1979 X19 Delivered - from snow to sunshine

Andy G X19 2.0

Daily Driver
My X 19 made it through the winter storm this week from Pittsburgh Pa intact. Mechanically it’s a solid 8 of 10 shifts great running cool and no smoke. The body 7 of 10 with limited rust it the typical areas. I have some small trim items to chase but suspension, brakes and aluminum radiator are on the top of the list. My BWA 14’s have been here for a few weeks and they go on with the lowering springs and KYB’s .

I had my first X19 in the late 80’s and it didn’t take more than a block of driving this one to settle right back in. This should be a good project and will be fun to get feedback and advice.


Andy G
Coral Springs, FL
 

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Congrats. Funny seeing the early bumper on a car which had the late elephant ears etc.

Nice RX7 there, quite a contrast between them.
 
Congrats. Funny seeing the early bumper on a car which had the late elephant ears etc.

Nice RX7 there, quite a contrast between them.
Kinda tossed on what bumper to put on but these are gonzo. Thinking period correct tucked in black.

Had my Rx7 for 20+ years. I show it mostly but its a beast 510 at the wheels at 25psi.
 

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Why an aluminum radiator? If you have a stock or any modified engine under 100hp, the last thing you need to do is upgrade the radiator to aluminum.
What if your X overheads? It is because:
- it is low on coolant,
- it has coolant leaks due to pinholes in the waterpump cross pipe or longitudinal radiator or heater tubes
- the stock radiator needs to be boiled out, rodded or recored.
- On an old X with unknown history, I would pressure text the system for leaks, fix the leaks, replace the hoses and maybe the waterpump, remove the radiator and have it flushed and rodded and reinstall.
15 years ago a racer sold me a new Modine OE style radiator. He never needed it, I never needed it.
The only thing I had to do with an original radiator was have a radiator shop resolder the air bleed fitting on the upper left corner.
 
Kinda tossed on what bumper to put on but these are gonzo. Thinking period correct tucked in black.

Had my Rx7 for 20+ years. I show it mostly but its a beast 510 at the wheels at 25psi.
Just collapse the shocks and go with a single rail.
 

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those bumpers are easy to take apart and many of us convert to a single rail. As to aluminum radiators, in my area it's next to impossible to find any old school radiator shops anymore and if you do it's damn near the same price or more to get the work done over the price of a new aluminum radiator.
 
I had overheating troubles when I first brought my X to South Florida, but:
  1. Added a second OEM radiator fan, wired in parallel on the same circuit, and
  2. Swapped out the old 50/50 coolant for roughly 70/30 water-to-coolant, plus Redline Water Wetter.
Easy, cheap, and very effective. Flipping on the fans will almost instantly drop the coolant temps now, even when the car is standing still in hot weather. I still might spring for the aluminum radiator someday to lose some weight, but this was more than enough to solve the immediate overheating problem.
 
Kinda tossed on what bumper to put on but these are gonzo. Thinking period correct tucked in black.

Had my Rx7 for 20+ years. I show it mostly but its a beast 510 at the wheels at 25psi.
What does "period correct tucked in black" mean? I certainly wouldn't go back to the big aluminum bumpers--black or silver. Since that car has already been converted to early bumpers, you have a few options.

As Carl said, you could modify those ladder bumpers to single rail and the like. OR, which is even better, you could go with the Euro 1300/US 74 bumper look by going with one of the bumpers and block kits or with one of the European bumper attachment kits. That to me is the absolute top choice as the Euro 1300 or 74 X bumper styles are the best for the car imho, and your car is basically already set up to receive those (has the lower spoiler and early grill installed, etc.
 
Thanks for some of the opinions with the bumpers. Single bar looks like a kid with dental head gear on and the stubby euro ones interrupt the lines of the car IMO.

I already have the additional fan with manual switch. 👍🏻 Aftermarket radiator is kinda of a no brainer with any sports car. Same with a good oil cooler.
 
Based on the issues reported with aftermarket aluminum radiators on this forum, I'm not sure that going to one qualifies as a no brainer. All copper cores are available for the X. I went that route and the cost is about the same as an aluminum aftermarket.
 
I'm also a fan of the tucked big bumpers over the other styles, though I may be the only other person who shares that view on here... 😳
 
One fan has always worked fine for me. The only time it ever comes on is if the car has not been moving for a while.
 
Thanks for some of the opinions with the bumpers. Single bar looks like a kid with dental head gear on and the stubby euro ones interrupt the lines of the car IMO.

I already have the additional fan with manual switch. 👍🏻 Aftermarket radiator is kinda of a no brainer with any sports car. Same with a good oil cooler.

First time I've ever heard anyone say that the original small bumpers interrupt the lines of the car. That was the original Gandini design.
 
First time I've ever heard anyone say that the original small bumpers interrupt the lines of the car. That was the original Gandini design.

I have been hit enough times in cars that I prefer to have a functional bumper.

I also see the X in two looks the 70s with the small bumpers and the 80’s look. I prefer the last version of the X.

Best looking X19 on this forum is this green one IMO.
 

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