205 309 part interchangeability

[ArthurH 7]

Sorry if this is a daft question, but how interchangeable are parts from the two cars?  Crudely, is the 309 the saloon version of the 205?  Is it quicker to list the differences rather than the similarities, or are the bodies fundamentally different?

 

I ask as I am looking for some 205 spares - and wonder if I should look at 309 parts as well.  Things like bumpers, front wings, doors etc.

 

I'm guessing this may have been discussed on several different threads for specific parts - but a search hasn't found me the 'big picture' answer

[jackherer 543]

They have the same basic floorpan and the doors are the same (but without the bodyclip rivets) as well as a few other bits. There are many differences though, even the bits that are similar have small variations such as the wishbones and rear beam which are both wider.

 

The interiors are totally different but because the floorpans are the same you can swap the seats over.

 

Engines are almost identical between the 1.9 GTI 205 and 309 GTI, only external parts like the pipework and oil coolers sometimes vary. Also the 205 1.6 GTI and 309 SRi.

 

To be clear the bumpers and wings are totally different.

 

This is what a 309 bumper looks like on a 205:

 

 

(after a lot of cutting and modification...)

[SRDT 175]

The 309 isn't as simple as a let's say the VW Golf/Jetta, the 205 is a B-segment and the 309 a C-segment so Peugeot had to make a bigger car.

Front/rear overhang, wheelbase, front/rear track and interior width are increased but they managed to retain many invisibe parts and indeed the doors.

Here is an good example:

Part n°4 is the same as the 205 and n°3 is welded on front to have a bit more room on the engine bay, that's why Peugeot could fit the turbo diesel easily and and barely squeeze the Mi16.

[ArthurH 7]

Thank you Kieran and Baptise, this is exactly the info I was after.

So the doors (both 2 and 4 door?) are interchangeable?  Apart from the floorplan, are there any other significant panels?  How about external trim?

[calvinhorse 870]

I’m pretty sure the floor pan isn’t the same, body wise it’s only the doors that are the same (3 and 5 door models) 

[jackherer 543]

It's not identical but in automotive terms they share the same floorpan. The front struts, front and rear subframes and front and rear seats all mount to the same hard points.

[calvinhorse 870]

Got ya, that makes perfect sense 

[welshpug 1,657]

strut tops are drilled 10mm further out each side, to go with the longer wishbones, same subframe and mounting points, bulkhead pressing is different though very very close, sills are different though the centre of the floorpan is very close.

 

much like the difference between the zx, xsara and 306, hard points like subframe and beam are even closer, bulkhead pressing is strikingly similar but wheelbase differs, door apertures are very different unlike the 205/309.

 

then you have the later vehicles like the xsara picasso and berlingo/partner that share the zx/xsara/306 front subframe architecture but a 405 rear axle!

[jackherer 543]

13 minutes ago, welshpug said:

then you have the later vehicles like the xsara picasso and berlingo/partner that share the zx/xsara/306 front subframe architecture but a 405 rear axle!

Or the C15 van which has a Citroen Visa/205 front end and a BX rear (minus hydraulics) which in turn was a development of the 305 rear end I think.

 

Car journalists (who have probably never turned a spanner in their lives) like to talk about "platform sharing" as if everything under the skin is identical but the reality is usually far more complex.

[SRDT 175]

I think you could trim a 309 floorpan pressing to fit a 205, if you use a 309 carpet on a 205 you have to trim it on each side and it's a bit long on the rear.