!

No need to buy the hydractive repair kit if you can operate a soldering iron reasonably competently Lots of posts here on how to replicate very simply what's inside the e-crofting box - all's in there are three diodes!

Oil temperature should be on the cool side as the engine has a water-cooled oil cooler... You'll only see it go really high when you drive it with a bit of enthusiasm...

The cambelt replacement task is one of the easiest to do on any car I have ever known, as easy as an 8-valve AX engine! Again, it's all detailed somewhere on here how to do it... Just don't trust the crank pully timing hole... It is never accurate due to it being a dual-mass. The outer annulus containing the timing index hole slips relative to the inner annulus. Try and find a solid pulley from a related XU engine for timing purposes although these are now becoming rare...

I may have a good clock here...

Also, happy to offer all needed advice on all the mechanical jobs you have planned...

Enjoy And finally, when you fit a manual boost controller don't wick the boost up too high as the ECU will detect an overboost fault and cause the the ECU to fault and enter limp mode just when you don't want it to!

It will reset itself after a while but the fault will remain within the ECU memory...

[Cento16v]

Cheers Jim, wish I'd known I've already bought that box of tricks now!

I need a gear knob and a dashboard clock if you have them anywhere?

Let me know how much you want for them, it will be habitable at least then!

I can't find spheres anywhere to buy for the Activa, I got all the superceded part numbers of Servicebox and added them to the stickies, just can't actually find anywhere that has stock, I think Westroen may be my best bet!

[Hell Razor5543]

Try contacting AEP Direct. They have a decent range (and, if this page displays here, those for the Activa). Make sure (if they have what you want) to post the vehicle reg with the order, so they can check you have ordered the right parts (otherwise they will contact you to confirm the vehicle information);

https://www.aepdirect.com/citroen-xanti ... ory_id=121

I have used AEP Direct in the past, and they gave me good service.

[Cento16v]

I think with the prices they quote I'll still be better off going to Westroen!

[CitroJim]

I can't find spheres anywhere to buy for the Activa, I got all the superceded part numbers of Servicebox and added them to the stickies, just can't actually find anywhere that has stock, I think Westroen may be my best bet!

I'll look out a clock next time I'm in amongst my spares stash No gear knob as far as I recall...

No need to fret too much about using the exact spheres on an Activa...

Hydractive Xantia Estate spheres work well as Activa suspension corner spheres...

A standard Xantia 'Anti-Sink' sphere will be OK as the Activa accumulator though it's slightly on the low pressure side. It should be 62 bars, not that it matters much...

Others are not unique to the Activa except the Activa Balancing Sphere... This is an accumulator type with a low pressure of 30 bars. I always used slightly below-par accumulators in this position.

Pleiades in Sawtry can custom-make the spheres you might need if you want to be exact. Westeron should be able to do likewise if accurately instructed...