From the UAE

The Real Cvh

The Real Cvh

Low Mileage
Hi.

Couldn't find a "new members" intro page so I guess it's going here.

Always been a fan of the X 1/9 and almost bought one in 1994 in South Africa. Eventually ended up in the UAE and found a car 4 years ago. Bought a Haynes manual and then fortunately did not buy the car. About a month ago while on an Alfa drive (Planet Alfa UAE), I was informed by a friend that there was another car for sale. I went to take a look and spent 3 weeks convincing myself that I had a "good enough" explanation for my wife as to why I needed another car...

Emailed Matt at MidWest a few times and pulled the trigger. The car arrived a few days ago, and I've been trying to sort out what I can before sending it off to a mate in Dubai (I'm in Abu Dhabi) for a lot of preventative maintenance.

Car is an '87 (I think), and was based in Japan. It was brought over to the UAE by an Emirati member of the Sharjah Classic Car Club. Definitely not in the best shape, and in need of a paint job. Also the previous owner/s made a lot of DIY modifications that I need to sort out. But happy to add the car to my Alfa stable...
 

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Welcome. The car looks very nice. I'm curious about the DIY modifcations. I think most of us that have bought on the used market have run across some fascinating DIY work.
 
Welcome. Glad to see another Alfisti stepping into this pool. I've only had mine for about 4 months and of course it doesn't run yet. But I am excited to poke away at it. Your starting place looks to be much more encouraging. :)
 
Sooo… challenge number 1. Tires. Might have to order from Tire Rack, but that gets expensive to the UAE. So I considered going 14”. Seems all the Fiat 500’s have the same PCD and center bore. Figure that if I put lower profile rubber then it might work. But for now it seems like the 500 starts at 15”
 
The Real Cvh said:
Sooo… challenge number 1. Tires. Might have to order from Tire Rack, but that gets expensive to the UAE. So I considered going 14”. Seems all the Fiat 500’s have the same PCD and center bore. Figure that if I put lower profile rubber then it might work. But for now it seems like the 500 starts at 15”
Click to expand...
If you are thinking of buying from abroad, you could also give blackcircles a try. They have some nice yokohamas that fit our car if you go 185 60 R13. Don't know if they deliver outside of the UK, but my guess is UK is closer than the US geographically. But that doesn't always make it cheaper to ship. Anyway just a thought for you.
 
Alex(Tenerife) said:
If you are thinking of buying from abroad, you could also give blackcircles a try. They have some nice yokohamas that fit our car if you go 185 60 R13. Don't know if they deliver outside of the UK, but my guess is UK is closer than the US geographically. But that doesn't always make it cheaper to ship. Anyway just a thought for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I’ll look into that. Car currently has Yoko’s on. Overseas not too much of a problem as I have a UK shipping address.
When I was looking for OE tires for my Alfa 4C, it was cheaper shipping them from the US than buying them here.
 
The Real Cvh said:
Hi.

Couldn't find a "new members" intro page so I guess it's going here.

Always been a fan of the X 1/9 and almost bought one in 1994 in South Africa. Eventually ended up in the UAE and found a car 4 years ago. Bought a Haynes manual and then fortunately did not buy the car. About a month ago while on an Alfa drive (Planet Alfa UAE), I was informed by a friend that there was another car for sale. I went to take a look and spent 3 weeks convincing myself that I had a "good enough" explanation for my wife as to why I needed another car...

Emailed Matt at MidWest a few times and pulled the trigger. The car arrived a few days ago, and I've been trying to sort out what I can before sending it off to a mate in Dubai (I'm in Abu Dhabi) for a lot of preventative maintenance.

Car is an '87 (I think), and was based in Japan. It was brought over to the UAE by an Emirati member of the Sharjah Classic Car Club. Definitely not in the best shape, and in need of a paint job. Also the previous owner/s made a lot of DIY modifications that I need to sort out. But happy to add the car to my Alfa stable...
Click to expand...

Strange that it came from Japan but is LHD and has a speedo in MPH? Must have been a US import to Japan. I'm assuming it is a fuel injected car?

Anyway, good luck! I suppose everything will be difficult / expensive in the UAE (well, except petrol).

Cheers,
Dom.
 
dcioccarelli said:
Strange that it came from Japan but is LHD and has a speedo in MPH? Must have been a US import to Japan. I'm assuming it is a fuel injected car?

Anyway, good luck! I suppose everything will be difficult / expensive in the UAE (well, except petrol).

Cheers,
Dom.
Click to expand...
Yeah. That’s my thought too. It is fuel injected. What is weird is that there seems to be no VIN record anywhere.
Japan does LHD and RHD cars. This is the third LHD I have gotten from Japan.

Not too expensive. Getting most parts from Midwest Bayless, and the killer is the Fedex cost. Funnily, parts are easier to source than some of the Alfa’s I’ve had here.
 
The Real Cvh said:
Hi.

Couldn't find a "new members" intro page so I guess it's going here.

Always been a fan of the X 1/9 and almost bought one in 1994 in South Africa. Eventually ended up in the UAE and found a car 4 years ago. Bought a Haynes manual and then fortunately did not buy the car. About a month ago while on an Alfa drive (Planet Alfa UAE), I was informed by a friend that there was another car for sale. I went to take a look and spent 3 weeks convincing myself that I had a "good enough" explanation for my wife as to why I needed another car...

Emailed Matt at MidWest a few times and pulled the trigger. The car arrived a few days ago, and I've been trying to sort out what I can before sending it off to a mate in Dubai (I'm in Abu Dhabi) for a lot of preventative maintenance.

Car is an '87 (I think), and was based in Japan. It was brought over to the UAE by an Emirati member of the Sharjah Classic Car Club. Definitely not in the best shape, and in need of a paint job. Also the previous owner/s made a lot of DIY modifications that I need to sort out. But happy to add the car to my Alfa stable...
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum! Your X 1/9 journey from South Africa to the UAE sounds exciting. Glad you joined Planet Alfa UAE. Best of luck with the restoration project!
 
I’m a big believer in preventative maintenance, and decided to get some stuff done before enjoying the car (mostly worry free - I hope).

So this is what I planned to have done:

new tires (including spare)
  • new disks
  • new brakes
  • new radiator
  • new thermostat
  • new cooling hoses
  • new coolant reservoir
  • new fuel lines
  • new water pump
  • new tensioner
  • new belts
  • new air filter
  • new oil filter
  • new battery
  • new engine mounts
And this is what I had not planned for, but also had to have done:

  • new valves
  • new valve stem seals
  • new valve guides
  • new spark plugs
  • new fuel regulator
  • new fuel pump
  • new clutch
  • refurbished alternator
  • new gear selector (and some other bits)
  • new wheel bearings
I’ve also added a few nice to have’s:

  • new floor mats
  • new rear view mirror
  • new windscreen wipers
  • new fuel cap
  • new Bertone badging
  • refurbished steering wheel
And on the list of what I still want to do:

  • redo the suspension, front and rear
  • paint the car
  • refurbish the mags
  • maybe put those “ladder” stickers down the sides of the car
  • redo all the lights
  • new radio and speakers
  • new exhaust system
So finally have the car back, and must thank the following:

  • Matt and Midwest Bayless (always ready to help and often parts would arrive in Dubai within 36 hours of them being sent).
  • Sanjaya and Dubai AutoTech Garage (Alfa Romeo specialists, and the only guy I ever trusted with my 4C’s)
  • Henk and X1/9 Parts Holland (mostly for the add-ons)
  • BlackCircles for the tires (a little bumpy to start off with but we sorted things out)
  • Classic Tires UK for the spare tire (not the easiest to find)
So I guess it’s time to get out there and drive…
 
I'm the same way. I often bring home a vehicle and begin tearing it down before ever driving it. I prefer to go through everything first thing to try and make it as reliable as possible, as well as function as best as possible.
 
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