New to the Forum... My '78 X from Malta!

I

ics-019

Daily Driver
Hi everyone,

Great forum you have here... and some lovely Fiats/Bertones indeed!

I have just bought a good condition red '78 X locally. I now know the meaning of a true mid-engined Italian sports car.

We are now up to 3 Bertones in the family. My X and my dad's Alfa Romeo '69 1750GTV and a '60 Giulietta Sprint.

Yesterday, after a good hard clean (inside and out) I gave my baby Ferrari her first photoshoot. Here is the outcome:


The '78 X1/9 by C.Ellul, on Flickr


The '78 X1/9 by C.Ellul, on Flickr


The '78 X1/9 by C.Ellul, on Flickr


The '78 X1/9 by C.Ellul, on Flickr


Fiat wreath by C.Ellul, on Flickr

Happy New Year everyone.

Regards,
Chris.
 
A very good buy indeed

Looks clean and healthy.
Congratulations and welcome to our little corner in this world.
Enjoy:happy:.
 
Welcome Chris

Very nice looking X you have there. Happy New Year!
 
Nice X and what a nice way to ring in the new year then by joining the best place in the world for X1/9 enthusiasts? Welcome to the family Happy New Year!
 
Welcome Chris... you are the second person...

... I know of from Spain that has just recently joined this site.

Laurie Cross is the other... I believe he is X-less at the moment, but none the less.

Do open the doors and hatches and let us see what else ya got there... and send all the ARTSY photography directlly to JJ... (HAHAHA) as most of us like just plain old clear shots!

Great looking car ya got there... congratulations! What a way to start the new year.
 
Thanks for the kind comments!

First off, I'm not from Spain but from Malta... It's a tiny island bang in the middle of the Mediterranean, just south of Sicily. :)

Last I checked, there were 6 registered X1/9s in Malta. Bear in mind that we use RHD versions and are therefore slightly less common than the LHD counterparts.

Some history so far about my personal X:

-It originally was metallic blue but was resprayed by its previous owner.
-Interior is quite a disappointment (and that's why there aren't any pics of the inside!). Nasty cracks on the dash as well as it being warped. Steering foam is tattered. seats are ghastly. carpets lack luster
-Engine was supposedly overhauled. However, quite a poor excuse for an overhaul really. Can you imagine that this X has blown its head gasket and after the overhaul... not even the oil and coolant were changed? Apart from that... tappets need adjusting and it needs a new alternator (or bearings)
-Gearbox is quite terrible. Synchronisers have gone on 1st and 3rd.
-Overheating problem... thermostat methinks (fan motor works when isolated)

What I've done so far:

I have already given it a nice little service and replenished it from the ghastly looking fluids it had running through it.
Fixed some electrical/wiring issues.
Stripped the interior and gave it a rugged clean.
Regulated fuel mixture
A good soapy wash and polish :D

What is on the Agenda:

-Ordered new sets of hoses as the radiator hoses currently on are perished and terribly squishy (had one leaking on me the other day!)
-Seats being done professionally... Black vinyl (I figure they would suit the red exterior better than the rainbow seats)
-Several interior and exterior trim ordered
-New brake lines / pads on the way
-Engine will go out soon and will be given a proper overhaul
-considering slightly lightening the flywheel and having a lower ratio gearbox in
-CSC manifold and exhaust
-Bigger weber unit

The idea behind my X1/9 project is to make it a fast(er) road car whilst retaining a good amount of originality and spirit. Of course, I still have to look into the many tuning possibilities and their feasibility so much research is still required!

By the way, I need a new Dashboard and centre console(s) - if anyone here is willing to ship to Malta please drop me a PM. Will post a pic of the dash as it is in a couple of days :)

Thanks again and best regards,
Chris

Keep those X's running!
 
and one more for ya...


Boot Badge by C.Ellul, on Flickr

I'm positive I willl be posting very unartistic, nitty gritty images of the X soon enough =P

Most photos visible on my Flickr page, by clicking the above photo.
 
We know you're not from Spain, one of the last people to join before you was from Spain.

For the gearbox, these problems seem to be fairly common, one of the issues described with "they all do that". Someone more knowledgeable than myself can chime in on what the issue with 1st gear is, as it is a different problem from the synchros. Many have had success prolonging synchro/tranny life with high grade fluid like redline brand products as well.
 
Well... I gotta admit... I thought Malta...

... was an island owned by Spain.

Sorry.... but its good ta know that I can still LEARN something at 62!

So is Malta a sovereign nation or is it a part of Italy?

WOW... 6 X1/9's on that tiny rock... how many cars on the island total?

Looks like you are busy with the car... do post fotos of your dash and console and lets see just how bad they are. Where are you ordering parts from currently?

I know Mad Matt here in Ohio will ship internationally and so will Henk in the Netherlands. I dunno about Chris Obert but he does BUY from Europe...

Anyway, looking forward to seeing more!
 
hehe well Malta is in fact an Independent country, having declared independence from the British in 1964.

We are about 500,000 population in all and that's quite dense believe you me. Quite over populated in terms of vehicles too!

So far I have checked out flea-bay, midwest, international autoparts and eurosport uk for parts. Having ordered from the first two mentioned. In October I should be travelling to Padova, Italy to visit the amazing 'Fiera auto d'Epoca' (would be my second visit to this fair) were parts rain from the heavens and petrol heads swarm the halls. Yes, I go there for parts! I highly recommend this fair. It is an amazing experience for us Italian classic car owners :)

Will be posting pics soon!
 
Hi and welcome , I was in Malta for vacation about 5 years ago fantastic place so much history and lots of interesting cars seems as though there is one of every type ! Lots of "spirited drivers ha ha":headbang:
 
WOW... 1/2 Million folks...

I's suspect that if one should give birth it would force another into the water! That is indeed pretty dense.

ics-019 said:
hehe well Malta is in fact an Independent country, having declared independence from the British in 1964.

1964, huh... I think my focus was primarily on GIRLS at that time... so I missed the big event! HA!

We are about 500,000 population in all and that's quite dense believe you me. Quite over populated in terms of vehicles too!

So far I have checked out flea-bay, midwest, international autoparts and eurosport uk for parts. Having ordered from the first two mentioned. In October I should be travelling to Padova, Italy to visit the amazing 'Fiera auto d'Epoca' (would be my second visit to this fair) were parts rain from the heavens and petrol heads swarm the halls. Yes, I go there for parts! I highly recommend this fair. It is an amazing experience for us Italian classic car owners :)

Chris Obert pm'ed me and stated they are willing to ship anywhere the buyer is willing to pay for postage... except Jupiter.

Do check out our vendors here and see what they have available. I imagine the COST of shipping is the bigger problem.
Will be posting pics soon!
Click to expand...

Looking forward to seeing them!
 
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