Continuing on I have done the plumbing of the intercoolers between the turbo charger output and the intake plenum. I still need to purchase a 6" and a 9" section of 1 3/8" hose to complete the plumbing. The piping shown in the pictures is from the stock Fiat 500 Abarth car intercooler circuit, I used the tubing and bends and added in a short section of 1 3/8" straight tube as well. Since this is the first time I have done an air to air build engineering the project once again took a bit of time. Interference was an issue on the right side of the engine bay as the X1/9 engine cover hinge was in the way. The hinge was moved 1 3/4" toward the right side of the car and the engine cover was modified. It should be noted here that the Abarth engine requires certain parts that it came with to operate correctly. The issue at hand will be that all of the engine sensors must be installed and that non OEM devices cannot be used. Earlier engines( not Abarth) and ECU were much simpler and were not dependant on an ECU to BCM ( body control module) interface. To get this engine to run and run correctly it is dependant on OEM sensors and a protocol that must at all times be maintained. One of the interesting things in the build is the marrying of the 2 identities. For instance the Abarth engine uses a 176 degree thermostat but the X1/9 has a temperature switch on the Rad to control the fans that closes at 190 degrees F. A little insight will now present an over heating problem so the solution must be to either change the OEM temperature switch or run wires from the Abarth BCM to run the fans.
Yet with this integrated platform things like cruise control and power door locks could be added to the older X1/9 identity. These kind of things need to be decided early in the planning stage of the build. The Abarth engine is not just and engine. You cannot just supply 12volt power, water and fuel and expect it to run. On the electrics part of the build the Abarth engine incorporates a 12 volt 120 Amp generator. It is controlled by the ECU and it always maintains 14 volts. No matter what is turned on the voltage stays constant and the ECU manages the RPM of the engine to sustain that voltage.
Enough of the blabbing, here are some pictures of the build as it progresses for Bob Martin's X1/9
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TonyK.
Grimsby Ontario Canada.