What did you do to your X1/9 today ?

Actually I did not know who he was but just giving you a hard time. I assumed he also did towing. Hope it was taken as being funny and nothing more. ;)
 
C9183CD9-A0EE-4119-8268-E9F69E5D09AE.jpeg
Made a gearknob
 
No offense taken Dr. Jeff. Just figured I would put names with the faces.


? so how do you go about making a custom shift knob your self?
 
Awhile back I purchased a full set of Koni struts for the "street" X (the "outlaw" has a set of coilovers). The Koni's are the 'red' (actually orange) adjustable type. They were new but old stock, so although everything is in 'new' condition they have been on the shelf for a long time. There are no leaks or issues, everything feels right, adjusts correctly, etc. But just for fun I decided to tear them apart for an inspection and service. It is a simple design and therefore easy to rebuild.

Actually this wasn't just for fun. I will be cutting off the stock perches and converting them to 'air-bag' struts. Best to do the cutting and mods with the guts removed to avoid any potential damage. This also allows me the chance to do another mod; shortening the main shafts for a proper lowered stance - you know, as it should have been made :).

The insides looked as clean as the outside, with absolutely no indication of any wear or issues....with two possible exceptions. There is a large O-ring at the top that seals the upper tube. When I removed the cap and pulled out the tube the O-ring "grew". It literally expanded several millimeters in diameter to the point it won't go back in. I guess so long as it was sitting in its grove and held in place it worked fine, despite the effects of years of exposure to the hydraulic (shock) fluid causing it to swell. So I will get new replacement O-rings for all four in a higher grade material this time.
The other possible issue was the fluid itself. While it still looks clean and not contaminated, I imagine the age of it is reason enough to be changed - much like changing the oil on a vehicle that hasn't been driven but has sat forever. This allows the opportunity to upgrade the fluid from the original mineral oil to a high quality full synthetic. I will also step up one level on the weight (viscosity) to give a little more firmness overall, as I prefer the feel of a stiff dampener [I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere]. Although these are "adjustable" units, the adjustment is only for rebound. So changing the fluid's weight is a way to change the compression characteristics without revalving. Then the rebound can be adjusted accordingly.

It will be interesting to see how they feel afterwards, although the car won't be back on the road for awhile. Possibly the first (if not only) air suspension X1/9?
 
I pulled this ‘83 Bertone out of a car row way out in dad’s land in the country. Renters left it behind after moving out and owing a years rent. I retired five years ago and decided I needed a car project so I harvested this car that has been out there for over 15 years. In the past days I have been cleaning it out, pressure washing etc. Today is a hot day and everything on or in the car is dry so I sprayed the engine with Maguires #40 plastic and rubber preservative. I like using this spray so I buy it by the gallon. Spray it on everything and leave it to soak. Makes working on the engine much easier. Like a light oil it helps loosen stuck bolts, loosens baked on oil & grease, road grime. I may pressure wash it after this first soaking, use compressed air to blow it dry and spray it down again. I plan on removing the engine soon.
15ADB4BD-7E0A-416C-B5F6-92AF964D4E1F.jpeg
29079C1F-6420-4121-8DB3-60D5E38C1492.jpeg
9E4F25D3-91A7-419D-9764-3BBCA69910CD.jpeg
372748A6-DEC5-4478-88B9-2FD9F6BB2E2E.jpeg
 
Welcome to the forum. Hope we hear more from you as this car progresses. Please let us know if we can be of any help.

Ryan59 said:
out of a car row way out in dad’s land in the country
Click to expand...
Any other interesting vehicles sitting in those rows of cars? Sounds like fun to explore what's there.

Those engine pictures look pretty clean already - by 'old Fiat' standards. How rusty is the body/chassis?
 
Thank you Dr. Jeff. I picked up this tip from the Corvette forum. I’m not sure what is in their formula but it’s very different from Armour-All-Like products. It doesn’t attract dust and doesn’t leave the wet look. It does however look wet in my pictures because I just fogged everything and took pictures. I restomod old KZ900/1000’s and own a few 750 turbo’s with ‘97 ZX11 suspension. First thing I do when I drag a new piece of gold home is pressure wash it, blow it dry and fogg it with #40. The row of shame out there, a large fire several years ago took some and I’m working on selling one’s I can get out. There is a black 2-door BMW without an engine but the transmission (manual) is hanging in there. Another left behind vehicle from renters. I actually can get a title for that car. I can get pictures, price is whatever it costs me to gets title, $25.00 I think.
 
This old Fiat has more rust than most people like to see. Floor pan needs sections replaced. Drivers door window is plexiglass and has been crease from opening too far. I suspect some parts were stripped and sold for dope. Bumpers are missing as are the side vent covers. I have sheet metal experience from restoring older vehicles.
 
One of the X's I picked up for parts has a lot of rust, I'll bet it looks worse than yours. :(
I've done several old bikes and lots of BMW cars. If the two-door BMW is older it's likely either a 2002 or a 320i, both of which make great projects. Too bad we are so far apart, just not worth the haul from Vegas to Kansas to retrieve a car. But there might be more value in it than you think. Send me some pictures and I can offer my opinions.
 
By the headers it looks like it was a 4-cylinder. My 325e was a 6. No wonder he pulled the engine, must of had a 6 in mind but fell into the meth pit never to return. Turns out his x is a relation to dad’s 2nd wife of 35 years now, getting a duplicate title is not an issue.
A832AD28-1D71-4F28-B053-51194C9D1A58.jpeg
 
That's a 320i. Great cars in my opinion. You can fit a big 6 cylinder engine, trans, rear end, brakes, etc from the larger BMW models. Makes for a rocket that handles well. And it seems to be fairly solid. Worth some money in So Cal, I don't know about there.
 
kmead said:
Bolt size and thread to go into the block as a guide? M12 x 1.5?
Click to expand...
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
M12 x 1.5 according to p21-2 of FIAT shop manual
Click to expand...
Seems to be a typo in the FIAT shop manual. It's actually M12 x1.25 (extra fine instead of fine). In fact, the same page shows the correct spec for the nut, but not the bolts. I bought a pair of M12 x1.5 bolts, and my brother Carl sawed off the heads for me. Later I tried them out and they stopped after about 1 or 2 mm. I thought to myself, "Wrong pitch?" Sure enough, when I dug out the car's own bolts and nuts from their ziplock bag they also did not work with the new sawed-off bolts. This time I took the car bolt and nut with me to the hardware store and tested them with the new bolts. M12 x1.25 it was. This was the first time I lost a tiny bit of money by relying on the info on XWeb. Not a big deal, because we can all blame the shop manual, and I've gained tons of valuable, free information from here!

NOTE for Kurt and Dan: If it's not too much trouble, please edit your posts above to include the correct size, something like "[NOTE: typo found in shop manual. It's actually M12 x 1.25]" That would help slow down the spread of misinformation here.

EDIT: Thank you, Dan, for updating your earlier note. I now see that Karl doesn't need to because he was simply asking the same question that I was asking in my own head. (and maybe he'll forgive me for getting his name wrong earlier -- my late father was Kurt, and my younger brother is Carl, so both names mean family to me, even if Carl is spelled differently). :D
 
Last edited:
raillard said:
Seems to be a typo in the FIAT shop manual. It's actually M12 x1.25 (extra fine instead of fine). In fact, the same page shows the correct spec for the nut, but not the bolts. I bought a pair of M12 x1.5 bolts, and my brother Carl sawed off the heads for me. Later I tried them out and they stopped after about 1 or 2 mm. I thought to myself, "Wrong pitch?" Sure enough, when I dug out the car's own bolts and nuts from their ziplock bag they also did not work with the new sawed-off bolts. This time I took the car bolt and nut with me to the hardware store and tested them with the new bolts. M12 x1.25 it was. This was the first time I lost a tiny bit of money by relying on the info on XWeb. Not a big deal, because we can all blame the shop manual, and I've gained tons of valuable, free information from here!

NOTE for Kurt and Dan: If it's not too much trouble, please edit your posts above to include the correct size, something like "[NOTE: typo found in shop manual. It's actually M12 x 1.25]" That would help slow down the spread of misinformation here. If you do that I'll remove this note at the end of my post.
Click to expand...

I corrected my post. Thx for the correct info!
 
A little bit of suspension work today... minus a few bolts that I'm missing.

Pulled the steering rack down, and found the shaft had a distinct bow to it! Fortunately I have a good shop press and it was only a few minutes work to straighten it.
20180830_142656.jpg

20180830_143712.jpg

everything cleaned and ready to go

rack rebuild.jpg


Nice rack .....
20180830_155217.jpg

lots of new parts laid out...
new parts.jpg


Hubs with new bearings installed...
hubs rebuilt.jpg

RHF corner rebuilt...
rhf corner.jpg


today's job done... Monday into the car.

20180901_184030.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top