X1/9 Brake Fluid Reservoir Replacement Kit (Part IV)

Jeff Stich

Jeff Stich

True Classic
A continuation of my previous offering of a relatively inexpensive & easy-to-install alternative brake fluid reservoir assembly to replace the all-too-familiar cracked/leaking original X1/9 brake fluid reservoir.

For the full "history" on this project, see previous posts here:

http://xwebforums.org/showpost.php?p=175261
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/21939/
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/187094


This X1/9 Brake Fluid Reservoir Replacement Kit consists of the following items:

  1. A modified used BMW plastic brake fluid reservoir.
  2. 1300 style plain black cap with small mesh strainer fitting or 1500 style 2-spade float sensor cap (black or clear rim) with float tube (tube color may vary).
  3. Clutch fluid reservoir adapter plate with metric mounting hardware (slightly raises clutch fluid reservoir so the brake hoses can now run beneath it).
  4. Reservoir rear-to-car body rubber shim strip (to fit reservoir snugly within the original X1/9 brake fluid reservoir bracket).
  5. Shipping via USPS First Class Mail within the USA (International shipping is available at slight additional cost - Canada is about $3 more, while Europe & Australia are about $12 more).

1500 style, unassembled (shim strip not shown):
xrezkit1a.jpg


1500 style, assembled (shim strip not shown):
xrezkit1b.jpg



I currently have 8 units available in a "pre-production mode" (ie: all raw parts are on hand, with modification/fabrication scheduled to be completed by next Mon./Tues. May 12/13). These will be available on a "first come, first served" basis beginning today. If you want one of these, speak up NOW. When they're sold out, it may be a while until I can make another batch depending on my ability to find good usable conversion cores & the free time I have available to fabricate the kits.

Price is $45 each (USA shipping included), payment via Paypal is preferred, thanks. :italia:
 
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me two

The first kit worked out awesome for my 82, want to get two more for my 79 and for a buddy's 75. Sending paypal now.
 
All kits now SOLD

Wow! I go away for a day or two & you guys sneak up on me! :laugh:

With Shawn nabbing the last available kit today (via eBay), this latest batch is now SOLD OUT. :italia:
 
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Update 5/16/14

Fabrication of all kits that have been purchased up to this point has been completed, & they will be boxed & shipped either late tonight or tomorrow afternoon (depending on my work schedule). :woot:

A big "Thank You" going out to all of the buyers who've been waiting ever-so-patiently while I've been in & out of the hospital over the past 3 weeks! :grouphug:

Now I just need to sell about 359 more of these kits to pay for the hospital bills (haha)... :sigh:
 
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Update 6/2/14 - 5 more available!

I now have 5 more of these reservoir kits available, complete & ready to ship. Price is $45 each (USA shipping included), payment via Paypal is preferred, thanks. :italia:
 
Note to previous buyers (& Kudos to Colltech!)

For anyone who has purchased one of these kits & received a reservoir that looks a bit "two-toned" (left side is darker than right {cap} side), thanks to Ed Ateyeh (Colltech) there is now a way to even the color out! :)

The issue at hand is that, with these being re-purposed used reservoirs, they are often in very dirty condition & have old, dark brake fluid inside them when I get them. Even after being drained & rinsed, then refilled, shaken vigorously & drained (several times, with & without soap), that old fluid often leaves a brown or blackish-green film on the inner walls that has to be physically wiped or scrubbed away to get rid of it. Solvents are messy & didn't really do much, but using water, liquid hand-cleaner/soap & a variety of scrub brushes &/or my fingertips, I've been able to clean these fairly well on the outside & half of the inside. Unfortunately, due to the physical design of the interior (there's a central divider wall) there's no way to access the secondary interior chamber for better cleaning. The result on a few of the reservoirs was a clean & usable interior, but a somewhat odd half-dark half-light appearance on the outside. At the time, I had no way to do any better than just clean them as best as I could to provide a good, serviceable product.

Enter Ed (Colltech). He recently received 2 reservoir kits from me, & noted this 2-tone appearance in a PM to me. He'd also tried the same methods I did to better clean that second interior chamber, with equally-as-unsatisfying results. We'd both also thought of using a mix of water & sand (or pebbles), but had changed our minds after considering possible brake circuit contamination if all of the sand didn't get completely rinsed out (not good!). Then Ed came up with the brilliantly simple idea of using a short length of ball-bearing chain (like what's used at the bank or Post Office to keep people from taking the pens, also used as a pull-chord on ceiling fans & attic light fixtures), carefully fed into the chamber & then swished/shaken around to scrub the interior clean - and IT WORKS! Not 100% perfectly spotless (corners are difficult), but still a much better result over my earlier attempts.

To be honest, I was a bit unhappy with the appearance of some of the past reservoirs, but there was really nothing I could do about it but clean them as best as possible. After trying Ed's suggestion, I'm now very satisfied with the more even-color appearance achieved, so much so that I've already gone back & used this new cleaning method on the 5 new kits that I just fabricated, & will do the same on all future orders. Ed, again a hearty "Thanks!" for a great suggestion. :thumbsup:

If anyone would like to know more on how to do this themselves (there are a few do's & don'ts), feel free to email or PM me. Also, as I've said from Day 1, if you have a suggestion on how to improve these kits (or if you have problem with them), let me know! So far, 3 great suggestions have been put to use to evolve this into the simple, easy-to-use kit it is today (clutch reservoir adapter plate, brake reservoir rear spacer shim & 2nd-chamber cleaning method).

Can it still be improved upon? :hmm:
 
5 more available!

Having slowly acquired more usable core units over the last few weeks, I spent a little "Zen" time alone in the shop yesterday afternoon fabricating a few of these brake fluid reservoir kits - I now have 5 more kits available. :italia:
 
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