new '82 X owner (after 30 years without) general questions

Nurburgringer

NW Houston by way of NJ, Germany, PA, Milwaukee
hi all - my first car in 1989 was a '79 X (bought for $400 then rebuilt the motor, trans, repainted in father's garage) and after a looooong hiatus finally got back into the game with the Rosso Arancio '82 from BaT a few weeks ago. It made the 220 mile trip from San Antonio to Houston this week without issue, just plenty of grins!
Solid car: strong motor, smooth suspension, good steering, but sketchy shifting (have a new lollipop and wavy washer on order), jittery/clicking speedo, a few inop electrical things and misc cosmetics so enough things to do to keep me and my son occupied while we enjoy driving her.
She'll be a fair weather runabout, with a time or two exercised at a local kart track for "Track Casual" fun. Don't plan to mod the drivetrain or suspension for higher performance (unless a VTECH engine swap somehow falls into my lap).

I'm now putting together a to-do list, and would greatly appreciate any wisdom from the group to supplement various threads here (some of course a number of years old).

1) Tires. Has a ~8yr old set of "Joyroad" 175/60R13s, which feel fine but while I'm redoing the Campagnolo wheels figure might as well replace them with fresh rubber.
a) I see stock size is 165/70 (skinny/tall). Searching here shows 185/60 is also done. What's the current size and model (availability) y'all are going with for "period" grip at reasonable price? Anyone try Waterfall Eco Dynamics? Stock size: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Waterfall-Eco-Dynamic-165-70R13-79-T-Tire/986034974
Or would you go for Achilles 185/60 (same diameter, 20mm more tread width): https://www.performanceplustire.com...zi5w8zeVrOSvOG2plWPmAhgG0KpyD37RoC87YQAvD_BwE
NOTE: PP Tires is OUT OF STOCK on these as of 12/30/22, even though website shows in stock.
or something else right now?
2) Whats the preffered product(s) for redoing stock Campanolas? Figure I'd sandblast these to bare aluminum then spray paint with some kind of aluminum-look rattle can, then clear. Anyone have tips/recommendations on paint type/brand/color for stock appearance? VHT, Rust-o-leum, Eastwood etc?
3) Plan is to take the seats and sunvisors to a local upholsterer for firm quote of new replacement covers. Budget quote was $550 for both seats, backs and bottoms for new, custom-made vinyl covers which seems super reasonable assuming I'm happy with the work! Based on lessons-learned by y'all, anything in particular I should know/ask/demand of the upholster to get the best results? NOTE actual cost is $1000, for exact same panels/stitching as original, but with a black/white checked fabric on center sections.
4) bouncing/clicking speedometer. Haven't yet gotten to searching here yet but anyone have a link saved to a "definitive" thread, or just easy advice to diagnose/fix?

Thanks much for input/help on the above. I'll definitely be investing lots of time searching further here for undoubtably great intel.
salud!
Kurt
Cypress TX

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I like to baseline my new to me Fiats with an oil/filter change and a new timing belt. Unless you have proof that was recently done by the previous owner.
 
As for tires... I would definitely go with 185/60, and I'm very happy with the Achilles 122. It's not marketed as a High Performance or "sport" tire, but they're quiet, and offer a remarkable level of grip. Unfortunately, (while they are still considered a "budget tire") I believe they are gaining in reputation and the prices have risen considerably, over the last year or so.
 
Welcome to Xweb Kurt!

RE the seats, since the interior is black, you could get a set of new upholstery from Vicks. I used a set in my 85X and have been really happy with it. Unfortunately I see they are out of stock, so you might want to ask when they expect more.

The visors: If they are not too bad you can just glue the edges to keep the foam dust in and live with them. There are some threads on the topic of rebuilding the visors, but some picture links are dead. Henk sells repros over in Holland, check out his site as he has lots of good stuff.

The tires: I had a set of the Achilles 122s on my 124 sedan. They are not performance tires, but are great for casual scooting around town, which was all my sedan was capable of anyway. I mounted and balanced them in my garage with Harbor Freight tools and they were the easiest to balance I have ever worked with.

The wheels: Most likely Cromodora wheels. To refinish them you have to decide what your goal is. If you want them presentable for the near future get the Duplicolor Wheel Silver and clear and paint them. If you want it to last longer you can move up to 2K rattle cans. If you like the wheels and plan to keep them for years you can have the pros handle the job.

Speedo: The clicking is most likely a worn cable. I think the 82 has a 2 piece cable with a short piece that connects the O2 warning counter to the speedo. So you could start with that piece behind the cluster and see what shape it is in.

A couple tools to assist your project will be the Best of Xweb (BOX) section and the Xweb Google Programable Search. There is a BOX link with new owner info near the top of the index.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
hi all - my first car in 1987 was a '79 X (bought for $400 then rebuilt the motor, trans, repainted in father's garage) and after a looooong hiatus finally got back into the game with the Rosso Arancio '82 from BaT a few weeks ago. It made the 220 mile trip from San Anotnio to Houston this week without issue, just plenty of grins!
Solid car: strong motor, smooth suspension, good steering, but sketchy shifting (have a new lollipop and wavy washer on order), jittery/clicking speedo, a few inop electrical things and misc cosmetics so enough things to do to keep me and my son occupied while we enjoy driving her.
She'll be a fair weather runabout, with a time or two exercised at a local kart track for "Track Casual" fun. Don't plan to mod the drivetrain or suspension for higher performance (unless a VTECH engine swap somehow falls into my lap).

I'm now putting together a to-do list, and would greatly appreciate any wisdom from the group to supplement various threads here (some of course a number of years old).

1) Tires. Has a ~8yr old set of "Joyroad" 175/60R13s, which feel fine but while I'm redoing the Campagnolo wheels figure might as well replace them with fresh rubber.
a) I see stock size is 165/70 (skinny/tall). Searching here shows 185/60 is also done. What's the current size and model (availability) y'all are going with for "period" grip at reasonable price? Anyone try Waterfall Eco Dynamics? Stock size: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Waterfall-Eco-Dynamic-165-70R13-79-T-Tire/986034974
Or would you go for Achilles 185/60 (same diameter, 20mm more tread width): https://www.performanceplustire.com...zi5w8zeVrOSvOG2plWPmAhgG0KpyD37RoC87YQAvD_BwE
or something else right now?
2) Whats the preffered product(s) for redoing stock Campanolas? Figure I'd sandblast these to bare aluminum then spray paint with some kind of aluminum-look rattle can, then clear. Anyone have tips/recommendations on paint type/brand/color for stock appearance? VHT, Rust-o-leum, Eastwood etc?
3) Plan is to take the seats and sunvisors to a local upholsterer for firm quote of new replacement covers. Budget quote was $550 for both seats, backs and bottoms for new, custom-made vinyl covers which seems super reasonable assuming I'm happy with the work! Based on lessons-learned by y'all, anything in particular I should know/ask/demand of the upholster to get the best results?
4) bouncing/clicking speedometer. Haven't yet gotten to searching here yet but anyone have a link saved to a "definitive" thread, or just easy advice to diagnose/fix?

Thanks much for input/help on the above. I'll definitely be investing lots of time searching further here for undoubtably great intel.
salud!
Kurt
Cypress TX

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Kurt: Check your wheels. Are they Speedline/Fiat 5 1/2" x 13? If so, the standard tire size was either 165/70R 13 or 185/60R13. I have had good success with 175/70R13 of a QUALITY brand on those wheels. (The tire rubs the inboard fender well only at full lock). I used Michelin Defender from America's Tire. If I was buying today, I would get either Hankook Kinergy ST or Laufenn G Fit AS (both are Traction A) from Tire Rack.
For track play, I go to the local SCCA road races and get used 185/60ZR13 Hoosier SRF spec tires. They are usually free. Talk to the Hoosier tire dealer at the track. They are DOT approved and are nearly bald.
 
You can also buy 185/60/13 Michelin Exaltos from Longstone Tyre in the UK. They will be on your doorstep in 6-7 days. Longstone is THE place to go for tires like these.
 
graci for the welcome all!

I like to baseline my new to me Fiats with an oil/filter change and a new timing belt. Unless you have proof that was recently done by the previous owner.

Great tips. Have reciept for timing belt change in 2019, and oil was changed earlier this year (looks pretty fresh in dipstick).
Do have a Bosch oil filter in the Bayless basket (growing every day) and am researching next timing belt change now.

Welcome to Xweb Kurt! (lots of great info)

Thanks Jim!
Yes of course they're Cromodoras. Hadn't made it through my first cup of coffee...
I had very good results blasting/rattle canning my CRX wheels so will go that way with the X's.

I did see your thread on Vick's seat covers and they do look quite good! However this AM I visited a local shop, and they're ordering cloth and vinyl to redo mine. Going to have black&white checked cloth in the center, black vinyl everywhere else (visors in same material) with identical panels/stitching as stock. Will take seats back in 2 weeks when the material is in, and pick up when done a week later. Excited!
Leather ones from Henk wouldn't cost all that much more but I don't really want solid black leather.
I am going to order the custom center armrest from him.

wrt to speedo, at the reasonable prices Bayless has them I already have the short and long new cables in my basket.

Thanks much for the links. Lots of research to do!

Kurt: Check your wheels. Are they Speedline/Fiat 5 1/2" x 13? If so, the standard tire size was either 165/70R 13 or 185/60R13. I have had good success with 175/70R13 of a QUALITY brand on those wheels. (The tire rubs the inboard fender well only at full lock). I used Michelin Defender from America's Tire. If I was buying today, I would get either Hankook Kinergy ST or Laufenn G Fit AS (both are Traction A) from Tire Rack.
For track play, I go to the local SCCA road races and get used 185/60ZR13 Hoosier SRF spec tires. They are usually free. Talk to the Hoosier tire dealer at the track. They are DOT approved and are nearly bald.
They are indeed 5-1/2 x 13 rims. Hankook 175/70 are only $61 each from Walmart, nice.
4% more circumference than 185/60 which won't help acceleration but doubt I'll notice that. Will fill out the wheel wells a bit more, and get it just a tab bit higher which won't hurt my back any getting in and out :)
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Have already used the tip here with shims under rear steering column bolts to raise the Momo wheel ~0.5", which now allows my right hand to fit between wheel and thigh in turns (and see a little more of speedo and tach) Awesome, free mod!!

You can also buy 185/60/13 Michelin Exaltos from Longstone Tyre in the UK. They will be on your doorstep in 6-7 days. Longstone is THE place to go for tires like these.
Thanks - Great looking rubber right there but at >3x the cost of Hankook 175/70 or Achilles 175/60 I'm not feeling the need...

Appreciate the help all!​

Kurt
 
But you want 185/60/13 not 175/70 or 175/60 right?
I don't have a preference for one over the other.
Factors, in no particular priority: Availability, price, accceptable mix of ride comfort and responsiveness (which I know the taller sidewalls won't help), a brand I've heard of (overrated?), and looks.

165/60: "Waterfall Ecos" are definitely CHEAP https://www.walmart.com/ip/Waterfall-Eco-Dynamic-165-70R13-79-T-Tire/986034974
And being the skinniest should give the most "period" grip.

185/60 choice looks to be Achilles (can't find the Federal Ss595 in stock anywhere online) only - unless I want to drop $600+ on Yokohamas on Ebay or Michelin Exaltos from the UK, which I really don't.

Hankook Kinergy in 175/70 are fairly cheap and readily available, and I've been happy with Hankooks on my minivan so there's some goodwill there :)

Which wouldd you go for and why, given current availability?
thanks!
 
I currently have the Achilles 122's, 175-70 & they balanced well & ride quiet & smooth. Now 66 bucks on Amazon, (I paid 56 this summer) but I don't think you can go wrong with the Hankooks... My last 2 sets of tires dry rotted before they wore out...
 
Welcome.

I have the Achilles 185/60 13s on my X and they are a fine basic tire. I had them mounted and balanced at Costco, they didn’t have to put any weight on one of them and very minimal on all the others.

Personally I would have no issue with going with 165/70 or 175/70, those would give you some other choices. 185/60 is notably shorter than a 165/70 and 145/80 originally fitted to early X’s which are nearly identical in diameter. One can get Pirelli CN36 in 175/70 which would be a nice upgrade from the Achilles, period tread pattern, modern construction. Most tires you buy will likely age out before wearing out :) Your rims being 5.5” wide will give you better sidewall geometry, most OE X rims are 5” which makes most tires squeezed so you end up with the rim moving across the tire footprint with a wide tire like the 185/60.

There are great resources here in the WIKI, Best of Xweb and of course asking questions. This is not a place where the first response will be ‘do a search’, in aggregate we have had to deal with nearly every failing or general repair on these cars and don’t mind answering the same question again. We may give you the link or more likely we will answer your question and the rest of the thread will go down some bunny trail (pretty much guaranteed).

In any case, welcome we look forward to seeing what you do with your car and hope you enjoy it as much as we all enjoy ours.

Karl
 
Thanks Karl! Oh man would LOVE to have Pirelli Cinturdo on the sidewalls (and that tread pattern!) but $150+ each is a little dear...

I'm kinda in "paralysis by over analysis" mode on tires right now... overthinking how 1/2" more or less sidewall/diameter/tread width will affect my life.
Achilles, Hankook, Laufenn... should just close my eyes, randomly pick one and move on :)

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Well, you could always scrap the 13" wheels and go to 15" wheels with 195/45/15 tires. The search for tires really isn't any easier though. :( Toyo does offer a all season tire in 195/45/15 which would be a good choice for everyday driving.

I don't have any picture of the car with other sizes, but here is the same car on 13 vs 15. The circumference is almost the same, so the sidewall is reduced on the 15".

13" with 185/60
Jim_Decker_1985_X19.jpg

15" with 195/45
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If your goal is just to cruise around, go for the look you like. For this car, I was following a path towards a K swap and 15" wheels are recommended.
 
Be warned that "most" 175/70-13 tires will rub in the front......seems to depend on the wheel chosen and your alignment. I sure would not choose that size.

As will "some" 185/60-13.....

You could try and find some 175/65-13. A nice safe choice. Often available in a quality Vredstein in the USA......

You are in Texas, correct ?? As an "out there" option...if you ever venture "south of the border" ...or have any contacts.....there are actually LOTS of great 13" tire choices still available in Mexico at great prices. As they still have cars - VW Polos and such - that use 13" tires......
 
Follow up: As of 12/30/22 these are out of stock, despite website saying they are available. Bait and switch... tried to get me to take whitewalled low-rider tires...

sincere thanks for all the input all. I stopped futzing around and went with the "boring" choice... now to find a local sandblaster who'll take the Cromododas back to bare aliuminum
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sincere thanks for all the input all. I stopped futzing around and went with the "boring" choice... now to find a local sandblaster who'll take the Cromododas back to bare aliuminum
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Careful on the sandblast, my 100+ Octavo’s which had a thick and persistent finish were sand blasted and the surface is rather less than desirable.

The paint is not that thick on the Cromos so have them throttle back on the pressure…if possible a walnut blast or similar if that will clean the paint off.
 
Welcome Kurt. I see you're also a Texan. Try to keep your dash covered with something insulating during the hot months or that pretty dash will look like a cracked mirror in a short time.

JimD pretty much nailed the cause of the clicking bouncy speedo. My '86 had the same issue when I bought it. I removed and lubricated the entire length of inner cable but it was just as noisy and eventually broke. The good news is that the cable is in two segments to make it (a little) easier to install. The long cable goes from the trans to the firewall and is a pain to get through bulkheads and around obstructions without binding. Make sure you measure the old cable length and trim the new one to match because they arrive long on purpose. Lubricate both inner cables with heavy grease. When installing the short cable first attach it to the head unit, then install the head unit, then attach the two cables together at the firewall. The cable end of the stubby won't take much side load without breaking.

The poor shifting can be remedied by replacing that torn accordion boot. The prior owner said he included a new one with your extras. It's not just a rubber boot. It's a very stiff vinyl piece that tightens up the shift rod like a guide bearing. Drop it in a cup of "coffee hot" water to make it more pliable just before installing.

I'd also suggest going easy on the mods until you get used to the car. X1/9's are pretty damned good right out of the box and your impressions will change. A revertible mod is always better than a permanent one. Always save your original parts. Some are impossible to find.

Cheers!
 
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