new here =)

mellor_21

mellor_21

True Classic
hey all, i pick up my first x on thursday!
i'd never even heard of them until i came across her
pics at bottom, warning long post

she's a yellow 76
she runs great, and i fell in love with in about ten seconds!
my first time driving w/o ps or power brakes, but i didnt really miss them

anyway, i was looking for a new, cheap car cuz i totalled my mystic cobra :shock: and had some money from insurance, actually just enough for this (fate?)
but i'm also from a clique of almost entirely mustang drivers, with some f bodies and the random fwd, and they have no faith in this car. and suggestions on making this a formidable strip car? enough to keep up would be fine (with 250-500 hp cobras), and i already learned just how much it loved the turns :heart: don't get me wrong, i don't want to take anything away from that, but if there are decent ways to make it respectable at the strip too i'd really appreciate the tips, its weird cuz i was planning on making my mystic a ferrari beater, and ended up with this..
how will she respond to boost?
how is aftermarket support/parts availability?
and i'm a teenager so..... is there a chance to have a killer system in her? i cant think of anywhere to put subs..
how about a good exhaust (definitely NOT something that sounds like a pissed off bee stuck in the muffler!!!)
the suspension feels amazing, any way to improve it?
sorry, i'm sure this is all on this site somewhere, but i'm trying to read almost every post, so far you guys sound like a good bunch of people
i didn't think to check it for rust and the kid who has it knows nothing about mechanics so i have no clue what all is stock, he claims it has a 1500 though! any easy way to tell the difference?
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3693446.jpg


edit, i'll try to get more pics tomorrow
 
:)

WELCOME !

Glad to have you here, I am sure if you ask a specific question, you'll get fast good answers, This forum helped me alot while restoring my X.
Cheers, OVI
 
thanks!
here's a specific ?
how do these feathers take extreme torque upgrades?
say a turb'd 2.2 putting out 300? with the corresponding break/suspension upgrades?
 
heh

what should I say, my english is bad , not all the words are fully "understandable" for me. but give it some time, u'll get answers .

PS. I got a uno turbo engine in my x :)
 
there are many who have put anywhere from 150 with the stock 1500 to 600+ with a twin cam Lancia turbo motor. A dodge 2.2l turbo X was for sale not to long ago (still might be)

The chassis is very robust, and can handle much more power then one would initially expect. Though they make fine strip cars, they make better canyon cars.

Arguably the fastest X built would be Momi's, he keeps a lot of the info about the car to himself but there are video's and an interview posted online.

The interview:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/1215...+man++%2526lt%253BGENERAL+WARNING%2526gt%253B

a long video where many cars drag race, momi's X being the fastest overall
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4039536226454557146&q=ISRAEL%2527S+FASTEST

and then a video just showing just how fast it is next to a very fast car and bike...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ0L4MiCnWY"]YouTube - very fast fiat x1/9[/ame]

One very fast X
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_b_VZH0oc&feature=related"]YouTube - Fiat X1/9 drag[/ame]
 
Congrats!

Looks very clean. If the engine in your car is original, it is a 1300cc. It may not be the original, though. Lots of people have upgraded to the 1500. I am no mechanical genius, but I am sure you will get EVERY aswer here. Some have been changing out to Honda engines, which offer a lot of power possibilities. If you need any parts, our list of vendors offer a lot of everything. I generally go thru Matt Brannon at Mid West X 1/9. In addition to his huge inventory of new and used parts, he is a successful X racer, and really knows his stuff! Enjoy!!!!:italia:
 
Welcome!

You'll find EVERYTHING here (on this board) you need to answer all your questions, including a raft of different engine mods and replacements. A good start is in our "Best Of" section. But I should warn you early, knowing mustangs as I do, (my nephew has a Mustang he spends a lot of $$ on) you'll never get an X1/9 to match the power and speed of a Mustang unless you're on a windy road with lots of twists/turns. The zMustang will blow by you at every straight. There is a Momo video here that may show you different, but this guy spends some very serious coin on his X and I doubt you'll want to pursue that kind of expense. What you'll find is that the X1/9 is a blast to drive, as it feels like a legal go-cart on the road. There's lots you can do with the suspension, engine, stereo, lighting, exhaust, etc. etc. and you'll find it all HERE.

Your car looks great on the outside (from what you show) and we look forward to seeing more in the near future.

Welcome to the addiction! :excited:
 
Cold Water

It's always great to make a new friend, so welcome!:)

Giallo (yellow) is one of the truly great colors for the X, IMO. It's hard to really tell from the pix, but what we can see looks very, very nice!

But......can we talk?

Just read what you wrote...."she runs great, and i fell in love with in about ten seconds!.....my first time driving w/o ps or power brakes, but i didnt really miss them.....and i already learned just how much it loved the turns..."

There is a dichotomy in automotive existence, cars that are meant for the turns and cars that are meant for the straights. As you say, your previous car and the circle of automotive friends you hang out with are coming from the "straight" school. But, your new X is from the other side of the tracks, the alternate universe of automotive existence, the "turns."

Sure there are plenty of ways to make the X faster at the dragstrip, but the vast majority of the mods needed to compete with 250-500HP V-8s will either be counter to the nature of this car, or will cost much more that the equivalent mod on a car designed for the straights. There's a drag racing axiom that applies: "Q: How fast can I make my car go? A: How much money you got?"

So my advice would be to keep the car as long as you recognize that the nature of this car is 180 degrees from what you have known so far, and as long as you can live with the fact that it will always be different from every other car in your circle of friends. Your comments above indicate that the X has opened your eyes to the "other" kind of motoring, the turns, and it sounds like you REALLY like what you've experienced of it so far.

You might be at a fork in the road, and if you have the budget, you can take Yogi Berra's advice and take both paths, by keeping the X as your "turns" car and getting another car for the "straights."

Making this car better at what it is "supposed" to do is an achievable goal and the path toward that can be rewarding. If your desire is to make this car better at the dragstrip, I offer this very good-natured, friendly, non-confrontational observation: "Sell this car and get one that's by nature more suited to that type of peformance."
 
Stereo.. (welcome!)

You can get decent sound for not too much trouble. A decent deck, in your early model there is a special mount for the stereo deck, since it has to poke out, but you or your friends may be able to fab something up.

Speakers are also a challenge, there is room for small ones (4x6 max) in the rear window shelf (mind the gas tank underneath on the driver's side) and there are many options for upfront speakers. I put mine in the bottom of the dash, but mine is a late model and might have a deeper knee pad.
IMG_0978.jpg


Then for a sub woofer, you can get one of these and put it in the spare tire area:
IMG_1664.jpg


Another option is up front, there's plenty of room up there. Also a good place for amps.

The X is not your typical American-style fast-only-in-a-straight-line car, it's more for twisty back roads and weekend autocrossing. It also is a tidy package that allows one to actually use it like another car on a trip, there's 2 trunks for crissakes. That being said, stereo components are best installed in such a way as to be unobtrusive, and so that you don't compromise the efficient storage ability of the car.
 
the speaker in the spare made me lol, i was actually thinkin about that.
and i know what you're saying, we always called it circuit vs strip, but i see no reason a car this light couldn't walk all over something like my cobra, yeah she was quick but the x seems like it has so much potential. one of my best friends from my hometown is an expert on the 2.2T dodge and he's finding me one right now for pretty cheap =)
i have a few suspension questions, but i'll take them to the other board. thanks guys!
 
Welcome kido

no offense meant. Being probably the oldest in this bunch I take liberty about your age.
You have loads of questions and tons of plans. I suggest you take them one at a time, and please drive carefully.
As to power, watch some of Momi's videos, he claims to have some 600 horses in that X.
So, welcome again and enjoy your stay
 
none taken, and momi's car was the first i found on youtube this morning for my little brother (who feels a little betrayed since i was the one who got him into mustangs..)
and i have a bad habit of not taking things slowly, i like to jump in headfirst for some reason. i'm going to try and plan this out and then do my best to take care of everything at once.
 
Welcome Ty... from probably the 3rd oldest in the group...

... We had a man here who was 80 and owned 6 X1/9s and a plethora of other cars... Saabs included...

Listen to Herzel though... he's not only one of the "chosen ones"... he lives in God's country!

HAHAHA!
 
I believe you just took my title as the youngest,

as I am in my early 20's.

Its good to see your branching out from your mustang roots, I am sure your brother will understand the appeal of the X1/9 once he gets a ride in it. The X has a way of gaining respect without the use of power, you yourself should know that very well.

I do think your going into this car with the same mindset as if you were buying another mustang, in which your not. Get the X and drive it as one, go to some autocross events (http://www.utahscca.com/), go up into the canyons, drive 55-60 on the freeway (in fear of overheating).

When I was 18 I had a 200hp GTI, I wanted more power though. I was about to buy a big turbo kit for the car when something that was said to me that really stuck: "Its easy to drive a fast car fast, but its hard to drive a slow car fast."

So after a stint with 180-200 hp fwd cars I decided it was time to learn rwd. Under powered + MR + light weight - high cost, was the equation I came up with to become a better driver. I guess you can say I bought my X as kind of a training car. What I found something far better then I had expected.

So I do advise you slow down a bit, and take a step back. Adapt yourself to what the car wants, rather then trying to adapt the car to what you want. That might sound backwards at first, but I think you will find it to be very true. Once your driving style is in sync with the car, then go for more power.
 
mellor_21 said:
he claims it has a 1500 though! any easy way to tell the difference?
Click to expand...

The engine block has numbers cast into the back as the engine sits in the car, underneath the manifolds. 128.anything is a 1300 and 138.anything is a 1500.

There a few other differences (if it has an oil pressure sender next to the filter and an oil pressure idiot-light switch next to the crankcase breather, it's a 1300; the timing marks are different) but the engine block casting will leave no doubt.
 
wow i'm really the youngest? haha sweet
and thanks for the advice, i'll try to remember it

i'll check the block tomorrow or the next day
 
Live it up while ya can Ty... there will be PENALTIES!

... and its gonna hurt really bad when someone YOUNGER and PRETTIER shows you up!

HAHAHA!
 
i'm all for someone pretty showin up :excited:
and i'm tryin on the pics, horrible weather today, but papers were officially faxed today, should get my check/car friday!!
if you really want pics, i could upload some of my cobra. ever heard of a mystic?
 
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