1972 Citroën SM

Here is my 1972 Citroën SM and its restoration in progress. Check again this site to follow the restoration steps.

The goal of this restoration is not to get a new SM or a “concourse condition” one, my budget is not big enough for that, but to get a nice looking car, which runs and drives well, and which I will be able to use on a regular basis without troubles. And to achieve this goal, I plan many years of work, often very exciting but also boring some times.

Here is the picture presenting this car in a classified add I saw on the web site of a local antique car club in May 2003. The car seems pretty nice on this picture but, in fact, she’s in very bad shape.

Main characteristics

  • Manufacturing date : May 1972
  • Version : SM, Canada
  • Serial number : 00SB9282 + 00SB5923 (2 bodies)
  • Mileage : Unknown!
  • Body color : “Sable métallisé”
  • Upholstery : Black leather
  • Engine : Maserati V6, 2.7 liters
  • Engine type : C114/1
  • Engine serial number : 200.406
  • Supply : 3 Weber 42DCNF carburetors
  • Gearbox : 5-speed manual
  • Options : Michelin RR (Résine Renforcée) rims, air conditioning, tinted windows, radio

Color codes

  • Body : “Sable métallisé” AC 318
  • Body, base color : grey AC 092
  • Hydraulic parts : green AC 502
  • Front grill : “Gris nacré” AC 095
  • Various metal sheet parts : “Brun chocolat” RAL 8017 or black AC 200 / RAL 9005

The car in its initial condition

Posts related to this car

SM: The body work is DONE!

SM: The body work is DONE!

FINALLY! The body work is done. The car stayed at the body shop for 3 years. Well, I already told you, I didn't push a lot to speed-up the process because the faster it goes, the faster the bills come too 🙂 I went to the body shop during fall 2021, it was done....

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SM: The body work is progressing well

SM: The body work is progressing well

More than one year since the last publication about this body work so a lot of things happened and we made good progress. You'll understand that my the body shop doesn't work exclusively on the SM so it's not progressing very fast but this is better that way because...

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SM: Restoration restarts !

SM: Restoration restarts !

Restoration restarts, after a pause of more than 6 years! I'm hearing you saying "it's about time" and you are absolutely right 😉 In 2018 I called again the specialist who made the previous body work on this car, Gilles Lemay (www.garagegilleslemay.com), because I'm...

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SM: The body is back

SM: The body is back

I finally picked-up the car in April because I had to wait for clean and dry roads because in Canada we don't have a choice, we have to deal with the winter conditions. I'm very happy with the result of this work but of course I'm also disappointed that it was not...

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SM: End of the body work session

SM: End of the body work session

In February 2011, work is almost done, I just have to put the wheels back onto the body and get it back home. This time it was mainly about finishing work. Here are some pictures:Here is the end of an important step in this restoration but unfortunately everything has...

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SM: New body work session, continued

SM: New body work session, continued

In September 2009, I went to the "Art and the automobile" event in Here is more progress, at the end of the year 2010. This is about sandblasting and metal work. I' happy with the progress and I'm also happy to have decided to have the body sandblasted because, as...

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SM: New body work session

SM: New body work session

Time after time, I have discovered more and more defects on the body. I had to admit the truth, the work done previously on this body is bad: bad preparation before painting, bad paint, rust marks and metal work not trustable. During summer of 2010, I call a new body...

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SM: Bad news from the body shop

SM: Bad news from the body shop

During April 2008, as planned, my sheet metal specialist calls me but not to tell me that both fenders and the door are ready, he rather tells me that he did almost nothing on these parts and he will not be able to do anything in the future. Cool! He just took time to...

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SM: Preparation for the body work

SM: Preparation for the body work

2007 has been pretty calm for this restoration because I've been mainly busy on my other SM. But I gave the fenders and the driver side door to a sheet metal specialist and he offered me to find other fenders and doors, which he did. I don't have pictures for now, but...

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SM: Engine conditioning

SM: Engine conditioning

At the end of 2007, I decide to close every possible circuit and put oil everywhere to keep the engine in good condition, because I'm far to be ready to put it back in the car 😉

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SM: New parts

SM: New parts

Here is my stock of new parts, ordered mainly from the french SM Club and from Western Hemispheres, an american supplier specialized in parts for old european cars. Some parts have also been bought during the Saratoga Springs Rendezvous in 2006.

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SM: Zinc plating

SM: Zinc plating

When you spend hours browsing over web sites from amateurs or professional car restorers, you get some very useful information. One of this information is about zinc-plating. Many parts are originally "yellow" zinc-plated on the SM, even if on my particular car, the...

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SM: The engine is back

SM: The engine is back

By January 2007, I bring back the engine to my garage, the mechanical work is completed.It's a big step forward for this restoration. The engine was supposed to be in good shape and it's now pretty much confirmed, I didn't have so much bad news. I was lucky to know...

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SM: Engine checkout

SM: Engine checkout

By December 2006, mechanical work on the engine finally begins. Here are the only pictures I had the opportunity to take during this work, engine heads have been removed and sent to a specialist.As planned, there were some bad news: 2 camshafts, 6 valve tappets and 3...

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SM: A brand new door

SM: A brand new door

During September 2006, I see someone having 2 fenders and 2 doors, but they are not in better shape than mine. Here is a first track to forget. During November 2006, I do a very interesting finding, a brand new door! I didn't think I would find such a rare part here...

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SM: Status of the body work

SM: Status of the body work

During summer 2006, I didn't work so much on the car but I did a lot of thinking and I took an important decision! Because there are some defects on the body, I decided to give it to a professional body shop. The important decision is that while having the body in a...

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SM: Status of parts

SM: Status of parts

Here is the result of my paint and restoration work for the past months. It gives an idea of the overall progress.

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SM: Bad sights on the new body

SM: Bad sights on the new body

Before reassembling, I do a general cleaning. Unfortunately, it's the occasion to discover some defects:So this body still needs some work, mainly on the engine compartment. I don't know yet if I'll do some touch up or if I'll decide to repaint the whole engine...

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SM: Arrival of the new body

SM: Arrival of the new body

An important step is done, the body arrives in Montreal. It's now in my garage. This restoration is supposed to be now in the reassembling phase. I say "supposed" because I still have a lot of work to do on parts to reassemble.

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SM: Body preparation for transportation

SM: Body preparation for transportation

When the body shop completes its work, the body is brought back to my father's home. It will stay here to wait for its shipping over the Atlantic ocean. Front and rear half axles still have to be back to obtain a rolling body. My father works on these half axles and...

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