Citroen H Van History

It was initially conceived around 1943 as a light weight, high capacity front wheel driven van that was full of innovation. 

At a time when commercial vehicles, and indeed most saloon cars of the day, were built using a separate, heavy, cart sprung chassis and a bolt on body, the Type H was the first mass produced Van to utilise monocoque construction where the body and chassis were designed as an integrated unit. 

Nothing else in the class was as light or so strong.

If this was the HY's only claim to fame it would have been more capable than most, yet this was only the start of the Citroen H vans onslaught on the Commercial market. It boasted an ultra low floor, 3 piece rear door, Front wheel drive, Torsion Bar suspension, Rack and Pinion steering, a very advanced braking system that was powerful but complex, 6' standing height and a side loading door. Also unusual for it's day was a large 1.9 litre engine, when other commercials of the era had much smaller less powerful engines. The VW T1 transporter of 1953 has an engine of  just 1.2 litres limiting it's useful payload.  

It would be almost 40 years before front wheel drive, rack and pinion steering and side loading doors became the standard in the UK. We know of no other Commercial vehicle that took such a leap into the future. It is therefore not surprising it was in production from 1949 to 1981, with over 470,000 vehicles built in 3 different countries.

On introduction in 1949 the van had a designation of Citroen Type H. This was soon replaced by the designation Type HY and HZ. Most of the surviving vehicles are Type HY's and this is by far the more common name associated with the vehicle. We make no apology for referring to them as Citroen HY vans.

The book Les Types H de collection by Patrick Lesueur, lists the 1949 11cv H van as being capable of 78kph (47MPH) with it's 4 cylinder 1,911cc, 35 bhp engine.

Although a small number of HY's were assembled at Slough, in right hand drive form, the majority were built in France and the Nederlands. There are rumours of a single Slough survivor with Right Hand Drive.

Technical

The all Cast Iron 1,911cc engine and many smaller parts are derived from the Citroën Traction models, see :-.

The early petrol (Essence) engine and 3 speed gearbox are closely related to that in the Traction Avant, see photos above. However the installation in the Type H had the engine mounted at the front with the gearbox behind. The Traction layout placed the gearbox at the front with the engine behind it. If you look closely at the photo above you can see the shadow of the Gearbox behind the Radiator in the white Car, CSK 422.

As a result the engine in the Traction rotates in the other direction. When the Traction engine found it's way into the first of the Citroen DS cars it was very much the Traction layout but with a 4 speed Gearbox that was not renowned for it's strength. The Citroen DS engine was quickly improved and this derivative found it's way into the HY vans of 1963. 

While three different diesel (Fuel) engines were available, the bulk of sales were petrol engines of 1,911cc or 1,628cc as the Diesels of the 1960's were pretty dreadful. 

Both petrol engines shared the same 100mm stroke but different bores of 78mm or 72mm which gave the vans the designation of either HY78 or HY72. The later Diesels used a model designation of HYIN (for INdenor).

The petrol engine underwent a host of minor revisions during it's 34 year production run, like in 1960 when it received shell bigend bearings to replace the White Metal type. The Cylinder block was also changed around the same time in preparation for an improved water Pump for the  revised Aluminium Cross Flow Cylinder Head that would arrive a few years later in 1963. This 'intermediate' Cast Iron Head engine, of which we have only seen three, also had an Alloy sump. 

All engines are robust, but the petrol engines were not equipped with an Oil filter, so the frequency of the oil changes tended to dictate engine life to a greater degree than other engines of the period. But despite this omission, mileages in excess of 100,000 were possible if the SAE30 Oil was changed regularly. Oil changes at least every 2,500 kilometres are essential for reliable running.

The van might not have looked it but in 1949 this was a truly modern design. Clever construction techniques, like the use of omega profiles (multiple thin plates welded together for strength without weight) corrugated side panelling, the ultra strong two piece welded floor that would take the weight of a horse and the innovative door hinges.

While the engines were relatively simple by todays standards, they were well ahead of the UK's offerings of the day. Most UK vans of the period were still using side valve engines with the bore engineered into the soft Cast Iron block that deteriorated very quickly. The HY had removable harder cylinder liners and overhead valves. Some rivals were still using the cylinder bore cut into the Cast Iron Block until the eighties!! For example compare it to possibly the closest UK rival, the Morris J type, photo below. 

Introduced around 1949 with a 1,476cc side valve engine with soft iron bores, the Morris J had rear wheel drive using a separate chassis and body. Load capacity was around 500kg and about half the volume of the H van, although it cost slightly less.

While looking cute, the British built Morris J was not in the same technical league. Production ceased in 1961, 20 years earlier than the H van, they are now very, very rare.

The Volkswagen Transporter was introduced 3 years after the Citroen H van and copied some of its best characteristics, like the Torsion bar suspension and the removal of the engine and gearbox as a single unit (exhaust and ancillaries attached) by removing very few bolts. Yet by comparison the interior was cramped and slow with its puny 1,100cc engine (later 1200cc) being unable to carry a very big load which was less than half the Citroen H van's with it's bigger 1,911cc engine. 

While the Transporter had half the load volume and weight of the H van, it's over all length was very similar. 

The Citroen H Van engine was designed to make servicing and repairs cheap and quick. 

In an age when complete brake failure was not uncommon to have the hand/emergency brake operate on the front wheels was very effective and reassuring, yet almost unique to Citroen.

At the rear the torsion bar suspension and lack of drive to the rear wheels gave a very low floor that was accessed through a 3 piece door. The upper door opened skywards to above head height to give some shelter when loading/unloading and also allowed longer items to be carried safely as the lower doors could be kept closed to keep contents safe. The 2 lower doors hinged on the van sides and opened outwards.

The cab doors hinged at the rear edge, 'Suicide' style, and opened to a very high seat with a commanding view. Dutch built vans had the driver and passenger doors hinged at the front. These made getting in and out of the van difficult so the step was built up with a higher 'platform'. The very 'fat' front steps are the most notable giveaway of a Dutch built van. 

The distinctive corrugated body work was very strong, yet lighter in weight than anything else of the size. The load capacity was also ahead of the competition, at 1600kg, exceptional for a vehicle that only weighed 1,200 kg.

The handling and roadholding was also outstanding. The Torsion bar suspension, low centre of gravity along with the front wheel drive and low weight all contributed to fast, safe corning that even today is classed as good. 

Timeline

1947 Type H 11cv announced with a 35bhp @ 3,500rpm, 1,911cc motor, had a Cast Iron head with Inlet and Exhaust manifold on the same side, i.e. not Crossflow. Compression ratio was 6.8:1. Top speed was only 78kph/47mph.

Lighting wasn't perfect as the electrics were 6volt via a Dynamo, just like the VW transporters of the time. Also like its VW rival, it had a 'split' two piece windscreen, which lasted on the Citroen up until 1964.

 In 1969, a new model, the HX IN2 was launched with a fully laden weight of 3,100kg, increased to 3,200kg in 1969 when it was called HW IN2. Also in 1969, the vehicle was given a minor facelift with rectangular rear wheel arches, new front indicators and just two instead of four shock absorbers at the front.

The Diesel Indenor installation in HY vans was slow, crude and noisey but reliable. 

Around 1973 a Dual braking Circuit system was available.  

Contrary to what you might read, numerous mechanical changes were made throughout the models 34 years run from Gear change mechanism to brakes, exhausts to Wipers, Seats to Shock Absorbers, Dashboards to Drum brakes, Drive shafts to Speedo, etc. 

There are four variations on Brake pipes sizes and layouts. The rear Brake slave Cylinders are available in 19mm, 23.5mm and  28mm.  

While the overall body shape might not have appeared to change much, it also underwent many changes. 

The change from Semiphore Indicators meant a change to the Body panel behind the Cab Doors. The Cab doors themselves went through at least four changes due to improved Locks and different shaped Flutes to accomodate new Mirror mountings. The wheel arches changed, Rear Door window altered in size. The Nose Cone side panels went through 3 variations, primarily with different lower light mountings. The windscreen. 

The roof of the Nose Cone changed from fluted to pressed square panels. The rear end changed twice, before gaining a rear bumper when the rear jacking points also moved to the sides. 

The front hinged Bonnet changed during the early sixties to accomodate a Heater duct when a Heater became an almost standard fitment. There are four different heaters that we have seen. The Bumpers changed. The Rear lights changed, etc

When buying replacement parts check what you are buying will fit, don't assume it will be the same.   

Also note that over the years an early van may have been 'improved' by the adoption of the later bigger brakes, stronger/bigger front Torsion Bars/Tubes, later gearbox, later Engine, 12v electrics, etc.

Citroen H van, 2000 interpretation?