Wanted 87 X again

dontilgon

dontilgon

True Classic
If anyone has any leads. No rush . Going to wait on a Black one. Hope all is well with everyone.

Thanks
 
I believe the official import numbers for 87 were under a thousand cars.. You may be waiting for a while.. Maybe if you find an 87 you can have it painted black...:)
 
Blue 87.

Craislist.
Knoxsville,Tn. Not black or exactly close by.

I also unstandstand that the later models were Real rust buckets.
So ya,Coming across a black one may take some time.
 
Hardly...

Mlott said:
I also unstandstand that the later models were Real rust buckets.
Click to expand...

They have been on the road up to a dozen years less than earlier cars, and by the eighties, the dealers had caught on to the "Fiat=Rust" panic mentally of the general public, and had started rustproofing the hell out of them. My 87 has lived in the Pacific NW and in the high mountains of Colorado (as well as a short stint in Hawaii I think) and there is not a spot of rust on it. Same for my 86, which has lived in N TX all its life.

Pete
 
I think by 1987 the dealers just could not sell these cars and they just sat around outside collecting water.
 
I owned 3 87s all burgundy. I have a thing for 87s:)I should of listened to you guys when you told me not to sell it because of the new car. Cant go or do half the things in a ferrari I did with my X.
 
the rust thing,

I believe the story is that while awaiting for Bertone to take over production in the early-mid 80's, the bare metal shells sat outside exposed to the elements until production resumed. There were also some inconsistencies in prep and assembly leading to the perception and/or validity to rust/quality claims or issues.
 
Rudy.

Was'nt there also an issue with the east german steel that was being used
Dont remember all the details...

I know if 3 late 80s within a 30 min drive of my home that are parked because of rear strut towers have rusted thru...
Darn midwest salt..
 
I think it was Russian steel...it's well documented somewhere...

From my experience with owning 2 85's and an 86, they came with factory bondo in various places to mask imperfections..probably true of most cars in that era.
 
Mlott your confused about the theory. FIAT had the deal with the Russian gov for the Russian surplus steal so the poor quality steal was used in the 70's.
And I think the shells sitting outside was when Bertone had the shells sitting unpainted outside waiting to transport to FIAT...that's when FIAT was just painting over the rusting shells- so it is said...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OUwAKs-tKA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD59E90090B8FD59F"]Filmato - YouTube[/ame]
 
Pete Whitstone said:
They have been on the road up to a dozen years less than earlier cars, and by the eighties, the dealers had caught on to the "Fiat=Rust" panic mentally of the general public, and had started rustproofing the hell out of them.
Click to expand...

Absolutely and wasn't Bricklin's best friend selling the undercarriage rustproofing to the Bertone dealers...I think.
 
Thanks for the correction greg.

Also explains why my google search of fiat/bertone/east german steel came up with nothing..
Does this seem about right.

The Russian government supplied FIAT with large quantities of steel in exchange for the rights and tooling necessary to manufacture a clone of the recently discontinued FIAT 124 (sold under the Lada and Zhiguli names). Though superficially a good deal for FIAT, who off-loaded their old design and tooling at a hefty profit, the steel they received was of an extremely poor quality. There is also anecdotal evidence that poor planning frequently left early X1/9 body-shells un-painted outside the Bertone factory before transportation to FIAT where the rusting body-shells were simply painted over..





Now someone here is looking for a 87x
 
Last edited:
Read here...

forgot about the electric bicycle :D
_________________________________________
Automotive News / August 29, 2005

Hap Hirsh, who distributed rustproofing to auto dealers in the 1980s, is the latest entrepreneur to dream of selling Chinese vehicles in the United States.

Hirsh has signed a deal to distribute vehicles assembled by a small north China automaker, Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co. The company, which produces SUVs and pickups, sold just 28,114 vehicles in 2004, down 2 percent from 2003, says consultant Global Insight of London.

Chen Zhenhua, an executive at Hebei Zhongxing, confirms the company has an agreement with Hirsh, but adds: "It will be one year or more before we can even think of exporting to the U.S. There are a lot of things we have to resolve - not just making sure our engines meet U.S. emissions standards, but also safety standards and many other things.

"He (Hirsh) didn't think it would be any problem, but I think it will be pretty difficult."

The first exports would be pickups, he says.

Thermo-Guard Inc., Hirsh's rustproofing company, closed in 1989 and later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Hirsh also helped sign up dealers for Malcolm Bricklin's Electric Bicycle Co., which failed in 1997.

Bricklin says he plans to sell Chinese cars in the United States starting in 2007. And David Shelburg Sr. of Scottsdale, Ariz., a former Bricklin associate at Subaru, also is trying to distribute Chinese vehicles in the United States.
 
That's mint for the east coast...

JJ, you forget what we get to deal with around these parts... While I agree that this car is rough, it's still a restorable candidate worth saving if there are no surprises.
 
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