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

[Nurburgringer]

BAH! "Performance Plus Tires" just emailed me that the Achilles are out of stock, unlike what the website says... did offer me 'Vitour" tires in 185/60 for same price... but don't think whitewalls are the look I'm going for.

So just ordered cheap and cheerful Waterfalls in 165/70R13s to replace the 8yr old 175/60 "Joy Roads" on there now.

Made in Turkey by Kolsan. What sold me is they supposedly have "worked closely" with Pirelli. https://tireterrain.com/waterfall-tires-review
Plus a $15k X1/9 on BaT had them and they look fine: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-fiat-x1-9-6/

Bigger around than what's now on but a bit smaller dia than 175/70.

 

[Nurburgringer]

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!

thanks!
Well I do live in Texas but don't really think of myself as a "Texan"
Good tips all around.
Car will be garaged but will cover dash when parking in the sun.
Matt at Bayless recommended same lube procedure. I have a new short piece coming, will replace when I pull the dash to fix the heat-bent needles. BTW do you happen to know a/the place to get LED dash and exterior bulb kits? A few weeks ago I found a nice site in Europe I think but now for the life of me can't find it again.

I've also got a new lollipop and waiting on the wavy-spring from UK (should have just ordered from Bayless..) to replace along with the boot.
Haven't crawled fully under it yet but to me looks like the wavy washer could be missing, and lollipop isn't exactly fresh, in the BaT pic

So far I have zero plans for performance mods. First I'm taking care of maintenance and cosmetics like the too short lug nuts, filters, brake pads and rubber lines, speedo, seat upholstery, weatherstripping, etc.
I do daydream about VTEC or even an EV drivetrain from an i3 (190hp and bags of instant torque is FUN) but car is so solid and original (except for some tasty period parts like Ansa exhaust, Momo wheel and nicely patina'd wood FIAT shift knob) don't see myself going racier with it.
Maybe someday I'll get a properly quick, track-ready car but this won't be it.

cheers!
Kurt

 

[RoyS]

do you happen to know a/the place to get LED dash and exterior bulb kits?

1978 Fiat X1/9 LED Lights | Super Bright LEDs

Our Vehicle Bulb Finder is a quick and easy way to locate LED bulbs for your 1978 Fiat X1/9. Whether you're searching for replacements for burned-out or dim incandescent bulbs or if you simply crave the long-lasting, energy-efficient, instant lighting that LED...

www.superbrightleds.com

 

[CanuckX1]

1978 Fiat X1/9 LED Lights | Super Bright LEDs

Our Vehicle Bulb Finder is a quick and easy way to locate LED bulbs for your 1978 Fiat X1/9. Whether you're searching for replacements for burned-out or dim incandescent bulbs or if you simply crave the long-lasting, energy-efficient, instant lighting that LED...

www.superbrightleds.com

Also:

http://velocesolutionsllc.com/Fiat_c7.htm

 

[Bjorn Nilson]

I've been running 185/60R13 for a long time and I think that's a very good option for a X1/9 with 5.5 or 6" wide rims. But performance is much better on a 6" rim on track and twisty roads.

Now on to a question (sorry if stealing the thread). I just bought Cromodora CD66 7" rims. 225/45 R13 (any brand) would be perfect on these, but unfortunately very expensive. Therefore I am thinking about having Nankang NS-2 195/60R13 or Nankang Sportnex NS-2. But I see no difference between them except the price. Anyone here that know the difference?

 

[Nurburgringer]

1978 Fiat X1/9 LED Lights | Super Bright LEDs

Our Vehicle Bulb Finder is a quick and easy way to locate LED bulbs for your 1978 Fiat X1/9. Whether you're searching for replacements for burned-out or dim incandescent bulbs or if you simply crave the long-lasting, energy-efficient, instant lighting that LED...

www.superbrightleds.com

Thanks!
Have you done some/all LED swap?
I'm interested mainly in instrument (while I'm in there fixing speedo cable and heat-bent needles) and brake&tailight bulbs.
Have reached out to Bob Brown who supposedly wrote a tutorial on dash light LED upgrade, and seems like brake&tailight are simply R&R with stock bulbs(?)

1982 Fiat X1/9 LED Lights | Super Bright LEDs

Our Vehicle Bulb Finder is a quick and easy way to locate LED bulbs for your 1982 Fiat X1/9. Whether you're searching for replacements for burned-out or dim incandescent bulbs or if you simply crave the long-lasting, energy-efficient, instant lighting that LED...

www.superbrightleds.com

Now on to a question (sorry if stealing the thread).

No apology necessary - anyone with a X1/9 in Martini livery gets an automatic pass
Had to look up where Sandared is. I've been to Sweden a number of times for work (factory in Finspang). A few trips ago I drove right through Sandared on a weekend visit to Gothenburg. Beautiful country.
Skal!

 

[kmead]

Thanks!
Have you done some/all LED swap?
I'm interested mainly in instrument (while I'm in there fixing speedo cable and heat-bent needles) and brake&tailight bulbs.
Have reached out to Bob Brown who supposedly wrote a tutorial on dash light LED upgrade, and seems like brake&tailight are simply R&R with stock bulbs(?)

1982 Fiat X1/9 LED Lights | Super Bright LEDs

Our Vehicle Bulb Finder is a quick and easy way to locate LED bulbs for your 1982 Fiat X1/9. Whether you're searching for replacements for burned-out or dim incandescent bulbs or if you simply crave the long-lasting, energy-efficient, instant lighting that LED...

www.superbrightleds.com

No apology necessary - anyone with a X1/9 in Martini livery gets an automatic pass
Had to look up where Sandared is. I've been to Sweden a number of times for work (factory in Finspang). A few trips ago I drove right through Sandared on a weekend visit to Gothenburg. Beautiful country.
Skal!

There is an error on the Superbrights guide, they show a dual filament bulb in the rear which should be a single filament bulb. Parking should be an 1156 not an 1157.

 

[Bjorn Nilson]

No apology necessary - anyone with a X1/9 in Martini livery gets an automatic pass
Had to look up where Sandared is. I've been to Sweden a number of times for work (factory in Finspang). A few trips ago I drove right through Sandared on a weekend visit to Gothenburg. Beautiful country.
Skal!

Give me a call next time you're passing by and we can have a cup of coffee, a garage tour, and a X1/9 chat.
Skål!

 

[Ancient Wrench]

The last set of tires on my X-1/9 were Falkens, 185/70-R13 front, 205/60-R13 rear on Scorpion 5-1/2" wheels. No fit problems.

 

[Cratecruncher]

thanks!
Well I do live in Texas but don't really think of myself as a "Texan"
Good tips all around.
Car will be garaged but will cover dash when parking in the sun.
Matt at Bayless recommended same lube procedure. I have a new short piece coming, will replace when I pull the dash to fix the heat-bent needles. BTW do you happen to know a/the place to get LED dash and exterior bulb kits? A few weeks ago I found a nice site in Europe I think but now for the life of me can't find it again.

I've also got a new lollipop and waiting on the wavy-spring from UK (should have just ordered from Bayless..) to replace along with the boot.
Haven't crawled fully under it yet but to me looks like the wavy washer could be missing, and lollipop isn't exactly fresh, in the BaT pic

So far I have zero plans for performance mods. First I'm taking care of maintenance and cosmetics like the too short lug nuts, filters, brake pads and rubber lines, speedo, seat upholstery, weatherstripping, etc.
I do daydream about VTEC or even an EV drivetrain from an i3 (190hp and bags of instant torque is FUN) but car is so solid and original (except for some tasty period parts like Ansa exhaust, Momo wheel and nicely patina'd wood FIAT shift knob) don't see myself going racier with it.
Maybe someday I'll get a properly quick, track-ready car but this won't be it.

cheers!
Kurt

Ok, I see your a recent transplant. Once you can handle 108 in the shade without visible perspiration your a naturalized citizen. I'm born and raised in Houston. I still have family there and it's a nice place to visit but Austin's home. Most Texans consider it an island protectorate of California now.

I see someone else has addressed your question about LED replacement lights. Just don't overdo it. Nothing worse than driving at night with glare in your face. I just replaced mine with standard filaments.

I looked again at the auction pics and your tach needle looks like a ski jump! Dan Sarandrea was pursuing a 3D printed replacement some time ago but don't know if anyone made a pattern available. You can try straightening them. But take a picture of your 40k speedo and unbroken seal if it's still intact. I think you'll have to break it to get the speedo off the head unit. once you have the needles off you can straighten them with hot water. I wrote an article in my local model society newsletter that may help: Warped Plastic. Once everything is back together you'll want to calibrate with GPS and your tach/dwell meter.

Are you sure you like that huge aftermarket steering wheel? My car had a similar wheel that crowded me so much while driving it was literally the first thing I changed! There's an XWeb thread on it HERE. These cars are pretty good stock!

You mentioned rubber lines. Do check those fuel lines and if there is any question replace them. A high pressure fuel leak onto a hot exhaust manifold can total your car faster than you can yell FIRE! I put together a thread HERE.

I rebuilt my brakes from pedal to pads. There are tons of threads here on that but one thing to pay particular attention to is the short hoses to the calipers. Over time the inside rubber layer swells up restricting flow. Mine were so swollen my brake pedal was hard as a rock and individual wheels would lock up when stopping. When I replaced the hoses the inside passages were markedly reduced.

Your front spoiler will need some attention at some point. There's an easy fix for broken grille tabs HERE.

This post is getting a bit winded so I'll stop here. But rest assured there are a LOT of things to do on your car before it's truly road worthy.

 

[dllubin]

The last set of tires on my X-1/9 were Falkens, 185/70-R13 front, 205/60-R13 rear on Scorpion 5-1/2" wheels. No fit problems.

If you had 185/70-13 on the front, there must have been alterations made. I was running that size Pirelli CN36 tires in the 70s and it required altering the lower front wheel wells to get full lock on turns. Also had to fold up the well well lip front and rear. I thought they looked better than 185/60-13s as they fill up the wheel wells nicely. I might go back to that size when I need tires as Pirelli started making a modern version of the CN36.

 

[Nurburgringer]

I looked again at the auction pics and your tach needle looks like a ski jump! Dan Sarandrea was pursuing a 3D printed replacement some time ago but don't know if anyone made a pattern available. You can try straightening them. But take a picture of your 40k speedo and unbroken seal if it's still intact. I think you'll have to break it to get the speedo off the head unit.

Are you sure you like that huge aftermarket steering wheel? My car had a similar wheel that crowded me so much while driving it was literally the first thing I changed! There's an XWeb thread on it HERE. These cars are pretty good stock!

You mentioned rubber lines. Do check those fuel lines and if there is any question replace them. A high pressure fuel leak onto a hot exhaust manifold can total your car faster than you can yell FIRE! I put together a thread HERE.

I rebuilt my brakes from pedal to pads. There are tons of threads here on that but one thing to pay particular attention to is the short hoses to the calipers. Over time the inside rubber layer swells up restricting flow. Mine were so swollen my brake pedal was hard as a rock and individual wheels would lock up when stopping. When I replaced the hoses the inside passages were markedly reduced.

good stuff!
What do you mean by "unbroken seal"? Seal between the clear glass/plexi and instrument housing? Why take a pic?
Thanks for the link to the model page.

The Momo wheel is close to stock diameter ~340mm, do you mean the grip diameter is huge? Yeah it is fairly chunky but I've got big hands so doesn't bother me. Shimming the rear 2 shaft bracket bolts ~1/4" raised the wheel enough so my right hand now clears my thigh on right turns. Still not nearly as horizontal as the (stock Momo) wheel in my old 308!
I did order a stock X wheel from MWB, to hang it on the wall next to stock CRX wheel (vintage Momo in that too), an E-Type wheel from one my dad restored in the 70s, and an old, blue Momo Monte Carlo I had in my 1st CRX back in the day.
In the mid 90's I made and sold Momo adaptors for gen 1 Taurus SHOs, so you can say I'm a bit of a Momo wheel fan

Good advice on the fuel lines, will check them out. Did all the ones on my 308, including the big hoses connecting the two gas tanks...

Have a set of rubber brakes lines on the way from MWB. Also new pads.

Car did great on the 220mile drive from SA to Houston but yes there are a number of things I do need to check/update/improve!
Really happy with the car overall. The paint job is only a step or two above a higher end Maaco job but at least there's no orange peel. And considering the recent, crusty yellow '82 that didn't meet reserve(!) at $6500, which was apparently painted with a roller, feel like I got a good enough deal at $8.6k (plus $400 to BaT).
Like my CRX it's one of the ever dwindling stock, largely original, almost entirely rust-free examples around.
Anyway enough defending my impulse buy. Time to take it for a spin around the hood
salud!

 

[kmead]

Both generations of the CRX are favorites of mine. Autocrossed a first gen on VW Snowflakes for a while In ‘84, great car. Always wanted to have one breathed on by Jackson Racing. Sadly they tend to dissolve over time given they were used as daily drivers. Rare to see a quality example.

 

[Nurburgringer]

Right on. CRXs are brilliant. I never drove a gen 2 but have no doubt they're amazing.
I had a JR rear sway bar on my '85 Si back in the 90s (had fun playing cat and mouse with a buddy's VW GTI), and also have one on my current '86. Dreamed about the JR supercharger... and a twin-cam swap.

Fiddled around last night waiting for midnight, covering the ugly X1/9 lettering with electical tape. Def like it better so replacing the side stripes is still on the list.


Also compared the old Grant steering wheel I had on my '79 in the late 80s with the current car's Momo. The grant has been hanging in my garage for the last 10 years, cleaned up well!


Spare is an old Pirelli Cinterado 165/70. Will live in my garage, saving some weight.
Curious if the car originally came with this wheel type, and they changed to the current cromodoras, or were spares sometimes a different wheel type than the other 4?
Back in 1989 I bought a whole X for about $250 with these wheels, then swapped them with the steelies on my driver '79

 

[kmead]

Right on. CRXs are brilliant. I never drove a gen 2 but have no doubt they're amazing.
I had a JR rear sway bar on my '85 Si back in the 90s (had fun playing cat and mouse with a buddy's VW GTI), and also have one on my current '86. Dreamed about the JR supercharger... and a twin-cam swap.

Fiddled around last night waiting for midnight, covering the ugly X1/9 lettering with electical tape. Def like it better so replacing the side stripes is still on the list.
View attachment 69280

Also compared the old Grant steering wheel I had on my '79 in the late 80s with the current car's Momo. The grant has been hanging in my garage for the last 10 years, cleaned up well!
View attachment 69281

Spare is an old Pirelli Cinterado 165/70. Will live in my garage, saving some weight.
Curious if the car originally came with this wheel type, and they changed to the current cromodoras, or were spares sometimes a different wheel type than the other 4?
Back in 1989 I bought a whole X for about $250 with these wheels, then swapped them with the steelies on my driver '79

View attachment 69282

The spare is not correct, it would have been a steel rim. The spare rim is likely the original rim to the car but the Iron Cross was offered for a short time as a factory alloy rim. The Iron Cross CD16 is wider so a better rim for more tire… Similar offset as the spare rim has so it ends up a bit closer to the outside of the flare giving a good look. The spare rim is lighter as I recall than the CD16 rim both due to the design of the rim and the 1/2” narrower barrel.

Most spare tire rims on an X are 4.5 wide to better fit the space available in the well. The early X’s had 4.5” wide steel rims all around from the factory for the US market. Factory alloys became commonplace on the 1980 model year as I recall. Steel rims returned on the base model Bertone branded cars.

 

[Bryce-o-rama]

Right on. CRXs are brilliant. I never drove a gen 2 but have no doubt they're amazing.
I had a JR rear sway bar on my '85 Si back in the 90s (had fun playing cat and mouse with a buddy's VW GTI), and also have one on my current '86. Dreamed about the JR supercharger... and a twin-cam swap.

My younger brother had a 1991 CRX Si in the late 90’s or early 00’s. It was a fantastic car; I would even say it is among the most entertaining cars I’ve ever driven.

 

[Cratecruncher]

What do you mean by "unbroken seal"? Seal between the clear glass/plexi and instrument housing? Why take a pic?
Thanks for the link to the model page.

The Momo wheel is close to stock diameter ~340mm, do you mean the grip diameter is huge?

Good advice on the fuel lines, will check them out.

Have a set of rubber brakes lines on the way from MWB. Also new pads.

And considering the recent, crusty yellow '82 that didn't meet reserve(!) at $6500, which was apparently painted with a roller, feel like I got a good enough deal at $8.6k (plus $400 to BaT).
Like my CRX it's one of the ever dwindling stock, largely original, almost entirely rust-free examples around.

salud!

When you remove the head unit you will see a twisted safety wire that runs through the mounting bolts on back of the speedo. The ends of the wire are sealed with a lead slug to show it hasn't been tampered with. (It's not that hard to roll back the odometer to any mileage you want on these older odometers). Since your car has fairly low miles a picture of the seal and mileage when you removed might help in a future sale.

Steering wheels and shifters are really a personal preference. I just mentioned going back to stock because I improved my experience with my own car going back to stock. But, I took 3" off the height of the stock shift lever because I hated it. It sounds like you prefer a Momo so keep it. Steering wheels are so easy to switch back and forth anyway...

I think you did very well in that auction. You got a nice car that just needs a few odds and ends sorted and it was close enough to save transport fees. I was in love with the blue '78 that sold just before the crusty yellow one. I also had a '79 in the same blue back in the '80s and really wanted it but would have had to chase it north of $14k to get it. Probably worth it but not to me with one already sitting in my garage!

 

[Nurburgringer]

When you remove the head unit you will see a twisted safety wire that runs through the mounting bolts on back of the speedo. The ends of the wire are sealed with a lead slug to show it hasn't been tampered with. (It's not that hard to roll back the odometer to any mileage you want on these older odometers). Since your car has fairly low miles a picture of the seal and mileage when you removed might help in a future sale.

aha got it. Will take pics and video showing mileage before breaking seal (assuming it's not already broken!).

Definitely my car being close enought to drive home was a significant factor in my bidding, and the quality of the pics and presentation likely held back some bidders. Color looked more red than orange in the pics, which thankfully is not the case at least to my eyes.

PO spent ~$1k on maintenance and repairs during his ownership, in addition to the $3.5k on paint. Nothing major - mechanic in SA was supposedly trained on Fiats, and always made recommendations on other things to fix which he almost never did unfortunately. Gives me a heads-up on what should be at least checked out though!

Awesome day to explore what passes for twisty roads here in Houston... my son and I were giggling taking "15mph" 90 degree turns at roughly double that. Such a great car to enjoy semi-responsible holliganism

 

[KBabcock]

thanks!
Well I do live in Texas but don't really think of myself as a "Texan"
Good tips all around.
Car will be garaged but will cover dash when parking in the sun.
Matt at Bayless recommended same lube procedure. I have a new short piece coming, will replace when I pull the dash to fix the heat-bent needles. BTW do you happen to know a/the place to get LED dash and exterior bulb kits? A few weeks ago I found a nice site in Europe I think but now for the life of me can't find it again.

I've also got a new lollipop and waiting on the wavy-spring from UK (should have just ordered from Bayless..) to replace along with the boot.
Haven't crawled fully under it yet but to me looks like the wavy washer could be missing, and lollipop isn't exactly fresh, in the BaT pic
View attachment 69259

So far I have zero plans for performance mods. First I'm taking care of maintenance and cosmetics like the too short lug nuts, filters, brake pads and rubber lines, speedo, seat upholstery, weatherstripping, etc.
I do daydream about VTEC or even an EV drivetrain from an i3 (190hp and bags of instant torque is FUN) but car is so solid and original (except for some tasty period parts like Ansa exhaust, Momo wheel and nicely patina'd wood FIAT shift knob) don't see myself going racier with it.
Maybe someday I'll get a properly quick, track-ready car but this won't be it.

cheers!
Kurt

Get a new bolt kit at the same time, it's only a few dollars and can save you so issues. I just went though this and did a write up. Hope it helps.

Shifter Adjustment a beginners guide

This post was created to help new users and some old ones understand and adjust their shift linkage to eliminate shifting issues. Please note this will cover the most common problems which will solve most issues for most X owners but you may have problems beyond the scope of this post with the...

xwebforums.com

 

[Nurburgringer]

Get a new bolt kit at the same time, it's only a few dollars and can save you so issues. I just went though this and did a write up. Hope it helps.

Assume you're talking about the 15,17,18,19 parts ("wavy washer")? If so yes these are on the way.
Excellent post, thanks for sharing!

I'm sure everyone here has already experienced it, but today I learned how awesome MWB is.
Order arrived very quickly, and SUPER nicely packaged. Even included a vintage Bertone brochure as a surprise gift!

Front trunk seal fit perfectly with a little trimming of length and looks SO much better than the oversprayed original.


Stock steering wheel is in very good shape but the aged rubber grip is pretty squishy so won't bother swapping out the Momo, will just be wall art.



Found a local blasting place this morning that can do my wheels and intake plenum for $200 so will drop them off in 2 weeks since it's right around the corner from the seat upholstery place.
ALMOST expensive enough to buy my own little blast cabinet... but have no spare garage space

Will do a bunch of maintenance while it's up on blocks and without intake plenum for ~2 weeks: R&R brake hoses and pads then bleed system, air filter (repaint housing), maybe fuel lines, replace dogbone.
Anything else you'd check/replace while the plenum is off?