What did you do to your X1/9 today ?

Today I tried to repair the heating system with no luck. Found that the lever for adjusting fresh air is broken. I am thinking about replacing the top with a small aluminum plate and glue/screw it on to the lever. Spare parts like this seems impossible to get.
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autox19 said:
it was too hot for the rail but too cold for the braket
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Having two different thicknesses of material does make it more challenging. Looking at the picture, it was too cold here:
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There is no penetration into the metal (below, to the left) so the weld separated from it. One technique is to set the heat for the thicker side (hotter) and angle the MIG tip a little more toward the thick side so the heat travels more that direction. Also you can divide the amount of 'time' spent over each part unequally; let the MIG tip hover a little longer over the thick side than the thin side as you move along the bead. The 'speed' of your movement of the gun (how long you hover at any one point) will determine how hot that spot gets.

The weld bead seems a little "cold" on both sides actually. It does not appear to "melt" very far into the metal of either side. So I think higher heat will help the entire joint. Another tip that helps is to leave a small gap between the two parts along where the weld bead will go. That gives a space for the melted puddle to flow into, so it joins more than just the surface of the materials.

One more thing I see is it appears maybe the surfaces were not totally clean before welding. Those little "balls" (dingleberries) on top of the bead appear to be impurities that came up from a contaminated substrate. Make sure you have 'fresh' exposed metal that is clean. A light grinding or sanding followed by a wipe down with cleaner (such as paint thinner) will help. And plenty of shielding gas flow; let the gas start to flow a moment before you pull the trigger far enough for the arc to start, and let it continue to flow for a moment after you release the trigger enough for the arc to stop.

I don't have a TIG (really wish I did) so had to figure out how to make the most of a MIG. Decided to take a class at a community college to get some pointers (pre internet days). In the meantime I learned how to be a really good 'grinder'; all of my welds needed a lot of grinding to make them look cleaner. :D
 
Bjorn Nilson said:
I am thinking about replacing the top with a small aluminum plate and glue/screw it on to the lever.
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In addition to Dan's great link for a replacement, there was a thread where someone showed how they fixed the same broken arm. So if you decide to try that approach, maybe see if you can find that thread and see if it gives any good pointers.
 
Bjorn Nilson said:
Today I tried to repair the heating system with no luck. Found that the lever for adjusting fresh air is broken. I am thinking about replacing the top with a small aluminum plate and glue/screw it on to the lever. Spare parts like this seems impossible to get.
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Parts like these are probably excellent to make with a 3D printer. Relatively simple design and will be durable enough as long as the cheapest plastic filament isn't used.
 
Thanks for the tip. I will first try to repair it. If buying it it will be like 100USD with toll and shipping. I will check availability in EU as well to ev. get a better price.
 
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I have rebuilt a couple of these.
It is best to find some plastic of the same type. Newer ABS does not work as well.
It is best to make a pattern to keep with in the proper size but there is a little leeway for over size.
Build up the end with a wood burner making sure the plastic is completely bonded together.
You want it slightly larger that original so you have room for filing and shaping.
I then used some .010 brass shim stock to shape a cover around the plastic.
I had brass tubing on hand for the hole but you could roll a tube of the proper size with the shim stock.
Once you have the brass molded around the plastic float some solder around to hold the metal in place then file smooth.
You might need a small clamp of some kind to hold metal together where it overlaps while soldering.
The metal is so thin you do not need a big soldering gun to get the solder to flow.
The heat during the solder will help bond the metal to the plastic but be careful not to get it so hot it melts the plastic to the point of collapse.
I have used tin from paint thinner cans for projects but prefer brass for this type of project.
 
Took the X to a local car show that I had not yet been to, an evening Main Street show in Lansdale, PA. Very nice crowd turnout. Met couple of former X owners and one took me up on the offer to hop in and get a picture taken for old times sake:)

While waiting in the staging area, this rare bird pulled up behind me.

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1963 Daimler SP250 Dart, fully restored by its owner after being rescued from a field. Wikipedia says these were unofficially voted as the ugliest car at the 1959 NYC Motor Show, and for good reason IMHO. 2,654 made, so not as rare as a Lancia Scorpion.
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
2,654 made, so not as rare as a Lancia Scorpion.
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Perhaps more of these were made (than Scorpions), but I'll but fewer still exist, making them more rare today. While the car is not my personal cup of tea, it is very cool to come across something so unusual nonetheless. I miss the old Cars and Coffee in Orange County (SoCal), odd stuff like this appeared frequently.

Your car is looking very clean, as always Dan. :)
 
Finished tearing out my kitchen, the drywall, old wiring and primary clean up.

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Oh wait, wrong forum... :)
 
Today I flushed the cooling system and fixed the heater and valve. They were totally clogged so that was the reasons why water didn't flow thru it. Removing the core heater pack was quite easy (thanks to this excellent forum), but getting it back was really tricky. In fact I gave up but will try again even harder tomorrow.
 
Leaving the top most part of the heater pack in the car during assembly is a bad idea. It is almost impossible to have everything fitted together. Instead I moved everything out and then it was easy to snap on the core and lower part and put it back as a whole unit. Now I will continue repairing the broken heater arm and fan switch arm. I am slowly getting there...
 
I have reached the point where the car is now ready for the road. I sent the registration in to the DMV today for the first time since 1995. Since the car was in "non operational" status, the CA DMV process is all paper and US mail only. Should be an interesting wait for the tags to show up.
 
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